Secret Origins (1986) 7 (1)

Secret Origins (1986) 7

Oct 1986

The Secret Origin of Green Lantern

by Steve Englehart, Ernie Colón, Rodin Rodriguez, Anthony Tollin, Agustin Más, Robert Greenberger

This story attempts to explain why Guy Gardener was the way he was in 1986. He wasn’t always an angry individual. The blame seems to be placed mostly on Hal Jordan’s shoulders (in the eyes of Guy Gardener) despite the fact that he and Guy were friends when they first met.

John Stewart only shows up in this story briefly. Most if not all of his encounters with Guy Gardener (prior to this issue) happened in the early 1980s. 

The Flash 219 (2)

The Flash 219

Jan 1973

The Fate of an Archer

by Denny O’Neil, Neil Adams

Black Canary gets hit by a truck while on the phone with Green Lantern. She had figured out the whereabouts of Oliver Queen. She was in a phone booth, relaying that information to Green Lantern, when she was hit.

Black Canary needs a blood transfusion and Ollie is the only person he knows that has a compatible blood type. Green Lantern uses the information Black Canary gave him and locates Ollie. He finds the Emerald Archer in a monastery in the mountains of California.

The Flash 218 (2)

The Flash 218

Nov 1972

Green Arrow is Dead!

by Denny O’Neil, Neil Adams, Dick Giordano

10 pages

Green Lantern searches for Green Arrow without success. Black Canary, who was also searching for Green Arrow, almost get killed by a cult. Green Lantern shows up just in time to rescue her.

Green Arrow leaves Star City in the Arrow Plane, without telling anyone what he is doing. He ejects from his plane, parachutes down into a mountainous region, and watches the Arrow Plane crash into a mountain. He walks for a long time before finding a monastery where he asks for sanctuary. He is still angry at himself for killing someone.

The Flash 217 (2)

The Flash 217

Sep 1972

The Killing of an Archer!

by Denny O’Neil, Neil Adams, Dick Giordano

10 pages

Green Arrow gets lured into a trap. He accidentally kills someone, who was trying to kill him, while trying to escape from the trap. Green Lantern goes looking for Green Arrow after Black Canary expresses some concern. He finds Ollie’s apartment empty. He is lured outside by the sounds of a fight. He is outside, breaking up the fight when Ollie’s apartment building blows up.

Green Lantern (1960) 89

Green Lantern (1960) 89

May 1972

…and through him save a world…

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, John Costanza

Green Lantern and Green Arrow take Carol Ferris to visit Ferris Aircraft’s facility in the city of Abraham. There they meet Isaac, a young man who has been causing trouble for Ferris Aircraft because it has been polluting the environment.

Green Arrow has a nasty encounter with the guards at Ferris Aircraft. Green Lantern tries to arrest Isaac but Green Arrow objects and the two get into a fight. The guards at Ferris Aircraft breakup the fight and arrest GL, GA, and Isaac.

The heroes eventually break free but not soon enough for Isaac. He is dead by the time they get to him. Hal angrily destroys the latest and greatest experimental aircraft that Ferris Aircraft was working on.

Green Lantern (1960) 87 (1)

Green Lantern (1960) 87

Jan 1972

Beware My Power

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza

A bus hits Guy Gardener, the man whom the Guardians of Oa have chosen as the alternate Green Lantern for Earth. Gardener is badly injured. The Guardians choose another man to replace him, John Stewart. Hal trains John but Hal takes exception to the way that John interprets his instructions and to his attitude.

Hal tests John by assigning him to guard a racist politician. Hal is ready to read John the riot act when it seems that the politician was murdered. Hal winds up apologizing after John points out that the politician is still alive and wasn’t in quite as much danger as Hal thought he was.

Green Lantern (1960) 86

Green Lantern (1960) 86

Nov 1971

They Say It'll Kill Me... But They Won't Say When!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza

Green Arrow yells at Roy, hits him, and then kicks him out of his apartment. Green Arrow departs soon afterwards and heads back to the airfield where he and Green Lantern looked for the source of the drugs in the previous issue.

Roy’s friends see Green Arrow leave and break into the apartment. They find some drugs that Roy left behind. One of them shoots up with the drugs and immediately collapses. The other one gets scared and runs off leaving his friend’s dead body in Ollie’s apartment.

