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Living is Not For The Weak. After a short break from the TV show to review the Arrow  tie-in comic series, we are back with 'Crucible' - an solid episode with thrills, spills and some big reveals which only seem to pose more questions. The villain this week is the so-called 'Mayor', also known as Xavier Reed. He is an egotistical sadist who revels in the power he has acquired in the aftermath of the Undertaking. The character is slightly too over-acted, verging on the ridiculous, but actor Cle Bennett just about steers the Mayor the right side of crazy. His dialogue is fairly awful, but I liked the fact that he was a grounded villain - an opportunist who took advantage of the chaos to drive up gun violence. Ultimately, I was disappointed the show-runners killed him off, although it made for an impactful ending (more on that later!). One of the big reveals this week was that the Canary was in fact Sara Lance - once thought dead sister of Laurel and daughter of Quent...

Too Late. The final issue of the Arrow  comic book series certainly doesn't disappoint, as it wraps up the first season of the TV show in spectacular fashion. 'You Owe Me' is an enjoyable side-story involving the Hood helping a man save his wife from a kingpin in Bludhaven; and 'Sacrifice' parts one and two show the immediate aftermath of the Undertaking and the decisions Oliver made which would set up the beginning of season two. 'You Owe Me' is the story of a man who has asked for one too many favours, which catch up to him when his wife is kidnapped by a kingpin in Bludhaven. The Hood helps save them both before returning to Starling. A plot seen many times before, but helped by the protagonist who is likeable and garners sympathy from the reader. 'Sacrifice' is naturally the highlight of this issue however, as it shows Oliver trying to save Laurel, the decision to save a stranger which prevented him from saving Tommy and his brutal murders ...

I'm Finally Ready Now. The penultimate issue of the Arrow  comic series is one of the best yet and delivers in a multitude of ways, despite none of the three main stories focusing on the Hood himself. 'No Way Out' is a darker tale about a handyman for a mob boss who gains a conscience following an encounter with the vigilante; 'From the Darkness' reflects upon Malcolm Merlyn's past and how he became the Dark Archer; whilst 'Potential' examines Roy's past and forces him to consider if he is ready to become a responsible adult. 'No Way Out' focuses on Tony, a handyman for a mob boss on the Hood's list. In a relatively straightforward story, Tony grapples with guilt over his work and needing money to support his family. He questions himself at every turn and ultimately chooses to let the Hood kill his boss so he can get out of the industry and pursue more legal work. It's a nice alternative take on the Hood's crusade and focusin...

Pleasant Dreams. Issue 10 out of 12 in the Arrow  comic series continues to tie up loose ends from the TV show and present new and exciting stories for our hero; 'Aftermath' explores Diggle's attempts to avenge his brother's death during Oliver's five years in hell; 'Shado of the Past' helps explain how Shado came to Lian Yu and also shows the flashback story from the point of view of Yao Fei; and 'Patient Zero' is a disease-driven present day adventure, in which the Hood travels to Coast City to prevent biological disaster. 'Aftermath' is the worst of the three stories, but it is still very good - an emotional ride in which we are shown how Carly and Diggle reacted to the death of Andy. Seeing Diggle's fury as her pursues the wrong man is effective in portraying his pain during this time and how he found outlets for his rage. The plot itself is straightforward and predictable, but the emotional implications of the story carry the re...

To Do What You Can't. Issue nine of the Arrow  comic series takes a step back from Oliver's crusade and instead shows us stories from different perspectives; 'The Pieces Missing' depicts Diggle trying to unearth what happened to Oliver on Lian Yu by meeting with Lyla; 'Lapse' fills in the backstory of how Laurel and Tommy's relationship began during Oliver's absence; and 'Lone Hunter' introduces an SCPD officer who chooses to go undercover in order to catch the vigilante. 'The Pieces Missing' is the most underwhelming story of the three, comprised mostly of flashbacks to important moments in Dig and Oliver's friendship so far. It is nice to see Lyla appear in the comics for the first time, but she reveals nothing that we didn't already know, leaving this story feeling a bit empty. 'Lapse' takes the filling-in-the-gaps approach that many past issues have done, this time focusing on Laurel and Tommy beginning their sex...

