Green Lantern #85

Green Lantern #85 (On Sale: June 24, 1971), has a classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow cover by Neal Adams. If you saw this on the stands and did not buy multiple copies, you needed to check your pulse as you may have been dead.

We begin this issue with the classic Green Lantern/Green Arrow tale "Snowbirds Don't Fly" by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams. Oliver Queen is attacked by thugs on the street, and despite beating them soundly, he is surprised when he is shot in the shoulder with one of his own arrows. Finding no help from strangers, he crawls to a hospital and collapses before anyone offers him help.

After being treated, Ollie calls up his friend Hal Jordan to discuss the significance of the arrow. Ollie suggests that he had been neglecting his ward Speedy, and worries that he may have been captured. They follow Ollie's lead to a basement, where they find a withdrawing junkie begging for a fix from a Mr. Browden. Green Arrow and Green Lantern force their way into Browden's apartment, capturing him and the junkie.

Elsewhere, the same thugs who attacked Oliver earlier are waiting for their friend, the same junkie that was caught by the heroes, to return with their fix. Roy Harper (Speedy) appears to be with them. Suddenly, Green Lantern and Green Arrow burst through the ceiling and subdue the junkies. Oliver assumes that Roy is undercover, and tells him to sit the remainder of the mission out, while he takes out the dealers.

The junkies lead Green Lantern and Green Arrow to the dealers' hideout, but they turn on the duo in order to get their fixes as a reward. With the heroes subdued, the dealers forcibly intoxicate them with their drugs and plan to discredit them by calling the police. Fortunately, before the police can arrive, Roy shows up gets them to safety, with some effort.

Back at Arrow's tenement, Roy explains that without a father figure, someone might look for comfort in drugs. Despite this, Oliver is horrified to discover that Roy has become a junkie himself, while he and Green Lantern were traveling cross-country. This classic tale has been reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5 (1984), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 2 TPB (1993), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 2 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012), Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016), Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 Years HC (2016), Green Lantern (Facsimile Edition) #85 (2020), and Green Lantern:80 Years of the Emerald Knight the Deluxe Edition HC (2020).

The backup is "The Strange Trial of Green Lantern" by John Broome, Gil Kane, and Joe Giella and reprinted from Green Lantern #11 (1962). After a series of uncharacteristic episodes in which Green Lantern had almost committed various crimes, he is brought before his fellow Green Lanterns for sentencing. The court of his peers is told of each incident: How Hal entered a bank, used his power ring to stun the tellers but left without taking any money; Hal almost bullied himself into not paying a $100 entry fee for a gallery; and finally how he procrastinated in saving a young man who had fallen out of a window. Deciding not to punish Hal because he had not actually done anything illegal, Hal demands that the other Green Lanterns punish him because he feels he has lost control. Putting it to a vote, they agree to do so, devest Hal of his Green Lantern emblem and power ring, seal him in a capsule, and launch it into space.

While traveling through the void, the capsule is suddenly transported to the Antimatter Universe and to the planet Qward, where Hal is brought before Sinestro. Sinestro explains that he escaped his imprisonment in his last encounter because he had a spare power ring hidden in the heel of his boot and manage to escape to Qward to plan an act of new revenge against the Green Lantern. He then explains he used a device to alter Green Lantern's personality so that he became selfish but couldn't push him into doing anything illegal.

Suddenly the other Green Lanterns arrive to save Hal, having suspected Sinestro's involvement they played into his hands. However, Sinestro traps them all in a room made of yellow material. Giving Hal back his power ring, he comes up with the idea of using it to pull chemicals out of the air and make an acid strong enough to melt through the walls. Freeing themselves, they easily capture Sinestro and subject him to his own machine. Imprisoning him with the device which would tell him over and over that he cannot escape.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #84

Green Lantern #84 (On Sale: April 27, 1971), has a cover by Neal Adams, featuring a photograph of of Kinney/Warner executive Marc Iglesias.

This is one of my favorite issues of Green Lantern. "Peril in Plastic" is by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Bernie Wrightson and lord, are those Wrightson inks wonderful to see. The rich, silky smoothness it adds to Neal's pencils made me wish they had done a lot more work together than they did. Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris enjoy a romantic three weeks together, after revealing his secret identity to her. However, eventually, she explains that she plans to go to the company town of Piper's Dell by herself to see if Dr. Wilbur Palm, the mayor, can cure the paralysis of her legs. Later, Hal visits his friend Oliver Queen for some relationship advice, but they soon hear word that Piper's Dell is being threatened by floods caused by bombs around the town.

Green Lantern manages to save the town from destruction, but Dr. Palm insists that he stay, slapping a Kaluta (isn't that wonderful!) onto his breast, a small toy/conversation piece/personal decoration that sprays perfume into his face at intervals. As they walk about the ground shakes with the sound Ka-Looo'Ta!, created by the punch press that makes the devices. 

As Mayor, he gives Lantern the key to the city, which is plastic and breaks in his hands. When GL says he needs to leave and fly home he finds he can no longer concentrate enough to fly, and Palm sends a number of men in suits to attack him. Eventually he is defeated, falling though the cheap plastic wall of a house. With his last thoughts before falling unconscious, Green Lantern sends his Green Lantern Ring to Star City to find Oliver.

When Green Lantern comes to, he finds that Dr. Wilbur Palm is in fact his old nemesis the Black Hand in disguise. Black Hand reveals that he has used the town's manufacturing facilities to create a system of brainwashing the townspeople, and that his invitation to Carol Ferris was a ploy to bring Green Lantern there. He has Carol brought in in her wheelchair and allows a still powerless Green Lantern and Carol to escape, knowing that the brainwashed citizens will attack them.

However, in the meantime, Oliver and Black Canary have got into an argument and returning to his apartment Oliver finds the ring, and going to Hal's hotel room, he charges the ring. He then takes a boat to Piper's Dell and returns the ring to Hal with one of his arrows just in time for GL to defeat the citizens. Green Lantern detains the citizens in energy constructs, and then uses his ring to entrap the Black Hand within a case of molten plastic.

The heroes make good their escape, and later, while Christmas shopping, Carol wonders why the people in Piper's Dell would give up so much freedom so easily for a plastic world. Green Arrow seeing plastic Christmas trees for sale wonders if they were so different from everyone else. This classic tale has been reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #16 (1981), Green Lantern/Green Arrow #5 (1984), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 2 TPB (1993), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 2 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012), and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #83

Green Lantern #83 (On Sale: February 23, 1971), has a Green Lantern/Green Arrow cover by Neal Adams.

This issue features Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary in "...and a Child Shall Destroy Them" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano. While walking down the street, Carol Ferris bumps into a stranger and is subsequently cursed by a young girl named Sybil, and she falls in a seizure.

A month later, Dinah Lance decides to take a job as a teacher at Meadowhill School, accompanied by her friends Oliver Queen and Hal Jordan. They are suddenly attacked by a flock of birds, requiring the men to put on their costumes to protect Dinah. When the birds are dealt with, they decide to see if her new boss knows anything about the occurrence.

They are greeted at the door by the man who Carol had bumped into earlier, who introduces himself as Grandy, the cook. He is accompanied by Sybil. The owner of the school, Jason Belmore, introduces himself, but expresses disapproval of the costumed heroes, prompting Green Arrow and Green Lantern to leave. Strangely, Mr. Belmore seems to have made them leave at Grandy's behest. Grandy directs Sybil to make the heroes sorry. 

