Review- DC BLUE RIBBON DIGEST #23: GREEN ARROW

DC BLUE RIBBON DIGEST #23: GREEN ARROW (DC, cover date July, 1982)

Collects selections from Action Comics #428, Adventure Comics #250, 252, 253, The Brave And The Bold #85, DC Super Stars #17, Green Lantern #87, and World's Finest Comics #98, 102, and 113 (cover dates July, 1958- December, 1977)

Writers: Mike Barr, Ed Herron, Dave Wood, Bob Haney, Denny O'Neil, Eliot S. Maggin,

Artists: Jim Aparo (cover), Dan Spiegle, Jack Kirby, Lee Elias, Neal Adams, Mike Grell (Penciler), Bruce Patterson (Inker), and Dick Giordano

I have seen these digest sized books floating around comic shops for years but never bothered looking at them. Designed to compete with Archie's highly successful reprints displayed at checkout registers for maximum impulse buy, these low cost reprints hung around for a several years before folding. 96 pages (excluding covers) for 95 cents was a bargain at a time when a new comic with 22 pages of stories went for 60 cents. I remember Marvel also trying these out, albeit a few years later. I remember buying the G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Amazing Spider-Man reprints in the mid-80s. This format never caught on for whatever reason.

This was part of a birthday present from my homeskillet Mike Hansen. He has been collecting these books, and with good reason. Given DC's lack of focus with their collected editions department the books in this series are likely the only chance that a lot of this material will ever be reprinted in color. This particular book also has seven pages of framing sequence between stories by Mike Barr and Dan Spiegle which are unique to this book. Green Arrow and Black Canary are basically sitting around going through his scrapbooks and these reprinted stories are supposed to be reminisces of past exploits.

As far as story selections go you can't go wrong with this assemblage of who's who of Green Arrow artists: Jack Kirby, Neal Adams, and Mike Grell are Green Arrow royalty. The 1950s stories are fun, although Green Arrows Of The World from Adventure Comics #250 is pure crap, the type of garbage that I associated with DC as a kid. The cheesiness of it. How there are supposed to be different Green Arrows all over the world, all with their own dress and dialect based on territory. It's a horrible story saved by the Jack Kirby artwork.

That story's suckiness is completely washed away by the Neal Adams and Mike Grell tales, which are fantastic. I own the Neal Adams stuff in the old slipcased Green Lantern/Green Arrow hardcover so those stories are rereads, but I could read that stuff a hundred times and it would hold up. The stories in this book are all great (except for one) and I enjoyed this in spite of the fact that scattershot collections usually only annoy me. Thanks again for the cool birthday present, Mike!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.75 out of 5.

The OCD zone- As stated above, this is a digest sized book. If you buy them off of eBay don't be surprised that it so little.

Linework and Color restoration: Ben Day dots, line bleed, and off register printing, as well as some blurry spots. The “artistic intention of Ben Day dots” cult can kiss my ass. The printing in this book looks like crap.

Paper stock: Cheap pulp paper of the day, yellowed and browning due to exposure to air and elements. It smells fantastic, though.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback. The glue is remarkably intact, which gives me hope for the future of my books.

Cardstock cover notes: The type of coating found in books of this era is prone to wear over time. My copy has a fair amount of cover and spine wear as well as the soiling found on comics not stored in bags. 

Review- GREEN ARROW VOL. 2: HERE THERE BE DRAGONS

GREEN ARROW VOL. 2: HERE THERE BE DRAGONS (DC, 2014; Softcover)

Collects Green Arrow #7-12 (cover dates August- Winter, 1988)

Writers: Mike Grell and Sharon Wright

Artists: Ed Hannigan, Dick Giordano, Frank McLaughlin, Paris Cullins, Eduardo Barreto, Randy Duburke, Arne Starr, and Gary Martin

Continuing with the mature readers angle, Volume 2 of Mike Grell's Green Arrow works extremely well for what it is. Over the top violence, sexual situations, and adversaries rooted in the real world are what's on tap in this book. Lots of action here with CIA operations and sled dog races in Alaska. Grell lost me with the ninja crap in #9, though. Martial arts enjoyed a brief renaissance in the '80s, but the whole honor/samurai shtick is lame and boring. It reminds me of that episode of South Park...it has a dragon right on the blade. While the writing and artwork are solid enough I won't be back for volume 3.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book weighs about as much as a pack of cigarettes due to the cheap paper that DC passes off on folks. The paper is so off-putting that it helped me decide against continuing to buy this line of books.

