ComicPageOfTheWeekend: Red Lantern/Red Arrow

The awesome mock-up cover done for that Fringe episode (which took place in the alternate universe).

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© DC Comics/Warner Bros.

Super Dictionary: fasten

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

ComicPageOfTheWeekend: Ollie's Stupendous Chili Recipe

Time for some cooking activity with Green Arrow!
Here's a pretty fun page, Ollie's own "Chili Recipe". Beware though, it's certainly edible, this isn't just a joke, but like you'd expect from GA, it's HOT! Really hot, like it will burn your entire mouth and ruin your sense of taste for months!

But if you feel up to the challenge, try it~

I wonder who at DC spent the time making this one up :P

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Only a hothead like Ollie or someone with Bats' discipline is able to survive this chili!

JLA © DC Comics

#TV News! #Arrow official trailer

Did I forget to post this?
Anyway, after the first clip, CW just released an official trailer for the upcoming Green Arrow series simply titled Arrow.
And it looks great so far!!



Fantastic!
I'm so pumped out for this!
I really can't wait for the pilot.
I'm okay with a more Batman Begins-ysh take on Ollie, heck that's not that far from the 80s Mike Grell run on the book.

Hopefully this last for more than a seaon...

CBR JLA: Incarnations

 

Remember my Justice League: Year One review?
Now's the time to dig into it's sequel, a zip through the JLA's following years and teams!

Comic title: JLA: Incarnations
Art by Val Semeiks, Prentis Rollins, Kevin Conrad, Eric Battle, Keith Champagne, Ray Kryssing
Story by John Ostrander

Published by DC
From 2001
Lineup JLA
Format: Maxi-series, published as JLA: Incarnations issues #1-7.

JLA Incarnations is a follow-up to Mark Waid's own JLA Year One.
It picks up where Year One left off, the idea behind this series was to cover various key points over the League's history in all-new adventures taking place during these "eras".

And to take on this dantesque job, it was none other than Mark Waid John Ostrander. Who, you might ask?
John Ostrander is a renowned comic book writer, best known for his classic and popular work on the Suicide Squad, the long running Martian Manhunter series and his most recent work on Star Wars: Legacy.

His style his big, epic and bold, perfect in my eyes to carry over Mark Waid's style.
This mini series serves to tell the history of the JLA during the ~10 year gab that follows the likes of JLA: Year One or Batman: Year One, the vague period of time the mid-80s Crisis event kept but retconned from Golden Age and Silver Age comics.

JLA: Incarnations issues are all double sized.
Each issue tells more or less self-contained stories, on 38-pages long issues. The story picks up fresh from the JLA's formation and first year. Through a sort of "retroactive retelling", we revisit past incarnations of the Justice League up to then-the present time of publication (that is, the JLA composed of the likes of Kyle Rayner!Green Lantern, the bearded spear-handed Aquaman, Plastic Man, etc).
We see how the League evolved, the gradual changes brought to the roster and team.

The first issues covers the "Silver Age" of the team. The roster stayed mostly the same, composed of GL, Flash, Martian Manhunter, Aquaman, Black Canary and Green Arrow. The League was still based in a mountain.

It's a great way to see how these stories took place in the post-Crisis DC Universe.
Subtle changes are given either to the continuity throughout the stories or the characters themselves over the course of the years.
Each issue focuses on some standalone members more than the others.  The first issue takes place around the first confrontation between the JLA and the JSA (without any silly Earth-2 aspect), the JSA seems a bit resentful against their successors at first, it's not like in the old comics when they just simply stumbled  into another world where other people filled their roles. It's your classic "villain manipulations"-plot though.
The second issue shows us how the "World's Finest" (Superman and Batman) came to  be reserve members rather than full League-status.

The third issue, one of my favorites, takes place around the "Satellite era".
When Green Arrow ends up leaving the League, feeling out of touch with the population from the space headquarters.

Ostrander plays "continuity cop", cleans up the DCU hitory and yet still manages to have fun with these overall characters arcs.
You feel invested in these characters in such few pages.

After the depart of Arrow, "thanks to fascists pigs" like Hawkman, there's a whole issue 4 dedicated to Martian Manhunter and Aquaman as they see the constant struggle to keep the team together during the time Elongated Man and Zatanna joined the JLA.
And finally even an issue 5 over a decade in the making, a Crisis tie-in!
And quite an original issue, taking place during that classic event that redefined DC Comics, but from the perspective of the actual resultant "Earth", not the old retconned Silver Age one, and from the eyes of the infamous "JL Detroit", a real team of underdogs heroes. (with the likes of Vibe, Vixen,,..)
There's also a revisiting of Barry Allen's final moments before joining the Speed Force.
And a back-up story taking place during Ostrander's own plotted Legends mini-series (glimpsed in my Blue Beetle review). When heroes became outlawed.

