Feedback
This reviewer is open to getting feedback
e-mail from readers. You may email him at:
starmanmatt@yahoo.com
|
|
|
Green Arrow #12
Matt Morrison |
| Title: |
|
Feast and Fowl |
| Cover Date: |
March 2002 |
| Story: |
Kevin Smith |
| Pencils: |
Phil Hester |
| Inks: |
Ande Parks |
| Colors and Separations: |
James Sinclair |
|
Basic Synopsis:
Dinah's preparations for a date with Ollie
at the JSA Headquarters are interrupted when
she finds out that he has been left in the
same room as his old debating partner, Hawkman.
Expecting a fight, Dinah rushes to the library
only to find that the two heroes are laughing
over old times, not arguing politics. Dinah
leaves, somewhat irritated, leaving Ollie
and Hawkman to discuss their rather troubled
returns to heroism and their even more troubled
love lives.
At the restaurant, Dinah tells
Ollie about
her love life while he's been
gone. Ollie
quickly falls into the old habit
of calling
Dinah "his girl"; something
which
does not sit well with the newly
independent
her. Ollie is in the middle of
apologizing
when The Riddler and his gang
show up to
rob the patrons of the restaurant.
They are
easily beaten and Dinah and Ollie
wind up
in each others arms, kissing
each other as
the fight ends and the crowd
cheers. Hours
later, they are in Dinah's quarters
at the
JSA headquarters, enjoying a
physical activity
they also used to spend a lot
of time at
together that doesn't involve
beating up
thugs.
About that time in Philadelphia,
a young
heroine is tranquilized by a
mysterious man
in black, who says nothing but
noises (Crash.
Bang. Krrsh.). When she asks
who he is, he
shoots her execution-style at
point blank
range and says one word; Onomatopoeia.
Later still that night, struck
by a panic
attack that what happened that
night may
be dismissed as a mistake the
next morning,
Ollie tries to sneak out only
to run into
a rather unamused Hawkman in
the hallway.
Full Story Synopsis (WARNING! SPOILERS!)
We open in the JSA Headquarters. Dinah Lance
is in her private room, looking at herself
in the mirror and putting on makeup. She
calls in someone who knocks on the door.
It is the Star Spangled Kid, who asks before
coming in if Dinah is decent. Dinah asks
why this matters. The Kid says she'd rather
not see Dinah undressed "cuz I don't
need to be reminded that I don't have your
bod". (Thanks be to Phil Hester- he
actually draws Courtney like a teenage girl,
unlike some artists who have worked with
her in the past).
Dinah asks what Courtney needed. She tells
her that "he is here" and that
"he's cute". Dinah comments that
the heartbreakers always are and asks where
"he" is. Suddenly it becomes clear…
she's getting ready for a date with Ollie.
Courtney says she put him in
the library…
with Carter. Dinah jumps up and
breaks into
a full run for the library. Courtney
asks
what's wrong. Dinah quickly explains
about
Ollie's past with Hawkman, their
differing
political opinions and how the
two always
drove each other crazy during
their time
together in the JLA. In short,
putting the
two of them in a room alone together
is a
bit like throwing a lit match
into a fireworks
factory.
To Dinah's shock and chagrin,
Ollie and Carter
are not trying to kill each other.
Far from
it, the two are attempting to
hold each other
up as they break out into uproarious
laughter.
Dinah asks if she should have
the ducts checked
for Joker Gas. Ollie shakes his
head and
says they were just "busting
on the
ghoul". Carter tells Ollie
to do his
Batman impression again. We can
only imagine
the voice, but Ollie does a fair
impression
of Batman's scary stance, right
down to the
imaginary cape he pulls in front
of his face.
The two start laughing again
as Courtney
stands there, not believing Dinah
was flipping
out over this. She asks if she
should get
Ted (Wildcat) before they REALLY
hurt each
other. Dinah tells her to go
practice her
rod-handling. Courtney shoots
back "Funny…
that's what I was going to tell
you before
you left on your big date."
As they trade some more good-natured
insults
(Ollie depending heavily on bird
puns- Big
Bird, "You're a good egg,
Carter",
etc.), Dinah interrupts them
to ask Oliver
why he is in his costume and
not, in fact,
dressed up like her. Ollie apologizes
and
says he was about to get ready
for the date,
but had to stop a bank robbery
at the last
minute. He was already running
late by the
time he had handled the situation
and had
hoped he could borrow something
from one
of the men in the JSA. Carter
says he can
loan Ollie one of his suits and
Ollie thanks
him, calling him by his new nickname;
"Hall-Y".
