DC Direct Deluxe Golden Age Green Lantern

While I haven't any deep or long-time associations with Alan Scott, the original Green Lantern, I certainly do appreciate his classic uniform of the Golden Age of comics. Yes, the tall collared cape & loud colors come off somewhat goofy, but that's what I love about him. Appearing within both All-American Comics, and as part of  Justice Society of America in All Star Comics in 1940, Alan Scott was the only Green Lantern until 1951, when he stopped appearing due to a waning popularity in costumed heroes. He was eventually revived and retconned into the DC Comics Universe, along with the other Golden Age members of the JSA when All-Star Comics was resurrected in the 70's. Most all of my experience with Alan Scott comes from more recent, post-Crisis On Infinite Earths portrayals, before his re-imagined presentment in the New 52 Earth 2 title.

There were a lot of complaints about these 13" Deluxe figures by DC Direct, I have several I love. Their bodies have some cut joints that show through the costumes at odd angles, there have been wardrobe malfunctions, and some of the hand pegs haven't fit into their holes well. Still, Alan here is a standout, due in part to his simple, but beautifully tailored outfit and luxurious cape. The cape! Thick and silken, Alan's cape is attached securely onto four metal snaps on his red shirt to prevent shifting- a small detail that works really well. The body suit is one piece, opening up at a zipper down the back of the costume, like his boots which are made of a soft, faux leather, allowing his hinged ankles to move.

There are some nice details on this figure, the crown jewel of them being the artful sculpt and paint on the face- the eyes and lips glisten in a very life-like fashion, as though Alan might open his mouth and talk to you. It's not quite the caliber of a Hot Toys likeness, but it's nice. The ring is crisply sculpted on Alan's hand, neatly painted in metallic green. While simple, his pleather belt is functional and works visually. The Green Lantern insignia cleanly screen-printed on his red shirt really gives the outfit a retro, sci-fi feel, all the colors and dramatic cape straight out of the age of Flash Gordon.

 

The Green Lantern of Golden Age comics acquired his powers through an ancient Chinese lamp, carved from a meteor that fell onto the countryside thousands of years before, fulfilling the final movement of a long fabled prophesy. After the Silver-Age reboot of the Green Lantern, Alan Scott eventually reappeared as  the Green Lantern from the parallel world of Earth 2. Alan's power ring has no effect on wood, a safety measure installed from a time when many weapons were carved from trees, to protect against the corruption great power often brings. This part of Alan's story remains intact with DC Comics' New 52 Earth 2 portrayal of the character, challenging the new hero in his battle against Solomon Grundy.

When you put the mask on, Green Lantern really takes on the look of the legendary, Golden Age character. It's sculpted on the back to fit in the hollows of his eyes and bridge of his nose with reasonable security. Aside from a second set of  bendable, outstretched hands, Alan comes with a battery powered lamp that really puts out a glow. Like the others DC Direct deluxe figures, Green Lantern comes with an adjustable stand, the character's name stamped onto the base. While his joints are tighter than some of my other 13" DCDs, and he stands securely on his own, it's nice to have, keeping the expensive doll from toppling over.

While my Green Lantern Corps deluxe figure came with alternate heads, Hal has a lot of pageantry to compete with, the spectacle of Alan Scott's uniform hard to beat! I found mine on Amazon this past April for fifty bucks- about ten or fifteen dollars less than he went for on his retail debut a couple years ago, the last of this line of deluxe figures by DC Direct we've seen.

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