Brandon Borzelli's Geek Goggle Reviews
Green Arrow & Black Canary #6
DC Comics
Winick & Chiang
Another issue of Green Arrow and another effort that is solidifying this series as a must read month after month. This issue doesn’t have a shocking ending like all the other issues seem to have. No, it has a bizarre, head scratching ending, but shocking nonetheless. This issue delivers solid art, some wit, some mystery and trick arrows! What a difference this reboot has made.
You may recall that the previous issue ended with the disappearance of Connor, seemingly still in a coma. This issue begins with a meeting in Prague. A fat man, with a big beard, and a babe in fishnets sit down for a meeting with some locals. Fishnets? I wonder who that could be? The negotiations take a strange turn when the fat man and fishnet start talking about a ship that can cloak. This was the confusing part of the issue. Why would Ollie and Canary be looking for the ship used to shoot Connor and not Connor himself?
A good, old fashioned, night club fight breaks out. The whole scene reminds me of an Indiana Jones type fight. Lots of glasses of drinks being thrown around, while an overwhelming number of goons with guns pursue then through the club. It all ends with a crash through a window and a drop of a few stories to a van waiting below. Then Short Round, I mean Speedy, drives them away. In the getaway van, Ollie shows how he became a fat man for the rouse.
Later, Ollie shows more of his emotions and cuts loose on Red Arrow. Ollie is frustrated and going a little nuts about his son and all the events that have led up to this point. I love how this series has the ability to show the inner workings of Ollie and allows him to show his feelings, but in a natural way. The dialogue and emotions feel real when faced with a stressful situation. It’s refreshing to see Ollie talking to his wife about how he feels rather than the clichéd super hero talking trash to a bad guy during a fight scene to push across his feelings to the reader.
The issue ends with the appearance of the magic ship showing up to kill Team Arrow. Ollie pulls out an arrow, but it happens to be a glue arrow. Ollie straightens out his act and pulls out the proper arrow and takes the ship out. What he finds in the cockpit is downright bizarre.
I liked the issue a lot. It was very good. It wasn’t as great as the previous issues, but it was solid. The core sections of the issue are very good. The missing piece for me was the leap from last issue to this issue. Maybe the dots will get connected down the line, but I felt like I missed a step somewhere. It didn’t detract from the overall excellence of this issue’s execution though.
The artwork was also really good. It’s funny because on the surface the art looks pale and almost cartoonish, but the reality is that art shows excellent facial expressions. That’s where the secret lies. Also, the bodies aren’t the over-muscular type, which has a stroke of realism that I also like.
I seriously am enjoying this issue much more than the previous series. I just can’t get over how much I liked this issue compared to how much I disliked the wedding issue from back in the fall. This take on the character is hitting all the right notes with me. I recommend this issue and this series.
4 out of 5 geek goggles.
 Green Arrow Black Canary #6 |