We should probably mention that Grady bears more than a passing resemblance to disgraced Vice President Spiro Agnew.

Outside, Green Arrow and Green Lantern notice Carol hanging around their car in a wheelchair. Carol has them drive her away and explains her case. She reveals that Belmore is her fiancé, but that he seems changed. Suddenly, Green Arrow loses control of the vehicle, which crashes. If not for Green Lantern's ring they might all have died. They soon realize that they have left Dinah in danger.

After dismissing her final class early, Dinah realizes that the children are oddly quiet and inanimate. Grandy appears and chastises her, ominously promising punishment for the early dismissal. Dinah returns to her room and dons her costume as Black Canary. She easily defeats a reluctant Mr. Belmore and Grandy, but Sybil's powers cause her to collapse on the floor. She is dragged to the cellar by the children, where Grandy releases angry wasps to attack her.

Green Arrow and Green Lantern arrive to save her, but they are soon incapacitated by Sybil's powers. Green Arrow uses a trick arrow to distract her, allowing them to escape and find Dinah. Green Lantern deals with the wasps, and Dinah is alive, fortunately. Green Lantern angrily confronts Grandy, who once again calls upon Sybil to punish him. This time, though, Sybil refuses, saying she wants to be like a normal child. When Grandy angrily slaps Sybil across the face, she uses her powers again – not to punish Green Lantern, but instead to bring the wing of the building down around them. Green Lantern and Green Arrow manage to escape with Mr. Belmore, Dinah, and the children, but Grandy and Sybil are trapped inside and are presumed to have perished when the wing collapses.

Before leaving, Green Lantern reveals his identity to Carol and confesses his love for her. She is unsurprised and accepts his feelings, finally. As they walk away, Sybil appears to be seen standing over Hal's discarded domino mask. Has she somehow survived? This story has been reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #4 (1984), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB (1992), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 2 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012), and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

World's Finest Comics #201

World's Finest Comics #201 (On Sale: January 26, 1971), has a Superman/Green Lantern cover by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano.

This issue features "A Prize of Peril" starring Superman and Green Lantern by Denny O'Neil, Dick Dillin, and Joe Giella. Superman and Green Lantern both detect a meteor storm that threatens the Earth. They both act independently but the other hero interferes with their plan. Despite a close call, they manage to stop the meteors. In the aftermath, an argument is sparked.

Suddenly one of the Guardians appears and chastises the heroes for not working together. He then sets up a competition to settle their disagreement. Doctor Fate is summoned to create a magical test for them. He constructs a course in which Superman and Green Lantern must each overcome one of their fears. Then they reach a space dragon. Green Lantern's power beam releases the dragon which attacks the Justice League satellite. Only by combining their powers are the heroes able to stop the monster.

Superman then realizes that they were tricked. The heroes find Doctor Fate, who is actually their old enemy Felix Faust in disguise. Faust used a phony Guardian to bait the heroes into releasing the dragon. Fortunately, the heroes overcame their personal feud in time to prevent further harm.  This has been reprinted in Best of DC #13 (1981), Showcase Presents: World's Finest Vol. 4 TPB (2013), and World's Finest: Guardians of Earth (2020).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #82

Green Lantern #82 (On Sale: December 24, 1970), has a nice cover by Neal Adams. Julius Schwartz had been unable to work out the cover copy for this issue. Dick Giordano mentions in his introduction for the graphic novel Green Lantern/Green Arrow Volume Two that having seen the cover, he turned and started to walk away, chanting "The harpies are coming, the harpies are coming" (paraphrasing a popular movie of the time, The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!). Schwartz liked this, and so THE HARPIES ARE COMING! became the cover copy – which really pleased Giordano.

We have Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary in "How Do You Fight a Nightmare?" by Denny O'Neil,  Neal Adams, and Dick Giordano, with an assist by Berni Wrightson. Green Arrow visits Black Canary, offering her a box of roses, but when the box is opened, two harpies fly out and attack. The harpies soon fly away, and Oliver sends a message to Green Lantern in hopes that his experience with the supernatural would be of use. Green Arrow and Black Canary go to the flower shop from whence the roses came, while Green Lantern follows the harpies' trail. Green Lantern is led by the Harpies to their leader, the Witch Queen, who entraps him in another reality at the behest of her unseen brother.

Green Arrow and Black Canary investigate the flower shop, but they are soon attacked by three Amazons who seem intent on killing only men. Black Canary defeats them, and they explain that a male wizard had betrayed and banished the Witch Queen and themselves to the same reality that Green Lantern has been trapped in, sparking their mission to kill all men. They promise to guide an unhurt Green Arrow and Black Canary to their leader.

The Witch Queen's ally is revealed to be Sinestro, whose Yellow Power Ring was embedded within the Witch Queen's scepter, allowing her to trap Green Lantern. Suddenly, Green Arrow bursts through the window, instantly firing an arrow and knocking the ring from Sinestro's hand. Together, he and Black Canary defeat the Witch Queen and Sinestro. Unfortunately, Green Arrow is unable to rescue the Lantern from the "Dimension of Furies", because he is a man; only one male may inhabit it at any one time. Black Canary volunteers to go in his stead.

Meanwhile, in the other dimension, Green Lantern is attacked by Medusa for being a man. Fortunately, Black Canary arrives with the Amazons and explains that Medusa is being used by Sinestro as a pawn to kill his enemy. Medusa releases him, and Black Canary and Green Lantern return to their own reality to tell Green Arrow their story. This story has been reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #16 (1981), Green Lantern/Green Arrow #4 (1984), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012), and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #81

Green Lantern #81 (On Sale: October 15, 1970), has a cover by Neal Adams. For the first time, Black Canary is listed on the cover.

Continuing from last issue, we have "Death Be My Destiny" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dick Giordano. Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary are brought to Oa to act as character witnesses for the old-timer, the Guardian who has been traveling with the heroes on Earth. The other Guardians of the Universe blame the old-timer for choosing to save the life of Hal Jordan rather than act in the best interest of the greater good. Despite the objection of Hal and Ollie, the old-timer is stripped of his immortality by his fellow Guardians and exiled to the world Maltus, where the Guardians originated.

The old-timer is joined on the trip to Maltus by his three human friends. Although the planet was once sparsely populated, it now is host to an overpopulation problem. By consulting the archives, the heroes learn that when Maltus passed through a strange cloud of cosmic dust, the people lost the ability to have children. A scientist calling herself Mother Juna began cloning children from the cells of her fellow Maltusans. Although the people recovered their ability to reproduced, Mother Juna has not stopped creating more clones which has led to overpopulation.

While Green Arrow distracts the angry crowd of Maltusans, Green Lantern breaks into Mother Juna's laboratory. He and the others are then confronted by Juna's minions. As the battle between the two sides commences, the Maltusans enter the laboratory and begin destroying it. Mother Juna explains that she never recovered from the effects of the cosmic cloud and cloning was the only way for her to be a mother.  With her lab destroyed, she will no longer be able to create her clones and the overpopulation problem will no longer grow worse. The old-timer accepts his fate and remains on Maltus to help its residents. The heroes of Earth return home.

Not to suggest that these stories were popular, but this one was reprinted in DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #16 (1981), Green Lantern/Green Arrow #3 (1983), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB (1992), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC (2001), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB (2004), Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB (2011), Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012) and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC (2016).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #80

Green Lantern #80 (On Sale: August 25, 1970) has an interesting duo-tone cover by Neal Adams, making a play on a planet's yellow journalism with its coloring.

