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Green Lantern/Green Arrow #1
Absolute Green Lantern/Green Arrow
This stunning Absolute Edition of Green Lantern/Green Arrow collect the early 1970s, featuring classic team-ups written by Dennis O'Neil with art by Neal Adams!
In these stories, Green Lantern Hal Jordan continued his usual cosmic-spanning adventures, as he used his amazing Power Ring to police Sector 2814 against universe-threatening menaces. Meanwhile, on Earth, Oliver Queen, the archer known as Green Arrow, was confronting menaces of a different kind: racism, poverty, drugs, and other social ills!
This Absolute Edition will include additional script and character development pages as well as character sketches.
In these stories, Green Lantern Hal Jordan continued his usual cosmic-spanning adventures, as he used his amazing Power Ring to police Sector 2814 against universe-threatening menaces. Meanwhile, on Earth, Oliver Queen, the archer known as Green Arrow, was confronting menaces of a different kind: racism, poverty, drugs, and other social ills!
This Absolute Edition will include additional script and character development pages as well as character sketches.
368 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2001
101 people are currently reading
816 people want to read
About the author
Dennis O'Neil
1,758 books276 followers
Dennis "Denny" O'Neil
was a comic book writer and editor best known for his work for Marvel Comics and DC Comics from the 1960s through the 1990s, and Group Editor for the Batman family of titles until his retirement.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
His best-known works include Green Lantern/Green Arrow and Batman with Neal Adams, The Shadow with Michael Kaluta and The Question with Denys Cowan. As an editor, he is principally known for editing the various Batman titles. From 2013 unti his death, he sat on the board of directors of the charity The Hero Initiative and served on its Disbursement Committee.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
January 11, 2016
An epic run that shook the 70s!
This "complete" collected edition features #76-87, 89 in “Green Lantern (co-starring Green Arrow)” along with selected stories in #217-219, 226 in “The Flash”. Since previously these stories were presented in two separated volumes.
Creative Team:
Writers: Dennis O’Neil and one story by Elliot Maggin
Illustrator: Neal Adams
Inkers: Dick Giordano (in many of the issues)
Editor: Julius Schwartz (because this is one of the best comic books’ editors ever!)
TIME TO MATURE
This is the epic collection of the stories published between 1970 and 1971, along with some selected additional tales published between 1972 and 1974.
Make no mistake!
This comic book’s run modeled the 1970s in DC Comics making an end to the “Golden Age” and defining the best of the “Silver Age”. Due Marvel had come into the comic books’ scene in 1961 (having apart its age as “Timely Publications”) with a series of revolutionary characters and a kind of storytelling that started to make look DC Comics as something left behind in the matter of maturing as a medium to tell stories. That’s why that this “Green Lantern / Green Arrow” run was vital for DC Comics to show that they can play the same game as good as its distinguished competition.
In the hands of the brave creative team of Denny O’Neil (easily one of the best writers in DC Comics) and Neal Adams (the artist that with his drawings of characters like Green Lantern and Batman, he defined the visual style of DC’s 70s era), along with the editor Julius Schwartz (personally responsible to update the appearance and backgroung of not only Green Lantern and Green Arrow but also others like The Flash, The Atom and Hawkman), they got bold and bring the polemic subjects to DC Comics: Racism, Pollution, Politics Corruption, Social Indiference, Civil Rights, Drugs, etc…
After their epic run, DC Comics was never the same, it was better, and they paved the road for the following Bronze Age and to bring talents such like Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman and finally being able to tell their own kind of stories in a matured publishing house.
SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA
Green Arrow (aka Oliver Queen) opened the eyes of Green Lantern (aka Hal Jordan) showing him that the world isn’t black and white, but too many shades of gray, along with the fact that Green Lantern had been already too busy helping and defending “blue-skins”, “purple-skins” and such from other planets but he had ignored the black ones, yellow ones and red ones in his own world. That it wasn’t only about Law and Order but also about Justice.
A brave new friendship was forged in the fires that they were consuming America (and sadly they still are) making a bold statement to be read by a new generation of readers looking for something different than just about fighting costumed supervillains robbing banks.
Oliver and Hal exposed to the Guardians of Oa that the Green Lantern Corps shouldn’t just being busy stopping colliding meteors or battling galactic mega-villains, but also they should take time to care about injustices in plain sight if they were up to look up close. Therefore, even one of the guardians disguised himself as a mere mortal and he travels through America along with Hal and Oliver.
But the journey wasn’t easy, not in the pages of the comic book or behind-the-scenes, since it was my feeling that this brave creative team should being struggling with a publishing house in transition, since you find some stories where they include unnecesary costumed super-villains, surely to balance the waters of change, but thankfully at the end, they made it. They told the kind of stories that nobody else in DC Comics were telling, showing that it was time to move ahead.
GOOD-BYES AND GREETINGS
It was during this epic run that Green Arrow found out that he left on his own to Speedy for too much time causing him to fall in the dangerous habit of drugs, and not matter the outcome, the unavoidable end of a partnership due the Golden Age was already finished and now they have to give space between each other as the same for the Silver Age.
Meanwhile, Hal Jordan dealt with a shaking training of John Stewart, not only a new Green Lantern, but also the first black superhero of DC Comics. However, they didn’t start with the right foot and both needed to learn to understand and respect each other.
And also, Oliver engaged his romantic relationship with Dinah Lance (aka Black Canary) at the same time that Hal Jordan finally reveals that he is Green Lantern to Carol Ferris.
This "complete" collected edition features #76-87, 89 in “Green Lantern (co-starring Green Arrow)” along with selected stories in #217-219, 226 in “The Flash”. Since previously these stories were presented in two separated volumes.
Creative Team:
Writers: Dennis O’Neil and one story by Elliot Maggin
Illustrator: Neal Adams
Inkers: Dick Giordano (in many of the issues)
Editor: Julius Schwartz (because this is one of the best comic books’ editors ever!)
