Writer: Joshua Williamson
Art: Sean Izaakse, Romulo Fajardo Jr., and Troy Peteri
Publisher: DC Comics
Price: $4.99
Release Date: April 25th, 2023
The Emerald Archer is lost, and it will take Oliver Queen’s whole family to find him! But dangerous forces are determined to keep them apart at any cost! Spinning out of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Green Arrow by DC architect Joshua Williamson (Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths, Superman) and artist Sean Izaakse (Thunderbolts) is an action-packed adventure across the DCU that sets the stage for major stories in 2023!
If you’re interested in this comic, series, related trades, or any of the others mentioned, then simply click on the title/link to snag a copy through Amazon as you read the Green Arrow #1 Review.
THE DISPATCH
Joshua Williamson spends most of Green Arrow #1 catching fans up on Oliver and the rest of his family. From Roy to Conner and Dinah, fans can jump into this issue and see where the entire family has been and what they’ve been up to. It’s a great place to jump on board Green Arrow after being without a steady comic for quite some time now. Nevertheless, for all the time spent on catching readers up on the Green Arrow Family tree, fans receive very little plot and setting to grab ahold of in order to gain our footing for future issues. Honestly, I couldn’t even tell you what direction Williamson plans on taking Green Arrow.
Now, even though it was definitely a positive to see Green Arrow back in his own comic, there were still a ton of minor issues that were a cause for concern. For example, the narration felt weird almost as if Oliver was breaking the fourth wall in a way. And if he’s not breaking the fourth wall, then who else is he talking to? Moreover, the Cheshire Cat reunion felt forced and out of place. Why she would just instantly go from running away to full acceptance in the matter of a panel seemed entirely uncharacteristic. Plus, for a Green Arrow comic, we get very little… Green Arrow. Again, I understand focusing in on catching readers up. However, it was so heavy in that area that theirs literally no story to get fans pumped for issue two.
ART
I absolutely loved the costume choice for GA by the creative team. It was a nice touch for the opening issue that will definitely hook some diehard fans of the character. Moreover, the colors were incredibly vibrant which made Green Arrow #1 come to life. It was hard to not be laser-focused while reading this issue thanks to the artwork. There is almost this polish over each page that made this story pop. There is no doubt that the illustrations were a highlight of the comic this week.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After being so far removed from a solid Green Arrow comic, I was so looking forward to an action-packed, thrill ride involving a DC classic. However, fans will leave wondering where Green Arrow is, what the point of the story was, and what direction the series is even going in. Now, I could be speaking for many others out of turn for saying this but we didn’t really need any other characters in this comic other than Oliver and possibly Dinah. We didn’t need a team book with Oliver. Heck, we just needed a bit more… Oliver!
Where was his dynamic disposition? Where was that intensity we’ve all grown to love? Fans get a bit of the thrill junky in the small tidbits we see of Oliver. However, with the focus on his family searching for him, we get very little sense of his social beliefs and political vigor that he’s developed throughout the years. Nevertheless, that could be a good thing too! Overall, Green Arrow #1 was a hard issue to get behind as an opener because it lacked the hook and inventive buy-in as well as the attributes that make a solid Green Arrow comic. Could it get better? Of course! But fans will have to rely more on faith than what their eyes can see after issue one. If you want some amazing Green Arrow trades from the past, click HERE to get your fix. And don’t forget to let me know what you think, have a great week, and God Bless!