In the 22-page tale "Even an Immortal Can Die" Denny O'Neil tackles more societal ills than you can shake a stick at. As such, the story gets sort of lost along the way. I've read that the story is meant to evoke the trials of the "Chicago Eight," particularly the binding and gagging of Bobby Seale.

After messing around with a number of inkers on the book, we pretty much settle down now to Neal Adams' pencils being handled by Dick Giordano (with an assist here and there this issue from Mike Peppe), which is a good thing I think.

After crashing their truck into the water, Green lantern, Green Arrow and the Guardian they call the Old-Timer are rescued by a passing ship carrying barrels of toxic waste. They arrive on board just in time for the ship's boiler to over-heat. Before the Lantern can do anything to stop it, it explodes and GL is seriously injured.

The Old-Timer has the same powers as Green Lantern, but being on Earth for so long has weakened them. He can either save Green Lantern's life or save the ship. He chooses to save the life of his friend.

In order to keep the toxic waste from igniting and blowing up the ship, the crew, with Green Arrow's assist, dump it into the water. This gives Green Arrow a chance to moralize on the greed of those who make such waste in the first place.
 
Green lantern, green Arrow and the Old-Timer are summoned to OA by the Guardians of the Universe. There they are told that for putting the welfare of Green Lantern ahead of the ecological welfare of the planet Earth, the Old-Timer will be sent to the planet Gallo to be judged by the Tribune. Green lantern says he and Arrow wish to accompany their friend as witnesses, and Lantern says how his respect for the Guardians is greatly diminished.

When they arrive on Gallo, they are all muzzled and the Old-Timer is judged guilty without trial. The heroes realize that something is terribly wrong. They discover that the real Tribune have been replaced by their mechanic who, with his robotic forces, has taken control.  The Green ones must then fight to restore the proper process of justice and save the life of the Old-Timer.

Not the best of stories, so many ills Denny is trying to hit on in a single story, but still, hell, it is 22 pages of Neal doing the Green ones. Why complain? This has been reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #3, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB, Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB and Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #79

Green Lantern #79 (On Sale: July 14, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams.

The "Search for America" continues in one of the more forgettable issue of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow in "Ulysses Star is Still Alive!" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dan Adkins. Some of lackluster feelings this issue brings forth has to be Adkins' fault. Though Dan was a fine, and sometimes exceptional, inker, he seemed pretty lost in what to do with Neal's dynamic pencils. This might be the reason this is, I think, the only time Adkins inked Adams.

This is also Dan Adkins' first artwork for DC, which makes me think Neal maybe got him the gig, as he was always trying to get new blood established at DC. Dan would only ink a few stories at DC at this time, he was very busy at Marvel, where around the time this story came out Dan was inking a little thing called Conan the Barbarian #1 over Barry Smith's pencils. It would be seven years before Dan would really start to work at DC in earnest when he would come back to ink his good friend Don Newton's DC premiere on an Aquaman story in DC Special #28.

We begin with Green Lantern, Green Arrow and the Guardian resting by their campfire when they hear a noise. Rushing to investigate they discover two men ready to execute a native American. The two heroes disarm the men and asses the situation. They learn that the two would be assassins, Theodore Pudd and Pierre O'Rourke, claim to own the local land and trees. However, the native American states that his tribe's ancient chief brokered a deal with the government for exclusive rights to the lumber a hundred years prior. But, the government and local records all conveniently disappeared.

Feeling that there is not much case with out the contract, the two heroes learn that one more copy is reputed to exist and it resides with a man no one has seen for twenty years, Abraham Star. Green Arrow decides that they must stay and fight. Green Lantern disagrees and decides to help by trying to find Abraham Star. Hal heads to Evergreen City, where he used to work as an insurance investigator, and searches records until he finds a lead to Abraham's location. Hal arrives on the scene to find the building burning. He rushes in to save Abe and the two escape just in time.

Abe, a victim of smoke-inhalation, is taken off to the hospital, but not before he reveals to Green Lantern that all the legal records he had were just destroyed by the fire. Hal won't give up and flies off, trying to think of another way to help the tribe and deciding to go to Washington, D.C.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow has headed back to the nearby native American town where he finds Black Canary trying to help the local townspeople. Black Canary tells Ollie that she has noticed the townspeople are very dejected. A few hours later, a couple of white-men try to steal some food from the reservation. They are scared off by the spirit of Ulysses Star! The two men rush to a nearby lumberjack bar and report their story. No one belives it until the spirit shows up in person, with arrows flying! Theodore Pudd convinces the lumberjacks that it is just a hoax though, and the men agree to continue cutting down trees.

Ulysses then appears to the tribes-people and convinces them that they must fight to protect what is theirs. A few hours later, dawn breaks and the lumberjacks arrive. The tribes-men stand ready to fight though, alongside Black Canary.

A fight breaks out, and the spirit of Ulysses joins in as well, but it is quickly ended when Green Lantern arrives with U.S. Representative Sullivan. Sullivan has promised to look into the matter, so Lantern suggests that everyone goes home until then. The spirit of Ulysses takes offense to this suggestion of inaction and calls-out Green Lantern.

Ulysses, now clearly Green Arrow in costume (with a facemask straight out of Deadman), points out that his costume is yellow and that they should duke it out without ring or bow. The two duke it out until an errant log hits them and knocks them both out cold.

Later, at the reservation cafe, they discuss their opposing tactics, as do the locals, who have lost hope. Luckily, Sullivan arrives just in time to break the news that a man has confessed to the arson in Evergreen City and has implicated Pudd and O'Rourke.

Later, at a campfire, the two reflect on their dispute and its lack of a resolution. The Guardian points out that although it was not resolved, they at least learned that hitting and killing leads to bloodshed and humanity must stop doing this before it is too late.

I don't know if it is the lack of a resolution, or the over-the-top heavy-handedness of this issue that makes it so forgettable. Or, like I first suggested, maybe it is Adkin's inks. Still, 15 cents for 22 pages of Neal Adams is worth the money every time.

This story was reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #2, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB, Showcase Presents:Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB and Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB (2012).

Edited by Julius Swartz.

Green Lantern #79

Green Lantern #79 (On Sale: July 14, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams.

This issue features the book-length  "Ulysses Star Is Still Alive" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Dan Adkins. This is the first word Adkins did for DC. Green Lantern and Green Arrow are resting by their campfire when they hear a noise. They rush to investigate and discover two men ready to execute a native American. The two heroes disarm the men and asses the situation. They learn that the two would be assassins, Theodore Pudd and Pierre O'Rourke, claim to own the local land and trees. However, the native American states that his tribe's ancient chief brokered a deal with the government for exclusive rights to the lumber a hundred years prior. But, the government and local records all conveniently disappeared. 

Feeling that there is not much case with out the contract, the two heroes learn that one more copy is reputed to exist and it resides with a man no one has seen for twenty years: Abraham Star.

Green Arrow decides that they must stay and fight, but Green Lantern does not feel that breaking the law is the right thing, so he decides to help by trying to find Abraham Star. Hal heads to Evergreen City, where he used to work as an insurance investigator, and searches records until he finds a lead to Abraham's location. Hal arrives on the scene to find the building burning. He rushes in to save Abe and the two escape just in time. Abe, a victim of smoke-inhalation, is taken off to the hospital, but not before he reveals to Green Lantern that all the legal records he had just went up in flames. Hal does not give up and flies off, trying to think of another way to help the tribe and decides to go to Washington D.C. 

