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"Tracking Snow": Green Arrow has nightmares about recent events in which his girlfriend Dinah Lance was tortured, and he killed her captors in a rage. In the dream, a dragon appears, saying that it and Green Arrow are on

Quote1 I once said you haven't the eyes of a killer. They've changed... as you have. You can never go back. Nor can I. Quote2
Shado

Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters #3 is an issue of the series Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters (Volume 1) with a cover date of October, 1987.

Synopsis for "Tracking Snow"

Green Arrow has nightmares about recent events in which his girlfriend Dinah Lance was tortured, and he killed her captors in a rage. In the dream, a dragon appears, saying that it and Green Arrow are one.
Oliver wakes up at Dinah's side in the hospital, where he is asked to meet with Lt. James Cameron of the police. Cameron suspects a link between Dinah and Green Arrow, but lets it drop, instead sharing evidence that Dinah's torturer, Jankowski had been a military man, but had found a way to erase the record of it. Before leaving, Cameron reveals that he has evidence that two different kinds of arrows were fired at the scene, suggesting two archers, but he admits that he can't prove it anything.
Later, Oliver investigates the nature of the dragon tattoo he had seen on Shado's arm. A tattoo artist explains that the tattoo is related to the Yakuza, and Oliver infers that the tattoo was given to her as a child. In flashback, it is shown that a young Shado was trained by the Yakuza in archery in order to redeem her father's honour by killing the men who dishonoured him.
Meanwhile, Mr. Osborne grows impatient with his associate Mr. Magnor. It becomes clear that Mr. Osborne and the CIA are offering Mr. Magnor's drug operation full executive protection as part of their dealings. Osborne warns that the snooper that they had been concerned about, Dinah, may have survived, and is a danger to the operation. As a security measure, he assigns Eddie Fyers to deal with her.
On the street, Ollie is accosted by a homeless woman who claims that she has a message from Shado. She gives him the information before wandering away. It appears that unbeknownst to Oliver, the homeless woman is Shado herself in disguise.
Oliver deduces that the numbers and letters he was given are actually coordinates for a location in a national park. He tracks Shado until he finds himself held at arrow-point by her. She explains that they have common goals, adding that she now sees the killer behind his eyes. She also reveals that their location will soon be used as a drop-point for Magnor and Osborne's deal, and that she wants Magnor's life to restore her honour.
Soon, the helicopter carrying Osborne and Magnor arrives. Osborne seems nervous about the drop, adding that Fyers is hiding somewhere with a sniper rifle, waiting for things to go wrong. The deal involves the trade of $350,000 in unmarked bills for a large amount of cocaine. Osborne suggests that the deal is meant as a way for the CIA to encourage democracy in Central America, though he is insincere.
Green Arrow notices Fyers aiming at Shado, and fires a shot into the sniper's arm. the sound of Fyers' weapon going off spooks the deal below, and in the chaos, Magnor escapes onto one of the helicopters. As the other helicopter attempts escape, Oliver ambushes it, causing it to explode. Afterwards, Oliver confronts Osborne as he is disposing of the cocaine into a river. Oliver accuses Osborne and the CIA of conspiring with a drug smuggler to keep him in business while using his network to channel funds from the Iran arms deal to Nicaraguan Contras. When Osborne notes that there is no evidence, Oliver drops the bag of money at his feet. Rather than escape with the money, Osborne tells Oliver to keep it, and walks away, knowing that he can't be implicated.
Later, at night, Green Arrow visits Magnor, who explains that he and his associates had run a Japanese-American internment camp, where they had interrogated Shado's father. They tortured his wife in order to find out the location of a large sum of gold bullion that was given to him by the Yakuza. They later found it and split it between themselves. Magnor thinks he is safe, but the whole visit has actually been a distraction, and Oliver stands by as Shado kills her last victim with an arrow.
Later, Oliver returns to visit Dinah in the hospital. He apologizes for being upset that she didn't want children, saying that the ordeal has made him understand her feelings. Still, they both wish for a safer world in which it would be safe for them to have children together. Oliver then reveals that he kept the money that Osborne had given him.

Appearing in "Tracking Snow"

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Notes

  • This issue is reprinted in the trade Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters.



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