Green Arrow/Black Canary #1 (December, 2007)
"Dead Again, Part One: Here Comes the Bride"
Writer - Judd Winick
Artist - Cliff Chiang
Colors - Trish Mulvihill
Letterer - Pat Brosseau
Assistant Editor - Elizabeth V. Gehrlein
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $3.50
Was so taken in by yesterday's discussion of the Wedding Special, I decided to continue along. Was pretty surprised (and stoked) to learn that I already had this issue in the long boxes!
When last we left the newlyweds... Ollie lost his mind, tried to kill Dinah... only to have Dinah kill him instead! Where do we go from here? Well, let's pop under the hyphens and find out!
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We open with a flashback of Dinah and Ollie checking out each other's butts, for... some reason. We then jump into the present, where Canary is trailing some armored nogoodniks by some docks in New York City... and she's very clearly not screwin' around.
She proceeds to spend the next half-dozen pages beating these goofs within an inch of their lives before being called off by... Green Arrow. Yeah, not that Green Arrow, this is Ollie's son Connor. Dinah thinks to herself that Connor probably had just as bad a month as she has... considering, ya know... Ollie's dead... again.
They chat for a bit. Connor expresses concern with Dinah's "take no prisoners" approach over the last little while. Dinah replies with a passive-aggressive remark and walks away. Later, Connor reports what just happened with Mia Dearden, the new(ish) Speedy. This doesn't come as much of a surprise to Mia...
... because, it's been a month since Ollie's death, and Dinah still hasn't buried the poor guy! Instead, he lay in some sorta iron lung lookin' thing in the basement. Wonder if you need a permit for that? Anyhoo, Dinah's down there... and reliving the events of her wedding night, when she was forced to kill her new husband.
Then, she thinks back to all of the support she's received from the superhero community since his passing. Gotta wonder... is there going to be a police investigation... or are the heroes just hoping to handle this "in house"? Because, I mean, there is a dead body... stands to reason that law enforcement might at least wanna pop their heads in. Anyhoo, for the most part, the community has been supportive. Hell, the Amazons even offer her a place on Themys... Thimes... Timescy... Paradise Island. The flashback is interrupted, however, by the arrival of... Hal Jordan.
He thinks it's high time they held a funeral. Dinah just ain't havin' it. Ya see, she knows in her heart that the man she was forced to kill on her wedding night was, despite all evidence to the contrary, not Oliver Queen.
Then, two-thirds of the Hard Travelin' Heroes run off to a rooftop for a pretty emotional back and forth. Lemme tell ya, I really dig this... and, I really dig the art in this issue, but here... Hal sorta looks like a gorilla. Kinda takes me out of it.
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| JLApe redux! |
Hal tries to reason with Dinah... he wishes she was right, and Ollie's actually not dead. After all, it was Hal Jordan himself who brought Oliver back from the dead the first time around. Unfortunately though, his ring is telling him the dead man is Oliver Queen... and there ain't no arguing with that.
Unless, you're Batman.
Because... of course it's Batman. He doesn't listen to a ring... or even really, his gut. He investigates... and that's what he's been doing for the past month. He sees there's no real pattern here... like, there really should be another shoe waiting to drop... and it just ain't fallen. So, basically... he believes Dinah when she says the fella on the slab ain't Ollie.
This takes us to the Batcave... and it's time for a Bat-Autopsy. Dr. Mid-Nite is along for the ride. They warn Dinah that it's about to get a bit gruesome... as Batman revs a chainsaw.
The fellas get down to business... and wrists deep into Ollie. They remove a few organs, including the precious brain. I'm very glad this is Cliff Chiang and not some hyper-realistic artist, because... I'm trying to drink coffee as I write this.
Everything seems to be in order. This body definitely belongs to Oliver Quee... hey, waitaminute... Dr. Mid-Nite just noticed an odd cell cluster. Not Ollie's DNA, and they're still reactive... so, Mid-Nite decides to put them "to work", injecting them into the cadaver.
And then...
It's Everyman! Who? Oh, just some shapeshifter from the weekly 52 series, no big. Dinah is overjoyed by the news.
She is also wildly impatient... and wants Ollie back right this second. Batman's all... first things first, because they haven't the foggiest of notions where Ollie might be... and/or who might have him.
Batman asks Dinah if anyone had approached her since Ollie's "death", with a strange offer. She thinks back to the Amazons offering her a home on... that island.
And whattaya know... looks like they got Ollie!
We wrap up with the Amazons pointing their spears at him... and him calling them "big bitches" because, mid-2000's Judd Winick.
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Hey! Another really good time!
If you'll allow me to briefly go "off topic"... when I started this blog, it was to celebrate books that I already loved... and discover new (old) books that I'd never gotten around to. What I didn't expect this to become was an opportunity to challenge my preconceptions about certain creators/characters/stories.