TIME TO MATURE
This is the epic collection of the stories published between 1970 and 1971, along with some selected additional tales published between 1972 and 1974.
Make no mistake!
This comic book’s run modeled the 1970s in DC Comics making an end to the “Golden Age” and defining the best of the “Silver Age”. Due Marvel had come into the comic books’ scene in 1961 (having apart its age as “Timely Publications”) with a series of revolutionary characters and a kind of storytelling that started to make look DC Comics as something left behind in the matter of maturing as a medium to tell stories. That’s why that this “Green Lantern / Green Arrow” run was vital for DC Comics to show that they can play the same game as good as its distinguished competition.
In the hands of the brave creative team of Denny O’Neil (easily one of the best writers in DC Comics) and Neal Adams (the artist that with his drawings of characters like Green Lantern and Batman, he defined the visual style of DC’s 70s era), along with the editor Julius Schwartz (personally responsible to update the appearance and backgroung of not only Green Lantern and Green Arrow but also others like The Flash, The Atom and Hawkman), they got bold and bring the polemic subjects to DC Comics: Racism, Pollution, Politics Corruption, Social Indiference, Civil Rights, Drugs, etc…
After their epic run, DC Comics was never the same, it was better, and they paved the road for the following Bronze Age and to bring talents such like Alan Moore, Frank Miller and Neil Gaiman and finally being able to tell their own kind of stories in a matured publishing house.
SOMEWHERE IN AMERICA
Green Arrow (aka Oliver Queen) opened the eyes of Green Lantern (aka Hal Jordan) showing him that the world isn’t black and white, but too many shades of gray, along with the fact that Green Lantern had been already too busy helping and defending “blue-skins”, “purple-skins” and such from other planets but he had ignored the black ones, yellow ones and red ones in his own world. That it wasn’t only about Law and Order but also about Justice.
A brave new friendship was forged in the fires that they were consuming America (and sadly they still are) making a bold statement to be read by a new generation of readers looking for something different than just about fighting costumed supervillains robbing banks.
Oliver and Hal exposed to the Guardians of Oa that the Green Lantern Corps shouldn’t just being busy stopping colliding meteors or battling galactic mega-villains, but also they should take time to care about injustices in plain sight if they were up to look up close. Therefore, even one of the guardians disguised himself as a mere mortal and he travels through America along with Hal and Oliver.
But the journey wasn’t easy, not in the pages of the comic book or behind-the-scenes, since it was my feeling that this brave creative team should being struggling with a publishing house in transition, since you find some stories where they include unnecesary costumed super-villains, surely to balance the waters of change, but thankfully at the end, they made it. They told the kind of stories that nobody else in DC Comics were telling, showing that it was time to move ahead.
GOOD-BYES AND GREETINGS
It was during this epic run that Green Arrow found out that he left on his own to Speedy for too much time causing him to fall in the dangerous habit of drugs, and not matter the outcome, the unavoidable end of a partnership due the Golden Age was already finished and now they have to give space between each other as the same for the Silver Age.
Meanwhile, Hal Jordan dealt with a shaking training of John Stewart, not only a new Green Lantern, but also the first black superhero of DC Comics. However, they didn’t start with the right foot and both needed to learn to understand and respect each other.
And also, Oliver engaged his romantic relationship with Dinah Lance (aka Black Canary) at the same time that Hal Jordan finally reveals that he is Green Lantern to Carol Ferris.
January 6, 2014
You gotta think that way back in 1970 that DC decided to put Green Arrow into the Green Lantern comics simply because they both shared the word green in their names.
They certainly didn’t have much in common other than their favorite color. Green Lantern/Hal Jordan was essentially an intergalactic cop with a ring that gave him enormous power while Green Arrow/Oliver Queen was just a guy with a talent for archery. However, writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams turned that thin odd couple concept into a ground breaking comic by working in some of the social issues of the day and having the two heroes struggle with how to deal with them.
The idea starts with the straight-laced Hal viewing things through the prism of a guy charged with enforcing law and order that absolutely believes in following the rules. Oliver used to be wealthy but lost all his money, and there’s nobody more liberal than a rich guy who went bust. A dispute with a slum lord makes Hal realize that what’s legal may not be what’s right, and that he’s completely out of touch with what is going on in the world. Oliver challenges him to widen his perspective, and the two partner up and have a series of adventures that often find them arguing with each other as often as they fought bad guys.
Issues like racism, drugs, overpopulation, urban decay and protecting the environment came into play, and that was pretty racy stuff for superhero comic books back then. There’s a particularly good segment where Oliver is badly injured by a mugger and has several people ignore him as he lays bleeding on the street and struggles to get help. That entire bit plays out like a microcosm of America in the ‘70s, and stands in stark contrast to the clean cut citizens usually depicted in comic books. There’s also the milestone story of Green Arrow learning that his sidekick Speedy has become a drug addict.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that make a modern reading of this a little painful. It’s got the high handed preachiness of a hippie, and since Oliver is the one representing that viewpoint, he frequently comes across as a self-righteous pain in the ass. That makes a certain amount of sense since this was still technically Green Lantern’s book so that Hal is portrayed as the relatable one struggling to figure out the right thing to do while dealing with this guy yammering in his ear all the time, but it still makes you wish that Oliver would shut the hell up once in a while.
There’s also some groan worthy elements like a story involving Native Americans in which even the efforts to portray them as sympathetic comes across as racist. (The cover featured Green Arrow wearing a feathered headdress and talking about his ‘redskin brothers’.) A comic about an idealistic environmentalist becomes a parallel to the crucifixion of Jesus that is way over the top. The conversation where Oliver confesses his growing admiration for the ‘rock-n-roll music’ makes him seem like that creepy middle age guy trying to pretend he’s still in his 20s.
Still, you have to keep the time it was created in mind and realize how different this comic was. It’s run with O’Neil and Adams didn’t last long, but the fact it’s still discussed and read today shows how important it was for the medium.
