Reviewer: John Babos
Story Title: The Vertigo Treatment
Written by: Scott Beatty
Penciled by: Phil Hester
Inked by: Ande Parks
Colored by: James Sinclair
Lettered by: Janice Chiang
Editor: Bob Schreck
Publisher: DC
First we had Kevin Smith. Then we had Brad Meltzer. Now we have Scott Beatty, current CrossGen Ruse scribe, coming aboard for one issue. Through the few writing staff changes, we have experienced consistent, beautiful Phil Hester pencils. Issue 22 marks the last issue, for now, for Phil Hester. It’s also a change of pace for readers who went from Kevin Smith’s Quiver multi-issue arc and related issues to Brad Meltzer’s The Archer’s Quest arc to this back-to-basics stand-alone issue.
Issue 22 finds Oliver Queen traveling back to the secluded Star Island, in the South Seas, where he curbed his first crime and where the legend of Green Arrow began. With none of the trappings of modern civilization, just the clothes on his back, a compass, a knife, and fresh water, Queen’s month long sojourn begins – battling tidal waves, poisonous jelly fish, the elements, and…. Count Vertigo.
Reformed villain, former member of John Ostrander’s 1980’s/90’s Suicide Squad, Eastern Bloc royalty from Vlatava, and D.E.O. Federal Agent, Count Werner Vertigo has a long resume and a long-standing hatred for Green Arrow. Taking the opportunity to settle the score, Vertigo seemingly goes back to his villainous roots and confronts an unarmed Oliver Queen on his South Seas isle. We gain some insight into both Vertigo and Queen in a story with heavy human reflection, laced with a bit of humor and pathos. It is a great break from what’s come before it and is a perfect stand-alone issue.
A typically classy Matt Wagner cover, with perfectly meshing inks by Ande Parks for magical Phil Hester pencils – issue 22 is another visual delight by the long-standing Green Arrow art crew. The coloring of John Sinclair also deserves some recognition. His colors perfectly capture the mood for each panel. It really adds to the story and helps move it along. Janice Chiang’s clean lettering also makes issue 22 a good read.
All in all, issue 22 is a nice stand-alone human story. You won’t miss seeing Oliver Queen in costume. It’s that good. You also get some further clues about Oliver’s prospective meta-gene “powers”.
I have some reservations about the next “six weeks of crime and cartels and interstellar suspense as the Black Circle: Urban Knights crossover (with Green Lantern) begins.” Green Arrow does not lend itself well to sci-fi, but I did enjoy the old Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams Green Lantern/Green Arrow crossover from the 1970s (collected in a hardcover if anyone wants to pick it up), which had some sci-fi elements. I will reserve my comments and see what this new creative team can pull off. They have big shoes to fill.
