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Green Arrow #32 is the finale of the Gotham Resistance arc that ties into the current Metal event at DC. It’s preceded by Teen Titans #12, Nightwing #29 and Suicide Squad #26 in order from the beginning to the previous issue of the tie in.
So what’s it about?
The official summary reads:
DARK NIGHTS: METAL tie-in! “GOTHAM RESISTANCE” finale! The Gotham Resistance has fought its way through lands of fire, poison, destruction and fear, but no one was ready for the craziest showdown of all: Green Arrow and Black Canary, whose eternal lovers’ quarrel goes medieval as the team marches into the hellish, mind-bending world of The Man Who Laughs to uncover the secret to defeating the hordes of the Dark Multiverse!
Why does this matter?
What’re we, some kind of Gotham Resistance?
As the finale of the first Metal tie in, Green Arrow #32 brings a lot of extra information that’ll be useful to the characters going forth into Metal issue #3 and the upcoming “Bats Out of Hell” tie-in arc that’ll be covered in The Flash #33, Justice League #32, Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern Corps #32 and Justice League #33. It also reveals more about the plans of the Batman Who Laughs and Barbatos with their overall plan of what they aim to achieve both within Gotham and Earth-0 as a whole. The issue also sets up major locations and characters that are going to be useful going forward in the event while also tying along with the Dark Nights one shots which tie into a section later in the issue, interconnecting the plot points as the event starts to get into the full swing of Snyder’s vision. The issue also helps to reaffirm some relationships within the DC Universe that have been missing since before Flashpoint and bringing up points that will likely to used further down the line in the larger event. While it isn’t a necessary storyline to have read to enjoy the main Metal event, it adds into the building of the scale of the situation happening amazingly.
Fine, you have my attention. What’s good about it?
The Batman Who Laughs unleashes Gotham’s deepest desire: to become a fantasy role playing game.
The art in the issue is absolutely beautiful, par for the course for Juan Ferreyra. It brings out a really nice fantasy look from the imagery of the designs of the heroes’ costumes and the creepiness of the Batman Who Laughs. The layout, instead of using the normal panelling structure, has the smaller panels playing card shaped to match with the theme of the Batman Who Laughs being Joker-like. The designs of the characters, continued from the previous issues, also fit this theme as each of them seems to take up a fantasy type role with their outfits that matches their personalities.
The writing by Benjamin Percy and Joshua Williamson continues the fantasy feel that has been consistent throughout the entire arc. It feels like the characters are fighting through a fantasy video game to their final objective through the many layers/levels of Gotham to the final point at Challengers Mountain within the center of Gotham. There are many points throughout the issue where Damian has to face his Dark Multiverse alter ego who is trying to appeal to the darker side, while the issue also adds some development of Damian and his feelings towards the Teen Titans, a series also written by Percy, which provides some growth to the character while also having Green Arrow cement his position as one of the moral centers of the self-named ‘Gotham Resistance.’ The issue has a really great scene towards the end where the team is faced with a situation where the only option they have is to flee and leave behind their captured teammates while also having the main cast have to make the choice between staying and fighting which would lead to their deaths, or escaping to give important information that will tip the balance of the fight against Barbatos and the Dark Knights.
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It can’t be perfect can it?
The writing isn’t perfect in every area with some of the earlier captions being rather unnecessary and could have been done without. There are also one or two times where Ferreyra’s faces on some characters, particularly Harley Quinn, look rather odd, but it’s rare.
Is It Good?
The unlikely team of Green Arrow, Damian Wayne, Nightwing, Harley Quinn and a new addition must face off against the evil Batman Who Laughs and his feral Robins in order to save Gotham from his nefarious scheme. With beautiful artwork and great writing that lends a fantasy feel, Green Arrow #32 doesn’t disappoint.
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