Justice League of America "All I Know" T-shirt

Superhero Stuff has a bunch of new DC Comics shirts up on their site. One of them being this great "All I know I learned from comics" Justice League of America shirt. It has quite a few heroes and villains with some fun lessons they teach underneath them. As you can see, Green Arrow gets some love and apparently teaches you to "shoot straight".

 It would have been nice to get a better mix of villains in there instead of the plethora of BatFoes (seriously the Batman characters make up almost 50% of the characters on the shirt). Next time maybe we can get some Count Vertigo or Deathstroke on there!

*Images courtesy of SuperheroStuff.com

New Green Arrow Trades Incoming

DC Comics unveiled a list of upcoming hardcover and trade paperbacks yesterday. There's a lot of good stuff in there, both old and new. We already saw an announcement for a new edition of Year One a few days ago and it looks like Green Arrow's resurgent popularity is working for him because we're going to finally start getting some newer volumes of his older adventures to go along with the new stuff.

Here's the Green Arrow related books from the list:

(September Releases)

Arrow Vol. 1 TP

Writers: Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg

Artists: Mike Grell, Jorge Jimenez, Sergio Sandoval, Julian Totino Tedesco, Eric Nguyen, Omar Francia and Xermanico

Collects: Arrow #1-5

$14.99 US, 160 pg

Green Arrow Vol. 3 TP

Writers: Ann Nocenti and Jeff Lemire

Artists: Freddie Williams II, Rob Hunter, Tom Derenick, Art Thibert, Robin Riggs and Andrea Sorrentino

Collects: Green Arrow #0 and 14-20

$16.99 US, 176 pg

(November Releases)

Green Arrow Vol. 1: Hunter’s Moon TP

Writer: Mike Grell

Artists: Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin

Collects: Green Arrow #1-6

$14.99 US, 160 pg

Justice League of America Vol. 1 HC

Writers: Geoff Johns and Matt Kindt

Artists: David Finch and Scott Clark

Collects: Justice League of America #1-6

$24.99 US, 176 pg

Infinite Crisis Videogame

DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Interactive announced a new PC game today called Infinite Crisis. It's a MOBA (Multiplayer Online Battle Arena) game being made by the fine folks over at Turbine. As the title suggests, the game will use the DC Comics event as the basis of the game's story and it'll allow players to choose alternate universe versions of their favorite characters. Only a small group of characters have been shown so far (got enough Batman in there guys?) and while Green Arrow wasn't one of the ones shown today, he's bound to show up in the final roster what with the TV show and rejuvenated comic going for him.

The game is scheduled to release some time this year for PCs. With this and Injustice: Gods Among Us (out in a couple of weeks), Green Arrow will see more videogame screen time this year than he ever has before!

Green Arrow Quiver Hoodie

Another cool find from Stylin Online. I know winter is supposed to be officially over but it's still hoodie weather where I am. This Green Arrow hoodie is the closest thing I've seen to some of the Superhero "costume" sweatshirts that are out there for other DC heroes. All its missing is the domino mask attached to the hood. 

Either way, its a fun hoodie with an arrowhead on the front and a quiver full of arrows on the back. It may not scream Green Arrow to the non-comic book fans in your life (that's either good or bad depending on your point of view) but we'll know and that's what matters, right?

New Green Arrow: Year One TPB Cover

DC Comics just released this image over on their blog. It's a brand new cover for the new edition of the Green Arrow: Year One trade paperback, drawn by non-other than Jock himself! It's a beautifully drawn image that bears a striking resemblance to the posters for the Arrow TV show. This is one of my all time favorite Green Arrow stories (plan on writing a review for each issue soon). It seems like a standard cover swap so I don't think there's anything new in this edition but if you haven't read this version of Green Arrow's origin then I highly recommend buying a copy. You don't even have to be a Green Arrow fan to appreciate the gorgeous art and well written story.

I already own it digitally, the old single issues, and the hardcover version but I might have to reach into the wallet once again for this new edition. I just really love that cover *drools*.

