During the period of time in which Marvel Comics finally achieved sales ascendancy over DC Comics, Inc. -- i.e., the 1970's -- DC's comics were all but unreadable. Marvel Comics had all the "good" writers of the period (Englehart; Gerber; Moench; Thomas; etc.) safely salted away, churning out books that, in some cases, enjoyed their own respective "peaks" during those years. (E.g., the Steve Englehart AVENGERS; the Steve Gerber DEFENDERS; and so on)

This opinion, we may safely categorize as: "The Really Dopey Opinion."

Was Marvel Comics, as a company, overall, putting out a better line of books during the 70's? Of course they were; nor do I believe I've ever heard a truly knowledgeable comics fan claim otherwise.

BUT: was the best DC stuff of that period fully the equal of the best Marvel stuff of the day?

You betcha.

One can scarcely discuss the DC Comics titles of the early and mid-70's without touching upon the topic of "relevance."

It was the "buzz word" du jour in both DC fan and pro circles, at the time. The notion went, approximately, as follows:

"Since the DC roster of established 'Big Gun' heroes -- Superman, Wonder Woman, Flash, etc. -- have achieved a certain reputation for 'stodginess' over the decades; particularly when held aloft in comparison alongside their brasher, more 'hip' Marvel counterparts... then, by golly, let's have them get involved with the 'hot button' issues of the day!

"The campus dissent movement; racial injustice; pollution... whatever! Just so long as the end result means we can put a big, honkin' banner across the cover, blaring: 'IN THIS ISSUE: AQUAMAN CONFRONTS -- THE POPULATION EXPLOSION!'

"Or whatever. It doesn't have to be Aquaman, necessarily.The Atom's good, too."

Now... the resulting comics were (I hasten to assure you) nowhere nearly as dire as that 'worst case' example I cobbled up out of whole cloth might lead the uninitiated to otherwise believe. Frequently, the finished product was still an entertaining (if rather blatantly, ummm, 'well-intentioned') bit of work. And -- every so often; just regularly enough so you had to keep a weather eye for it -- they were quite a bit more than that.

The best-known (and most fondly-remembered) example is, of course, the GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW series, during the joint tenures of writer Dennis O'Neil and artist Neal Adams. [see accompanying cover]

In the course of these stories, the two erstwhile Justice Leaguers -- on an EASY RIDER-ish cross-country journey, in order that they may "find out what's happened to America's soul" over the course of that troublesome and turbulent decade -- play, respectively, The Well-Intentioned Conservative (Green Lantern) and The Idealistic Liberal Firebrand (Green Arrow). The stories were uniformly well-crafted and superior entertainments (with certain issues -- such as #84 [shown above], concerning the nature of Willing Conformity and the "law'n'order" mindset -- occasionally rising to the level of social satire/commentary of a nearly Swift-ian quality.

Another especially well-rendered (and well-received)issue was #87 [see accompanying cover], in which the cautious, mildly-repressed and very w-h-i-t-e Green Lantern is forced by circumstance to take on a "protege," in the event of his some day being incapable (due to death or injury) of performing his super-hero duties.

Said "protege," eventually, turns out to be angry young black architect John Stewart, whose attitude towards the "job" of Green Lantern-In-Waiting differs markedly from the expectations of his would-be instructor.

This pivotal 14-issue "run" practically defines what DC, as a publisher, was all about in the 70's. They've been reprinted many, many times over the ensuing years, and are well worth your time and attention in seeking them out.

... and -- speaking of DC's African/American super-heroes -- the 70's also introduced another superstar, as well: "fan favorite" Black Lightning. [see accompanying cover, below]

Written by Tony Isabella (with a keen empathy and intuitiveness for the character which shone through on practically every page of this short-lived series) and penciled by young tyro artist Trevor Von Eden, the story detailed the ongoing travails and (occasional) triumphs of young inner-city schoolteacher Jefferson Pierce, who took on the costumed identity of "Black Lightning" in order to better shepherd and protect his classroom charges.

Sadly, the series was soon to be one of a number of victims of (reluctant) economic cutbacks on the part of DC Comics during the year antecedent to its first issue (a draconian "purging" of the line known to DC fans -- even to this day -- as "the DC Implosion"), and -- thus -- had scarcely a full year in which to establish its own unique storytelling identity and approach. While the good Mr. Pierce has enjoyed several well-written revivals since then (once as an ongoing character in the pages of BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS; and yet again, in another star-crossed solo series), and enjoys the enthusiastic support of a significant portion of the current comics readership... he has yet (as of this writing) to achieve the "Big Gun" sales stature which he so richly deserves.

Meanwhile: if "relevance" was something of a Favorite Seasoning for the writers of such high-profile series' as SUPERMAN and BATMAN... then -- over in the pages of DC's "hip" title, THE TEEN TITANS -- it quickly assumed the status of Basic Food Staple.

The Titans had already been around for a few years prior to the onset of the 1970's, of course... but: with the opening of that controversial decade, their series underwent one of the most drastic alterations in direction, approach and style of any comics title either before or since.

Believing themselves to be (accidentally) responsible for the assassination of a Schweitzer-like "man of peace" during their attempts to bodyguard him from various (and unspecified) "hate groups," the characters of Robin ("the Boy Wonder"), Kid Flash, Wonder Girl and Speedy renounced their powers and uniforms, and re-dedicated themselves, in unison, towards "helping out kids out there... on the streets."

(Now, then... you can just lay off with all of that snickering, back there in the cheap seats. It was almost thirty years ago; people actually said things like that, back then.)

In any event: this unilateral decision on the jointparts of the team's mainstay characters didn't sit well with the team's "second string" (Aqualad, and the costumed brother duo of the Hawk and the Dove), who were of the opinion that four more super-heroes would be of immeasurably more use to society-at-large than would be four more young (to say nothing of woefully untrained) freelance social workers. This led, naturally enough, to some rather spirited... ummm... discussion between the two factions. [see accompanying cover]

In short order, then... the teens quickly reached a consensus on the following two issues:

a.) Aqualad was probably right; and --

b.) Robin didn't wanna get belted in the chops any more

-- and the kids were soon back in crime-fighting mufti once more.

The young crimefighters, however, retained their newly-minted (and hard-won) sense of Needing To Make a Difference In the World, and spent fully as much of their ensuing adventuring time attempting to bridge "the Generation Gap" as they did pounding the living hooey out of spandexed super-baddies. While working in costumed tandem with Superman, for example, in the pages of WORLD'S FINEST #205 [see accompanying cover], they investigated the presence of an other-worldly entity within a small town which had transformed said hamlet's residents, unaccountably, into virulent racists and chauvinists... including several members of the Titans, themselves!

While there are some, today, who sneer at such 70's offerings as an example of a period in which DC sold its storytelling "soul" for a pot of message... many of the examples of same (as, for instance, the issues referenced above) retain a naive sort of charm and power all their own; one which, I might add, is all too pitiably lacking in today's more cautious climes and times.

Every so often -- if skillfully prepared, by a chef with a deft enough hand -- such a pot may actually prove tasty, as well as nourishing.

PAGE TWO: "Anywhere But Here..." The New Gods; the Demon;
Swamp Thing; Bat Lash)