Arrow #31 (Web Comic) - A Review

Titled "No Way Out", Arrow #31 goes to the streets of Starling City for its' story.  Our focus this week is on Tony - an out-of-work family man, who has taken a job as muscle for a local loan shark   The money is good but not quite good enough to make ends meet and Tony's conscience starts bothering him even before his boss promises him the money to settle his bills in exchange for his work on one big collection.. 


This isn't the first time Emilio Aldrich has told a story which was more about The Hood's influence on Starling City than on Ollie's activities as a vigilante and that's a perfectly legitimate way to tell a story about a character.  The problem is that The Starling City Vigilante doesn't loom over the story as strongly as he should.  Oliver doesn't really affect the emotional action of the story at all.  Heck, he doesn't even show up until the end of the issue once Tony has already made his choice and is only mentioned once in the story before that point!


The artwork by Omar Francia is appropriately atmospheric.  Drenched in inks, Francia's work here is reminiscent of Tony Harris though far more stylized.  I think I can also detect a slight hint of Sean Phillips influencing the style here.  It fits the story perfectly, since Aldrich seems to be channeling Ed Brubaker.

Is this a riveting crime comic in the spirit of Criminal?  Yes.  Is it an Arrow story?  Not really.  At least, it doesn't feel like one.  You can safely skip this comic without feeling like you're missing anything as an Arrow fan but lovers of crime comics will want to check this out.

Arrow #23 (Web Comic) - A Review

Arrow #23 wasn't written or drawn by Mike Grell.  Despite this, it seems to possess some of the same spirit that inspired much of the late '80s/early '90s run of Green Arrow.  Subtitled Hunters, the story focuses upon Ollie's battle with a mountain lion after Ollie's attempts to stop a drug-deal in the wilderness lead him into the wild cat's territory.  


The script by Emilio Aldrich invokes the Men's Adventure magazines of yesteryear.  This is fitting considering Ollie's own origins among the pulp heroes of that time and the adventurers having to contest with dangerous men and even more dangerous animals.  The action is well-paced and Ollie's thoughts on survival, inter-cut with quotes from The Art of War further evokes the feeling of Mike Grell's warrior poet take on Green Arrow.


I've dismissed Omar Francia's art in the past as being too heavily inked.  While this may have been true of past stories set among the bright lights of Starling City, Francia's dark style is very fitting here in the forests of the night.  You really feel Ollie's terror in every panel, as he evades a predator who has him outclassed and outmaneuvered.

Bottom Line: This is a good issue of Arrow and a must-read for anyone who likes Mike Grell style Green Arrow stories, Jack London style tales of survival or any comic with dark, atmospheric artwork.

Arrow #15 (Web Comic) - A Review

Arrow #15 continues to profile Oliver Queen's gradual shifting of focus from being an avenger to a full-fledged hero.  6:15 To Starling City shows Ollie and Diggle taking action in a hostage situation unrelated to Ollie's goal of taking his city back from the powerful and the corrupt.  Indeed, the hostage takers - who have seized control of a new high-speed train on its' maiden voyage - have similar goals to Oliver but have chosen a far more aggressive way of seeking their goals. 


Katherine Walczak's script is action-packed and exciting.  The story flows smoothly and is well-paced.  More importantly, it does give Ollie a little more character development by contrasting his methods against those of the hostage-takers.  While Ollie is still a long way from being a true hero, we do see him taking some steps toward it as he sets yet another line he will not cross in the name of justice.


Omar Francia's artwork serves the story decently but fails to be as exciting as the story itself.  His caricatures of the established cast are decent enough and resemble the actors from the show, which is a point in his favor.  But some of his figures are too stiff and posed at times, undercutting the excitement of the story.

Despite this, Arrow #15 is a bargain for its' 99 cent download.  If you can't wait until the series return tonight, it should satisfy your cravings until then.  Bon Appetit!  

Arrow #1 Special Edition - A Review

Is this a Mike Grell cover I see before me? It is!

Sadly, Mike Grell didn't have a hand in writing this book or drawing the interior. But Mike Grell artwork is always a welcome thing and it's a darn good sign that the people responsible for this book - and the show - know their roots and are paying homage to the man they call "legendary" in the end of this book, when we see the untouched pencils for the cover.



The plot is fairly standard stuff. Half the issue depicts Oliver Queen being a rich scumbag who makes life miserable for the traffic cop who pulled him over. The other half, set six years later, shows Arrow going after a corrupt businessman. We don't get a lot of insight into who Oliver Queen is in the here and now but the book does hook the reader and leave them wanting to read/watch more to find out how the man we see in the first part becomes the man we see in the second.

The artwork by Omar Francia is serviceable, though heavily over-inked. This is most obvious in the scenes where characters are talking to one another and their faces are half-obscured by the shadows. Actually, given how odd most of the character expressions are in this book, it may be a blessing that half their faces are hidden.. This is all less of a problem in the action-scenes, which are well-done though all too brief, even considering the shortness of this comic.

I don't know if we'll be getting a regular monthly series of this if the Arrow series is successful. What I do know is that I enjoyed this more than any other Green Arrow comic I've read in the past year. If they do continue this, I do hope it has a different artist.

Maybe Mike Grell is free?

This comic is available for free download at DC Comics website.