My favorite of the bunch is without a doubt the Super Buddies-esque issue.
Issue 6 sees Blue Beetle and Booster Gold get the Justice League International in trouble.
With some spot-on JLI-era humor, a fun (and funny!) adventure in Bialya
The same issue also offers us a extra tale during the disbanding of +the 90s Extreme Justice.
Finally, issue 7 takes place during the current League, and features the JLA's first foes, the Appelaxians! (last seen in Year One!)

JLA: Incarnations is about epic larger than life-adventures!

There's a lot of character moments, something you don't always get in these kind of action adventure comics.
This comic book series revisits and reimagines past events making they fit each other in the history of the League. There's some bigger character arcs that take place over various issues.

The book covers various classic League villains and some more obscure ones, such as Wotan, Gorilla Grodd, Kobra, etc.

The art is quite appropriate to the periods visited.
I really liked Val Semeiks' chameleon art stly,e, at times channeling John Byrne, other times George Pérez.
The art is bright, sometimes more realistic, other times more comic book-ysh. It ends up with more cartoony Superman and Batman "in the present" at issue 7.
The various inkers truly help Semeiks pencils fit the period of each issue.

There's also an on-going side story, from the perspective of Tully Reed - a reporter who is a big fan of superheroes, though he goes under some changes over the years too.
He's our entry-point into this fantastic world, and like the readers, will often cheer to the heroes, other times resent them..but in the end, he'll follow their heroic example.

Overall, it's a great enjoyable read!
Such a fun ride through the years.
It's also quite easy to get into, this is the kind of story the characters will refer to in their other comic book series.

From their golden days to the dark times and return to form.
I also loved seeing the Martian as the Justice League-constant throughout the years.
(Which, sidenote, reminds me why I just can't get into the currents New 52 League, no Martian Manhunter really? And Didio & co threw him into Stormwatch, nor JLA nor the JLI, really? booooh!!)

Loved all the little details, the mail from the fans-page designed to imitate the JLA at the time,
Keith Giffen/J.M. DeMatties feel of the JLI issue...

It's truly a shame this has never been collected (as of today, as I write these lines).
Even if you only find a issue or two, it's self contained and quite accessible.


I give it:

  2.5 / 3 Plastic-trophies!

#TV News! First look at #Arrow

The CW has just released the first footage from the upcoming all-new Green Arrow series.
Check this out.
This new series will introduce us to a more Batman Begins-ysh take on Oliver Queen. And despite being on the same channel, it won't tie-in with Smallville.

Here’s the official pitch from the network's press release:

After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow - a vigilante - to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be - flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle - while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on - and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.

So apparently, Star City was renamed Starling City, because....?
(these sort of little generic changes always annoy me, because what's their purpose? what does it bring up to the table? nothing? a new trademarked name to copyright?)

Anyways, here's the official first look at the beginning of the show:



Looking interesting so far.
I'll definitively check up the show's start.
Though this guy doesn't strike me as "Oliver Queen" much.

The arrow-carving seems to be ported straight outta the pages of GA: Year One.

Hope it doesn't end up as "emo" (for lack of a better word) and filled with teenage-angst as Smallville... (a Superman/Clark Kent that barely ever smiled? really? and more drama than a soap opera...)

Now, I can't wait for Syfy's own Booster Gold to show up to! Been loving Eureka lately, and I guess with that show ending, Booster will take its place/slot on the shedule.

Super Dictionary: asleep

Super-creepiness at its finest...

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

Super Dictionary: hug

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

DC NEWS! ARROW teaser pic

DC just released a teaser pic of the upcoming live action TV series ARROW, which, you guessed it, will be based on the adventures of Green Arrow.

Not sure if this will follow "the real" Green Arrow from before the reboot or the New 52 Green Arrow.
But they way he looks (facial hair!!), his costume and the way the description makes it sound, it seems to me this might be a GA true to form.

After being marooned for five years on a remote island, former billionaire playboy Oliver Queen returns with a mysterious agenda and a lethal set of new skills that he uses in a war on crime.

