|
by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Denny O'Neil Artist- Neal Adams Editor- Julius Schwartz SynopsisWhilst stewing over his relationship woes, Ollie finds himself on the sharp end of an altercation with the local drug addicts and ironically, one of his own arrows. Despite the American healthcare system's best efforts, he survives this ordeal and calls upon his partner in crime(fighting), Hal Jordan, who aids him in the investigation into his assault, as well as the search for his missing ward, Speedy. This draws our viridescent heroes into the underworld of the illegal drug trade, where bad trips and a familiar face awaits. Dave So, here we are, the first of a two parter, and straight off the bat it is self explanatory what this issue is attacking, and pulling no punches either. O'Neil is really hitting the message hard here. What do you make of the cover? Kev I think it's great. It's an iconic cover alright. Yeh, this is arguably THE most (im)famous story in this Denny O’Neil Adams, ‘Hard Traveling Heroes’ run. Even more famous than the first issue. Dave And still totally relevant. Especially in 2023. Kev Depressingly so, yes. Dave As I was reading through this, it totally gave me the feel of an urban Punisher street story, and how this could easily have suited Mr. Frank Castle and his exploits. Kev Absolutely. A lot of those late '80's Punisher stories had a bit of this vibe to them as well, didn't they? Dave Totally. I mean, that first splash page is excellent, and sets the scene straight off. When was this issue published?  Careful. kids! You might fall through one of those cracks in society. Kev August 1971 was the cover date. So a May or June publication date, maybe. Dave 52 years ago, and still society is in a shit state. Without going the overly morbid route, there is still an epidemic. Kev Yep. To this day. Dave Ol’ Ollie is well up for a rumble on page 2. The composition of these panels is great. I’m still getting Punisher vibes here, even though this was done before Frank came on the scene. It's the street scenario. Ollie likes to talk and fight at the same time. Which is a staple for any superhero in a situation of conflict. Kev Ha, ha! Definitely. Yeh, I love how Ollie refers to them as “Kiddos…” Quite the opening gambit by O’Neil, as well. Again, not exactly subtle, but you can't deny that the man wore his passion for social issues on his sleeve. Even Julius Schwartz is getting serious here; proper name and everything. There’s no Julie here. Lovely splash page. “We need your money!” Not “want,” “need.” Dave Interestingly enough, Oliver here, actually through his overconfidence, gets caught out with the arrow. It just shows that our central characters are still subject to making errors. Kev Absolutely. Ollie is humanised on quite a few occasions in this issue. Physically and emotionally. Dave I think it is to bring home the message of the dangers of drugs. It elevates the drugs as the villain of the piece and how much power they have over the people addicted to them and just how much damage they can do. As I said earlier, O'Neil is pulling no punches in this issue. Kev No, he really isn't, is he? Dave I'm really loving the bright colours in these first few pages, especially how Oliver is dressed against the blue backdrop of the street at night. It really stands out, and visually, it's great. And then, when he begs the copper for help he is frowned upon and ignored like another junkie in the street. And the apathetic response he receives when he finally makes it to the hospital is also so relevant now as well. He's getting a taste of how it feels to be ignored, like they are feeling. O'Neil, as a writer, is exploring this storyline from more than one perspective, which adds to the richness of the story.  Ollie's just lucky he's not black, otherwise he would've been shot in the face for assaulting a police officer.  Ollie with the typical reaction to playing Scabby Queen. Kev Yeh, those two pages of Ollie trying to get help after, ironically, being shot with an arrow, is as damning an indictment of society as any that O’Neil and Adams have hit us with over the course of this run. “Isn’t modern civilisation…wonderful…?” It is indeed, Ollie, and if anything, it’s gotten worse in the half century since this was first published. Dave Yep, that’s “society” for you, alright. I have never read this issue before. Kev Neither have I, despite being acutely aware of it, and its significance. I always intended to read it, and should have done so years ago, really. “You can pay your bill at the front desk!” Ah, the U.S. healthcare system. How I cannot wait to adopt thee fully in the next ten years, or so. And just in time for me to hit an age where I’ll really need you as well. I'm looking forward to bankruptcy. Joy! Dave I like how these two, intergalactic type, characters are taken away from their predictable setting, and are thrust into modern life in this issue, yet it still has something so credible about how they fit into the storyline and theme. Like it has in some of the other issues we have covered as well, to be fair. Kev Definitely. We're right back to the most street level of street level stories here, aren't we? Like you'd said earlier; if this was a Frank Castle story, you wouldn't bat an eyelid. Dave Six pages in, and already Oliver is fucked. And in need of help. If it was a Frank Castle storyline, he would probably be injured 6 pages in as well. Kev Ha, ha! Probably, yeh. I love how Hal is such a square, and has lived such a sheltered existence. “Lantern, you can be dumb!” Ha, ha! I also like how Browden calls