Justice League of America (Vol.3) #2

*I’m going to try something different for this review in an effort to make my reviews a little shorter and flow more naturally. Felt like I was spending too much time just recapping the issues before instead of talking about them.*

World’s Most Dangerous: Chapter 2 by Geoff Johns and David Finch

This issue was a marked improvement over the previous one. The artwork is improved quite a bit and almost all of the things I nitpicked at before are gone. With all of the introductions and set up out of the way, Geoff Johns is able to finally focus on the characters and what makes them tick. We get to see how they interact with one another and how some of them feel about the team and their place on it. This leads to probably my favorite series of panels of this entire month’s worth of comics I read. As Vibe is sitting at the JLA Headquarters’ briefing room, he’s startled by a mace that slams into the table. Hawkman has arrived and Vibe gets to meet his new teammate for the first time.

Green Arrow also got a nice little moment to shine again in this issue (No he didn’t die. Shocking, I know). While Ollie is lying in a hospital bed recovering from his injuries, Martian Manhunter probes his mind and we get a little more information about how Ollie infiltrated the Secret Society’s world as the Dark Hunter before getting caught and then escaping. He then wakes up and we get a great scene where Ollie gets to call out Steve for basically using him and then tossing him aside. Steve essentially tells Ollie that, yes I recruited you to help find these guys, sure you almost died, yeah I started a new team that you can’t be on cause Waller said I can only have so many, but thanks for what you did (Way to be a jerk there Steve).

Speaking of the Secret Society. We finally get to put a face to the mysterious guy that was off panel last issue. I’m not sure if I’m supposed to recognize him or if its a new character completely. Looks a little like The Outsider to me, which would seem to make sense considering they kind of reintroduced him during Flashpoint.

Anyway, it’s nice to actually see the guy even if I’m not entirely sure who I’m looking at. The Secret Society clearly doesn’t mess around when it comes to their recruiting process and they obviously have some big plans revolving around bringing “something” frightening to Earth (Darkseid again? Trigon? Someone new?). It’s an interesting plot point so far, I just wish it moved forward more than it did in this issue.

That’s really my biggest complaint with this issue. We got a lot of good character moments but it seemed to come at the expense of moving the over-arching plot forward. It certainly didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the issue but I can see where it might for others. The issue did end on a note that makes me hopeful that we’ll see more story progression next time. Our team (minus Green Arrow of course *sigh*) is scouting the area that Green Arrow was found for any trace of the Secret Society. Almost immediately, they start to get picked off by the robot versions of Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman that Green Arrow was running from in the first issue. I’m hoping the ensuing battle will lead to some more insight on the Secret Society and their plans.

Overall, its a very good issue. So go out, buy it and support the Emerald Archer folks!

Justice League of America (Vol.3) #1

The Issue:

World’s Most Dangerous: Chapter 1 by Geoff Johns and David Finch

The story opens 5 years in the past in London. A shadow covered Professor Ivo is talking to a man off panel about all of the emerging Superheroes in the world. The man off panel makes a rather ominous remark about how the world will call them Super-Villains, then says he has a “map to make” and Ivo has “things to build”.

We then jump to present day and are introduced to this mysterious individual as he tries to escape through a forest.

He gets blasted by what looks like heat vision and take a tree branch through the side. As he recounts how little he has accomplished in life, we see that he seems to be running from Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. These clearly aren’t the genuine article as Wonder Woman says that their creator wants him dead. Our mysterious man says that he’s going to die today, just not yet.

Over at ARGUS, we find Amanda Waller and Steve Trevor having a conversation about the Justice League.

Steve tells Waller that a Justice League of America will never work but Waller insists that she has to make it work. After a little more arguing, Waller shows Steve the picture of Superman and Wonder Woman kissing. Turns out, the Government is worried about the ramifications of their relationship (or the ending of it) and want a team that can step in to fight if need be. From here, we get to meet our first set of recruits, Hawkman, Katanna, and Vibe. 

