Deadly Comrades Part 1 of 2, Capital Crimes
Written by Chuck Dixon,
Pencilled by Dougie Braithwaite
Inked by Robin Riggs
Cover by Weeks & Campanella

I bought an issue of Green Arrow mainly because of the largely favourable usenet discussion, and it was this specific issue because if the striking cover and because Crab Face Guy wasn't in it. I've only read stories featuring the current Green Arrow in JLA, read the old GA in the first couple of years of Mike Grell's run. I'm pro goofy trick arrows.

So, let's see what it's about.

Organised Crime (Russian for a change, but as far as I could tell they might have well been Italian or Japanese mobsters) lose their enforcer. A fat bald bloke gets mugged and having fought off the muggers is offered a job, replacing the dead extortionist. Fat Bald Bloke turns out to be a friend of Green Arrow called Jansen. He looks like my late grandfather, but fatter and balder, but seems to be one of these naïve Chinese zen master martial arts types.

Jansen beats up a crack house under the impression that he's collecting insurance premiums, and is a little surprised when the owners of the pizza take-away explain that he's collecting for a mobster. He attempts to beat the mobsters up, but gets shot and dragged away. Pizza people go tell GA, who's spent the bulk of the issue off camera on a date.

At no point does Green Arrow run along one of the cables of a suspension bridge. The story might be set in San Francisco, but you wouldn't know.

Having read the story I'm a little surprised that anyone goes about praising the thing. I suppose it's got something to do with Robin Riggs being a usenet regular, and a nice bloke. The story is simplistic in the extreme - I ask you, do mobsters really go recruiting the first man they meet on the streets? Do even naïve Chinese zen master martial arts types not know that there's something fishy going on when they walk into a room where people are cutting drugs? We normally cringe when film reviewers claim that a movie has comic book characterisation, but here it's a fair cop.

Art? Competent, but really nothing special. I was struck by the rarity of backgrounds, though it's not really something that usually bothers me (thinks: could it be that since the story wasn't holding my attention I was concentrating more on the pictures than normal?). Nothing like the superb cover in terms of style as well as content.

Sorry guys, but I think this is one of those, I gave you a chance and you didn't grab me moments. People should feel free to explain why this issue's below par. If they can convince me I might give the next issue a look.

Footnotes

Crab Face Guy: Crab Face Guy is an internet nickname for the current owner of the Green Lantern franchize, so called because of a tragicly hip mask more or less in the shape of a crab and because that way people don't have to admit that this dweeb is really Green Lantern and the "real" one's not going to come back next time the book hits a multiple of 25. My problems with the character stem from a bad writer and here an unwillingness to try a new comic by reading a crossover with some other comic I don't read.

Goofy Trick Arrows: There has been a comic book character called Green Arrow since 1941, and for most of that time the character's used whacky things like Boxing Glove Arrows, Handcuff Arrows and the like. In the late eighties though dark was the rule and the then Green Arrow gave up all arrows except the sort with points on the end. Go fig. I find the wacky ones fun - there's always that sense of 'What stupid arrow will he fish out this time?' It's a Superhero comic for God's sake. It's not supposed to be realistic! Of course, not having read the comic in eight years I have no idea if this is still an issue.

Chinese: I say 'Chinese' because Chinese is part of the stereotype rather than any actual belief that the character is from Canton. He probably doesn't even say 'Young Grasshopper'. You just can't get the help these days. It's not said out of any belief that Chinese people are Naïve, Fat or Bald. Please, if you must flame me, flame me for something real.

Green Arrow is Trademark and copyright DC Comics Inc. Cover is by Lee Weeks & Robert Campanella. Interior illustrations by Dougie Braithwaite & Robin Riggs.