Arrow Episode 4: An Innocent Man Review

Hey everyone! I'm Ryan Howitzer and you're in the line of fire! As of episode 4, I still have very few complaints about Arrow. It's a well-written show with great action and it's bringing an underrated character of the DCU into the spotlight. That being said, a few of the characters are starting to get on my nerves. Laurel is at the top of that list. She is extremely self-righteous and it bugs me...a lot. Black Canary isn't a self-righteous character in the comics, so why are they making her one here. Next on my list is Detective Lance. Paul Blackthorne shamed himself for me with his Harry Dresden impersonation (Does nobody at SyFy know what a duster is?) and he's not making up any ground. I'm sure he's a great guy, but Detective Lance is worse than Henry Spencer on the first two seasons of Psych. Walter finally lost his status of annoying in this episode. Ollie and Dig are still awesome characters. Dig's sister-in-law becomes more prominent as well. Felicity Smoak continues to charm me. She's just so bubbly and adorable. She's cute as heck too. We also had a new security guard for Ollie. He was a funny character. All in all, the story was pretty good. It was your classic hero exonerates innocent man and busts the real bad guys story with an Arrow twist. We also see Ollie's flashbacks to his first kill on the island. The ending with Dig was awesome, although I really hope that Dig is just Dig. If Dig becomes Arsenal/Red Arrow, I might scream. That role is for Roy Harper and Roy Harper only. We also saw John Barrowman for the first time (pictured below)!!!!

John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness

 For those of you unfamiliar with awesome British TV, John Barrowman plays Captain Jack Harkness on Doctor Who and Torchwood. He's also a personal hero of mine who signed my shirt at a con. Unfortunately though, Barrowman does not appear to be playing Bruce Wayne and does appear to be a villain. This was a great episode though. Arrow continues to impress. I really can't wait to see how Ollie gets out of murder charges. Also, next week we see Deathstroke make his first appearance. Look for my preview to my comic reviews this weekend. Young Justice and Avengers are both on hiatus right now, so I'll get to work on my Arkham City review as well. Until next time, this is Howitzer signing out. Keep your head down because you're in the line of fire.      

Arrow: Lone Gunmen Review

The main cast of Arrow (Left to right: Willa Holland as Thea Queen, David Ramsey as Diggle, Stephen Amell as Arrow, Collin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn, and Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance)

Hey everyone! You're in the Line of Fire! As you all know, I'm Ryan "Howitzer" Howard and this is my review of Arrow episode 3: Lone Gunmen. Let me start by saying that I am a huge DC comics fan. Green Arrow is one of my absolute favorite comic characters and Arrow is quickly becoming one of my favorite shows on TV. Lone Gunmen did not disappoint. Michael Rowe (pictured below)

Michael Rowe as Floyd Lawton aka Deadshot

 did the role of Deadshot justice (although, I really wanted Floyd to have a mustache like he does in the comics). The only thing I'll say about Deadshot was that he was underdeveloped, he wasn't much like his comic book counterpart (wasn't suicidal, etc.) and he could have been a really awesome and interesting character if they would've gone more in depth with him (or at least kept him around although an arrow to the eye is an awesome way to go out). I for one wanted to know why he tattooed the names of his victims on himself (did anyone else pause the episode to look for famous DC names like I did?). Anyway, the freshness of the plot of this episode was amazing. While Ollie's crusade is classic Green Arrow, the plot of pick target, hunt target, kill target can get old after awhile. I also like the fact that Oliver is opening a nightclub to give himself a cover story (I guess it's a better story than Polo). We also get more backstory from the island. It turns out Ollie didn't just teach himself how to use a bow. The mercenaries looked pretty interesting as well. That might be setting up for Deathstroke's backstory (his mask was on the island). The development of Digg was good as well. Digg is quickly becoming the second of only two likable characters on the show. The ending with Digg was great too. The Thea stuff is coming along well. It looks like Oliver is trying his best to keep Thea from turning into him. I still hate Ollie's mom and step dad though. Then again, you're supposed to. I'm waiting for Tommy to turn into Merlyn the Dark Archer and I want Dinah (I refuse to call her Laurel) to turn into Black Canary (Canary probably won't show up till season 2 though). Felicity Smoak is a good addition to the cast as well. Emily Bett Rickards is a cutie and her character seems to be the flighty but lovable nerd girl. All in all, the show is great. Stephen Amell continues to show that he's more than just abs as Green Arrow. The writing backs up the cool ideas and story potential the show has (We don't have another The Cape on our hands). All in all, I'm still pretty optimistic about the show. I'm gonna give Lone Gunmen an 8/10. It would've been a 9 or even a 10 if Deadshot would have been more developed. Next week we don't seem to have a super villain in Arrow, but we're two episodes from Deathstroke! I can't wait. Anyways, expect a few comic reviews this weekend. Also be on the lookout for my review of the new Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes and Young Justice. Soon I'll get my Arkham City review done too. Until next time, this is Howitzer telling you to keep your head down because you're in the Line of Fire!