What do you think?
Rate this book
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters #1-3
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters
Oliver Queen gives up his trick arrows and settles down in Seattle with Dinah Lance. But Ollie's world collides with one of unspeakable violence involving the beautiful and mysterious archer known as Shado.
Collecting: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters 1-3
Collecting: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters 1-3
152 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1987
About the author
Mike Grell
702 books75 followersMike Grell (born 1947) is a comic book writer and artist.
Grell studied at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, and took the Famous Artists School correspondence course in cartooning. His entry into the comics industry was in 1972, as an assistant to Dale Messick on the Brenda Starr comic strip.
In 1973 Grell moved to New York, and began his long relationship with DC Comics. His first assignment at DC was on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, a high-profile assignment for an artist with no prior experience illustrating a monthly comic book. Grell says he got that job because he was walking in the editor's door to ask for work, literally, as the previous artist was walking out the door, having just quit. These stories were written by Cary Bates and Jim Shooter. The Bates/Grell/Shooter run on the title is very well-regarded today by Superboy/Legion fans, who consider it one of the high-water marks in the character/team's history. Grell's work on SATLOSH is widely thought to be some of the best beefcake/cheesecake ever committed to comic book pages, and is affectionately referred to as the 'disco Legion' in retrospect by fans of the title.
A writer as well as artist, Grell cemented his status as a fan-favorite with his best-known creation, The Warlord, one of the first sword and sorcery comics, and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late-1970s.
The character first appeared in 1st Issue Special #8 (Nov 1975) and was soon given his own ongoing title (The Warlord #1, Jan/Feb 1976). In this book, Air Force pilot Travis Morgan crash-lands in the prehistoric "hidden world" of Skartaris (a setting highly influenced by Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar). For years thereafter, Morgan engages in adventures dressed only in a winged helmet, wristbands, boots, and breechclout, and armed with a sword and (years before Dirty Harry handled one) a .44 Auto Mag.
At DC, Grell also worked on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, and the Phantom Stranger, and with writer Dennis O'Neil on the re-launch of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series in 1976.
[edit] Tarzan
Grell wrote and drew the Tarzan comic strip from July 19, 1981 to February 27, 1983 (except for one strip, February 13, 1983, by Thomas Yeates). These strips were rerun in newspapers in 2004 - 2005.
[edit] First Comics: Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer
Cover to Jon Sable Freelance #7. Art by Mike Grell.Through the 1980s Grell developed creator-owned titles such Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer. Jon Sable Freelance was published by the now-defunct First Comics. Starslayer, a space-born science fiction series, started at Pacific Comics, but shifted to First.
The titular character of Jon Sable Freelance was a former Olympic athlete, later a African big-game hunter, who became a mercenary. First appearing with a cover date of June 1983, Jon Sable Freelance was a successful non-super-hero comic book in an era when successful non-super-hero comic books were almost unheard of, and a graphically violent comic sold in mainstream comic book stores in an era when such was as rare. Jon Sable was a precursor to what would eventually be called, by some, "the Dark Age of Comics," when even long-established super-heroes would become increasingly grim and violent.
The character was heavily influenced by Ian Fleming's James Bond novels as well as drawing on pulp fiction crime stories. Also, many of the stories of Sable's hunting exploits in Africa were influenced by Peter Hathaway Capstick's novels. At a convention in the late 1980s, Grell stated that his idea for Sable was "something like a cross between James Bond and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Sable was adapted into a short-lived television series and the character's origin tale, "A Storm Over Eden," from the comic book, was expanded and novelized by Grell under the title Sable, which was publ
Grell studied at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, the Chicago Academy of Fine Art, and took the Famous Artists School correspondence course in cartooning. His entry into the comics industry was in 1972, as an assistant to Dale Messick on the Brenda Starr comic strip.
In 1973 Grell moved to New York, and began his long relationship with DC Comics. His first assignment at DC was on Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes, a high-profile assignment for an artist with no prior experience illustrating a monthly comic book. Grell says he got that job because he was walking in the editor's door to ask for work, literally, as the previous artist was walking out the door, having just quit. These stories were written by Cary Bates and Jim Shooter. The Bates/Grell/Shooter run on the title is very well-regarded today by Superboy/Legion fans, who consider it one of the high-water marks in the character/team's history. Grell's work on SATLOSH is widely thought to be some of the best beefcake/cheesecake ever committed to comic book pages, and is affectionately referred to as the 'disco Legion' in retrospect by fans of the title.
A writer as well as artist, Grell cemented his status as a fan-favorite with his best-known creation, The Warlord, one of the first sword and sorcery comics, and reportedly the best-selling title published by DC Comics in the late-1970s.
The character first appeared in 1st Issue Special #8 (Nov 1975) and was soon given his own ongoing title (The Warlord #1, Jan/Feb 1976). In this book, Air Force pilot Travis Morgan crash-lands in the prehistoric "hidden world" of Skartaris (a setting highly influenced by Jules Verne's A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Edgar Rice Burroughs' Pellucidar). For years thereafter, Morgan engages in adventures dressed only in a winged helmet, wristbands, boots, and breechclout, and armed with a sword and (years before Dirty Harry handled one) a .44 Auto Mag.
At DC, Grell also worked on titles such as Aquaman, Batman, and the Phantom Stranger, and with writer Dennis O'Neil on the re-launch of the Green Lantern/Green Arrow series in 1976.
[edit] Tarzan
Grell wrote and drew the Tarzan comic strip from July 19, 1981 to February 27, 1983 (except for one strip, February 13, 1983, by Thomas Yeates). These strips were rerun in newspapers in 2004 - 2005.
[edit] First Comics: Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer
Cover to Jon Sable Freelance #7. Art by Mike Grell.Through the 1980s Grell developed creator-owned titles such Jon Sable Freelance and Starslayer. Jon Sable Freelance was published by the now-defunct First Comics. Starslayer, a space-born science fiction series, started at Pacific Comics, but shifted to First.
The titular character of Jon Sable Freelance was a former Olympic athlete, later a African big-game hunter, who became a mercenary. First appearing with a cover date of June 1983, Jon Sable Freelance was a successful non-super-hero comic book in an era when successful non-super-hero comic books were almost unheard of, and a graphically violent comic sold in mainstream comic book stores in an era when such was as rare. Jon Sable was a precursor to what would eventually be called, by some, "the Dark Age of Comics," when even long-established super-heroes would become increasingly grim and violent.
The character was heavily influenced by Ian Fleming's James Bond novels as well as drawing on pulp fiction crime stories. Also, many of the stories of Sable's hunting exploits in Africa were influenced by Peter Hathaway Capstick's novels. At a convention in the late 1980s, Grell stated that his idea for Sable was "something like a cross between James Bond and Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Sable was adapted into a short-lived television series and the character's origin tale, "A Storm Over Eden," from the comic book, was expanded and novelized by Grell under the title Sable, which was publ
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews
December 8, 2015
A reading with edge!
