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by Dave Scrimgeour & Kevin McCluskey   Story: Denny O'Neil Art: Neal Adams & Dick Giordano Editing: Julius Schwartz SYNOPSISThe Guardian is found guilty by his peers, sentenced to death and sent to the planet Maltus. However, upon arrival with Hal, Ollie and Dinah in tow, he discovers that the once sparse planet is now straining under the sheer weight of a population explosion brought about by a cloning program engineered by the mad geneticist, Mother Jura. Dave So, this is the final segment in this storyline that we have been covering. Kev It would appear so, yes. This is the end of the first story arc by the looks of it. It's quite a freaky cover. There's more of a horror inflected vibe to this one. It's a bit unnerving. Nice flattening of background characters to make Hal, Ollie and Dinah pop more though. Dave I find the cover a bit messy. It kind-of puts me in mind of a bubble bath. Dunno why. Kev Ha, ha! A bubble, population explosion, bath bomb. We See The World In Ben-Day Dots, sponsored by Lush. O'Neil's not messing about here, we’re right back into the thick of things with a splash page that follows on from the events of last issue. Dave The first splash page is quite eye catching, with The Guardian looming over them all, It's like that old poster for World War 2, "Your country needs you!"  Propaganda, Guardian style. Wear a fucking mask, you dick! Kev Right enough, yeh. The World War II poster similarities hadn't even occurred to me. Dave It's also quite a wordy issue this one, with The Guardian about to be stripped of his immortality. The blues and green colours contrast with each other really well in those panels in these scenes. Kev Yeh, man. The use of colour is excellent. We’re continuing the, what’s-the-value-of-one-life theme from last issue, as well as the environmental one. Dave Again, Lantern is quite hot-headed here and is quick to speak his mind with a big rant at The Guardians, which he concludes by saying, "I'm not resigning yet, but I'm considering it.” Kev Definitely. Hal threatening to leave the Lantern Corps is a bold move, more akin to something that Ollie might have said earlier in this run. It's plain to see that their personalities are rubbing off on each other. Although, Hal seems somewhat non-committal about the whole affair. “I’m not resigning...yet! But I’m considering it…. Believe it, Guardians.” Seems like a bit of an empty threat. Dave "His problem is he's too human." Again, a conflict, and the complexities of being human, that The Guardians just don't understand. Kev Yep. That concept of humanity as a flaw, an imperfection. Nice panel at the top of page 4. In fact, this is an absolutely stunning page. The layout is superb. I do think O’Neil is overselling Black Canary’s involvement in this saga though. "Four who have travelled together and have adventured much....." She’s really only guest starred in one issue up until now.  Green Lantern jawed. Dave Haha, right enough. That's an excellent panel on page 4. As I would normally say, it's wallpaper art material. Kev Yeh, the layout, composition and execution of that page is absolutely stunning. Dave What's next for Black Canary? She gets her name on every issue and just pops up once in a blue moon (no pun intended) to show she’s still part of the series. It doesn't waste time getting into the thick of the action, with the unwelcoming committee attacking them and there are some nice moves shown by all four of the team. This issue seems to be a lot more intergalactic. Kev Yeh, we’re staying in cosmic territory with this Maltus story, and it would also appear that we are dealing with issues of overpopulation, immigration and sexism in this issue as well. Dave Looks like it. The intergalactic element of these stories gives Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams more creative room to play about with ideas. Kev Absolutely. This is in stark contrast to the tone of the first couple of issues in this run. They can let their imaginations run wild. “A woman -- destroy her!!!” Ha, ha! That must be what it's like for most women online. “That’ll teach ‘em to be grabby, Bird-lady!” Brilliant. I suppose Hal can't hand in his resignation, because we need his powers for this storyline on Maltus. Dave True. When it picks up the pace it delivers well in short action scenes though. Kev For sure, this issue is galloping along at a fair pace. It’s written in a way that reminds me of Norton Juster and ‘The Phantom Tollbooth.’ I like that last panel on page 7, it really illustrates the extent of Hal Jordan’s powers. Dave Then the origin is told. That's a nice page of panels. Kev Definitely. This history lesson from the computer tapes is gorgeous, with a lovely muted colour palette to indicate that it is from the past. That first tier of page 10 in particular. The rounded corners of the panel boxes also really help sell the notion of it being on an old computer screen.  "Man and machine, Power Xtreme." Dave It's well constructed in the narrative. It certainly jumps about in that respect. Plus, the variance of colours in the panels are well done too. "Bird Lady is right, Mother Juna is overdue for a zapping." Arrows getting down with the street talk. Kev Yeh, Ollie loves his street talk. He'd be right at home with Huggy Bear in Starsky and Hutch. Dave It's very much an intergalactic street talking jive, he has. That first panel on page 11 is amazing in its colour scheme. Again, that whole page is amazing, the panel layout is great and as you've already pointed out, the colours are outstanding.  "Please, Sir. Can I have some more?"  It's 2021, and it's back to the bathhouses in a post-Brexit, post-COVID Britain. Kev O'Neil's writing here is really good. “People are love, creativity, art, gentleness, beauty. But people have limits--They need food... And the remains of food are garbage. And when there are too many people to dispose of it properly, vermin grow fat, multiply.” I like the series of images illustrating the effects the overpopulation has had on the populace. Particularly what is clearly an ‘Oliver Twist’ reference as the last panel of page 11, and that second panel on page 12, the ‘ration book’ one, is outstanding as well, it's really powerful. It puts me in mind of Margaret Bourke-White’s photograph ‘At The Time Of The Louisville Flood,’ or even the cover to the Curtis Mayfield album ‘There’s No Place Like America Today.’ Adams and Giordano are absolutely killing it here. “Hatred rages. A woman with child is reviled, and her husband is a target for murder…” This issue got really dark, really quick. We’re in full-on sci-fi dystopia mode now. Dave It's a great page, and an example of storytelling with minimum narrative being used, as on the whole, this is a wordy issue, not just in dialogue, but also narrative. Kev Yeh, there are definitely points where O'Neil is smart enough, and a skilled enough writer, to just get out of Adams and Giordano's way and let them tell the story visually. I love that panel of Hal recharging the ring. The writing in the thought bubbles that go with it is excellent too. Dave It's interesting, as Lantern is reciting his familiar saying and thinking about when he was younger and more innocent and he wishes to return to that. Kev Definitely. Ignorance is bliss as they say. It shows just how far he has come since the beginning of this arc. That second panel on page 14 looks like Ollie is booping Black Canary’s snoot, like she was a dog, and the panel where Ollie is doing his roll up, roll up speech, is great. As is the third panel on page 16, the “my turn” one. Black Canary saves the day with her Ronda Rousey level judo skills. Dave On page 14, The Green Arrow looks like he is doing 'The Greatest Showman' before there was 'The Greatest Showman.'  "Watching it come true, it's taking over you." Kev I bet they've done a musical episode of the Green Arrow TV show at some point, they're bound to have. They love doing a musical episode of those shows. Actually, doesn't look like they have. They've done ones for The Flash and Supergirl though, by the looks of it. Dave Yeah, that's because the actors, Grant Gustin and Melissa Benoist, both have a background in musical theatre. Plus, they were in Glee. I don't think Steven Amell has done any of that. Kev Ah, I see. He does his parkour instead. Dave Haha! I see what you mean about the nice move by Ronda Rousey, I mean Black Canary, in taking out the ogre type person. Kev Yeh, they're making a big deal of her judo skills. Going back to what I said earlier, I can see a bit of a Starsky and Hutch dynamic in Hal and Ollie. Jordan and Queen. And the pressure to bear children and the relationship it has with the perception of them as “a woman” is still one that women face, even 50 years later. Black Canary understands this. Dave I really like the Green Arrow character now. I have to say, I was expecting a more bland character, much like in the recent TV series, and I wasn't too sure about the look, but it works well with his kind of street wise attitude. Kev Yeh, it's a little bit of its time, but he has a street-smart, cool charisma to him that is infectious. Probably not a great way of describing him in the midst of a pandemic. Dave Boom boom. Kev I'll get my coat. The Guardian has discovered the joys of deadlines, and how being mortal will make him appreciate the time he has, more than if he remained immortal. Dave The panel of Canary on page 19, standing very coyly while Mother Jura is charging towards her, is actually quite eye-catching. Her calm approach is quite a contrast to the stark raving mad person charging at her.  Look, Mother Jura, if Dinah wants to be in a throuple relationship, then that's her choice and her right. Kev Yep. She knows exactly what she has to do in order to use her opponent's size and momentum against them.  And that's what you get for slut-shaming her. Dave And yet Mother Jura was not the stereotypical villain. She did not even see herself as the villain of the piece, she thought what she was doing was for the greater good. Kev I suppose the best villains often don't see themselves as the villain, but rather they see themselves as the hero in their own story. They genuinely believe they are the force for good in their world. Nice dye job on Black Canary to take her from a blonde bombshell to a raven-haired temptress though. Dave Indeed. The Guardian talking about doing more deeds in a shorter period of time than the other Guardians can do in centuries, he is certainly going more in favour of human ways now, Kev Definitely, in our more finite time frame. Dave "take it easy old-timer." What a great farewell. Kev Yeh, Ollie's doesn't exactly come across as the sentimental type, does he? Dave Very ambiguous final words on the narrative, not wanting to round everything off with a neatly wrapped-up happy ending. "the journey is done, perhaps they have found what they sought...and perhaps not."  Words to live by. Kev Yeh, it's something of a bittersweet ending, to say the least. Dave It has been a genuine surprise for me just how good this little story arc has been. As I said earlier, I wasn't expecting it to be as grounded as it was behind all the intergalactic stuff, but it has been a really good series. What about yourself? What have you made of it overall? Kev I've really enjoyed it too. O'Neil and Adams managed to make it work, both as a "street level," road-trip tale and an intergalactic, space-hopping one. Which really, should have been nigh-on impossible. I like the downbeat ending to this first act as well. It's not necessarily depressing, but it's hardly a happy ending either. Everyone kind-of has to learn to accept their situation and just live with it. It does end with something of a positive message though. “.....there’s nothing that matters except whatever love people can find for one another… Please...be kind...be gentle!” Dave It's being grounded, saying that not everything is all roses and happy faces, but at the same time it's not all doom and gloom. It is talking about the grey area in the middle. Both of our main characters, through their journey, have seen the best and worst in mankind. Kev Definitely. They've seen the opposing ends of the spectrum of human and alien behaviour throughout their journey. Their journey across America and the galaxy. It's not pulled any punches really. Although this run has been very much of it's time, it's dealt with a lot of social issues that are still depressingly relevant to our world half a century on, as well as some philosophical issues that also remain very relevant. I'm looking forward to seeing where O'Neil and Adams take it from here. I know we've still got a few really big moments, such as Speedy being a junkie, to come. Dave The writing and artwork and colours have been nothing short of superb. Kev Yeh, it's certainly a creative team firing on all cylinders. Something that we've been making a habit of dealing with on our reviews. The end. (D) & (K) 
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