DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest #16 is an issue of the series DC Special Blue Ribbon Digest (Volume 1) with a cover date of December, 1981.
Synopsis for "Death Be My Destiny!"
This story is reprinted from Green Lantern (Volume 2) #81.
The Guardian returns to Oa to face trial by the Guardians of the Universe for having put the needs of an individual first. The heroes Green Arrow, Green Lantern, and Black Canary attempt to to vouch for his character, but their friend pleads guilty. Despite the heroes' pleas, the Guardians dictate that the accused be stripped of his immortality and exiled to Maltus. They do, however, allow the Terrans to escort him.
The group are surprised to find that Maltus is highly populated, given the long interval since the Oans had been there. Also, the citizens appear hostile, particularly toward Black Canary, as she is a woman. They escape with Green Lantern's help, and decide to investigate by using his ring to dig up the city's archive building and get inside.
The archives' caretaker has locked himself inside due to the others' hostility. He explains that due to a series of complex events, Maltus is overpopulated, breeding hatred for outsiders and women who could bear children. They resolve to find and stop the source of the overpopulation, Mother Juna. Once inside her fortress, they are attacked by Mother Juna's goons, and flee to the lab. Green Lantern and Green Arrow use what they can find to take out the goons, while Black Canary defeats Mother Juna. An angry mob soon breaks into the fortress, and the heroes must pull Mother Juna out to prevent them from killing her. She explains that she had been left barren by a cloud of cosmic dust (one of the unlucky ones to remain barren), and had started cloning people in order to be a mother.
The Guardian and Mother Juna stay on Maltus to help rebuild, and the Terran heroes return to Earth.
Appearing in "Death Be My Destiny!"
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- Mother Juna (Single appearance)
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Synopsis for "How Do You Fight a Nightmare?"
This story is reprinted from Green Lantern (Volume 2) #82.
Green Arrow visits Black Canary, offering her a box of roses, but when the box is opened, two harpies fly out and attack. The harpies soon fly away, and Oliver sends a message to Green Lantern in hopes that his experience with the supernatural would be of use. Green Arrow and Black Canary go to the flower shop from whence the roses came, while Green Lantern follows the harpies' trail. Green Lantern is led by the Harpies to their leader, the Witch Queen, who entraps him in another reality at the behest of her unseen brother.
Green Arrow and Black Canary investigate the flower shop, but they are soon attacked by three Amazons who seem intent on killing only men. Black Canary defeats them, and they explain that a male wizard had betrayed and banished the Witch Queen and themselves to the same reality that Green Lantern has been trapped in, sparking their mission to kill all men. They promise to guide an unhurt Green Arrow and Black Canary to their leader.
The Witch Queen's ally is revealed to be Sinestro, whose Yellow Lantern Ring was embedded within the Witch Queen's sceptre, allowing her to trap Green Lantern. Suddenly, Green Arrow bursts through the window, instantly firing an arrow and knocking the ring from Sinestro's hand. Together, he and Black Canary defeat the Witch Queen and Sinestro. Unfortunately, Green Arrow is unable to rescue the Lantern from the "Dimension of Furies", because he is a man; only one male may inhabit it at any one time. Black Canary volunteers to go in his stead.
Meanwhile, in the other dimension, Green Lantern is attacked by Medusa for being a man. Fortunately, Black Canary arrives with the Amazons, and explains that Medusa is being used by Sinestro as a pawn to kill his enemy. Medusa releases him, and Black Canary and Green Lantern return to their own reality to tell Green Arrow their story.
Appearing in "How Do You Fight a Nightmare?"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
- Witch Queen (Single appearance)
- Harpies (First appearance)
- Medusa
- Sinestro
Other Characters:
- Amazons (Single appearance)
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Synopsis for "Peril In Plastic"
This story is reprinted from Green Lantern (Volume 2) #84.
Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris enjoy a romantic three weeks together, after revealing his secret identity to her. However, eventually, she explains that she plans to go to the company town of Piper's Dell by herself to see if Dr. Wilbur Palm, the mayor, can cure the paralysis of her legs. Later, Hal visits his friend Oliver Queen for some relationship advice, but they soon hear word that Piper's Dell is being threatened by floods caused by bombs around the town.
Green Lantern manages to save the town from destruction, but Dr. Palm insists that he stay, eventually making it impossible for Lantern to leave, and sending a number of men in suits to attack him. He is weakened by an unusual layer of smog above the town and his earlier efforts to save the town, and the attackers soon overtake him. With his last thoughts before falling unconscious, Green Lantern sends his Green Lantern Ring to Star City to find Oliver.
