The third Green Lantern and Green Arrow adventure by Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams with inks by Frank Giacoia adds a new and significant piece to the storytelling. With the addition of Black Canary, the cross-country adventures have assembled their cast.
Created in the Golden Age by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino, the Black Canary was very much the street-level crimefighter who had a long career in her own back up features and as a part of the Justice Society of America.
Sher was revived as were most all the Justice Society members in the pages of the Justice League of America. Eventually though after the death of her husband Larry Lance, she needs a new start and with the help of Superman transfers over to Earth-1 and becomes a part of the League itself.
She even ends up with a spiffy new super-power, her canary cry which has some devastating effects.
After her debut as a League member though, she feels the need to discover her new land and that is where we find her as the story begins.
Some motorcycle hoods called the Diablos spy the lovely Canary and crave her bike. Despite her best efforts to pummel the ruffians she is nonetheless knocked unconscious and they make off with her wheels. Later Green Arrow and Green Lantern run across the Diablos and recognize the bike.
After a good bit of fisticuffs they defeat the Diablos and later learn that the local Indian reservation has a menace. Specifically his name is Joshua and he has potent hypnotic powers and a "family" who are compelled to do his murderous bidding. Canary has fallen under his spell and it is only her budding love for Green Arrow which is strong enough to ultimately defeat that influence.
The echoes in this story of the Manson Family are strong and so is the condemnation of the kind of charismatic leadership which was so attractive at the time, and sadly remains so today.
More to come.
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I really need to get a collection of these issues.
ReplyDeleteI did these reviews from a more recent trade which had all the stories (save the Brave and Bold one with Green Arrow). It was wonderful. I feature it at the bottom of the reviews.
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Rip, I enjoy your concise reviews, and the number of art samples you put up. Also putting the characters in context, like the history of Black Canary here. I still like the old 1940s style on that cover, I guess by Carmine Infantino? But the contrast with Adams' style is striking.
ReplyDeleteThanks. I glean the artwork from the wilds of the internet and put them to good use here. Canary was the surprise of the run I think, this really established her as well as GA, though she is in fewer issues than I recollected.
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