Dinah asks when they are holding
the wedding
and Ollie asks her if there's
something wrong
with two guys who came back from
the dead
being able to bond. He then turns
to Carter
and we get the following priceless
exchange…
Ollie: Wait a sec- did you even
die? I'm
not clear on your whole deal.
Carter: Neither am I.
This is a bit of an in-joke for
DCU history
buffs and JSA fans in particular,
but Hawkman
has had a rather… troubled history,
to put
it mildly. So convoluted did
the character
become that DC literally took
him off the
playing field for a few years
and then brought
him back in a much simpler way
that ignored
most of the past confused continuity.
Instead
of a long, drawn out return story
that explored
the entire past of the character,
Hawkman's
return was done in one issue,
where he was
summoned forth by a magical resurrection
rite and returned to the world,
whole in
body and spirit. All well and
good, except
that the few who managed to muddle
through
Hawkman's history could not find
a point
where he had actually "died".
So
he couldn't really be resurrected.
Of course
some might argue that it doesn't
matter how
he got back, long as he is back
and damn
the even more complicated story
to restore
him… but that is, to quote Weird
Al Yankovich,
"really not important to
the story".
Dinah leaves, saying she'll be
ready in five
minutes and expects Ollie to
do the same.
Once she's gone, Ollie starts
to panic, saying
that Dinah can see through him
and knows
how nervous he is and how not
ready he is
for this. Carter reassures him
that he is
ready and that things will be
fine. Ollie
sighs and opens his heart out,
explaining
that he knows things have changed
and "there
is so much to make up for and
so much to
say, but I want to skip all that
and get
things back to the way they were
before."
Carter nods as he looks at a
picture of the
new Hawkgirl on the table.
"They do make to make it
difficult,
don't they? We can travel across
time and
traverse the borders of death
for them… and
we're still at their mercy."
Carter then advises Ollie not
to rush things
or expect too much from Dinah.
Ollie assures
him that he plans to be the perfect
gentleman
and is not going to push her
into a relationship
or anything she doesn't want.
Later that night, we enter on
an expensive
restaurant, midway through the
conversation
and about halfway through a bottle
of wine.
Apparently the subject of Dinah's
lovelife
after Ollie has come up, as Ollie
is gaping
in disbelief at the news that
Dinah dated
Ra's Al Ghul, "the arch
bio-terrorist".
Dinah sighs a bit at this, as
she rubs between
her eyes, grumbling a bit at
the incident.
(Note to Kevin- WAY TO GO on
slamming that
god-awful story. Sure, I'm glad
Dinah is
powered again… but after 12 years
in and
out of the JLA and constant working
with
Batman, you'd think she'd at
least have heard
the name or seen a picture of
the guy…)
Ollie persists in wisecracking
about the
incident, asking if Gorilla Grodd
was taken.
Dinah calls him "Queen"
and tells
him that he is really asking
for it. Ollie
pauses and gets thoughtful, saying
she hasn't
called him Queen in a while.
Dinah tells
him to stop making eyes at her
and says that
they are not going any further
than talking.
Ollie raises his hands above
the table defensively,
asking if he's tried touching
her all night.
She admits that she hasn't, but
"my
mother always told me to watch
any man who
can nock 26 arrows in a minute".
Ollie corrects her and says he
can nock 29.
He then asks if there have been
any other
noteworthy, non-genocidal maniacs
she's been
seeing. She tells him that she's
been dating
Doctor Midnite and Ollie ewws.
Dinah asks
if he's jealous and Ollie quickly
says that
he is and "I don't like
anyone layin'
a hand on my girl." Dinah
gives him
a very soft look and softly whispers
that
he can't say that anymore. Ollie
quickly
tries to apologize, but Dinah
cuts him off,
saying she's not even sure why
she's there
as it isn't fair to any one involved:
her,
Ollie or Doctor Midnite. Ollie
nods and says
he understands…
"I understand. And that
was wrong for
me to say. I know I have no right
to expect
anything to come of this, okay?
We were split
up even before I died… I realize
that. But
when I was… well, when I was
dead… it's just
that I thought about you all
the time. You
were all that I missed about
life. You were
what I couldn't let go of. And
when I made
the decision to leave there and
return, I
can't lie- I did it hoping that
maybe we
could be together again. And
if that can't
happen right now, I get it. I'm
okay with
that. But Dinah… I want you to
know that
I'll wait…"
An explosion tears down one wall
of the room,
interrupting Ollie. The two heroes
look up
dazed, to see The Riddler and
a gang of thugs
standing in the hole. The Riddler
asks "Riddle
me this: What's a guy got to
do to get a
table in this joint?" Eddie
Nygma then
apologizes for not using the
good material,
but that he's just come in for
some take
out. He tells everyone to remove
their valuables…
Riddler: … and we'll be out of
your hair
faster than you can say…
Ollie: Hey, Jackass!
