Arsenal #1
“Six Degrees: Next of Kin”, October 1998, written by Devin K. Grayson, pencilled by Rick Mays, inked by Sean Parsons, colored by Moose Baumann, lettered by Comicraft, edited by Eddie Berganza, cover by Mays et. al.
Finally, Roy Harper, Oliver Queen’s ward (and the sidekick formerly known as “Speedy”) gets to take center stage. Issue #1 is really a co-starring story about Arsenal and Black Canary (yay!) and their relationship and history which brings their Silver Age, pre-Crisis first real meeting into post-Crisis continuity. Very interesting and complex — seems they have sort of a mother/son-sister/brother-flirt/flirt thing going on and of course their strongest connection is through Ollie. The implication is that they are each other’s closest family, and Dinah lets her guard down more in this issue with Arsenal than she has in the the Birds of Prey titles or anywhere else she’s turned up since leaving the Green Arrow monthly in issue #75. Nice. There’s also a neat name-dropping moment where Canary refers to Connor “Green Arrow” Hawke which implies that she makes sure to maintain a connection with Oliver’s blood son as well as with his ward. I like Ms. Grayson’s take on the whole milieu, though I do question what the heck that picture of Canary on the cover is all about.
Arsenal #2
“Six Degrees: All in the Family”, November 1998, written by Devin K. Grayson, pencilled by Rick Mays, inked by Sean Parsons, colored by Moose Baumann, lettered by Comicraft, edited by Eddie Berganza, cover by Mays et. al.
Issue #2 continues this terrific story, opening with Canary (in costume this time) interviewing a babysitter for Lian (issue #1 opened with Arsenal doing likewise and the two interviews are hilarious). She looks terrific. This story introduces Connor Hawke into the mix and things get really interesting when Roy decides to call Oracle and they “meet” presumably for the first time — major flirting. Again, I love Ms. Grayson’s style. Everyone in the hero community — especially the non-super-powered bunch — is portrayed as being very interconnected. A special treat is Arsenal’s rant about Nightwing’s inferiority complex in regards to Batman versus his own in regards to Oliver Queen.
Arsenal #3
“Six Degrees: Blood Thicker”, December 1998, written by Devin K. Grayson, pencilled by Rick Mays, inked by Sean Parsons, colored by Moose Baumann, lettered by Comicraft, edited by Eddie Berganza, cover by Mays et. al
Roy and OracleIssue #3 doesn’t disappoint. This is such a great character story that the central story is almost beside the point (though, of course, it provides the raison d’etre for the character development) which I do not mean in any way as a criticism. Vandal Savage is a great bad guy, and I like the way Rick Mays draws him as so much bigger than our heroes (Lian looks like a doll in his hands) that he even dwarfs Roy. Dinah’s in this issue, too (natch!), and the depiction of their relationship continues to be a highlight of the series. This is one of the strongest books, visually, that I’ve ever seen. The art is a completely original fusion of manga and classic comic art styles which, along with the clean, spare backgrounds and cinematic mise en scene, enhances the feeling of motion as one reads. This book moves. Great moments include Roy calling Connor Hawke “bro” as they take a moment to pay homage to their mutual father and the entire flashback sequence which follows Savage’s disturbing question, “Tell me, Roy Harper… are you a lucky man?” The more you know about Roy’s history, the more of a gut-wrencher that question is. The new costume is very nice, too, though I like the color scheme on issue #4’s cover better than what’s shown in issue #3. Devin Grayson’s “interview” with Roy which was meant to be offered in three parts at the end of issues #2-#4 (space constraints left the final installment out of issue #4 but it can be found at Scott McCullar’s wonderful Unofficial Green Arrow Compendium thanks to Scott, DC, and Devin Grayson) is as much an insight into the writer’s mind as it is into the character’s. Lots of fun.
Arsenal #4
“Six Degrees: Imprinting”, January 1999, written by Devin K. Grayson, pencilled by Rick Mays, inked by Sean Parsons, colored by Moose Baumann, lettered by Comicraft, edited by Eddie Berganza, cover by Mays et. al.
This mini concluded with the this issue (and a big “PHOOEY!” — Give this boy a monthly of his own, dangit) as Arsenal had to decide how to handle the immortal Vandal Savage’s Faustian offer while his daughter Lian’s life hung in the balance. The way Roy works things out is smart and funny and proves this boy can think on his feet as well as anyone. Best line: “Note to self. Next time you decide to change your moral alignment — don’t do it in the middle of a firefight.” And, appropriately, the whole thing ends with a party. As Dinah says, “Ollie would have loved this.”