Last week we took a look at the Titans crossover, Total Chaos... a story that, up until last week, I would have just said "it sucked". It wasn't until I challenged myself... forcing myself to revisit it (and actually read the whole thing) that I came around to a more well-rounded stance on it. Sure, there were parts that weren't very good... but overall, it deserves far better than a knee-jerk "It stinks!".
I said all of that, so I could say this... if you were to ask me what I thought about Judd Winick three years ago, I'd have given you that same knee-jerk "he stinks!" reply. It's only after forcing myself to read his work with an analytic eye (as analytic as I can be), that my position has changed.
Sure, he's sometimes "sex mad", he uses foul language for absolutely no reason... at times where it adds nothing to the story, his dialogue can be a bit cringy, he does the "soapbox" thing a bit too often... I swear, this is all coming around to a compliment... and, his pet causes sometimes interfere with the overall narrative of the story, but... when he's "on", he's really quite good.
These two issues, while not perfect... and have some of my lesser-liked Winickisms present, were a helluva lot of fun... and overall, highly enjoyable reads. Pair that with some fantastic art from Cliff Chiang (and the Wedding Special's Amanda Conner) and you're looking at a really good time.
So... whatta we got here? Dinah's taking Ollie's "death" really poorly... and taking out her frustrations on any nogoodnik she can get her hands on. The fact that she fully-believes Ollie to not actually be dead might make you wonder why she's still beating the holy hell out of all'a da bad guys... but, I suppose we could chalk that up to frustration and confusion.
I really enjoyed Hal trying to reason with Dinah... and the callback to The Final Night was definitely appreciated. Of course Batman had to hop in and stomp all over Hal's toes... but, considering their contentious relationship during this time, we can probably allow it.
The reveal that it wasn't Ollie all along was... well, c'mon... we knew that was going to be the case. I wasn't around the "comics internet" much back then, so I dunno if this was spoiled ahead of time. I suspect it was, because... everything is... but couldn't say for sure. Not that it really matters now, over a decade removed.
The reveal that Ollie's been captured by the Amazons? If I'm honest, that's a bit of a turn-off. The Amazons, to me, are some of the most boring characters in the DC Universe. Really can't muster a single bit of enthusiasm about reading an Amazon-focused story... so, I probably won't be continuing this one. It doesn't look like I own the second issue anyway... so, even if I wanted to... it would require a hunt.
Overall... despite not being terribly interested in the Amazons... this was a pretty fantastic little chapter. I'd certainly recommend it, and hell... if the Amazons are your thing, you'll probably dig where this is headed! For your convenience, this issue is available digitally.
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Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special #1 (November, 2007)
"And They Said it Wouldn't Last"
Writer - Judd Winick
Artist - Amanda Conner
Colors - Paul Mounts
Letters - Ken Lopez
Assistant Editor - Elizabeth V. Gehrlein
Associate Editor - Tom Palmer, Jr.
Editor - Mike Carlin
Cover Price: $3.99
Got a really fun one today!
Think we need it after those last couple of Titans books we discussed!
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We open with a quick and dirty look at the Green Arrow/Black Canary relationship through the years. This gives Amanda Conner the opportunity to draw several key moments in Arrow/DC history... and man, it all looks awesome. We go from Hard-Travelin', to Ollie's death, to Birds of Prey, and then some... it's all very good.
We then jump to the present, where Ollie and Dinah are arguing about a recent outing. Ollie's ticked that Dinah used her sonic scream before he fired an arrow, because it messed with his rhythm. This gets pretty heated, and naturally, lest we forget that Judd Winick's name is in the credits, leads to a hot 'n heavy makeout session... and very nearly to a full-on sesh.
That's when Dinah drops the hammer. She suggests, since they're already engaged, that they wait to seal the deal for the skatey-eight hundredth time... until they're married. I think many of us have been here before. Ollie gives in, because... well, we all do... but asks for "one for the road". A few moments later, Ollie's taking a cold shower.
Later, the happy couple start sending out their wedding invites... including one to our pal, Snapper Carr! Poor Snap's kind of a running gag during this issue... wonder if Winick read Hourman? Anyhoo, Ollie's irked that all of their pals will be in "uniform"... which, ya know... is a silly complaint considering the gaggle of folks they're inviting. Speaking of those folks, we get a big ol' page of reaction shots here... annnnd, it's pretty great. Oh, and naturally, Batman declines.
We shift over to a chat between Wonder Woman and Superman... who have also just received their invitations. They have an almost contentious discussion about marrying "in the biz". Diana suggests that they stick to co-mingling with civvies... kinda like Clark did with Lois. Superman, who I gotta say, is in full-on chucklehead mode here, thinks Ollie and Dinah are in it for the long-haul. He's also happy that the hero community has an opportunity to come together for a wedding... instead of a funeral.
