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by Dave Scrimgeour and Kevin McCluskey   Writer- Denny O'Neil Penciller- Neal Adams Inker- Dan Adkins SynopsisHal and Ollie get drawn into a conflict between corporate interests, corrupt unions and indigenous landowners, as they thwart Theodore Pudd and Pierre O'Rourke's attempts at social cleansing. However, their differing philosophies as to how to deal with this issue causes a rift between them, with Hal pursuing a legal solution and Ollie favouring a more direct response, which ultimately leads The Brothers Green to face each other. Dave So, issue 79 now. It's sporting a really eye-catching cover, is this issue, with Lantern strung-up on the totem pole. Kev Yep. It's another excellent cover. Great composition and fantastic colours, plus, a perfect little tease as to what happens within the pages of the issue. It might even be considered to be a bit of a spoiler giveaway, actually. Dave Indeed. This turns into quite an interesting story as it develops, with quite a lot of questions being raised, themes explored, and different viewpoints expressed by our main protagonists. Kev Definitely. I love that opening panel of the three of them sitting around the campfire. And “.....to learn why this land of the free has become the land of the fearful.” That’s a cracking line.  Camp. Fire. Dave Yep, it is. I like the panel after Ollie fires his arrow to disable the attacker, where Lantern does a Mr Fantastic type move to disable the gun from being fired. That's a nice little comedy moment there.  The old Looney Tunes stick-your-finger-in-the-barrel-of-the-gun routine, eh? Bang! Kev Yeh, that bit is class. Dave There's also some funny dialogue by Green Arrow, "...you bargain basement custers..." and Lantern adding to the mix "...or we make like a couple of sitting bulls." Kev Ha, ha! Denny O’Neil is certainly writing this like a Saturday morning TV serial. It helps provide the comic with an abundance of character. Dave It is very much that type of TV show dialogue, it's good fun, and it suits the characters in this story. So really, this is kind-of a missing persons story with a twist to it, sort of. Kev Definitely. It also has a bit of stereotypical Native American "mysticism" thrown in for good measure. You're right about those ultra-wide panels at the bottom of page two, they're excellent. I especially like the first one, where Ollie is taking aim with the arrow and the bow taut.  "May your arrows fly straight and your aim be true." Dave Yeah, it's a good, effective display of just how sharp he is. Kev For sure. O’Neil isn’t playing with the racially inflammatory language either, is he? “,,,,,filthy savages!” It's pretty brutal stuff. Dave Neither is Green Arrow, "Those hippies." Denny is quite immersed in his use of the jargon of the time. Kev That's a good point. Something that would be easy to dismiss as dating this, as we're reading it in 2020, was probably what made it feel like part of the zeitgeist in 1970. Dave I think it was intended, not so much for shock value, but more for the characters in these stories to amplify an element of small-mindedness. This sparks off a difference of viewpoints between Arrow and Lantern which continues to fuel the grievances they have with each other throughout this. It's very much like a buddy-buddy partnership, where they are always bickering, but somehow forge a new stage in their friendship by coming through the current issues they face. Kev Definitely. The dynamic between Hal and Ollie puts me in mind of Jack Cates and Reggie Hammond in ‘48hrs.’ And I agree in terms of the way O'Neil uses the language of the characters. He certainly uses it to show that Pudd is just a bona fide racist. Referring to the Native Americans as “animals” and “creatures.” The tension between Ollie and Hal is always good in these issues. It makes for good drama. “We can stay...and fight! We’re supposed to be good at fighting--remember?!” Dave I like the squabble on the next page between Arrow and Lantern, especially when Lantern goes off on one of his rants. "Lording it over me with your moral superiority" Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, that's class. That's a superb first panel on page 6 as well, with Hal flying over Evergreen City.  Hal Jordan, the square. Dave Oddly enough, its Lantern who seems to have the moral superiority, as this argument is about him sticking to the confines of the law and Arrow willing to break it, "Gladly" in his own words. Also, that's a good panel of Lantern walking away in one direction towards the camera, and Arrow walking off the other way after their argument.  ".....when you go your way and I go mine." Kev Yeh, it really drives home the distance between them in their perspectives and their philosophies. It's a bit of a gulf really. Dave The reference to Hal Jordan as "Emerald Crusader" is similar to "The Caped Crusader," especially as Hal is on a detective trail at the moment. Kev Good point. "The Emerald Crusader" has a good ring to it. I like the sound of that. Hal’s exposure to Ollie has already started to change his perspective though. He admits that he now sees things more in terms of greys, and not just in terms of black and white. Dave With each passing issue, he is becoming more reflective and having more doubts about his beliefs, as well as what he previously felt strongly that he stood for. Kev Yes. Abe Star’s tenement burning down all of a sudden, with him in it, is surely not a coincidence. Dave Probably not. Those two pages of Lantern tackling the burning building are cracking, with some panels quickly showing some exposition, as well as providing a nice little action scene for him. The fireman at the end of this scene has the usual line, "...we did all we could!” Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, that firemen doesn't seem to be too cut-up about the prospect of Hal and Abe dying in the blazing inferno, does he? Dave Totally, he doesn't really give a shit. Kev It is a nice sequence though. It really shows Hal’s abilities, his fearlessness and his tenacity as he runs into the burning building to save Abe. And that's a great first panel of page 11, with him walking away from the burning wreckage.  Hal Jordan, AKA Green Lantern AKA Ecto-Morph. Dave Hal is still pursuing the legal route and willing to risk life and death for this cause. Kev Yeh, he's kind-of the epitome of the boy scout hero here. Neal Adams and Dan Adkins’s artwork is superb. That panel of Ollie crouching behind Black Canary is amazingly good too. And the gag about the two melon thieves being drunk is a good one. Dave Hal is a man on a mission to do this legally, for sure. Yeah, I think the artwork is great. It has a real blend of different characters, and each of these are distinctive looking. Enter the Spirit of Ulysses Star. He only has an issue named after him. Kev Yep, enter stage right for the star of the show. The artwork truly is superb. Each character has so much personality in their faces. Even the supporting ones. Dave I agree with how he can make the supporting characters look interesting as well, and the vast array of bright colours that are used help to amplify this too. Kev Totally. The use of colour definitely helps the reader differentiate between the characters. That's another cracking panel of the three tankards being smashed by one of Ollie’s arrows. And nice use of Ben-Day Dots in the fist of those middle panels on the following page. Dave "Pudda a dude"....great line. Kev Ha, ha! Pudd’s a complete arsehole. Threatening the workers who have a conscience with being blacklisted? He’s a capitalist, corporate stooge. Corrupt unions, venture capitalists, O’Neil is taking aim, like Oliver Queen himself, at the greed that has destroyed the American Dream. "Chapter 3." O’Neil loves a bit of descriptive prose in these chapter openings, doesn’t he? Dave He does indeed. When Ulysses appears again it's excellent artwork in those three panels. Such a standout page, don't you think?  He likes to make an "entrance," does ol' Ulysses Star. Kev Yep. Definitely. As you said earlier, the colours really help sell the images. It's stellar work. It's telling that Hal’s first course of action is to use the U.S. legal system to try to stop the fighting, not violence, or his powers. Dave It’s like his moral compass for this issue. He literally follows the direction of it. Kev True. I suppose, as a member of the Corps, he is used to following protocol and procedure. Dave Also, I love the 3 act structure to this story. It's very old school storytelling. Kev I agree. I thought it was very effective. It also made it feel like such a quick read, the way it broke up the story. It kept the pace of it motoring along. Dave Yeah. This is a classic stand-off in the final act here, and yet, it is also full of dialogue weighing up the pros and cons of violence. It could have easily just lunged straight into an action piece, but Denny O’Neil is clearly looking to make the reader think. Even Black Canary is going against violence for a couple of seconds, before she gives someone the boot into the water. Haha. And Lantern is still hoping to settle this issue in a diplomatic way, even amongst the ensuing chaos of the fighting. Kev Ha, ha! Yeh, O'Neil's got some heavy prose going on to balance out the fisticuffs. “She is America--once a beauty of magnificence unparalleled, now a beauty with leprous skin...” Ultimately, despite each of their best efforts, they battle to a standstill. Nothing is resolved, or achieved. The panel of the two of them, a bit banged-up after their scrap is quite amusing. The conflict between Hal and Ollie is just as fitting for our current moment in time as it was 50 years ago, as America seems to be particularly polarised at the minute. Dave It really is. "Each fired by a belief in justice." I think that sums of the theme of this story. The narration during the fight is excellent. It's written in almost a poetic style. It takes it up a level from just being a standard brawl. Kev Yep, I agree. It is quite poetic, and it really does elevate it, doesn't it? Dave Yeah. I like that panel of the two of them, totally messed up, no winner in this battle, getting pulled onto land.  Don't drink and swim, kids. Kev It shows how ultimately futile it all is. Hal was definitely a bit slow on the uptake with the coincidence of the fire though. Dave Yeah, he was. But he was blinded by his emotions and seems singularly focused on his goal, so he often forgets to see the bigger picture. Arrow is more worldly-wise, more cynical. Kev That's a pretty spot-on summary of their personalities, right there, man. Dave The last page is a nice place for the issue to end-up, realising the futility of their earlier actions, and the speech about how we damage ourselves by this type of behaviour. There are no holds barred on this speech, O'Neil is aiming straight at the audience on this one. I love the panel of the three of them sitting around the fire. It has a mystical quality to it, and the very last panel is excellent in detail and colour. Kev Definitely, and in it we see the outsider, The Guardian, with the real perspective on humanity here. A case of the outsider having a more objective overview. It's a cracking page to end on, that's for sure. Dave It is indeed. This is certainly a thought provoking issue. Kev It really is. We're really getting into the nitty-gritty of this run being about America, as much as anything else now. (D) & (K)  Y'know, if you want to connect with the earth and "the land of the free," Guardian, you could at least use your arse. 
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