Meanwhile, Green Arrow has headed back to the nearby native American town where he finds Black Canary trying to help the local townspeople. Black Canary tells Ollie that she has noticed the townspeople are very dejected. A few hours later, a couple of white-men try to steal some food from the reservation. They are scared off by the spirit of Ulysses Star, a yellow figure with a bow. The two men rush to a nearby lumberjack bar and report their story. No one believes it until the spirit shows up in person, with arrows flying!

Theodore Pudd convinces the lumberjacks that it is just a hoax though, and the men agree to continue cutting down trees. Back in town, Ulysses appears to the tribes-people and convinces them that they must fight to protect what is theirs.

A few hours later, dawn breaks and the lumberjacks arrive. The tribes-men stand ready to fight though, alongside Black Canary. A fight breaks out, and the spirit of Ulysses joins in as well, but it is quickly ended when Green Lantern arrives with U.S. Representative Sullivan. Sullivan has promised to look into the matter, so Lantern suggests that everyone goes home until then.

The spirit of Ulysses takes offense to this suggestion of inaction and calls-out Green Lantern. Ulysses, now clearly Green Arrow, points out that his costume is yellow and that they should duke it out without ring or bow. The two fight until an errant log hits them and knocks them both out cold. Later, at the reservation café, they discuss their opposing tactics, as do the locals, who have lost hope. Luckily, Sullivan arrives just in time to break the news that a man has confessed to the arson in Evergreen City and has implicated Pudd and O'Rourke.

Later, at a campfire, the two reflect on their dispute and its lack of a resolution. The guardian points out that although it was not resolved, they at least learned that hitting and killing leads to bloodshed and humanity must stop doing this before it is too late. This story was reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #2, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB, Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC.

In 1964, West Virginian born Dan Adkins joined the Wally Wood Studio as Wood's assistant. Wood and Adkins collaborated on a series of stories for Warren Publishing's black-and-white horror-comics magazines Creepy and Eerie. Adkins was among the original artists of Wood's T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, for Tower Comics, drawing many Dynamo stories during his 16 months in the Wood Studio.

Adkins recalled in Alter Ego how his work on his fanzine turned into a career in comics:

"I met him (Wally Wood) through Bill Pearson. I saw a letter of Pearson's in Amazing Stories [sf magazine]. His address was Phoenix, Arizona, and I was stationed at Luke Field outside Phoenix, so I thought he might know some girls there! I was nineteen at the time. He didn't really want to meet anybody; he was sort of a shy guy. But I went out and talked to him that night, and showed him my collection of fanzines.

Later, up in New York, I was doing art for the science-fiction magazines, but I couldn't make enough money at it, so I worked in advertising while I was also drawing for Amazing and Fantastic and Infinity and Science-Fiction Adventures. Half of these were put out by Larry Shaw, who also published one of the first monster magazines, Monster Parade, 'way before Famous Monsters of Filmland. Part of Monster Parade was stories, for which we did illustrations. While I was doing all this, Pearson had moved to New York, too, and I guess he wanted to get into writing. He had this big apartment in the '70s over near the river, and he got to meet Wally through (Roy) Krenkel or somebody.

I went up to Wally's with Pearson to get a full-page drawing from Wally for my fanzine Outlet. But Wally was too busy to do a drawing for me, unless-[laughs] Well, he offered me work to help him out! I had drawn nine pages of a war story, but I didn't show him my science-fiction illustrations. Later on, I showed him my sf drawings, and he said that if I'd shown him those, he wouldn't have hired me, because they weren't as good as the war story, which was my latest work! [laughs] So anyway, I started working as Wally's assistant, helping him on the first "Iron Maiden" story in the first issue of T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents. That was around June or July of 1965."

He joined Marvel Comics in 1967. working primarily as an inker but also penciling several stories for Doctor Strange and other titles. Adkins additionally worked for a variety of comics publishers, including Charlton Comics, DC Comics (Aquaman, Batman), Dell Comics/Western Publishing, Eclipse Comics, Harvey Comics, Marvel, and Pacific Comics.

In addition to penciling and inking, Adkins also did cover paintings, including for Amazing Stories, Eerie (issue 12) and Famous Monsters of Filmland (issues 42, 44). His magazine illustrations were published in Argosy (with Wood), Amazing Stories, Fantastic, Galaxy Science Fiction, Infinity, Monster Parade, Science-Fiction Adventures, Spectrum, Worlds of If and other magazines.

In the 2000s, he illustrated Parker Brothers products, and his artwork for Xero was reprinted in the hardback The Best of Xero. Dan died on May 3, 2013 at the age of 76.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #78

Green Lantern #78 (On Sale: May 26, 1970) has another Green Lantern/Green Arrow cover by Neal Adams. The highlighting of the word "family" made you think of Charlie Manson.

The book-length "A Kind of Loving, a Way of Death" is by Denny O'Neil,  Neal Adams and Frank Giacoia. While biking through Washington state, Black Canary is attacked by a biker gang. She holds her own for a while till one of the bikers runs her over. They take her bike and leave her for dead on the side of the road. A man wearing buckskin shows up and takes her away. Two weeks later, Hal Oliver and the Guardian drive into a small town in a Washington Indian Reservation and stop by a café for a meal.
When a biker gang shows up and harasses the owner, Hal and Ollie act timid and leave, but return shortly as Green Lantern and Green Arrow. Let's just say, the bikers don't stand a chance, though one tried to make a getaway on his bike and is stopped by an Ollie arrow.

Oliver recognizes the bike s the one Superman made for Black Canary and beats information out of the biker that they took the bike from her weeks ago and left her to die. Hal has to stop him from killing the guy. The Guardian wants to talk to the owner about white harassment of natives, so he stays in the café as the green guys go out looking for Canary. They find her with little effort, but when Ollie tries to take her back she says she will not go with him, that she is home. The buckskinned guy shows up, says his name is Joshua and that Black Canary is now a member of his "family." Ollie is unable to convince Canary to come with them, so they leave her with her new family.

Joshua gives her a gift, a gun. When she says using a gun is wrong, Joshua pulls her deeper into his control, till she accepts the gift. When Hal says that Ollie just needs to realize that she just doesn't dig him anymore, Oliver punches him and storms off into the woods. There he hears gunfire in the distance and heads for it, finding the "family" doing shooting practice and overhears him ranting about going into town and killing everyone there. Realizing he needs help dealing with all of them, Arrow fires a flare arrow for Lantern, but in the glow of the flare he is seen and shot.

Green Lantern shows up and disarms the family and traps them in a pit. Joshua and Black Canary escape and find the wounded Green Arrow. Joshua orders her to kill Oliver, but she can't do it, she remembers their love for one another. When she drops the gun, Joshua picks it up to do the deed himself, but is punched by Green Lantern. As he falls to the ground, his gun discharges and he accidently kills himself.

I don't remember if Frank Giacoia ever inked Neal Adams again, and though he toned the artwork down a bit, he was not that bad. Now that might be that Neal was in his prime and no one could hurt his pencils that much, or it might be that Frans was not that bad of an inker for Adams. This story was reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #2, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC, Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB, Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 5 TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow TPB and Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow HC.

DC Special #8

DC Special #8 (On Sale: May 21, 1970) has a cover for WANTED: The World's Most Dangerous Villains by Murphy Anderson.

