REVIEW: Green Arrow #1

Fresh off a fantastic “Rebirth” issue, Oliver Queen is back this week with the release of Green Arrow #1. Benjamin Percy and Otto Schmidt pick up right where they left off in Rebirth, with Green Arrow and Black Canary hunting down the Underground Men. The pair make such a great team and it’s good to see them working together again. Green Arrow’s supporting cast continues to grow in this issue. with the introduction of a key character in Ollie’s life who before the issue is through, will have a major impact on the story moving forward. Schmidt chooses a strong adversary for our heroes and while we find out their identity in this first issue, Percy still manages to leave the issue on a bit of a cliffhanger.

So far I view this title as a smashing success and can’t wait to read the next issue. Benjamin Percy’s story is interesting and well written. He continues to address the hypocrisy of a privileged, high society, multi-million dollar hero fighting in back alleys for the common man. in doing so, he allows the character to defend his morals and highlight how he uses his wealth to help others. Despite a strong start to the arc from a storytelling perspective, Otto Schmidt’s visual contributions have been the highlight of this book so far. Schmidt’s art has been a breath of fresh air for a character badly in need of a redesign. Arrow’s new look is awesome and Shmidt’s art really makes reading this book fun. I think the pairing of Percy and Schmidt will be one of the stronger creative teams to come out of this Rebirth launch, and I hope they can stick together on this title for a long time to come.

FINAL VERDICT: In a market saturated with the big three of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman, it’s nice to see some other Justice Leaguer’s grabbing a bit of the spotlight. Green Arrow #1 matches the quality of the Green Arrow: Rebirth one-shot and continues full steam ahead with a strong opening arc. Green Arrow is cool again. Check him out as he re-enters the spotlight.

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