DC Comics Introduces a Muslim Green Lantern

DC Comics introduced a new Green Lantern on Wednesday – a Muslim from Dearborn, Michigan, who leaves behind street racing to join an intergalactic police force.

Simon Baz, the muscular protagonist in his early 20s with the Arabic word for courage, “al-shuja’a,” tattooed on his arm, is the latest example of superhero diversity in the comic book world. His debut comes after DC unveiled a gay Green Lantern in June and Marvel Comics presented a half-black, half-Latino Spider-Man last year.

“In typical comic books there’s a big handsome white guy and that’s it. But that’s not the world we live in, and comics are reflecting that,” said Thor Parker of Midtown Comics in New York. Parker’s store was selling the new comic on Wednesday.

Most fans know the Green Lantern’s alter ego as Hal Jordan, who is Caucasian, a ladies’ man who was played by Ryan Reynolds in the 2011 film.

But the new comic tells the story of Baz, an American of Arab ancestry raised in a Muslim family. He is chosen to be part of the Green Lantern Corps, an intergalactic police force.

The original Green Lantern was introduced in 1940 with a character named Alan Scott. DC revived the Green Lantern in 1959 with Jordan.