Green Arrow (vol.5) #3 (2010)

Green Arrow (vol.5) #3 (October, 2010)

"Character Assassination"

Writer - J.T. Krul

Penciller - Diogenes Neves

Inker - Vicente Cifuentes

Colorist - Ulises Arreola

Letterer - Rob Leigh

Editor - Adam Schlagman

Cover Price: $2.99

Wouldja lookit that... today marks our EIGHT-HUNDRED AND FIFTIETH daily discussion!

It's also... still #BrightestMay, where last we left our man Oliver Queen he was... dead... ish.  That ain't gonna stick, right?

Right?

--

We open with Ollie... shot in the head.  He flashes back to the time he was washed up on that island all them years ago.  While his mind wanders, a pack of wolves descend on his location (where they came from, I'll never know).  Before they can make a meal outta our hero, that stranger from last issue arrives on the scene to shoo 'em off.  We don't know it yet, but this is Galahad.

He lifts Oliver's prone body and proceeds to walk him over to a small pond.  He is so sure that the forest can restore Green Arrow's life... that he dunks the body into the drink.  The White Lantern entity... begins to judge Ollie's worth.  Does he even deserve to live?  As this happens, Oliver recounts many of the more pivotal points in his life.

We shift to a flashback of a young Oliver accompanying his mother to visit his father at Queen Tower.  It's alluded to here that Robert Queen wasn't the most fidelity-havin' fella.  Not sure if Ollie is seeing this in his flashback, though, because as it rolls on, we see him locked in combat with his "shadow self".

The flashback ends with a somber Moira Queen watching Robert head off on a "business trip".  She holds young Ollie in her arms... and tells him to not just be a "good boy", but to grow up and be a "good man"... at which point, Galahad nyoinks him out of the drink.

Ollie comes to... and immediately suspects Galahad as the dead-shot archer that plugged him betwixt the eyes.  Galahad (there's no organic way of shortening that name, is there?) judo tosses a confused Ollie, and insists that he is a friend.

We shift scenes into Star City proper, where we learn that Queen Industries have taken over the contract to supply medication and medical equipment to the victims of the Star City Disaster... and since taking over, haven't done all that much.  A woman vows to send them a message.

We then pop over to a press conference which may or may not be presented a Queen Industries.  The conference is to announce a new state of the art entertainment facility... which, is kind of a hamfisted way of illustrating that the "powers that be" don't care about the common rabble.  We see that Evan Gibson from the Star Gazette is there reporting on the event... and then... a woman shoots the presenter with her tape recorder?  Not sure if this is the same woman from the medical tent... hell, I'm not even sure it's actually a woman!

We head back into the woods for Galahad to do some 'splainin'.  He claims to be a (displaced?) knight, whose mind had been clouded by modern medication.  He's only become "lucid" since the forest sprouted.  While he drones on, Ollie takes a gander at his reflection in the pond... and finds that he has no scarring where the arrow pierced his dome.

Time for another flashback... this time to Siberia, 30 years ago.  This, I would assume, is the first meeting between Robert Queen and "The Queen".  She claims to have taken him... body and soul.

Back in the woods, Ollie and Galahad continue their chat.  Suddenly Oliver notices a white light behind the Knight... then the entire forest becomes bathed in it.  Ollie runs to get a better look, and notices that, in a matter of seconds, the forest experienced a years worth of maturity... all four seasons in the blink of an eye.

He heads back to Galahad, unsure if the forest means to save him... or kill him.  Worth noting that Ollie's shadow has taken the form of a beast-like critter.

--

Okay, not as much fun as the first two issues... but, I suppose we do need an issue to fill in some background beats.

I definitely appreciate the fact that the forest is still one of the main focuses of this series.  In looking though so many Brightest Day tie-ins over this past month, it's refreshing to see one that actually... ya know, keeps Brightest Day at the fore!  It feels like so many of the other books almost forget that they're part of something bigger... leaving all Brightest Day allusions feeling like a forced afterthought.  This series keeps the "crossovent" rolling, and even builds upon it... and I dig that a lot.

The (proper) introduction of Galahad was... okay.  We did get a teaser at the end of Green Arrow (vol.5) #1 (which I neglected to include for some silly reason) that Ollie was putting together a crew of "Merry Men".  I think we can assume that Galahad (and likely the woman at the med-tent, and Evan from the Gazette) will fill out that number.  Makes me wonder just what kind of series this would have grown into if not for The New-52!.

