GREEN
ARROW: THE LONGBOW HUNTERS (DC, 2012;
Softcover)
Collects
Green
Arrow: The Longbow Hunters Nos.
1-3 (cover
dates August- October, 1987)
Writer
and Artist: Mike Grell
Art
assist: Lurene Haines
Colorist:
Julia Lacquement
I
know very little about Green Arrow. Aside from reading the Denny
O'Neil/ Neal Adams run and buying the first issue of the this title
off of the stands, my knowledge of the character is limited. That
said, I loved this story. I bought the first issue back in the summer
of 1987, and I must admit that I absolutely hated it as a
13-going-on-14 year old kid. Reading it here as a 40 year old in
2013, I can see the value in this story. As a kid I wanted to see
superheroes in costumes beat up bad guys. Okay, I still do,
but I enjoy this older, wiser, Green Arrow too. The desire for roots,
for having a family...these are topics that I could never grasp as a
kid, but as an adult they are all painfully clear.
This
is firmly rooted in reality, with a serial killer stalking the
streets and an assassin who makes the elder statesmen bowman realize
how old he has gotten. There is much regret and disillusionment in
Green Arrow, but at the end of the day he still tries to do right.
This adult take on the character really appeals to me now, but I also
fully appreciate why I hated this as a kid.
I
was a big fan of the prestige format books in the '80s and bought a
lot of them. I bought books like this and Batman: The Killing Joke
off the racks, day of release. I liked the cardstock covers and
better coloring and paper. Little did I realize that I was seeing the
precursor to the modern graphic novel or collected edition.
Mike
Grell is a seldom mentioned and under appreciated writer and artist.
I also really enjoyed Julia Lacquement water colors/airbrushed
coloring. There was a real push in the mid-to-late '80s to make
comics grow up, both in tone and format. We are still dealing with
this push and pull today. The more things change...
Junk
Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.
The
OCD zone- There were at least two printings of the original 1989
trade paperback for this series, and of course DC doesn't bother
including the cover art that was unique to that book as an extra. The
covers are collected in the back of the book, with boring solid green
chapter break pages used.
DVD-style
Extras included in this book: Four page
introduction by Mike Gold.
Linework
and Color restoration rating: 5 out of 5. Everything looks
perfect.
Paper
rating: 4.25 out of 5. Decent weight semi-glossy coated stock.
Binding
rating: 4 out of 5. Perfect bound softcover, or in English:
glued.
Cardstock
cover coating rating: 5 out of 5. Nice thick waxlike lamination.
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