This story was originally published as a 3-part miniseries in 1987. This TPB edition collects the whole of it.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Mike Grell
ADAPTING V. EVOLVING
You’re wasting your time, officer. She was their friend... but they don’t know nuthin’! She got some bad crack... but they didn’t see nuthin’! She just had some bad luck... but it don’t mean nuthin’! It couldn’t happen to THEM.
Mike Grell brings the quintessential story of Green Arrow in this excellent tale showing why the character of Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) is one of the most important ones in the DC Comics universe.
In a quick glance, you may think: “Why Green Arrow if Batman is already there?” “Green Arrow is just a Batman-wannabe with arrows.” BUT Green Arrow is essential to DC Comics, thanks that he is a character that truly evolved from its origins. You may argue that most of the DC Comics characters have evolved, but one thing is evolving and another is adapting.
Characters like Batman certainly have adapted to the expectations and idiosyncrasy of each era and due that they have been able to survive to the changing demandings of new generations of readers, but at the bottom line, they have kept its most intimate traits: Batman still is a crimefighter using an utility belt full of gadgets, as Bruce Wayne still is a clean-shaven millionaire, while having some romantic affairs he is still a bachelor without any steady love relationship, not matter that his ward, Dick Grayson is an adult now remains as a recurring character in the titles, etc...
Oliver Queen may began as a Batman-knockoff: Crimefighter using trick-arrows, clean-shaven millionaire, without any stable girlfriend, kid sidekick, Arrow-car, Arrow-cave, etc… BUT he lost his company with all the money along, he grew a beard, no more Arrow-car, no Arrow-cave, not even any kind of secret headquarters (unless you want to count the second floor of a florist), he engaged into a steady love relationship with Dinah Lance (aka Black Canary), his ward Roy Harper left home for good and very rarely appears in the same comic book titles, etc...
Even with the approach of Mike Grell (in this very mini-series), the good ol’ trick-arrows are gone. No boxin-glove arrow anymore! Now, the Emerald Archer only has back-to-basics sharply-edged arrows and he doesn’t hesitate to shoot them without mercy to pierce hands and thighs of petty thieves.
And therefore, you can realize that all this isn’t just a period-adaptation but a real evolution of the character showing real change on his very core.
However, the real necessity of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in an universe where you already have Batman is that Oliver due his financial downfall forced him to struggle with such harsh situations in real life (well as real as it can be a comic book!) that none other major DC Superhero has ever to deal in their own private lives.
Oliver became the voice of the people, the hero who thinks about the little man, he is the member of the Justice League that keeps “the gods” in their feet not matter if they “live” in a space orbiting watchtower way above from humanity.
Oliver can’t avoid to think always about the working breed because now he is one of them. Oliver isn’t millionaire anymore, heck! he doesn’t have the good salary of a reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper, but all that only helped him to remember (and never to forget) for whom he is really fighting.
CHAOS THEORY V. FORCE OF DESTINY
There are all kinds of hunters. Some hunt for sport. Some hunt to survive. And some just like to watch things to die. Some hunt the hunters.
Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance move to Seattle and began a humble business of florist there.
Just in time, since Seattle is in dire need of a hero like Green Arrow.
A serial killer named by the press as “The Seattle Slasher” has killed already eighteen young women and the local police isn’t near to solve the case.
Also, another assassin labeled as “The Robin Hood Killer” (due using black arrows as choice of weapon) has killed four old men around the country, each on different cities, but now it seems that will remain in Seattle.
Oliver has his hands full with two loose murderers in his new hometown.
Moreover, an unexpected incident gives to Dinah a clue to discover about a drug ring organization, and she wishes to follow the case on her own and undercover.
Three different hard-boiled cases that will prove thanks to the Chaos Theory that it’s difficult to predict their outcomes, but due the Force of Destiny, they will cross bloody paths with Green Arrow right in the middle of all of them.
HE IS...
I belong to the backstreets and alleyways now. I’m a hunter, and that’s where my quarry lives. You go where the game takes you.
I noticed an odd illogical element in the development of the the story that I won’t get into details to avoid spoilers, I only can say that I just can’t believe that certain foreign criminal organizations would mount an operation without the proper support, along with wasting more than a decade without translating into reality the desired operation, for not saying to take so many time to make their own justice about it. (Trust me, this isn’t a spoiler, I just need it to take it out of my chest in some way and you won’t understand this comment unless you read the whole story).
Besides that tiny taint in the middle of a huge comic book masterpiece, definitely the writing job and artwork (made by the same man) were extraordinary and defining Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters as a must-read for any Green Arrow’s fan but also a relevant reading material to any interested in a mature story developed in a graphic format.
Mike Grell shows us in this great tale what distinguishes Green Arrow from other super-heroes. Some are vigilantes, some are boy-scouts, some are soldiers, some are warriors...
...Green Arrow?
HE IS A HUNTER. He tracks down his prey. He bides his time for the right shooting. He doesn’t enjoy to kill, BUT he has done it, AND he will do it again if he considers that it’s the only way to put down his prey. Learn to fear him. HE IS GREEN ARROW.
This story was originally published as a 3-part miniseries in 1987. This TPB edition collects the whole of it.
Creative Team:
Writer & Illustrator: Mike Grell
ADAPTING V. EVOLVING
You’re wasting your time, officer. She was their friend... but they don’t know nuthin’! She got some bad crack... but they didn’t see nuthin’! She just had some bad luck... but it don’t mean nuthin’! It couldn’t happen to THEM.
Mike Grell brings the quintessential story of Green Arrow in this excellent tale showing why the character of Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) is one of the most important ones in the DC Comics universe.
In a quick glance, you may think: “Why Green Arrow if Batman is already there?” “Green Arrow is just a Batman-wannabe with arrows.” BUT Green Arrow is essential to DC Comics, thanks that he is a character that truly evolved from its origins. You may argue that most of the DC Comics characters have evolved, but one thing is evolving and another is adapting.
Characters like Batman certainly have adapted to the expectations and idiosyncrasy of each era and due that they have been able to survive to the changing demandings of new generations of readers, but at the bottom line, they have kept its most intimate traits: Batman still is a crimefighter using an utility belt full of gadgets, as Bruce Wayne still is a clean-shaven millionaire, while having some romantic affairs he is still a bachelor without any steady love relationship, not matter that his ward, Dick Grayson is an adult now remains as a recurring character in the titles, etc...
Oliver Queen may began as a Batman-knockoff: Crimefighter using trick-arrows, clean-shaven millionaire, without any stable girlfriend, kid sidekick, Arrow-car, Arrow-cave, etc… BUT he lost his company with all the money along, he grew a beard, no more Arrow-car, no Arrow-cave, not even any kind of secret headquarters (unless you want to count the second floor of a florist), he engaged into a steady love relationship with Dinah Lance (aka Black Canary), his ward Roy Harper left home for good and very rarely appears in the same comic book titles, etc...
Even with the approach of Mike Grell (in this very mini-series), the good ol’ trick-arrows are gone. No boxin-glove arrow anymore! Now, the Emerald Archer only has back-to-basics sharply-edged arrows and he doesn’t hesitate to shoot them without mercy to pierce hands and thighs of petty thieves.