Elsewhere, Dr. Sivana chats up Deathstroke... who is sitting on a table in the most adorable way possible. It's like his daddy propped him up there or something. Anyhoo, Sivana stole Snapper Carr's invitation, and suggests all of the baddies get together and spoil the party. Slade gives a hearty thumbs-up.
Next stop, Ollie's bachelor party. Well, kinda. Ya see, Hal's got a whole lotta strippers waiting for the gang in the next room over... but Ollie don't play that.
And so, it looks like Hal just dropped a lotta cash for nothing. Worth noting, however, a lot of these strippers are dressed like female superheroes... so, yeah, this might... I dunno, form some strange associations moving forward. I mean, if Ollie were to, say, get a lap-dance from a stripper dressed like Power Girl... could he look at the real-deal the same way ever again?
The women, on the other hand, are at "The Meat Locker" watching dudes... dressed like superheroes... strip. I guess they have no compunction about making odd mental associations. Dinah and Babs chat about the upcoming wedding as they stuff singles into dudes' thongs.
Next... the wedding day! Everybody shows up... and it's a heckuvan image. Really a who's-who of mid-2000's DC Comics!
Then... here comes the bride. Before Dinah can make it to the alter, however, Superman senses six nukes being launched... which means, all of the heaviest hitters (Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Lanterns) are off to save the world.
No sooner do the "big guns" leave, than... Deathstroke and the gang pop in! Needless to say, a fight follows.
During the skirmish, Monsieur Mallah punches Ring-Bearer Roy Harper in the back... which sends Dinah's wedding ring bouncing into the fracas. She drops everything and bolts after it.
Deathstroke manages to catch the ring on the tippity-top of his sword... which leads to him getting kicked in the... uh, midsection. fortunately for Slade, he's wearing a cup. Worth mentioning, this is a really amazing little action scene.
Then... Batman shows up! Ya see, he declined the invite to the wedding... but he's always up for a fight.
By now, the "big guns" have solved the nuke-problem, and have returned. The baddies are wrangled up in no time... and the (rest of the) wedding goes off without a hitch. Well, they get hitched... but, you know what I mean.
This takes us to the wedding night. Wedding Night + mid-2000's Judd Winick... not completely sure what to expect. Well, it looks as though it's about to "go down" the way we all expect...
But then... Ollie gets a crazed look in his eye. Brandishing a knife, he tackles Dinah to the floor!
In the struggle, Dinah reaches for something, anything with which she can fight Ollie off... and finds, an arrow.
We close with her jamming it right through Ollie's throat! That there's what we call a cliffhanger!
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Okay, how much fun was this? And, holy cow... that art!
This issue both embraces and kinda subverts the classic "superhero wedding" tropes. Sure, the proceedings are interrupted... but, I can't think of another time where the bride just hops into the action, and goes toe to toe with someone as bad as Deathstroke. We saw something kinda similar during the JSA Thanksgiving issue, where some baddies showed up... and instantly realized that they were jolly well screwed. I'm still sitting here with a silly smile on my face just thinking about it. This was really so good.
I gotta hand it to Winick here. When I think of his writing... especially in situations that involve a bedroom... "subtlety" is not a word I'd ever think of using. I mean, this is the fella who gave us a full-on bed scene between Monsieur Mallah and the Brain because of a gag Grant Morrison included in an old Doom Patrol issue. Think of it as "fan-service", think of it as "pushing the envelope", hell... think of it as "Winick's Razor", if the simplest solution involves a bed (or back seat of a car, or pile of trash in an alley, etc.) you know where the scene is likely to go.
Here, however... we kinda sidestep that! Sure, we get "teased" (just like poor Ollie), but it's actually (sorta) in service of the story. That opening scene where Dinah suggests they "wait"... that's real-life right there! I can't get mad at that.
Now, there's that art. I cannot believe I've been at this discussion/reviewing thing for two and a half years, and this is the first time we're talking about Amanda Conner! Seems wrong that it's taken us this long, considering how large she looms over so many of my favorite DC Comics, and how big a fan of her work I am!
Her work here (as we've come to expect) is phenomenal. Just absolute candy for the eyes. Faces are full of emotion, body language is so fluid... just, really... there ain't no words. Just spectacular. It's art like this that makes this book look like it was a top priority for DC Comics... and it was most certainly the best way to usher in a brand-new ongoing series.
Speaking of "ushering in"... howsabout that cliffhanger? I loved it! I don't have the foggiest clue where it's headed... I was very low on funds when this series launched, so I didn't get to read it the first time around... but, gotta say... I'm intrigued enough to try and track it down! Hell, I might actually have it... somewhere, unread... and lonely.