We begin with Superman and Batman  "Joker-Luthor, Incorporated"  by France Herron, Jim Mooney and Sheldon Moldoff and reprinted from World's Finest Comics #129. When Superman checks into a disturbance at an outdoor exhibit in Metropolis, he finds that the Joker has joined forces with
 Lex Luthor and using an atomic dispenser, they turn Superman into a stream of electronic particles. Hearing that the Joker has gone to Metropolis, Batman and Robin arrive at the exhibit, but are unable to capture the two fiends. After they escape Superman slowly returns to normal. 

Batman believes the Joker gave away their next crime and show up the next day at a spring flower show, where the Joker is found in a giant flower and Luther is inside a giant mechanical bee. Superman is again shot and turned into a stream of electronic particles and Batman and Robin are unable to keep the two from stealing some prized bulbs and escaping once more.  Mr. Webb, who put on the flower show says he is still going ahead with a gem exhibit the next night.

The next night we see Mr. Webb enter a bunker using a concealed elevator and arriving on the stage inside an impenetrable glass bubble where the gems will be displayed The Joker and his men arrive by helicopter and try to break into the dome. Meanwhile, inside the dome, Webb gathers all the jewels and asks to be let out of the dome. IT is all a ploy as once in the open, Webb uses jet shoes to fly out with the gems. However, Superman figured the whole thing out and stops the flying Webb, really Luthor and Batman and Robin handle the Joker.

Next is the Flash in "Who Doomed the Flash?" by John Broome, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella and reprinted from Flash #130. The Flash’s runs into a number of his old foes around Central City, but when Flash checks on them, he finds that each is still in jail. The only connection between the villains is attorney Paul Barrett and when the Flash visits Barrett’s office, Barrett knocks him out.

Barrett disguises himself as the Flash and breaks Mirror Master out of jail. It was Barrett who was impersonating the villains and who has been under Mirror Master’s mind control since his trial.

The Flash awakens to find he has been imprisoned in a Mirror Master trap. He is able to escape using a filling from a recent dentist appointment. After freeing Barrett of Mirror Master's control, Barrett leads Flash to the crook’s next heist. Flash tracks down Mirror Master and returns him to jail.

This is followed by Green Lantern in "The Day 100,000 People Vanished" by John Broome, Gil Kane and Joe Giella and reprinted from Green Lantern #7. Green Lantern checks into the strange disappearance of all the citizens of Valdale, but comes up clueless.  Green Lantern realizes that he was supposed to be in Valdale when the disappearances happened and wonders if he was the real target. Suddenly Green Lantern is struck weak for a moment, his mind going momentarily blank.

The weakness was caused by the Guardians of the Universe who have once again pulled an astral projection of Hal Jordan to Oa. The Guardians relate to Hal the story of Sinestro, the rogue Green Lantern. Sinestro was the ring bearer of sector 1417 and initially he performed his duties well, but he soon became corrupt. First he built a fabulous palace and dispensed justice to his constituents. Sinestro then dissolved the high council and made himself dictator.

In response, the Guardians stripped Sinestro of his ring and power battery and banished him to the universe of Qward. Sinestro immediately got involved with the Weaponers of Qward and plotted revenge, beginning by capturing Hal Jordan.

After realizing that he was correct in guessing that the Valdale vanishings were meant to capture him, Green Lantern’s energy duplicate is returned to Earth, this time retaining his memory of the Guardians. Once he returns, Hal flies to the inter-universe aperture that allows access to Qward. He finds it sealed. So, he flies to Coast City and uses the power ring to make the citizens invisible as he learned that his transporter beam only affects visible humans. Green Lantern then walks around town baiting Sinestro.

Green Lantern’s plan is successful, as he is beamed to Qward by Sinestro, who believes Green Lantern is powerless. His ring still functions however, and he defends himself, but when Sinestro threatens to kill the people of Valdale if he does not stop, Green Lantern exchanges his life for theirs. They are returned to Earth and Green Lantern is placed into a yellow bubble until his ring runs out of charge.

But Green Lantern speeds up the Qwardian clock to make them believe his 24 hour charge has expired. His ring is still charged enough to defeat them all. He imprisons Sinestro in a force bubble of his own. Finally, Hal returns to Earth and attends his engagement in Valdale.

Lastly we have Hawkman in "Shadow-Thief of Midway City" by Gardner Fox and Joe Kubert and reprinted from Brave and the Bold #36. A creature made only of shadow robs the Midway City Bank just as the Thanagarian authorities recall Katar and Shayera, They postpone their departure to search for the fiend. Hawkman and Hawkgirl eventually catch up to the shadow thief as he robs a private residence of a fortune in rare coins. but are unable to prevent the crime.

We follow teh shadow thief and learn he is Carl Sands, who become fascinated by shadows in prison, and while using a color-disc magic-trick projector after his release, accidentally discovered another dimension, and a being in trouble there. Saving the alien, Thar Dan, gave him a Dimensiometer, a device which enabled Sands to exist in shadow, as a gift.  However, when Thar Dan discovered that use of this device would trigger another Ice Age, and requested his invention’s return, Sands ignored the plea and continued his ravaging of Earth.

Hawkman and Hawkgirl are able to identify the creature from mug shots, by comparing it to the shadow profile of convicted burglar Carl Sands. Hawkman believes that suspending Shadow-Thief in the air would prevent his escape, and when some birds tell them where the shadow thief is, they lift his mobile home into the sky..The Thief has to rip the Dimensiometer from his wrist in order to become solid on Earth, and they catch him. This action ruins the device, one use short of starting the new Ice Age.

Edited by Mort Weisinger.

Green Lantern #77

Green Lantern #77 (On Sale: April 9, 1970) has a cover by Neal Adams as we hit the second issue of the "New" Green Lantern.

The 23-page "Journey to Desolation" by Denny O'Neil, Neal Adams and Frank Giacoia begins  Green Lantern's and Green Arrow's Quest to find America. While traveling by pick-up truck across the country with one of the Guardians of the Universe in human guise, Green Lantern and Green Arrow pass through the small mining town of Desolation. Several miners shoot at their truck and the team immediately investigates the bizarre actions.

In a case of mistaken identity, the miners thought that team worked for Slapper Soames, the mine owner who runs the company town of Desolation with an iron fist. Slapper is planning to hang young Johnny Walden, a local folk singer, for stirring up revolt within the community. The miners are planning an actual revolt to free Johnny, behind their leader, Jacob. When Green Arrow sees how well-fortified and well-armed Slapper's men are, he advises them to call off their attack, but Jacob refuses to listen and charges into battle.

Green Lantern and Green Arrow both join the fight. During the melee, the Guardian accompanying them informs Green Lantern that since he has taken a leave of absence from his normal duties, his power ring will no longer protect him from mortal harm. This is new information to the Greens, and Lantern is injured during the fight, while Green Arrow is taken prisoner.

Unused cover by Neal Adams 

Green Arrow is taken to Slapper's office where he learns that the leader of the revolt, Jacob, was really working with Soames. Slapper liked that Johnny's songs were stirring up descent, as he wanted to start a futile revolt and crush it, so that the miners would never rise up again. He had to make Johnny the scapegoat as he was afraid that Johnny's songs might catch on, like Bob Dylan's did, and the last thing he wanted was eyes on Desolation. Green Lantern, who has recovered from his injuries, is able to arrive in time to save his friend.

Afterwards, Green Lantern admits that his recent confusion as to right and wrong has weaken his will power and thus, the power of his ring. This was an obvious change that was needed it Green Lantern was to talk on more realistic bad guys such as Slapper Soames.