Riddler: Well, I WAS going to
say "Is
That Your Final Answer?"
A dated reference
I know.
Dinah: (whispering) Three and
three. And
you can have Alex Trebek there.
Ollie: (whispering) You're too
kind.
Riddler: Here's an easy one.
What's full
of holes and red and… KRAK!
The KRAK! Is caused by Dinah
punching Riddler
out. Apparently Ollie was enough
of a gentleman
to let her take him after all.
A massive
ass-kicking ensues, with Ollie
creating a
makeshift bow out of two shiska-bob
skewers
and a harp at one point. As the
fight ends,
with adrenaline running through
their veins,
the two heroes, out of breath
and sweaty
look at each other, fall into
one another's
arms and give each other a BIG
movie screen
kiss as the crowd around them
cheers.
It's not the typical method of
foreplay,
but it works for them. Very quickly
the two
are talking about how much they've
missed
each other and begging each other
for more.
"Much, much later…"
we're back
at the JSA headquarters, the
two wrapped
up in the sheets of Dinah's bed.
Ollie: I'm really sorry about
pulling your
hair.
Dinah: It's okay.
Ollie: I was trying to pull the
wig off.
Dinah: I stopped wearing the
wig and just
decided to grow it long and blonde.
Ollie: It looks great.
Dinah: Not as great as I feel…
you, Mr. Queen,
are a naughty boy. A naughty,
naughty boy.
Ollie: I aim to please.
Dinah: You hit the bullseye,
arrow-man. (cuddles
up closer to him)
Ollie: You know, I don't know
where you're
going with this but I've shot
all my arrows
already.
Dinah: Oh, come on… isn't there
anything
left in that quiver?
Ollie: I might be able to nock
one more,
but first… I think I should pay
a visit to
"Sherwood", m'lady.
(ducks under
covers)
Dinah: Sherwood? This is getting
too corny
too… ooooh. Mister Hood, I can't
speak for
the men but you are making ME
merry.
Yes, it's pun-filled and I can't believe
we're getting away with it this side of Vertigo
comics, but there we have it- comics most
perfect couple together again. Sadly, we
don't get to see if Dinah's carpet matches
the drapes now that she's started dyeing
her hair or if the undergrowth is thick as
Sherwood as we cut to Philadelphia to observe
a young crimefighter who calls herself "Virago".
We are told it is meant to be ironic "as
she is not a hag or a shrew". Funny,
I thought Virago was another word for Amazon,
which quite certainly does fit the platinum
blonde in a kevlar leotard. She is swinging
around the city, changing direction as she
hears a cry for help, when she is gunned
down by a tranquilizer dart. Crashing to
the ground with a Crash, Bang, Krrrsh, she
lands hard and is approached by a man in
all black- black pants, black shirt, black
boots, black trenchcoat and a black mask
with two circles - one small inside a larger
one. The man repeats the noises she made
as she fell as he holds a tape recorder-
one that makes the cry for help she was responding
to. She peels her mask off and asks for help,
saying that she can't feel her legs. He turns
off the tape player and pulls out a gun on
the hurt heroine. She asks who or what he
is. All he does in response is say "Blam",
pulls the trigger and then says "Onomatopoeia".
Back in NY, Ollie is having another
panic
attack…
"Way to go Queen. You soared
too close
to the sun on wings of wax. And
you didn't
pack a parachute. Look at you.
So terrified
that she's going to wake up and
tell you
that she made a mistake that
you're creeping
out of here like a sorority girl
the morning
after she went too far with her
best friend.
Classic Ollie. It's a good thing
no one is
awake to see this…"
Sadly, someone IS awake to see
this: Ollie's
new buddy, Carter… who is standing
in the
door directly behind Ollie as
he creeps out
and bumps into him. Without any
humor, he
looks down on Ollie from his
crouched stance
and says simply "I think
we need to
have a little chat, Oliver".
Analysis:
Cover:  (4 of 5cowls)
Excellent, as per usual for Matt Wagner.
