Ethan Van Sciver Defends James Gunn’s ‘Lanterns’

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Despite working on his own long-awaited comics, Cyberfrog #3 and Reignbow the Brute, artist Ethan Van Sciver – previously a Green Lantern artist for DC Comics – has unexpectedly come out in support of James Gunn’s Lanterns.

Ethan Van Sciver gained fame for his excellent work on Green Lantern, particularly alongside writer Geoff Johns. However, he later left DC Comics, reportedly due to disagreements over political issues. Following his departure, Van Sciver became a leading figure in “ComicsGate,” a movement that supported independent comic creators with conservative viewpoints, often through crowdfunding.

It’s a bit unexpected for artist Ethan Van Sciver to publicly support the show Lanterns, given that it was created by James Gunn, Tom King, and Damon Lindelof, who are often labeled as progressive or ‘woke’ creators.

There’s speculation that artist Ethan Van Sciver might earn money from royalties if the character Atroticus appears in the comic Lanterns. Van Sciver originally created Atroticus alongside writer Geoff Johns.

However, that doesn’t mean getting paid swayed Van Sciver’s opinions.

What did Ethan Van Sciver say about Lanterns?

Okay, so the trailer dropped and honestly, even comic book legend Alex Ross seemed a little bummed out by it. That sparked a bit of a firestorm online, and artist Van Sciver jumped onto X to defend the project. It didn’t help that a video resurfaced of Lindelof, seemingly joking (though nobody found it funny), calling the whole “Green Lantern” title a bit silly. It’s a messy situation, and Van Sciver clearly wasn’t happy with the criticism.

The account “seangunnburner” quickly addressed fan concerns, stating plainly that the situation was meant as a joke.

Another user replied, “Do you ever get tired of making a fool of yourself defending these people?”

The user “seangunnburner” responded, saying they don’t care what others think of them and believe they are much smarter than those who criticize them.

That’s when Ethan Van Sciver chimed in with his two cents and blasted the internet.

Honestly, I totally get what Van Sciver means. It’s exhausting constantly having to explain why enjoying something doesn’t automatically make you a bad person, especially when people want to be offended by pop culture. It feels like I’m shouting into the void, and people react with the same hostility I remember seeing when Ann Coulter predicted Trump’s win years ago – it’s just a really frustrating dynamic.

He went on to explain that Lindelof was just being playful. He clarified that Lindelof doesn’t actually believe the color green is silly, but made the comment deliberately to rile up fans. He imagined the reaction: ‘The creator of a Green Lantern show wouldn’t dare think green is stupid! It’s outrageous!’

The artist, who previously worked on DC comics, explained that the show is titled ‘LANTERNS’ because it will feature different colored rings, starting with yellow.

Ethan then went on to offer his thoughts on the show and may have even also revealed insider info.

He praised the show’s quality, noting that it prioritizes being a compelling adult drama and mystery before focusing on superhero elements.

Van Sciver explained that the trailer deliberately left out some key elements, like the green energy constructs and superhero action. He pointed out that even though Sinestro appears in every episode of the show, he’s absent from the two-minute trailer, suggesting they’re saving those reveals for later.

Ethan believes Lanterns is a strong awards contender, drawing comparisons to shows like Barbarian, Weapons, and True Detective – the latter of which has the same creative lead.

He predicted the show has a good chance of winning Emmys, praising the strong cast. He believes the creators, Zach Cregger and Nic Pizzolatto, have inspired something truly significant, and encouraged viewers to expect something special.

Ethan also reached out to James Gunn after the trailer dropped, saying, “Thank you, Mr. Gunn. This looks great and feels true to the characters of Hal and John, something the previous Green Lantern movie didn’t achieve. I have faith in you.”

Lanterns is good?

I’ve heard from sources that Lanterns is a promising show. It reportedly begins with a realistic feel before expanding into science fiction.

Look, let’s be honest, James Gunn really ruffled some feathers with Peacemaker. A lot of fans felt like it leaned too heavily into certain themes, and it left a lot of us feeling pretty wary about his vision for the new DCU. Honestly, can you blame us for being a little hesitant? After that, a lot of us are going in with our guard up.

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2026-03-07 19:02