Green Arrow Issue #31

In our review of Justice League: Rise and Fall Special we asked if that issue was just a feeble attempt to get another $3.99 out of our wallets under the guisse of setting up a pivotal arch in the Green Arrow universe.  Well after reading this issue of Green Arrow I’m a bit undecided on how it actually went.  This issue really could have included almost everything that Rise and Fall did in just a few panels.  In fact it almost did another iteration of the confrontation of Hal, Barry and Dinah.  Instead of slipping away into Prometheus hideout world Ollie actually just kicks their asses and disappears.  So again, not sure what Rise and Fall Special was really needed for but here is what happened in Green Arrow #31.

We begin with Ollie chatting about his past.  Before he was stranded on an island and forced to fend for his life he was a spoiled rich kid, the classic cautionary tale of excess.  But that experience finally did lead back to civilization, not a new civilization but a new Ollie.  An Ollie with a focus as the Green Arrow.  He fought through a different jungle now saving the lives of individuals in Star City one at a time.  Even becoming their elected leader under a different mask of service as their mayor.  He feels as though he’s been fighting for Star City his whole life and what he has to show for it is nothing but wasteland and desolation.

His city is imploding, the people are not pulling together in this time of crisis and destruction.  They are instead afraid and desperate, attacking one another instead of banding together in their greatest time of need.  Ollie states that Star City will never suffer at the hands of Prometheus again, he made sure of that by putting an arrow between his eyes.  But Prometheus wasn’t working alone, his trigger man was the Electrocutioner and he’s still out there somewhere but one thing is true… he can’t hide from Ollie forever.  His mission is to make the Elctrocutioner pay in the same way that Prometheus did.

Ollie is then confronted by Black Canary, Green Lantern and The Flash.  Hal tries to reason with Ollie and explains that he knows exactly what he’s feeling.  When Coast City was destroyed Hal literally had to die to come to grips with what happened.  Green Arrow tosses one of his flash bang arrows at Green Lantern who is temporarily blinded by the flash of light.  Barry reacts by moving for Ollie telling each time he sees him he is reminded he doesn’t like him and he can never understand why Hal was always friends with him.  As Barry grabs Ollie’s quiver he is hit with a large electric shock which renders him paralysed on the ground.  Green Arrow sprints away from the scene of his two downed comrades with Black Canary in tow.

Dinah catches up with Ollie and actually land a few good punches on him.  Ollie eventually pulls another one of his trick arrows and blasts her with an arrow that covers her in glue and holds her in place as Ollie tells her he’s not looking for her approval.  She is not surprised because he never does.

The Flash is racing around the ravaged Star City looking for Ollie.  It only takes him seconds to search what’s left of the city, but he’s not searching the part of the city that Green Arrow knows.  The one beneath the exterior that is a whole other city.  There is an expansive network of catacombs and passages that are the original arteries of the city.  Ollie pops up from under the city to save some citizens from a very aggressive police force.  He runs into Nudocerda the weasel.  But at the police commissioner he’s very dangerous.  The Mayor is out of commission and that means Nudocerda is running the show but Ollie doesn’t have the time to get mixed up with him.  He’s on a mission to find the Elecrocutioner.

Then Ollie runs into his son Connor breaking up a gang fight.  For the first time in awhile Ollie cracks a smile.  He’s filled with the pride of seeing his son in action again.  Connor however… not so excited to see Ollie.  He’s through with the “enlightened” kick he’s lived his whole life.  He’s angry with Ollie and has zero time in his life to forgive Ollie again.

Later Green Arrow is back under the city carrying a torch.  He comes upon another masked hero in the catacombs.  Speedy is standing over a very thrashed and bloodied Elecrocutioner.  She has bow drawn on him and she tells Ollie “Let me kill him.”

So in the end the only thing earth shattering that happens in this issue is that Speedy shows up with a whipped Elecrocutioner.  Everything leading up to that felt like it happened in Justice League: Rise and Fall Special.  All in all the last page was pretty good and maybe now this arch can really start moving!

• Issue: 31
• Story Arch: The Fall of Green Arrow
• Writer: J.T. Krul
• Pencils: Federico Dallocchio
• Color: Michael Atiyeh
• Letters: Sal Cipriano