Or – “Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, And Deathstroke Too.”
Now, I’m not the best person to ask whether you should get married (it should be noted that I was only engaged for about six months after having known the woman for about four days) since I’ll always recommend the institution, but for Dinah and Ollie there is one question I have to ask. Why would she say yes to a man who not only lied to her about the death of her adoptive daughter, but let her believe Sin was dead for several days? Not that I doubt that she’s crazy about him and has been for years, but what she took as proof of his devotion to her, I took as proof that he still wants to do her thinking for her. Either way, they’re finally on their way to the altar, and we haven’t had a good wedding day fistfight since my friend Karl got hitched back in ’96…
Previously, on Green Arrow/Black Canary: The attraction of the uber-cocky Green Arrow and the self-sufficient Black Canary has always been weird, and (as you might expect) they’ve spent as much time bickering as canoodling. She dumped him several times over several infidelities, and then he was presumed dead for several years (our time) while Dinah dealt with her feelings. When Oliver returned, he pretty much fell into the same old pattern, until a brush with Deathstroke once again left him near death and forced him to change… Ollie spent a year rebuilding himself, physically and psychologically, until he returned to Star City, successfully ran for mayor, and (most impressively) to a vow of chastity, saving himself for the woman he felt he didn’t deserve. After a complex series of events involving Merlyn the archer and the faked death of a ten year old girl, Black Canary finally agreed to marry him, and now they’ll live forever in bliss and happiness…
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Mmm… yeah. They’re pretty much married already… Dinah rares back and slaps the taste right out of Oliver’s mouth, and in a total Hollywood cute moment, they snarl at each other for a moment before liplocking and ripping away their costumes. Oliver is fighting with his Errol Flynn boots when suddenly, Dinah cries out, “Wait!” Fighting for breath, Ollie replies, “Whu– you want to do it in the kitchen?” Heh. Dinah stops him, and explains that they should wait. “To do it in the kitchen?” Ollie replies. Double heh. “What’s with you and the kitchen?” Dinah asks before dropping her bomb… she thinks they shouldn’t make love again until after the marriage. She wants it to be special.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Heh. Poor Ollie. Dinah heads off to finish the invitations (and the female ability to just turn a sexual urge on and off like a bug light never ceases to amaze and frustrate me) while Oliver leaps into a nice cold shower. Once they’re both in possession of their full senses, Ollie checks out the invites, remarking “Are we really inviting Snapper Carr?” Dinah reminds him that they’re inviting all their old friends, and Ollie replies “He’s an idiot I don’t say that to be cruel, I men that as some sort of borderline diagnosis thing…” Hee. She replies that they’re inviting EVERYONE, and that since most of their friends are masked, they’ll come in costume. “What do you think everyone will think?” asks Dinah, and luckily, as the omniscient reader, we get to see for ourselves…
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Way to step up there, Bruce. At least he’s RSVP’ing in a timely manner… Somewhere in the League’s headquarters, Superman and Wonder Woman discuss their insights on the happy couple, and once again (counting Bruce’s distracted “I can’t make it”) we see the DC Trinity gives their diverse opinions on a polarizing subject…
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
“Like you did.” The princess and the farmboy stand together for a moment, and one of those wonderful moments occurs, when the goofy kid from Kansas all of a sudden takes over Superman’s body and exclaims “I think they’re going to be great.” Diana smiles, and says “Of course you do…” Superman goes on, saying that finally, for once, they’ll be coming together for something happy, not a fight, or a war against oncoming evil, or even a funeral, but in celebration. “And not so much as an evil little thought to be found anywhere…” Oh, Clark. Even now you’re so naive. If you tuned your super-hearing to the faraway citadel of the Society, you’d hear the triumphant little whine of Thaddeus Bodog Sivana, tittering “I’m going to a wedding!”