A certain Stephen Amell will star as Oliver Queen.
The executive producer - and director for the pilot - will be David Nutter (who worked on Smallville and took care of Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles).
Who said:

"We’re creating a real, believable world in which Oliver Queen can do incredible things. Colleen Atwood’s great work on the Arrow costume reflects that effort."

This might be good, or might be plain bad and boring. Only time will tell, I guess...

Super Dictionary: duck

I don't know what Hal's got with ducks in this super dictionary, but he sure has a thing for 'em :P

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

Super Dictionary: tear

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

ComicPageOfTheWeekend: The Super Dictionary

I just noticed I never posted any scan from the "Super Dictionary", and it's about damn' time I started doing so!

The Super Dictionary was a sort of encyclopedia published by DC and illustrated by most of the publisher's famous characters.
For comic fans and blog posts, it's a gold mine.

So without further redo, here's my all new Super Dictionary tag for future blog posts.

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Super Dictionary © DC Comics

ComicPanelsOfTheWeek: Aw Yeah, William Tell!

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Tiny Titans © DC Comics

CBR Green Arrow & Speedy: Secret Origins

 

I've been readings lots of Mike Grell's Green Arrow run lately.....and then I noticed -
I already talked about some Green Arrow origin stories (Year One and Year One again) but not of Grell's own classic (and mostly definitive) revisited origin!!
(note: the modern 2007 Year One was mostly based and expanded upon Grell's take, it doesn't retcon it but adds upon it)

So here's yet another origin story for the Emerald Archer!

Comic title: Secret Origins #38
Green Arrow Secret Origins story by Mike Grell
Green Arrow Secret Origins art by Hannibal King, Giordano & Starr
Speedy Secret Origins story by Elliot S. Maggin
Speedy Secret Origins art by John Koch & John Nyberg

Published by DC
From 1989
Lineup Green Arrow
Format: Single issue from an on-going series.

I dunno for you, but Mike Grell's take on Green Arrow is still for me the definitive and best version of GA. It was "The" Green Arrow for me.
Sure, I loved Kevin Smith's reboot in the early 2000s, Chuck Dixon's run on GA's son Connor Hawke, Judd Winnick's take after Kevin Smith and J.T. Krul  more recently. And I can already say I can't wait to see what Krul and Dan Jurgens will do in the upcoming new relaunched series.
But under Mike Grell, Oliver Queen was a whole different beast.

Removed from his gadget that made him a wannabe Batman, simplified in his role and concept as a "modern day Robin Hood", Ollie was a hunter. Who used a deadly weapon (more so than, say, a Batarang is). A man who dared not cross a line he knew he had no problem overstepping if need be.

Anyway, after making G.A. popular again and relevant back in the 80s with the story arc Longbow Hunter, and then launching a new on-going series that would last for quite a while (until Ollie's "death"), Grell came upon this retelling of Oliver Queen's origin into Green Arrow. It was done at the height of the series when there was this Secret Origins on-going book which was showcasing and retelling origin of most major DC characters. I already reviewed a few of those.
And since these issues were usually split around two characters, it was only natural to take the occasion and give the second tale to Ollie's sidekick Speedy (not long before he changed his name into Arsenal and outgrew his former sidekick role).
 

The big, green, arrow-guy...

The first story is called "Sometimes a fool notion" and is the main meat in this issue.
It is the story devoted to retelling G.A.'s beginnings.

During its first half, the story is told, in true comic book fashion, over a dual-narration. One half featuring Ollie's wake up on this mysterious island, trying to survive, picking up some techniques to survive by improvising and remembering his early life... The second lower half, in "the real world", the events prior to the shipwreck, establishing his character.

Then, both plots interconnect, joins each other and Ollie gets off that island, now with a new outlook on life.

The second part of this story sees Ollie back in the mainland. He's having problem adjusting back... He never fully lived as much as when on that island, and he can't just back to being a selfish jerk anymore now... Until one time at a costumed party, when trouble happens, Ollie decides to take actions and plays superhero for the first time...dressed as Robin Hood! (his childhood hero)

"What am I supposed to do? Steal from myself and give to the poor?"

D'awww :)

The second comic is called "The kid that couldn't shoot straight".
It's a complete recap of Oliver Queen's ward and sidekick, Roy Harper.
It recaps in just a few pages all of his life, from his youth, growing up in a Navajo reservation until his recent days (and the present of the narration), being a Titan and the proud father of the little Lian Harper. (daughter of Roy and the villainess Chesire).