And therefore, you can realize that all this isn’t just a period-adaptation but a real evolution of the character showing real change on his very core.
However, the real necessity of Oliver Queen/Green Arrow in an universe where you already have Batman is that Oliver due his financial downfall forced him to struggle with such harsh situations in real life (well as real as it can be a comic book!) that none other major DC Superhero has ever to deal in their own private lives.
Oliver became the voice of the people, the hero who thinks about the little man, he is the member of the Justice League that keeps “the gods” in their feet not matter if they “live” in a space orbiting watchtower way above from humanity.
Oliver can’t avoid to think always about the working breed because now he is one of them. Oliver isn’t millionaire anymore, heck! he doesn’t have the good salary of a reporter from a great metropolitan newspaper, but all that only helped him to remember (and never to forget) for whom he is really fighting.
CHAOS THEORY V. FORCE OF DESTINY
There are all kinds of hunters. Some hunt for sport. Some hunt to survive. And some just like to watch things to die. Some hunt the hunters.
Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance move to Seattle and began a humble business of florist there.
Just in time, since Seattle is in dire need of a hero like Green Arrow.
A serial killer named by the press as “The Seattle Slasher” has killed already eighteen young women and the local police isn’t near to solve the case.
Also, another assassin labeled as “The Robin Hood Killer” (due using black arrows as choice of weapon) has killed four old men around the country, each on different cities, but now it seems that will remain in Seattle.
Oliver has his hands full with two loose murderers in his new hometown.
Moreover, an unexpected incident gives to Dinah a clue to discover about a drug ring organization, and she wishes to follow the case on her own and undercover.
Three different hard-boiled cases that will prove thanks to the Chaos Theory that it’s difficult to predict their outcomes, but due the Force of Destiny, they will cross bloody paths with Green Arrow right in the middle of all of them.
HE IS...
I belong to the backstreets and alleyways now. I’m a hunter, and that’s where my quarry lives. You go where the game takes you.
I noticed an odd illogical element in the development of the the story that I won’t get into details to avoid spoilers, I only can say that I just can’t believe that certain foreign criminal organizations would mount an operation without the proper support, along with wasting more than a decade without translating into reality the desired operation, for not saying to take so many time to make their own justice about it. (Trust me, this isn’t a spoiler, I just need it to take it out of my chest in some way and you won’t understand this comment unless you read the whole story).
Besides that tiny taint in the middle of a huge comic book masterpiece, definitely the writing job and artwork (made by the same man) were extraordinary and defining Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters as a must-read for any Green Arrow’s fan but also a relevant reading material to any interested in a mature story developed in a graphic format.
Mike Grell shows us in this great tale what distinguishes Green Arrow from other super-heroes. Some are vigilantes, some are boy-scouts, some are soldiers, some are warriors...
...Green Arrow?
HE IS A HUNTER. He tracks down his prey. He bides his time for the right shooting. He doesn’t enjoy to kill, BUT he has done it, AND he will do it again if he considers that it’s the only way to put down his prey. Learn to fear him. HE IS GREEN ARROW.
September 18, 2014
2.5 stars
It's not bad...really.
I mean, if you like books about people having a mid-life crisis, then you'll definitely enjoy this one.
I do have one question, however.
Um, exactly why was Oliver Queen naked so much in The Longbow Hunters? Some of it I can sort of understand, like when he's hopping out of the tub. But other parts?
Who sits around in the nude contemplating life...by candlelight?
Really?!
'Cause see, I've never done that. I might sit around in my PJ's or my sweats, but I don't just roam around the house naked. Especially near candles. I mean, that's just asking for an embarrassing trip to the ER.
Excuse me, ma'am? Can you tell us exactly how you managed to sustain burns on you pubic area?
Well, today was my birthday and I was alone. So, naturally, I was wandering around the house naked. I tripped on the rug, and fell on the rather large candle I was carrying around with me. I'm thinking it was the scented oil I had rubbed all over myself that allowed my naughty bits to singe so quickly...
Uh-huh. Very common problem.
There were also a few things about Dinah Lance/Black Canary that I didn't understand.
First, isn't she a blonde? In Grell's version, she is a short-haired brunette, who evidently has a blonde wig she wears when she wants to be BC.
Also, I noticed that she didn't seem to have her powers, either. When the crazy dude was torturing her, she didn't knock him on his ass with her bird scream thing. Her mouth wasn't taped up, so it shouldn't have been a problem. Instead, Ollie runs to her rescue...which explains the naked tub jumping.
Eh?
The look of this one alternates between beautiful penciling and early 90's art. But it is 20 plus years old, so you can't really hold that against it.
For the most part, I thought this was pretty underwhelming. I had to put it down a couple of times and read a little bit of a trashy romance novel to clear my palate.
So.
Only recommended for fans who just can't get enough Green Arrow in their diet.
It's not bad...really.
I mean, if you like books about people having a mid-life crisis, then you'll definitely enjoy this one.
I do have one question, however.
Um, exactly why was Oliver Queen naked so much in The Longbow Hunters? Some of it I can sort of understand, like when he's hopping out of the tub. But other parts?
Who sits around in the nude contemplating life...by candlelight?
Really?!
'Cause see, I've never done that. I might sit around in my PJ's or my sweats, but I don't just roam around the house naked. Especially near candles. I mean, that's just asking for an embarrassing trip to the ER.
Excuse me, ma'am? Can you tell us exactly how you managed to sustain burns on you pubic area?
Well, today was my birthday and I was alone. So, naturally, I was wandering around the house naked. I tripped on the rug, and fell on the rather large candle I was carrying around with me. I'm thinking it was the scented oil I had rubbed all over myself that allowed my naughty bits to singe so quickly...
Uh-huh. Very common problem.
There were also a few things about Dinah Lance/Black Canary that I didn't understand.
First, isn't she a blonde? In Grell's version, she is a short-haired brunette, who evidently has a blonde wig she wears when she wants to be BC.
Also, I noticed that she didn't seem to have her powers, either. When the crazy dude was torturing her, she didn't knock him on his ass with her bird scream thing. Her mouth wasn't taped up, so it shouldn't have been a problem. Instead, Ollie runs to her rescue...which explains the naked tub jumping.
Eh?
The look of this one alternates between beautiful penciling and early 90's art. But it is 20 plus years old, so you can't really hold that against it.
For the most part, I thought this was pretty underwhelming. I had to put it down a couple of times and read a little bit of a trashy romance novel to clear my palate.
So.
Only recommended for fans who just can't get enough Green Arrow in their diet.
November 11, 2018
After relocating to Seattle, Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance settle in and getting the feel of the land. When Dinah winds up hospitalized after tangling with drug dealers, Oliver crosses the line. But he's not the only one on that side of the line. Shado, a ninja archer, has her sights set on some of the same people...
Green Arrow has never been a favorite of mine but I've been a Mike Grell fan for a long time. I had some Amazon points to spare and took the plunge on this one about thirty years after the fact.
