Famous First Fridays: Green Lantern/Green Arrow #90

When it comes to Green Lantern/Green Arrow, the Denny O'Neil/Neal Adams era gets most of the attention, especially when discussing the Groovy Age. Ol' Groove has no problem with that, nope. The series with its "relevant" angle was ground-breaking, influential, and great comics all around. However, the much longer-lived revival, which began with issue #90 (May 1976) deserves some credit, too. This go-round concentrated on the sci-fi/super-heroic aspects of the Green Team, and did so very well, I might add. The majority of the Groovy Age stories were written by the same Denny O'Neil that had garnered GL/GA mass media attention five years earlier. The art was handled by (then) relative-newcomer Mike Grell, who'd been drawing the Green Lantern back-ups in the Flash and the Green Arrow/Black Canary back-ups in Action Comics.

Grell had already proven himself as DC's top sci-fi/superhero guy on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, but he really outdid himself on the early issues of this GL/GA comeback. His space-scapes, ships and hardware, and action scenes are eye-poppingly awesome. You'll also enjoy his crowd scenes, where he creates some wild aliens and even sneaks in some semi-familiar characters. (Vulcan Green Lantern, anyone?) O'Neil's plot isn't all that original or earth-shattering, but it is lots of fun, plus it introduces a few elements that are, even to this day, coming into play in the tapestry of the Green Lantern Corps. (Just imagine! Before the multi-colored Lanterns there were gun Lanterns!)

The most important thing is that this issue kicked off our emerald clad hero's most successful Groovy Age run (a whopping 116 issues!). While many other writers and artists followed O'Neil and Grell on this particular run, few (if any) topped 'em! Check out "Those Who Worship Evil's Might!"

Groovy Christmas' Past: The JLA must find "The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!"

When you're in the fifth grade, headed home from the doctor who just tended to your broken arm (which you broke at school--take Ol' Groove's advice: never play soccer with a basketball on a snowy/icy blacktop playground while wearing cowboy boots), and it's not quite Christmas, things can be a little rough. But when you stop at the drugstore on the way home from that terrible trip and see a gem like Justice League of America #110 (100 pages for sixty cents!) sitting on the spinner rack, things can brighten up considerably. I know they did for Young Groove. So here's an extra special Christmas treat guaranteed to make even the Scroogiest of Scrooges smile. From December, 1973, here's a big dose of holiday cheer from Len Wein, Dick Dillin, Dick Giordano, and Julie Schwartz..."The Man Who Murdered Santa Claus!"

Groovy Christmas' Past: Captain Marvel gets "A Taste of Madness!"

In December, 1972, Jim Starlin began his legendary run on Captain Marvel (issue 25), not only drawing the strip, but bringing over characters he'd created (Thanos and the Titans) during his short stint on Iron Man (issue #55, November, 1972). His melding of the art styles of Kirby, Ditko, Adams, and Smith made his star rise quickly. Soon he took over plotting, then the full writing chores on Captain Marvel (issue 29, August, 1973), and in the process not only saved the book from cancellation, but made it one of the most popular and influential comics of the early 1970s.

My admiration for Starlin and his talent knows no bounds. Young Groove was blown away first by Starlin's art, then by his writing on Captain Marvel. I followed him as he reached even greater heights with Adam Warlock, then Metamorphosis Odyssey, and Dreadstar. I was never disappointed, because everything Starlin did was a cosmic epic--my fave comicbook genre! (For more info on my love of Starlin's work, as well as the rest of his awe-inspiring career, check out my "Still Going" post from last summer. )

Nearly four decades worth of fans have and still are discovering the far-out worlds of Jim Starlin, but for me, it all started here. Inked by the talented Chic Stone, Starlin's power and promise comes shining through in this story written by the highly underrated Mike Friedrich.