Synopsis: Haunted by memories of war, a Korean War (or Vietnam? It's Unclear) veteran decides to return asword to its rightful owners -- a sword his father took as a souvenir from a dead Japanese officer in World War II. He flies to Hawaii, the best place he can think of to start, and goes to an antiques shop to begin his search. Shado owns the shop, and recognizes the sword as something special. It bears the chrysanthemum symbol of the Imperial House, and is the work of a great master -- Masamune. The sword is so great, it bears a name, Kills the Dragon an honor reserved only for the greatest of blades. After a bit of research, she's distressed to learn that it's a Yakuza blade. Since she's "ex-Yakuza," the blade's very presence puts her in peril. She briefly explains to the vet the history of Japan and the Yakuza, and how the sword is essentially a death warrant for Yakuza Oyabums (Godfathers) -- an Imperial sanction for murder. Because of Giri -- a Japanese obligation of honor -- Shado accompanies him to Japan to seek a solution to the dilemma the sword poses. But the Yakuza has many eyes, and word of the sword's existance preceeds them. Shado traces the sword's family, and discovers that the owner, the slain officer from World War II, had two sons. One of which became Oyabun in the past few years when his master was slain by an arrow (re: Green Arrow no. 9). Shado's karma has caught up with her. In the hands of a Yakuza Oyabun, the sword would do great harm, but there is another brother, and elder that is the rightful heir. They travel to a Shingon Monastary to find him, but the younger brother, the Oyabun, is after the sword already. Shado finds another vet, a black man, seeking respite from sins of the past. The first vet meets the eldest son, and they have an emotional meeting before the sword is passed between them. But what should be an ending, isn't. Yakuza attack, sent by the youngest brother. Shado and the eldest brother defeat them, but now they know there will be no rest until the conflict is settled. Bringing the black vet along, the foursome set off.

Yeah, But Is It Good? Yes. There's an odd pacing here, as if the story is viewed through several different filters, but the style works well. There a real depth of emotion present, and Grell does a good job of presenting this tale as something real, something more than fiction. In that way, at least, he surpasses Longbow Hunters. Shado, we already know a good deal about, but I'm impressed with how quickly Grell creates layered personalities for the supporting players. Unlike Longbow Hunters this story is more personal, more intimate, and that subtlety doesn't abound with that "leap out and grab you" hook superhero stories have. The artwork, too, works well to establish the mood and aid the story. It's slightly less than realistic, but it's not cartoonish, rather, it's ever-so-slightly abstract. The one time I met Grell, he confided that he feels this is the best visual story he's ever done, but that no one will ever know. A lot of visual effects dealing with color--or lack of--the art team never quite understood, and in scenes such as the approach to Hawaii, where the island and surrounding city is to be color (symbolizing the present) and the antique shop building in black and white (symbolizing the past) isn't rendered as such. There's quite a bit of symbolism lost thusly. That's too bad, because this could've been even better than it is.

Synopsis: The Oyabun seeks to unite all Yakuza factions in order to move into the newly-opened lands of Eastern Europe, and desires the sword in order to eliminate other Oyabuns who oppose him. He's angered when word reaches him his brother isn't dead. Shado practices archery among a flashback to her early training and some Zen archery talk (Vic Sage would love this group). The black vet has a flashback to a woman and baby killed in Vietnam, and nearly kills his companions while trying to save that long-dead woman, until Shado subdues him. There's a several-page flashback to Shado's origin, and a recap of her part in The Longbow Hunters. Helicopters arrive on the mountainside, and a great number of Yakuza commandos spread out, searching for the party, and the sword.

Yeah, But Is It Good? The narrative bogs down considerably. Much like he did in Green Arrow: The Wonder Year, Grell wastes most of this issue with origin recaps. There's a bit of character development, but all of the original writing here could be condensed into a dozen pages, maybe less. The target audience for this book are those Green Arrow readers who already know all about Shado, and those that don't know about her will either be hooked by book one or put off. Throwing in a lot of origins in book two doesn't really do anybody any good.

