Green Arrow July Solicitations

Well, it's that time again. DC Comics released their full slate of July solicitations today and, with it, comes our first look at what's coming up for the Emerald Archer.

GREEN ARROW #22
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art and cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
1:25 B&W Variant cover by ANDREA SORRENTINO
On sale JULY 3 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for more information.
Count Vertigo makes his debut in The New 52! And just when Ollie thinks he’s got it all figured out, another piece of his family mystery emerges…only this one is still breathing!

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6
Written by GEOFF JOHNS and JEFF LEMIRE
Art by DOUG MAHNKE and CHRISTIAN ALAMY
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
1:25 Variant cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
1:00 B&W Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
On sale JULY 10 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Combo pack edition: $4.99 US
Retailers: This issue will ship with four covers. Please see the order form for more information.
TRINITY WAR CHAPTER 2! The War of the Justice Leagues continues as one hero is arrested and another goes rogue. Who is responsible for the evil that has infected the League? And who is the true killer? Only the Question knows the answer...
This issue is also offered as a combo pack edition with a redemption code for a digital download of this issue.

ARROW #9
Written by MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art by MIKE GRELL, ALLAN JEFFERSON, LEBEAU UNDERWOOD and ERIC NGUYEN
Photo cover
On sale JULY 24 • 40 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T • DIGITAL FIRST
Does Diggle really trust Oliver? What happened between Laurel and Tommy while Oliver was presumed dead? What kind of tactics do the SCPD use in their ongoing investigation of the Starling City vigilante? Find out all this and more in this startling issue!

Looks like there's a lot of exciting things in store for Green Arrow! Count Vertigo is going to be making an appearance and more mysteries uncovered in the main series. Trinity War is starting that month and Ollie was called out as being a major player in the Justice League/of America/Dark crossover. Then of course we have the ever expanding mythology of the Arrow TV series being collected in Arrow #9. Yep, definitely lots to look forward too!

Green Arrow (Vol.6) #19

The Issue:

The Kill Machine: Part 3 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino and Marcelo Maiolo

Three issues into The Kill Machine and the mysteries are still coming. We still need to know what’s Robert Queen’s connection to the island, who are the Outsiders, what is The Magus’s deal (seriously, this guy is starting to get a really creepy vibe), why is Komodo so hell bent on destroying Ollie, etc. I don’t mean any of that as a knock against the book. Personally, it’s a breath of fresh air for a title that’s been needing a clear direction since the New 52 reboot. 

That said, if you’re hoping for a bunch of answers from this issue then you’re going to have to wait a little longer. This issue mainly focuses on hard hitting showdown between Green Arrow and Komodo after last issue’s cliffhanger. Andrea Sorrentino really knocks this whole issue out of the park. The action sequences are beautifully drawn and I still love those smaller panels that highlight important aspects of the art. Marcelo Maiolo’s colors continue to impress as well. I said it last issue and I’ll say it again, his colors add so much more depth and nuance than what we saw in issue 17. Really hope these two stick around and continue to grow.

We did get one revelation amidst all of the fighting. Komodo admits to killing Robert Queen. 

The cover kind of spoils this twist but it does bring up another question. If that is Komodo in the picture with Robert and Emerson that Ollie found last issue, then what happened to make him turn against two people he seemed to be friends with? Komodo seemed to have a real disdain for Robert when he was mocking Ollie about his death. So whatever it was, it must have turned personal at some point.

I did have one little complaint with this issue. Green Arrow seemed to get played down a LOT for the entire story. I can understand the villain berating the hero and mocking his skills but there are points when even Green Arrow is admitting to not being as good of a shot. He even gets shown up by a ten year old girl towards the end. It’s not a big problem and, truthfully, it’s probably just the fanboy in me not wanting to see his favorite hero get shown up by anyone.

All in all, it’s another solid issue. A nice break in the talking and world building of the previous two issues for a knock-down-drag-out fight if you will. Some of the preview art for issue 20 makes it look like we might be seeing more from the “now” timeline in the Black Mesa desert. Hopefully that means we’ll start piecing together some of these story threads and get into the meat of the story soon.

Happy ArroWednesday!

Happy ArroWednesday everybody!

First up we have the  amazing Green Arrow series by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Marcelo Maiolo. Not a whole lot to go on from the solicitation except: “What startling secret is revealed on the island that gave Green Arrow birth?”. It definitely has my interests peaked and I can't wait to read this later today.

Next up, we have a new digital issue of the Arrow tie-in series. This week’s issue promises to answer “So what happened between Tommy and Laurel during the five years that Oliver was presumed dead? Find out in this steamy chapter!”. Sounds like we’ll be getting more character history fleshed out (no pun intended) in this week’s issue.

Finally, after you’ve scoured over every detail of this week’s comics, sit back and enjoy the latest episode of Arrow. Count Vertigo will be making his reappearance this week and he looks even more Scarecrow-ish than the last time we saw him. 

This is one of those perfect Emerald Storm kinda Wednesdays with two new comics to read and a TV show to watch. Look for reviews of the two comics later today and tomorrow (I'll be doing something else for the TV show later). It’s a good time to be a Green Arrow fan people, so go out and support the Emerald Archer!

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.

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.