Ollie's father's infidelity... ehh.  I don't know how much of that had already been established at this point... or if it was something gleaned from the CW show (if that was even a thing at this point), or just a hamfisted way of introducing some (more) trauma into Ollie's life... either way, this kind of thing's been done before... almost too often.

The scenes at the med-tent/press conference... well, I guess it got the point across... but it's severely lacking in the subtlety department.  I mean, Neves (who still absolutely kills it here) may as well draw all of the suits with horns and hooves.  They're bad dudes... we get it.  Hell, we got it two issues ago!  I get what we're going for here... but, there's gotta be a better way.

Overall... even though this was less exciting than the issues that came before it, we do get a fair amount of forward momentum.  I'm still keen on recommending this, however... might suggest you check it out in trade. 

--

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850

Green Arrow (vol.5) #2 (2010)

Green Arrow (vol.5) #2 (September, 2010)
"Into the Woods"
Writer - J.T. Krul
Penciller - Diogenes Neves
Inker - Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist - Ulises Arreola
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Editor - Adam Schlagman
Cover Price: $2.99

As #BrightestMay winds down... I'm just picking books at random.

There's just not enough time to give as in depth a look at this strange and interesting time in DC Comics in a single month... even one with 31 days!  Might as well just have some fun with Ollie!

Well, we did our best... and, most importantly... might have deduced the very issue in which the gears shifted from Brightest Day to The New-52!.

We also got a "like" from Geoff Johns, so there's that...

--

We open with a cloaked man wandering Ollie's woods.  Not sure if he's been officially named yet, but we'll just go ahead and call him Galahad.  He's been drawn here, and knows that the amazing growth of this star-shaped forest is not the work of Mother Nature... Gee, what tipped you off, pal?  Elsewhere, Ollie and Hal chat a bit about the White Lantern logo appearing on a tree, and how that might've affected Hal's power ring... also, the former informs the latter that he now resides among the trees.

We briefly shift scenes to check in on "The Queen".  We learn from her that Oliver's father Robert is responsible for helping her a great deal.  As she watches a pair of Queen Industries helicopters fly off, she vows to do something about his Son.

As the choppers head toward the forest, Ollie show Hal his new digs.  Ollie wasn't messing around when he said he was living in the woods.  Seems he's got himself quite the neat little set up.

As Ollie starts to guide (the powerless) Hal out of the woods... they find themselves attacked by Queen Industries' Dollar Store Hellfire Club!  Even though Jordan is powerless... that doesn't stop him from leaping into battle.

They fight for a bit, with the hard travelin' homeboys having the upper hand, until one of the Hellfires fires a flare into the sky to request back-up from the helicopters hovering above.

Then... Ollie has an idea.  If Hal's ring is powerless in the woods, all's they gotsta do is... get Hal outta the woods!  Luckily, Ollie's been busy since moving into the forest, and has finagled an interesting little pulley system.  Hal grabs on, and is hurled skyward.

Lucky for Hal, this gamble pays off!  Green Lantern "deals with" the choppers... assuaging all of my fears by promising them a soft landing.

While Hal nails 'em "up high", Ollie maintains his offense on the low road... triggering another trap, in the form of a large swinging log.  The Hellfires get smooshed but good.  Ollie interrogates one that hasn't yet been kayoed, and tells him to inform his new boss that Queen name still belongs to him.

After the dust settles, Hal and Ollie say their goodbyes.  Ollie then goes for a Tarzan-like rope swing... before falling some distance and landing with a thud.  He inspects the rope and finds that it has definitely been tampered with.

If that's not bad enough, Ollie is then... shot in the head?!  Well, that escalated quickly!

--

Another fun issue!

I really dig the way that Ollie has made this forest his home.  It stands to reason that Oliver, as paranoid as he currently is... would rig up booby traps, and survivalist methods to keep him safe.  It doesn't matter if he's stranded on an island, or exiled to a strange star-shaped forest... if nothing else, Ollie's a survivor.

Hal being cool charging into battle without a working ring is fits his character.  Really don't have any problem with that.  I kinda feel like him "dealing with" those helicopters after being repowered was a bit "iffy".  It's as though they had to add the dialogue about the "safe landing" after the fact... because the way he was chopper-handling them looked rather dicey.