After a few scenes of explaining their powers and backstories, we jump back to our mystery man as he continues to make his escape. His side wound has gotten much worse and all of the blood loss is starting to take a physical toll. After realizing that he’s lost, the man looks up to the sky and asks for help. Not because he needs to live but because the people he’s running from need to be stopped. When he gets no response, he tells God to go screw himself. He’ll find his own way home.

Back at ARGUS, we continue the recruiting process and meet Stargirl. 

Waller seems to have something planned for Stargirl’s role that she won’t like. That doesn’t phase Waller since she knows the identity of Stargirl’s biological father. We then get a quick rundown of the other members planned for the team.

Steve apparently takes offense to Green Arrow being on the list and says that his “okay” skill set isn’t right for the most important part on the team. He then tells Waller that if she wants this to work, then she’ll need someone else. 

Catwoman and Steve do the standard beating upon first meeting that seen so often in comics. It isn’t until he entices Catwoman with the identity of the woman that stole her identity that she finally agrees to join the team. And with that, we have the team that will take down the Justice League if it ever comes to it.

(Hhhhmmm there's something GREEN missing from this picture)

Before the issue can end, Waller is called out of the office and Steve tells J’onn that he can come out now. Martian Manhunter is a little taken back that Steve knew he was there but says that he’s in. He also implies that Steve has ulterior motives for being on the team and threatens to erase everyone’s minds if they make a move against him (Don’t mess with J’onn!).

Just then, a random soldier rushes into the room and informs Steve that he needs to get to the infirmary right away. Turns out our mysterious man has made it back to ARGUS after being lost in the Kielder Forest for days. Steve pushes the doctors out of the way and insists that he needs to talk to this guy before he dies (way to give him a fighting chance there Steve). He removes the man’s mask to reveal that it was Green Arrow all along! He’s able to inform Steve that these villains are calling themselves The Secret Society right before he starts to crash and the issue ends!

The Opinion:

This issue was kind of what I was expecting going in. It’s a lot of set up and introductions but not a lot of actual story to latch onto. That isn’t really a bad thing. This issue is probably great for someone that isn’t familiar with these characters and needs the backstories. I appreciate that all of this was packed into one issue instead of dragged out for an entire arc. It just makes me that much more eager for issue two, so we can get the ball rolling and really get into the meat of the story.

I’ve never had any real affinity for Vibe, Katana, Stargirl, or Catwoman but I enjoyed their introductions and I look forward to what Johns has planned for them. He was able to get everyone a decent amount of screen time to let their personalities shine through (except for Baz since he’s trapped in the Dead Zone. Read Green Lantern!) so I have hope that he’ll be able to continue that. Often times in the Justice League book, characters like Cyborg have been just lurking in the background or have two lines for the whole issue. Hopefully, this book won’t have those same struggles. 

The strongest part of this issue for me was all of the “Dark Hunter” stuff. I promise that isn’t because it was Green Arrow all along (that actually did surprise me). Those were just the parts that dealt more with potential story opportunities with the Secret Society, so I think they resonated with me more. I’m very curious about what they have planned and how this new JLA will go about taking them on.

The artwork was a little hit and miss with me. I usually really enjoy David Finch’s art, and some pages were really enjoyable in here too, it’s just some other pages felt a little muddy to me. I’m not sure if it was different inkers on those pages or coloring or what. It’s still top notch artwork and nothing to scoff at so I’m reserving judgement.

All in all, it’s a good issue that is really accessible for new readers. There seems to be some strong ideas for future stories and I’m looking forward to reading them.

Robot 6 Interviews Andrea Sorrentino

There's a great interview with Andrea Sorrentino (current artist on the Green Arrow comic) over on the Robot 6 blog. In it, they get in to some of the details of Mr. Sorrentino's art, like how some of the unique coloring choices came about and any artistic inspirations he might have. They even talk about which trick arrow he most wants to use in the book (looking forward to seeing how they use that one). It's a short read but there's a lot of fun information for anyone that's curious about the behind the scenes details that go into making the book.