Along with Dennis O'Neil's run on The Question, Mike Grell's run on Green Arrow was a lynch pin of DC's mature readers' line of the late 1980s, a precursor to Vertigo. Also like The Question, it was way ahead of its time. Gone are the gimmick arrows of yesteryear. Mike Grell's Green Arrow shoots to kill. The inclusion of Shado was a nice touch, providing a nice counter point to Ollie's new methods after Black Canary is nearly killed.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story is that it's fueled by Oliver's mid-life crisis. Speedy, Oliver's former ward, has a kid, making Oliver something close to a grandfather, making him reconsider a lot of things.
Rather than making Green Arrow grim and gritty for the sake of being grim and gritty, The Longbow Hunters takes Green Arrow in a logical direction given he's a guy shooting crooks with a bow and arrow. Now that I've dipped my toes in this run, I'm going to have to see it through until the end. Four out of five stars.
Green Arrow has never been a favorite of mine but I've been a Mike Grell fan for a long time. I had some Amazon points to spare and took the plunge on this one about thirty years after the fact.
Along with Dennis O'Neil's run on The Question, Mike Grell's run on Green Arrow was a lynch pin of DC's mature readers' line of the late 1980s, a precursor to Vertigo. Also like The Question, it was way ahead of its time. Gone are the gimmick arrows of yesteryear. Mike Grell's Green Arrow shoots to kill. The inclusion of Shado was a nice touch, providing a nice counter point to Ollie's new methods after Black Canary is nearly killed.
One of the most interesting aspects of the story is that it's fueled by Oliver's mid-life crisis. Speedy, Oliver's former ward, has a kid, making Oliver something close to a grandfather, making him reconsider a lot of things.
Rather than making Green Arrow grim and gritty for the sake of being grim and gritty, The Longbow Hunters takes Green Arrow in a logical direction given he's a guy shooting crooks with a bow and arrow. Now that I've dipped my toes in this run, I'm going to have to see it through until the end. Four out of five stars.
July 13, 2013
This late 1980s graphic novel took me by surprise with its fine artwork, especially in the vein of its pencil coloring. Oliver Green (a la The Green Arrow) and his lady love, Dinah Lance (a la Black Canary yet she expressed no powers and takes a back role to the main story) decide to move to Seattle. As was expected of the times drug trafficking was considered a big issue and so they both go on separate investigations to stop it.
Ollie meets an Asian bow woman who seems as good as him if not better and the story asks the question of whether they are allies or adversaries? There's some nice story and artwork showing the backstory of this Asian adversary and how she came to be and I felt the flashback crossover with contemporary tales on the same page was done well.
Back to the main story . . .
Ollie is tracking down a serial killer and his sub story is having a midlife crisis and desiring children with Dinah.
Written by Mike Grell. Artwork by Julia Lacquement. Interesting introduction by Mike Gold (look for the gun story with negotiations).
ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B plus; WHEN READ: mid to late November 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
Ollie meets an Asian bow woman who seems as good as him if not better and the story asks the question of whether they are allies or adversaries? There's some nice story and artwork showing the backstory of this Asian adversary and how she came to be and I felt the flashback crossover with contemporary tales on the same page was done well.
Back to the main story . . .
Ollie is tracking down a serial killer and his sub story is having a midlife crisis and desiring children with Dinah.
Written by Mike Grell. Artwork by Julia Lacquement. Interesting introduction by Mike Gold (look for the gun story with negotiations).
ACTION SCENES: B to B plus; CHARACTERS/DIALOGUE: B to B plus; ARTWORK PRESENTATION: B plus to A minus; STORY/PLOTTING/EDITING: B plus; WHEN READ: mid to late November 2012; OVERALL GRADE: B plus.
November 7, 2022
Actual rating 3.5 stars.
All I knew about this story was that Shado would be introduced and that was it.
I didn’t quite understand the drug plot. It does tie in with everything but we were just dropped into those conversations between Magnor and Osborne. It felt a bit odd.
I really liked that we got a look at Oliver and Dinah’s relationship and where they stood. I mostly (not totally intentionally) skipped a lot of Black Canary comics.
The flashbacks were an interesting way to get a peek into Shado’s childhood.
What happens between her and Oliver is pretty famous but I’m excited to see how they get there.
Another name I already knew (because of Arrow), Fyers!
I’m interested to see how the two versions differ.
The art was more painterly. There was a really nice landscape shot in the third issue.
I’m excited to see more of Green Arrow and Black Canary in this new city.
All I knew about this story was that Shado would be introduced and that was it.
I didn’t quite understand the drug plot. It does tie in with everything but we were just dropped into those conversations between Magnor and Osborne. It felt a bit odd.
I really liked that we got a look at Oliver and Dinah’s relationship and where they stood. I mostly (not totally intentionally) skipped a lot of Black Canary comics.
The flashbacks were an interesting way to get a peek into Shado’s childhood.
What happens between her and Oliver is pretty famous but I’m excited to see how they get there.
Another name I already knew (because of Arrow), Fyers!
I’m interested to see how the two versions differ.
The art was more painterly. There was a really nice landscape shot in the third issue.
I’m excited to see more of Green Arrow and Black Canary in this new city.
January 23, 2019
Mike Grell throws out the boxing glove arrows and Errol Flynn hat for razor sharp arrows and a hood. One of the first mature readers comics of the 80's, Grell reinvents Green Arrow as an urban hunter willing to kill when necessary to right wrongs. Shado is also introduced as the flip side to Oliver Queen. Grell's run on Green Arrow is one of the main influences on his TV counterpart. Mike Grell's hand shaded art is glorious.
December 29, 2021
This was really good!
Ollie is 40s and he is retired to Seattle with his gf Dinah but what happens when some Seattle Slasher comes in and starts murdering people and so he has to team up with some cops to track this guy down but then another killer nicknamed "Robin hood killer" comes in and Ollie investigates that only to discover the secrets of the woman Shado and how all this is connected and it deals with corruption and crooked men and whatnot and when things get personal with Dinah, a new side of him emerges.
I loved this story and the introduction of Shado gives it a new feeling and also the artstyle is so good here and just makes you love the whole thing even more. The layouts are crazy and the aesthetics are just brilliant. Some of the best imagery ever. One of the best DC and GA stories easily.
Ollie is 40s and he is retired to Seattle with his gf Dinah but what happens when some Seattle Slasher comes in and starts murdering people and so he has to team up with some cops to track this guy down but then another killer nicknamed "Robin hood killer" comes in and Ollie investigates that only to discover the secrets of the woman Shado and how all this is connected and it deals with corruption and crooked men and whatnot and when things get personal with Dinah, a new side of him emerges.
I loved this story and the introduction of Shado gives it a new feeling and also the artstyle is so good here and just makes you love the whole thing even more. The layouts are crazy and the aesthetics are just brilliant. Some of the best imagery ever. One of the best DC and GA stories easily.
October 6, 2016
This is a comic I had read before in a series of monthly installments that also contained other great comic series from DC that had a low interest but combined would be interesting [one of them was also a Shadow comic] and it is a credit that after twelve monthly installments they finished every story and then was no more sold. This Green Arrow was one of the stories and I quite liked it. I had only heard of the Green arrow once before and that was in the classic Miller comic "The dark knight".