Not a whole lot more to say about this one though.  It was super fun action... with amazing art, and one helluva cliffhanger.  I'm always a sucker for a hard-traveling team-up... if you happen to feel the same way, definitely give this a peek.  Available digitally if that's you're thing.

--

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849

Green Arrow (vol.5) #1 (2010)

Green Arrow (vol.5) #1 (August, 2010)
"Man of the People"
Writer - J.T. Krul
Penciller - Diogenes Neves
Inker - Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist - Ulises Arreola
Letterer - Rob Leigh
Editor - Adam Schlagman
Special Thanks - Geoff Johns
Cover Price: $3.99

And we're back... The Dark Things are behind us, and maybe... just maybe, we can get back to checking out something worth reading.

This run on Green Arrow was one of the first things I saw when I came back to comics after the The Great Chrisession of 2008-2009.  It was promoted heavily in the back of many of the books we've already looked at during #BrightestMay... and at first blush, I wasn't sure it was going to be "for me".

The lingering image, which I'll include below, is Ollie shooting off a fella's nose.  It's pretty graphic (for comics), and I recall seeing that and just shaking my head.  More DC-darkening for the sake of it.  Or was it?  Curiosity (and a five-dollar bill burning a hole in my pocket) later led to me grabbing this first issue to find out.

It's been nearing on a decade since I read it... let's see how it aged.

--

We open in the ravaged Star City.  Star City was destroyed during Justice League: Cry for Justice... which, as of this writing, we've only covered the first issue of here at the blog.  Since the Brightest Day "happened", the decimated city has been filled in with a lush forest.  A forest, in which a woman is currently being chased by some nogoodniks.  Lucky for her, it would appear she's got a van dyked guardian angel.  And here's the bit with the nose-flesh.

Ollie shows himself... and proceeds to beat the hell out of the rest of the baddies.  He checks with the girl to make sure she's okay, and starts walking her out of the woods.  It's here that we learn a few things.  The Mayor and Police Commissioner of Star City aren't Ollie's biggest fans... which is why he's been "exiled" to the woods.  Also, this new forest almost seems "alive"... after getting "turned around" Ollie says that it seems to "change", and although he's combed the entire area... it still surprises him.

They finally make it out of the dark, and we get our first good look at the decimated Star City.  It looks pretty bad.  I mean, Gotham City was once deemed a "No Man's Land" for far less!

We shift scenes to the top of the Queen Industries tower, where the glad-handers and yes men prepare to meet their new owner, the eccentric Isabel Rochev.  We know that she's eccentric because, well... she looks like this.  Yikes.

She introduces herself to the board... and ensures them she'll rebuild the "good name" of Queen... referring not to Ollie, but Ollie's father Patrick Queen.

We pop over to a gala event being held elsewhere in the... not so ravaged part of Star City.  It's here that we meet Evan Gibson, a reporter for the Star Gazette.  He rushes over to the "guests of honor" Mayor Altman and Commissioner Nudocerda and lambastes them for wasting taxpayer money on such a gaudy event when so many Star Citizens are struggling.

Once inside, the Mayor and Commish are alerted to the fact that... gasp... all of the food for the event has been stolen!  Outside, Ollie does the Robin Hood thing, giving all the grub to some impoverished children.

The following day we join the Commissioner who is stuck in traffic... well, kinda.  He's being held up by a city worker holding up a Stop Sign.  An annoyed Nudocerda bursts from his car to confront the civil servant... only to have his throat slashed!

The accompanying officers give chase to the worker... and quickly learn that it was someone wearing a mask, leaving them with more questions than answers.  Green Arrow is on a nearby roof watching the entire thing unfold.

He is soon joined on the roof by our new friend, Evan Gibson.  They think on who might've killed Nudocerda for a bit... with Ollie suggesting that the Commish had far too many enemies to pick out a single suspect.  He's happy it went down this way though... it looks like the Mayor is starting to panic.

Speaking of the Mayor, we rejoin him visiting with "The Queen" at Queen Industries.  She presents him with his new security detail... the dollar-store Hellfire Club!

We wrap up with a visit from Hal Jordan.  He's decided to check in on this new forest... unfortunately as he closes in, his ring goes kaput... sending him careening to the ground.  Lucky for him, he lands right next to his hard-travellin' homeboy.

--

I liked this.  I liked it a lot, actually.