They certainly didn’t have much in common other than their favorite color. Green Lantern/Hal Jordan was essentially an intergalactic cop with a ring that gave him enormous power while Green Arrow/Oliver Queen was just a guy with a talent for archery. However, writer Dennis O’Neil and artist Neal Adams turned that thin odd couple concept into a ground breaking comic by working in some of the social issues of the day and having the two heroes struggle with how to deal with them.
The idea starts with the straight-laced Hal viewing things through the prism of a guy charged with enforcing law and order that absolutely believes in following the rules. Oliver used to be wealthy but lost all his money, and there’s nobody more liberal than a rich guy who went bust. A dispute with a slum lord makes Hal realize that what’s legal may not be what’s right, and that he’s completely out of touch with what is going on in the world. Oliver challenges him to widen his perspective, and the two partner up and have a series of adventures that often find them arguing with each other as often as they fought bad guys.
Issues like racism, drugs, overpopulation, urban decay and protecting the environment came into play, and that was pretty racy stuff for superhero comic books back then. There’s a particularly good segment where Oliver is badly injured by a mugger and has several people ignore him as he lays bleeding on the street and struggles to get help. That entire bit plays out like a microcosm of America in the ‘70s, and stands in stark contrast to the clean cut citizens usually depicted in comic books. There’s also the milestone story of Green Arrow learning that his sidekick Speedy has become a drug addict.
Unfortunately, there are a couple of things that make a modern reading of this a little painful. It’s got the high handed preachiness of a hippie, and since Oliver is the one representing that viewpoint, he frequently comes across as a self-righteous pain in the ass. That makes a certain amount of sense since this was still technically Green Lantern’s book so that Hal is portrayed as the relatable one struggling to figure out the right thing to do while dealing with this guy yammering in his ear all the time, but it still makes you wish that Oliver would shut the hell up once in a while.
There’s also some groan worthy elements like a story involving Native Americans in which even the efforts to portray them as sympathetic comes across as racist. (The cover featured Green Arrow wearing a feathered headdress and talking about his ‘redskin brothers’.) A comic about an idealistic environmentalist becomes a parallel to the crucifixion of Jesus that is way over the top. The conversation where Oliver confesses his growing admiration for the ‘rock-n-roll music’ makes him seem like that creepy middle age guy trying to pretend he’s still in his 20s.
Still, you have to keep the time it was created in mind and realize how different this comic was. It’s run with O’Neil and Adams didn’t last long, but the fact it’s still discussed and read today shows how important it was for the medium.
March 30, 2021
One of the most iconic comic book runs in history. Green Lantern and Green Arrow road trip through the country with a Guardian in tow. Green Arrow is a super liberal while Green Lantern is very straight laced. Together they tackle issues of racism, overpopulation, pollution, white supremacy, socioeconomic inequality and drug use. It's a good thing we've solved all those issues since this came out in 1971. Maybe it's time for our heroes to go on another road trip to expose society's ills?
This also includes the infamous comic where Green Arrow discovers Speedy is shooting up heroin. Ollie is a cold-hearted bastard leaving Roy to deal with his addiction on his own. For all you Green Lantern fans, Jon Stewart's first appearance is here as well.
This also includes the infamous comic where Green Arrow discovers Speedy is shooting up heroin. Ollie is a cold-hearted bastard leaving Roy to deal with his addiction on his own. For all you Green Lantern fans, Jon Stewart's first appearance is here as well.
August 28, 2020
Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes collects Green Lantern #76-87, 89, and stories from The Flash #217-219 and 226.
The Denny O'Neil / Neal Adams run of Green Lantern / Green Arrow has been a blindspot in my comics reading for decades. After reading Space Traveling Heroes not too long ago, I decided to take the plunge.
This was really good stuff. Sure, Denny's as subtle as a claw hammer to the forehead as far as political messages are concerned but the guy knew how to write gripping comics. Over the course of this tome, the Emerald Duo tackle environmental issues, racism, cults, drug abuse, and a lot of other social problems we've solved since 1971. Ahem... anyway this is great stuff. Green Lantern and Green Arrow are repeatedly pitted against one another in a clash of philosophies. Speedy gets hooked on smack, John Stewart is introduced, and the guys go on a road trip across America with one of the Guardians of the Universe.
Neal Adams handles the art chores on this with an occasional assist from Dick Giordano or Berni Fucking Wrightson on inks. Any way you slice it, Neal Adams is still Neal Fucking Adams. His illustration-based style is as fresh today as it was almost 50 years ago. His portrayals of Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Black Canary are the gold standard, still iconic decades later.
Green Lantern / Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes. Still great. Still iconic. Buy the mother fucker. 4.5 out of 5 power rings.
The Denny O'Neil / Neal Adams run of Green Lantern / Green Arrow has been a blindspot in my comics reading for decades. After reading Space Traveling Heroes not too long ago, I decided to take the plunge.
This was really good stuff. Sure, Denny's as subtle as a claw hammer to the forehead as far as political messages are concerned but the guy knew how to write gripping comics. Over the course of this tome, the Emerald Duo tackle environmental issues, racism, cults, drug abuse, and a lot of other social problems we've solved since 1971. Ahem... anyway this is great stuff. Green Lantern and Green Arrow are repeatedly pitted against one another in a clash of philosophies. Speedy gets hooked on smack, John Stewart is introduced, and the guys go on a road trip across America with one of the Guardians of the Universe.
Neal Adams handles the art chores on this with an occasional assist from Dick Giordano or Berni Fucking Wrightson on inks. Any way you slice it, Neal Adams is still Neal Fucking Adams. His illustration-based style is as fresh today as it was almost 50 years ago. His portrayals of Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Black Canary are the gold standard, still iconic decades later.
Green Lantern / Green Arrow: Hard-Traveling Heroes. Still great. Still iconic. Buy the mother fucker. 4.5 out of 5 power rings.