We All Have To Die Sometime. Issue #8 of Arrow  follows a similar pattern that I have noticed in recent issues - they all seem to include one great backstory, then two pretty empty stories revolving around the Hood's campaign. This issue contains the stories 'Back from the Deadshot', 'Hunters' and 'Diamond in the Rough'; 'Back from the Deadshot' fills in the blanks between Deadshot's appearances in season one whilst also showing how he escaped after his first showdown with the Hood; 'Hunters' takes a different approach and shows how Oliver would fare whilst being hunted by a wild beast; and 'Diamond in the Rough' puts Felicity front and centre as she becomes caught up with one of Oliver's targets. 'Back from the Deadshot' is by far the highlight of this issue, with the always brilliant Floyd Lawton shining in his solo adventure. We learn how he was abducted by a strange group after being shot in the eye. Unfortuna...

Welcome to Lian Yu. The seventh issue of Arrow 's comic series is an excellent entry in the series made up of 'Wintergreen', 'Make it Rain' and 'Detour'; 'Wintergreen' fleshes out Slade and Billy's backstory and how Wintergreen turned on his lifelong friend; 'Make it Rain' explores how Oliver would react to a Robin Hood copycat; and 'Detour' is a fun jaunt around Starling City which sees Oliver and Dig get carjacked at gunpoint. 'Wintergreen' is by far the best story in this issue, benefiting from the great characters of Slade Wilson and Billy Wintergreen. This is the only time we get to see Billy's face and admittedly I was disappointed how similar he looked to Slade, so much so that I struggled to tell who was who throughout the comic. However, the backstory is emotional and brutal, and helps fill in the blanks that the TV show didn't fully cover. A great story with a heart wrenching ending, this story was o...

Can't Win 'Em All. Issue six of the Arrow comic series is made up of 'Sins of the Father', 'Two Minute Warning' and 'Keep 'Em Coming'; 'Sins of the Father' sees Oliver learn the hard way that trust can be misplaced as he dismantles a criminal operation; 'Two Minute Warning' sees the Hood race against time to save a football stadium from destruction; and 'Keep 'Em Coming' further fleshes out the relationship between Laurel and Quentin and we witness the beginnings of the latter's alcoholism. 'Sins of the Father' is the weakest link in this issue. In this story, Oliver turns soft on a criminal after he feeds him a tragic backstory, which turns out to be false and he betrays the Hood. The plot is thin and very short, and the betrayal seemed obvious to me as a reader. It was still good to see Oliver spare the boy's life - further evidence that he is changing as a character across the season. The second st...

No More Fear. The fifth issue of the Arrow  comic series isn't quite as thrilling as its predecessor, but still adds some nice themes and backstories. The issue consists of 'Shanghai', 'Call to the Bar' and '6:15 to Starling City'; 'Shanghai' is a disconnected story that sees Oliver take down a mob leader in China; 'Call to the Bar' depicts Laurel and Sara learning how to fight after being bullied in school; and '6:15 to Starling City' ups the ante with a high speed sequence involving armed terrorists on a bullet train. In 'Shanghai', Oliver helps out a family being abused by corrupt overlords. The loose connection to the TV show is that in the opening pages, the Hood takes down a drug dealer who is sending shipments to Starling City, which feels weak and makes this chapter seem a bit disconnected from the wider Arrowverse. Still, there are some badass fight scenes and it is nice to see Oliver turning from vigilante into ...

Will You Ever Be Free? Arrow  improves upon its formula in the fourth issue of the comic series, which includes 'Caged', 'Huntress Year One' and 'Limbo'. 'Caged' explores Oliver's darker impulses as a result of his time on the island; 'Huntress Year One' provides us with a fleshed out origin story for Helena as she trains to become a killer; and 'Limbo' sees Oliver struggle with memories of his past as he attempts to take down a triad shipment. 'Caged' introduces Monty Cora a.k.a. Deathride as an hugely imposing contract killer that Oliver takes down in an undercover fighting ring. Diggle narrates much of this story which is a nice change and I liked seeing his analysis of Oliver's rage and need to prove himself. Additionally, Oliver's fighting costume was cool and it was nice to see another name crossed off the list off-screen. The second story in this issue once again included the Huntress and was, again, the h...

It's A Start. The third issue of Arrow 's comic series consists of three stories - 'Boys Night', '[REC.]' and 'Falling'. If I was to summarise briefly I would say 'Boys Night' is an emotional double identity story, where Oliver balances his friendship with Tommy with his crusade as the Hood; '[REC.]' is a fun action packed spin on the Hood's campaign from the perspective of nosy kids; and 'Falling' is the heartbreaking origin story of Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. The Huntress. 'Boys Night' is a fairly straightforward story, in which the Hood faces off against a jewel thief which is a nice change of pace to the corporate evils he's faced so far on the TV show. It adds depth to Oliver and Tommy's relationship too and we are left feeling exasperated for poor Queen, who can't find the right balance in his life at this early stage of his return. The jewel thief and his flashbang grenades are fun, although under...