I want to start by taking a look at how Ollie is presented here.  When the New-52! hit, so much of the focus was on "youngifying" all of our favorite heroes.  They've all got to be 25 or younger.  When it comes to "dating" a hero, I always err on the side of less being more.  Just looking at this Oliver... he might be in his late-twenties... or, he might be in his mid-forties.  It's immaterial, doesn't get in the way... and it doesn't open up the can of worms where we have to try and "place" things from his past.

I'll admit that I'm a guy who gets tangled up in the minutia and continuity.  Probably more than most people who just want to enjoy a good story.  That said, I had no problem "reconciling" this Ollie, and as a bonus... I also dug the story!

Let's talk about that story.  Ollie's shouldering a lot of the blame for everything that's gone down, and as such has been exiled to the woods by the crooked Commish and Mayor of Star City.  It's a really good set-up to illustrate Oliver as a... Man of the People (heyyy, that's the title of this issue!).

The Robin Hood act... which is usually a "too on the nose" pass from me, really worked this time around.  It's not every story that revolves around a group of fat-cats ignoring the survivors of a literally destroyed city... so, it works without being too gratuitous.  There is also, somewhat surprisingly, no political "hot takes" for such a potentially political story (starring one of the more political characters in DC's pantheon).  That's always something I'm going to appreciate.  The Mayor is a bad guy... that's all we need to know.  It doesn't matter who he voted for in the last election.  Granted, for all I can remember... this might all come to roost next issue.

The "Queen"... ehhh.  I'm not quite sure how I feel about her.  The Cobra Commistress look is kinda cool, but I just can't see that working in the board room.  I mean, she looks like something out of that old Passions soap opera... and I think that might be about as seriously as I could take her.

I feel like my only complaint (if you could call it that) is one that isn't exclusive to this book... it's the over the top violence.  The "dark Didio DC" has always left me a bit cold.  You know when you were like twelve years old... and you thought the fact you were reading things with over the top violence and/or bad words made you "mature"?  Then, as an adult, you look back at your twelve year old self... and kinda cringe?  That's kinda how I feel about the gorier parts of this issue (and comics in general).

The nose-meat bit... hell, even the Commissioner getting his throat slashed... they were just a bit too much.  It's the kind of thing I figure normies (that is, people who don't read comics) picture when they think of comics.  And, in this case, damn DC for making them right!

There's also a fair bit of decompression here... but again, that's not Green Arrow's nor J.T. Krul's fault.  That's just the way things were/are being done.

Worth mentioning that the art here... is reeeeeeeediculous.  Just gorgeous work here from Neves.  Everything looks amazing... from the Cobra Commistress's silly mask, to the shattered Star City skyline... just absolutely breathtaking work, that I'd encourage folks to go out of their way to check out.

Overall... I certainly enjoyed this.  A really good opening chapter that, decompression accepted, doesn't waste any time getting the story started.  Worth a look... available digitally.

--

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846

Teen Titans (vol.3) #89 (2011)

Teen Titans (vol.3) #89 (January, 2011)
"Bruised Egos"
Writer - J.T. Krul
Penciller - Nicola Scott
Inker - Doug Hazlewood
Letterer - Sal Cipriano
Colorist - Jason Wright
Editor - Rachel Gluckstern
Cover Price : $2.99

So, ya say Damian is in charge of the Teen Titans?  Nah... never happen.

Today we're gonna discuss an issue from such a bright time in Titan's history... from the criminally short-lived J.T. Krul run.  One of the worst casualties of The New 52! initiative.  Ever since Geoff Johns left this title, thirty-some-odd issues in, the Teen Titans were put through the wringer.  The team routinely fell apart... team members routinely died, sometimes gruesomely bloody deaths... the book just really turned to garbage.  J.T. Krul's arrival was like stumbling upon an oasis in the desert.  The addition of the ridiculously talented Nicola Scott... and dammit, you've got an awesome Titans run goin'.

Anyhoo... this is the tail end of the pre-Flashpoint Titans where Batman (who is currently Dick Grayson) decides it may behoove young Damian to spend some time with folks closer to his own age.  Let's hit it and git it...

--

We open at the Silicon Valley Tech Expo.  There is a young man with a hoodie... and strange circular burn marks on his head.  He is joined by a man in a suit, who appears to be his handler.  At one of the exhibits, a man is giving a demonstration on robotics... which, for whatever reason seems to rub our hoodie-wearing friend the wrong way.  He grabs him by the wrist... which somehow allows him to make the robo-pieces levitate... and the man falls limp.

