Spoiler alert, by the way.
As a reviewer over at IGN has already pointed out, it seems fitting that Judd Winnick—the same writer who ruthlessly squandered the momentum built by Kevin Smith and Brad Meltzer's excellent revival of Green Arrow a few years back—would be the one to literally kill off the character. Check out the Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding Special if you want to see one of the greatest characters in the DC universe receive one of the most pointless deaths ever afforded to a mask. Maybe next month we'll get to see Wonder Woman shot to death on the toilet.
For what it's worth, the issue's actually pretty good up until the big twist, with excellent art by Amanda Conner and a few extremely fun character moments. My favorites were Zatanna at the strip club ("Ekat ti ffo, ybab!!") and Batman's entrance to the wedding melee—Ollie: "I thought you said you weren't coming?" Bruce: "Not for the wedding. I came for the fight."
And of course, it won't last—superheroes never really die. (And more to the point, the Green Arrow/Black Canary series starts next month, as the final page cravenly reminds us.) But even after Ollie rises from the dead again, the stupidity will remain, like fallout littering the countryside after a meltdown. Seriously, who's next on the superhero chopping block? Mary Jane? Superman? (Oh, wait...)
[But really, read The Archer's Quest if you haven't already. Smith's arc is more of an acquired taste: it's great, but also chock full of his particular brand of snappy, bearded banter—which I know for some readers is like chewing tinfoil. But Meltzer's arc is pure, unfiltered excellence, and reminded everybody how cool and interesting the character could be.]
So here's to you, Ollie. In the words of Wonder Showzen, "Be a man and rise from your grave..."
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