GREEN ARROW #26

Straight Shooter, Part One:  Hired Guns

late July 2003

Written by Judd Winick

Pencils by Phil Hester

Inks by Ande Parks

Cover by Matt Wagner

Synopsis

In Star City, the Elevast Corporation has announced plans to build a large retail and hotel center, but its construction is being held up by angry citizens who face eviction because they live on the proposed site of the building.  At night several of these thugs attempt to vandalize Elevast’s equipment.  Green Arrow stops them, with a little help from the timely arrival of Jefferson Pierce (aka Black Lightning).  The next day, Ollie meets Jefferson’s niece, Joanna, a lawyer who is leading the legal battle against Elevast.  Joanna tells Ollie they are losing the battle, because they are broke.  Seeing the chance to fight a “soulless scum-sucking corporate entity,” Ollie decides to help.  The next day, he visits Elevast to let them know of his plans.  Later that night, several security guards at Elevast are attacked and killed by an extremely large creature!

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

“When a guy twice your size in a costume tells you to stop doing something -- you stop!”

There is a lot to like about this issue.  From the main plot not only taking place within Star City but also about Star City to Ollie’s involvement with politics to the large monster at the end and to the brief appearance of Black Lightning, this issue manages to bring back a lot of the things that had been missing from the series.  While Meltzer’s brief run and the recent Green Lantern cross over were good stories, both moved away from some of the things that are associated with Green Arrow.  Don’t get me wrong, the road trip with Arsenal was key to tieing up the loose ends of Ollie’s death and the adventure with Kyle was important to re-establish Ollie’s ties with the current Green Lantern, but Green Arrow, at its heart, is about Ollie’s politics and his fight to protect Star City. 

While it might seem odd that a very rich man like Ollie would want to “fight the man” (as most millionaires are “the man”) Winick doesn’t dwell on this, instead latching on to the idea that Ollie is fighting for what is right and noble.  Unfortunately, at the other end, Winick portrays the corporation as completely evil.  It seems reasonable that a center like the one proposed would boost the economy and help the city.  It would also seem reasonable that a company would take care of the residents in the proposed area, rather than just evict them without any thought (and of course the city’s planners would never let it happen in the first place).  Hopefully, the company won’t be a one-note villain for the rest of this storyline although one suspects the monster at the end might be connected to Elevast. 

The best parts of this issue, and the part where Winick really shines the best, is the dialogue.  I loved Ollie’s speech to the corporation at the end as well as assessment of Heaven.  No lattes?  Winick’s Green Arrow is different than the agonizing, conflicted Arrow from Smith and Meltzer’s run and I like the change.  This Green Arrow is closer to the Green Arrow that I picture in my head:  the charm and the sense of humor and, of course, the politics.  

Comic Connection

Anissa Pierce (aka Thunder), the daughter Jefferson talks about at the restaurant, first appeared in the Outsiders, issue #1 (August 2003). 

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