January 13, 2018
This collection includes some of the groundbreaking stories of this series from the early 70s. These stories were well know for taking on social issues. The stories are not as well written as some of the better comics today, but they were revolutionary for their time. In fact, a lot of the issues covered are still issues that we struggle with in modern day America.
The highlight of this series is the paring of Green Lantern and Green Arrow, who have very different views of what a hero should do. Green Lantern is a law-and-order conservative, who often must follow the directions of the Guardians. Green Arrow is a social justice liberal, who thinks that the law often supports those in power and disregards those in need. These two heroes often clash in their philosophy. What is interesting is that these heroes are not stuck in their views, but evolve over the course of the series. Green Lantern comes to doubt the power structure that creates laws, and begins to think critically about the situations he encounters to determine what is really just. Green Arrow comes to learn that sometimes we need to take care of ourselves and the others around us (Speedy is a junky and he had no idea!) before trying to solve other peoples problems. This kind of character development makes this series special for its time.
As for negatives, there are a lot of weird expressions and slang that I'm not sure that anyone ever said in the real world. Also, there is one story about Native Americans that felt awkward and that would probably be labeled as racist these days, even though it is trying to address the injustices that Native Americans experience.
The highlight of this series is the paring of Green Lantern and Green Arrow, who have very different views of what a hero should do. Green Lantern is a law-and-order conservative, who often must follow the directions of the Guardians. Green Arrow is a social justice liberal, who thinks that the law often supports those in power and disregards those in need. These two heroes often clash in their philosophy. What is interesting is that these heroes are not stuck in their views, but evolve over the course of the series. Green Lantern comes to doubt the power structure that creates laws, and begins to think critically about the situations he encounters to determine what is really just. Green Arrow comes to learn that sometimes we need to take care of ourselves and the others around us (Speedy is a junky and he had no idea!) before trying to solve other peoples problems. This kind of character development makes this series special for its time.
As for negatives, there are a lot of weird expressions and slang that I'm not sure that anyone ever said in the real world. Also, there is one story about Native Americans that felt awkward and that would probably be labeled as racist these days, even though it is trying to address the injustices that Native Americans experience.
May 29, 2023
It has been years since I read these tales. The late, great Neal Adams' art elevates the entire collection.
December 2, 2024
2.8/5 Stars
Individual issues rated below -
Green Lantern #76: 3.5/5
Green Lantern #77: 3/5
Green Lantern #78: 2/5
Green Lantern #79: 1/5
Green Lantern #80: 3/5
Green Lantern #81: 2.5/5
Green Lantern #82: 4/5
Green Lantern #83: 3/5
Green Lantern #84: 2/5
Green Lantern #85: 2/5
Green Lantern #86: 3/5
Green Lantern #87: 3/5
Green Lantern #89: 3/5
The Flash #217: 3/5
The Flash #218: 4/5
The Flash #219: 3/5
The Flash #226: 4/5
Individual issues rated below -
Green Lantern #76: 3.5/5
Green Lantern #77: 3/5
Green Lantern #78: 2/5
Green Lantern #79: 1/5
Green Lantern #80: 3/5
Green Lantern #81: 2.5/5
Green Lantern #82: 4/5
Green Lantern #83: 3/5
Green Lantern #84: 2/5
Green Lantern #85: 2/5
Green Lantern #86: 3/5
Green Lantern #87: 3/5
Green Lantern #89: 3/5
The Flash #217: 3/5
The Flash #218: 4/5
The Flash #219: 3/5
The Flash #226: 4/5
July 11, 2016
This book is an important piece of comics history. I'd recommend it before Watchmen or The Dark Knight as the example of when "serious" comics were finally given an opportunity in the mainstream again. This series was the forerunner of much of the dark eighties, but without its cheesy, intentional grimness.
However, it does suffer from a cheesy, intentional didactic tone that is so incredibly on the nose I'm surprised my eyes didn't unscrew and fall out of their sockets from all the rolling. These stories are as preachy as the Christian Archie series, except possibly worse. In fact, they even come with a death of Christ sequence, featuring our title characters hung on either side of him like the two thieves. I'm not kidding.
There are some great moments here, too. Readers are treated to the first appearance of John Stewart, the incredibly popular black Green Lantern. This is also the series in which Green Arrow is forced to confront his sidekick Speedy's heroin addiction. Both he and Green lantern end up on smack in that story, to unintentionally funny consequence.
It's campy. It's preachy. And it's occasionally brilliant. An oppressed black man given the opportunity to be a celestial cop is quite a storyline to consider. Green Arrow's direct action tactics are given a fair opportunity to be considered over Green Lantern's by-the-books law and order. There are some challenging thought experiments in here.
However, it is also frequently too heavy a story for its era. It can be a little hard to read. Being the first of this sort of comic style means that it still has many of the simpler and more childish trappings of its previous decade, making the serious topics feel a little jarring, and difficult to take as seriously as they should be.
Also, "progressive" readers should be warned not to get too excited about what they might find within. Though cutting edge at the time, the portrayals of gender, class, and ethnicity are basically bigoted by today's standards. It has all the problems of the white male hero saviour story, and worse. Read it as a time capsule. It's an honest effort of its decade.
I recommend the book to students and fans of comics art history, and major fans of Green Arrow, who really shines. Most others I'd just recommend to check out the covers, which will give you about all you need to know about what happened within.
However, it does suffer from a cheesy, intentional didactic tone that is so incredibly on the nose I'm surprised my eyes didn't unscrew and fall out of their sockets from all the rolling. These stories are as preachy as the Christian Archie series, except possibly worse. In fact, they even come with a death of Christ sequence, featuring our title characters hung on either side of him like the two thieves. I'm not kidding.
There are some great moments here, too. Readers are treated to the first appearance of John Stewart, the incredibly popular black Green Lantern. This is also the series in which Green Arrow is forced to confront his sidekick Speedy's heroin addiction. Both he and Green lantern end up on smack in that story, to unintentionally funny consequence.
