Green Arrow (vol.2) #101 (October, 1995)
"Run of the Arrow"
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Penciller - Rodolfo Damaggio
Inker - Robert Campanella
Colorist - Lee Loughridge
Letterer - John Costanza
Editor - Darren Vincenzo
Cover Price: $2.25
Figure we'd wrap up this impromptu Green Arrow week here at the humble blog... by killing the poor guy off. Yeah, that's sorta-kinda how we started the week too... but, this time around was quite a bit more "real".
Before heading "below the hyphens" we're probably going to need a little bit of context. In Green Arrow #100, Ollie got into it with an environmental extremist, who was looking to wipe Metropolis (or at least a good portion of it) off the map... by aiming a plane with a mutagen bomb on board right into the city's heart.
Oliver boarded the plane, and activated a "dead man's switch", trapping his arm... and leaving him with a choice. Either lose said arm, and never be able to twang bow again... or go down with the plane. And that is where we open...
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On board the plane, Ollie's arm is trapped in the "dead man's switch". Superman pleads with him to let him save the archer. Ollie ain't havin' none of it, though... and just seconds later...
The bomb explodes, and the plane crashes into a sparse field... Metropolis is saved... but at the cost of one Emerald Archer. Another plane approaches... one carrying Ollie's son, Connor Hawke... and his very blunt friend Eddie. I mean, this dude doesn't have much of a filter.
Superman helps right this plane, and sets it down safely. He then fills in the passengers on what went down with Oliver. It's assumed that he vaporized in the mutagen blast.
Somewhat coldly, Superman excuses himself to take extinguish the fire. Maybe he feels as though he failed his friend and doesn't know quite how to deal with it... whatever it is, it's strangely "matter of fact". Superman says dying was "his (Ollie's) choice". Whole thing just feels wrong. Once he's gone, Connor and Eddie have a "heartfelt" chat... as the third member of their "troupe", Camorouge, sneaks away.
We shift scenes to Warrior's Bar, where several members of the hero community are having a little get-together in Ollie's honor. Again... this feels so cold. Almost like the heroes are just going through the motions... only having this "celebration of life" because they think they're supposed to. I mean, they're talking about his womanizing, not in an "Oh, that Ollie!" kinda way... but, just stating it as a fact. Like they don't know what else to say.
After a halfhearted toast, Roy Harper enters to say a few words... that we won't hear, because we need to shift scenes...
... to Batman, naturally. He and Robin are updating the files on the Bat-Computer to reflect Oliver's new "deceased" status. Along the way, Bruce mentions that he and Ollie were a lot alike. Yup, almost trademark-infringingly so back in the day, my man.
Back to Warrior's, where Superman and Guy are chatting up on the roof. Superman thinks back to all the things he's heard about his own funeral... and feels bad that Ollie didn't get quite the same turn out. Guy's all "ehh, it's what he would'a wanted", which is one of those things we like to tell ourselves. Guy then asks the one question we've all been waiting for: Has anyone told Black Canary?
Well, let's shift scenes again... to Connor meeting up with Dinah to break the bad news. They may not have ended on the best note, but clearly Dinah still feels something for him. Upon hearing the news, she takes a moment to process.
Next thing we know, she's removed her coat... and is left in her leotard and fishnets. It's a very strange look for such a mundane scene. It's almost uncomfortable. Worth noting, Dinah is able to deduce right away that Connor is Oliver's son.
Dinah tells Connor she'll tell him everything he wants to know about his father... and together, they start going through the belongings he'd left with her. It's pretty touching... she has a photo of Ollie, Hal, and herself from "better days". It's weird to consider that, at this point, Dinah was the only one left!
Before parting company, Dinah tells Connor about Oliver's Robin Hood fixation... and suggests that his "resting place" be decided the same way as Robin Hood's. Shoot an arrow into the air... and where it lands, will be his resting place.
We shift scenes again... this time to Japan, where word of Oliver Queen's passing has reached Shado.
We rejoin Connor as he heads back to the Ashram... which is both, where he studied... and where he first met Oliver Queen (following Zero Hour). He's surprised to learn that the place is being sold... and the land will become... a Winkyworld?!
Speaking of Winkyworld, we next pop in on a Winky Corp. meeting, where the jerkfaced heir to the Winky-fortune, Mr. Keever discusses ways to keep dat money rolling in. This scene is being observed by someone in a sorta native attire.
Next up, we rejoin Connor at Sherwood Forest... bow in hand. He flashes back to a discussion he'd had with Oliver about Sherwood "in days of old", and realizes he's picked the right spot.
He fires an arrow...
... and where it lands, is heaven.
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Kind of an... uncomfortable read.
Before we move into the story itself... gotta mention that this was one of them "Wizard books"... but, this time it actually felt like it had a good reason to be! Apparently, this issue was severely under-ordered. Ya see, most folks (retailers and fans alike) just assumed that if there was a "big" story beat was coming, it would happen in issue #100... not issue #101. And so, when fans learned that something big went down in this issue... they couldn't get their hands on a copy! Just an interesting (well, at least to me!) aside I thought I'd share.
Onto the insides... again, uncomfortable, for a few reasons.
First, Ollie's dead... and it's 1995, when DC was making big changes to the pantheon. For all we knew (or were supposed to think) this was "dead-dead"... or at the very least not "revolving door dead"... and, none of the heroes seemed all that interested. I mean, even Superman can't muster up a paragraph worth of nice things to say about him!