When Green Lantern comes to, he finds that Dr. Wilbur Palm is in fact his old nemesis the Black Hand in disguise. Black Hand reveals that he has used the town's manufacturing facilities to create a system of brainwashing the townspeople, and that his invitation to Carol Ferris was a ploy to bring Green Lantern there. He allows a still powerless Green Lantern and Ms. Ferris to escape, knowing that the brainwashed citizens will attack them.
However, in the meantime, Oliver has found and charged the ring, and returns it to Hal with one of his arrows. Green Lantern detains the citizens in energy constructs, and then uses his ring to entrap the Black Hand within a case of molten plastic.
The heroes make good their escape, and later, while Christmas shopping, Green Arrow makes an unambiguous remark about the evils of a plastic world, and the effect it has on our society.
Appearing in "Peril In Plastic"
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- Coast City
- Star City
- Piper's Dell (Single appearance)
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Synopsis for "The Killing of an Archer"
This story is reprinted from The Flash #217.
While tracking a thug in Star City, Green Arrow is ambushed and outnumbered. With an arm that has been injured several times in recent months, his archery isn't as accurate as it should be, but he risks firing an arrow to disarm a sniper. He is horrified when his bad arm causes him to miss his shot and kill the sniper.
In Coast City, Green Lantern returns home and begins searching for a new job when he receives a call from Dinah Lance who wants him to check on Oliver. Hal flies over to Oliver's tenement, arriving before anyone else. He finds Oliver's arrows broken and his costume shredded. Outside, he hears three thugs attacking an old man. Green Lantern apprehends them, but, as it turns out, they had planted a bomb in Oliver's cellar as revenge and it soon explodes, leaving the question open as to Oliver's fate.
Appearing in "The Killing of an Archer"
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- Ricky (Single appearance; dies)
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Synopsis for "Green Arrow is Dead!"
This story is reprinted from The Flash #218.
A bomb has just exploded in Oliver Queen's tenement, set by thugs as revenge for his accidental killing of their comrade. Green Lantern attempts to keep the building standing until the fire department arrives, and finds himself exhausted when they do. Black Canary arrives, wondering if he has seen Oliver, and they decide to split up in order to look for him.
However, Oliver is elsewhere, in the Arrowplane, flying over the mountains. Struggling with his emotions, he decides to stage the plane's crash, thus killing the last remaining elements of the Green Arrow besides his own person. With that done, he heads to a nearby Ashram and asks for help to forgive himself.
While Green Lantern turns up nothing, Black Canary uncovers a cult led by the sister of a man named Joshua who, months ago, had hypnotized the Canary into joining a racist lynch-mob. She is knocked out from behind, but when they try to drop her from the top of a roof, Green Lantern arrives just in time to save her.
Appearing in "Green Arrow is Dead!"
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Antagonists:
- "Ricky" (Dies in flashback)
- Sister Joshua
Other Characters:
- Master Jansen (First appearance)
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- Arrowplane (Destroyed)
Synopsis for "The Fate of the Archer"
This story is reprinted from The Flash #219.
It's been two months since Oliver Queen went missing, and Black Canary is using a payphone when suddenly, a car smashes through it, hitting her. Green Lantern arrives on the scene, but the on-scene doctor notes that Dinah's rare blood type will make it difficult to save her. Fortunately, Hal knows that she shares the blood type with Oliver.
Green Lantern investigates the wreckage of the Arrowplane, but finds a scavenger there. The scavenger is apprehended, but he swears revenge to himself. Afterwards, Green Lantern discovers the Ashram, where Oliver is arguing with his mentor over the validity of Zen Archery. Without ceremony, Hal explains Dinah's predicament. Oliver is visibly shaken, and begrudgingly agrees to return to civilization, without argument. Before he leaves, Oliver's mentor leaves him a parting gift of a bow — a bow which he asks Oliver to destroy once he has passed beyond it.
As they are leaving, though, they are attacked by Rink Willard, the scavenger, who entraps Green Lantern in a yellow pool of goo, and ties Oliver to a tree. Fortunately, Oliver manages to free himself using a sharp arrowhead against his ropes, and soon fires an arrow that incapacitates, but does not kill his assailant. Within an hour, Green Lantern is saved, and Oliver is giving Dinah the blood transfusion she needs to survive.
Appearing in "The Fate of the Archer"
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Antagonists:
- Rink Willard (Single appearance)
Other Characters:
- Master Jansen
- Officer Hanrahan (Single appearance)
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- Arrowplane (In ruins)
See Also
Links and References
