by Randy Lander

GREEN ARROW #8 "Quiver Chapter Eight: When Ollie Met Ollie..." Recommended (8/10) DC Comics Writer: Kevin Smith Pencils: Phil Hester Inks: Ande Parks Colors: Guy Major Letters: Sean Konot Editor: Bob Schreck Price: $2.50 US/$4.25 CAN This is it, the big revelation about how Ollie's resurrection and half-memories came to be, and though it leaves a couple of big questions looming, it's generally a pretty solid affair. There's also the usual thing I've come to expect from Smith's time on this title, exploration of other DC characters from his offbeat view, this time out mostly a look at Boston Brand as well as one character I really didn't expect to see at all, let alone in Green Arrow. There's a big surprise in this issue, and while I'm unhappy with it in one respect, I do have to admire Smith for his ability to surprise me. In a bizarre example of self-examination, Ollie comes face to face with himself this issue and has a nice, long talk. It was a lot of fun to see the "modern" incarnation of Ollie, after all the trials and tribulations he suffered during Grell's run and Dixon's run, talking to the more innocent but hot-headed version of the character. The two men are the same person in some ways, but because of the many years between them, they are quite different as well, and I thought Smith did a nice job of capturing two men who are basically the same but for experience and viewpoint. He also has some good commentary on the basic nature of Hal Jordan and Oliver Queen. Meanwhile, back in the physical world, we see the ramifications of Queen's seeming death at the hands of the Demon a couple issues back. That includes Canary's rage and grief as well as what happened when the Demon kept fighting Batman, Canary and Roy. It also includes some hilarious interplay with Boston Brand, and I loved Guy Major's use of coloring effects to show Brand possessing someone. Hester and Parks are great as always, doing a particularly impressive job on the shift in the Demon's demeanor once he is possessed. That includes a change in body language and appearance as much as his actual change in dialogue, and they did a nice job of visually hinting at the change. In addition, their view of Ollie's Heaven as a green and mountainous area filled with blue sky makes a great setting for the discussion, and the one-panel glimpses of Ollie's past gives a good sense of what he's talking about regarding his difficult past. This issue finally drops the bomb I've been expecting since about, oh, issue two, and it takes one of the supporting characters in a direction I was hoping it wouldn't. Smith has telegraphed this surprise pretty badly, and I thought it was a misuse of an interesting supporting character. However, combined with this non-surprise is a huge surprise using an obscure DC character, and I'm now dying to see the explanation coming next issue. Email Randy Lander comments about this review.