Green Lantern No. 76 Covers by Neal Adams

It had been a time of change at DC Comics. In late 1967, Carmine Infantino had let go writers Gardner Fox, John Broome and Arnold Drake for asking for benefits. That same year Neal Adams began getting work from DC. In 1968, lettering master Ira Schnapp retired, allowing Gaspar Saladino to begin reshaping the cover design and trade dress of the publisher.

Over the next two years, new writers began bringing a different energy to DC’s books, Adams became a phenomenon influencing other artists, and editors like Dick Giordano tried out new concepts. The once-reserved publisher was beginning to respond to the changes in the reading audience and the ground that Marvel Comics had gained during the decade.

Green Lantern No. 76, cover dated April 1970, is regarded as the watershed moment – the beginning of the Bronze Age in American comics. And it is, but it was the groundwork and changes that had been accomplished over the previous couple of years that made it possible for Denny O’Neil to take a step into issues of the day and Neal Adams to build on the work he’d done on The Brave & the Bold and Deadman.

I’ve got two versions of the famous cover here – the published one and a half-finished option that didn’t make the cut.

Colour and cover packaging by me.

The Published Cover

As published.

Original art scan from Heritage Auctions.

Art made production ready.

New colour version.

Re-created trade dress added.

The Unpublished Cover

Original art scan found on the web.

Art made production ready. Green Arrow inked by me.

Colour version. Lettering based on Adams’ roughed-in text.

Re-created trade dress added.