Meanwhile at Titans Tower... the gang meets, the new boss?  Batman, who is now Dick Grayson, has decided to drop off his new Robin, Damian Wayne so that he can learn both the value of being a hero... and working as a member of a team.  He, of course, assumes he's there to lead the team... which is great.  Right out the gate, he threatens to "fire" Beast Boy... unless he ever comes across the need for a talking chipmunk, that is!

It should go without saying that Damian is something of an unwelcome presence at the Tower this day.  Kid Flash and Ravager joke about his diminutive stature... which nearly causes an all-out brawl.  The tension is only diffused when Bart nyoinks his Robin-a-rang away.

Cassie pulls Batman out into the hallway to "talk".  She really isn't feeling this new team member, and... perhaps projecting a bit... claims not to be the Bat-babysitter.  Dick pleads his case... which, honestly... shouldn't even be necessary.  I mean, if Dick Grayson talks to you about Titans business... you kinda just take him at his word, right?  Cassie ultimately relents, and Dick drops the tot... much to Damian's dismay.  He feels as though he's being punished for something or another... though Dick assures him this is all in his best interest.  Ravager overhears the exchange, and razzes the Boy Wonder a bit for it.

What follows is a brief cameo introducing an incoming character.  Seems there's something of a tradition among Titans creators, where they get to introduce new members.  For Krul it's Solstice. She actually makes it into The New 52! version, although she hardly resembles this bright, shiny, hopeful version.

Back at the Tower, the Titans are engaging in a bit of R 'n R... all except Cassie and Damian.  Cassie is busy following up on some research with the help of the Justice Society of America's Dr. Mid-Nite, and Damian is... ya know, brooding.

Brooding, until he notices a bit of a hub-bub going down at a nearby Silicon Valley convention center.  Wondy gathers the troops, and Raven 'ports them into the thick of things... but not before we have an interesting exchange on parentage between Robin and Ravager.  Their dynamic during this era is a ton of fun.

At the Tech Expo, the Titans confront their spotty-headed man.  Robin runs directly at him without thinking... and almost gets splatted on the floor for his impetuousness.  Gar shifts into a pterodactyl and pulls who we believes to be an innocent bystander out of harm's way... but we astute readers will recognize him as the hoody-guy's handler.

The baddie unleashes a burst of energy.  He then uses his powers to form all of the wreckage robotage into a swarm of insects.  

This manages to keep the Titans busy for a bit... however, the distraction is enough for Raven to sneak up behind the baddie and 'port him to her "safe place".

While there, they have a bit of a heart to heart.  The young man introduces himself as Barney.  Raven assures him he has no need to fear, and that he doesn't need to be alone ever again... finally earning his trust.  So of course, when they return to the real world... Robin socks him right in the mush.

Which proves to be a pretty bad idea indeed... Barney bursts with energy before fleeing into the San Francisco sky.

When the dust settles, the Titans stand around Damian with "Smooth moves, ex-lax" looks on their face, while the lad looks bewildered.  To be continued...

--

I get so mad reading these issues... just knowing that we are less than a year away from DC flushing it all down the turlet.  This was such a great time for the Titans!  We had an amazing creative team in Krul and Scott, and... man, we had the history.  The characters had bonds to one another... there was lineage... inter-connectivity... just a great cohesive little corner of the DC Universe.

When this initially came out, I was still a bit on the fence about our young Damian Wayne.  It wasn't until I saw him jawing with the Titans that I really got him.  I love his back and forth with his new teammates here... threatening to toss Beast Boy off the team, and telling Ravager he'll take her other eye... so good!  The very fact that he walks into Titans Tower and just assumes he's there to lead the team is amazing.  The big "reveal" that Damian would join the team (in Teen Titans #88) was great as well.  Maybe I'll get to that one someday.

Upon rereading this, I was a bit disappointed when the team jumped into action.  I was hoping for more of the interpersonal stuff at the Tower... however, the action half of this book is absolutely vital to setting the stage for Damian's learning a thing or three about what it's like to be a part of a team.  Loved the ending!

Actually... strike that... loved the entire thing!  This really felt as though it was going to be a Titans Renaissance... and honestly, if not for The New 52!, I bet it would have been.  Krul's writing here is spot-on, and Nicola Scott... c'mon, she's just a gift.  Definitely among my top comics artists going today.  Criminally cut short... but immensely enjoyable while it lasted.  Definitely recommended.

--

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