With the coming of the tv show "Arrow" which has charted a new life for Oliver Queen my interest was rekindled and I found this comic book that combined " the Longbow murders" in one book. I have unlike watching Arrow with my daughter not been able to motivate her in reading this particular version of the Green Arrow as she is a big fan of the TV show, which we watch together on bluray.
Me being an oldie quite liked this particular story that has put a character that has been around from the year 1941 back in comics with the great Mike Grell at the steering well. In this story Oliver picks up his bow and arrows up again after starting a new life with Dinah, who is still the black canary, and Ollie wants to have a family with her. During the case of a serial killer who is stalking women and killing them and another killer shooting people with bow and arrow Ollie and Dinah find out why it is perhaps a bad idea to have a family unless the stop being the Canary or the Green Arrow.
A weel plotted and well drawn comic that you read way to quick and now I have to track down the next installments, to see how the story continues.
Well worth you time and very much different from the TV series [Which I enjoy a lot too by the way}
With the coming of the tv show "Arrow" which has charted a new life for Oliver Queen my interest was rekindled and I found this comic book that combined " the Longbow murders" in one book. I have unlike watching Arrow with my daughter not been able to motivate her in reading this particular version of the Green Arrow as she is a big fan of the TV show, which we watch together on bluray.
Me being an oldie quite liked this particular story that has put a character that has been around from the year 1941 back in comics with the great Mike Grell at the steering well. In this story Oliver picks up his bow and arrows up again after starting a new life with Dinah, who is still the black canary, and Ollie wants to have a family with her. During the case of a serial killer who is stalking women and killing them and another killer shooting people with bow and arrow Ollie and Dinah find out why it is perhaps a bad idea to have a family unless the stop being the Canary or the Green Arrow.
A weel plotted and well drawn comic that you read way to quick and now I have to track down the next installments, to see how the story continues.
Well worth you time and very much different from the TV series [Which I enjoy a lot too by the way}
September 2, 2013
Many of you who've followed my reviews will know that when it comes to graphic novels (comic book heroes) I'm primarily a Marvel fan. However even though I pretty much stopped reading DC when I was young I stayed aware of some of the main-line characters. Though some may argue that Green Arrow isn't a main-line character, I always liked him and liked the idea. Like Batman he's a talented and fit but otherwise normal human. I lost interest in him to and when I considered it he and Hawkeye (Marvel's archer/hero of record) had a like weakness. The trick arrows. It always seemed just a bit out there (even for a comic book) that these two guys would (now and again) have just the odd arrow at just the right time (grappling arrows, explosive arrows and so on sure I get that...but radio signal arrows, "glue arrows", radar jamming arrows?????).
Since the TV series Arrow showed up (and is pretty good) I found my interest awakened in this older hero. I also enjoyed Mike Grell's novel, Sable (I've never read the graphic novels of Sable). So I decided to read this/these.
I will say that there are some well used cliches in the plot but still it's pretty good. The good side of the story is that we pick up Queen in his life and he's really aged. The story has Queen realizing that in some ways he's lost his way. He's now moved away from "gimmicky arrows" and back to the longbow and arrows.
They also make reference to Howard Hill as having been one of his inspirations. Hill as mentioned in the book did the trick archery in the Errol Flynn Robin Hood. Hill also made the arrows used in that film for "Robin" to shoot and he wrote Hunting the Hard Way one of the best books out there on "longbow" hunting (as opposed to recurve or compound bows. he was a well known longbowman.
I enjoyed this compilation and can recommend it. As noted there are some very cliched plot points but aside from that it's quite well done.
Since the TV series Arrow showed up (and is pretty good) I found my interest awakened in this older hero. I also enjoyed Mike Grell's novel, Sable (I've never read the graphic novels of Sable). So I decided to read this/these.
I will say that there are some well used cliches in the plot but still it's pretty good. The good side of the story is that we pick up Queen in his life and he's really aged. The story has Queen realizing that in some ways he's lost his way. He's now moved away from "gimmicky arrows" and back to the longbow and arrows.
They also make reference to Howard Hill as having been one of his inspirations. Hill as mentioned in the book did the trick archery in the Errol Flynn Robin Hood. Hill also made the arrows used in that film for "Robin" to shoot and he wrote Hunting the Hard Way one of the best books out there on "longbow" hunting (as opposed to recurve or compound bows. he was a well known longbowman.
I enjoyed this compilation and can recommend it. As noted there are some very cliched plot points but aside from that it's quite well done.
June 1, 2015
Mike Grell greatly influences any character he writes and draws. Here he takes Green Arrow and makes him a much more interesting and complex character. Very Recommended
March 27, 2023
Ottima storia su Green Arrow, non so se ottima come prima storia sul personaggio, ma così è stata per me.
Partiamo dai disegni e le tavole, Grell fa un lavoro incredibile, diversi stili tutti bellissimi, uno per raccontare gli eventi presenti, uno per raffigurare emozioni e sguardi e pensieri, e uno stile molto più sfumato e nostalgico per ricordare di un passato che è svanito ed è diventato un presente molto crudo e violento.
La narrazione forse è la parte un po' più carente per conto mio, storia bella, senza ombra di dubbio, ma magari un po' troppo veloce, lasciando che le cose vengano dette al lettore con un piccolo spiegone finale, senza effettivamente capirlo dalle pagine di storia. Le parti riflessive ti fanno sentire il peso di una vera persona che pensa alla sua vita, arrivato ad un'età un minimo avanzata, che quindi pensa a cosa sarà e a cosa potrà fare in futuro.
Il voto è comunque più alto delle 4 stelle che qua è possibile dare, ma non do 5 stelle perché gli è mancato qualche guizzo in più, non saprei benissimo cosa, però ho sentito la mancanza di qualcosa, magari un po' più di caratterizzazione degli antagonisti e una storia più coesa, che per quasi tutto il primo numero inseguiamo un assassino di prostitute, e poi per i restanti due trafficanti di droga e soldi, e questo fa sentire molto meno il peso e l'importanza di entrambe le situazioni
Partiamo dai disegni e le tavole, Grell fa un lavoro incredibile, diversi stili tutti bellissimi, uno per raccontare gli eventi presenti, uno per raffigurare emozioni e sguardi e pensieri, e uno stile molto più sfumato e nostalgico per ricordare di un passato che è svanito ed è diventato un presente molto crudo e violento.
La narrazione forse è la parte un po' più carente per conto mio, storia bella, senza ombra di dubbio, ma magari un po' troppo veloce, lasciando che le cose vengano dette al lettore con un piccolo spiegone finale, senza effettivamente capirlo dalle pagine di storia. Le parti riflessive ti fanno sentire il peso di una vera persona che pensa alla sua vita, arrivato ad un'età un minimo avanzata, che quindi pensa a cosa sarà e a cosa potrà fare in futuro.
