Meltzer continues to impress with his combination of character-driven storytelling and super-hero nostalgia. Like other writers like Brian Michael Bendis and Kurt Busiek, Meltzer's filtering classic super-hero conventions through a more realistic, modern lens, and the result is strong storytelling. He's aided immensely in his endeavors by the deliciously self-contradictory artwork of Hester and Parks. In other words, this is yet another good issue of Green Arrow.
Green Arrow and Arsenal learn why the Cat-Man was at the former's funeral, and it was part of an agreement that Ollie made prior to his death. Aware of how risky his masked profession was, he arranged for someone to tie up any loose ends from his costumed adventures, to protect his identity and hide any links to his loved ones. But what Arsenal can't understand is why his mentor would turn to a super-villain to carry out the task... which, as it turns out, wasn't entirely complete.
Matt Wagner's cover for this issue reminds me a great deal of the art of Tony Harris, which makes sense, given that Harris was the seminal artist on James Robinson's Starman. That title transformed the Shade into something much more than a generic super-villain, and Meltzer makes excellent use of that characterization.
Hester and Parks's artwork is a study in contrasts. On the one hand, there's a simple, cartoony quality at play, but on the other, there's a darkness and intense, angular quality as well. And that's why it works so well on this book. Be it Smith's initial 15-issue run or Meltzer's new stint, the scripts combine the fun and adventure of the super-hero genre with mature, character-driven storytelling, and the art does the same.
There are a couple of plot elements here that don't sit all that well with me. While I loved Hester's take on a classic DC villain on the final splash page, his appearance comes off as far too coincidental. Mind you, the next issue might provide a satisfactory explanation; time will tell. I was also a bit puzzled as to why the Shade didn't complete his task for Ollie. "Don't fear, Oliver. I didn't let you down," he says, but it seems to me that's exactly what he did. And why the Cat-Man's involvement was necessary was never made entirely clear.
Despite those little bumps on the road, there's a great deal of logic behind in incredible scenario. We all have our secrets, and I'm sure that we'd all like someone to protect those secrets after we die. Most of us don't actually think about death all that much, though, and therefore, make no arrangements. But Ollie had plenty of reason to consider death, and I rather enjoyed his unusual approach to tending to his affairs.
