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Neal Adams cover & art; 1st app of John Stewart as Green Lantern; 2nd app of Guy Gardner; COMIC BOOK IMPACT rating of 7 (CBI)
It seems pretty apparent that Neal Adams and Denny O’Neill were single-handedly trying to drag DC out of the past and bring them into the 1970s with a passion. Immediately after putting out a two-part arc in Green Lantern #85 & 86 that confronted the heroin epidemic head on, they wasted no time in introducing the first Black superhero in DC’s lengthy and celebrated history. John Stewart is presented as a no-nonsense and self-aware Black man, who does things his own way and doesn’t let anyone tell him how to act. Rankling feathers throughout this issue, this new-look Lantern’s actions are particularly upsetting to Hal Jordan, Stewart appears to be wielding his powers rashly, only to be redeemed at the story’s resolution and begrudgingly earning Jordan’s respect. In retrospect it seems odd that DC would wait until the 1970s to reveal their first black superhero, as Marvel introduced the Black Panther back in ‘66, but that hasn’t stopped this issue from becoming a favorite of collectors and a popular item at conventions as well as at auction. Thanks to O’Neill and Adams, DC quickly got with the times and updated their output, and also helped increase their sales at the start of the decade as a bonus.