Alan Scott | |
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Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern.
Cover art for JSA #77 by Alex Ross. |
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Publication information | |
Publisher | DC Comics |
First appearance | All-American Comics #16 (July 1940) |
Created by |
Bill Finger Martin Nodell |
In-story information | |
Full name | Alan Ladd Wellington Scott |
Team affiliations |
Justice Society of America Checkmate All-Star Squadron Sentinels of Magic |
Partnerships |
Doiby Dickles The Flash (Jay Garrick) Jade |
Notable aliases | Sentinel, White King, Green Lantern |
Abilities | Skilled hand to hand combatant Power ring grants: Flight Green light projection Invulnerability to any weapon not made of wood Solid light construct generation Mystical tracking Longevity |
Alan Ladd Wellington Scott is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics, and the first superhero to bear the name Green Lantern. He was created by Bill Finger and Martin Nodell first appearing in the comic book All-American Comics #16, published in 1940.
Alan Scott fights evil with the aid of a magic ring that grants him a variety of supernatural powers.
The original Green Lantern was created by an American artist named Martin Nodell. Nodell mentions Richard Wagner's opera cycle The Ring of the Nibelung and the sight of a trainman's green railway lantern as his inspiration. After seeing this opera, Nodell sought to create a superhero who wielded a variety of magical powers from a magic ring, which he regularly recharged from a green lantern. Nodell wanted a colorful and interesting costume for his character, deriving from elements of Greek mythology. As Nodell recalled in an undated, latter-day interview,
When I sent it in, I waited into the second week before I heard the word to come in. I was ushered into Mr. [Max] Gaines' office, publisher, and after sitting a long time and flipping through the pages of my presentation, he announced, "We like it!" And then, "Get to work!" I did the first five pages of an eight-page story, and then they called in Bill Finger to help. We worked on it for seven years [through 1947].
Nodell chose the name "Alan Scott" by flipping through New York telephone books until he got two names he liked.
The character of Alan Scott made his debut in All-American Comics #16 (July 1940), fighting crime under the masked identity of "Green Lantern". He also appeared as part of the superhero team Justice Society of America in All Star Comics #3 (Winter 1940). He served as the team's second chairman in #7, but departed following that issue and returned a few years later, remaining a regular character. His villains tended to be ordinary humans, but he did have a few paranormal ones, such as the immortal Vandal Savage and the zombie Solomon Grundy. Green Lantern proved popular and was given his own series, Green Lantern, later that year. Most of his adventures were set in New York.