Denny O’Neil’s black turtleneck and contemplatively-held glasses surely must have clinched his A.C.B.A. award

One can forgive DC for taking a moment to toot its own horn, as companies so often did back in the day, letting readers know which in-house writers, artists and comics won awards, while completely ignoring other companies’ hauls. It’s just like broadcast networks letting you know what their Emmy tally was. In this instance it was the Denny O’Neil/Neal Adams Green Lantern/Green Arrow mag that was leading the awards stampede, at the first annual Academy of Comic Book Arts banquet in 1971. Deservedly so, one might add, as it was enormously successful, even when translated into Dutch.

Love the outfit O’Neil is wearing in his portrait (pencilled by Adams). It makes him look like he’s about to go smoke a cigarette at an urban coffeehouse. While reading poetry aloud. Needs a beret, though. And a hirsute Dick Giordano is rocking the old John Madden mutton chop sideburns. He was hairy enough to have played Wolverine in a movie, if Wolverine had been created at this point. A man born before his time.