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Whatever negatives you can say about Judd Winick and his love of Sivana, you have to enjoy this moment, with Deathstroke and the little Doc obviously enjoying the hell out of their wicked ways. Deathstroke replies that he’s in, and that Geo-Force is working for him already, but Sivana figures Batman knows about that already (He does! See recent issues of JLA for details.) Deathstroke shrugs, “It’ll never work. But it might work a little. A little is enough.” As Sivana brings in Warp to handle transport, Oliver and his best pal Hal Jordan have a fateful discussion. “You need a bachelor party!” says Hal. “Who else is going to throw it? Your kid? It’ll be nothing but vegan food and slide shows.” Oliver agrees, but he has only one request. No strippers. Hal agrees, and sends the others (Connor Hawke, Clark Kent, Roy Harper, Dick Grayson, Alan Scott, Guy Gardner, Jay Garrick, Eel O’Brien, Wally West, and possibly Carter Hall, though I can’t be certain) ahead while he takes care of one thing…
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Heh. If I had Zatanna’s powers, I’d probably use them that way, too. I also like how there are girls dressed as Batman’s villains (whom he knows will never show up) but none of the other heroes. The ladies enjoy their evening at the Meat Locker (seen also in Countdown this week) while Dinah and Babs (Oracle) Gordon have a heart to heart. Dinah isn’t really enjoying herself, telling her best friend that “I’m getting married, Barbara. I would… I WANT my mom to be there.” “She will be,” replies Oracle. Just like she’s here right now.” Heh. “I tell you what, she’d like that dud in the thong with the elephant snout.” I love the hell out of Judd’s dialogue this issue. finally, the next day, before a room full of their oldest and dearest friends (and Snapper Carr) the happy couple finally gets to the altar.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
The choice of dress annoyed my friend Sarah, who didn’t think that Black Canary would really get married in slutty fishnets, but I think it’s kind of fitting that she’s in, essentially, a bridal version of her uniform. Ollie watches her, his jaw on the floor, thinking that “This is as much for all of them, as it is for us… One brief moment of peace.” At precisely that moment, Superman looks upward, and remarks “Damn it!” The Green Lanterns, Wonder Woman and Supes leaps skyward, as six nuclear missiles come in. Once the heaviest hitters are out of the room, suddenly the remaining heroes are overrun by the Society. In keeping with Deathstroke’s assumption that it’ll never work, I notice that most of the really dangerous (and smart) villains aren’t present, instead relying on DC crowd-scene stalwarts like Mammoth, Killer Croc, Shrapnel and Hyena. Ollie is the first to notice the forcefield that seals them in, but is distracted as Dinah chases after her ring, only to find it in the hands of Deathstroke. She engages the most dangerous man alive for a second, before kicking him sqaw in the family jewels. “Get serious,” snarls ‘Stroke. “Fifty pounds of body armor on me and you think I’m not wearing a cup?” He tries for a lucky killshot before the cavalry arrives.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Okay. As much as it’s old-school Jackass Batman, I liked that moment… It’s obvious that he wouldn’t have missed this moment, but now he can pass it off as knowing that the fight was coming. Ollie and Batman fight through a few super-losers as the Bat rattles off what he’s figured out. “Above you. Six o’ clock. Four hundred meters.” Ollie looks up and sees the forcefield generator on the roof of the cave, a perfect target. And you DON’T want to give him a target…
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
And with that, four lanterns, an amazon and a Kryptonian bust in, and the villains find themselves quickly overpowered. The wedding continues, cake is eaten, and a honeymoon commences. Dinah and Oliver embark upon their first moments together as a married couple (and I have to say that Amanda Connor draws lingerie in a manner that makes me wonder if it’s legal in all fifty states. Roooowwwl.) as they kiss romantically… then, Oliver’s eyes glaze over.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Oh, crap. That ain’t good. Ollie tries, zombie-like, to skewer his blushing bride, as Dinah’s survival instincts kick in. Unable to overpower him, pinned with no leverage, she scrambles for the only weapon she can reach… an arrow from Ollie’s dumped quiver.
IMAGE REMOVED BY DC LEGAL DEPARTMENT
Oh, no… Somebody, somewhere doesn’t know it, but they just made a HUGE mistake. They’ve ruined Dinah’s wedding night, and put her through torture that no one should ever have to face. That somebody, in his half-orange mask and fifty pounds of body armor (and I’m going on record right now that it is Deathstroke) will hopefully have the fear of Black Canary put in him, real damn soon, with perhaps a compound fracture or three to remind him of his misdeeds. At least this answers the question of why it’s Connor on the front cover of next month’s ‘Green Arrow/Black Canary #1.’
Ever since Stan and Jack married off Reed and Sue, it’s been comic tradition that every hero wedding turns into a giant cluster-schmozz, and this one was no disappointment. Given the general nature of the protagonists, I’d have been saddened if the wedding went off without a hitch, but I’m very concerned about this ending… I know that Judd Winick can write Green Arrow in a manner that I enjoy, but I’ve never been 100% sold on his Black Canary. This issue gives me some hope, but still leaves me with areas of concern, especially if we’re going to see Dinah as the vengeful bride, a la ‘Kill Bill.’ Still, there are a couple of dozen beautiful character moments in this issue, a couple of “Hell, Yeahs” (Batman “coming for the fight,” as well as the male stripper sequence) and it’s a pretty enjoyable ride to the altar, with one of the few unequivocally TRUE cover blurbs in recent history (“You Wont’ Believe This Wedding Night!”) All told, we’re looking at a solid 4 out of 5 star rating, with beautiful Amanda Connor art and a nicely done surprise ending that really shook me up…
29 Comments
So what is Batman’s dickness level in this issue? 4, 5?
