GREEN ARROW #41

New Blood Part Two:  Fronting

October 2004

Written by Judd Winick

Pencils by Phil Hester

Inks by Ande Parks

Cover by Marcos Martin & Alvaro Lopez

Synopsis

Recently, a new crime boss has started to take over Star City.  For two weeks, Ollie and Connor work undercover to find the new boss, but they come up empty.  Connor thinks Ollie is letting his personal life affect his actions as Green Arrow.  Meanwhile, the new boss, Danny Brickwell (aka Brick) gets an invite to meet with the head of Mafia families.  They are displeased with Brick’s actions and insist he pay them part of what he earns.  Brick decides to take out the families, claiming Star City for himself.  Later, both Connor and Ollie learn Brick’s identity.  Ollie learns of a meeting with Brick, so he investigates.  He quickly learns he was set up when he gets shot at.  Ollie gets away from the shooters, but lands smack dab in the middle of Brick’s gang.

Review by Binkley (e-mail)

Like the last issue, there may not have been a lot going on in terms of plot development, but the story was well paced with lots of action that led to a killer cliffhanger.  Winick is taking his time with Brick, developing him slowly, allowing Brick’s story to unfold even as Ollie deals with his personal issues.  As I said not a lot happens in terms of the plot, but we do get to know these people.  Some may call this decompression and while I can’t argue with that assessment, I have to say the Winick is slowly packing these stories with enough in the story so that it doesn’t feel like it.  This issue is structured in three acts, with the bookends of Connor pointing out Ollie’s current state mind and how it has affected him to Ollie recognizing his own system mind and how that is affecting him to the conversation with Mia, which is at the heart and soul of Ollie’s problems.  Bracketed around these events we have Brick’s consolidation of power.  Winick has crafted an intriguing character with Brick, someone with the physical power to take what he wants even as he is constantly derided for where he came from and who he is.

On the one hand it is finally nice to see Green Arrow involved in a plot that does not involve some kind of demon or supernatural element.  On the other hand, it is bad timing to have the Mafia take center stage while the bat-family books are in the midst of the War Games.  Thank goodness there is only one Green Arrow book. 

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