The 24th Annual GLAAD Media Award Nominees were announced today and DC Comics has two nominees in the category of Outstanding Comic Book.

BATWOMAN written by W. Haden Blackman and co-written and with art by J. H. Williams III and more. This is the second nomination for BATWOMAN which won the 2012 GLAAD Award.

EARTH 2 written by James Robinson and with art by Nicola Scott and more.

The GLAAD Media Awards recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and the issues that affect their lives.

Congratulations to all the nominees! For the full list head over to GLAAD.org.

The winners will be announced at gala celebrations in New York on March 16, Los Angeles on April 20 and San Francisco on May 11.

SPOILER ALERT: If you have not read EARTH 2 #5 yet and do not wish to know what happens, stop reading this post now (major spoiler alerts ahead!).

Earlier this week, we showed you an exclusive preview of EARTH 2 #5. In this preview, we teased that Alan Scott, a.k.a The Green Lantern, is faced with a heart-wrenching choice that will affect the entire Earth. But what is it?

In order to defeat Grundy, Alan Scott figures out that he must infiltrate the greater power to which Grundy is a servant: The Grey. The same way he can connect to the Earth’s energy, Alan must connect to the Grey in order to take down Grundy and put a stop to him once and for all. In order to do so, he’ll have to leave his physical body behind to connect with the internal matrix within the world where The Grey resides. Thus, his body is left vulnerable to attack and in need of protection by Hawkgirl, The Flash and The Atom.

Yet when Alan begins his journey, he quickly learns that Grundy’s mission of destruction cannot be derailed. His quest also informs him that The Grey sent Grundy to destroy the planet so that it has a chance to be reborn and punish the life forms that have abused it. As if that’s not enough, The Grey has decided to recruit a new soldier: The Green Lantern himself.

While Alan rejects their initial offer, it doesn’t take long for The Grey to figure out how to lure the Jade Warrior onto their side – his heart. EARTH 2 fans remember the tragic fate that befell Alan’s lover, Sam, at the end of issue #2. And as Alan goes deeper and deeper into The Grey, he is reunited with Sam for the first time since his death.

Below, see Alan and Sam together in The Grey, while Hawkgirl, The Flash and The Atom attempt to protect his physical body from an attack by the resurrected Grundy. Share your predictions in the comments section below about what Alan will do next! Will he give into his heart’s desires or will this new hero be able to say goodbye to the love of his life in order to save the planet?

EARTH 2 #5, in stores now, is written by James Robinson and illustrated by Nicola Scott and Trevor Scott.

We announced back in April that an all-new Batman digital comic book would be coming soon.  Today, we’re excited to reveal that the first chapter from LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT will be released tomorrow, followed by new chapters out every Thursday. Taking place outside of DC COMICS – THE NEW 52 continuity, the new series features several stand-alone stories by various creators that chronicle different cases handled by The Dark Knight.

Kicking off the first chapter is the all-star line-up of LOST scribe Damon Lindelof with artwork by the critically acclaimed Jeff Lemire.  The line-up for the first six chapters of LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT is as follows:

June 7 – “The Butler Did It” written by Damon Lindelof with artwork by Jeff Lemire

June 14 – “All of the Above” written by Jonathan Larsen with artwork by JG Jones

June 21– “The Crime Never Committed” written by Tom Taylor with artwork by Nicola Scott and Wayne Faucher

June 28 – “Crisis of Identity” Part 1 written by B. Clay Moore with artwork by Ben Templesmith

July 5 – “Crisis of Identity” Part 2 written by B. Clay Moore with artwork by Ben Templesmith

July 12 – “Crisis of Identity” Part 3 written by B. Clay Moore with artwork by Ben Templesmith

Mark your calendars – Thursdays are officially all about The Dark Knight and you can get your weekly fill here for $.99 each.

Legends of The Dark Knight artwork by Ethan Van Sciver.

Last week, you heard rumors coming out of KAPOW! Comic Con that a DC Comics character would be gay when reintroduced to readers in DC COMICS-THE NEW 52. We compiled some coverage of the speculation about that character’s identity for you and asked that you share your best guesses in the comments section on our website.

Today, we are pleased to announce that the mystery about the identity of the character in question is over. Appearing in next week’s EARTH 2 #2, Alan Scott is the only Green Lantern of Earth 2. A team leader with a Type-A personality and an appetite for justice, Alan also happens to be homosexual. And while his origins won’t be shown in full detail until issue #3, we can tease that a traumatic event will serve as the catalyst for him assuming his superhero identity as The Green Lantern.

Alan’s storyline is a direct result of DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 and DC’s commitment to taking a fresh look at its characters. Originally a Golden Age character whose previous continuity spanned from the 1940s through modern times, Alan was a charter member of the Justice Society. As a character, Alan is one of the oldest within DC Comics’ pantheon (being created in 1940). In EARTH 2, he is getting an update for contemporary times to reflect the world we live in. He is younger, has an updated costume and is being introduced to DC COMICS-THE NEW 52 for the very first time. It is also important to note that while Alan is a gay man, his sexuality is merely only one part of his multi-layered character.

“I’m very proud to be introducing Alan Scott into DC COMICS-THE NEW 52,” said series writer James Robinson. “He was my favorite Golden Age character and one I’m very familiar with so I’m really excited to be updating him for a contemporary readership. However, I think old-time readers will be pleasantly surprised by how, in some ways, I'm trying to show the ‘classic’ Alan Scott at the same time. He's still the same dynamic, heroic guy he was. He's still the head of a media empire like he was in his prior version, but of course with the form of media changing and evolving with the times. And in many ways, his origin mirrors the original one also. Oh, and on Earth 2 there is only one Green Lantern, so Alan's title is The Green Lantern. Alan's sexuality is just one facet of him, along with his innate goodness, valor, charisma and skill at leadership that makes him the perfect man to wield the power of the green light in the world of Earth 2.”

"Before starting work on #1, the first document I had to work from was the character breakdowns for our primary players,” continued EARTH 2 artist Nicola Scott. “With Alan the brief was very clear. He needed to be a big, strapping, handsome man that everyone would instinctively follow and love. No short order but right up my alley. Alan strikes me as an incredibly open, honest and warm man, a natural leader and absolutely the right choice to be Guardian of the Earth. His sexuality is incidental. Every time I draw him I love him even more.”

Below, take a first look at Alan Scott in the pages of EARTH 2 #2 (on sale Wednesday) and stay tuned to THE SOURCE later in the day to hear more from Robinson and to read more about Alan Scott and EARTH 2.