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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Denny O'Neil Artist- Neal Adams Editor- Julius Schwartz SYNOPSISOur viridescent heroes' "war on drugs" pans out about as well as any other "war on drugs" that's been fought since the early 70's. Kev This was clearly a big deal. It’s plastered at the top of the cover, which is excellent, by the way, that this is “An important message from the honourable John V. Lindsay,” the then “Mayor of New York City” no less. If I’m right, it was also around this time that Marvel forewent the Comics Code seal with Amazing Spider-Man #97, where Harry Osborn overdoses on pills. There must’ve been something in the air. I suppose we’re in the era of the counterculture movement here, where, I suspect, recreational drug use amongst young people will have reached new heights. Dave Totally. This cover is what, I guess, this two-parter is all about, which is a real social problem, and it hits hard. There's no nonsense here. It shows how much of a problem it was then, and still is. "More deadly than the atom bomb." It really shows the sorrow of Arrow as he carries Speedy, and the anguish of Lantern in the background. I think this is a great cover. Kev With all the sorrowful floating heads as well. Yeah, it's evocative alright. That splash page doesn’t half smack you right in the kisser either. Kind-of how Ollie does Speedy, to be fair. I notice Ollie uses his good arm for maximum impact, as well. Ha, ha!  "All I need is one final hit to soothe the pain...." Dave Yeah, that splash page is a cracker, no pun intended. Again, Arrow’s hot-headedness kicks right in. It kind of reminds me of that Batman and Robin meme that was used for a multitude of jokes, where Batman is slapping Robin for saying something. Kev Ha, ha! That's a good spot. I wonder why Ollie and Speedy didn't go viral with this. I suppose Batman and Robin are just more meme-worthy. Dave That scene with Arrow and Speedy is very well written, as Arrow's pigheadedness is preventing him from trying to understand, and he is just reacting emotionally and making the situation even worse. Kev Totally. Speedy wastes no time in going right for Ollie’s jugular though. “Want to do it again? Or have you proven to yourself that you’re stronger than us weaklings- -? A big man like you doesn’t need drugs, does he? You get high on your self-righteousness!” Brutal! O’Neil really isn’t afraid to use his protagonists, our heroes, and their shortcomings as a mirror to society and how we essentially abandon addicts of any kind to their fate, is he? “No, I’m innocent of blame- -” Dave O'Neil is definitely addressing the generation gaps and outlooks towards life. Something, again, that is so relevant in today's society. Kev It's actually depressing how little so much of what he was writing about, half a century ago, has changed. Dave Arrow is taking the narcissistic approach here, pointing the finger of blame elsewhere, and not acknowledging that he didn't pay enough attention to Speedy. I like those urban street and apartment scenes. They're very 70's looking. Kev Yeah, those scenes have got that proper 1970's, pre-Giuliani New York, urban decay thing going on. It's like being in 'The Warriors,' or something. You can feel the impact of that kid’s face hitting the floor after he overdoses, and the splash page following it is arresting, to say the least. Excellent work by messers Adams and former cover star himself, Dick Giordano. I like how they’ve portrayed the two addicts in black and white, but the background is a trippy, psychedelic dream.  "Climb up here, Tommy and don't be dying, I can go just as fast with two." Dave I reckon the whole shooting-up scene was shown in such graphic detail because O'Neil really wanted to verse the readers in the realities of this lifestyle, and show how unpleasant it is. Yep, that floor drop is good, eh? It's a real clunk to the ground. I think the colours on page 4 are superb, and it fits in with this bright, intergalactic-style comic book character aesthetic, which is predominately bright colours. Page 5 is great too. It's aiming at maximum impact here. Kev Ah, that's a really good point. I hadn't thought about the colour palette tying back into some of the space hopping adventures from earlier on in this run. Dave Also, how he is left on his own, on that first panel on page 6, as the other guy does a runner, is tragic. Kev Yeh, the first panel on page 6, with the dude’s eyes wide open is pretty shocking. I can’t understand quite how this was able to get Comic Code approval, but the Spidey issues weren’t. Dave I dunno, I think because the way they did it was essentially an opportunity to not tread lightly around this subject, and hit the reader right in the face. It was a golden opportunity for them. Kev True. And it really is in your face, isn't it? The kid going through the process of shooting up before he hits the floor is pretty accurate. Dave I like the description of Lantern on page 7, as "the emerald Gladiator." Very prestigious sounding. Also, the colours of the night sky are great too. Kev Yeh, Those panels of Hal flying through the city are superb. The one at the top of page 8 is particularly stunning. It looks like Adams and Giordano used Zipatone for the cityscape on that one. That’s an unprofessional guess, of course. I’m no comic book artist.  "The streets are awash with drugs you can have for unhappiness and pain, and we took them all." Dave Oh yeah. That panel at the top of page 8 is brilliant. It could have easily been a splash page, but could you imagine how long it would take them to do that on a full page. Kev Ha, ha! True. That's maybe the very reason that it wasn't a splash page. Dave I'm really liking those night time panels on pages 7 and 8. They're very clean looking and crisp, if you catch my drift. Kev Yeh, there's some real "economy of line" work going on here by Adams. It's an absolute pleasure to look at. As usual for him though, to be fair. I like how Hal uses the Power Ring as a flashlight. You can get that on any phone these days, Hal. You don't need to use your fancy ting,and drain its battery. Dave True, but I suppose he doesn't need to carry a Power Ring charger. Kev Right enough. He only needs the lantern for that. Dave The contrast of colours works so well in that panel, where he flashes the Power Ring against the blue backdrop. Even on page 9, as Arrow disarms a guard, we're treated to three very different looking panels, but they all work well together. I also like how, on that bottom panel on page 9, the warehouse scene panel merges together with the phone call to Solomon scene one.  "I don't feel the sickness yet, but it's in the post." Kev Yeh, there's a lot of good blue and green contrast work in these couple of pages. The second panel on page 8 uses it to great effect as well, with the green of Ollie's costume popping against the twilight blue of the night sky. Dave It's a simple but effective technique. Kev Yep. Often the best ones. I also like that panel of Ollie slugging the security guard in the gut on page 9 as well. Dave And we see the contrast in approaches on page 10, as Lantern shows a more sympathetic approach here, possibly a little naive, but it helps to show how opposite him and Arrow are personality wise. Speedy still has some pride left in him, and resentment towards Arrow at this stage. Nice change of colours here, Adams and Giordano are always giving us a visual treat. Kev There's almost a bit of a role reversal here. Oftentimes throughout this run, it's been Ollie that's played the part of bleeding heart liberal, and Hal's been the more conservative of the two, but here it's Hal who is more sympathetic to Speedy's plight. Yeh, page 10 is also fantastic. That six panel layout, housed in the profile-shot silhouette of Hal’s head is outstanding. I’ve heaped praise upon Neal Adams on multiple occasions during this run for his inventive page compositions and panel layouts etc. but he really is on fire in this issue. Kind-of like Speedy’s guts, apparently.  “Like heroin, I mean heroin's got a great fucking personality.” Dave Also, on page 11 we are delving into the social context of this, and O'Neil’s writing is superb. From exploring the reasons why they do it, to the LIES that the youth at this time had been told. It's very ironic that the youth of today are still similar as well, and see the older generations as people who have sold them lies. Brilliant observations by O'Neil. The rebel in him is showing in his writing. "War is fun, skin-color is important, a man's worth is the size of his bank account." Lantern has become the mentor figure to Speedy here by simply listening to him and not judging. Kev Yeh, this is definitely O’Neil hitting us with even more of that generational divide that we’ve often seen come up during this run. Again, the more things change , the more they stay the same, eh? Feels like history is repeating itself again these days, eh? Also, it's interesting that Hal is self-aware enough to know that if he tries to justify his generation's actions, that it'll just sound like another "crock!" Dave I get the feeling this issue was why this story was spread out as a two-parter. O'Neil probably had so much that he wanted to put across. Kev Definitely. There was too much to cover here to try to cram it all into a single issue, that's for sure. Dave That panel on page 11 of Lantern flying through the air carrying Speedy is great as well.  "Pile misery upon misery, heap it up on a spoon and dissolve it with a drop of bile....." Kev Yeh, Speedy's got quite the sweet ride in that panel. And now poor Dinah has to mother/babysit Speedy whilst he goes all Renton, and tries to go cold turkey. Dave "I just need one more fucking hit man!!!" Kev Ha, ha! Dave I love the top panel on page 12, the composition is great.  "...at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life:..." Kev Me too, man. nThat's an absolutely cracking panel, that is. Dave Do you get the feeling that O'Neil is targeting the upper echelons of society in this issue? Kev No doubt whatsoever, he is. “But even the greatest courage is limited by the frailties of flesh and blood……and treachery can vanquish any human body…” Anyone’d think O’Neil was writing about addiction here, eh? Dave Tell you what though, Arrow is not faring too well in the combat these past two issues. He's been clocked by stuff that he would normally be able to avoid. Kev Yeh, he's fighting with one wing now as well. Dave And finally, on page 14, we are introduced to our villain of the piece, Saloman. That haircut is something, eh? Very much a society man. He's playing the part so well. Kev I reckon it's a wig. He reminds me a little bit of Kevin Bacon as Sebastian Shaw in 'X-Men: First Class.' Or rather Kevin Bacon in 'First Class' reminds me of him. “We’ve been discussing these young people, Hopper! These filthy, dope-swilling Beatniks!” Refer back to what I said earlier about generational divides, and the youth/counterculture movement. And, of course, these words would be coming out of the mouth of a judge. “Yeah, we were class in the old days!” Said by every single person that's past their peak ever. Myself included. Dave Saloman is like Hugh Heffner was in the 70’s. Kev Ha, ha! He is a bit actually, yeh. Dave The last panel on page 15 as Arrow is tossed into the water is funny, especially his eyes. Kev It reminds me of those photos of dogs leaping into water to fetch their toys.
