Issue opens w/ Hal Jordan & Alan Scott flying over a city, having tracked down Captain Challenge. The story is titled, "Thoroughly Modern Mayhem!" The GLs bust through the wall of Captain Challenge's headquarters using their rings. From what we hear from the GLs, it appears that Capt. Challenge has been traveling b/w parallel Earths. Hal being of Earth-One & Alan being of Earth-Two. We also learn Alan's ring is not affected by yellow like Hal's. After apprehending Capt. Challenge, standing outside the police station, Hal receives as "SOS" signal on his ring from another GL. Hal flies off & we then watch as Alan returns to Earth-Two & when back in Earth-Two Gotham City, Alan changes into "civvies" & goes to Gotham Broadcast Company, where he is acting president. Sally Fadden is soon telling him that Johnny Halliday & Tommy Saunders are fighting in Studio Two. Alan rushes in & breaks up the fight. He then learns that a waterfront warehouse was just robbed during an Easter parade downtown. Alan runs off, turns into GL & hits the skies w/ ring searching for "intruders". Alan soon notices some men w/ guns & briefcases & takes care of them - then finds more robbers in the warehouse district & takes care of them. Into night, Alan notices a pattern:some event draws cops away, then a crime happens nearby - it is dawn, Alan exhausted, when a signal comes in that someone is robbing Bruce Wayne's mansion, as Wayne is out of town as Batman, accepting an award.
Alan flies to Wayne Mansion to find a burglar w/ a statue. Alan unfortunately remembers that he forgot to charge his ring as he gets in a tangle w/ the crook. But ultimately Alan as GL musters up enough energy to beat up the guy after a close call. Exhausted, he returns home & wonders what they'd do w/o him & his ring. Dr. Fate, The Spectre, they just dont match up. Alan then wishes that maybe he had simply ordered his ring to expel all evil. He turns on the radio to relax, but all that comes out is bad news: Vietnam, Israel, Detroit riots... He then, looking around, notices his place has been ransacked! In a manic state he recharges his ring @ his battery, saying his oath, "And I shall shed my light over dark evil -- for the dark things cannot stand the light of Green Lantern!" Alan then commands his ring to get "rid of all evil on Earth that is plaguing mankind!" He begins to disappear. His ring hits the floor.
Scene shift to Hal in space [Note: Hal comments here about how he was lucky to recharge ring @ Grendian GL's Power Battery, otherwise "never have made it back to Earth." Interesting that in Bronze & Modern Age, Hal can carry the battery w/ his person, invisibly & easily] arriving over Earth & Utah, noticing tons of people standing there in the middle of nowhere, packed "like sardines" - Hal realizes they must be from Earth-Two, so Hal travels to Earth-Two & find it deserted. He investigates, but all he finds is Alan's ring on the floor, so he grabs it & returns to Earth-One where he finally locates Alan standing among all the people, like a zombie. Hal questions Alan & a deep convo takes place about Alan's realization that everyone has a bit of evil in them. Hal then gives Alan a classic line, "You cant stop being what you are - what you should be - b/c of even the greatest of setbacks! Once a Green Lantern, always a Green Lantern!" Hal goes on giving more awesome advice. Alan agrees & the two of them join rings to 1) send Utah folks back to Earth-Two & 2) to send both GLs to Gotham City on Earth-Two.
On returning, Alan decides to check on his battered employee, while Hal decides to track down the crime lord. Hal intercepts some radio on his ring that says someone is headed to the hospital room that Alan is headed to (to visit his employee). But when Hal shows, Alan is punching a guy out onto another guy & asks Hal to follow him. Alan turns into GL & they go to Alan's office, GL Alan asking for Johnny Halliday. He's told he's in Studio Two. Alan enters & waylays Johnny. It comes out, how Johnny Halliday had been running the "crime-wave" by informing over GBC once he got police whereabouts from the News-Bureau. Tommy was gonna call the cops & the thugs & the hospital were there to silence him for good. Alan, talking w/ Hal, realizes that it was the small problem, it seemed, that led to the large.
Story by: Mike Friedrich
Art by: Gil Kane & Sid Greene
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