Green Arrow (vol.2) #28 (1990)

July 31, 2018 Chris

Green Arrow (vol.2) #28 (January, 1990)
“Siege”
Writer – Mike Grell
Penciller – Dan Jurgens
Inks – Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin
Letterer – John Costanza
Colorist – Julia Lacquement
Assistant Editor – Katie Main
Editor – Mike Gold
Cover Price: $1.25

Well, we couldn’t just leave it with Ollie and Travis having their first face-to-face, could we?

We rejoin the Dual Van Dyke Show… already in progress.

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We open with that group of nogoodniks from last issue, that one dude is annoyed that his jerk-in-law Benny was shot by an arrow… mostly, because he’s going to have to explain the whole thing to his sister. His toadies still ain’t sure that they were messing with the right guy, however, by this point… that ship has already sailed. We shift scenes over to Sherwood and pick up right where we left off… Morgan just socked Ollie for making dudes with highly groomed facial hair personas non gratas in the city of Seattle.

Well, now ya done it Travis… ya woke up Dinah. He gives her the ol’ “get thine behind back to the kitchen”, and gets his own face smashed for his troubles.

Morgan realizes he dun goofed, and humbly apologizes to the lady of the house. He and Ollie then admire one another’s looks… but it isn’t long before they start noting some unflattering differences between themselves. Ollie suggests that they’re around the same age, which gives the Warlord a pretty hearty chuckle.

Dinah puts on a pot of coffee, and they sit around to become acquainted. Travis sorta-kinda shares his secret origin… shot down over Russia twenty years ago… but doesn’t go all that much deeper than that. He laments some of the changes the world has undergone while he’s been “away”… and also, some of the things that have stayed the same… ie. people fighting over nothing. Preach it, brother Morgan.

Back with the baddies, Benny’s brother-in-law has assembled just the goofiest-looking bunch of “heavies” to commence with his vengeance operation. He sends a few off to jam up the power grid… and the others, well… there’s a reason this issue is titled “Siege”.

Back at Sherwood, we get a little (thankfully even-handed) political commentary from Travis. Looks like he’s not a fan of Ted Kennedy nor Ronald Reagan. There’s some subtlety we’d be missing out on if this book came out in “current year”. No “team sports” politics for the ol’ Warlord.

Across town, the power grid gets kaboomed.

And the effects are felt at Sherwood.

It isn’t long before the streets of Seattle are filled with Benny’s Bro’s riot squad. The rest of the squad heads to Ollie and Dinah’s for the siege.

Back at Sherwood, Travis takes a moment to appreciate the dark… since, ya know… it’s always light in Skartaris. Ollie and Dinah don’t really get his meaning when he tries to explain it though. After they sit down for another cup of coffee… they are alerted by one of Benny’s Bro’s goofballs kicking over a garbage can. What a jerk.

Ollie and Dinah prepare for a fight… and are surprised when their house guest brandishes his firearm and readies himself to join in.

Over the next several pages, Benny’s Bro’s… bros try in earnest to get inside Sherwood Florist… including firing a rocket launcher into it!

Lotsa fighting goes down… depleting Ollie of his arrows and Dinah of her bullets. The pair are then shocked to see the Warlord in all his glory, taking care of business… and carvin’ baddies up with abandon.

Then, Travis finds himself in a familiar position… facing down an oncoming car! Note to self: Never play chicken with Travis Morgan.

When the dust (and blood) settles, Travis figures he oughta git, while the gittin’ is good… but not before finding out if Gilligan ever got off that blasted island. I think a better question would’ve been… did the Skipper and the Gang ever come to their senses, and kill Gilligan?

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Another solid outing!

I touched on this the other day, but this book is such a great example of being “Suggested for Mature Readers” that actually treats those readers as being mature. Presenting topics and concepts, not taking a side… and letting the reader decide how they feel.

Whether it’s something like gun violence, or… like today, politics. Travis Morgan, a fella who’s been “off the grid” for awhile, has some choice words about both a high-ranking Republican and a high-ranking Democrat. Not lifting one over the other… and handling neither more harshly.

In “current year” our comics are so full of political platforms… and usually come with the subtlety of a hammer to the skull. It’s just so refreshing to see something like this. It doesn’t treat the reader like an uneducated sheep who need-to-be-learned… and understands that folks come from all sides. Sadly, that wouldn’t fly today.

Speaking of “not flying today”… Trav gives Dinah the ol’ “Back to the kitchen, you!” Which, c’mon, is low-hanging fruit… but, when we look at a fella like Morgan… who was born in the 1920’s and has been away during much of the Women’s Liberation movement… it makes sense for him to have certain views. Plus, he gets a sock-o to the mush for it… so, maybe we can just assume that he’s a “quick learner”.

The siege of Sherwood Florist is handled very well… and goes to show just how lucky Ollie and Dinah were to have their very special house guest. I’m not as fluent in “Warlord” as some so I can’t say just how “novel” this is, but I gotta say… it was cool seeing him swing his sword in a “real world” setting.

I also gotta say… Ollie and Travis “sizing each other up” really cracked me up. Possibly because I’m pretty sure they both have the same “voice” in my head. Either way, these bits were a ton of fun.

Dan Jurgens provides some wonderful art… which comes as no surprise. The whole package is just top-tier. If you haven’t checked out any “Grell Arrow”, I highly recommend you do!

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