Judging by the cover of this issue Ollie has three women thoroughly part of, witness to, and worrying about his recent death. Death?! Well, maybe not, but he’s close to it based on the last cliffhanger. Is it good?
Green Arrow #2 (DC Comics)
So what’s it about? The official DC Comics synopsis reads:
“THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OLIVER QUEEN” Chapter Two: In #2, Green Arrow is betrayed, broken and left for dead. He wakes up in a world where the once-wealthy Oliver Queen has no resources and only the faintest clue what’s happened to him. Meanwhile, in a distant land, an old ally begins a quest to help the Emerald Archer in his darkest hour.
Why does this book matter?
Writer Benjamin Percy has done well to create a supernatural atmosphere for the character, but also make him feel quite unique from the other heroes as of late. Things are starting to hit the fan with his half-sister, but also his newly rekindled (if you count pre-New 52) love Black Canary is back. It’s more complicated than ever for Green Arrow!
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
Holy epic!
Damn, is the art great by Otto Schmidt. There’s an amazing double page layout of The Burned–a new threat for Ollie to tackle–and their giant blue and red lit ship. It’s jaw dropping good, and it’s the next thing you see once Ollie is disposed of in the water. There’s some interesting symbolism going on here around Ollie departing his fine city as a threat literally passes by him, and the imagery and meaning of it couldn’t be more dramatic.
Schmidt does a great job with the characters themselves too, with a weakened Ollie looking just the right amount of beaten but ready for a fight. Black Canary gets a bigger part in this issue, with a great full page spread of her standing and observing what the public is thinking of Ollie and not believing it for a second. You get the sense that she’s being pushed by this injustice and won’t stand for it, making you believe she’s ready for the fight. He also draws some mean rain.
This issue doesn’t get boring. Not once, as the pace is tight and the balance between Black Canary, the bad guys getting ready, and Ollie pulling himself back up is spot on. This is a redemption story through and through, and Percy doesn’t wait or drag things on at all. Instead we get each important beat, a new character added to the mix, and a plot that is continually getting complicated. Fans of Green Arrow should be excited too as Percy seems to be shaking up Ollie’s comfort zone and potentially changing the character (and his wealth) to push the character beyond what he’s used to. The cliffhanger shows us Ollie needs to take back his city, let alone his life, and he’s ready to do it one arrow at a time.
It can’t be perfect can it?
Not to spoil things, but can a villain please shoot the good guy in the head before professing they are dead? It’s the only element in this issue that felt cliched and given how fresh this writing is you’d think a better reason for the villains not completely killing Ollie would be given. There’s also a bit of a deus ex machina thing going on with his healing, but maybe that’ll be developed later on.
Make sure he’s dead you fools!
Is It Good?
Another tight issue in a series that’s great at providing a great pace and a balanced story. Solid art, high stakes, and a Green Arrow with lots of woman problems makes for fun page turning.
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