Linework and Color restoration: It looks good, but I didn't bother comparing it to scans of the original issues.

Paper stock: DC's Charmin special toilet paper stock. It looks and feels cheap and will brown with age. My first printing of Batman Chronicles Vol. 1 from a decade ago is browning on the top, and it has been stored in a climate controlled environment in an acid free box, away from sunlight and dust. My old Swamp Thing trades from that era are also browning. What a joke.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Thick waxlike lamination.

 

Review- GREEN ARROW VOL. 1: HUNTER'S MOON

GREEN ARROW VOL. 1: HUNTER'S MOON (DC, 2013; Softcover)

Collects Green Arrow #1-6 (cover dates February- July, 1988)

Writer: Mike Grell

Artist: Ed Hannigan with inking by Dick Giordano and Frank McLaughlin

I didn't read this in the '80s, as I loathed the dark, gritty, “psychologically probing” comics that became the order of the day circa 1987/1988. This was of course the fallout from Watchmen, which I didn't read until many years later. It was a new and different sensibility for comics, especially mainstream American comics which were beginning to ditch the Comics Code Authority for the first time in over 30 years in favor of sales exclusively to comics specialty shops (the Direct Market as the kids these days call it). 14-15 year old me wasn't quite ready for comic books like this.

Mike Grell sticks to the writing of this re-rebooted Green Arrow, dealing with more adult themes and increased graphic violence. Grell was writing narrative and dialogue free sequences long before they became the norm. The first “arc” lasted two whole issues. I can only imagine a modern writer stretching it out to six issues.

Ed Hannigan's artwork is solid but it is great when paired with Dick Giordano's inking. Their artwork may look slightly out of date to modern audiences, but bear in mind that this was pen and brush, folks. Photoshop was Science Fiction to these cats back when this series was originally published.

I normally despise characters deviating from their established norms but let's face it, Green Arrow has had multiple incarnations prior to this, and I can only guess that there have been multiple ones since then. I have no emotional attachment to this or most other DC characters so I can freely accept different interpretations of established characters. I freely admit that I have a double standard, as I cannot tolerate the slightest deviance when it comes to Marvel characters. This was a great read and I have Volume 2 in queue and hope to read it someday.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book weighs about as much as a pack of cigarettes due to the cheap paper that DC passes off on folks.

Linework and Color restoration: It looks good, but I didn't bother comparing it to scans of the original issues.

Paper stock: DC's Charmin special toilet paper stock. It looks and feels cheap and will brown with age. My first printing of Batman Chronicles Vol. 1 from a decade ago is browning, and it has been stored in a climate controlled environment in an acid free box, away from sunlight. My old Swamp Thing trades from that era are also browning. What a joke.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock cover.

Review- GREEN ARROW: THE LONGBOW HUNTERS

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.

Buy GREEN ARROW: THE LONGBOW HUNTERS TP at InStockTrades!

Reviews: The Green Lantern/ Green Arrow Collection; Next Men Vol. 2- Shattered, Pt. 2

 

The front and back of the slipcase.

THE GREEN LANTERN/ GREEN ARROW COLLECTION(DC, 2000; Hardcover with slipcase)

Collects Green Lantern Nos. 76-87, 89 and The Flash Nos. 217-219 (cover dates April, 1970- January, 1972)

Writer: Denny O'Neil

Artist: Neal Adams pencils with inking by various artists

My friend and comic book co-conspirator Ferjo Byroy (real name withheld to protect his secret identity) showed me this book. It is long out of print and impossible (or insanely expensive) to find. I tossed and turned as this beautiful book haunted my dreams. eBay searches proved that this book would set me back about $200, which was unacceptable. I figured that I would wait it out for the inevitable reissue. Ferjo and I periodically go comic shop hopping, where we map out a string of stores that we normally don't go to. I found this, sealed in its original factory shrinkwrap for cover price. I had to play my poker face to get this thing out of the store before I broke down and did back flips. 

