Green Arrow (vol.5) #2 (2010)

Green Arrow (vol.5) #2 (September, 2010)
“Into the Woods”
Writer – J.T. Krul
Penciller – Diogenes Neves
Inker – Vicente Cifuentes
Colorist – Ulises Arreola
Letterer – Rob Leigh
Editor – Adam Schlagman
Cover Price: $2.99


As #BrightestMay winds down… I’m just picking books at random.

There’s just not enough time to give as in depth a look at this strange and interesting time in DC Comics in a single month… even one with 31 days!  Might as well just have some fun with Ollie!


Well, we did our best… and, most importantly… might have deduced the very issue in which the gears shifted from Brightest Day to The New-52!.


We also got a “like” from Geoff Johns, so there’s that…

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We open with a cloaked man wandering Ollie’s woods.  Not sure if he’s been officially named yet, but we’ll just go ahead and call him Galahad.  He’s been drawn here, and knows that the amazing growth of this star-shaped forest is not the work of Mother Nature… Gee, what tipped you off, pal?  Elsewhere, Ollie and Hal chat a bit about the White Lantern logo appearing on a tree, and how that might’ve affected Hal’s power ring… also, the former informs the latter that he now resides among the trees.

We briefly shift scenes to check in on “The Queen”.  We learn from her that Oliver’s father Robert is responsible for helping her a great deal.  As she watches a pair of Queen Industries helicopters fly off, she vows to do something about his Son.

As the choppers head toward the forest, Ollie show Hal his new digs.  Ollie wasn’t messing around when he said he was living in the woods.  Seems he’s got himself quite the neat little set up.

As Ollie starts to guide (the powerless) Hal out of the woods… they find themselves attacked by Queen Industries’ Dollar Store Hellfire Club!  Even though Jordan is powerless… that doesn’t stop him from leaping into battle.

They fight for a bit, with the hard travelin’ homeboys having the upper hand, until one of the Hellfires fires a flare into the sky to request back-up from the helicopters hovering above.

Then… Ollie has an idea.  If Hal’s ring is powerless in the woods, all’s they gotsta do is… get Hal outta the woods!  Luckily, Ollie’s been busy since moving into the forest, and has finagled an interesting little pulley system.  Hal grabs on, and is hurled skyward.

Lucky for Hal, this gamble pays off!  Green Lantern “deals with” the choppers… assuaging all of my fears by promising them a soft landing.

While Hal nails ’em “up high”, Ollie maintains his offense on the low road… triggering another trap, in the form of a large swinging log.  The Hellfires get smooshed but good.  Ollie interrogates one that hasn’t yet been kayoed, and tells him to inform his new boss that Queen name still belongs to him.

After the dust settles, Hal and Ollie say their goodbyes.  Ollie then goes for a Tarzan-like rope swing… before falling some distance and landing with a thud.  He inspects the rope and finds that it has definitely been tampered with.

If that’s not bad enough, Ollie is then… shot in the head?!  Well, that escalated quickly!

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Another fun issue!


I really dig the way that Ollie has made this forest his home.  It stands to reason that Oliver, as paranoid as he currently is… would rig up booby traps, and survivalist methods to keep him safe.  It doesn’t matter if he’s stranded on an island, or exiled to a strange star-shaped forest… if nothing else, Ollie’s a survivor.


Hal being cool charging into battle without a working ring is fits his character.  Really don’t have any problem with that.  I kinda feel like him “dealing with” those helicopters after being repowered was a bit “iffy”.  It’s as though they had to add the dialogue about the “safe landing” after the fact… because the way he was chopper-handling them looked rather dicey.


Not a whole lot more to say about this one though.  It was super fun action… with amazing art, and one helluva cliffhanger.  I’m always a sucker for a hard-traveling team-up… if you happen to feel the same way, definitely give this a peek.  Available digitally if that’s you’re thing.


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