Green Lantern goes looking for Green Arrow. He stops by the apartment and finds the body. He leaves it behind and goes looking for Green Arrow and Speedy.

Green Arrow looks around the airfield. The night watchman tries to stop him but Green Arrow, despite having a broken arm, beats him up and interrogates him. Arrow learns that the man he is looking for can probably be found aboard a boat at the South Shore Marina.

Green Lantern finds Roy and takes him to Dinah’s place. He leaves Roy with Dinah and takes off in search of Green Arrow.

Green Lantern (1960) 85

Green Lantern (1960) 85

Sep 1971

Snowbirds Don’t Fly

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, John Costanza

Oliver Queen gets attacked teenagers who want his money to buy drugs. He tries fighting back but the fight ends after one of the teens shoots him in the shoulder with an arrow from a crossbow. He barely makes it to an emergency room. He calls Hal for help after the doctor patches him up.

Hal and Ollie find the teens, who are no match for Green Lantern’s power ring. Roy Harper (aka Speedy, Green Arrow’s sidekick) is with them but the two superheroes don’t make anything of it. They convince the other teens to lead them to the source of the drugs. Things don’t turn out exactly as planned. Green Lantern and Green Arrow get knocked out and drugged up.

Roy comes to the rescue and helps Hal and Ollie get back home. It is there that Ollie discovers that Roy is a junkie.

Green Lantern (1960) 84

Green Lantern (1960) 84

Jul 1971

Peril in Plastic

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, John Costanza

Green Lantern rushes in to help Carol Ferris and finds himself in a little over his head. She went to see a doctor in Piper’s Dell, a town that is threatened by an earthquake. The town is run by Wilbur Palm, a man who has drugged most of the people in town and does the same to Green Lantern. Hal quickly realizes that he is in trouble and sends his ring to find Green Arrow.

Green Arrow finds the ring. He goes to Piper’s Dell, returns the ring to his friend, and watches Green Lantern clean the town up.

Green Lantern (1960) 83

Green Lantern (1960) 83

May 1971

…and a Child Shall Destroy Them!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Dinah takes a job at Meadowhill School. She senses that something isn’t right at the school. Jason Belmore, the headmaster, is frightened of the cook, Mr. Grandy.

Green Lantern and Green Arrow run into Carrol Ferris as they are leaving the school. She is in a wheelchair. They try to give her a lift back into town but their car falls apart on the way there. They decide to return to the school which they suspect is the source of their car problems.

Grandy is the evil mastermind. He lacks superpowers but he orders Sybil, a child with supernatural abilities, to do his bidding. Sybil is the one who injured Carrol and caused the car to come apart. Sybil uses her powers to knock Black Canary out.

Green Lantern and Green Arrow return to rescue Black Canary but they almost get killed themselves. Grandy pushes Sybil a little too far and she decides she’s had enough. She brings the roof down on Grandy and herself. The others escape without major injuries.

Hal declares that he wants another shot at a relationship with Carrol.

Green Lantern (1960) 82

Green Lantern (1960) 82

Mar 1971

How Do You Fight a Nightmare?

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Green Arrow and Black Canary get attacked by harpies. They fight them off and then reach out to Green Lantern for help.

Green Lantern gets ready to respond to the call for help from his friends when he also sees harpies. The harpies flee. He follows and winds up trapped in a jewel by the Witch Queen.

Green Arrow and Black Canary team up with some Amazons, after fighting with them. Black Canary and the Amazons make their way into the jewel and free Green Lantern, who was about to get killed by Medusa.

Green Lantern (1960) 81

Green Lantern (1960) 81

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.

Green Lantern (1960) 80

Green Lantern (1960) 80

Oct 1970

Even an Immortal Can Die!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dick Giordano, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Hal, Ollie, and the Old-Timer are run off a bridge by a truck coming from the other direction. The truck crashes into the river below. Hal transforms into Green Lantern and uses his ring to prevent them from coming to harm.

They get picked up by a river boat that is transporting toxic waste. Hal could have just flown them out of there but he promised Ollie that he would use his ring as little as possible. The engine room of the boat explodes and the crew men start throwing all of the waste material overboard. Hal gets badly injured in the blast.