But the scene depicted on the cover doesn't
happen in the book. Indeed, it never comes
close to happening in the book and seems
to be here only as a way to pull in the Hawkman
fans who might have overlooked this story
otherwise. Actually, it does seem like what
MIGHT happen at the end of the book, but
why not use this as a cover for issue #13
then?
Story: (5 of 5 cowls)
Like Ollie, Smith hits the target dead on
perfect with this issue. Every character
is perfectly played, no matter how little
screen time they have.
Dinah is tough and independent
while still
being sexy and seductive. Too
many writers
have erred on their portrayal
of Black Canary,
either turning her into a total
bull dyke
from hell (see her mid-90's solo
series)
or a helpless bimbo (See any
Chuck Dixon
story). Here, we get a well rounded
portrait
as she plays mother (her talking
to Star-Spangled
Kid and reaction to the news
of the fighting
"kids"), lover, friend
and warrior.
Her and Ollie's "reunion"
is handled
well, the sense of humor and
love between
the two very obvious and naturally
shown.
The Riddler is obsessive as ever,
doing bad
puns about questions instead
of riddles this
time. Some fans might complain
about this
being out of character, but it
has been shown
in the past that as much as the
artist in
him hates it, Eddie Nygma will
stoop to common
robbery when money is tight.
His brief fight
scene is handled well, the only
missing element
being him seeing Dinah and saying
"Oh
no… not you again!" before
Dinah decks
him. (Dinah beat him up earlier
in the month
in BoP 40.)
Great as all this is, the best
character
moments in the book belong to
Carter and
Ollie. Long time rivals in the
Bronze Age
JLA books, the two find themselves
laughing
over old times very quickly.
This is a brilliant
move on Smith's part. Aside from
avoiding
the all too easy trap of writing
conflict
by insult (Liberal! Fascist!
Spartan Dog!
Russian Snake!), Smith tricks
us into a joke
by playing off our expectations
and giving
us the opposite of what we expect.
More than this, we get some natural
bonding
between these two characters
who have much
more in common than might be
suspected. Both
heroes died because of bad writing/editorial
decisions and were brought back
to great
acclaim because of fiercely loyal
fan bases
and a gifted writer who thought
all the character
needed to return to greatness
was the right
story. As characters, they are
both masters
of an ancient weapon and men
of action who
act as living symbols of another
time.
Moreover as Smith (through Carter)
points
out, both of them have come back
from the
dead, in part, because of a woman
they loved
and are now willing to do anything
to get
back. They both also have life-long
girlfriends
(or a multi-life long girlfriend
in Carter's
case) who they want to get back
with, but
it seems the ladies have other
plans. There's
a nice bit of irony in Carter's
advice to
Ollie about taking it slow with
Dinah, considering
that he was/is making the same
nervous mistakes
about expecting too much, too
fast that Ollie
is worried about making in the
pages of JSA
and his own new book.
Smith also sets up the final
arc of his run
with little acclaim, giving us
a bad guy
who is very symbolic of Smith's
own writing
style; simple, classic Silver
Age concepts
with a grittier, modern face
painted on.
From his costume to his simple
gimmick, Onomatopoeia
seems less like a new villain
as one who
has been around a while, but
we've just never
noticed. His costume is totally
black, a
baggy trench-coat over unspecific
black garments
with a full black mask with two
circles that
make his face look like the indention
of
a stereo speaker. He's a common
killer with
no powers, but a love of noise,
which he
tapes and imitates as he kills
his victims.
Creepy and comic at the same
time, he is
interesting if nothing else.
Artwork: (4 of 5 cowls)
Beautiful overall, but a few things nag at
me. Ollie's cap feather has changed colors
again, being white instead of blue-white
in this issue.
Dinah's face seems to change a bit in some
panels. She looks downright manish in some
of the early pages where she is just in the
background behind Ollie and Carter. In fact,
she sometimes bares a scary resemblance to
Hester's drawing of Randal, from Smith's
"Clerks" comics. (Jeff Anderson
in fishnets… ewwwwww…) It's not as bad as
Alex Ross' horrible "Superman goes undercover
in West Hollywood" poster of Dinah,
but it is distracting none the less.
On a personal note, it's nice to see Riddler
in the Question-Mark jacket again: a nice
compromise between the streamlined Animated
Series approach and the old standard spandex
body suit. Eddie is also drawn better than
usual, looking like an actual human being
and not the demented heroine-addict elf he
was in Robin and Birds of Prey in his most
recent appearances.
As I said in the story review, I love the
costume design for Onomatopoeia. It has a
Silver Age look in its simplicity but remains
very modern at the same time.
[Top]
|
|