 

I cannot praise Neal Adams enough. To steal a line from a movie: “I celebrate the man's entire catalog.” Adams, along with Ditko and Steranko, were at the cutting edge of comic art in the '60s. Adams' angles and panel layouts were groundbreaking for the time. Only Jim Steranko was as revolutionary as Adams in his prime.

 

These comics are art of the highest order. I can't believe that I've gone my entire life and have not read any of these issues. While fans of so-called “sophisticated” modern comic books balk at a lot of the baby boomer rhetoric and concerns of the era, this was groundbreaking stuff when originally published. Denny O'Neil is a great comic book writer, way better than any of the “great” writers working for the big two today. O'Neil tackled such weighty issues as racism, the plight of the Native Americans, drugs, street crime and the environment. A lot of posters on various message boards bag on these issues because a lack of set-up, i.e. Green Arrow's ward Speedy was only seen one issue before he was the centerpiece of the heroin addiction storyline. I'll take the backpedaling and occasional inconsistency rather than having to sit through entire issues of padding and set-up like we have today. 

 

Many modern comic book readers are so used to bloated, made-for-the-trade lazy writing that they almost can't stand it when something happens in each and every issue. People's standards for entertainment have sunk so low. I prefer the dialogue and second party narrative packed captions over talking head flipbooks of today. I can point to each issue in here and remember what happened, unlike many modern comic books where one scene is stretched out for an entire issue of double page spreads, splash pages and talking heads. There is nothing wrong with showing superheroes in action in every single issue of a superhero's title. I always thought that was the point. I don't think that showing superheroes fighting villains and having adventures is a bad thing. Boring talking head conversations are what's wrong with comic books today.

 

Green Arrow is almost as unlikable as Marvel's facsimile, Hawkeye. Both are obnoxious, loud-mouthed hotheads whose hearts may be in the right place but are still unlikable. He does make a great counterpoint to Green Lantern's square disposition on social issues. Sometime Green Arrow changes Green Lantern's mind, and other times it is Green Lantern's tried and true voice of reason that prevails. I love how Denny O'Neil's overall vibe is one of working together to find a solution. Green Arrow basically echoes the counterculture's viewpoint and Green Lantern is the oldster whose eyes have been opened and is often willing to work for change. We all know how this eventually played out in real life, and we have been sold so far down the river by these same baby boomers that I doubt we'll ever get back to this type of meaningful dialogue. 

 

The OCD zone- This is a beautifully produced slipcased hardcover with thick, uncoated paper and sewn binding. It's 11 years old and harkens back to a time when DC produced top quality collected editions. The linework and color restoration are a tad rustic by today's 1200dpi standards but were worlds better than Marvel's at this time. They are still perfectly fine, with only the occasional iffy looking page. As always, I fall to the extreme side on the anal-retentive scale, so your mileage may vary. I know that I rest easy at night knowing that I own this beautiful book instead of the crappy trade paperbacks printed on DC's toilet paper grade that they use on classic material. 

 

NEXT MEN VOL 2: SCATTERED, PT. 2 (IDW, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Next Men Nos. 5-9 (cover dates April- August, 2011)

Writer and Artist: John Byrne

Whew! I read this whole thing in one sitting, and I am dizzy. This jumps back and forth and up and down so many times that I am still not sure what has happened...or did it any of it really happen at all? Did I ever happen, or have I been wiped out by a time paradox? Does time get more or less messed up when we were intervene, or does it stay the same because we intervened? This is the end of the second volume of the series proper, although Next Men: Aftermath is currently underway. This just came out yesterday, and I bumped it way up in the queue because I have been reading so many vintage comic books as of late that I felt I needed to read something modern to cleanse the palette. Now I am so confused that I will go and read some primitive 1940s Golden Age comics. 

 

Byrne's artwork and writing are top notch. The last few years have really been a return to form for him after some less than illustrious output in the mid-to-late '90s. 

 

The OCD zone- The cover image is screen printed on the book itself, no dustjacket. It has that same uncoated finish that it so easy to scratch or otherwise mar, so be careful handling this one, folks. The book does have a very nice grade of paper and sewn binding, so the innards will last even if you do not handle your books gingerly. I wear a HAZMAT suit when I handle mine in my sterilized bubble.