Dec 1970
Death Be My Destiny!
by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz
Old Timer is put on trial by the Guardians of the Universe and sentenced to exile on the planet Maltus. He is stripped of his powers once the sentence has been handed down. Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary volunteer to go with him.
Maltus is overpopulated and extremely crowded. Green Lantern, Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Old Timer are attacked by a crowd as soon as they arrive on the planet. They go looking for answers and find some in an archive building.
The quartet locate Juna, a scientist who was first seen as a savior and then later as a menace to the planet. She did what she could to help the planet after a wave of infertility struck the population.
Old Timer decides to stay. Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and Black Canary return to Earth at the end of the story.
The artwork in this story is spectacular. It really stands out. I love the way some of the pages are laid out. The image of Green Lantern on page 4 takes up most of the page but in is split in multiple ways. I want to say that I’ve seen similar use of page layout but nothing in particular comes to mind.
I love the way page 11 is laid out with the four main characters in their own triangular panel in the upper left portion of the page as they learn from archival tapes about the history of Maltus.
I’m a bit puzzled by this story. I think that there is something to this story but it seems a bit garbled. There is something about overpopulation which could be read as a nod to arguments about birth control and reproductive health. There is also a nod to women’s rights more generally.
This would be a swing and a miss for me. If it weren’t for Neal Adams beautiful layouts don’t think I would have anything good to say about this issue. Even in the context of the period I’m not sure what to make of the message of this issue.
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