REVIEW: Green Arrow #7

Can Ann Nocenti bring the Battlin’ Bowman back from a Krul-induced lull, or will the Emerald Archer’s relaunched title continue to drag? Check out this writer’s opinion after the jump!

Green Arrow #7
Writer: Ann Nocenti
Artist: Harvey Tolibao
Colorists: Richard and Tanya Horie
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Cover: Howard Porter with Hi-Fi
Asst. Editor: Kate Stewart
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Weapons Consultant: Raphael Pierson-Sante
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99

Previously in Green Arrow… Oliver Queen has fought a group of reality-TV obsessed hooligans and a weird ninja cyborg / immortal monster combination while trying to find his rejuvenated place in the DC Relaunch universe.

ANN A ONE, ANN A TWO…

Green Arrow is one of my three favorite characters in all of comic books, and ever since Judd Winick left Green Arrow / Black Canary the title has gotten progressively worse, with the exception of the last few issues that were written by Keith Giffen. With the announcement that Ann Nocenti, who I’ve heard great things about, was going to be writing Green Arrow I was optimistic that the title will hold onto its presently tenuous spot on my pull list.

BIRDS OF A FEATHER

This issue emphasizes a side of Ollie that I tend to enjoy–the brash and recklessly arrogant archer who ignores danger because he (sometimes misguidedly) believes he can handle whatever an enemy throws at him. The enemy in this issue is actually a trio known as Skylark. A sensual set of triplets, they grab Green Arrow’s attention by attacking him with a set of inventive trick arrows. The relaunched Green Arrow has seen the use of some trick arrows, but they’ve been of a fairly standard scope–electricity, modified boxing glove, etc.; Ann Nocenti throws some really fun concepts into the mix here, and I am hopeful that we’ll see even more creative trick arrows as the series continues.

Unsurprisingly the vixen triple threat seduces Ollie and takes him captive, showing that one thing that hasn’t been changed in the relaunch is Green Arrow’s tendency to think with his gonads over his common sense. I am alright with this, though readers new to Green Arrow probably spent much of the issue yelling at Ollie for falling for such an obvious trap.

UNIMPRESSIVE ART

The readers who weren’t yelling at Ollie’s arrogance were probably complaining about the art, as Tolibao’s work on this title leaves a lot to be desired. Every shot looks almost like we’re seeing it through a fish-eye lens, with eyes looking particularly out of place with the faces they’re on. I don’t know why this artist was chosen for Green Arrow, but I really miss Dan Jurgens already. Proportions are frequently out of whack and the art just served to distract from an otherwise enjoyable book.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Undecided (but still optimistic)

I came into this book really really wanting to enjoy it. After the first page, I decided I was going to suppress my feelings on the art and just try to enjoy the dialogue. After finishing the book, I wasn’t really sure what to think. I can see to a degree where Nocenti seems to be going, and while I’m not positive that I like the aspects of Oliver Queen she’s chosen to emphasize, I am hopeful that I’ll enjoy this run on one of my favorite characters. I really hope the art improves drastically by the next issue, as that could very well serve to break this title for me–as of right now, I can only give Green Arrow #7 2.5 out of 5 stars.