Written by Marv Wolfman
Feature Art by Joe Staton; Ben Oda; & Anthony Tollin
‘Adam Strange’ Back-Up Feature Written by Laurie Sutton
‘Adam Strange’ Back-Up Feature Art by Rodin Rodriguez; Larry Mahlstedt; Milt Snapinn; & Tom Ziuko
Cover Art by George Pérez
SUMMARY:
Entitled “The Last Picture Show,” DC Comics released this issue for September 1981. In Newfoundland, Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris bid farewell to The Omega Men, who now seek refuge on Earth. In New York City, Hal’s old foe — Abel Tarrant, the sailor known as ‘The Tattooed Man’ – desperately eludes a mob assassin duo long enough to flee town.
From Greenwich, Connecticut, the mysterious mobster dubbed ‘The Boss’ rues their failure to eliminate the Tattooed Man, in spite of his henchman Stanley’s ‘special powers.’ After Tom alerts Hal & Carol of Ferris Air’s worsening internal friction, an impulsive Green Lantern fails to take down the Tattooed Man at the Burbank airport.
Angrily confronting her father about Ferris Air’s sudden change in command, Carol seeks solace from Hal. They are further startled by the identity of their new boss. Interrupting Tattooed Man’s Hollywood bank heist, Green Lantern’s pursuit is suddenly complicated by a murder-mystery.
In an eight-page Adam Strange tale entitled “The Final Battle,” Strange & Queen Aeriela lead an assault against Alva Xar’s stronghold to rescue his abducted wife, Alanna. As Strange battles his way to Alanna, she faces off against her captor.
REVIEW:
Nicely played! Predating her heroics as Star Sapphire by a few decades, Mav Wolfman’s depiction of an adventurous Carol Ferris hints that she could readily wield a power ring herself. As for the original Tattooed Man’s presence, let’s just say DC’s subsequent makeovers of the concept are visually far cooler. Still, it’s something else seeing a silly-looking super-villain publicly embarrass Hal Jordan more than once in one-on-one combat.
Balancing emerald action with some intriguing sub-plots, Wolfman’s scripting gels with the art squad’s good visuals (including the cover image). The same assessment applies to an Adam Strange space caper where Alanna Strange isn’t merely a damsel-in-distress.
For fans of DC’s Early 80’s approach to all-ages storytelling, Green Lantern # 144 delivers the necessary goods.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT:
The “Letters by Lantern Light” column is only a half-page. Among the two fan letters, one of them is from future comics icon Todd McFarlane.
BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING: 6 Stars