Can Evil Ever Be Truly Stopped? The second issue of the Arrow comic series is comprised of 'Diggle', 'Fathoms' and 'Moscow'. Two of these focus on flashbacks whilst one furthers the Hood's quest to cross names off his father's list. In 'Diggle' we get a glimpse of Dig's past life in the army in Afghanistan. I liked that they fleshed out some of the character's backstory as it lends emotional weight to the character. It was also a nice twist that Oliver was reading the files on Dig, presumably to ensure he was choosing the right person to let in to his crusade. 'Fathoms' depicts Moira Queen salvaging the Queen's Gambit. It's a relatively straightforward plot, with Moira discovering that Malcolm had the Gambit sabotaged. It is helpful seeing how her involvement in Tempest began as it ties up questions around her behaviour in the present day in the show. 'Moscow' returned to the crusade as the Hood flew to Russ...

Filling in the Blanks. Upon discovering the Arrow  comic series I was extremely excited to discover that it linked to the TV show and in particular claimed to fill in the gaps between episodes. Having read the first issue and it's three storyline ('Time's Arrow', 'Prey' and 'China White'), I realise that the connections aren't as direct as I expected them to be, but they are still enjoyable nonetheless. 'Time's Arrow' is the most forgettable of the three. It is essentially a direct scene-for-scene rip off from the second episode of season one, 'Honor Thy Father', with Oliver speaking to his father's grave about having to dishonour his memory. It was a nice introduction to Arrow  in graphic novel format however so I enjoyed it despite nothing new being introduced. 'Prey' stepped up the ante, introducing a target on Oliver's List called Scott Morgan and chronicling his face off against the Hood as he begins sys...

You Have Such Lovely Skin. The third episode of Arrow 's second season really delivers with a great villain and character development galore. The Dollmaker makes his debut and it's one that will last in the memory. Barton Mathis a.k.a. the Dollmaker is the star of this episode - a deranged serial killer whose work is genuinely creepy. Stuffing bodies with plastic is truly disgusting and it's horrific watching the psychopath work. Actor Michael Eklund delivers a showstopping performance as the former Iron Heights inmate and I hope we get to see him again in some capacity. I loved watching Quentin and the Arrow working together this week, with the former providing comic relief during his missions alongside the vigilante. Linking his case to the grief over losing his daughter Sara is a nice touch as well and further invests the watcher in the plight to catch the serial killer. There was a beautiful moment between the pair at the end after the Arrow has saved Laurel, in w...

You'll Never Be A Hero. 'Identity' didn't impress quite as much as 'City of Heroes', but was a fun, slightly more focused episode in which we are introduced to Sebastian Blood and Bronze Tiger. The flashbacks dive deeper into Oliver's relationship with Shado and how it is affecting Slade, which foreshadows the dramatic events to come for the trio. The plot this week was strange and a bit weak, with Triads targeting medical vans for no apparent reason. Unfortunately, this thin plotline was made weaker by the return of China White as the villain of the week, who is once again strangely wooden and at this point feels like the meme of the Arrowverse. Don't get me wrong, for some reason I love it whenever she crops up randomly, but damn she is a REALLY weak character. It seems some of this rubbed off on her associate Bronze Tiger, who made his debut this week in similarly random fashion. His introduction explained none of his motivations beyond wanting t...

Trying Another Way. Arrow  is back in a big way for the start of its second season, my personal favourite from my first viewing of series 1-5 of this show! I can't wait to see the evolution of Deathstroke and Roy's transformation into Arsenal once again! Until then however, I will continue to faithfully produce a mini-review for each episode as Oliver dons the hood once more for Crusade 2.0. 'City of Heroes' had a lot to do in just 42 minutes, thus the episode feels a bit rushed but the fast pace is needed in order to cover what it did. I liked the fact that Oliver had entered into self-exile back on the island following his failure to stop the Undertaking at the end of season one. It felt like a real, natural, emotional response to the events that took place and likewise, the episode showed how the event had effected the Glades too. The Glades felt much more realistically portrayed in this episode and I liked the presentation of mass destruction as it truly had an...