Il voto è comunque più alto delle 4 stelle che qua è possibile dare, ma non do 5 stelle perché gli è mancato qualche guizzo in più, non saprei benissimo cosa, però ho sentito la mancanza di qualcosa, magari un po' più di caratterizzazione degli antagonisti e una storia più coesa, che per quasi tutto il primo numero inseguiamo un assassino di prostitute, e poi per i restanti due trafficanti di droga e soldi, e questo fa sentire molto meno il peso e l'importanza di entrambe le situazioni
August 15, 2016
When a comic store discussion kicks up about Mike Grell's GreenArrow: The Longbow Hunters, there is an almost religious hush that settles on the speakers as they stand around the stacks or lean against the glass display cases. There is a sort of mythic reverence these nerd acolytes try to pass on to the uninitiated, and having once been one of the latter, I myself was personally touched by the former.
Due to a peculiarity in me, however, I didn't take my copy home and devour it with a born-again religious fervour. I did take it home, that much is true, but as I am wont to do with most things other folks revere, I couldn't bring myself to start. Instead, The Longbow Hunters joined my bedside stack of things to read, then daunted me from that vantage. It took me years to finally pick it up and see what all that love was about.
I understand the reverence now even if I don't feel it myself.
The Longbow Hunters came out between DC's two granddaddy examples of comic book seriousness. Sandwiched between The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and The Killing Joke (1988), The Longbow Hunters features mature incarnations of Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance (stripped of her Black Canary persona), as they love one another, ponder parenthood (and the decision on this is particularly fascinating), come to accept their place as "super-heroes," and put their lives on the line for what they believe. Beyond their somewhat comfortable world, a sort of Jack-the-Ripper serial killer is slaughtering prostitutes, while a second bowman is taking out a series of seemingly unconnected, rich, powerful victims, and a plague of drug crime is polluting the streets the two love so much.
In the midst of all this gritty chaos is a favourite of all Green Arrow fans -- Shado. She is a Yakuza assassin, forced to kill a series of targets to regain her family's honour and pay off her blood debt, and her presence forces Green Arrow to consider his own ethics, and embrace the killing of foes. It is never clear if this acceptance of killing is due to a need for justice or a recognition of vengeance as a motivation, but both concepts are possible, and the lack of resolution is one of the story's great strengths.
The Longbow Hunters is a strong story. It is beautifully illustrated (brutally illustrated in some parts) intelligently conceived and plotted, and the dialogue mostly holds up for our contemporary audiences. It also goes some distance towards making Green Arrow a serious hero in the DC Universe, and it is a pivotal moment in what would be Green Arrow's finest years as a solo hero and a member of the Justice League.
Unfortunately, though, Green Arrow has never been and will never be as beloved as his fellow from Gotham City, so this comic will never have the readership the comics that include the BatFamily command. I think, ultimately, it is this underdog status that makes it such a religious experience for the nerdy followers of DC. If they know the The Longbow Hunters, if they've read it and appreciated it, if they can pass on their specialized knowledge to others, if they can proselytize their fervour for this high quality, nearly forgotten brother to the granddaddies, they can hold a tiny little niche of the comic book experience that makes them belong, makes them feel special, makes them safe in a world that they feel hates them. And that may just be The Longbow Hunters greatest accomplishment, maintaining a safe space within which to geek out.
I am glad I finally pulled it out of my stacks and gave it a read. It's not my favourite, but anything with Shado, especially Shado at her best, is a comic for me.
Due to a peculiarity in me, however, I didn't take my copy home and devour it with a born-again religious fervour. I did take it home, that much is true, but as I am wont to do with most things other folks revere, I couldn't bring myself to start. Instead, The Longbow Hunters joined my bedside stack of things to read, then daunted me from that vantage. It took me years to finally pick it up and see what all that love was about.
I understand the reverence now even if I don't feel it myself.
The Longbow Hunters came out between DC's two granddaddy examples of comic book seriousness. Sandwiched between The Dark Knight Returns (1986) and The Killing Joke (1988), The Longbow Hunters features mature incarnations of Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance (stripped of her Black Canary persona), as they love one another, ponder parenthood (and the decision on this is particularly fascinating), come to accept their place as "super-heroes," and put their lives on the line for what they believe. Beyond their somewhat comfortable world, a sort of Jack-the-Ripper serial killer is slaughtering prostitutes, while a second bowman is taking out a series of seemingly unconnected, rich, powerful victims, and a plague of drug crime is polluting the streets the two love so much.
In the midst of all this gritty chaos is a favourite of all Green Arrow fans -- Shado. She is a Yakuza assassin, forced to kill a series of targets to regain her family's honour and pay off her blood debt, and her presence forces Green Arrow to consider his own ethics, and embrace the killing of foes. It is never clear if this acceptance of killing is due to a need for justice or a recognition of vengeance as a motivation, but both concepts are possible, and the lack of resolution is one of the story's great strengths.
The Longbow Hunters is a strong story. It is beautifully illustrated (brutally illustrated in some parts) intelligently conceived and plotted, and the dialogue mostly holds up for our contemporary audiences. It also goes some distance towards making Green Arrow a serious hero in the DC Universe, and it is a pivotal moment in what would be Green Arrow's finest years as a solo hero and a member of the Justice League.
Unfortunately, though, Green Arrow has never been and will never be as beloved as his fellow from Gotham City, so this comic will never have the readership the comics that include the BatFamily command. I think, ultimately, it is this underdog status that makes it such a religious experience for the nerdy followers of DC. If they know the The Longbow Hunters, if they've read it and appreciated it, if they can pass on their specialized knowledge to others, if they can proselytize their fervour for this high quality, nearly forgotten brother to the granddaddies, they can hold a tiny little niche of the comic book experience that makes them belong, makes them feel special, makes them safe in a world that they feel hates them. And that may just be The Longbow Hunters greatest accomplishment, maintaining a safe space within which to geek out.
I am glad I finally pulled it out of my stacks and gave it a read. It's not my favourite, but anything with Shado, especially Shado at her best, is a comic for me.
July 23, 2018
"Green Arrow has a midlife crisis" doesn't seem like the best hook for a series, and yet Longbow Hunters pulls it off easily. Framed by the apparently unconnected murders of random people by a mysterious archer, Oliver deals with his biological clock ticking over while Black Canary goes through her own trials and tribulations.
First off, I was always under the impression that the Longbow Hunters were a group of assassins out to get GA, and for that, I blame Arrow, because that's exactly what they are next season. But here, it's more of a theme for Mike Grell to write around, the idea of Oliver as an urban hunter, and how his world view differs to the 'villain' of the piece, the infamous Shado. This helps take a fairly straight forward murder mystery story to a much higher level, and the grinder that both Ollie and Dinah go through will reverberate through the ongoing series that launched after this.
The artwork is beautifully simple; it looks like watercolour pencils, and there are some truly gorgeous spreads in here. There is an issue of which order to read things in, and more than once I ended up reading down a page before realising it was part of a double page spread instead.
Longbow Hunters revitalizes Green Arrow for the late eighties, which is exactly what it was meant to do. Lovely art and great character studies set GA and BC on a new path that really gets to the heart of their relationship.
