Green Arrow #19 Preview/Discussion

[adrikito]

Green Arrow and Arsenal together:

http://doomrocket.com/dcp-green-arrow-19/

[Frontier]

Green Arrow should ride horses more. I'll call it the Arrowhorse .

I have to imagine Roy spying on Ollie and any girl he brought home is the closest they ever came to having "the talk" .

Which I guess speaks to the main issue with Oliver and Roy's relationship, in that it wasn't that Oliver didn't care about Roy, because he did and you can see that in the flashbacks or in the nods to Roy over the course of the run, but he just wasn't as attentive or there in raising and mentoring Roy as he should've been. Otherwise he would've noticed Roy's addiction problem sooner or seen some of the bad influences he was imparting onto Roy .

I guess "Dysfunctional Duo" is probably the most apt way of describing Ollie and Roy together, or at least right now when the pain of their breakup is still fresh. The sad thing is that I'd say Green Arrow and Speedy, under better circumstances, would be one of the stronger partners of the DCU, even on par with Batman and Robin, if it weren't for their falling out.

[Slaughter]

I like how this Roy clearly has more of a technical bent. Also he's the one introducing the crazier trick arrows to Oliver.

"Oliver should have been more attentive" seems a bit weird in the age of helicopter parents, so to say.

Btw, why is Oliver such a cuck lately? Seriously, everyone blames him for everything, he just takes it. Next they will blame him for Flashpoint too. Maybe past Oliver was a jerk (seems overrated as far as jerkiness go), but so far present Oliver has been doing exemplary conduct. Bom Cristo, people!

At least Dinah has stopped doing that.

Also, Count Vertigo!

EDIT: I just thought about something - now that we're getting the ten years back, I wonder if we have any chance for Connor Hawke to return? We already got Dinah, Roy, Diggle, Emiko is doing double duty as herself and a bit of Thea from Arrow. Connor as a serene buddhist monk would definitively add a different perspective to the team. Also he's like the anti-Damien. This current arc has a bit of "Revisit Oliver Queen's past screw-ups!" and the way Ollie handled Connor was definitively one.

[Frontier]

I guess if you're being true to their original breakup, there was no way for Oliver to come out-of-this looking good, but throwing Roy out after a wild party and calling him all those derogatory comments was pretty unflattering. I got the sense there was more to it than that, and there was more build-up to Oliver kicking him out, but still. I would've liked to have seen a little more "happy" memories or some more insight into their time together before it happened.

I like Count Vertigo's new design, though I'm wondering how this Rebirth version jives with Lemire's Vertigo...and I'm guessing he's going to show up next issue to aid the bad guys.

I loved finally seeing Dinah and Roy together. That was something I was definitely hoping we'd see, and it's cool to see her helping mend the rift between Ollie and Roy here .

There's just something that feels so right seeing Oliver and Roy together again...I hope Roy sticks around in the book to some degree, and doesn't pull a Garth.

[Stormcrow]

While I was glad to see the attempt to restore Ollie and Roy's history, I was also pretty annoyed with the faux nostalgia bit of "So this is really happening. Green Arrow. Arsenal. Black Canary. Fighting together."

Just like when Gail Simone went for a Birds of Prey reunion during her last Batgirl arc, it doesn't work because these are completely different characters with no history between them. Dinah and Roy literally just met for the first time in this issue, and she really hasn't been dating Oliver that long.

And Count Vertigo was a joke. Interesting how Percy seems to love Lemire's run but this is what he does with Vertigo...

[Frontier]

While I was glad to see the attempt to restore Ollie and Roy's history, I was also pretty annoyed with the faux nostalgia bit of "So this is really happening. Green Arrow. Arsenal. Black Canary. Fighting together."

Just like when Gail Simone went for a Birds of Prey reunion during her last Batgirl arc, it doesn't work because these are completely different characters with no history between them. Dinah and Roy literally just met for the first time in this issue, and she really hasn't been dating Oliver that long.

And Count Vertigo was a joke. Interesting how Percy seems to love Lemire's run but this is what he does with Vertigo...

Well, I guess one way you could frame it sensibly is you have famous hero Black Canary teaming-up with underdog hero Green Arrow alongside washed-up sidekick Arsenal, so Roy was commenting on the novelty of it all.

I know that doesn't make much more sense, but what can you do ?

What didn't you like about Vertigo? Just that he seemed like a normal Supervillain here? I really liked his redesign.

[bat39]

Well, it is still a 'nostalgia' thing from the POV of having these characters together again, even if its the 'first time' for them.

I liked the backstory. It had enough nods to the classic version, while still being its own thing. I especially loved the new spin on the Green Arrow and Speedy days. It kinda made those old Golden Age and Silver Age stories make sense in a modern context.

I also appreciate how in this particular arc, the horribly exaggerated SJW tendencies have been severely toned down. Oliver's not protecting the protesters because he's an SJW and anti-establishment anarchist - he's protecting them because they have the right to peaceful protest and are innocent people under attack by criminals, which is the way it should be. And of course, Roy has a compelling personal reason to be there.

I loved the nod to Wild Dog. Hope we get to see him in person sometime, especially since he's shaping up to be an interesting character on the show.

[Slaughter]

What didn't you like about Vertigo? Just that he seemed like a normal Supervillain here? I really liked his redesign.

He looks weird being shirtless. Counts don't go around shirtless.
Then again, I have a HUGE bias against shirtless characters. Except women, they um, carry the shirtless look better.

[Stormcrow]

What didn't you like about Vertigo? Just that he seemed like a normal Supervillain here? I really liked his redesign.

I didn't like his redesign, but then again I didn't like Sorrentino's either. I prefer it when he looks more dignified and wears a shirt.

And the fact that he's basically played for laughs. Green Arrow's rogues gallery is pretty much just Merlyn and Vertigo, he should be taken more seriously.