When asked to name a superhero with a billionaire alter-ego who uses an array of quirky gadgets to fight crime, even casual readers, or those who don’t read comics at all, can probably name at least two. It’s a well-worn trope, and so any new -- or at least, new to new readers -- character ought to have some greater hook to establish him as something other than another Batman or Iron Man.
Green Arrow is a character with a rich history and writer J.T. Krul introduces nor reestablishes none of it here. There’s no mention of his secret origin or his famously progressive politics. Krul and veteran artist Dan Jurgens have even removed Oliver Queen’s goatee and mustache, which were directly inspired by Errol Flynn’s Robin Hood and would’ve given new readers a shorthand explanation of the sort of character Green Arrow was intended to be.
Instead, Krul and Jurgens deliver a vanilla-flavored superhero story in which Green Arrow apprehends a trio of villains who have no clear motivation but codenames that match their super powers. With so little at stake, it’s impossible to care about what happens next. And being boring is a far greater sin than being bad.
No comments:
Post a Comment