It's campy. It's preachy. And it's occasionally brilliant. An oppressed black man given the opportunity to be a celestial cop is quite a storyline to consider. Green Arrow's direct action tactics are given a fair opportunity to be considered over Green Lantern's by-the-books law and order. There are some challenging thought experiments in here.
However, it is also frequently too heavy a story for its era. It can be a little hard to read. Being the first of this sort of comic style means that it still has many of the simpler and more childish trappings of its previous decade, making the serious topics feel a little jarring, and difficult to take as seriously as they should be.
Also, "progressive" readers should be warned not to get too excited about what they might find within. Though cutting edge at the time, the portrayals of gender, class, and ethnicity are basically bigoted by today's standards. It has all the problems of the white male hero saviour story, and worse. Read it as a time capsule. It's an honest effort of its decade.
I recommend the book to students and fans of comics art history, and major fans of Green Arrow, who really shines. Most others I'd just recommend to check out the covers, which will give you about all you need to know about what happened within.
November 5, 2012
Huh?? Comics with a social conscience?!
The real bad guys in Green Lantern / Green Arrow are racists, drug dealers, exploiters of the poor and destroyers of the environment. That sometimes people in charge aren't in the right shakes the law-abiding Green Lantern to the core--not to mention the comic reading audience who has gotten all too used to villains in elaborate costumes trying to take over the world.
Neal Adams' artwork shines, but this is as much a showcase of the fine writing work of Denny O'Neil. I recently read Adams' Batman collection, Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 -- while the art was good, the writing by Bob Haney felt silly and outdated. By contrast, these Green Lantern / Green Arrow stories by O'Neil stand the test of time.
I mean, c'mon, Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy is addicted to smack? Genius! That story and the classic opener "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" alone are worth the price of admission.
Just listen to this brilliant line from a black man in the latter story, and tell me if you ever expected to read it in a comic!
"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!"
The real bad guys in Green Lantern / Green Arrow are racists, drug dealers, exploiters of the poor and destroyers of the environment. That sometimes people in charge aren't in the right shakes the law-abiding Green Lantern to the core--not to mention the comic reading audience who has gotten all too used to villains in elaborate costumes trying to take over the world.
Neal Adams' artwork shines, but this is as much a showcase of the fine writing work of Denny O'Neil. I recently read Adams' Batman collection, Batman Illustrated, Vol. 1 -- while the art was good, the writing by Bob Haney felt silly and outdated. By contrast, these Green Lantern / Green Arrow stories by O'Neil stand the test of time.
I mean, c'mon, Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy is addicted to smack? Genius! That story and the classic opener "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" alone are worth the price of admission.
Just listen to this brilliant line from a black man in the latter story, and tell me if you ever expected to read it in a comic!
"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!"
February 25, 2018
Wow- this book made me want to cancel all my current comic book subscriptions and just read the old stuff because they really don't make 'em like this anymore. Not only are the art, illustrations, and colors amazing, but the stories have these characters at their iconic best. On the out with the Guardians, who in turn cut back his power, Green Lantern decides to team up with Green Arrow to stay on Earth (mostly) and work on the problems facing America in 1970. This volume includes corrupt corporations, a white supremacist group, a racist politician (in a great team up with John Stewart) and the famous 2 partner dealing with the discovery that Green Arrow's ward Speedy has become a drug addict.
March 1, 2020
Rereading these stories today makes you realize how ahead of time Denny O'Neil and Neil Adams were on this series. I'd read these when I was younger and thought they were okay. I read them now and I am just in awe.
They use Green Lantern and Green Arrow to address topics around current events that are, more or less, still current today. It's amazing how well O'Neil and Adams used costumed heroes to tell stories about the complexities and nuances of life.
There's a lot to love about this series. The stories are tight and creative. The dialogue is unique to each character. The art is just glorious. I'm glad I reread this as an adult. I got more out of it now than when I'd read it many years ago.
They use Green Lantern and Green Arrow to address topics around current events that are, more or less, still current today. It's amazing how well O'Neil and Adams used costumed heroes to tell stories about the complexities and nuances of life.
There's a lot to love about this series. The stories are tight and creative. The dialogue is unique to each character. The art is just glorious. I'm glad I reread this as an adult. I got more out of it now than when I'd read it many years ago.
July 4, 2019
As much as I love seeing superheroes show off their abilities and beat up bad guys, I can’t help but have a love for conflict that can’t be simply solved by violence. What’s great about this collection is it had both. Not only that but Green Lantern and Green Arrow were perfect for tackling the issues presented and the message can still be appreciated even today. This is definitely worth a read for anybody that’s a fan of superhero comics.
January 10, 2015
Comics and graphic novels have sure evolved over the past 20 years+
However some creative runs are classics for a reason o'neill and o'neal made these heroes heroic and great, sure there is some cheese but in the context of the era this was published a little cheese doesn't hurt
However some creative runs are classics for a reason o'neill and o'neal made these heroes heroic and great, sure there is some cheese but in the context of the era this was published a little cheese doesn't hurt
December 29, 2018
Really enjoyed this run. Would highly recommend it. The issue concerning Speedy being a heroin addict, to me, has lost a lot of its relevancy but when this was being published it was really revolutionary. I wouldn’t mind it if comics went back to this.
Also reading this really makes me laugh at right-wing comic readers because they always talk about how modern comics are too political (because they’re being inclusive), when this art form has always been political and they’re really just showing their bigotry.
Also reading this really makes me laugh at right-wing comic readers because they always talk about how modern comics are too political (because they’re being inclusive), when this art form has always been political and they’re really just showing their bigotry.
April 20, 2015
A seminal work of comics history. It truly is an epic read; "So why only three stars, kiddo?" Well, let's start with the good, ok? This is a great work that captures the zeitgeist (crap, did I just say that?) of the 70s and the tensions boiling just below the surface. It serves as an interesting way to discuss topics of race relations, class struggle, pollution, over population, narcotics, and even eco-terrorism. I hope that using this medium attracted new audiences to these topics and hopefully sparked some discussion. Sire, you might think of me as a "bleeding heart" Liberal for saying that sorta stuff, by I find it a captivating tool to use to tackle rather complex issues.