Strange that this issue, like last issue, was originally supposed to have a different cover, one not too different from the cover actually used. Also, I don't know the story of how Frank Giacoia inked this issue, but I believe it would be the one and only time he inked Neal Adams's pencils. The results were a very watered down Adams, which I guess explains the lack of an encore for this artistic team.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #76

Green Lantern #76 (On Sale: February 24, 1970) is an obscure, little-known book of no real importance. Not! Neal Adams provides the cover to this ground-breaking comic with the new Green Lantern Co-Starring Green Arrow logo.

I remember seeing this book on the stands like it was yesterday. Having read the Green Arrow make-over issue of The Brave and the Bold and having been following his exploits in Justice League of America I was hankering for some more Green Arrow, and I was always ready for a new Neal Adams' series. This issue I got both and so, so much more. "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" is the classic Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams revamping of the ailing Green Lantern franchise that changed the direction of comics for years to come and introduced the word "relevance" to comics.

This landmark issue almost went out with this cover instead, but editor Julius Schwartz passed on this one, perhaps because it looks like Green Arrow is about to shoot Green Lantern in the back. I've seen another version of this cover on-line somewhere which has the Green Lantern figure inked by Adams.

Stop me if you've heard this one before... or not. Green Lantern is in the area of Star City and decides to drop in on Green Arrow to see how he is doing. Once in town he sees a guy in a suit being accosted by "a punk" on the street. Lantern does a little green-ring razzle-dazzle and sends the "punk" off to police headquarters. He then picks the accosted man off the street and dusts him off accepting his gratitude. Then the crowd gives Lantern their opinion of his performance as they begin to pelt him with bottles, cans and other assorted garbage.

Green Lantern grabs the nearest punk and is about to work him over when Green Arrow arrives with the classic lines, "Touch him first, Green Lantern, and you'll have to touch me second...and I'll touch back!--Believe it chum!" "I was almost tempted to throw a can at you myself!" Arrow takes Lantern aside and explains that the accosted guy was Jubal Slade, the fat-cat landlord who owns these tenement slums, and who is now evicting everyone to turn the buildings into parking lots.

Up on the roof of the building, the straight-laced Green Lantern says he was only doing his job and Arrow accuses him of being a Nazi. Then in one of the more powerful moments in comic history an old black man asks Green Lantern a question, "I been readin' about you...How you work for the blue skins.. And how on a planet someplace you helped out the orange skins...And you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there's skins you never bothered with--! The black skins! I want to know... How come?! Answer me that, Mr. Green Lantern!"

This is one of two scenes that everyone seems to remember from this book and regard as its high point, but for me it is the first panel on the next page that makes this scene kill. More precisely, it is the caption of that first panel: " In the time it takes to draw a single breath...the span of a heartbeat--a man looks into his own soul, and his life changes..." What makes this story work and the whole concept of the book work, is that Denny O'Neil is able to give voice to two opposing views through the two main characters, but he is obviously slanted toward Arrow's more liberal views.

In a way, O'Neil turned this book into his own take on Steve Ditko's the Hawk and the Dove, only he is playing the favorite that Ditko never would ever have considered. Arrow gives a powerful voice and presence to the Dove and Lantern finds himself conflicted as the black and white Hawk. The country, certainly the youth of the country, was rejecting Ditko's black and white view of the world and embracing a more humanistic approach. Green Arrow was the perfect tool to bring that view to comics.

Back in our story, Green Lantern goes to Jubal Slade and tries to talk him out of razing the buildings. Slade calls him a "bleeding heart" and has his men attempt to throw him out. Lantern takes out Slade's thugs and is about to open a can of whoop-ass on Slade when the Guardians intervene, telling Lantern to report to Oa immediately. The Guardians are pissed that Hal attacked Slade, who in their eyes, had committed no crime. They send him out to save a moon of Saturn from a swarm of meteors and tell him to wait there for further orders. Tired of doing the work of the "blue skins" and thinking back on the words of the "black skin," Hal disobeys the Guardians and heads back to Earth.

At that moment Arrow is visiting Slade and convincing him that he needs to pay Arrow for "protection." They set up a meeting for later than night for a payoff. We watch the two guns heading for the rendezvous, silencers in place. Seeing a figure in a chair they pump it full of lead, only to find it is a dummy and Green Arrow is upon them! After handling the men, Arrow retrieves his hidden tape recorder, only to find that one of the gunsel's stray bullets has scored a direct hit on the tape and Ollie is back to square one.

When Arrow and Lantern get together, Ollie relates his failure and Hal comes up with a plan. One of the gunmen shows up at Slade's penthouse and Slade erupts, telling him never to come there and wanting to know if the "hit" on Green Arrow was a success, "Green Arrow! Did you finish him? I paid you to kill him...remember?" At which point the gunman turns into Green Lantern and Green Arrow shows up with the District Attorney in hand to arrest Slade.

All that is left is Slade's attempt to get away via a hand grenade he uses as a paperweight, but Green Lantern makes quick work of that and the D. A. takes Slade away. Happy ending, right? Not so fast bucko! There is the Epilogue and the other famous scene from this story.

The Guardians are pissed off at Hall for disobeying their orders and Green Arrow lays into them and Hal in some of the most amazing dialog ever written. For the time it was shocking. "Listen...Forget about chasing around the galaxy!...and remember America...It's a good country...beautiful...fertile...and terribly sick! There are children dying...honest people cowering in fear...disillustioned kids ripping up campuses...On the streets of Memphis a good black man died...and in Los Angeles a good white man fell...Something is wrong! Something is killing us all...! Some hideous moral cancer is rotting our very souls!"

And so Ollie tasks the Guardians to do something about it and after much deliberation they send down one of their own, disguised as a human and together, the three of them take off in a pick-up truck to find America. "Three set out together, moving through cities and villages and the majesty of the wilderness...searching for a special kind of truth...searching for themselves."

This classic tale has been reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #1, Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told HC, Greatest Team-Up Stories Ever Told TPB, DC Silver Age Classics Green Lantern 76 (#6), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection Vol. 1 TPB, Millennium Edition: Green Lantern 76 (#5), Green Lantern/Green Arrow Collection HC and Green Lantern/Green Arrow Vol. 1 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #75

Green Lantern #75 (On Sale: January 15, 1970) has a cover by Gil Kane, the last of these we will see for a while.

This issue features "The Golden Obelisk of Qward" by John Broome, Gil Kane and Joe Giella and this is the last pure Green Lantern story we will have for a few years as big changes, and I think we all know what those are, are coming next issue.

After a sales meeting Hal Jordan was supposed to have a date with Olivia Reynolds (last seen in Flash #191) but when she doesn't show Hal switches to Green Lantern and finds her in the hospital with some mysterious illness. Hal tries to cure her using his ring, but it is unable to get through to her but does pick up some strange molecular distortion leading towards her. Against his better judgment Hal takes Olivia's doctor with him as he searches back along the line of distortion as it leads to a dimensional aperture that leads to the anti-matter universe of Qward.

The doctor is tow, Green Lantern traverses the barrier to Qward where they are met by a patrol of the Weaponers of Qward. Hal makes quick work of them, but a second patrol gets the better of him. Only the quick action of a member of the resistance movement saves Hal and the doc. Hal surmises that the Weaponers are zeroing in on them each time he uses his ring, so they hoof it instead and eventually find some wandering troubadours who they overcome and from whom they steal their clothes and instruments as disguises.