The story, if a bit short, goes well into details, telling how Green Arrow's path came into his, how he mastered his skills and proved an equal to Ollie.
Then the "Wonder Years", fighting crime side by side. The era in which Ollie started to imitate Batman (sigh...), donning trick arrows, an arrow-mobile, etc.. But Roy's all grown up now. He has to become more responsible (which was playing around his character arc over at The New Titans book), step out from the shadow of his mentor...

"All I can do is teach you what I know... to do justice... to love mercy... to walk humbly... and TO SHOOT STRAIGHT!"

Anyway, both stories, even written and drawn by completely different creative teams form a pretty interesting diptych.

We have these two facets of two different but related characters. In Ollie, we see the man going back to a more primitive regression (as a hunter). Leaving the shell of his past life behind. This adult playing dress-up. Living by having fun.
And with Roy it's the son becoming the father. Growing up. Looking nostalgically at his past.

It's a pretty neat package, and easily amongst my favorite "Secret Origins"!

Overall, it's a pretty good issue of Secret Origins
Easily one of the better ones. (unlike the more randoms like, say, Secret Origins: Batman/Halo...)

It features both classic DC archers, involves there past but was at the time setting their future direction in stones.
Plus, hey, there's also a brief mention and the origin of the trick arrows! How cool is that? XD

If you're a fan of Ollie and come across this, don't hesitate! DC fans or just those who prefer the more realistic-grounded heroes, give it a look to.

I give it:

  2 / 3 Plastic-trophies!

CBR Green Arrow: Year One (1995)

 

I was reading some more old Green Arrow issues when I come up around this one.
I almost forgot but Green Arrow already had one Year One story back in the 90s!

Like Aquaman: Year One it was part of DC's plan to reintroduce characters after one of their event.
But unlike other Year Ones, this one was almost never mentioned anymore.

Let's check it out!

Comic title: Green Arrow Annual #7: Green Arrow Year One
Art by Rick Burchett & Eduardo Barreto (framing story) and Chris Renaud & Gerry Ferndandez (origin story)
Story by Chuck Dixon

Published by DC Comics
From 1995
Lineup Green Arrow
Format: Single issue "annual special" format.


After the big comic book time altering event from the early 90s, DC Comics decided it was a good moment to produce several Year One comics as jumping points for new readers that might had decided to start reading new titles.
(and that event was Zero Hour, already mentioned in my Atom comics review)
Kinda inspired by what they had done in the past after the Crisis from the mid-80s, relaunching several titles like Batman, Wonder Woman, Man of Steel, etc..
But this time just one-shots about ~40 pages of comics each, mostly recapping events to help bring readers up to speed on the various on-going comics at that time.

Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, wasn't "The" Green Arrow anymore at that time. It was his son Connor Hawke who took the mantle.
Writer Chuck Dixon who was handling most of the Bat-family characters already decided to take on the Emerald Archer at this time. Since Connor was Green Arrow, this Year One was supposed to reintroduce the classic G.A. to readers quickly and easily. This is where the problem lies for most fans, it didn't follow G.A. established origin that much, which was pretty consistent all the way through the 80s to the early 90s under Green Arrow's fans' favorite writer Mike Grell.

This Year One summarize and deviates from Ollie's classic origin. The basis is all here, we skip right from "survivor trapped on an island"-Ollie to bearded-Ollie.
(which either erases, skips or doesn't mention his younger years as a non-bearded Green Arrow and/or teaming up with his original sidekick Roy Harper!Speedy)

Time for a FLASHBACK!

"Clock's ticking Bowman.."
Thus the story opens in medias res, in the middle of a sequence. Green Arrow faces off against some mysterious foe...
Who is that villain, what is going on... But first of all, who is this Green Arrow guy anyway?

The story then jumps at the beginning, at the start of it all.
Oliver Queen grew up a spoiled kid. Despite a fascination for Errol Flynn (and archery to some extend), he never showed much heroism or any interest in other people besides him.
Rude, arrogant, Ollie was a real pain in the butt for all those who surrounded him, never getting too close to anyone even so.

But one day, aboard a yacht on a cruise, Ollie fell off..those he used to abuse and despise didn't bother helping him out...so he was left in the middle of nowhere...

The "longbow hunter"!!

This rich spoiled kid woke up later on, on a desert (or so it seemed anyway).
There, only his surviving skills and letting his attitude behind would help him get by and live to see the day he could amend for his past sins...

With a model to live by, his dreams and memories of his hero Errol Flynn, and a means to become proactive, a bow and arrows.

