Cover: Neal Adams

Green Lantern #85

Aug 1971 · DC · 0.25 USD

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About this Issue

Green Lantern #85 (cover-dated August–September 1971) opened the first part of 'Snowbirds Don't Fly,' the story in which Green Arrow's ward Roy Harper — the teen hero Speedy — was revealed to be a heroin addict, making it one of the earliest mainstream superhero comics to confront drug addiction with unflinching, ground-level realism. Its publication under the newly revised Comics Code Authority seal marked a pivotal moment in the Code's history: Marvel's decision to publish Amazing Spider-Man #96–98 without CCA approval earlier that year had forced a rewrite of the Code's rules, and DC's approved issue demonstrated almost immediately that the door was now permanently open for comics to tackle real social crises. The story's impact radiated beyond the medium — covered by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Newsweek — and earned the 1971 Shazam Award for Best Individual Story, cementing its place as a turning point in how superhero comics addressed the world outside their pages. Roy Harper's heroin addiction, introduced here, was never quietly retconned away; it became a foundational element of his character through every subsequent continuity, a testament to how decisively O'Neil and Adams changed the rules of what a superhero story could carry.

In "Snowbirds Don't Fly," Green Lantern teams up with Green Arrow as they track down a group of junkies linked to a missing Roy Harper, uncovering a dangerous drug operation hidden in an abandoned hangar. Written by Denny O'Neil and illustrated with stark intensity by Neal Adams—both inks and pencils—this powerful 1971 story confronts the realities of addiction with unflinching honesty, all while the cover by Neal Adams captures the tension in a single, haunting image.

Contains 2 stories

Snowbirds Don't Fly

22 pp · Superhero

Green Lantern [Hal Jordan]Green Arrow [Oliver Queen]Roy Harper [Speedy]Mr. Browden

In "Snowbirds Don't Fly," Green Arrow and Green Lantern track down a string of drug-related crimes that lead them to a hidden hangar, where they're ambushed and drugged by dealers using stolen arrows. As the heroes struggle to regain control, Roy Harper—long thought to be missing—arrives to pull them back from the brink, only to confront Green Arrow with the unsettling truth about why he’s drawn to the very substance he’s been fighting.

The Strange Trial of Green Lantern!

15.33 pp · Superhero

Green Lantern [Hal Jordan]Green Lantern Corps [Green Lantern [Tomar-Re of Xudar]Green Lantern [Stel of Grenda]Green Lantern [NautKeLoi of Aeros]Green Lantern [Rori Stroh of Rojira]Green Lantern [Medphyll of J586]Green Lantern [Chaselon of Barrio III]Green Lantern [Larvox of T41A]]Sinestro (villain)

ComicBooks.com Value

Our Model is In Beta

Raw (Fine) $95

CGC 9.8 · 60 in census $1,849

CGC 9.6 · 105 in census $610

CGC 9.4 · 142 in census $610

CGC 9.2 · 131 in census $329

CGC 9.0 · 135 in census $326

CGC 8.5 · 125 in census $255

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CGC 8.0 · 131 in census $229

CGC 7.5 · 135 in census $211

CGC 7.0 · 103 in census $211

CGC 6.5 · 114 in census $171

CGC 6.0 · 87 in census $171

CGC 5.5 · 51 in census $129

CGC 5.0 · 56 in census $129

CGC 4.5 · 32 in census $106*

CGC 4.0 · 30 in census $106

CGC 3.5 · 17 in census $84*

CGC 3.0 · 9 in census $81

CGC 2.5 · 7 in census $56

CGC 2.0 · 1 in census $50*

CGC 1.5 · 1 in census $34*

CGC 1.0 none in existence

CGC 0.5 · 1 in census $24*

* estimate — limited direct-sales data at this grade

Our model’s value — refined as new sales data arrives · CGC census counts shown where available

This exact issue on ebay

CGC 9.8 ▾ $1,650–$1,810 2 listings

CGC 9.8 $1650 CGC 9.8 $1810

CGC 9.6 $1,695 1 listing

CGC 8 ▾ $275–$750 3 listings

CGC 8 $275 CGC 8 $350 CGC 8 · Signed $750

CGC 7 $248 1 listing

CGC 6.5 ▾ $219–$225 2 listings

CGC 6.5 $219 CGC 6.5 $225

CGC 5.5 ▾ $170–$225 2 listings

CGC 5.5 $169.99 CGC 5.5 $225

Raw — NM $3.99 1 listing Raw — FN/VF $180 1 listing Raw — VG+ $122 1 listing

Raw / ungraded ▾ $98.61–$320 6 listings

Raw / ungraded $98.61 Raw / ungraded $100 Raw / ungraded $175 Raw / ungraded $199.99 Raw / ungraded $270 Signed $320

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History

Writer Denny O'Neil and artist Neal Adams conceived the story from personal experience: Adams chaired his neighborhood drug rehabilitation center, while O'Neil lived among heroin addicts and drew directly on those encounters. Before Marvel acted, Adams had already penciled, inked, and lettered the cover — depicting Speedy with heroin paraphernalia — and handed it to editor Julius Schwartz, who initially rejected it outright, telling Adams it would never see print and that he would never be paid for it. Once Marvel released its Spider-Man drug issues without CCA approval and the Code was subsequently revised, Schwartz reversed course and greenlit the issue; it was published with the CCA seal, becoming the first Code-approved mainstream comic to deal with drug addiction. The issue also reflected DC's new 25-cent, 48-page 'Bigger & Better' format, which meant the O'Neil/Adams lead story shared the issue's pages with an archival reprint — 'The Strange Trial of Green Lantern,' originally from Green Lantern #11, scripted by John Broome with art by Gil Kane and Joe Giella.

Trivia · 8 facts

Cover date: August–September 1971 (Vol. 2 #85); published by DC Comics under editor Julius Schwartz; on newsstands approximately June 24, 1971.
Lead story: 'Snowbirds Don't Fly' Part 1, written by Denny O'Neil, penciled and inked by Neal Adams — the first Comics Code Authority-approved story depicting drug addiction in a mainstream superhero comic.
Key character development: Roy Harper (Speedy), Green Arrow's ward and teen sidekick, is revealed at the issue's climax to be a heroin addict — a story beat that permanently reshaped the character across every subsequent DC continuity.
The issue was published in DC's then-new 48-page, 25-cent 'Bigger & Better' format, and includes a backup reprint: 'The Strange Trial of Green Lantern!' (originally Green Lantern #11), scripted by John Broome with pencils by Gil Kane and inks by Joe Giella.
The two-part 'Snowbirds Don't Fly' arc (issues #85–86) won the 1971 Shazam Award for Best Individual Story; New York City Mayor John Lindsay wrote DC a letter of commendation, which was printed inside issue #86.
The cover — showing Speedy with heroin paraphernalia alongside the tagline 'DC attacks youth's greatest problem… drugs!' — was designed by Adams on his own initiative, initially rejected by Schwartz, and only approved after Marvel's Spider-Man drug issues prompted a CCA rule revision.
Both creators brought direct personal experience to the story: O'Neil had witnessed heroin addiction daily in his neighborhood, and Adams was serving as chairman of a local drug rehabilitation center.
DC published a Facsimile Edition of the issue in November 2019 (on sale November 20, 2019), reproducing the original with period ads and letter columns intact — one of the fifth entries in DC's Facsimile Edition line.