Comic Book Review (6/10) “Okay”
Green Arrow #13 “Emerald Outlaw Part 2”
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Penciller: Otto Schmidt
Plot: Victoria Much and other critics of the Green Arrow have been shot with arrows. Now the authorities are after Ollie as suspect number one. Will Ollie be able to clear his name and find who the real culprit is before the killer strikes again?
Ollie has got to be the dumbest super hero in the DC universe. He constantly makes dumb choices that put him in the crosshairs of other people’s guns and it doesn’t seem like having Black Canary and Diggle with him has made him a better hero. Either it is his social justice warrior antics or his constant screaming of the difference between right and wrong that gets him in constant trouble. What does Ollie do when the police have an arrow stuck on somebody’s body at a crime scene? Ollie yells “let me have that arrow and I will compare it with mine to show you that it wasn’t me!” Comparing arrows and trying to investigate a weapon at a murder site is fine and should be done, but not when there are like 20 cops investigating the area in broad daylight who obviously are blaming him for the recent attacks. Ollie may be a good shot, but he is not a very good investigator and it’s like reading an amateur hero just learning how to do his job.
Once again the only saving grace in this book is Schmidt’s incredible art, but even his art does not make this a must buy for comic book fans or Green Arrow fans (if they’re still around reading this book.) It’s strange how Percy can write a great Teen Titans book, but screw up the Green Arrow book.
Comic Book Reviews (7/10) "Good"
Green Arrow #12 "Emerald Outlaw Part 1"
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Art/Color: Otto Schmidt
Plot: Green Arrow, Black Canary, and Diggle are back in Seattle after shutting down the Ninth Circle and ruining the Transcontinental Railway. Ollie and his gang are setting up shop in the woods and plotting the downfall of Cyrus Broderick, the man who tried to kill Ollie and took his company. Now Ollie operates as a vigilante, while the public scrutinizes his activities...
This issue felt like the comic was going back to the Rebirth story with Broderick and if you missed the island story arc, you probably would not have missed much if you pick up this issue. Still I can't say that this is the beginning of an entirely new story arc, because it ties it back to the first 7 issues of this series and if you did not read those books you might feel a little lost. New readers will be confused by this book, but old readers may feel relieved that this story is getting back on track - if they continued to stay on this book. The issue won't knock your socks off, but it's not terrible either.
I've probably said this so many times already, but the best thing about the Green Arrow comics has been the art and though it's not Schmidt's best work, he still makes a gorgeous looking book. I would recommend waiting for the next issue before picking this up if you're still on the fence because this issue is a setup issue for following issues and who knows how the story will unfold.
Comic Book Review (5.5/10) “Mediocre”
Green Arrow #11 “Murder Incorporated”
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Art, Color, and Cover: Juan Ferreyra
Plot: “Eddie” the assassin has just assassinated the diplomat Amin Mustafa, but the security detail believe that Green Arrow aka Oliver “Ollie” Queen was involved. Can Ollie, Dinah, and Diggle catch Eddie before he gets away?
This is just one long Scooby Doo chase sequence complete with the zany and clichéd circumstances. Oh no - the assassin is getting away, but the authorities are trying to arrest Ollie and his friends instead, so Ollie and his friends have to fight the authorities to even get to Eddie. Oh no - there is a bomb that Eddie planted and will destroy the train, but the back car is not moving! Someone has to go unhook it for the train to start moving! When things are constantly moving like this like a “Transformers” live action movie without much story telling or character development, it becomes a jumbled, mediocre, mess that the audience stops caring about and that is where I was at mentally while reading this book. It’s not bad, but it’s not particularly good either. In fact this book was so mediocre in its story telling that I completely forgot about it the moment I put the comic book down.
The ONE saving grace of this book is the incredible looking art, and Ferreyra delivers some gorgeous looking panels again. Although the story telling might be one clichéd chase sequence after another clichéd chase sequence, the art is anything but clichéd. In fact, after finishing the book, I wanted a book without the word bubbles, because then at least I could enjoy the great looking art and maybe try figuring out what the characters are saying and that activity would have been a lot more fun than actually reading this uninspired issue.
Comic Book Review (7.5/10) “Good”
Green Arrow #10 “Murder on the Empire Express”
Story: Benjamin Percy
Art/Color/Cover: Juan Ferreyra
Plot: Ollie, Dinah, and Diggle are catching the Trans-Pacific Railway after shutting down Ana’s drug operation on the island in Alaskan waters. Ollie finds out that a foreign philanthropist by the name of Amin is hosting a very expensive party with other foreign dignitaries in order to bring peace and understanding to the world by helping them drink and party together. However, an assassin is on the loose and trying to foil Amin’s plans.
This comic feels like one long Indiana Jones movie, as Ollie and his friends face new threat after threat wherever they go. After fighting terrorists and bankers with hideous burn scars, and then fighting robotic bears on an island of drug dealers, Ollie is now trying to prevent a breakdown of peaceful talks between western and eastern nations. Either Ollie is the luckiest super hero in the world, as he just accidentally falls into places where criminals happen to be or he is the unluckiest…It’s all really silly, but still a fun ride. You can check your brain at the door, as this is a swashbuckling adventure with plenty of action and crazy moments and very little thinking involved.
Ferreyra’s art also compliments this adventure rather nicely, and his renditions of a train moving under the surface of the sea at hundreds of miles per hour is exquisite. Green Arrow still remains one of the prettiest books in the Rebirth lineup due to strong talent. Even the lighting of the reflections that the water bounces off of the train is brilliant! My only gripe with this book is Ollie not stopping a criminal towards the end of the book because he is so busy arguing about the social ramifications of one criminal’s actions, that he lets that criminal go! Even Canary had the right idea when she screamed at Ollie: “don’t talk to him…take him down!”. Ollie needs to sometimes give his social agendas a rest or he’s going to sound too preachy or let more criminals go in the end.
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