The Classic Junkie Issue of Green Lantern by NEAL ADAMS and DENNY O'NEIL!

[@20th_century_Ghost]

I still remember seeing this issue for the first time back in the early 90's, I was about 12 years old and I had just started collecting comics at my neighborhood's local comic book shop in Philly, which is the same one in the movies "Unbreakable" and "Glass"; which is also about a mile away from where they shot a part of "12 Monkeys" and "Rocky". There's a sad irony about this book for me in particular because I once walked in on a friend of mine years ago, while he was shooting up, and that is how I found out that he was addicted to heroin; it happened Just like it did on this cover. Even worse, is the sad fact that my neighborhood became the largest open air drug market in the United States and still is; I've buried a lot of my friends and family because of drug addiction. Comic books have been one of the few things over the years that have helped to brighten up an otherwise dark world that I am from; so thank you guys for giving people like me some joy in life. 🖖

[@markmarderosian9657]

Thanks for the memories. Bought it off the stands. A classic and important issue.

[@TheTonyFigueroa]

Gil Kane made what I think was a good observation about Neal Adams work. Kane noted that Adams' ability to draw facial expressions lent his characters the ability to emote and convey emotional nuances that other artists couldn't. Although Adams definitely used photo reference he obviously understood facial construction very well too.

[@thefalsekingslayer3717]

I was reading through an extremely shortened version of a pre-crisis reading order, I went from reading an issue of justice league/society teaming up to fight an alien child who had lost his alien puppy in the summer of 70' to this which came out about six months later. Absolutely insane whiplash. You always assume the silver age and bronze age kind of slowly blend into each other, but its like watching the silver age get brutally murdered in front of your eyes and replaced with something so much more raw.

[@danrodriguez3783]

Man, that cover illustration is so well done, it doesnt even need the word balloons. Respect !

[@billyhaney5117]

Another great single issue by Neal Adams is Conan the Barbarian # 37.

[@michaelgarza6735]

I hope you guys have Avengers #93 on your short list. Adams is really at the top of his game on that one...

[@russworks2882]

Neal claimed that it did sell well, but that big chunks of the print run were somehow rerouted by dealers who sold hot books out of warehouses and subverted the returns system, which also affected the sales of subsequent issues. ( I can't really recall exactly how the scam worked, but look up any of several interviews with Neal Adams; "affidavit returns" was a big issue for him). Something similar happened with Howard the Duck # 1; it was sometimes hard for normal kid fans to get their hands on issues perceived as collectible before dealers siphoned them off and jacked the price up. I hope at some point you're able to interview someone like Bud Plant, who was involved with comics distribution in the early days of this.

[@alanblott4559]

I was fifteen/sixteen in 1971. I remember doing my bi weekly search of Plymouth's second hand book stores. And discovering two issues of this gem. That was a good day.

[@matthewbecker7389]

Hey lads, I realise that due to recent events it was cosmically ordained that you would look at this particular piece of comic history, but I still gotta express my happiness. Your show is part of my personal school curriculum, and when I think i know a lot about the books you look at, you always provide an amazing knowledge level up. This issue is a very special read for me, having been in Speedys shoes. That said, as heavy as the topic is, as relevant today as it was then, there is some unintended irony in having a kid named Speedy addicted to slow. Something that I've realised, looking at this issue and other stories where a hero has addiction to overcome (ie. Iron Man Demon in a bottle, Green Arrow year one) the biggest battle, the drying out, the detoxing, all the pain it entails... Is covered with a half page montage of our heroes in sweaty displays of emotion, and a final caption informing us the habit has been beaten. I know it's unreasonable to expect a deeper look at such things in these particular books, but a truer depiction of the fight and pain of withdrawal would be good to see.

[@shortstuf1105]

Back to back two of my favorite Adams works. Hope to see some of the X-Men issues or Batman 324.

[@JeetHeer1]

Really glad that here (and in the earlier one about Adams' Batman) you brought up the coloring, which really stands out. I agree that it doesn't look like the coloring you'd get in other early 1970s mainstream comics and it's almost certain Adams had a hand. The other thing to mention is that O'Neal/Adams had a close working relationship that went beyond the usual DC method of script-first, art later or even Marvel method of art first, script later. They would talk this stuff out, so the art and words are very organically connected in a way rare among comics not done by a single cartoonist.

[@FemboyCatGaming]

Have you considered looking at the DC limited collectors edition issue 36, The Bible Adaptation, drawn by Joe Kubert. Back when DC was experimenting with large size special edition comics.

[@anthonymazeppa]

Guys can you also do Neal Adams X-Men?

[@dansokulski4039]

Ha, Eddie seems to know his rigs and drugs. Background: Tomorrow, 5/11/22, is seven years of continuous sobriety time for me. I say that to give hope to those who are struggling, not for a pay on the back. Thank you CK Effect for shooting up even my GL 85 facsimile edition to $20!

[@paulhardman2515]

Where's the part where Speedy becomes a hustler to finance his habit? 🤣

[@leemarko]

His poem 😂

[@biggybg98]

Love to see you guys look at Moore and Bissette’s take on psychadelics in Swamp Thing 43.

[@brucebarrow1870]

I’d love for them to cover any issue of Moore’s Swamp Thing. My favorite.

[@berniekatzroy]

Just recently got all this 7 issue run today.

[@Matt-pi3rh]

I vaguely remember an anti-drug issue of New Teen Titans from ‘83. It was fairly serious but kinda undercut by the long lists of drugs that a couple characters reeled off. Like we get it. You did ALL the drugs.

[@martyemmons1859]

One of the most memorable pages in Green Lantern/Green Arrow is in issue number 76. When a senior African-American man asks Green Lantern, "I been reading about you, how you work for the blue skins... and on a planet someplace you helped out the orange skins... and you done considerable for the purple skins!", "Only there's skins you never bothered with - the black skins! I want to know, how come?! Answer me that, Mr. Green Lantern!". These guys that created this book along with the editing staff allowing it to be published and distributed are absolutely inspired! Even today, not many creators are dealing with such explosive issue in our society.

[@johna4371]

I was digging through a box of comics and stumbled on a super cringy Spiderman preaching about gun violence. I feel like the effort to be socially conscious is noble, but it makes an otherwise enjoyable comic into a school assembly...not very fun. This Speedy junkie issue is better than some other efforts which are real slogs.