Oh and if that isn't enticing enough for you, then there's also a couple of drool worthy black and white pages from Green Arrow #20!

DC Collectibles St. Patrick's Day Sale

From now until March 20th, you can get 17% off select items from DC Collectibles. As you can probably guess, the items on sale are all related to the color green so there's quite a bit of Green Arrow stuff in there! My personal favorites are the New 52 Action Figure and the Green Arrow: Star City's Favorite Archer print (pictures of both below). So, if you're looking to score some Emerald Archer stuff for your collection and want to save a few bucks, click the link above and get to shopping!

Green Arrow (Vol. 6) #18

The Issue:

The Kill Machine: Part 2 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino and Marcelo Maiolo

This issue begins the same way the last issue did, with Oliver Queen still in the Black Mesa desert. As he lays unconscious in the dirt, we get a nice flashback of Ollie’s father teaching him to use a bow. Its a poignant scene between father and son that ends with Ollie’s dad telling him to “Never give up”. With that, Ollie gets to his feet and continues walking towards a large rock formation that I can only assume is his destination.

From here, we jump back to our three weeks later story where the last issue left off. Fresh off his beatdown at the hands of Komodo, Ollie awakens at the ports of Seattle with a note from The Magus at his side.

Heeding The Magus’s advice to check out Emerson’s office, Ollie makes his way back to Queen Industries, stopping only to make a call to Steve Trevor. Trevor is obviously unhappy that a member of the newly formed JLA is wanted for murder and informs Ollie that he’ll keep the cops off his back for as long as he can.

Elsewhere in Seattle, we see Komodo returning home after his battle with Green Arrow and find out from a Mr. Kryp that our mysterious villain’s last name is Lacroix. It seems this Mr. Lacroix is the owner of Stellmoor, the company that is buying out Queen Industries.

We then jump back to Oliver Queen as he enters a chinese restaurant and asks the owner for a man named Henry Fyff. It turns out that Fyff was a brillant former employee that Ollie had to, relunctantly, let go from his company. Ollie tries to explain his innocence but Fyff already knows that he didn’t kill anyone. He tells Ollie that the footage is clearly doctored and then asks why he came to him for help. Ollie pulls out his Green Arrow gear and tells Fyff that he’s going hunting and needs some backup.

Back at StellMoor, Komodo stands by an office door talking to his daughter Emiko. She’s pleading with her father to let her come in and watch. Komodo explains that things could get messy but lets her follow him in. Inside the office, we find out that Jax and Naomi are alive after all! Komodo threatens to kill them if they don’t help him find Green Arrow. Jax refuses to betray his friend and Komodo puts an arrow in his head (RIP Jax....again). A scared Naomi agrees to help and we see that The Magus has been across the street on top of another building listening to this ordeal the whole time.

Meanwhile, Green Arrow and Henry Fyff take a quick inventory of what remains of Green Arrow’s gear and then out head to Queen Industries. Green Arrow makes quick work of getting into Emerson’s office and heads straight for the bookcase, thanks to The Magus’s note. After finding a hidden switch, he finds a secret room filled with old weaponry, books, and a map of an island! He also finds a photo of his father and Emerson on the island with a man that looks like Mr. Lacroix.

Before he can explore the rest of the hidden room, Fyff radios Green Arrow and tells him that another, rather odd, heat signature has appeared in there with him. Green Arrow turns around to find The Magus leaning against the opposite wall. The Magus reiterates his message that Green Arrow needs to go to Black Mesa if he hopes to defeat Komodo and then the two get into an argument (there's also a nice little name drop for The Outsiders here).

The Magus warns Green Arrow that Komodo has tipped off the police and that they’re surrounding the building. Just as Green Arrow starts to tell him that he has friends in high places keeping the police off his back, sirens can be heard from outside and helicopters swoop down to light up Green Arrow’s position!

