The strength of the highly admired Green Lantern comic book character comes in the form of a ring that gives the power of will.  However, when the respective ring owner dies, the ring itself seeks out a replacement.  However, this time the new wearer may turn out to be one of DC Comics' most controversial decisions ever, as the latest Green Lantern will be of Muslim-American descent in the newest issue set to hit newsstands Sept. 5th.

Writer of the "Green Lantern" Geoff John had spoken to CBS News on Sept. 4th in regards to the character change:

"I thought a lot about it - I thought back to what was familiar to me.  This is such a personal story." 

The new storyline will revolve around a Dearborn, Michigan native Simon Baz, who is given the mantle of Green Lantern in DC's most recent relaunch titled "The New 52."  The character, like several others in his home state, is laid off from his automotive engineering job. 

However, the story starts much sooner, as the then 10-year-old olive-skinned Lantern and his family witness the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.

DC Comics will indeed be stressing the racial conflict that many are said to have felt upon the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, as several Arab-Americans had been subject to being treated unfairly and were improperly labeled.

"Obviously, it's affecting everybody.  One of the things I really wanted to show was its effect on Simon and his family in a very negative way" Johns added to the news site.    

The newly revealed Baz character is not the first of its kind to appear in comics. Marvel Comics' "X-Men" books have Dust, an Afghanistan woman with the ability to manipulate sand and dust particles. 

The Muslim-American conflict has also been exploited in Frank Miller's "Holy Terror," a book about a character called The Fixer, who seeks revenge on Islamic extremists for a terrorism attack on a fictional New York called "Empire City."

Tags: DC Comics Books