posted
Has anyone else dropped this book recently? Or are people doing just the opposite - recommending it to their friends?
I've been aboard since the start. And while I'd recommend, in a heartbeat, "Quiver" and "The Archer's Quest" to any and all, I haven't been proud of this book in about a year, a few issues notwithstanding.
Judd is rightly trying to do street-level plots and leave the aliens to GL.
But, c'mon. The Duke of Oil????
As a challenge for SPEEDY, maybe. But not all of Team Arrow.
Vertigo hasn't been seen in two years. So much for a Rogues Gallery ...
The opponents aren't A-level, and that's watering down the stories. I echo those who've said Meltzer wrote the best GA in IDC.
And the book needs a sharper, more elegant artist, a la Jim Aparo or Mike Grell.
I really planned to stick around past 50, with Black Lightning on the way. But after the anniversary issue, I'm truly convinced GA needs a major talent overhaul.
I'd love to hear what people think, though ...
Mike
From: Pawtucket, RI | Registered: Jul 2004
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CK, I have to agree that Brick and the little assassin guy left me feeling the 'oh, wow, woopty doo' feeling. Pretty weak overall.
Where Judd excells in GA is the moments between Ollie, Mia and Connor, IMO. The addition of some supporting characters would be good too, especially non-superpowered ones.
But Judd really lacks the ability to make a dramatic villain and/or fight scene, which is shown here. The Riddler will always be a Bat-villain, and the previous too I mentioned are pretty weak. His Batman is borderline atrocious IMO, with both Black Mask and the Red Hood being very 'meh' (and I traditionally liked Black Mask). Overall, Judd's best work is probably Outsiders.
So it's a give and take for me with GA. His scenes with Mia and Ollie (and Connor!) really are great though.
From: If you don't want my peaches, honey... | Registered: Sep 2003
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I actually dropped Green Arrow a while back. And I dropped it for the same reason I dropped Green Lantern.
IN MY OPINION, Judd cannot tell a story without beating you over the head with it. The last arc I got was when the Monsters were killing people for stealing. Sorry, I just didn't feel like we needed 4 issues to tell us over and over that stealing was bad. (Yeah, yeah, yeah ... there was other stuff going on, but that was what struck me for 4 issues.)
But I kinda had a sour taste for Judd because I felt he took the same approach in Green Lantern a few years earlier. As such, I'm going to have a hard time reading another book he writes.
I'm just waiting for Green Arrow to become the Golden Archer, the most all powerful being in the entire universe that could ever be imagined.
-------------------- You can never quit believiing in your dreams ... or yourself. ----- You GOTTA listen to Levi Kreis.
From: Aggieland | Registered: Jul 2003
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I have always been a Green Arrow fan ( Grell was awsome) I think the villians could be a little more up to date. Brick reminds me of the character in the Milestone comic Blood Syndicate. The Duke of Oil was a joke when he showed up in the original Outsiders. I do like the interaction between Team Green. I am gonna hang around and see if it gets better.
posted
I also bailed during the monsters storyline. Haven't seen anything to interest me in the title beyond Ollie himself, and I'm too old and too poor to collect comics because of the characters anymore. I'll pick it back up in a heartbeat whenever a writer I like takes it over.
-------------------- The only consistent feature of all of your dissatisfying relationships is you.
Don't judge me!
Registered: Aug 2003
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Kevin Smith's run on this book - FANTASTIC! Brad Meltzer's run on this book - FAN-FREAKIN'-TASTIC! Judd Winnick's run on this book -
Had been praying for a new writer on this book for ages but the powers that be never listened, and so now this book is a floundering mess of turgid waste. Judd Winnick has done so much to destroy any interest I had in Green Arrow (my once favourite character) that I doubt even a new creative team would be enough to revive it now, though it would certainly be a start.
From: Australia | Registered: Dec 2003
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Boy I thought I was the only one that thought that. I was planning on dropping the book and will probably still with issue 50. It is just not that good of a read anymore.
I do like Winick on Batman though and Outsiders so I will keep those two.
From: Texas | Registered: Apr 2004
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If I recall, I started a similar GA thread a few months back. Hmm. I dropped the book as soon as I saw the new artist. I really liked Phil Hester, and with the exception of the GA-GL crossover, most of the fill-in art had been good, too. But the new look? UGH!!!!!!!!!
Funny thing... I STILL have the LONGBOW HUNTERS promotional poster hanging on my wall, after all these years!!! Yeah, I dug Mike Grell big-time. It was a shame the regular GA series came at a time when he (along with Jim Starlin, John Byrne and a few others) decided they didn't want to draw anymore-- just write. So much of these creators' whole style, thing, "aura", whatever, is tied up in their doing both story AND art, and it just isn't the same WITHOUT the art.
Add to that, the longer Grell stayed on GA, the most he PISSED me off, with the way he kept screwing up the Ollie-Dinah relationship, eventually leading to their break-up. He pulled the exact same stunt in WARLORD, except in GA it wasn't half as interesting-- or well-executed. Grell-- THE guy for GA-- got me SO fed up with GA-- that when he left, so did I. I figured, I'd gotten so disgusted with the character under such a "talent", I didn't feel like putting up with whatever ANYONE ELSE would toss out at the readers.
Mike Grell is currently doing a brand-new JON SABLE FREELANCE mini-series for IDW. Check it out!!! The quality of the art is on the level with LONGBOW HUNTERS-- meaning, some of Grell's BEST, ever.
I'm sure there must be a lot of talented people out there who could tackle GA-- new and past. (Does ANYONE remember when Alan Moore did a GA story in DETECTIVE ???)
Registered: Aug 2003
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Well jillikers, I'm still enjoying it quite a bit!
# 50 was a lot of fun (NOTE: THIS POST WILL CONTAIN SPOLIERS FOR # 50), what with the OUTSIDERS appearance and all, and the Mia-is-HIV-positive issue was one of the most touching comics I'd read in years.
I've no problems with the Duke of Oil, I thought it was kewl Judd brought him back!
ANd I love how DEATHSTROKE has become the Billy Badass of DCU villains, and he's now gunning for Ollie per # 50. Now THERE'S your upscale villain.
But when did The Riddler become The Joker? He was WAY too Joker-esque in appearance AND action for me.
Roy, Connor and Mia enhance the GREEN ARROW title for me, I want 'em ALL there.
posted
Its weird. All the elements MLLASH mentions as being in 'Green Arrow' are normally all the things I love about a comic...
* Cheesy little-seen villains making a return - check!
* Important social issues like HIV being introduced and explored - check!
* Ollie, Connor, Roy, Dinah and Mia (some of my favourite DCU characters) all in the same comic - check!
So the ideas are all there, but there's just something in Winnick's writing that I'm completely allergic to. I've tried reading so much of his Green Arrow and Outsiders stuff and its all I can do to not throw the comic half way across the shop in disgust!
Maybe he'd be better off as an editor so some of his ideas could still be used but I'd be spared his horrible way with words?
From: Australia | Registered: Dec 2003
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"He got better"?? ... I don't know if we need another contender in the "who's the best fighter in the DCU" competition. I kinda liked the fact that Ollie would get knocked around - it made his fortitude all the more impressive. I don't need to see him with ninja skills or whatever. Hopefully they won't harp on it overly much.
From: New York, NY | Registered: Jul 2003
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