The Multiple superheroes Green lantern in "Earth 2" with different taste

Green Lantern, the multiple superheroes from the DC Universe, is serving as a beacon for the publisher again, this time as a proud, mighty and openly gay hero. The change is going to be enjoyed next week(on June 6) in "Earth Two," where writer James Robinson and artist Nicola Scott, reintroduces the concept by putting a new spin on the original versions of characters like the Green Lantern, the Flash and Superman that diverges notably from the past several decades of DC lore. In the second issue of the comic, Robinson and Scott prove just how different this world is by revealing that their version of Alan Scott, the first Green Lantern introduced back in 1940, is an openly gay man.

But purists and fans note: This Green Lantern is not the emerald galactic space cop Hal Jordan who was, and is, part of the Justice League and has had a history rich in triumph and tragedy. Instead, said James Robinson, who writes the new series, Alan Scott is the retooled version of the classic Lantern whose first appearance came in the pages of "All-American Comics" No. 16 in July 1940. And his being gay is not part of some wider story line meant to be exploited or undone down the road, either.

"This was my idea," Robinson explained this week, noting that before DC relaunched all its titles last summer, Alan Scott had a son who was gay. But given "Earth 2" features retooled and rebooted characters, Scott is not old enough to have a grown son. "By making him younger, that son was not going to exist anymore," Robinson said.

"He doesn't come out. He's gay when we see him in issue two," which is due out Wednesday. "He's fearless and he's honest to the point where he realized he was gay and he said 'I'm gay.'" "It was just meant to be — Alan Scott being a gay member of the team, the Justice Society, that I'll be forming in the pages of 'Earth 2,'" he said. "He's just meant to be part of this big tapestry of characters."

It's also another example of gay and lesbian characters taking more prominent roles in the medium. In May, Marvel Entertainment said super speedster Northstar will marry his longtime boyfriend in the pages of "Astonishing X-Men." DC comics has other gay characters, too, including Kate Kane, the current Batwoman.

And in the pages of Archie Comics, Kevin Keller is one of the gang at Riverdale High School and gay, too. Some groups have protested the inclusion of gay characters, but Robinson isn't discouraged, noting that being gay is just one aspect to Scott. "This guy, he's a media mogul, a hero, a dynamic type-A personality and he's gay," Robinson said. "He's a complex character."