Flash #240 p#31 (1976) Grell / Blaisdell Green Lantern Space Action - First Appearance - Itty Named

Flash #240 p#31 (1976) Mike Grell / Tex Blaisdell

Comic Page #31; Story Page #7 (story end page)

Yes, the first appearance of Itty who is named by Hal in the final panel of the story! You can likely count on your fingers the number of Green Lantern fans in our hobby who know about Itty or care. But I'm one of them. Although most prefer Mike Grell Green Lantern pages from his title, for me, my bronze age introduction was in the pages of the Flash. Denny O'Neil penned a multi-issue saga whereby Hal was pursuing The Ravagers, destroyers of Worlds. In the previous installment (in issue #238) Hal saved Itty's race, the Ayries, and we find out in the first panel of this story that one of them joined him when he left. In this story, he helps Hal avoid a trap which allows him to save another world. We see Hal in space action doing that on this page before naming Itty. Hal is featured in every panel on this page in ring-slinging action.

I love pages featuring space scenes like this one and I love getting pages I remember from my first year of collecting so this one hits the nostalgic spot for me big time. Being new to comic reading it was cool to be "on board" when Hal picked up his side-kick friend. Superman had Krypto and now Hal had Itty, and "I was there for it." Of course, Itty didn't have quite the staying power of Krypto.

This page was acquired in the most recent CAL Fall event after some wheeling and dealing with the seller (Thanks Tom!). He had recently acquired another Grell Green Lantern page that he preferred over this one and was willing to let it go and I'm very happy its new home is with me.