So, back to the original question of why only three stars? In my opinion, this is a great book for it's time, and it's exactly that. I don't feel it ages well, but the dynamic of Con v. Lib through GL and GA still rings true to this day. Do your best to read this as some sort of historical document if you can, and it should really amp up your enjoyment. True, there is sexism and terms that would be considered outright racist today, but try and remember when it was created. Another ding on the rating? Well, at least in my book, that last story was pure garbage and I've no idea why it was tacked on, and it of course lacked GA. Expired canned mushrooms? Seriously? Ugh...
So, back to the original question of why only three stars? In my opinion, this is a great book for it's time, and it's exactly that. I don't feel it ages well, but the dynamic of Con v. Lib through GL and GA still rings true to this day. Do your best to read this as some sort of historical document if you can, and it should really amp up your enjoyment. True, there is sexism and terms that would be considered outright racist today, but try and remember when it was created. Another ding on the rating? Well, at least in my book, that last story was pure garbage and I've no idea why it was tacked on, and it of course lacked GA. Expired canned mushrooms? Seriously? Ugh...
January 21, 2019
3,5 sobre 5
El inicio de esta etapa sirve de excusa para juntar a dos personajes que en realidad no tienen mucho que ver pero que son buenos amigos. Green arrow le reprocha a green lantern que eso de recorrer el universo ha provocado que esté demasiado alejado de los problemas de la gente normal, y le reta a hacer un viaje por los pueblos de américa para que se dé cuenta de lo mal que están las cosas para el ciudadano de a pie.
El caso es que inicia una suerte de road movie episódica en la que cual si fueran el equipo A los dos y uno de los guardianes del universo viajan por los pueblos de américa desfaciendo entuertos con una dinámica bastante repetitiva y predecible, descubren un problema, en el que cada uno tiene una postura ya que uno es más progresista y el otro más conservador, pero en todo caso green lantern (conservador) termina dándose cuenta de que la más correcta es la postura progresista y terminan resolviendo el problema en equipo. Estas historias sirven para tratar temas como la contaminación, el abuso de los trabajadores de mano de las empresas, la superpoblación, el consumismo, el problema de las drogas...
El caso es que son historias entretenidas aunque el tono es un poco ingenuo y con sabor viejuno, lo que no se puede criticar es el genial dibujo de Neal Adams, una pasada en el aspecto artístico.
El inicio de esta etapa sirve de excusa para juntar a dos personajes que en realidad no tienen mucho que ver pero que son buenos amigos. Green arrow le reprocha a green lantern que eso de recorrer el universo ha provocado que esté demasiado alejado de los problemas de la gente normal, y le reta a hacer un viaje por los pueblos de américa para que se dé cuenta de lo mal que están las cosas para el ciudadano de a pie.
El caso es que inicia una suerte de road movie episódica en la que cual si fueran el equipo A los dos y uno de los guardianes del universo viajan por los pueblos de américa desfaciendo entuertos con una dinámica bastante repetitiva y predecible, descubren un problema, en el que cada uno tiene una postura ya que uno es más progresista y el otro más conservador, pero en todo caso green lantern (conservador) termina dándose cuenta de que la más correcta es la postura progresista y terminan resolviendo el problema en equipo. Estas historias sirven para tratar temas como la contaminación, el abuso de los trabajadores de mano de las empresas, la superpoblación, el consumismo, el problema de las drogas...
El caso es que son historias entretenidas aunque el tono es un poco ingenuo y con sabor viejuno, lo que no se puede criticar es el genial dibujo de Neal Adams, una pasada en el aspecto artístico.
August 27, 2024
Another book down that I started oh so long ago then neglected.
This is a comic classic. Green Lantern and Green Arrow road trip across the country, righting wrongs and encountering racism, capitalism run wild and pollution.
A book ahead of its time, even groundbreaking, but too dated to be a classic. For comic fanatics like myself, this book includes the risqué story of Speedy on heroine and the introduction of John Stewart, earths second alternate Green Lanterns and one of the first black superheroes.
Neal Adam’s art and written by Denny O’Neil. Adam’s is probably my favorite artist to draw superheroes.
This is a comic classic. Green Lantern and Green Arrow road trip across the country, righting wrongs and encountering racism, capitalism run wild and pollution.
A book ahead of its time, even groundbreaking, but too dated to be a classic. For comic fanatics like myself, this book includes the risqué story of Speedy on heroine and the introduction of John Stewart, earths second alternate Green Lanterns and one of the first black superheroes.
Neal Adam’s art and written by Denny O’Neil. Adam’s is probably my favorite artist to draw superheroes.
May 14, 2022
Big fan of how this book addresses social issues without having to make the heroes the ultimate good. Both are often old fashioned and wrongheaded and are given the chance to learn something about the people around them. I don’t think a modern book like this would be as bold as to let the heroes be humbled so often.
April 7, 2021
Hace años que quería leer este cómic y cumplió con las expectativas.
2 superhéroes que por primera vez tenían personalidades tan marcadas y en ciertos temas opuestas pero que no por eso dejan de cultivar una amistad que los enriquece a ambos. Los autores no se ponen necesariamente de un lado de las discusiones que plantean, al menos no en todos los casos. Y en ciertas historias utilizan el recurso de hablarle directamente al lector, lo que en mi caso agradezco.
Sí a esto le sumo la primera aparición de mi Green Lantern favorito la puntuación sube.
Por último mención destacada para el dibujo que casi nunca es espectacular (salvo las portadas) pero nunca baja del notable.
Lectura imprescindible.