Overall... if you dig DC Comics at all, I think you'll dig this one. It's really too much fun not to recommend... and again, that art. For your nuptial convenience, this bugger's available digitally and has been collected in the Green Arrow: A Celebration of 75 Years hardcover.
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Action Comics #846 (February, 2007)
"Last Son, Part Three"
Writers - Geoff Johns & Richard Donner
Artist - Adam Kubert
Color Artist - Dave Stewart
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Associate Editor - Nachie Castro
Editor - Matt Idelson
Cover Price: $2.99
We're really taking our time getting through "Last Son", huh? I guess I'm just trying to make this as similar an experience today as it was ten years ago. With our delays here, we're getting the "genuine" Last Son experience... delays aplenty!
I think by this point, the delays weren't so out of hand yet... but there will come a point where they fit whole story arcs between the chapters just to keep Action Comics on the shelves! Of course, that doesn't matter to we folks in the enlightened future... but, back in the day... boy howdy was it annoying.
We get the impression that comic creators don't sweat the delays these days... due to the fact that everything gets a "collected edition". While that's not incorrect... it's just so dismissive of the core-monthly-reader. Being one of those monthly readers... it often makes me wonder why I take funnybooks so seriously, when the folks being paid to produce 'em don't seem all that interested.
Anyhoo... there's a rant for another day! Let's get on with today's chat.
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We open the same way we've opened the previous couple of chapters of "Last Son", right in front of the Fortress of Solitude projection of Jor-El. This time, however, he's not being summoned by his son... but General Zod and the gang! Zod decides to ask "Jor-El" to spill his digital guts about... General Zod. The projection then gives us the quick and dirty on the Phantom Zone.
Zod takes exception to his being referred to as a criminal, and claims that had Jor-El listened to him Krypton wouldn't have suffered the fate it had. The trio then take a quick tour of the facilities... and note both Kal-El's apparent sentimentality... as well as nabbing the Phantom Zone Projector! Worth noting, we can see that Mon-El currently occupies the space.
Back in Metropolis, Lois and Clark try to get their story straight about "Chris" Kent. In a cute bit, they pop a pair of glasses on his head and hope for the best.
Inside, just as the Kents are chatting up Jimmy Olsen... the Daily Planet Building is attacked by heat-vision a'plenty! Jimmy sets off his Signal Watch as Clark rushes off to "supe up". Before he can, however, he is attacked from behind by Non.
Superman hits the ground and finds himself knelt... before Zod. Thankfully they don't say that though. Zod is surprised to find that he doesn't need to introduce himself... Kal's done his homework on Krypton's history. It's pretty clear that this is intended to be their first face-to-face encounter, which kinda sucks... because that undoes a pretty important post-Crisis story arc.
Back inside the Planet, Ursa confronts Lois and "Chris"... and insists that her Son, Lor-Zod be returned to her.
Outside, Zod and Superman do the old pro-wrestling "test of strength" thang while they shout at each other. Zod claims that he will turn Earth into a "New Krypton"... and introduces us all to his Army... including a scientist named Jax-Ur, who thanks the quick and dirty "Phantom Zone 101" we just got, we know he was the first Kryptonian to have been exiled.
With Superman disoriented, Zod decides to play his trump card... he reveals that Jax-Ur is carrying a Phantom Zone Projector, and uses it to banish the Man of Steel.
To be (duh) continued...
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Another very good chapter of "Last Son".
Before going into the... whatever it is we do under the second set of hyphens, I just want to express my relief that Johns and Donner fought the urge to include a "Kneel Before...". I was bracing for it, I'm not gonna lie. It was definitely a pleasant surprise not to be "memed" here. I think "Kneel Before Zod" is up there with "One Punch" in overused, overrated, and just plain annoying things about DC Comics. The less we see/hear both, the better.
As for the chapter... we get a fair amount of forward momentum, and have a question or two answered. We know that Chris Kent is really called Lor-Zod, and we get clarification on some post-Crisis events that never actually happened... or happened with other criminals?
Gotta remember, this is that era I refer to as the "Nebulous Interim"... that time between Infinite Crisis and Superman: Secret Origin, where everything is kind of "up in the air" (pun!). Nobody knew for sure what was coming along from the post-Crisis status quo into the post-(other)Crisis. I may not dig that the final John Byrne arc has been retconned out (or just plain erased), but was happy for any clarification we received at this point.
Overall... a fun, action-heavy issue. Might not be the best read on its own, but as part of the "Last Son" story arc, it's a really good time. Adam Kubert really shines here, and uses some very interesting and dynamic panel-placement. Definitely worth a look. Available digitally.
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