Ollie, “Beatnik.” Ollie is kind-of asking for it with that facial hair though, to be fair. Dave Yeah, the naivety of Lantern really allows the exposition of how the dangers of drugs can ruin people’s lives. His lack of knowledge, again, allows the message to be slammed in our faces, which I suspect was O'Neil’s intention. Do you think DC was against him doing a storyline about this subject in 71? Kev I would imagine that they weren't exactly thrilled at the prospect of him doing something that could potentially have been received in a massively negative way. But O'Neil and Adams had probably built up quite a bit of good will around the office by this point, so it was a gamble that they were willing to take, apparently. Dave This issue is really standing out so far on all levels, and I think the artwork and colours have been excellent as well. Really a cut above other issues we have looked at. It's really capturing the slums and shittiness of where people live, and how they are being treated. Poor Ollies’ not having much luck in his fights so far. Kev He really isn't, is he? I really like those three small panels within the main panel at the end of page 9. They’re like a deck of cards being flicked through, showing Ollie’s pain at being struck in his injured shoulder. And that panel of Chinatown at the top of page 11 is gorgeous too. Yeh, it's interesting that O’Neil has made the “junkie” muggers not only racially diverse, but also the victims here too. Victims of the society and the world that they’re living in. Dave Yeah, the whole racial discussion on that page is so well written. I like that panel on page 11 as well. Yep, it's interesting that he is fleshing out these characters, actually making you, the reader, sympathise with them to a certain degree, and not simply painting a picture of them as mindless zombies. Tackle the issues, O'Neil. It is what he does so well.  The Killing Of The Chinese Bookie. Kev Yeh, he's certainly not been one to shy away from the socioeconomic elements that are at the heart of a lot of the issues he's tackled in this run. Dave I like that line on the 2nd panel on page 12, "If you think I'm gonna toss off a one-liner about dropping in - - forget it!" A little bit of humour as he drops in through the ceiling. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, I thought that was a great line too. Ollie isn’t messing around here. He means business. Dave "Look, pigs - - we're clean." They’ve got to be the strangest looking cops I have ever seen. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, not exactly standard issue uniform, the Errol Flynn/Robin Hood look, and the spandex-clad space cop vibe, is it? I love how Ollie is just as blind as Hal, really. Speedy’s addiction is right there, right in front of his face, but Ollie can’t see it. He’s in denial. “It couldn’t happen to one of mine.” This was quite a big thing when we were young, wasn’t it? People being in denial that it could happen to their kids. Especially kids from loving, and particularly those from relatively well-off, homes. There were public service campaigns with that as a device and everything, if I remember correctly. Dave This is the beauty of writing two characters with opposing views, it allows us to get both perspectives on the situation of "junkies" and drug use. O'Neil is utilising both of our heroes' personalities to showcase these individual, opposing takes on it. No black and white message here, very much grounded in grey. Kev Yeh, he's been doing that with Ollie and Hal throughout this run, and it's been incredibly effective. Dave "On the junk." Interesting how Ollie describes the guy at the hangar. I like how they use the wavy lines to show them getting the shakes. The second panel of the silhouettes entering the hangar on page 15 is also superb, and works so well against the night time backdrop.  Night Of The "Living" Junkies. Kev Yeh, page 15 being constructed solely of four long panels gives it a real widescreen, cinematic, look. The “lighting” on all four of the panels is exquisite too. We’re seeing Ollie take more of a traditionally conservative stance here. “Life is tough for everyone! If you want to claim humanity, you don’t crawl into a drugged stupor.” “You done preachin’....,” Ollie? Dave Oh yeah, they are going toe-to-toe on the verbal battles. Hal and Ollie aren't doing so well in some of these fight scenes. It makes a change to see our heroes being beat up quite a bit in this issue. Kev Yeh, and by average street thugs are well, not by super villains. I love comics; you’ve got to mind your “Ps” and “Qs”, for example, “scared spitless” instead of “scared shitless,” but racial slurs, and “A coupla love-taps and their brains will be painted all over the floor- -,” that’s perfectly fine. The Comics Code Authority at its finest. Dave And the dealers are even not going near the junk they are selling, they just keep it. It's all business, no "pleasure" for them, I suppose. Those bottom panels on page 16 are great. I love the use of colours on the last two panels.  "The trouble with heroin is..... it's very moreish." Kev Thinking on it; I reckon if anything was a task to get past the Comic Code, having our two heroes high on smack was probably it. I can see them having a bit of a problem with that. True, it was forced upon them, but even still. Dave Yep, it was probably mandatory to find a way to get our intrepid heroes on the junk to highlight how dangerous it is. Kev Yeh, I love how the real villains of the piece, the dealers, are portrayed as being monochrome. Almost black and white. Devoid of any colour, any moral values, any soul. Oh, I forgot to mention; “Mister L” and “Mister A;” those’re our alter-ego’s now whenever we’re discussing comics from this run. “Zonked!” Ha, ha! That's an excellent word. I'm trying to bring that back. Dave Page 18 is a quite a fast paced page. Actually, the pacing of this whole story has been quick and snappy again. I really like how quickly it moves forward without missing out any important plot points. Kev That's a good point, man. It all fits together so seamlessly, I hadn't even noticed the pacing at all. Which is what you're aiming for, I suppose. Dave Page 19 is definitely a trip, or what? Eye catching, to say the least. Kev Yeh, “That…beast…is me- - As I am now- -! - - And it seeks to devour us!” Again, O’Neil’s not winning any awards for subtlety, but it’s direct, and effective, alright. Dave Yeah, this is really not on the subtle side, but I like how O’Neil is unrelenting in his campaign against drugs. Kev Plus, Ollie is not only blind to Speedy’s plight, but also deaf to it. Speedy spells it out to him and he just can’t, or doesn’t want to, hear it. Ollie definitely has a bleedin’-heart-liberal blind spot when it comes to drug addiction. “Gee, Speedy - - All your tale lacks is violin music. I’m touched… My stomach is - - - - Because every time I hear a sob story, I almost lose my lunch!” Dave Page 21 is a complete jump back to the apartment. I forgot, at this stage, that it was a two part story until it jumped there, and we realise the dealers got away. O'Neil is obviously not wanting to limit this to a single issue. Kev No, he obviously felt that this was important enough of a story to warrant being spread out over a couple of issues. And what is it with Ollie and chilli?!?! I mean, I like a chilli as much as the next person, but Ollie is obsessed with it. Dave And the Speedy story, offering an explanation as to why he turned to the drugs, is showing us the difficulties people experience in everyday life with relationships and society. Ollie isn't too sharp in this issue, as he mentioned earlier in the story about not spending enough time with Speedy. Neglect can cause people to turn to something for friendship. “A substitute for friendship.” This is very insightful stuff here by O’Neil. The same can be said for turning to alcohol. It's all a drug really. Kev Yeh, Ollie almost seems to be deliberately ignoring the Speedy issue, even though it's right in front of his nose, AND Speedy more or less spells it out for him too. You’re spot on, man, loneliness can do that to a person. Neglect can do that to a person. Being let down by a parental figure can do that to a person. Dave That middle panel on page 22 of Mr. L. flying off, to go to another deal being made on the street, is superb. O'Neil is taking a very close look at the subject of drugs and what they do, but is also asking the question of why does it get to that stage.  How can this dealer even see if this woman is paying him enough money for the drugs with his shades on at dusk? Kev Yeh, one of the things that I liked most about this issue, was that he looked beyond the effects of it, and into the socio-economic reasons behind it too. Dave I like that last panel, as surprised as Mr. A. is, "You're really a junkie,” it's a bit of a "DUH!" moment from Speedy. You're right, he had to spell it out, but it's kind-of good to see Mr. A. being a bit off form for a change. Kev Yeh, 'cause Ollie's kind-of been the "right on" one throughout this run, hasn't he? So, it's good to see him humbled somewhat. Dave Even our heroes can have off days. Kev Yep. We all have our blind spots, I suppose. Dave You also get the impression with the teaser for the next part that things aren't going to go too well for Mr. A and Speedy. Kev Yeh, I think you're right. There's a lot of pain in the post for some of these characters, isn't there? Dave But that was certainly another sterling issue from our team here, pulling it out of the hat again. I enjoyed this issue. Kev Me too. Interesting that they essentially used the reveal panel as the cover. They knew what they were doing though. “Controversy creates cash,” and all that. It’s such an arresting image though, you can understand why they decided to go with it. Dave Yeah, probably a bit of a “Fuck you!” to the head honchos at DC as well, as O'Neil has a rebellious side against the conventional, and conforming to the norms. Kev Him and Adams. They were both very vocal about creator rights. Adams in particular, I think. Dave Ultimately, comic books are literature, so they can tell these stories, show the young kids the dangers of this life. They don't glamorise it, they just show it for the harsh reality that it is. Gutsy move. Kev It's another excellent issue, alright. It’s sometimes difficult to put yourself back, over half a century now, and try to imagine just how groundbreaking this must’ve felt at the time. A story like this in superhero comics probably wouldn’t so much as raise an eyebrow in 2023, let alone an uproar. Then again, that might be because the cultural impact of a superhero COMIC on young people in 2023 is minimal compared to what it would have been in 1971. Just look at the sales figures. Dave But also the maturity of storytelling back in ‘71. This is grown-up content, and it would appeal to all ages. Kev Yeh, the quality of the storytelling is immense. You're right, it's a pretty grown-up story that should probably have been read by as many children as possible. If you were wanting to warn them of the dangers of drugs, that is. (D) & (K) 
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Back issues
July 2025
|
RSS Feed