The Classics - Green Lantern #76

It's rare, but every now and then, a comic book comes along that changes the landscape of the industry.

That's the kind of effect fandom felt when it laid eyes on Green Lantern #76, which was cover-dated April 1970.

After a long and distinguished run by artist Gil Kane, who created the look of the Silver Age version of Green Lantern, with this issue the title was handed over to two "upstarts" - writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams - and the effect was shocking.

Here was a comic that looked nothing like the typical DC Comic, with its usual stolid, established art style. Adams broke rules, providing a shockingly realistic style with a powerful style that was unique. It would inspire legions of imitators in the years ahead.

O'Neil also broke the rules by introducing relevance to the stories. In this issue, Green Lantern defends an old man from being attacked by the mob, only to discover the mob had good reason to be angry - the man was a slumlord who was trying to drive the poor tenants into the streets.

One of the scenes in this book that most people remember had an old black man chastising Green Lantern for helping the purple skins and orange skins, adding, "Only there's skins you never bothered with -- the black skins! I want to know -- how come?"

As others have pointed out, he could have answered, "Hey, I've saved the Earth a dozen times! How's that?" But instead, he admits he had been "a dummy" and offers to help.

He joins forces with his new co-star in the book, Green Arrow, and they take down the bad guy. After an impassioned plea to the Guardians, GL and GA get permission to take leave from their usual super-duties, and - joined by one of the Guardians - they set off on a journey across the country to discover America.

Ah, it was the end of the '60s - what can you say? The comic holds up very well, although it's a bit on the preachy side. But it was the beginning of a new age at DC, which suddenly found itself turning out the same kind of modern stories that had made Marvel the number one company for fans.

As this issue demonstrated, DC wasn't stuck in the past - and it was now willing to stretch the boundaries of the comic book. It was a good beginning.

Grade: A