Every superhero has their secret, but Alan Scott has two… and they’re both in danger of being exposed. Your Major Spoilers review of Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 from DC Comics awaits!

ALAN SCOTT: THE GREEN LANTERN #1

Writer: Tim Sheridan
Artist: Cian Tormey
Colorist: Matt Herms
Letterer: Lucas Gattoni
Editor: Andrew Marino
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $3.99
Release Date: October 24, 2023

Previously in Alan Scott: The Green Lantern: The Green Lantern is the most powerful member of the JSA, beloved by all of America, but his personal life is a well-kept secret. This is a story about love, about fear, and most of all about the courage to stand up to that fear. Alan Scott’s past is the key to his future when the Red Lantern appears, ready to strike down the mighty Green Lantern!

THE OFFICE OF J. EDGAR HOOVER

Our story begins at FBI Headquarters, where J. Edgar Hoover himself has called The Green Lantern for a little chat. The Justice Society of America, Hoover’s pet project, has been assembled, but he’s concerned that their most powerful member isn’t much of a team player. When GL tries to argue that he’s busy, and that his imprimatur should be enough, Hoover addresses him directly… by name. Alan is shocked that the FBI knows his secret identity, but that shock turns to disgust when Hoover shows him photographic proof of his homosexuality, threatening to expose him if he doesn’t play along. Returning to Gotham City, Alan tells his friend Doiby Dickles about it all, only for the radio to announce that a gunman has taken over the Midtown Bank. Arriving at the scene, The Green Lantern finds no gunman and a police officer who insists that he was just there and took off with the suspect… a suspect whose description is very familiar to him.

SOMETHING ISN’T QUITE GELLING

The story of Green Lantern’s bad day is intercut with flashbacks to his search for “The Crimson Flame” (a story which actually began in DC Pride: Through The Years #1 a couple of months ago), and the presentation of the flashbacks is quite confusing. Set aside for a moment the Crimson Flame retcon in the face of a character called Green Lantern (which is disconcerting), the back-and-forth from 1936 to 1941 makes for a fractured presentation. I’m still not sure if the final page is a flashback, a hallucination, or something even more sinister, while the solicitation copy and the one-shot, The New Golden Age, have already given away what’s going on with the mistaken identity. It’s kind of a bummer to see the storytelling having this many difficulties, because Tormey’s art is quite lovely. Alan Scott and his paramour Jonny are adorable together, while the Green Lantern portions of the book are amazing. The character hasn’t looked this good since Jerry Ordway left All-Star Squadron, and even when I have to back up to figure out what’s going on, the art and coloring are attractive enough that I almost don’t mind.

BOTTOM LINE: LOOKS GREAT, BUT READS CHOPPY

Having so much of the introductory matter for Alan Scott: The Green Lantern #1 appear in a different book isn’t necessarily a problem, but when that book appeared five months ago, and the scripting/pacing of this issue is so awkward, even truly excellent art can get bogged down, but it’s still good enough to pull off 3.5 out of 5 stars overall. The reveal of Alan Scott’s sexuality and the secrets he has been keeping for so long make perfect sense here, especially with the use of a certain alleged federal blackmailer in this issue.

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