Dave Good one. Haha. Kev That third panel, on page 16, of Ollie submerged in the darkness of the water, lit only by his acetylene arrow is amazing. The choice of colours is beautiful. Dave I'm actually glad he got out by himself and didn't require saving. Pre-Riggs in 'Lethal Weapon 2,' where he escapes from being tossed into the water, chained up. Kev Ah, I had forgotten about that scene in 'Lethal Weapon 2.' I love that Hal uses the power of the ring to conjure two fans to dry Ollie off after his bath. Dave I like that bottom panel on page 17, the close up of Lantern, it's a great use of colours and shadows. It paints a very serious looking Hal here, and then page 18 paints a very grim depiction of withdrawal symptoms, and with very dialogue, to show how harrowing even the after effects of addiction are. Kev Yeh, that's a classic nine panel grid on page 18. Excellent storytelling. And that bottom panel on page 20, of Hal, literally pointing the finger at Saloman Hooper is great too. Again, it’s always the so-called “respectable” members of society, the corporate, capitalist, titans of industry that are the real villains in these O’Neil tales.  "Even drugs are changing. You can't stay in here all day dreaming about heroin and Ziggy Pop.” Dave Yep. O'Neil is taking a swipe at these figures who believe themselves to be above the law. Plus, Salomon's most definitely a dedicated follower of fashion, and he owns his own pharmaceuticals company as well, which is a good cover for what he is doing. Kev I have to admit, I do love his shirt. Dave The shirt and a cravat. I think O'Neil is also illustrating how people who have the air of respectability can easily get away with so much just by appearance alone, and those who look less respectable, or down-and-out, are automatically judged to no good or up to no good. Kev Yeh, O'Neil has constantly been questioning who the real criminals are in our world. Is it the protesters, or is it the mining companies? Is it the down and outs, or the greedy landlords? Is it the drug addicts, or big pharma? Dave Lantern is the voice for O'Neil as he gives a speech against Hooper. That's also a good speech on the bottom panel on page 20 by a very impassioned Lantern. Kev Absolutely, but it's a bit unusual, I think, as I've always felt that Ollie is more O'Neil's mouthpiece during this run, as opposed to Hal. The gloves are off for Hal here though. Well, the ring is off. He’s going mano ‘e’ mano with Saloman. Dave Yep, he's looking for a fight with Saloman that's for sure. Lantern is a more mature figure in this story, and in previous issues we have covered we have seen him take some harsh life lessons. Kev That's a good point, man. Hal has taken a few knocks recently in this run, hasn't he? I like Hal’s line about hearing “the line a million times on The Late Show” about Saloman’s boxing credentials. Dave And that line about "when I think about all the pain he caused....I can't say I'm sorry he hurts," even Ollie is a bit surprised. It's not like him to come to a bad guy's aid when injured. Kev Yep, it’s Ollie who has to tell Hal to cool it, so to speak, in the end. Hal’s gone a bit 'Death Wish' on us here. And to wrap things up; Speedy hands Ollie a receipt for backhanding him at the beginning of this issue, before cutting a scathing promo on him, and the rest of society really. I can’t help but feel that Speedy has O’Neil’s words in his mouth here, but as we’ve said before, having your words in a character's mouth when you're dealing with issues such as these is not necessarily a bad thing. Dave Oh yeah, Speedy is the voice for O'Neil, this was probably what he wanted to say about the drugs problem through the voice of a kid who has been through it and come out the other side. Some very astute observations here though, there’s no denying that. Kev Definitely, not. Dave And we even get an emotional Ollie here with the proud tears in his eyes. Kev Yeh, Ollie is quite pleased with his ward, in this moment, for standing up for himself and what he believes in. Probably could have done with helping the poor kid earlier though. Dave Yeah, I suppose it's O'Neil’s way of showing that people can learn from each other regardless of age, and the whole generation gap is why there are these problems in understanding each other. O'Neil is very much for the youth of today (in this time frame). Kev Yep, and we have a similar type of generational gap/culture war thing going on in 2023 as well. I suppose, O'Neil would have only been in his early 30s around this time, so not very old at all, really. He was probably caught between those two generations, in a way. Dave Like you say; what has actually changed? What did you make of this story? Kev I thought it was an excellent issue. Other than some of the dialogue sounding a little bit dated to a modern ear, this has aged particularly well, and has been one of my favourites that we’ve covered in this run. I reckon you could tell this same story in 2023, without too many adjustments, and it’ll still work a charm, depressingly. What about yourself? Dave Some of the dialogue was quite funny, but it still had its own charm to it. Bearing in mind it's going back to the 70's, so everything is dated. Hell, stuff in 2023 will be dated in 10 years time, as lingo is forever changing, so it trends along with everything else. Yeah, it was a good 2 part story. It was well written, had a good story and had some cracking artwork as well. (D) & (K) The end.  "People think it's all about misery and desperation and death and all that shit which is not to be ignored....."
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