The Old-Timer decides to use his powers to fly Hal to safety rather than help with the boat. Hal recovers but then the Old-Timer is accused of violating the rules of the Guardians of the Universe. He is to be sent to the planet Gallo for judgement. Green Lantern and Green Arrow volunteer to go with him.

Green Lantern (1960) 79

Green Lantern (1960) 79

Sep 1970

Ulysses Star Is Still Alive!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Dan Adkins, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Green Lantern and Green Arrow intervene when a logging company plans to cut down trees on land owned by Native Americans. Green Lantern tries to help by sticking to the straight and narrow. The deed to the land has been lost. Green Lantern goes looking for it. Green Arrow tries to inspire the Indians and scare off the loggers. He disguises himself as a long dead Indian Chief and goes around making it known how he feels about the situation. 

Green Lantern (1960) 78

Green Lantern (1960) 78

Jul 1970

A Kind of Loving, a Way of Death!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Frank Giacoia, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Black Canary gets assaulted by four bikers who want her motorcycle. She holds her own, at first, but then one of them blindsides her with a motorcycle. They leave her in the road. Someone else finds her and carries her away. 

Hal and Ollie arrive in a small town in Indian territory. They grab a bite to eat but their meal is interrupted by the same bikers who left Black Canary for dead. The bikers beat up the owner and are ready to trash the joint when Green Lantern and Green Arrow step in and set things straight.

Green Lantern (1960) 77

Green Lantern (1960) 77

Jun 1970

Journey to Desolation!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, Frank Giacoia, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Green Lantern, Green Arrow, and their traveling companion (the Guardian disguised as a human) arrive in a small, poor mining town. They are forced to stop after they are attacked by some miners who think that they work for Slapper Soames, the owner of the mine.

The miners are fed up with Soames who is getting ready to hang one of their friends. Jacob, the leader of the disgruntled miners, explains all this to the superheroes. Green Lantern and Green Arrow don’t intend to help the miners take on their boss. They change their minds after they see the way the miners are getting cut down by the superior fire power of Soames' men.

Green Lantern (1960) 76

Green Lantern (1960) 76

Apr 1970

No Evil Shall Escape My Sight!

by Denny O’Neill, Neal Adams, John Costanza, Julius Schwartz

Green Lantern (Hal Jordan) defends Jubal Slade, a slum lord, and finds himself on the receiving end of a lot of hate from the man’s tenants. Green Lantern doesn’t understand why he is suddenly so unpopular. Green Arrow helps him see the error of his ways.

Green Lantern confronts Slade about the way he treats his tenants. The meeting gets heated. Hal’s about ready to punch the slum lord when he gets a summons from the Guardians of the Universe. They disapprove of the way he was treating Slade and send him off on a mission far from Earth. They tell him not to return to Earth until he hears from them. 

Green Lantern/Green Arrow

Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams collaborated on a celebrated run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow. Officially the title of the book never changed from Green Lantern but the covers featured both heroes' names. The run ended prematurely when the book was canceled. The final story appeared as a backup in The Flash.

This run consisted of 14 stories:
- Green Lantern 76 (Apr 1970) - 87 (Dec 1971/Jan 1972)
- Green Lantern 89 (Apr/May 1972)
- The Flash 217 (Aug/Sep 1972) - 219 (Dec 1972/Jan 1973)

Green Lantern 88 (Feb/Mar 1972) had a cover by Neal Adams but the interior of the book was filled with reprints of older Green Lantern stories. Green Arrow's name is not on the cover of this issue.

Green Lantern (1960) 128

Green Lantern (1960) 128
May 1980

Prologue
By Denny O’Neil, Joe Staton

The Green that Got Away!
By Len Wein, Dave Cockrum, Bob Smith

Hal tells Carol Ferris, Thomas Kalmaku, and Fabian (in Prologue) about how it is that his ring talks to him some times. The story he tells them is The Green That Got Away!

Green Lantern (1960) 127

Green Lantern (1960) 127
Apr 1980

Battleground: Oa
By Denny O’Neil, Joe Statin, Frank McLaughlin

Hal summons the other Green Lanterns with some help from the Guardians. He gets some help escaping from the central power battery on Oa from a Green Lantern that he doesn’t know.

Sinestro is rebuffed by the Weaponers of Qward. He turns on them and sides with the Green Lantern Corps. He helps them defeat the Weaponers of Qward.