Daily Archives: 22 August 2010

Wow, what a weak ending. The issue is mostly action, which makes it completely different than the previous three. And it’s weak action with an absurdly weak bad guy. But weak or not, Green Arrow still needs to bring in Black Canary and some CIA agent (they quickly and inexplicably disappear) because he can’t handle the pirate guy alone.

Seriously, the big bad guy who gets at least a ten page fight scene is a pirate. It’s so lame, Green Arrow mocks it in the narration.

So the issue is atrocious on that front, but it doesn’t get any help from von Eeden’s crazy approach to action illustrating. He spends more time establishing something explodes than showing where the object is in relation to the characters. It’s impossible to follow.

The mystery’s resolution, once Barr remembers it, isn’t nearly worth the price of admission.

It’s a very disappointing last issue.

CREDITS

Showdown at Sea; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Dick Giordano; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Ben Oda; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

At least in the eighties, people took the time to make the oil companies the bad guys. Now, when they’re even more clearly the bad guys, no one ever uses them. Except Syriana, I suppose, but I doubt Green Arrow’s solution will be to blow them all up.

One can hope though.

This issue just makes it all the more obvious how little it matters Green Arrow is the lead… It basically could be any superhero–and it only needs to be a superhero for a couple scenes, when Green Arrow beats up some oil company thugs.

It does open on a specific scene though, with Green Arrow torturing Count Vertigo through a perverse version of shooting an apple off the head.

Lots more impressive narrative illustrating from von Eeden here. I’m not even sure I’m fond of him, I just love how he and Barr make the story move along.

CREDITS

Hexagon of Death; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Dick Giordano; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Ben Oda; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

I kept meaning to count panels per page, but I never paused and did it. I’m guessing the average page has twelve to sixteen panels. And it’s not a talking heads book. The amount of work von Eeden does here–the issue has town and country settings, not to mention some hallucinations–is incredible. Especially for a mainstream book with a mainstream artist.

Barr is pretty straightforward this issue with the narrative. No flashbacks, only one character appearing out of nowhere (Count Vertigo, one of Green Arrow’s regular villains–who knew Green Arrow even made regular villains?). It’s mostly just a mystery story, with a murder needing solving and characters revealing secret agendas.

It’s a compelling way to approach a limited series, because the mystery is what’s important, not the titular character. I mean, he’s sort of important, but it gets an otherwise uninterested reader on board.

Even if Count Vertigo is goofy.

CREDITS

A Slight Case of Vertigo; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Dick Giordano; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, Ben Oda; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.

I’m a Mike W. Barr fan from The Maze Agency, but none of his DC work has ever gotten me excited. The Outsiders, for example. But I’m really liking this Green Arrow series so far.

First, it’s got a lot of story to it. It opens with an action sequence, does one flashback, then another (the second being the origin flashback), then moves into some dramatics, then does a final action sequence. It’s a lot of content and Barr’s got a good handle on making the character likable. I’ve never really liked Green Arrow because, in addition to being kind of silly, he’s loud and obnoxious. But Barr humanizes him, leaving out the volume.

My favorite thing is how jumbled Barr keeps the issue. The Trevor von Eeden art is a little confusing, but it does work….

I just love how quietly they bring Black Canary in. Poof, she’s there.

CREDITS

All My Sins Remembered!; writer, Mike W. Barr; penciller, Trevor von Eeden; inker, Dick Giordano; colorist, Tom Ziuko; letterer, John Costanza; editor, Len Wein; publisher, DC Comics.