First off, I was always under the impression that the Longbow Hunters were a group of assassins out to get GA, and for that, I blame Arrow, because that's exactly what they are next season. But here, it's more of a theme for Mike Grell to write around, the idea of Oliver as an urban hunter, and how his world view differs to the 'villain' of the piece, the infamous Shado. This helps take a fairly straight forward murder mystery story to a much higher level, and the grinder that both Ollie and Dinah go through will reverberate through the ongoing series that launched after this.
The artwork is beautifully simple; it looks like watercolour pencils, and there are some truly gorgeous spreads in here. There is an issue of which order to read things in, and more than once I ended up reading down a page before realising it was part of a double page spread instead.
Longbow Hunters revitalizes Green Arrow for the late eighties, which is exactly what it was meant to do. Lovely art and great character studies set GA and BC on a new path that really gets to the heart of their relationship.
November 3, 2014
It's hard to understand today how much this comic changed both Green Arrow and the comic book industry way back in 1987. But the very human characters, the human villains, and the realistic violence, that was all pretty unheard of at the time. Even today it stands out, and you can see its continued influence in the characters and visuals of the Arrow TV show.
Beyond that The Longbow Hunters is a visually stunning, beautiful comic with a great plot for its humanity and great characters. It reads a little bit slow today, and its innovations aren't quite as exciting, but it's still a good modern read.
Beyond that The Longbow Hunters is a visually stunning, beautiful comic with a great plot for its humanity and great characters. It reads a little bit slow today, and its innovations aren't quite as exciting, but it's still a good modern read.
September 15, 2017
The first part of this book deals with Green Arrow trying to catch with a serial killer named the Seattle Slasher (sounds like an 80's thrash metal band). This book is kind of a Dark Knight Returns story for Green Arrow. He's 43 years old and aging, and he is trying to come to terms with his romantic feelings he has had with Black Canary over the years. I will say right off the bat I did like the more 80s style mature approach to the character but that doesn't exactly make it a great book. It's basically just your stereotypical super hero stopping a drug dealer bad guy book
July 10, 2010
2.5 stars. Decent mini-series that re-introduced Green Arrow as a mainstream DC hero. Decent writing, mature plot line and pretty good art.
April 17, 2017
Love the story and the artwork blew me away so beautifully done.
July 25, 2018
Vamos a mediados de la década de los 90s. Después de muchos años de leer historieta argentina o europea, un amigo me mostraba que la historieta para superhéroes tenía un montón de historias super interesante -mi prejuicio la condenaba a "bobadas para niños"- y entre las cosas que me sorprendieron y dejaron asombrado estaba esta miniserie de Flecha Verde, un secundariote del que yo no sabía más que tiraba flechas y, bueno, se vestía de verde. El asunto era que dicha miniserie fue un préstamo -justamente, de ese mismo amigo- y aunque después conseguí la serie que publicaba Zinco, nunca tuve en mi poder los tres tomos que daban origen a esta revisión adulta de Oliver Queen. Hasta el pasado Montevideo Cómics, donde en el stand de otro buen amigo la encontré a un precio ridículo (¡200 pesos uruguayos!) toda reunida en un tomo. Y así me reencontré con una de las historias que me hicieron enamorarme del género superhéroes. The Longbow Hunters encuentra a Oliver Queen a punto de cumplir 43 años, recién mudado a Seattle, viviendo un momento de reflexión. Piensa en tener hijos, piensa en casarse, piensa en muchas cosas que su vida -primero millonario irresponsable, luego superhéroe millonario, ahora superhéroe desocupado- vertiginosa no le ha permitido hacer o tener y al mismo tiempo una serie de muertes -mejor dicho, dos series de muertes- lo ponen en acción, sobre todo porque una de esas series se comete con arco y flecha. Mike Grell tomaba todo lo que se sabía del personaje -con principal hincapié en la saga Green Lantern/Green Arrow de Denny O´Neil y Neal Adams- y lo volvía propio. Más aún, lo volvía la versión definitiva del personaje, un "regreso a sus orígenes" que era en verdad la fundación de esos mismos orígenes. Con una historia dura, emotiva, que no evitaba sino que por el contrario abrazaba la convulsa escena política de la época y dibujada como los dioses (Grell está aquí en sus máximos, igualando a su maestro, el ya mencionado Neal Adams), ponía a Flecha Verde al primer nivel, a la altura de un momento dónde historias como Dark Knight Returns, Swamp Thing o The Killing Joke revolucionaban el género. Mike Grell lograba que el Arquero Esmeralda estuviera a la altura de todos ellos y los mirara, por una vez, como un igual y no un tercerote que completa el cuadro.
March 17, 2020
Rescaté este tomo de la biblioteca que dejé en lo de mi madre; había olvidado que lo tenía, así que me lo traje y, aprovechando la cuarentena apocalíptica, lo releí. Me parece genial que DC haya permitido una historia adulta en su línea editorial. Cuando digo adulta no hablo de puteadas o sangre, sino de preocupaciones adultas como el envejecer o el ser padre.
La historia principal tiene que ver con venganzas y mafiosos, pero no importa demasiado; lo interesante es ver a Oliver y a Dinah intentando seguir con su vida civil y de superhéroes, con las dificultades que combinar ambas conlleva. Mike Grell la rompe con el guion y con los dibujos, en los que apuesta a un estilo realista a lo Neal Adams y un color con matices, que ayuda al clima de la obra.
La historia principal tiene que ver con venganzas y mafiosos, pero no importa demasiado; lo interesante es ver a Oliver y a Dinah intentando seguir con su vida civil y de superhéroes, con las dificultades que combinar ambas conlleva. Mike Grell la rompe con el guion y con los dibujos, en los que apuesta a un estilo realista a lo Neal Adams y un color con matices, que ayuda al clima de la obra.
December 24, 2013
Marco la edición en inglés, aunque la leí en la reciente edición en español de Ecc Sudamérica. Primer cómic que leo de este personaje y me gustó mucho. Tanto el prolijo y pintoresco dibujo como el cuidado guión. Probablemente busque más del personaje para leer (tengo entendido que esta es una obra fundamental y renovadora dentro del canon del personaje). Recomendable para cualquiera que quiera leer por primera vez algo de Green Arrow o simplemente un cómic bien escrito y dibujado (a resaltar queMike Grell escribe y dibuja todo él solo, teniendo un buen resultado, lo cual agrega muchos puntos al cómic).
October 31, 2021
More like the LongBLOW Hunters than the Longbow hunters. A failed attempt to lauch Green Arrow at Frank Miller's rectum that copies this one's hamfisted writing mixing it with dated cultural references (Vietnam veterans going crazy, the war against Iran, drug addiction spreading all over the places...yaaaahwn) and ending with a result that it is even worst and more unreadable than Frank Miller himself (which is incredible, once you think about it for a second). Easily the last DC's 80's reboot I'll EVER try to read in my whole life from now on.
December 10, 2023
Una actualización del personaje para adaptarlo al tono del cine negro de los años 80 que le sienta de maravilla. Las composiciones de página de Grell son espectaculares.
November 2, 2017
Tomo 33 de la DCCNG, que incluye la historia del título más un relato corto dibujado por Kirby.