Synopsis: They flee the Yakuza, leaving the black vet, who's gone catatonic. There's much carnage as the Yakuza go down one-by-one, until one finds where Shado's hidden her son. Holding him hostage, they draw Shado out, and take her captive. They prepare to execute her and her boy, but that triggers another flashback in the Vietnam vet. He saves Shado by killing two Yakuza, and that snaps him out of his self-imposed mental exile. Shado shoots one helicopter pilot, causing him to crash, but the vet jumps onto the other as it flies off. A body falls in the distance, and the helicopter returns. Shado and the rest begin to flee, but the chopper lands and the black vet is at the controls, calling for everyone to get in, before the Yakuza begin wondering what happened to their helicopters. The Oyabun is upset at the failure, and it costs his lieutenant a finger. The Oyabun calls a meeting of the other Yakuza factions. Shado refuses to let the Vietnam vet shut the world out again, and she learns he's Max Pearl. Twenty years before, he was part of a village massacre, where the villagers -- mothers and children -- were lined up in a trench and mowed down. Soon thereafter, the Viet Cong wiped out the company, and Max survived when his best friend Ritchie's body covered him. He decided then to die, and put his dogtags on Ritchie, and ceased to exist. His name's even on the Vietnam Memorial Wall. Shado comforts him.

Yeah, But Is It Good? Pretty gripping stuff. More personal than Platoon, that's for sure. It's interesting that Grell's used each book so far to focus on the history of one character. Book one was the Korean vet's past, book two was Shado's and now Max Pearl. The structure reminds me of The Canterbury Tales somewhat, with the overriding narrative providing a framework to hang these other stories upon. It's time for push come to shove, though: Everythign wraps up next issue, so the sword's tale will be finished one way or the other.

Synopsis: The Oyabun is gloating, because he feels the sword is coming to him. His lieutenant cautions him, warning that the sword will spark a bloodbath as every other Oyabun seeks to gain it for himself, breaking the alliance and allowing the Mafia to take over organized crime in Eastern Europe. Shado and Max kiss, and make love. Afterwards, she tells Max of Oliver Queen, how they were more than lovers and less than friends, how she took from him, how it was wrong, yet when she looks at their son, she cannot believe it was wrong. Oliver was the only man Shado's ever been with, until Max. In Tokyo, the Oyabun waits for his brother to bring him the sword. The eldest brother has come to the conclusion that he must kill his younger brother with the sword -- if he doesn't, the attacks will continue, and if his brother gains the sword, a bloodbath will ensue. Shado leaves her son behind, where he will grow up a fisherman if she doesn't return for him. All the oyabuns meet. The younger brother proposes the alliance to exploit Eastern Europe, then kills the first oyabun to oppose him. The others are outraged, and the younger brother points out that the room is full of weapons, and any of them can take one and challenge him. He goes on to tell them the dragon tattoo on his chest has a twin on his brother's chest, which allows him to feel his brother's approach, who's bringing the sword. A helicopter appears in the bay window. The Korean vet shoots out the glass, and the eldest brother leaps into the room, and battles his brother. The helicopter goes to the roof, and the battle is joined. The trio fight their way into the meeting room. Max jumps in front of Shado and the Korean vet, taking a spray of Yakuza bullets to save them. The eldest brother kills the younger, becoming Oyabun. He ends the fighting. Although he hates everything the Yakuza is, he must remain Oyabun to prevent full-scale war for the sword, and perhaps he can change the Yakuza a bit. Shado is still an enemy of the Yakuza, which he cannot change, but he offers her son protection. She refuses, so he will not grow up a Yakuza pawn like she was. The Oyabun grants Shado three days to disappear before he allows the Yakuza to begin hunting her again. Much later, the Korean vet visits the Vietnam Memorial Wall, and leaves a chrysanthemum at Max's name.

Yeah, But Is It Good? A very richly layered story, that I found very satisfying. It's a shame so many people haven't read it. I find it very interesting that the Korean veteran, who was really the viewpoint character of this whole story, was never named. Not once. The whole piece is very cinematic, much like Longbow Hunters was, and would translate very well as a movie. But that's just my opinion. I recommend this one highly, although it's a very subtle work. It's also frustrating to know Grell is ready to get crackin' on a second Shado mini-series, but DC won't give him the go-ahead because they want Kevin Smith to relaunch Green Arrow first. Nevermind that the Shado tale is unrelated to the Green Arrow series. Really, it kind of makes you wonder about the IQ level of some of these executives.