GREEN ARROW/BLACK CANARY #19

Enemies List, Part Four:  Nobody But Me

June 2009

Written by Andrew Kreisberg

Pencils by Mike Norton

Inks by Josef Rubenstein

Cover by Ladrönn

Synopsis

Green Arrow and Merlyn face each other with bows drawn, although Merlyn has been tied into position.  Despite the urge to finally end his enemy, Green Arrow sets him free.  This bothers Cupid, who set-up Merlyn as a present to him.  Green Arrow realizes she was the one who had killed all of his enemies.  She admits it.  And now that they are gone, he can be all hers.  He declines.  She then sets off an explosive charge and he is knocked unconscious.  When he awakens, he finds he is chained to the railroad tracks.  She intends for them to die together.  Just then Black Canary arrives to stop her, but Cupid refuses.  So, Canary handcuffs herself to Green Arrow.  Cupid gives them the key to set them free.  However, before she goes, she slices Merlyn’s neck.  Green Arrow and Canary save Merlyn, although he may never speak again.  Later, Canary is concerned about Green Arrow and how violent and dark he has become.  He is worried as well.  Elsewhere, a man deafened by the Canary cry watches tv and the news of the deaths of Green Arrow’s enemies. 

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

I think my feelings on this issue are pretty much the same as the previous issues:  the story seems to be moving way too fast.  I realize that this is a complaint not often heard in this era of decompressed storytelling.  Yet, I can’t help the feeling that Kreisberg is pushing the Cupid story way too quickly, trying to reach an end game before he really should.  It just seems like there is much more Kreisberg could’ve done with Cupid before reaching the scene in the subway station.  Overall, the story feels rushed, moving headlong to some destination when it should slow down a bit. 

The end with Dinah uncertain about Ollie’s relationship with Cupid doesn’t ring true because there was no relationship.  Now, if Kreisberg could’ve come up with a way for Ollie and Cupid to be together, then perhaps Dinah’s feelings might’ve been justified.  She might’ve had reason to think Ollie was cheating on her with Cupid and have a reason to think what Cupid was saying was real.  As it is, Cupid comes across a delusional and while we know that, the story shouldn’t be presented in a way that Dinah should know that.  I guess, thinking about it, Kreisberg missed an issue, the one in which Cupid and Ollie are together in some (contrived) manner. 

Other than the speed of the story, I think my other complaint is that the character of Cupid comes across as too whiny and too needy.  I suppose that’s the point.  She has fallen in love with someone who doesn’t even know here name.  But as I was reading, I had flashes of bad movies and horrible guest spots on tv shows. Maybe I was expecting something a little more sophisticated than what we got.  Maybe the missing scene described above led to the whiny characterization.  Or maybe it is just the way Kreisberg wrote the scene.  But it came across as whiny. 

Here’s a question:  why did both Dinah and Ollie need to stay behind with Merlyn.  It only takes one pair of hands to stop the bleeding.  While one saves Merlyn, the other could’ve gone after Cupid.

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