Alan Scott

Alan Scott is the original Green Lantern — the emerald-ringed champion who lit up the Golden Age of comics long before Hal Jordan ever existed. Debuting in All-American Comics #16 in 1940 and appearing as part of the ensemble cast in All-Star Comics #2 that same year, Alan Scott is one of DC's oldest and most historically significant superheroes. A railroad engineer who discovered a mystical green lantern forged from a meteor known as the Starheart, Alan crafted a ring from its metal and became one of the very first costumed heroes of the DC Universe. His early appearances are among the most coveted Golden Age keys in the hobby, with high-grade copies commanding serious attention at auction.

Unlike the science-fiction-driven Green Lanterns of the Corps, Alan's power is rooted in magic — an ancient, almost cosmic force that makes him simultaneously one of the most powerful and most unique figures in DC's history. Over the decades he has operated under multiple identities, most notably as Sentinel during his JSA revival years, but always returning to the mantle of Green Lantern. His connection to the Starheart gives him a staggering range of abilities including reality manipulation, dimensional travel, illusion casting, and the creation of energy constructs fueled by sheer willpower. He has served on cornerstone teams including the Justice Society of America, the All-Star Squadron, and various iterations of the Justice League, cementing his legacy as a pillar of the DC Universe across multiple eras and Earths.

Collectors who dug into DC's New 52 and Rebirth eras found fresh reasons to hunt down Alan Scott key issues, particularly with his reimagining on Earth 2 as an openly gay Green Lantern — a landmark moment in mainstream superhero comics that drove demand for his modern appearances. His role in the Earth 2 series gave him a new origin while honoring his mythic roots, and story arcs like Wonders of the World and the JSA's various revivals have given him consistently rich material across both the Bronze and Modern Ages.

For collectors, Alan Scott represents the rare opportunity to own a piece of comics history at virtually every budget level. Golden Age issues are trophy-tier grails, but his Silver Age JSA cameos, Bronze Age revivals, and key modern issues all offer compelling entry points. Whether you're chasing a raw copy of All-Star Comics #2 or tracking down his Earth 2 first appearance, Alan Scott's bibliography is a masterclass in why the Golden Age still matters to the modern hobby.