World’s Finest 259 page 4 by Don Newton and Dave Hunt

A great quiet page from a great Worlds finest issue that offered no less than three (!) Don Newton strips and one by Marshall Rogers!

This is clearly a scene of the heroes resting after war and the acting by Newton is fantastic at displaying all their respective mannerisms.

In panel one, we have Green Arrow paying attention to a bystander to his previous fight which had him witness a victim self-combust (whose remains we see the smoke emanating from). The bystander looks stunned while GA has seen his share of weirdness and is not that shaken.

The second panel, transitioning to GA & Black Canary’s residence, would be boring as hell if it wasn’t so expertly lit (just look at all these beautiful bricks). It confers a nice noirish vibe to the page.

The third panel is my own fav’with both heroes relaxing, GA still in costume having a small sandwich (gotta love that lifted finger here) and BC in her bathrobe, drying her hair after a well-deserved shower. So mundane a scene and yet grounding our heroes in “real life” so much.

The fourth panel offers a super fun line between the two characters. “Did you just shush me?!” which is a prime example of both characters longstanding confrontational relationship. GA really looks offended, ready to pick a domestic fight with his lover. Notice how Newton positioned each looking left in panel 3 then looking right in panel 4 to ensure fluid reading for the reader? He also switched each character’s position from one panel to the next, from foreground to background. Subtle storytelling choices to ensure variety for the reader to enjoy.

Then we have the final panel presented as a broadcast through the TV set (a fun framing device), with a Zzaxx like villain appearing downtown. Excellent choice to have him above the crowd in a tilted camera angle to ensure the gasp/wow factor from the crowd of bystanders. Notice how the tilt goes to the right, again to lead the reader’s eye to turn to the next page. I love the energy depiction of the villain, especially the disappearing part of his legs, and how the scene nearly looks like it’s only lit by his body radiations.

Great storytelling as always when Newton is involved and superbly complimented by Dave Hunt’s smooth inks, one of the very best inkers to grace his sadly much too short stelar career.