Fyff radios Green Arrow and tells him they’re done and need to talk to the cops but Green Arrow says that there is always a way. Telling himself to “Never give up”, Green Arrow shoots a grappling arrow onto the opposite building and jumps out the window. Just as he starts to zip-line across, an arrow flies in and breaks the line! Fyff screams for a response on the radio, as Green Arrow plummets to the ground, and Komodo watches from the top of the building.

The Opinion:

If you couldn’t tell from all of that above then I’ll just say it. This issue is packed with content. We got more insight into who this Komodo guy is, we’re introduced to a new supporting character, there was a surprise appearance from two other supporting characters we thought were dead, we got a little more information about the secrets Oliver’s father was keeping, and we got a good bit of action to go with it all. That may sound like a lot to pack into a 20 page comic but its paced really well. I never felt like things were moving too slowly or too quickly. 

The addition of Henry Fyff is a welcomed one for me. He came across as immediately likable in that genius/slacker role and I enjoyed the dialogue between him and Ollie. Seems like it could make for a fun pair in future issues. I was a little put off by the way Ollie just tells him his secret identity right away but I chalked it up to his current situation.

Poor Jax by the way. The guy is seemingly blown up last issue, makes a triumphant return this issue, refuses to betray his friend and then gets shot in the face by an arrow. Jeff Lemire must really dislike that character.

Jeff Lemire continues to pack in future story ideas and world building in this issue. We get a mention of The Outsiders and they seem to be connected to his father in some way. We know from last issue that Ollie was never supposed to leave the island but now we find out that his father and Emerson have been there with (I’m assuming) the man known as Komodo. Speaking of Ollie’s father, Robert Queen was apparently tied up in some kind of plan or group that involved weapons and war. Plus, we still need to find out what’s so important in Black Mesa, Arizona. There’s just so many plot points to latch onto and think about.

Finally, the art has gotten even better in this issue. The addition of Marcelo Maiolo on coloring has really helped Andrea Sorrentino’s art pop. He adds a lot of depth and nuance that was missing in the colors last issue. They make a great pairing and I can’t wait to see that continue to get better as the series goes on.

Injustice: Green Arrow vs Superman

Full disclosure: I fully expected Green Arrow to lose this fight. In a popularity contest, Superman is just too well known/loved to not win this match-up. That said, I at least hoped they would give Green Arrow a good showing. Let him chain a few good combos together and really take it to Ol' Supes for a bit. Instead, he ended up getting beat quicker than anyone else in the second round! Not cool NetherRealm.

On the plus side, we get our first look at the alternate skin based on the Arrow TV show and we get to hear a little bit of Stephen Amell's voice acting. Both of which look great.

Green Arrow (Vol. 6) #17

The Issue:

The Kill Machine: Part 1 by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino

We start the issue with Oliver Queen wandering through the Black Mesa desert. Clearly dehydrated and lamenting his current situation, Ollie collapses to the ground and we jump back to three weeks prior where an upset Ollie is storming into Emerson’s office. 

The two men fight about the current state of Queen Industries being bought out by a rival company. Things start to cool down a bit and Emerson drops a few hints about another kind of legacy left behind by the late Robert Queen. Before we can get into any details about that legacy, Emerson is shot in the back by a grappling arrow and yanked out of the office window! 

Security bursts into the office and makes the natural assumption that Ollie is responsible. Not willing to go down for the crime, Ollie springs into action and takes out the security guards with a few snazzy moves. He calls Jax and Naomi for help in his escape and we see a clearly scared Jax with Naomi tied up in the background. Jax apologizes to Ollie and says the “he” is making them do it. Suddenly, the top floors of the Q-Core building explode, killing Jax and Naomi in the blast! (Alas, we hardly knew ya)

A distraught Ollie makes his way to one of his safe-houses in the city and gears up. In full Green Arrow gear now, he exits the safe-house and is greeted by the man behind all this madness.

The two break out into a fight but this man is clearly more prepared for the fight. Using Green Arrow’s trick arrows against him, the mystery man mocks Green Arrow and gains the upper hand. Just when things are looking very bleak for our hero, a new guy enters the fight and takes out Green Arrow’s adversary, yelling “Not Yet, Komodo!” in the process. 