Finally, Ollie met someone else, a certain Steven Clothier, also another marooned person on the same island.
Both started working on a means to escape this hellish situation...until Ollie found out about "Nicholas Kotero", the Love Boat Killer...

This 1995 Green Arrow: Year One tale takes GA through the journey from the douche rich spoiled "Ollie" Queen until he set the price on making things right.

The art is pretty good, suited for a Green Arrow story. And even the change of artists from the overlapping story to the flashback wasn't that noticeable.
Chuck Dixon goes straightforward with a pretty simple story building up Ollie's origin and a brand new archenemy in the process. (which was only used in Connor Hawk/Green Arrow II on-going series later on)

Oliver Queen is an archer, but he will not soil himself with blood.
He wants to play by the rules...what is the price for such foolish considerations?

After playing hero when he found the plantation in one of the other islands near by,  "The Green Arrow" returned to land with a new goal for his live...and means to do so.

Overall, it's a pretty decent and simple enough story.
His whole origin was later on retold in the 2007 story Green Arrow: Year One.
Probably much better, and I'd recommend giving a try over this one.
But if you're a Green Arrow fan and want to experience some of the (rare) GA stories from the 90s (alongside Connor Hawk's) check this one out!

"Practice makes perfect"
This was also true to Dixon as well as Green Arrow. He later went on writing some great stories for Oliver Queen's son and successor (as well as some great crossover team-up stories with then-Green Lantern Kyle rayner)

By letting his foe live, Ollie tried to prove himself better than his would-be future enemies. He's a hunter at heart, but doesn't kill. (at least most of the time)
Then, this Love Boat Killer set on GA in his sights to toy with him, play with him, and prove he wasn't any better than him...

Is there a need and place for sawshbucklers in the world nowadays?
Is Oliver Queen, Green Arrow, good enough to hurt instead of kill?

I give it:

  1.5 / 3 Plastic-trophies!

Deleted Scenes - DC Reboot: Part VIII: What might had been...

DC Reboot: part I

DC Reboot: part II

DC Reboot:: part III

DC Reboot: part IV

DC Reboot: part V
DC Reboot part VI

DC Reboot VII

Enough with the actual reboot/relaunch/revampe/whateva of the DCUniverse!
Let's check out some of the designs sketched by Jim Lee that might had been...

Some differences might not be that evident... But others on the other hand...
Funny enough, I find some of these concept arts much better than the actual costumes we'll get in September.
So let's check 'em out:

They even redesigned Jonah Hex and the DC old west universe? I mean, really??
At least with Jonah Hex serial style it won't be that apparent and most artists will skip Jim Lee's suggestions...

O...kay... Animal Man doesn't have a "costume" anymore but this strange look? (3rd pic)
Why didn't they pick the above revamps of this costume?

Nope...still not a fan.
And this above look was too much Stephanie Brown anyway...way to disappoint more fans in one costume.

BOP Black Canary in a new costume closer to the original one (unlike the final version)...Okay...

Katana in her all-new tenth billion variant costume.

'nuff said!

Okay, I like how it looks here, the drawing itself, despite the useless new details added to his classic look.

Aaaah!! Green Arrow all Smallville-ified!!! °___°
The horror! The ugly douche beard! Ahhh!!

This one screams EXTREME!!!90s!!!WOLVERINES!!!

I, Vampire!! Turned all emo/Twilight...
Blah :(

[ Not fan enough of the Legion to add smart comment here]

This trio is so...random.
Anyway, kinda like and hate those.
Jason Todd's official DC's Deadpool now. (have you seen the covers? The mask moves and smiles and stuff...)
Roy Harper looks great!
Starfire's sluttier now...but I love the magma hair in this pic!!

Haaaa!!! Deadshot!! Not you too!!
Harley?! What did they do to you? They replaced you by your evil slutty twin, right?? Right??

Superboy finally gets a costume after a decade of casual superhero-ying.
Supergirl doesn't have Peter Parker skills to make costumes..she even missed a whole spot at knees level.

Okay~
Beside, we can't have a good look at Superman's complete costume here.
The collar.....aah!!

Is that Wally West? Bart Allen? Anyway the above picture could have a good costume if colors were reversed (Red on the top, Yellow bellow). Not a fan of his mohawk on the second one though~

Much better! Much classier! Love those two iterations of Wonder Girl's costume here.
The above one has a sort of Greek/Mythic vibe to it, though not really superhero-ysh. The second one is great and does look Wonder Girly enough. Why did they end up making her into a thief/gypsy take on a Donna Troy-fancharacter??


And that is all~
Source: DC's blog The Source