Finished Quiver by Kevin Smith. There are some mild spoilers below, so if you haven’t read this, you might want to skip ahead to the next post.

This is a graphic novel about Oliver Queen, aka Green Arrow, one of DC Comic’s characters. The novels deals with the resurrection of Oliver, who was killed off saving the world (as comic book superheroes so often do). Oliver wakes up one day basically homeless one day and think it’s really several years ago. The rest of the book focuses on how he was resurrected and what he really is now. There’s also a side plot about a murderer on the loose in Star City that eventually dovetails in with the main storyline.

I’ve never read any of the Green Arrow comics before and picked this one up at the used bookstore on a whim. I’m glad I did. I enjoyed a lot of things about the book, mainly Oliver’s attitude. He’s far more carefree and cheerful than Superman or Batman, which was a refreshing change of pace. (Too much angst gets old after a while). Oliver also likes to punch first and ask questions later, and he runs his mouth a lot. It all made him a rough, loud, lovable character. 

Kevin Smith is a big comics fan, and you can tell from the number of references he drops into the storyline. There are so many mentions of different storylines there are actually asterisks in the book and references to specific comics/volumes. My significant other read the book and complained about all the other references. But I like tying things into other storylines, so that didn’t bother me.

In fact, one of the things that really made the book work for me was a reference Smith made to the Sandman comics by Neil Gaiman. I’m reading along thinking some of these people/events sound familiar and wondering why. I turn the page and there’s Dream, still encased in his prison. That was a very cool reference and way to tie the two stories together.

I have a couple of quibbles, though. One, I figured out who the bad guy was halfway through the story, and I don’t think Smith made it that easy on purpose. Two, I didn’t understand why the demon the bad guy was trying to control just didn’t eat him before the end of the book, if he had the power to do it all along. (The demon dispatches the bad guy rather swiftly at the end). 

Three, the way Oliver is resurrected is kind of gross. His friend Hal (a former Green Lantern) is the one behind the resurrection. How did he resurrect Oliver? By fishing his DNA out of Superman’s suit (Oliver died in an explosion Superman witnessed).

So Superman basically just didn’t wash his superhero suit well enough to get all the itty-bitty pieces of Oliver out of the material. Ewww! Couldn’t he have gotten Ma Kent to make him a new suit? I wouldn’t want to walk around wearing something my friend had got blown up on. But that’s just me.

Overall, if you’re looking for something to read to tide you over until Iron Man and The Dark Knight hit theaters this summer, you might want to check out Quiver.

Thumbs up.

Up next: Warprize by Elizabeth Vaughn.