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Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age
[Part Eight]
There is -- to my way of thinking -- entirely too little shouting and jubilation and whatnot, when it comes to the comics writing of Mister Dennis O'Neil, Esq.
He is the gentleman responsible for (among other things):
*** The long overdue returning of the Batman to his rightful obsessive and night-shrouded "roots," after too long a period of various and sundry scribes treating this most signal and iconic of comics characters as simply another gladhanding, mesomorphic Boy Scout.
*** The audacious (and successful) transformation of old Charlton Comics character the Question from near-forgotten (if still interesting) "second tier" bench-warmer status to one of the vanishingly few undisputed watermark characters of the 1980's.
Most relevant for our purposes in the discussion of comics' treatment of the political dissent movement, however:
*** He was the primary creative agent (along with legendary penciling co-conspirator Neal Adams) behind the groundbreaking, much-discussed (and much-imitated) GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW series of the early '70's.
If the man were to retire from the comics industry bright and early, tomorrow morning: that's still an artistic legacy, altogether, the likes of which few (if any) of his peers within the medium could convincingly gainsay or match.
"Journey To Desolation" (GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW #77; June, 1970; Dennis O'Neil, author; Neal Adams, artist) presents us with a textbook example of both how and why this series managed to establish such a critical cachet as to still merit our attentions and admiration, nearly thirty years after the fact.
Whilst engaged on a cross-country sojourn with the aged and philosophical Guardian (a representative of the alien organization for whom Green Lantern served as an agent for justice) in an emotional "search for the soul of America," the ring-wielder and irascible comrade- in-arms Green Arrow are ambushed by gun-toting mountain men.
The two heroes make fast, efficient work of their severely out-classed opponents, and -- upon questioning the men as to the reason behind the wholly unprovoked attack -- discover that their assailants (all residents of a nearby town by the apt name of "Desolation") live in perpetual terror of a bullying, fascistic local robber baron by the name of "Slapper" Soames.
Soames -- who owns the mine at which virtually the entire male population of Desolation must slave, for meager sustenance -- holds the well-isolated town tight in his despotic grasp, employing the services of a cadre of black-shirted "foremen" (read: thugs) to make certain that his word and will remain Law Absolute.
A few months before the arrival of the two heroes
upon the scene, "one of our local boys, name of Johnny Walden, taught
hisself to play on the guitar... started singin' songs 'bout us, an'
our troubles... and suddenly, we found some self-respect...
an' a whole lotta discontent with the way we been treated..."
[See panel reproduction, below]
Fearful that the folksy plainchanting of this homespun Woody Guthrie might foment rebellion amongst his grumbling workforce, Soames has his hired muscle drag the nonplused Johnny off to face "a kangaroo court... [where] 'Slapper,' personal, sentenced Johnny to... hang!"
[Little Known "Fun" Fact: Johnny Walden's idea of "protest music" was just a weeeee bit behind-the-times. He opened up each set with a funky, foot-stompin' version of "Brandy (You're a Fine Girl)"; and would routinely cap off the evening with a rousing, everybody-put-your-hands-
together rendition of "The Night Chicago Died." So: now you know.]
The fiery, radicalized Green Arrow, of course, instantly pledges the services of both himself and Green Lantern, re: Whacking Old Man Soames Like a Big, Fascist Piñata on the behalf of oppressed miners everywhere; while the more prudent (or else "authoritarian"; whichever way one traditionally came down on the whole Lantern's-right-or- Arrow's-right question was a sort of political "litmus test" for comics fans, in and of itself) Lantern points out that they have, after all, only one side of the story, thus far.
Meanwhile: Johnny is languishing in Desolation's small town equivalent of Durance Vile, strumming a mournful tune on his ol' gee-tar ("Rock the boat... don't rock the boat, bay-beeeee... MMMmmmm..."), while Strother Martin lookalike "Slapper" Soames informs him (and, thus, the reader) that the real reason he's so keen on watching the young backwoods balladeer kicking at the end of a rope is because: "Problem with you is, you're the wanderin' kind! A year, maybe two, you'd leave Desolation... an' with your talent, you'd get noticed! Maybe even famous, like that other singer... that Dylan fella!"
