Green Arrow and Black Canary, Vol. 6: Five Stages

Green Arrow and Black Canary

by Andrew Kreisberg, J.T. Krull, Various (Illustrator)

New series writer Andrew Kreisberg (JLA CLASSIFIED, Simpsons) continues a new era for Green Arrow and Black Canary! New villainess Cupid teams with Green Arrow to face down Black Canary and...Green Arrow?! Also, Cupid's mysterious and menacing past is revealed at last, and she wreaks a horrible vengeance upon Police Lieutenant Hilton...

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Dc Comics, Superheroes, Comic Book, Graphic Novels Comics, Crime

128 pages, Paperback

First published November 23, 2010

Reviews

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is two stories. The first is the longest covering a lover villains who want to sort of be like Green Arrow. The second is a side thing on Blackest Night which was a popular run in its time.

Artwork is good. The first story was good. The second story with Blackest Night was above average to somewhat good.

OVERALL GRADE: B minus to B

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

I fondly remember reading the old Green Lantern - Green Arrow comics from the early 1970s, so I wanted to see what one of my favorite comic book archers has been up to lately. Well, this book may not have been the best place to start, since it seems to be the second half of a story arc, coupled with a weird, alternate "dark" Green Arrow story that has something to do with the "Blackest Night" story line. That said, this is still a pretty good book. The story concerns a sort of "love-triangle" fight between Green Arrow, Black Canary and a female psycho/villain called Cupid. The story is told from two points of view, that being the present day story and Cupid's origin tale. Different artists are used for each POV; Bill Seinkiewicz for the former, and Renato Guedes & Jose Wilson Magalhaes for the later. This is schizophrenic, but that is the point of the whole story. As is, it's is a fun story done with good characterization, fast action and bits of humor. I've always enjoed Seinkiewicz's art, and he is in fine form here. The "Blackest Night" story at the end is pretty much useless as far as I'm concerned, coming off as disjointed and pointless in context with the main story.

[M · Rating 2 out of 5]

The world of Black Canary and Green Arrow are twisted upside-down in this sixth volume of their titular series. The twisted romantic known as Cupid targeted Green Arrow as her perfect match - only to be rejected by the Emerald Archer. Determined to make do with the next best thing, Cupid convinces the shape-shifter Everyman to remain in his Arrow persona and become her personal boy toy. With Dark Arrow and Cupid wreaking havoc on Star City, Ollie and Dinah must tag team against their date night opposites and uncover the truth behind their foes' origins. The volume concludes with a Blackest Night tie-in, as a zombified Green Arrow uses Ollie's memories to torment the friends, allies, family, and lovers of the archer. While the premise of a darker version of the Arrow/Canary partnership has merits, the empty shells of Cupid and Everyman prevent the idea from moving beyond a simple fan suggestion. Andrew Kreisburg does a better job with the Green Lantern arc sidebar, demonstrating how true the statement of hurting the one you love really is. A few missed shots for the majority of the volume, but it does conclude with a bulls-eye.

[kirsten · Rating 2 out of 5]

Note: Read as individual issues.

You know it sucks when you're actually okay with a series you used to like ending. The quality of this series really took a nose dive after Winick left. Cupid is one of the worst villains I've read (right up there with "Joker's Daughter"). I felt so unimpressed while reading this but for some reason held onto some naive hope that this series would get better because it did have some good points. I'm too disappointed and too bitter to go back and review each individual issue because they all blur together and at this point I just want to erase all of this from my memory. Considering this is the last GA/BC comic I should have known it would suck. If it was good it would have continued because these two together are a perfect team up. To see such a good series end in such a lame, boring and try hard way is a real shame. Especially when it really does such a disservice to their characters. Green Arrow and Black Canary deserve better.

Also if this is the guy who works on Arrow, no wonder that show is shit.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is nothing if not a dive into characters we've all begun to know and love (or me, at least). The story isn't exactly brilliant or cohesive, but I enjoyed the sentiments. I enjoyed it, damnit!

What a nightmare everyone's going through. I can't even tell if it's worse for the victims or the survivors.

[Kris · Rating 1 out of 5]

The later part of the GA\BC largely flailed about and this ends in a whimper. Very poor showing.

[Sean · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another strangely collected book that is part of a few stories. We gets Cupid's backstory and its tied to a generic military group that lessens it. The plot is filled with holes. Lt. Hilton takes a dramatically weird turn that is stolen from Chuck Dixson's Nightwing run. It'll be abandoned though, like most this book. The art was okay. Overall, all the good ideas left volumes ago and Kreisberg left himself nowhere to go.

[Duncan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book WAS going places until, in TRUE Dan Didiot style, the editor and writer decided to seriously maim and cripple what had become a strong supporting character. As is, the story went from good and twisty to pathetic and corrosive in an eye-blink.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

This basically wrapped the series up other than the "Fall of Green Arrow" issues. Overall not bad, but bit quite up to the earlier issues. Things got odd here, and I don't think some of this stuff was ever followed up on?

[Charity Tinnin · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I would've given this 5 stars were it not for the complete jump w/o explanation of issue 30.

27-29 wrap up the last immediate arc as well as call back throughout all 29 issues, interweaving layers I hadn't even thought about, giving us sympathetic background for Cupid, and further exploring Oliver and Dinah's individual emotional arcs plus a breakthrough for them as a married couple! Great! Then BC/GA get a summons to JLU headquarters ...

And issue 30 is suddenly IN THE MIDDLE of the blackest night storyline. What happened? How did we get here? I understand that this happens with comic runs often, but this series (on goodreads and comic sites) is marketed as GA/BC #1-29, plus GA #30-32. And I do not understand why ... Which is a disappointing way to end the series.

[Christina Nightengale · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was ok. The series ends going into the Blackest Night storyline. I think they spent a little too much time on Cupid and what happened to one character seemed really unnecessary. I was a bit disappointed the Roy Harper played almost no role in the entire series and felt they spend WAY to much time on Connor Hawke and Mia. I think the series should have focused on Green Arrow and Black Canary's relationship more.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this in prep for Blackest Night.
Out of context (without having read any other Green Arrow and Black Canary) this volume is somewhere between a 2 and a 3. It was ok.

The last issue though (#30) was really good. With the black ring's power over Green Arrow we get to see what kind of man Ollie really was (with the help of a "truth arrow") and see some bad history and secrets revealed regarding those he's closest to.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't know I was jumping into the middle of a series, but it was never the less great. Thankfully the first two sections were easy enough to follow if familiar with some of the characters. The third section I had no idea what was going on, but it was fascinating and the art was amazing. I definitely need to start from the beginning and continue Green Arrow/Black Canary!

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was pretty good. I kind of jumped in with the Cupid story-line, but I understood the background and what was going on. I keep jumping around in the Black Canary/Green Arrow volumes, but I don't think that is diminishing them any. I think this would have been four stars if not for the art, which isn't bad it just isn't my style at all. (I like cleaner lines, less 'busy').

[Thurston · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sadly vol 6 was as dreadful as vol 5....with the exception of the last story who was written and illustrated by others....
If anyone knows of other GA/BC books without these authors and artists let me know!

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Cupid storyline finishes, and Green Arrow starts to go darker. Good reading.

[SA · Rating 3 out of 5]

a hurried wrap up of the storylines before they went into Black Lantern.

[John Yelverton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Why one Earth would you waste the time having these two characters get married only to bust their marriage up six novels later?

[Larisa · Rating 2 out of 5]

again, art out performed the story.