Posted by Erik_W at pcmc3010-g.nt.carleton.ca on July 22, 2003 at 10:58:30:
In Reply to: Question about Kevin's comic writing posted by jenos_sith4 on July 22, 2003 at 09:38:02:
I've actually just finished reading the Green Arrow stuff (from Quiver through to the present), so I'd like to offer a few ideas...
The Quiver story line had one thing to deal with - the return of Oliver Queen from the dead. Now, Kevin could have written something simple where Queen actually *did* escape the plane somehow and just chose to hide away for a while... but I'm rather glad that he went for a more complicated story where the character is actualy dead. The dialogue between Hal and Ollie when they are walking around "heaven" makes it quite clear that there is more than one aspect to the afterlife, and it becomes apparent that even the greater powers in the universe (i.e The Spectre, Deadman) do not fully understand the nature of God (Hal even suggests that God could be a Hindu Goddess). I thought this was quite well done, and the sacrifice that Ollie has to make for his son (leaving heaven - probably the biggest sacrifice he could be asked to make), adds poignancy to the tale.
Now, while Ollie is never specifically named a Catholic, I think it is fairly obvious that he is - I mean, what with all the monestaries and such. But I don't see how this detracts from the story to a non-Catholic or non-Christian. The concepts of faith and afterlife should not be alien to anyone.
In the end, the story is not about religion but about Oliver Queen coming to terms with his past, with his family, and with his role in the world.