Here, we learn something
vitally important, re: "Slapper" Soames: clearly, he is the one
man in the length and breadth of the country who has never, ever listened
to a single Bob Dylan album.
Well: the miners are resolved to stage their planned assault on Fortress Soames, either with or without the aid of the two Justice Leaguers. (They've already placed a non-refundable deposit on the pitchforks and the torches. Plus: Little Earl brought along his slingshot.) They mount their offensive upon the well-barricaded stronghold...
... only to find themselves confronting such unforeseen obstacles as land mines and machine gun fire, in return.
All easy jokes aside: the stretch of hardrock and withered grass between Soames' fortified bunker and the town proper becomes a blood-soaked killing field.
Neither one able to mask their naked revulsion at the sight of such massive carnage, the two heroes launch themselves into the fray, on the side of the hapless miners. Green Lantern -- whose power ring normally protects him from all mortal injury -- discovers (almost too late) that the Guardians of Oa have stripped his weapon of said defense, due to his having renounced his regular duties in order to accompany Green Arrow on their joint "Quest for America," and is forced to rely on his own natural intelligence and physical prowess in order to survive the rural auto-da-fe. [See panel reproductions, below]
The more impetuous Green Arrow, however, fares less
well in the midst of all the nigh-apocalyptic goings-on, as he is knocked unconscious
by one of Soames' "Rent-A-Nazi"s, and taken prisoner. (I'm not kidding about
the "Nazis" bit, by the way; there's a delicious running gag throughout the
story involving Soames' men responding to his every brutish command with a heartfelt
"Jawohl, mein Fuhrer!", as well as similar stock World War II movie-isms.
God bless and keep the good Mister O'Neil.)
A desperate, last-ditch on the part of the captive Arrow to bull Johnny and himself to freedom proves abortive, and the job of executing them both falls to one "Jacob"; one of the miners whom the two Leaguers had trusted, and who has (instead) been working as a "Judas Goat" for the corrupt Soames, all along. (Another classic O'Neil "touch," that: the ongoing realization, within his stories, that every individual, to one extent or another, is driven by their own agendas, ultimately... and: that Man's talents and capacities for rationalizing the irrational are all but limitless, in turn.)
Scant seconds before the aforementioned Jacob can carry out Soames' growled command to eliminate both myrmidon and musician alike: a sudden, weapon-slagging coruscation of emerald energies announces the nick-of-time arrival of Green Lantern on the scene.
In a fitting (and dramatically satisfying) climax, the much-abused Johnny is allowed to deliver the telling blow against a frantically backpedaling Soames, capping the application of same with a heartfelt, Jimmy Stewart-ish: "MMMother, that felt good!"
The story's denouement shows us a satisfied Green Lantern, watching the (now) Soames-less men of Desolation trudging off to renew their labors once more, and proclaiming that: "Justice came to Desolation... and the miners won!"
The more cynical Green Arrow, however, observes: "Look at them... injured... grieving for lost friends and family... nothing to look forward to except more poverty and ignorance... you call that winning?!"
"Come on," he mutters, disgustedly, showing Desolation his back. "Let's go find the pretty part of America."
Whether or not any
of the foregoing qualifies as "subtle" by today's standards is (and, doubtless,
will continue to be) fit matter for debate amongst the comics cognoscenti.
That it was an accomplished; conscientious; and nuanced work by the standards
of its time and place, on the other hand, is beyond any rational
dispute whatsoever. (Indeed: we have the representative examples
of similar efforts at socio-political "relevance" from the preceding seven pages
of this section to make that much readily manifest to us.)
Proceed, however, to the ninth and final (!) page of our POLITICAL DISSENT
IN THE COMICS OF THE SILVER AGE retrospective... and I can show you an even
better one.
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE ONE
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE TWO
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE THREE
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE FOUR
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE FIVE
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE SIX
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE SEVEN
Political Dissent In the Comics of the Silver Age: PAGE NINE
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