It's Not Easy (Being Green)

DCComics.com

I had trouble sleeping last night, so I decided to read some more of an interesting collection of comics I picked up recently. DC recently published a paperback collection of classic tales of its characters Green Lantern and Green Arrow that were created by writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams back in the early 1970s. I had heard great things about these stories, both in the art and the way they were written, so I thought it was high time I checked them out. 

The series does not disappoint--especially with the art. Adams was the king of dynamic compositions, with characters literally jumping from panel to panel in the comic book format. Alex Ross cites the artist as an influence, and I can see why--he makes great use of dramatic perspectives and details in his work.  There is an intensity alongside the clear graphic lines he uses, and I can see how he revitalized such books at Batman and The Uncanny X-Men around that time. 

The stories are unique in that they deal with many of social, political and cultural issues happening at the time. O'Neil's story arc really starts off in the fashion of the film, Easy Rider, with the two super heroes trekking across the country to learn more about America's conflicted state. This is right around the time of Vietnam, the civil rights era, and the Woodstock generation, so you have plenty of then-topical issues like drugs, racism and trust in authority being addressed in a unique way. Some of the material seems a little heavy-handed at times, but then again... these were comic books. So the approach was something new and daring, and quite possibly taking a cue from Marvel Comics' more timely approach.

Having said that, with all my current comic book research for the exhibition, I just learned of a new book that was to published today called Marvel Comics: The Untold Story.  Apparently it goes into great detail about the ups and downs of one of the biggest comic publishers around (and always my favorite). I read a little about the company's evolution in the 1970s, and way they picked up on everything from drug culture to blaxploitation to kung fu... and there was plenty of weirdness happening behind the scenes with the company's creators! 
I definitely look forward to reading the book at some point.

I am continually fascinated by the 1970s... I was just a toddler in the early part of the decade, but it sounds like so many crazy things were happening, and pop culture was not immune. I have seen plenty of films from that period, and there is a real darkness about them... from the story lines to the way they were produced. It really is interesting... reflections from a country that was doing a lot of soul-searching... and I guess comic books were not immune either... Alex Ross would be proud of me for noticing.  

P.S.- The character Green Arrow is being reintroduced with a new TV series this week on the CW. It's called Arrow... looks somewhat promising... at least the design of the costume... I have always kind of dug archery. Here's a link to the trailer.

Related Links:

www.nealadams.com

www.cwtv.com/shows/arrow

"First Serial: Marvel Comics, The Untold Story," Grantland, October 3, 2012

"Sean How on Stan Lee, Jack Kirby..." CapitalNewYork.com, October 9, 2012