GREEN ARROW #31

Straight Shooter, Part Six

December 2003

Written by Judd Winick

Pencils by Phil Hester

Inks by Ande Parks

Cover by Matt Wagner

Synopsis

Ollie Queen (aka Green Arrow) has just found Joanna Pierce, niece of Jefferson Pierce (aka Black Lightning) and the attorney in the lawsuit against the Elevast Corporation, dead in her apartment.  Ollie suspects she has been murdered.  He calls Connor, who tells Ollie that Joanna had just sent him an email.  Ollie notices Joanna’s computer is missing.  He then realizes that Joanna’s killer, assassin Constantine Drakon, is probably headed for the Queen household.  Sure enough, Connor finds Drakon, who demands the computer file.  Connor refuses.  Drakon attacks.  Connor tosses everything he has at Drakon, but each attack fails, except for the distraction to allow Mia to turn on the gas stove.  Connor tosses a light and the house explodes moments after Connor and Mia flee the house.  Later, Ollie visits Martin Somers, president of the Elevast Corporation, noting that it was Elevast who created the monsters that led to them hiring Drakon to terminate them.  When Joanna learned the truth, Drakon killed her.  At the hospital, the news reports the death of the Somers when he was struck by lighting.  Somers’ death doesn’t make Pierce feel better; he should’ve never gotten Janna involved with the life.  Staring at Mia, Ollie thinks he has been a damn fool.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

There is a lot to like about this issue from the stare down between Connor and Drakon, the contrast between father and son and their styles, the fight between Connor and Drakon, including Connor’s final arrow shot through Mia to hit Drakon, and finally the use of the stove and the gas.  Winick had introduced the leaky stove in previous issues, using it as comic relief between Ollie and Mia, but it shows that Winick knew how this storyline was going to end from the beginning (and also note what Connor uses to light the fire -- the lantern that Joanna picks up when she first meets Ollie).  Plus, I like how it ends, with Jefferson’s statement about family, which is underscored by the fact that Connor fought Ollie’s battle, which also saw Mia get injured. 

However, I am not all that pleased with the preachy tone Winick gets in the end about the ethics of Elevast and how they essentially built the Star Center just to cover up the pharmaceutical end.  Winick’s statement that corporation’s are bad is such a generic simplification that his lack of details to the experiments or the corporations motivations actually undermine his statement. 

Finally, I am uncertain how to feel about the ending to this issue in which Drakon and Ollie failed to connect in round three of their battle.  Winick had it all set up, but then we get the swerve with Connor in the final battle.  Granted, the fight was well done and I loved how it turned out, but it still wasn’t what I was expecting (or hoping).  Yet, I get the feeling that Drakon is probably alive and we will get more of him in the future.  I just wish it had happened in this storyline. 

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