World Famous Comics: Green Arrow: The Sounds of Violence (Vol. 2)
Green Arrow: The Sounds of Violence (Vol. 2)
By: Kevin Smith Publisher: DC Comics Average Rating: Binding: Paperback Label: DC Comics Number of Items: 1 Number of Pages: 128 Publication Date: February 01, 2004 Release Date: February 01, 2004
Not as fascinating as the first volume but still readable Lots of trademark Ollie Queen cynicism, lots of action, but not quite up to Kevin Smith's earlier volume. Not quite as R-rated, either, which is good for the younger fans. Green Arrow's always a lot of fun!
the plot could learn a little something from the characters Resurrecting Green Arrow from the dead in volume 1: Quiver, writer Kevin Smith follows up on the superhero's role in volume 2: Sounds of Violence as Star City guardian and a struggling father.
Collecting Green Arrow #'s 11-15 (with a foreword by artist Phil Hester, a gorgeous cover gallery and three pages of sketches), this book is barer than last book, and anyone looking for the DC Universe here would be disappointed, because here we see less Green Arrow: superhero, and more Oliver Queen: father.
If you enjoyed the characters in volume 1, then you'll definitely enjoy this book. The dialogue as always remains strong; the characters come through shining, but the plot is much weaker. To be sure, Dinah and Ollie go on a date to talk about their relationship - with hilarious ramifications; liberal Green Arrow talks to conservative Hawkman - with an inevitable fight; Oliver deals with a potential sidekick - with good humor, but the book ends very softly and doesn't resolve the enigmatic super-villain Onomatopoeia.
If you enjoy Green Arrow as a character along with his supporting cast, you certainly won't be disappointed, but if you're looking for the same strong plot you saw in volume 1, you'll probably regret your purchase.
Kevin Smith writes about love re-ignited and arrows and what sounds like serial killing... Hawkman: "You know, Oliver -- the ancient Egyptians had a word for people like you." Green Arrow: "Oh, yeah? What's that?" Hawkman: "'Schmuck.'"
GREEN ARROW: SOUNDS OF VIOLENCE is the second trade paperback reprinting issues from the Emerald Archer's new monthly series, and it's definitely worth getting. True, this one, at 128 pages, is much shorter than the preceding Green Arrow: Quiver (Book 1) collection as this one only compiles 5 issues (#11-15). But what it lacks in quantity it makes up in quality. Film director turned comic book scribe Kevin Smith finishes up his Green Arrow run in this volume, and even though the very capable Brad Meltzer would take over for him, things would never be quite as good.
These issues, much like in QUIVER, focus on Green Arrow's settling back into his superhero niche in Star City and renewing relationships with his family, friends, and colleagues. So, yes, the reader treads in emotional undercurrents here and sees plenty of character development. The first issue here ("Ultimate Speedy") centers on Mia, the teenaged girl Ollie's taken into his home (see Green Arrow: Quiver (Book 1)). Mia wants to be the next Speedy, but Ollie has deep reservations. The second issue ("Feast and Fowl") is my favorite and is very funny, highlighted by Ollie's date with Dinah and Ollie's run-ins with the ultra-conservative Hawkman (who's also a recently returned-from-the-dead). This little storyline carries over into the next issue, and, honestly, it's almost worth this TPB's cover price just to watch Ollie and Hawkman trade insults. Then there's Dinah, in a gloriously indecent state, to break it all up (thanks for nothing, Mr. Terrific!).
But things take a somber turn once "The Sound of Violence" story arc really gets going. Smith bolsters Ollie's Rogue Gallery by introducing a great new supervillain, Onomatopoeia, a possibly super-powered serial killer targeting costumed crimefighters. This crazy's shtick is verbalizing sound effects, but this gimmick doesn't take away from how lethal this guy is. Before it's all over, he puts a serious hurting on someone very close to Green Arrow. Yet another sad thing about Smith's departure is that the 411 on Onomatopoeia's been put on the backburner. Maybe, someday...
The team of Phil Hester (SWAMP THING, CLERKS: THE LOST SCENE) and Ande Parks continue to churn out some of the most stylized and fantastic artwork in the field. Cannot get over how great Green Arrow looks. And Kevin Smith, before he jetted, did some serious inroads in re-establishing Green Arrow as a relevant character in the DC universe. This collection also has the added candy of Phil Hester's 3 paged introduction, as well as reprints of the original covers and an artist gallery, including Hester and Ande's tiny rendition of Kevin Smith as the Emerald Archer. Dare I say it, GREEN ARROW: SOUNDS OF VIOLENCE hits the *ahem* bullseye (so sorry).
Smith ends his run with a mild anticlimax. When Kevin Smith resurrected Oliver Queen in the preceding "Quiver" story, he told one of the best DC stories I have ever read. In ten issues, he brought Ollie back to the land of the living, introduced a new supporting character, brought back a few old ones, and created a new status quo for Ollie. Now, in this slim second volume, he explores this new status quo a bit on his way out the door.
The stories contained here focus on Ollie's new ward, Mia Dearden, his reconnection with his former lover Black Canary, and addresses what the status of his son Connor is to be in the new world order. In the first case, Mia harbours dreams of being the new Speedy, and fantasizes about donning her costume (and other things). Ollie, however, is not interested in taking on another partner like he did with Roy, and, in a quite touching scene, gives a meta-explanation for the earlier Silver Age sidekicks, and why the new age of comics simply seem too dangerous for them. Mia does eventually become Speedy some thirty issues later, under the pen of writer Judd Winick, which may or may not have been Smith's idea when he introduced the character. In the romantic department, the minefield of the Green Arrow/Black Canary relationship is addressed, and Smith finds time for another fight with Hawkman, recalling their Silver Age service on the JLA. Smith writes Canary quite well, although he indulges his love of oral sex humour a few too many times for my liking (although there's a quite hysterical sequence where BC is nude and artist Phil Hester does gymnastics to preserve her modesty).
Finally, in the major story of this trade, Smith introduces a new villain, and hints that Connor/Green Arrow II may be killed off as unnecessary now that Green Arrow is back. Smith's new villain is intriguing, but this story is left unfinished, and, as yet, Smith has not returned to complete it, leaving him an unsatisfactory mystery.
This is a rather disjointed end to Smith's short but brilliant run, but it is well worth getting. It is certainly superior to anything later penned by Judd Winick in his more than fifty issues on the title.
Graphic SF Reader Fantastic villain idea in this one. Slaughtering football icons is hilarious, too. I wonder if Smith is a fan of one of the opposing teams of the D level hero he has Onomatoepeia bump off in this trade. Definitely a nice original psychopath he has come up with, with some pretty serious consequences for the Arrow family.
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