An Arrow Darkly
Yes. Thank you so much, DC. This is.... this is beyond what I ever would have expected from Green Arrow. This instantly surpasses every other Green Arrow story I've ever read; though to be fair I haven't read a whole lot. Jeff Lemire has done a phenomenal job at making this a true 'Issue #17' that launches off what's come before without truly tying itself down to it. You don't need to have read the first 16 issues, which is good because they suck hard, but it doesn't negate their existence. This is a rare case of a series drastically changing direction in a way that works on literally every level. Green Arrow was far overdue for a drastic direction change, not only in terms of quality but in terms of the character. Also, the concerns that this would be mirroring the show too closely are very much put to rest, sure there's a big focus on his time on the island, but the entire premise behind that is completely different, as is the secrets his father is keeping.
Andrea Sorrentino's artwork truly is a masterpiece. His departure from I, Vampire was a bittersweet announcement when he was announced to be taking over this series, he brought such life to the series with art that was perfect for it specifically. But if I, Vampire is ending in two issues anyways, at least he's here to give Green Arrow an amazing look. He brings the same intensely unique panel layouts to Green Arrow with almost more dynamism and energy than he had in I, Vampire. The way he uses mini-panels to highlight key components, spattering them about the pages, keeps things moving at a fluid pace perfect for the emerald archer. The biggest difference between his I, Vampire art and his Green Arrow art is the colors. The colors in this issue are BIZARRE. A lot of panels use patches of back and white, minimizing the colors in many of the smaller focus panels; and many of the colors used are light in odd ways, or large swashes of green. It's strange, much of this issue feels artistically unfinished. Many panels feel like they're missing final colors that other comics have. Like there's a layer missing most of the time. And yet, as strange as that is, it helps keep the series feeling more unique, and honestly I think I'm really liking this raw appearance.
So the series looks good, which it's impossible not to with Andrea Sorrentino drawing, and the look it has fits extremely well. It looks very unique and in some ways Sorrentino's output here is even better than his work on I, Vampire, which I thought would be an impossible task. But does Jeff Lemire write an interesting story with an interesting Green Arrow? OBVIOUSLY YES. Jeff Lemire's Ollie is definitely a little different from the Ollie we've seen thus far in the New 52, but honestly that's a good thing. And it's not a sudden or drastic change, the character is growing, with far greater growth being promised for the future of Lemire's run. The past has come calling on Ollie's doorstep, and a huge conspiracy that ties together his father, his legacy, his career both professionally and as a superhero, his time on the island; EVERYTHING, in a way that doesn't seem at all forced. We're only brushing the tip of the iceberg, but it all makes sense so far. It helps justify giving us a younger Ollie, because this story would not have worked otherwise.
In Conclusion: 5/5
Lemire has begun what is already shaping up to be Green Arrow's "Court of Owls." He's digging deep into the character and his history and giving us a story that's intensely dark, beautifully creepy, and wildly creative; all with a childhood mystery at it's heart that Ollie never knew was a mystery. In the wake of his loss, Green Arrow has LITERALLY become 'a poor man's Batman' as he follows some of the same procedures like multiple mini-hideouts and creative combat gadgets, but on a recently restricted budget. It's like Batman seen through a completely different lens, and the different specialized approach, by comparison, ups the ante of the uniqueness even further. This is what we needed from Green Arrow from the start, but if suffering through 17 issues of complete and utter pigeon waste was the karma we needed to earn this? WORTH IT.