2 superhéroes que por primera vez tenían personalidades tan marcadas y en ciertos temas opuestas pero que no por eso dejan de cultivar una amistad que los enriquece a ambos. Los autores no se ponen necesariamente de un lado de las discusiones que plantean, al menos no en todos los casos. Y en ciertas historias utilizan el recurso de hablarle directamente al lector, lo que en mi caso agradezco.
Sí a esto le sumo la primera aparición de mi Green Lantern favorito la puntuación sube.
Por último mención destacada para el dibujo que casi nunca es espectacular (salvo las portadas) pero nunca baja del notable.
Lectura imprescindible.
November 12, 2018
If you are a fan of comics you need this collection simply because - Neal Adams. To this day his art looks remarkable and at the time of these comics he seemed to be light years ahead of any other artist. The art is beyond compare and I kind of regret not getting the absolute edition because the paper this was printed on doesn't do it justice. But it was a good economical decision.
This is a historical run in comics for the art but also for the issues Dennis O'Neil explored. Drug abuse, treatment of the First Nations, Over Population, Pollution. I am sad to say any and all of these things are still issues of today's society and it has only gotten worse.
My take home message - this is a collection every comic book fan needs.
Okay - now a few things that keep me from putting these comics in my top ten of all comics runs. While the issues O'Neil tackles are handled exceptionally well for the comic book medium (you can't get too deep in 22 pages) to tackle them he turns this from a super hero book to more of a political platform. There is still action and adventure but the backdrop is "the message". So we lose some of the entertainment value we look for in comic books because of this. Green Lantern especially has to be powered down a lot to make it work. Green Arrow and Black Canary are a good fit - Space Policeman with weapon of infinite ability, not so much. TO be fair - O'Neil is exploring the idea the Green Lantern has to learn to not trust authority without question (as he does with the Guardians of the Universe on Oa) and he also has one of the Guardians accompany The Two Greens on their journey as an off world perspective. So it does make sense to have Green Lantern in these stories - it's just that his power is so above Green Arrow's power it makes for an awkward teaming when the action starts.
That nit pick aside - a wonderful collection and to conclude - Neal Adams!!
This is a historical run in comics for the art but also for the issues Dennis O'Neil explored. Drug abuse, treatment of the First Nations, Over Population, Pollution. I am sad to say any and all of these things are still issues of today's society and it has only gotten worse.
My take home message - this is a collection every comic book fan needs.
Okay - now a few things that keep me from putting these comics in my top ten of all comics runs. While the issues O'Neil tackles are handled exceptionally well for the comic book medium (you can't get too deep in 22 pages) to tackle them he turns this from a super hero book to more of a political platform. There is still action and adventure but the backdrop is "the message". So we lose some of the entertainment value we look for in comic books because of this. Green Lantern especially has to be powered down a lot to make it work. Green Arrow and Black Canary are a good fit - Space Policeman with weapon of infinite ability, not so much. TO be fair - O'Neil is exploring the idea the Green Lantern has to learn to not trust authority without question (as he does with the Guardians of the Universe on Oa) and he also has one of the Guardians accompany The Two Greens on their journey as an off world perspective. So it does make sense to have Green Lantern in these stories - it's just that his power is so above Green Arrow's power it makes for an awkward teaming when the action starts.
That nit pick aside - a wonderful collection and to conclude - Neal Adams!!
August 23, 2014
I understand how groundbreaking these were in the 70's and the artwork is still gorgeous but he stories don't hold up. The heroes have two dimensional personalities and the stories beat the reader over the head with their morals. There's also no gray areas in these stories; things are either right or wrong with no subtleties. An interesting artifact of an important time, but not good stories in their own right.
November 8, 2013
These are dated and ridiculously on the head with their politics, but it's still fun. Whether it's the enjoyable superheroics or the over the topness of the message, I was never not entertained.
April 17, 2017
really good read, it's kind of scary and sad that the social atrocities they battled in this are not different from what is still going on now, 40 years later.
June 10, 2023
The based power couple I didn't know I needed in my life
June 19, 2022
Green Lantern/Green Arrow was one of the most influential comic book series of all time. It paved the way for things like Moon Knight and Watchmen and is largely credited with being the kick in the pants that got comics out of the Silver Age silliness that predominated them for a while. Comics, this series argued, could discuss modern issues in a meaningful manner. Comics could be tools for social change. While whether this book alone was the impetus behind more mature story felling or not could be argued, but its influence can't be denied. Snowbirds Don't Fly, after all, was an award winning arc that ended up being referenced by politicians. How is that for influence?
Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen embark on a road trip across America to discover the human condition or something. It's a great excuse to expose the boys to the various things troubling people at that time, and to have them argue about it. And argue about it. And eventually learn something new about themselves. Partway through Black Canary joins in, though she never quite becomes the influential figure there that she arguably should.
While the stories come off as dated now, it's astonishing just how many of these issues are still prevalent today and how decent Ollie's takes on the bulk of them are... with the notable exception of how he handles the events in Snowbirds. The art is good and the storytelling fascinating. The series is sadly short, but maybe Dennis is right in saying that if it had lasted longer it would have lost its shine.
Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen embark on a road trip across America to discover the human condition or something. It's a great excuse to expose the boys to the various things troubling people at that time, and to have them argue about it. And argue about it. And eventually learn something new about themselves. Partway through Black Canary joins in, though she never quite becomes the influential figure there that she arguably should.
While the stories come off as dated now, it's astonishing just how many of these issues are still prevalent today and how decent Ollie's takes on the bulk of them are... with the notable exception of how he handles the events in Snowbirds. The art is good and the storytelling fascinating. The series is sadly short, but maybe Dennis is right in saying that if it had lasted longer it would have lost its shine.
February 20, 2020
Classic 1970s comic with great artwork by Neal Adams that revolutionized comics storytelling. May seem hokey to modern readers but at the time was “relevant” and tied into the issues of the day: poverty, cults, treatment of native Americans, drugs, and ecological abuse. Black Canary is a strong supporting player in many of these stories.