Quick bursts of ring power keep them on the right track, which ends up being the city of Qwardeen, where everyone seems to be heading for the great town square where the Chief Weaponer, Kimon has promised to open the fabled obelisk of Rengan the Abominable and reveal the secret he left for a worthy follower to find. Many have tried to open the obelisk over the years, but all have failed, but Kimon has a captive who will assist in opening the monument: Olivia Reynolds!

Hal then realizes that Olivia's illness must have been the pre-teleportation effect as the Qwardians zeroed in on Olivia. Using the force of Olivia's mind Kimon crushes the obelisk, only to find it empty. A recording by Rengan explains that the real treasure were the advances in scientific discovery which stemmed from the efforts to open the obelisk. Hal, doc and Olivia return to our positive-matter universe and Olivia recovers. Hal also sees that she remembers nothing of what happened as she must never know of her own great mental powers.

As Hal recharges his ring he realizes that the power of Olivia's mind is so great it could be used to destroy him. Reprinted in Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB.

The letter page has letters from two of my favorite writers back when they were just fans: Mark Verheiden and Alan Brennert.

This issue, for all intents and purposes, marks the end of one of the most honored careers in comics as, except for a most likely inventory Doctor Mid-Nite story in 1972 and an obvious inventory Flash story in 1976, this is the last DC comic written by John Broome, a guy whose career at DC started in 1946 writing the Golden Age Flash, Sargon the Sorcerer and Green Lantern.

I am kind of overwhelmed here in trying to put John's career into a few paragraphs. John Broome started as a science-fiction writer represented by Julius Schwartz, but he soon found his way to comics. He started at Fawcett where he wrote everything from Lance O'Casey to Captain Marvel, but it was at DC that John Broome bloomed.

Besides the afore-mentioned strips, John wrote Hawkman, The Justice Society of America, Ghost Patrol, the Vigilante, Foley of the Fighting Fifth, Jimmy Wakely, Big Town, Captain Comet, Superboy, Adventures of Rex the Wonder Dog, The Phantom Stranger, The Flash (from Showcase #4 onward), Detective Chimp, Hopalong Cassidy, Adventures of Charlie Chan, Green Lantern (from his origin in Showcase #22 on), Kid Flash, Star Hawkins, the Atomic Knights, Batman, The Elongated Man, and dozens of science-fiction stories for Mystery In Space and Strange Adventures. He wrote more than 800 stories for DC in all. and he did it while traveling the world.

John left DC about the same time they were kicking all the old-school writers out, but John actually left on his own accord, having tired of the business. He eventually moved to Tokyo where he taught English. He returned to the states in 1998 to attend the San Diego Comic-Con, and you can find a portion of a panel from that con honoring John on Mark Evanier's site. It was one I sorely missed. John Broome died less than a year later, in March 1999,

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #74

Green Lantern #74 (On Sale: November 26, 1969) has a great cover by Gil Kane.

Green Lantern stars in "Lost In Space" by Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. This is Friedrich's last Green Lantern story and it's a pretty good one, uniting two villains and two secondary characters (OK, one of them is also one of the villains) and has a nice feel to it. On top of that we have some wonderful artwork by Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson. Good issue this one.

Continuing from last issue which ended with Green Lantern turning Star Sapphire back into Carol Ferris and Sapphire giving one last command before being vanquished, a command that banished Green Lantern to space in his civilian identity and with no knowledge that he is Green Lantern. So, we begin with Hal Jordan floating in space and freaking out! He tries to keep his sanity by remembering what he knows to be true: He is Hal Jordan. He used to be a test pilot. He now has something to do with toys. Yes, he sells toys!

In his pocket he finds a toy spaceship and as he begins to lose his grip on sanity he wishes it to be real, and suddenly it is! Hal knows of only one man who can accomplish that, Green Lantern and so he remembers who he is! As Green Lantern he heads back to Earth to finally tell Carol Ferris who she is. He finds her on the beach and as he nears her she turns back into Star Sapphire. It is the work of Sinestro, who returns to Sapphire the royal gem whom which she obtains her powers.

Together Sinestro and Sapphire attack Green Lantern, whose 24 hours of power suddenly run out. He falls to the sand and Sinestro moves in for the kill. But he has not counted on Sapphire's love for Green Lantern, she only wishes to defeat him so that he will relent to be her mate. Sapphire and Sinestro begin to battle one another in a fight most evenly matches.

Meanwhile Tom "Pieface" Kalmaku wakes up to the news that Green Lantern has been severely injured. Seeing video of Lantern on the beach Tom heads out to assist. Green Lantern on the other hand awakes and seeing Sinestro and Star Sapphire engaged in battle slowly begins to crawl back to his hotel, where his power battery is stashed. The effort is grueling and as he closes in on the hotel steps Sinestro puts up a barrier in his path. Green Lantern collapses, but Tom is waiting in the bushes with the power battery and after a quick recharge Lantern heads back into battle.

Sensing that Sinestro is only a match for him with the added power of Star Sapphire, Green Lantern takes her out first and Sinestro gives up. However, as Green Lantern tries to take him in, he disappears. Green Lantern finds Carol Ferris on the beach and finally tells her that her obsession with him is a dangerous thing, for she is Star Sapphire. She refuses to accept the truth and runs off. Back at Tom's house, Tom says that at least Carol never did anything as Sapphire to land her in jail and Hal agrees.

This story has been reprinted in Green Lantern :The Greatest Stories Ever Told TPB and Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Teen Titans #25 (On Sale: November 18, 1969) has a powerful cover by Nick Cardy.

The Teen Titans take a dramatic turn in "The Titans Kill a Saint" by Robert Kanigher and Nick Cardy. In an absolute classic art job by Cardy we begin with the Titans and the Hawk and the Dove watching a surgery take place and blaming themselves. Later in the recovery room they attempt to talk to the patient, Nobel Peace Prize winner Dr. Arthur Swenson, but as they do so, he dies. In shock and tears the Titans are called to the morgue for a meeting of some sort. When the dejected Titans leave a short time later they run into Lilith, onto whom they try to foist some of the blame for Swenson's death, but she will have none of their nonsense and splits.

The Titans think back to how it all began a few hours earlier at the Canary Cottage Discotheque, where they met a dancer named Lilith, who knew who the Titans were even in their civilian identities and asked to join the team. She said her power is that she just knows things, like she knows the Titans will open the door to death tonight. They blow Lilith off and leave running into a peace rally, where Dr. Swenson is speaking. As the crowd begins to get heated, the Titans head for a back alley to change only to run into the Hawk and the Dove doing the same thing.

Back inside they all do what they can to control the crowd but when a man pulls a gun, Speedy, Wonder Girl, Kid Flash and the Hawk and the Dove all jump him and try to wrest the gun from his hands. It goes off and the single bullet strikes Dr. Swenson in the head. Speedy rushes them all to the hospital, where our story began. We also learn that when they went to the morgue, they were confronted by the Justice League who told them that they had violated their most sacred duty and that something must be done about it. Superman tells them that they must act as their own judge and jury and Batman warns that if they do not reach a decision by the day's end that the JLA will execute punishment on their own.

The Titans wander the streets, finding themselves eventually at the docks, where they are met by a small boat containing Lilith and Mr. Jupiter, the richest man in the world. Jupiter says he has an urgent government mission that he wants the Titans to undertake, but that the mission may change them forever and may even cost them their lives. Lilith leaves them, saying she knows she is a reminder to them of what has happened. The Titans go with Jupiter back to his estate to hear more.