Arrowverse Begins. So I have finished re-watching the first season of Arrow and can now summarise my views on what I believe to be a solid debut for the Emerald Archer. Oliver's crusade is great to watch throughout the 23 episode season and he really develops as a character, opening up to let Diggle, Felicity and Laurel in. His character arc is brilliant as he becomes less cruel in his treatment of bad guys and gradually adapts to his double life. Other standout characters this season include Diggle, Slade Wilson and Moira Queen, all of whom put in performances that deserve mention. The overall plot of the series revolved around first the List and then later the Undertaking and the Dark Archer behind it. The List was a good entry point, but grew stale so I'm glad they adapted it to become more of a background aspect than the core driving force, as Oliver's list later involved different story-lines which his targets became caught up in. The final showdown between the H...

On 22nd October, baseball’s premier competition begins – the World Series. In this showpiece series of 7 games, the Houston Astros and Washington Nationals will clash to decide who takes home the Commissioner’s Trophy, but how did these teams get here? How have they fared so far postseason? And which team is more likely to come out on top?  Major League Baseball sees 30 teams take part in a regular sporting season divided into two leagues – the National League and the American League. Within these leagues, teams play each other multiple times a season, along with some select interleague games, with each team participating in 162 games across the seven month season. These two leagues are split between 3 divisions – West, East and Central. At the end of the regular season, the three teams at the top of each division in both leagues progress to postseason. Postseason began at the start of October with two Wild Card games. Two teams from each league are designated as the Wild C...

What You're Willing To Sacrifice. Arrow 's first season concludes in spectacular fashion in'Sacrifice', as Oliver battles with the Dark Archer for the fate of the Glades. This episode is fast paced and thrilling from start to finish, with great action sequences and a dramatic ending. The battle between the Hood and the Dark Archer was simply bad-ass and such a well choreographed and shot fight. It was so satisfying seeing Oliver finally defeat Malcolm and an excellent twist that there was a second earthquake device. Although I originally criticised the 'earthquake device' concept as being far-fetched and a bit ridiculous, I must admit it was an effective weapon and the destruction it wrought on the Glades was graphic. I didn't think Arrow  had the capability to deliver on CGI, having seen poor examples throughout the first season, but the earthquake damage was truly spectacular and I'm glad they opted to allow the Undertaking succeed, as it would...

Malcolm Merlyn... You Have Failed This City. The penultimate episode of Arrow season one puts all of the pieces into position entering the finale. The Dark Archer makes his return and it's great to see the bad-ass villain in action. The fight between the Hood and Malcolm at the end of the episode was brilliantly done and did much to emphasise the threat Merlyn poses. It will be interesting to see how Oliver gets out of this situation in the next episode. The flashbacks also advanced their plotline, as Fyers full plan was revealed and Yao Fei is executed by the mercenary leader. A major death, it will beinteresting to see how Slade, Oliver and Shado move forward after his murder. Fyers' plan and motivation seem slightly far-fetched, although I suppose compared to the Undertaking it is realistic. My only major problem in this episode lay in the actions of Oliver and Laurel. After attempting to amend his friendship with Tommy, Oliver inexplicably experiences a rush of emotio...

You're Going To Be Really Upset When You Meet My Partner. The Undertaking is almost upon Oliver and Team Arrow and we finally know what Merlyn intends - to level the Glades by creating a natural disaster. It's a typically villainous plot which raised my eyebrows when I first watched season one, but at least the stakes are certainly high. With the earthquake machine rolling in to Starling City at the end of the episode, disaster feels imminent and momentum is definitely building. Elsewhere, I'm bored of watching Katie Cassidy (Laurel) crying and staring vacantly in every one of her scenes. Tommy leaving her was certainly sad after having seen his character progression pre-discovering-Oliver's-alter-ego, but it's interesting seeing the ex-couple deal with this break-up. Oliver gave a meaningful apology to Diggle at the end of the episode also, which felt emotionally weighted and was well acted by Amell. Overall, this episode was mainly about all the final secret...

Your Time on this Island Is At An End. The twentieth episode of this first season of Arrow  drives a serious rift between Oliver and Diggle, after the former prioritises the List over Dig's own vengeance. It's nice to see these characters finally clashing, as there has been little friction between them so far in season one, so it will be interesting to see how bad the fallout is after this argument. Deadshot was criminally underused once again in this episode, which is a shame as the character is brilliant. The main plot revolved around a hired killer taking out his targets for Rasmus, this week's corporate baddie, which felt a bit clunky and weirdly focused on the paper thing performance of the assassin. The island scenes this week saw Shado and Oliver kiss, which felt a bit rushed and unnecessary. I mean they only met two episodes ago and they have barely got to know each other, so pushing the romance between the characters feels unnatural. In hindsight, I really th...