Character Studies

Spoiler Edition

In Red Hood and the Outlaws 20, James Tynion IV delves deeper into Jason Todd's psyche, and therefore, deeper into his first story arc for the book. Having had his bad memories erased, Jason is a happy dude, but Roy isn't buying it, even after being shown the horrors of Jason's life, because as he says, they've all been through horrible times, which he's then reminded of by the little All-Caste memory stealing guy whose name is escaping me. Shown the memory of when Jason helped Roy out back in Jason's Robin days, Roy learns something new: that was the night Jason later learned his mother was alive, leading to the sequence of events resulting in Jason's brutal murder. But Tynion isn't done with stripping away the mental blocks our heroes have built up in their minds to protect themselves. Kori resists the attempt to reveal her secret, something apparently connected with her one-time relationship with Dick Grayson. But Roy does learn she'd been lying to him, that she wouldn't forget him if he wasn't there, that her emotions are even stronger than humans. And while Roy feels the one thing solid and dependable is falling apart, the team the three of them have become, we learn there is more going on than Jason denouncing his painful memories; the entire team is in deadly danger. Then Green Arrow is thrown into the mix, to lead into the RHATO Annual coming out in two weeks.

What I really liked about this, aside from Tynion's skill with dialogue and his feel for the characters, is how he's building on the earlier stories in the book. This might or might not be in any way similar to where Lobdell intended the book to go, but it fits, with one little hiccup. Ollie declares at the end that he needs to go rescue Roy again, but he didn't do a thing when Roy was about to be executed in Qurac. It was up to Jason, with Kori's help, to do the rescuing that time. I hope Tynion deals with that inconsistency in the annual. Why wouldn't Ollie help Roy then, but will try now?

Still, the transition from one creative team to the next is fairly seamless, which is how a change in creative team should be, and the art by Julius Gopez is lovely.

Nightwing 20 has Dick/Nightwing in Chicago, continuing in his hunt for the still alive Tony Zucco. Nightwing is not welcome in a city that has a serious distaste and distrust of costumed crimefighters, while Dick deals with some complications with the sublet he's staying in, introducing a new set of characters. It will be interesting to see if he ends up settling in Chicago for the long term or if he returns to Gotham City after this adventure. There isn't much character development here, mostly just continuing setup for the main action as Dick seeks info on where Zucco might be holed up. But it's a nice start for a change of direction for the book, while continuing with the theme of "it's personal" for Dick, first with the circus and Owls storylines, and now the hunt for Zucco, the man responsible for his parents' deaths.

Arrow (TV version)
Arrow ended its freshman season on a high note. This is a series that started strong, if not polished, slowly built up the tension and mythology, and despite a bit of slowdown to get in a lot of character bits and backstory, finished the season with a sorta cliffhanger finale that's as good as it gets in network TV.

The showdown between Arrow and Merlyn finally happened and it was a doozy. Malcolm Merlyn proved to be a formidable foe, both in archery and other physical skills, and his intelligent scheming. While Felicity Smoak talks Quentin Lance (why his name is Quentin is beyond me) through disarming the Merlyn's earthquake device, unknown to them, a second device is ready to go off. Which is does, leading to a death of a lead character (nope, I'm not gonna spoil that one), a death that should resonate through the second season.

The actors are an appealing bunch and the characters are fully realized. Merlyn isn't evil. He's just a man made bitter after his wife's murder who thinks his solution, to blow up the poor, unruly neighborhood called the Glades, is the only way to save the city he loves. That he's ruthless in that ambition, killing as he feels necessary, are acts he rationalizes with a cliched but plausible ends justifies the means defense. John Barrowman has been pitch perfect as Malcolm, oozing with charm and barking with anger as required, the emotion impossible to miss. Stephen Amell makes for a perfect Ollie despite not having blond hair, I can't imagine anyone playing Lance now other than the man brilliantly cast in the role -- Paul Blackthorne -- and Coltan Haynes as Roy Harper, despite not being a redhead, is wonderful. The rest of the cast shines, those playing characters from the comics and those playing original ones.