Jupiter explains that he is in charge of a secret training project to prepare teens for the task of handling the world's problems and asks them if they will join. Robin bows out, saying that he has already committed to college. Though he leaves, the rest of the Titans and the Hawk and the Dove accept and are taken to Jupiter's secret headquarters on the 13th floor of his skyscraper complex, a floor run completely by computers.

There the Titans once again meet Lilith and give up their uniforms and fore go their powers to join Jupiter's secret project. This classic story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Teen Titans Vol. 2 TPB.

Edited by Dick Giordano.

Green Lantern #73

Green Lantern #73 (On Sale: October 14, 1969) has a great cover by Gil Kane. It is moody and effective.

"From Space Ye Came --" by Mike Friedrich, Gil Kane and Murphy Anderson has some beautiful artwork. After the last few issue where Joe Giella and Vince Colletta butchered Gil Kane's wonderful pencils, it is great to see an inker up to the task. Returning to Coast City Hal Jordan runs into his old buddy Pieface from Ferris Aircraft, who now owns half a dozen gas stations. Later after checking into his hotel an off-shore oil rig explodes and as Green Lantern Hal caps it and cleans up the mess. All the while, people watching from the beach, particularly the women, are digging the Green lantern hero vibe.

When finished with the clean up Hal meets his adoring throng, one of whom is old flame Carol Ferris. Hal grabs Carol and flies way with her for some private time. She explains that she has broken off her engagement to millionaire Jason Belmore because she can't get Green Lantern out of her mind or her heart. Sensing that he is about to fall back into a big pile of emotional drama, Green Lantern abruptly leaves. back in her apartment Carol pulls out a sapphire brooch given to her by Jason. Both Carol and Hal are engulfed in thoughts of love for the other, but Hal decides to talk to Pieface about it only, when he leaves his hotel he finds the oil well has blown again.

Once more he cleans up the mess only before he can return to being Hal Jordan, guests in the hotel are being chased by giant apparitions of famous guests from the hotel's past. While keeping people from harming themselves in the panic, Hal finds himself being attacked by the ghostly faces. As Hal uses his ring to try and determine who created the apparitions they quickly dissipate and are replaced by a very real Star Sapphire.

She explains that she has been creating the problems in Coast City to weaken Green Lantern's resistance so that he will consent to be her regal consort. Hal uses his ring against Sapphire and forces her to change back to her real identify of Carol Ferris. As she feels her identity slipping, Sapphire issues one final mental command, transforming Green Lantern to his other identity and banishing him to outer space.

Hal finds himself floating in space unaware the he is Green Lantern! This is Mike Friedrich's first Green Lantern in more than a year and the next to last one he would write. Reprinted in Showcase Presents:Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Green Lantern #72

Green Lantern #72 (On Sale: August 25, 1969) has a cover by Gil Kane.

Inside we have "Phantom of the Space-Opera" by Denny O'Neil, Gil Kane and Joe Giella. The Guardians send Green Lantern to the Berliotz star system on a mission to stop a potential war instigated by the Wagnorians. A group of performers from Berliotz is putting on a space opera. With the help of a spy planted among the performers, the Wagnorians force them to change the play to antagonize a band of rebels known as the Verdees. Angered, the gang attacks the Berliotz performers. Using the incident to intervene, the Wagnorians are then able to move in and begin their conquest of the system. However, Green Lantern uncovers the spy. He then convinces the Verdee leader to stop the fight. Finally he confronts the Wagnorians and forces them to submit to interplanetary justice. Me thinks Denny was a bit fond of opera. This story was reprinted in Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4 TPB and Green Lantern:The Silver Age Omnibus Vol. 2 HC (2018).

Edited by Julius Schwartz.

Flash #191

Flash #191 (On Sale: July 17, 1969) has the last of the three brilliant covers by Joe Kubert. This is the least of the three, but it is one of those like Secret Six #1 where the cover is the first panel of the story.

"How to Invade Earth -- Without Really Trying" is by John Broome, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito and begins with a groggy figure crawling around a corner to find the Flash's suit and as the cover tells you, it is not Barry Allen. No, it is Hal (Green Lantern) Jordan and he is surprised as anyone to find the Flash's costume and not his own.

From this point the story backtracks to earlier in the day when Hal is visiting the home of the Barry Allen's, Hal being in Central City on toy business. Iris Allen informs Hal that she has a surprise for him, a beautiful woman who she met while doing interviews for an article on modern fashions for her newspaper. Hal then recounts how he had met another woman in Florida last week and how she had stole his client by employing "the most shameless use of her feminine wiles!" This of course took place in Green Lantern #71 earlier this month and a nice bit of cross-over work by John Broome and Julius Schwartz, something you rarely saw at DC in 1969.

The doorbell rings and the cross-over continues as in walks brazen toy saleswoman Olivia Reynolds. Hal is really annoyed but over a good home-cooked meal he begins to warm up to Olivia and can't believe she is the same woman who went for the "hard sell" in Florida. Hal wonders which Olivia is real when his ring attempts to read her mind to find out. It is an unconscious act which Hal can't stop, but he does manage to turn the mind-probing beam invisible at least. However, for some reason the beam is thrown back at Hal, who yelps in pain. While getting some air he explains to Barry what happened and Barry thinks it might be that the Guardians prevented the beam from reaching Olivia and sent it painfully back at Hal because he was trying to use it for personal gain.

Suddenly spaceships appear over Central City and begin sending out telepathic communications saying they are the Mogrians and the they are taking over the Earth. Barry and Hal change into the Flash and Green Lantern and attack the Mogrians only to be attacked by strange monsters, that look like something out of a science-fiction movie. Something isn't adding up here as the Mogrian's ray-guns are just toys. Just then the aliens link arms and blast the Flash and green Lantern, appearing to disintegrate them.

Inside the spaceship we see a different type of character, an old alien named Glabr, who we learn is from an ancient race know as the Lenglyns, who use the power of subconscious mental giants they call U-Minds to sustain their civilization. Glabr has found a U-Mind on Earth in Olivia Reynolds. It was Glabr who repelled Hal's energy beam from Olivia's mind and decided to distract Green Lantern by staging a fake invasion of Earth using the Mogrian robots he carries on his ship, robots that just so happen chose this time to revolt against their masters and begin constructing machines to build more of themselves.

Which takes us to the opening scene of Hal waking up on a sidewalk to find the Flash's uniform. Just then Barry comes round the corner in Hal's Green Lantern suit, Barry saying he was told where to find Hal by a voice in his head. Glabr appears and tells them what has transpired and that only the Flash and Green Lantern can defeat the Mogrians. But Hal and Barry soon learn that they have been stripped of their powers. Glabr says that the Mogrians do not have the power to do such a thing unless they have already tapped into the power of Olivia's U-Mind. By banding together Glabr, Barry and Hal are able to telepathically locate Olivia being held captive in the spaceship.

They are able to connect with her mind and convince her that she has the power to mentally restore the Flash and Green Lantern's powers, which she is able to do. All that remains is for the Flash and Green Lantern to board the spaceship, defeat the Mogrians and rescue Olivia. Green Lantern uses his ring to remove Olivia's knowledge of what has transpired, a requirement for the Lenglyns to use her U-Mind. They wake Olivia up back at the Allen's house and she is none the wiser where the four of them play some bridge.

The letters page is a real winner this issue, featuring letters by regulars Gary Skinner and Peter Sanderson Jr and a guy named Mark Evanier.

Edited by Julius Schwartz.