This new guy temporarily blinds Komodo, introduces himself as The Magus, and informs Oliver that he was never supposed to leave the island!

The Opinion:

Wow, wow, wow! This is the start that Green Arrow needed at the start of the New 52. With just this one issue, Jeff Lemire has planted so many seeds for future issues and clearly shows that he has a plan for this character. He gives Green Arrow a strong voice that I can get behind and introduces an interesting set of characters that have a lot of promise. 

It’s not all butterflies and rainbows of course. The first part of the book feels like a bit of house cleaning from the first sixteen issues as Lemire gets rid of characters that didn’t gain much traction among fans. But, he did it in a way that opened up story possibilities and I appreciate that. It’s really just a minor problem that I fully expected when a team comes in to do a major overhaul of a book like this. Also, I’m writing this review after having already read issue #18 so I know it doesn’t carry over into the next issue.

Then of course, I have to talk about Andrea Sorrentino’s art. I was already excited when he was announced as the artist but this issue just confirms that he is perfect for this book. He gives the book the gritty street level feeling that a story like this needs. His heavy use of shadows has a noir quality that is accentuated by the black, white and green panels he uses for important moments in the story. He also does this thing where he places smaller panels over parts of the art to direct the reader’s eyes towards important details. It’s a fantastic way of making sure the reader is reading the art along with the words.

It seems like Green Arrow/Oliver Queen is finally getting the world building he’s needed for a while now and I can’t wait to see where it goes! This was exactly the start I was hoping for from this creative team and it’s a great place for new readers to jump into the series.

Green Arrow Face Shirt

I was doing my regular scour of the internet for any new Green Arrow merchandise and I came across this snazzy new shirt. It has a minimalistic look to it with just Ollie's trademark van dyke, mask and a batch of arrows. A pretty cool design in my opinion. Stylin Online has them in stock if you're interested in one or know someone that might be.

Injustice: Green Arrow vs Hawkgirl

I know a few of my first posts are going to be a bit of old news since I just started the site. I'll try to get the site caught up on as much recent news as possible over the next few days so that I can focus on more current things.

That being said, Green Arrow took on Hawkgirl in the Injustice Battle Arena a couple of weeks ago. This is a promotion for the upcoming fighting game, Injustice: Gods Among Us, where fans get to vote on who would win each fight. The Battling Bowman put up a good showing against Hawkgirl and made it into round two....... where he'll take on Superman (underdog much?). Anyway, if you missed the first round go ahead and watch below and make sure to go to the quarter finals page to vote for Green Arrow! Hopefully he has a Kryptonite arrow in that quiver for round two.

Let It Begin

First thing first, I've been reading comics since I learned how to read. In fact, they even helped me with that! I'm by no means an expert on the subject though. I just really enjoy the medium. Lately I've been getting into some of the fan sites that people have set up for their favorite characters and have enjoyed scouring through all of the information they provide. That got me thinking, "why don't I do that?". I couldn't find a good reason why not, so here I am!

I didn't want to just repeat a fan site that someone else has done better so I looked around and tried to find a favorite character of mine that seemed under represented. That's when I found quite a few Green Arrow sites but they all seemed to have been abandoned years ago. I couldn't believe it. If there's ever been a great time to be a Green Arrow fan its right now. We've got a great new creative team on Ollie's main book. He's in three other titles (Arrow, JLA, and Injustice). He'll be a playable character in a highly anticipated videogame (Injustice: Gods Among Us) and he has a hit new TV show that's already been renewed for a second season (Arrow).

So, my hope with Green Arrow Chronicles is to do what the title sounds like. I'll chronicle all of Green Arrow's present and future adventures. Occasionally, I'll jump back and take a look at some of his old adventures. Along the way, I hope that I'll get an even better understanding and appreciation of the character and if I can get even a few people to start reading about this fantastic character, then that's even better!



Image: Green Arrow Vol. 1 #1 by Dick Giordano and Trevor Von Eeden May, 1983