Legendary comics artist Neil Adams inspired a new generation of artists, training them to be more productive, and giving comic creators the right to be paid fairly and to own the characters they created. fought against But he also wrote and often co-wrote some of the most iconic stories in Batman, Green Lantern, X-Men and The Avengers. Much of it still resonates today, influencing many of the cooler on-screen visuals and stories in recent films. .
Here are some of his most influential works from his nearly 60-year career.
DC’s Strange Adventures #206-216: An Eye for an Eye
Neil Adams’ first big foray draw a cartoon There was an opportunity to do some war books for DC, and then he got a big chance. Taking over the pencil work from his co-creator Arnold Drake, Adams got to fully flesh out the dead acrobat Deadman/Boston Brand character. He owns all living things. Like his fugitive TV show, Deadman used his powers to help others while searching for his own killer.
Adams’ work in the comics was praised and sold better than expected, leading Adams to other more iconic DC characters and books. In 2018, Adams was even able to return to character and mark the end of his story 50 years later.
superman vs muhammad ali
Despite the fact that DC Comics realities exist parallel to our own worlds, such as Gotham in Chicago and Metropolis in New York, in the 1970s Superman played JFK, Bob Hope, Jerry Lewis, Pat Boone, I interacted with many celebrities. But his greatest showdown was against Muhammad Ali. The former and future World Heavyweight Champion agrees to the alien’s demands to fight a depowered Superman and prove who is truly great. In the end, Ali declares them both the winners and vows to keep the identity of Superman’s Clark Kent a secret.
The wraparound cover featured Neil Adams’ portrayal of a large crowd of celebrities and DC heroes in the crowd. These included the cast of Frank Sinatra, Lucille Ball, Batman, Johnny Carson, Green Lantern, Welcome Back, Cotter, Wonder Woman, President Jimmy Carter, and The Jackson 5. Employees.
Avengers #89–97: Kree-Skrull War
After a brief but successful run in the X-Men, Neal Adams and Roy Thomas were assigned to the Avengers (although this was always Stan’s plan, According to Adams). Loosely mirroring the problems of McCarthyism, they came up with the concept of a far-reaching galactic war, pitting two major alien races against each other. It managed to bring together many of Marvel’s characters, foreshadowing the gigantic crossover event that Marvel would later be known for. impacted. captain marvel movie and future secret invasion Disney+ series.
Detective Comics No. 400 “Challenge Man-Bat!”
Long before Morbius tried to cure a rare blood disorder, Dr. Kirk Langstrom was experimenting with a serum that could enhance people’s hearing abilities via a special bat gland extract. test it yourself. It then begins to mutate into Man-Bat. In his introduction, he helps Batman get rid of museum thieves, but flees when asked about his “costume”.
Over the years, he mutates further, developing wings, alternately being Batman’s ally and foe, and developing Jekyll and Hyde variations of the serum, allowing him to become Man-Bat at will. Years later, in Secret Origins, Langstrom became Bruce Wayne’s childhood friend and it was he who fell into the bat cave beneath Gotham. This later inspired Batman’s origin scenes in comics and Nolan’s films.
(creepy) X-men #56-66: Havoc, Sauron, Resurrection galore
When Neil Adams approached Stan Lee about doing freelance work at Marvel, who was doing the same with DC, he asked Stan which books were the worst performing. Lee told him X-Men was on the brink of cancellation. Due to the decline, the story of the book wandered. Professor X was dead, the most definitive death in comics at the time, and Magneto was missing and presumed dead. Adams picks up a few dangling threads created by the last issue’s writer Roy Thomas and his artist Warner Roth and begins building a legacy.
The first addition was to take Cyclops’ brother Alex, fit his newly acquired mutant powers into a suit, and name him Havoc. and resurrected their now-deceased creator, the son of Trask. All of that lays the groundwork, finally showing that Xavier’s death was a ruse perpetrated by the Professor and Changeling (who borrowed a bit for the movie Logan), reintroducing Magneto, and for the first time showing his face. With Savage Lands, Ka-Zar, and a new vampire villain who steals his moniker from Tolkien villain Sauron. I nearly revived one, but to no avail.But years later, Chris Claremont would quote Adams and Thomas’ run in the series as the inspiration for his epic run in the X-men comics.
