Series Killer
Roy Harper. He was the Green Arrow’s sidekick, Speedy. Then he was a heroin addict, but was able to get his live back on track and eventually become Red Arrow, a respected member of the Justice League. Roy was a flawed character but a genuinely good man who learned from his mistakes. His character really shined in the scenes with his daughter Lian. Unfortunately, someone decided that Roy Harper was going to be the Job of DC universe.
In the limited series “Cry for Justice” Roy’s life is decimated. Not only does his sweet, young daughter die horribly, but Roy’s arm is also sliced off and his father figure, Green Arrow, becomes a murderer, killing the man who killed Lian. Suffice it to say, Roy Harper has not had a good year.
In the third issue of “Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal” Roy is being attacked by Lian’s mother, the villainess Cheshire, an assassin. The fight progresses in the most cliché way possible. They try to have sex, because they are mourning. That scene takes up approximately one quarter of the comic. It does not add to the proposed narrative arc of the limited series.
Writer J. T. Krul (Fathom) is systematically taking a beloved character and destroying everything about him. If done right, a character’s downfall can be an engrossing story that shows the true mettle of a character. A good recent example of this is the “House, MD” season finale in which House is step-by-step broken down until he is forced to make a choice.
The art team of “The Rise of Arsenal” did a competent job. It is unknown why there seemed to be so many artists used for this single issue since the art shifts did not add to the story in any compelling way.
This issue is a series killer. The terrible story is sure to make many people lose interest in following Roy Harper’s tale.
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