Green Lantern comic hero turns Arabic

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.

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.

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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.

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