I have to confess, I wasn't entirely sure I'd get this post out on time after cobbling together my last one earlier in the week.
However, I have somehow managed to get it done, confirming that it has been (I guess) a productive week.
This week (well, the latter half of it) saw me read through Green Arrow: The Rebirth Deluxe Edition- Book 1. This omnibus, which contained the first twelve issues of Benjamin Percy's new run as well as the Rebirth special, saw the Emerald Archer continue his crusade to clean up the streets of Seattle, utilizing the vast resources of Queen Industries to not only fight crime but to better society. However, both his mission and his life come crashing down when he discovers a sinister people trafficking operation, with people close to him utilizing his fortune to make it a success. Now, believed dead, without his money or his gadgets, Oliver Queen must work with his allies; sister Emiko, frenemy Diggle and new love and partner Black Canary to not only reclaim what was his but protect the innocent from a sinister organisation bent on causing chaos from the shadows.
I'll be honest, the art and covers for this series had made me tempted on this series back when Rebirth first kicked in. However, it was the praise it got that cemented my interest and after reading the 80th Anniversary and the Lemire/Sorrentino run in recent weeks, I knew I had to make it a priority.
And in the end, I'm glad I did. I really enjoyed this opening omnibus under the Rebirth banner. I found it to be fun and full of excitement as we followed Oliver Queen seek justice for the betrayals against him. I have to confess it wasn't the best start for, while it was a gorgeous title to look at, the arc seemed to take time to warm up. Fortunately, I certainly thought it did as I found myself increasingly invested in what was going to happen Team Arrow as the story progressed.
To be honest, it was Team Arrow which turned out to be the main draw for me from this tome. I really loved the characters and their dynamics that Percy brought to the table, as every single member of the cast was truly engrossing. From the very beginning I absolutely adored the Green Arrow/ Black Canary dynamic, which felt light hearted and refreshing and exactly how two people who were destined to be together (until Flashpoint) would act. Meanwhile, the characters of Emiko Queen really felt improved from her introduction I the Lemire/Sorrentino run, as she felt more three dimensional and less like a Damien Wayne knock off (thank God). Also, the two issue focus midway through really helped flesh her out to me and reinforced what I liked about the character. The there was the (reintroduction) of 'Clock King's William Tochman, whose personality i found to be incredibly interesting, especially, when rendered in Stephen Byrne's art.
Speaking of the art, the 13 issues in this book came from three very different artists with very different styles. However, while I usually like consistency regarding a series' artwork, the differing styles of Otto Schmidt, Juan Ferreya and Stephen Byrne were all exceptionally gorgeous and worked really well together. I absolutely loved each style for differing reasons; Schmidt's almost angelic rendering of the characters (particularly Black Canary), Byrne's vibrancy of his pages and Ferreya ... well, something about his art I can't put my finger on, but it is beautiful on a dreamlike level. As a result, I really felt like all three fed into and enhanced the optimistic, light-hearted adventure that Percy's story was telling.
However, while I enjoyed this volume, I did find myself with a lot of questions. These included; Whatever happened to Naomi? Was she who Ollie and Diggle seemed to be beefing over? Didn't Ollie already lose everything? How did he get it all back Where did this Broderick fellow come from? Where was he prior to now (the Lemire/Sorrentino run)? In fact when it came to questions, pretty much all of them connected to that run.
In fact, that is probably my only criticism of this read as despite how much I enjoyed it, the entire story felt incredibly similar to what Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino did during their run. From secret organisations to a hero operating with nothing, so much of this reminded me of that run and while I may not have noticed otherwise, my recent re-read made it very noticeable (although that may have been just me).
Of course, that quibble aside, I can't let it detract from the fact that Messrs Percy et al. have created a good read, on that was fun and gorgeous and that had an ending which had me needing more.
Hopefully I can rectify that last point very soon.
Oh, and before I forget ...
In my earlier post in the week I mentioned that I'd reviewed two comics. Well, after Midnight Highway I also reviewed Vault Comics' The Last Book You'll Ever Read #1 and this was another good read.
I felt that Cullen Bunn kept his cards close to his chest as he wrote the story here because it felt like so much of this issue was still a mystery be the end. However, this was what really grabbed me about it because it had all sorts of questions and theories going through my mind (like has the book in the story had its ink mixed with blood like the old KISS legend?).
Meanwhile, the art was also solid. I thought it looked a bit sloppy to begin with but felt it got in the right groove as it progressed. As a result, the issue was drawn in a style which made for a very disconcerting aesthetic, perfect for the story we were treated to.
Now, I don't think this is Resonant, Barbaric or I Walk with Monsters (my current top three of Vault) good but TLBYER is certainly upper level, although I'm not sure how accurate I am given that I think that even Vault's weakest comics are gold.
So that's another week (well, half week) in the can and it certainly been one of my busier ones, with two blog posts, two reviews and a record breaking (for me) six (and a half) pages of script written for my 'other' project. I have to admit, I'm proud of myself for the amount I've written, although I think itcmay have been a little too much for my brain to cope with.
But I'm planning on a smaller read next week, so maybe the week in general I can tone it down a little to find my creative sweet spot.
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