March 8, 2020
This compilation includes "No Evil Shall Escape My Sight" (1970) - perhaps the best Green Lantern issue ever.
January 12, 2018
Se volete leggere la mia recensione, cliccate qui! http://ascwblog.blogspot.it/2018/01/l...
February 9, 2011
Este libro incluye más de 14 historias de una dupla de personajes que despierta sentimientos encontrados en mí: a uno lo adoro (al menos en la mayoría de sus interpretaciones), al otro le tengo cierto resquemor (al menos en la mayoría de sus interpretaciones). En cuanto a los artistas, de ambos no he leído demasiado, pero me parecen muy talentosos y afilados (al menos en la mayoría de sus trabajos). Y en cuanto a la historias que incluyen este tomo: en su mayoría están muy buenas, pero no son perfectas ni mucho menos. Hablan de temas como la discriminación, las drogas, la manipulación evangelista (con otro nombre) y temas muy interesantes y polémicos. Sobre todo para la época. Y el país. Y el medio. Pero la mayoría de ellas desprende un poco de olor a naftalina y me sonaron a que tenían mejores intenciones que resultados.
¿Por qué le pongo cinco estrellas entonces, si me parecen tan imperfectos? Por eso mismo. En una época en la que los superhéroes eran predecibles y aburridos como chupar un clavo oxidado por la misma saliva, llegaron estos dos autores con estos dos prescindibles personajes a demostrar que el comic "comercial" podía servir tanto como entretenimiento como lugar de denuncia, como manifiesto ideológico, como plantel de debate, de reflexión. Hablando siempre, claro, del comic estadounidense. En Argentina hacía décadas que el comic "adulto" ya existía, aunque no se lo comerciara como tal, en Japón también; y sin duda en Europa había bastante de eso también. Pero para una industria acartonada y bidimensional como la del comic USA, creo que estas historias fueron poco menos que blasfemas. Promovían la integración cultural, la tolerancia, la necesidad de ayudar a los perjudicados socialmente, la libertad de culto (en cierta forma), el cuidado del medioambiente, y un montón de cosas que ahora suenan a moraleja pero que en su momento seguron sonaron como tremendos sopapos al famoso status-quo. Porque, además, el manejo de los personajes no es maniqueísta. Si bien Arrow es el "liberal" y Lantern el "conservador", la escala de grises con la que se los maneja deja en claro que no es necesario -ni recomendable- ponerse 100% del lado de alguno de ellos. Así como ellos van evolucionando y aprendiendo el uno del otro, también lo puede hacer el lector. Como supogno que les habrá pasado también a los artistas. Una vez más, la sinergia hizo magia y la suma del todo abarca mucho más de lo que suman sus partes.
¿Por qué le pongo cinco estrellas entonces, si me parecen tan imperfectos? Por eso mismo. En una época en la que los superhéroes eran predecibles y aburridos como chupar un clavo oxidado por la misma saliva, llegaron estos dos autores con estos dos prescindibles personajes a demostrar que el comic "comercial" podía servir tanto como entretenimiento como lugar de denuncia, como manifiesto ideológico, como plantel de debate, de reflexión. Hablando siempre, claro, del comic estadounidense. En Argentina hacía décadas que el comic "adulto" ya existía, aunque no se lo comerciara como tal, en Japón también; y sin duda en Europa había bastante de eso también. Pero para una industria acartonada y bidimensional como la del comic USA, creo que estas historias fueron poco menos que blasfemas. Promovían la integración cultural, la tolerancia, la necesidad de ayudar a los perjudicados socialmente, la libertad de culto (en cierta forma), el cuidado del medioambiente, y un montón de cosas que ahora suenan a moraleja pero que en su momento seguron sonaron como tremendos sopapos al famoso status-quo. Porque, además, el manejo de los personajes no es maniqueísta. Si bien Arrow es el "liberal" y Lantern el "conservador", la escala de grises con la que se los maneja deja en claro que no es necesario -ni recomendable- ponerse 100% del lado de alguno de ellos. Así como ellos van evolucionando y aprendiendo el uno del otro, también lo puede hacer el lector. Como supogno que les habrá pasado también a los artistas. Una vez más, la sinergia hizo magia y la suma del todo abarca mucho más de lo que suman sus partes.
March 19, 2015
Though very innovative at the time it was written, it does not hold up as well today. It became popular for being one of the first comic book series to deal with issues such as race, class, drugs, and other social issues, and changed comic book writing forever. One of the problems with the series though is that it deals with these issues in a very campy and sometimes shallow way. A lot of this is because it was written in the early 70's and comic book writing was much more campy during the time this was written. So while edgy and innovative at the time it was written, some of the stories and dialog are laughable and very preachy by today's comic book standards.
One great thing about this comic book series is the art. The art has the great classic 70's feel that in my opinion, never gets old. The art in this comic also revolutionized how comic book panels were toyed with and used.
Though the edginess is gone and by now there are many better comics and graphic novels that deal with these social issues better, I would still say I enjoyed it is worth a read. With so many iconic moments such as "snowbirds don't fly" and the first appearance of the John Stewart green lantern, there is a lot of comic book history in this collection. I suggest anyone who loves the artwork of the time period or anyone who wants to read some of the most iconic comics in history should read this. If you can get over the dated campiness of this comic, you will have a good time with this collection.
One great thing about this comic book series is the art. The art has the great classic 70's feel that in my opinion, never gets old. The art in this comic also revolutionized how comic book panels were toyed with and used.
Though the edginess is gone and by now there are many better comics and graphic novels that deal with these social issues better, I would still say I enjoyed it is worth a read. With so many iconic moments such as "snowbirds don't fly" and the first appearance of the John Stewart green lantern, there is a lot of comic book history in this collection. I suggest anyone who loves the artwork of the time period or anyone who wants to read some of the most iconic comics in history should read this. If you can get over the dated campiness of this comic, you will have a good time with this collection.
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