Green Lantern (with Green Arrow) #76-89 “In Brightest Day, In Blackest Night…”
As has often happened in Neil Adams’ career, Adams and Dennis O’Neill were assigned to a comic book that was on the verge of cancellation.In this case, Green Lantern, Vol. 2, the two creatives rebranded a bit with what would later become an iconic crossover: Green Lantern and Green Arrow. O’Neal and Adams have explored racism, drug addiction, the poor treatment of Native Americans, the influence of the media, and more. Fourteen issues made GL’s most famous storyline, two of which were individually on this list, but this book cancel Inactive for 4 years.
Green Lantern #85–86: “Snowbirds Don’t Fly”
This two-part story tells the story of the most famous Green Lantern of all time. Adams was also reportedly the one who came up with the idea for the story, but the script was still written by Denny O’Neil. Upon investigation, Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen discover that the arrows came from a group of addicts, including Ollie’s sidekick Roy “Speedy” Harper. discovered. They think he’s only working undercover – until Queen walks in on Speedy shooting heroin. Not before a person dies.
This issue was the first to portray a good man falling prey to a drug addiction. We’ve made it possible to put real-world issues front and center, unless you don’t.
Green Lantern #87: “Beware My Power”
The speedy addiction storyline was immediately followed by the introduction of a new character, a backup Green Lantern named John Stewart. came to Hal Jordan and insisted that he choose a replacement. Jordan is initially suspicious as he meets Stewart who confronts the cops. He has authority issues, but the Guardian insists. Stewart manages to thwart a plot to make him look like an out-of-control black man, earning Jordan’s respect.
He mostly sat on the sidelines for the rest of the ’70s, but became a well-known character in the ’80s relaunched Green Lantern title. Stewart said he would be the GL of choice for most of DC’s Justice League animations, and David He has been hinted at many times that Ramsey’s Arrowverse Diggle could one day become a Green Lantern. .
Batman #232: “The Devil’s Daughter”
After Batman discovered that Robin had been kidnapped, he was approached in the Batcave by a man named Ra’s al Ghul, who deduced that the hero and Bruce Wayne were the same man. Convinces Batman to go with him to Calcutta to rescue his daughter Talia. This issue was his one-off adventure, but Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neill brought his two great powers to Batcannon. Ra’s becomes a villain at times in the process, sometimes an ally of Batman and Talia who falls in love with Bruce, falls in love with Bruce and becomes his on-again, off-again lover, and finally the latest Robin in the book. Ra’s and Talia also play major roles in the Nolan Butt trilogy of films.
Batman #251: “The Joker’s Five Revenges!”
After the success of the Adam West-Burt Ward Batman TV series, many comic book characters began adopting the flashy look and style of the TV character. The Joker, in particular, has gone from a homicidal maniac to a dangerous but fun and stylish Cesar Romero-esque prankster. But that’s all going to change thanks to this one-off guest-authored issue of him by Neal Adams and Dennis O’Neill. The Joker escapes from an unnamed psychiatric hospital (O’Neill introduces Arkham Asylum a few issues later), and he soon embarks on a violent quest for revenge to take out his five members of his gang. start. One of them betrayed him to the police. He manages to take out four men before Batman catches up.
The last member of the gang is perched in a wheelchair over a shark tank. This is a bit of a nod to Rube Goldberg-type gimmicks in TV shows. Batman manages to save the man and defeat the Joker before sending him back to the hospital. This reinvigorated depiction of the Joker continued throughout the comics, inspiring everyone from Jack Nicholson to Heath Ledger’s portrayal of the comedic criminal. There’s also a line of dialogue that encapsulates the character interactions between the Jokers and still haunts me. The Joker chooses not to kill an unconscious Batman. envisioned my victory It is the result of cunning after a bitter struggle between Batman and myself. ”
This article was written and distributed by Wealth of Geeks.
Paul Rose Jr. has held a variety of jobs, including television news producer, forensic analyst, and train conductor. He’s the former InfuzeMag’s TV editor and owns more books, DVDs, and comics than most people have ever seen. When he’s not writing and editing Wealth of Geeks, he lives in Los Angeles, California, writing scripts and acting in film and television to keep his creative juices flowing.