So, was that really Ollie, or an imposter?
Those bloody Skrulls…not satisfied enough with Marvel continuity ruination, now they have to try and kill dinah the instant she denies them Sex…
Amanda Connor’s work was a real treat here. The way she can swing her tone from mildly goofy to deadly serious without breaking a sweat is really impressive. The opening comedy echoes a sort of Ernie Colon/John Bogdanove playfulness and by the the end of the issue it’s in full action mode. You never forget you’re looking at a literal “comic book” because it’s so clean and straightforward, and yet it manages to be both dynamic and dramaticright through the tearful ending. Good stuff. I like modern pencilers who can show a little “eastern” influence without going overboard on Manga-Mouth and other overused trends.
Anyway, I thought I’d throw that out there, since my last serious comment on a book was ripping Loners.
The Bat-Dickness scale is shockingly low here…it might be lower than a 3 here, perhaps even a 1!
To clarify…no way he gets a “1” here, apologies…
Batman really meant to be there as “security” of sorts. But the ol’ Bat-Ego couldn’t just admit to Ollie that he really was there out of friendship and concern…he had to filter it through his, er…Bat-Dickness.
The tease of Batman’s part of the story was 3.5, ended up a 2.5 when he showed up at the fight. That balances out to 3 or so.
Also, it makes one wonder if Batman isn’t a secret “fourth wall” character like Animal Man or She-Hulk. I think Batman is just too much of a Bat-Dick to US, THE READERS to admit to us that the reason he always has a solution is because he has an advance copy of the issue and an encylopedic knowledge of comic book cliches. That’s like a level 4 Bat-Dick towards the readers! Awesome!
BTW: I loved seeing snapper carr in this issue -even if he is a dick, and not the snapper carr from LEGION and Blasters.
Decent, fun issue. I wish they had left the ending out of the otherwise care free and comical issue. It really didnt fit the issue and seems to be there simply to get people to come back for the GA/BC series launching next month.
I doubt they’d kill Ollie though. They worked hard enough to bring him back. He’ll be back and the one killed will be a clone or double or robot of some kind. Didn’t like the fact that the Shiva level BC couldnt handle Ollie, even if caught by surprise and unexpected. She took him out in like 2 panels in that Sin miniseries a few months back. Just seemed out of character for her to use lethal force, especially against her ‘husband’ regardless of circumstances.
Does anyne have some sort of list for all those people in the invite page? I have no idea who the guy who didn’t thinkt hey’d invite him is, or the Checkmate employee…
I just wanna say that if anyone eats frogs or if Howard Cunningham shows up to perform another wedding, somebody is going DOWN!
DC should wait a little longer from death to death. Now It´s kind of obvious that someone will die in any major event. Happy endings are now more original
Really? Black Canary, one of the best fighters in the DCU, with mad judo skillz, cannot get a man holding a knife off her without resorting to stabbing him in the neck? I know a class-full of self-defence students who have never been in a fight their entire lives who can do it, but Dinah can’t? Really? Huh.
Man, does that whole, “How about we do it NOW, and THIS will be the last time before we’re married?” scene is SO familiar! LOL Didn’t work for me either!
Got to hunt up a full copy. Dang DC!
Come on! I hope that some of the above psoters are correct, and this isn’t a ‘real’ death. Because if it is then it’s lame. (And follows a series of lame deaths, Conner, Bart, now Ollie) Why kill such a popular character, espically since he’s in other DC properties (Smallville, SuperMax (maybe)).
Characters have to die. But come on…at least make it slightly heroic, and not from left field. And this is the very definition of left field.
I would have liked this better if it weren’t drawn by a humor cartoonist but it dodged the bullet of poor Black Canary being married to that loser. Anyone else notice that Black Canary is now strong enough to shove an arrow through a grown man’s throat? Forget the fact she didn’t sonic blast him or akido him away, I think Dinah just showed Barda level strength.
So is he dead ? or is it a clone ? or like a robot ? or is he actually dead ? because man that is lame if he is, I’m so tired of deaths
The guy that couldnt believe they invited him was Snapper Carr. I thought the “snap” sound effect gave that one away, but I can understand not knowing him. The art made it hard to recognize most people unless they had some facial feature or skin colour that stood out.