February 9, 2022
Well, this hasn't aged well. Trigger warning for Sexual Assault
This was written during the height of the war on drugs and it shows. Green Arrow recounts his origin story. If you're familiar with his character you will know his origin is that he became standed on an island and had to fight off a group of bloodthirsty pirates to return home. However, it turns out this was all a lie. Instead of pirates, it was two stoned and unarmed hippies that he threatened with grievous bodily harm so they would take him back to civilization. He doesn't even try to ask them for help. After this, he has these criminals arrested because they were trying to grow some marijuana. For the actions of an ostensibly a liberal hero, it's all so comical.
Several times the comic establishes that crime has never been higher. I'd like to go off on a short tangent here criminals are constantly being shocked that Green Arrow would beat them up. How on earth did they expect him to handle them? With cupcakes and hugs?
The other significant part that really hasn't aged well is that Black Canary is kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Now I am not trying to suggest characters should never be brutalized in fiction but at least it should serve some purpose in the narrative. The authors have not even come close to achieving this goal. Green Arrow kills the men who have committed these heinous crimes and goes back to being a non-lethal hero immediately. Our female lead points out the hypocrisy of his actions and he totally ignores this criticism. The comic takes the stance that this issue has been resolved even though it hasn't been in the slightest.
The comic also drops its narrative focus and picks new ones up willy-nilly. It's incredibly jarring. The comic starts off by relating the dangers of drugs and the mental health issues of Vietnam vets. The Vietnam vet angle is quickly dropped for the horrors of Japanese internment camps . Then at the very end, everything is dropped to insert the Iran-Contra affair into the story. Mike Grell should have just stuck with one because this hodgepodge of unrelated narrative elements doesn't work.
This was written during the height of the war on drugs and it shows. Green Arrow recounts his origin story. If you're familiar with his character you will know his origin is that he became standed on an island and had to fight off a group of bloodthirsty pirates to return home. However, it turns out this was all a lie. Instead of pirates, it was two stoned and unarmed hippies that he threatened with grievous bodily harm so they would take him back to civilization. He doesn't even try to ask them for help. After this, he has these criminals arrested because they were trying to grow some marijuana. For the actions of an ostensibly a liberal hero, it's all so comical.
Several times the comic establishes that crime has never been higher. I'd like to go off on a short tangent here criminals are constantly being shocked that Green Arrow would beat them up. How on earth did they expect him to handle them? With cupcakes and hugs?
The other significant part that really hasn't aged well is that Black Canary is kidnapped and sexually assaulted. Now I am not trying to suggest characters should never be brutalized in fiction but at least it should serve some purpose in the narrative. The authors have not even come close to achieving this goal. Green Arrow kills the men who have committed these heinous crimes and goes back to being a non-lethal hero immediately. Our female lead points out the hypocrisy of his actions and he totally ignores this criticism. The comic takes the stance that this issue has been resolved even though it hasn't been in the slightest.
The comic also drops its narrative focus and picks new ones up willy-nilly. It's incredibly jarring. The comic starts off by relating the dangers of drugs and the mental health issues of Vietnam vets. The Vietnam vet angle is quickly dropped for the horrors of Japanese internment camps . Then at the very end, everything is dropped to insert the Iran-Contra affair into the story. Mike Grell should have just stuck with one because this hodgepodge of unrelated narrative elements doesn't work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 9, 2020
Grell's takeover of the Green Arrow character is mature, political, and dark. It's attempt to make the emerald-clad bow and arrow enthusiast into a modernized realistic person is interesting, always bordering on being too "edgy" or dark but being an engaging and exciting read. Grell's art is the highlight of the book, even though the introduction of characters like Shado is cool the book can get a bit boring sometimes. My two biggest complaints are that sometimes the page layouts can be confusing (mistaking whether it's a double page layout, or two single page layouts, happened multiple times), and most importantly that this book feels embarrassed to be a superhero book. I get it, you want to be realistic and current but it's sad to see a fun character talk about how much he hates what made people like him in the first place. Not that the character had a lot of fans before (and outside of) Grell's new character push but it's hard to get that taste out of my mouth.
August 27, 2018
Really didn't care for the coloring, or the absence of ink drawing (the more traditional drawing typically in comic books). The story was okay... I would agree that it was somewhat daring for its time, but seems a bit tame nowadays. Not to say that the violation of the Canary was not shocking... but it was handled with care and sensitivity... as much as it could have been, anyway. No denying Grell is a good storyteller. Had a pretty good and interesting ending. Some clunky storytelling in the beginning, but it smooths out as it goes. It was a bit short in my opinion... I thought it has a larger page count than it ended up having. Recommended if you are an Arrow fan.
December 22, 2022
Wow. Just wow. I wish there were more than 5 stars I could give this arc. It has got to be one, if not the, best comic book stories I've ever read. The art is incredible. The story has a perfect amount of gritty, dark realism.
I read that this was the start of Mike Grell's run on Green Arrow. I haven't looked forward to reading a single artist's run of a character since I started Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing.
I read that this was the start of Mike Grell's run on Green Arrow. I haven't looked forward to reading a single artist's run of a character since I started Alan Moore's run of Swamp Thing.
November 12, 2022
Tightly plotted Green Arrow that understands the mythos of the character and gives Oliver Queen a different outlook compared to what has come before or since. Straight to the point; beautiful art that really paints a Fincher-esque proto-Vertigo darker, edgier but no less effective comic. Mike Grell is very good pulling double duty as writer and artist.
July 25, 2020
Good plot: serial killers and Irangate deals, Oliver's midlife crisis, Dinah's ordeal, Shado... a solid very dark and mature story.
The art and storytelling are very dated though and might not appeal to everybody. Yet, a good plot is a good plot.
The art and storytelling are very dated though and might not appeal to everybody. Yet, a good plot is a good plot.
July 8, 2023
3 spre 4 stele.
Cred că lumea citește seria aceasta pentru că aici apare Shado, celebra asasină Yakuza. Mie mi-au plăcut mult arta și violența și unele replici. Povestea nu e complicată, Green Arrow o salvează pe Dinah din mâinile unor nebuni sadici, timp în care mai și urmărește un criminal în serie. Violență, nuditate, nebunie și războiul din Vietnam, plus Yakuza și tatuajele lor celebre fac din miniseria asta scrisă ��i desenată de Mike Grell o poveste cum nu prea se mai scrie astăzi. Cu siguranță unul dintre cei mai buni Green Arrow pe care îi poți întâlni în diferitele epoci DC Comics.
Cred că lumea citește seria aceasta pentru că aici apare Shado, celebra asasină Yakuza. Mie mi-au plăcut mult arta și violența și unele replici. Povestea nu e complicată, Green Arrow o salvează pe Dinah din mâinile unor nebuni sadici, timp în care mai și urmărește un criminal în serie. Violență, nuditate, nebunie și războiul din Vietnam, plus Yakuza și tatuajele lor celebre fac din miniseria asta scrisă ��i desenată de Mike Grell o poveste cum nu prea se mai scrie astăzi. Cu siguranță unul dintre cei mai buni Green Arrow pe care îi poți întâlni în diferitele epoci DC Comics.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 273 reviews