And, a "celebration of life" in the back room at Gardner's bar? Superman referred to it as "pathetic", and it's hard not to agree. I mean, the heroes pulled out all the stops when Hal Jordan died... and he wasn't on anybody's Christmas card list at that point! Was Ollie just a complete afterthought? He kinda died saving millions of people... right? Wouldn't they (Metropolis) at least wanna maybe bow their heads for the man?!
I'm not sure what the point was in having Roy show up at Warriors... since we don't get to hear what he has to say. I think I'd have preferred hearing Roy's take, than hopping over to get a full-page of Batman and Robin typing the word "deceased" into the Bat-Computer. Then again, I'm not the one in charge of trying to sell comic books.
The Connor and Dinah scene... was pretty good, yet still... uncomfortable. This discomfort is amplified and punctuated by Dinah's strutting around in her Black Canary get-up in front of her ex-lover's son... but, whattayagonnado? Still, a strong scene... definitely the strongest of the issue.
It seems like we're wasting no time laying the groundwork for Connor's first outing as the one, true Green Arrow... by pitting him against a Disney-alike. I suppose that's as good an antagonist as any, seeing as though Ollie was always brushing up against corporations.
Overall... I dunno. This is an important issue, certainly... but, it's just so weird. Ollie gets a single panel before going kablooey (smart of them to use his being "vaporized" to avoid showing a body, by the way)... and, the hero community acts erratically for the rest of the book. Connor walks the line between being a point-of-view character, and being his own man... which, for a transitional story such as this, works quite well. I'd say, for historical significance... I'd recommend this. For solid characterization... I'm not so sure. Believe it or not, this issue is not available digitally!
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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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Green Arrow (vol.2) #27 (December, 1989)
"Enter..."
Writer - Mike Grell
Penciller - Dan Jurgens
Inks - Dick Giordano & Frank McLaughlin
Colors - Julia Lacquement
Letters - John Costanza
Assistant Editor - Katie Main
Editor - Mike Gold
Cover Price: $1.25
I am a lazy man at times. While I'm still very much in a Green Arrow mood, part of me is certain that we're doing a fourth day in a row on the Emerald Archer simply because the box is still sitting in front of me.
Well, whatever the reason... I think we're in for another treat!
It's the Dual Van Dyke Show!
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We open at some dive bar near the pier in Seattle. A fellow with a really bad mohawk approaches a shadowy man with some very familiar facial hair. I'm not sure I'll be able to "keep up" not knowing who this "shadowy man" actually is, but we'll do our best. The punk brandishes a blade, however, the stranger quickly makes the fella realize his folly.
Back at Sherwood Florist, Ollie returns from a night-out, and gets bandaged up by Dinah. They talk about how good Dinah's getting at wrapping... which is clearly an indictment on just how long Oliver's been at this vigilante-ing. I'll try not to go on (and on) about how neat it is to see one of our heroes actually age... just more of that "history" DC so callously flushed. Anyhoo, Ollie and Dinah head downstairs.
Elsewhere, our shadowy man is approached by a prostitute. He declines the offer, but thinks to himself that Seattle is a lot friendlier a town than he thought. It's pretty funny. The lady of the evening, however, doesn't take kindly to the rejection and thinks some choice words to herself (which I won't include here).
We follow the shadowy man, as he turns down an alley. He finds out just how friendly this town is, when he walks right into a street gang... who he scares off with the quickness.
Back at Sherwood, Dinah and Ollie spar... then make out. Just another night in for these two!
Back to the shadowy man... as we walks across a bridge. He is approached by some "connected" looking fellas, who have a message for him. They throw an arrow at him... and accuse him of offing some "worm" named Benny.
They're here to kill the shadowy man... however, give him the option of just throwing himself off of the bridge. There is some doubt, however, that they got the "right guy" here... but c'mon... how many people in this town have such a stunning Van Dyke beard?
Our man ain't havin' none of this... and so, he chucks the arrow he was tossed right through one'a the wise guys' throats!
Then... a bolt of lightning illuminates the sky... and we can finally see who we've been following this whole time. Could it... nah, it couldn't be... (c'mon, play along).
One of the baddies the hops in his car and attempts to just run Travis over! Our man just calmly stands there... draws his pistol... and shoots the car. It's pretty great. Morgan tells the fella that it's time for a chat.
We jump ahead... back to Sherwood, where Ollie is awakened by a knocking at the door. Ollie is shocked... bamboozled even, when he answers the door and sees... well, a dude who looks just like him!
He's even more shocked by the "message" he has for him!
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Another super fun issue... that kinda pokes fun at some of Mike Grell's protagonists having a certain similar "look".
I love that Ollie is so notorious around the city that, just bearing a passing resemblance to him might get your block knocked off... that is, of course, if you aren't Travis Morgan... the Warlord.
The streets of Seattle... yikes. Having just returned from a trip there myself, it wasn't the... cleanest, or most visitor-friendly of cities... but, it wasn't anything like this. Then again, I suppose the 1980's were a long time ago indeed.
The Dinah and Ollie scenes, as we've come to expect, were very very strong. I'm fighting the urge to go all "Chris" on ya here... but, it's just more of those connections and relationships that were tossed to the wayside for a twitter bump, and television show synergy... but weren't/aren't reflected in long-term sales gains.
Anyhoo... not all that much more to say about this issue. It's setting the table for what's to come next. It was really funny to have Ollie and Travis face-to-face. I'm sure readers at the time were pretty gobsmacked!
Overall... fun issue, and certainly worth your time! Some great early-ish Dan Jurgens art here. It's crazy to imagine that he's like two and a half years away from killing Superman at this point! This issue by it's lonesome isn't available digitally yet, however the collected edition it's a part of is!
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