Of course Snapper would be invited, the wedding takes place in Rhode Island, Snapper’s hometown, or first home of the JLA. Can you dig it daddy-o? *SNAP*
I loved the issue until the end, which quite frankly makes no sense; there’s no way Dinah, one of the world’s best martial artists, would have to kill him to get him off, not to mention that she doesn’t just use her Canary Cry.
In the page of reaction shots, who’s the blonde woman in the first row? And the Checkmate guy?
While the issue is good, the whole ending leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I’d like to be more positive here, but with Bart’s death and Joey-Q’s obsession with Spidey’s marriage it’s hard to. I’ve no doubt that great stories can come of this, but it still gets to me even if Ollie is alive.
Think about it. If it is a clone, when was the switch made? Maybe during the wedding? Maybe when he came back from the island? Not cool. Not cool at all.
Oh, and I pick Sivanna for the win. :p
Top row: no clue, nightwing, power girl, snapper carr
second row: Huntress, Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter, Black Lightning
third row: no clue, red arrow, plastic man, oracle
forth row: Allen Scott, no clue, Vixen, Batman
Does anyne have some sort of list for all those people in the invite page? I have no idea who the guy who didn’t thinkt hey’d invite him is, or the Checkmate employee…
The guy who didn’t think they’d invite him is Snapper Carr. The man with the Checkmate symbol seems to be Eddie Fyers (an old friend of Connor, but I think Ollie as well) and the woman between Vixen and Alan is Zatanna, judging from the dress shirt and undone bow tie.
So You Said… “I know that Judd Winick can write Green Arrow in a manner that I enjoy, but I’ve never been 100% sold on his Black Canary. This issue gives me some hope, but still leaves me with areas of concern, especially if we’re going to see Dinah as the vengeful bride, a la ‘Kill Bill.’ ”
Buddy, if you think that the woman we saw in this issue and Green Arrow #75 is anywhere CLOSE to what Black Canary should be like, you need some serious reeducation with a complete run of Gail Simone’s ‘Birds of Prey’.
Dinah is not some stupid bimbo who will go chasing after a piece of jewlery in a war zone.
Dinah is not some helpless maiden who needs to be saved from Deathstroke twice in half a year. Hell, she and her friends sent him running like a startled chipmunk in “Birds of Prey”.
Dinah never slept with Hawkman. I don’t know where the hell Winick got that from.
And as has been pointed out before, here and elsewhere, Dinah is one of the greatest martial artists in the world. Top Five material. The leaders of the League of Assassins have likened her to Lady Shiva. Even ignoring the sheer physical impossibility of getting an arrow through someone’s neck with one hand or the fact that Dinah’s Canary Cry would allow her to easily take down Ollie in that situation with relatively little violence, Dinah’s first martial arts discipline was judo. The one that is all about throwing people around and is popular with single women primarily because it teaches them HOW TO DEAL WITH A MAN TRYING TO GET ON TOP OF THEM?
Winick is a hack, plain and simple. I take comfort in the fact that every book DC has tried to reboot with a new #1 in the last year in an effort to boost sales has changed writers within a year. Maybe when Green Arrow/Black Canary fails to pick up any of the audience from Birds of Prey (and I wonder why it would fail to do that…) DC will finally wake up, listen to the solid majority of its’ fans and stop Winick from ever writing Green Arrow of Black Canary ever again.
this was one union i didnt want to end this way… damn you DC…
[i]Top row: no clue, nightwing, power girl, snapper carr[/i]
It’s Hawkman.
[i]second row: Huntress, Hal Jordan, Martian Manhunter, Black Lightning[/i]
[i]third row: no clue, red arrow, plastic man, oracle[/i]
Eddie Fyers
[i]forth row: Allen Scott, no clue, Vixen, Batman[/i]
Zatanna
I guess that the 1st person on the top row is Hawkman (but without the helmet), judging from the things in the background that I think look like wings. By the way, I like Supes’ face expression when Wonder Woman says “It’ll weaken them”.
Praise Black Adam’s Gods for this site, ladies and gents(and Matt and Stephen)…If I’d got home and read this in the crapper, I think we all would know what I’d use for TP…I’d rather Deathstroke just blew the room up that these two were in at the end, Gorrilla Grodd mark his territory on the wedding cake, anything but this lame ending. And I’d say that Batman’s dickery is functional(level 4). He wanted to attend to be civil, but suspected foul play, bringing it directly to the attention of the reader. Like a true Dick.
NO! LAME!
WHY, OLLIE, WHY?!
Killing Ollie on his honeymoon night is the worst thing that DC did since Dr. Light did what you know.