The show is told in two timeframes, Ollie's five years on the not-so-deserted island and current time. The first island year ends with Ollie killing with a bow and arrow for the first time, and the current year ends with the story threads being woven over the year coming to a head. Characters grow, change, and learn actions have consequences. And what the show was at the start, a story of Oliver Queen trying to right wrongs as per his father's last request, becomes something much more. As Ollie's mission changed, the show got stronger and more intricate. This is an Oliver Queen who could exist in real life.

What I most admire about the show is how they're showing respect for the fans of the Green Arrow comics while making the show fresh and exciting, with something for both fans and for newcomers to the character. Just the little references make the show fun, from Bludhaven to Ted Kord Industries. If you haven't given the show a try, and you love Green Arrow, you should. It's one of the best comics adaptations for TV, because it knows it's a TV show, not a comic or even a movie. The show embraces the format, working with TV's strengths to allow a long story to be told nearly in real time, while including shorter stories. For me, it's must-watch TV.

Here Comes Yet Another Version of Roy Harper

And I'm excited! The CW's Arrow is adding the character of Roy Harper! I'm not familiar with Colton Haynes, not having ever watched Teen Wolf, but I like how he looks, and the background for the character sounds pretty cool. Arrow has been a great TV adaptation of a comic character, grounding the mythology in reality and filling out Ollie's backstory on the island, as did the Year One comic, with the added intrigue of the book of names his father gave him to right the wrongs of the Queen family by bringing down the power movers who have been slowly destroying Starling City (I hate that name).

I've enjoyed the show's version of Huntress, Diggle is a great addition, I like how Tommy Merlyn and his father are being woven into the story, and Paul Blackthorne as Quint (why Quint? Why not Larry?) Lance is just awesome. This show just keeps getting better and better.

NYCC 2012 Day Two

Today, the 3-Day Pass folks joined us 4-Day Pass folks, making for serious crowding in the main show room. I spent some time in Artists Alley, and had a delightful chat with Joshua Middleton and bought a print of Poison Ivy, which he signed. He had only that and one other of the smaller size, and since I don't have wall space for the larger prints, I didn't get one of the Supergirl prints.

Joshua Middleton

Bill Barnes

 I also chatted with Bill Barnes of Unshelved, the library comic strip.

Then I went shopping in the main room and took pics of people in costume. There are so many wonderful cosplayers at the con this year, as usual.

And here's today's purchases.

Today's Goodies

I also, on a whim, picked up the 0 issues for Red Hood and the Outlaws and Green Arrow, which I spotted at one of the comics dealers. I skimmed them on the way home. I don't like and never liked Jason Todd, and while his origin now is actually more sympathetic, it did nothing to make me like him even a bit. As for Green Arrow, I prefer the origin as told in the recent, pre-DCnU mini. I suppose they think this is edgier, but the other was edgy enough. Actually, I really like the first chapter of GA's origin as told in the new Arrow series, which I really enjoyed. A lot. More on that in a bit.

What I was really interested in was seeing if Roy Harper would figure in either of them, despite my earlier lack of interest in anything to do with Roy in the new DC52. Yeah, it's a year later and maybe I'm mellowing a bit in my negative attitude about the books. Or just curious. And I have to admit, the way Roy was used in Green Arrow 0 wasn't bad, though we didn't get his background. There was no mention of his ever being raised on a reservation, and I'd hate to have him lose his Native American connection.

So, is anyone reading Red Hood and the Outlaws? Has it improved from Kory as Bimbo book? Is it worth reading? Given I've frozen Roy in my mind pre-Lian's death, I think I'm at the point where I'm ready to accept an alternate universe Roy Harper. I'm reading Nightwing and that's really good.

Back to Arrow. The quick review: I loved it. Amell is great as Ollie and I like the gimmick of alternating present time with flashbacks to his time on the island. There's intrigue and a nifty connection with Laurel Lance, her sister whom Ollie cheated on her with, and their father, Det. Lance, played by the wonderful Paul Blackthorne, who has it in for Ollie. There's lots of promise here for a fun, fast-paced show that's action and soap opera rolled into one.