Writers: Jeff Lemire
Art By: Andrea Sorrentino
My Rating: 4.5 🏹
Plot
Oliver Queen thought he had figured everything out. As the heroic archer Green Arrow, he’d finally found a sense of purpose, friends to aid him, even a place in the Justice League. But now he’s not even sure where he came from…or whom he came from…
Green Arrow discovers that being stranded on a desert island was more than just an accident, more sinister forces seemed to be at work behind all these sudden revelations. The Queen family is at the heart of a war generations old. A war of clans. A war of outsiders.
My Opinion
I loved this story. In my opinion it is one of the best Green Arrow stories there is. Jeff Lemire takes us on a somewhat familiar journey with Oliver, that is full of mystery, magic and war. Some of the characters involved we are familiar with because of their inclusion in the TV show and some are new. The clan warfare aspect is utterly compelling and one that I wish we saw in the show. Maybe we’ll see it in a movie? who knows what’s next the the emerald archer. Out of all the new characters, Komodo the villainous archer is by far my favourite addition into the GA-verse. An archer that can match GA may not be the most imaginative choice of enemy in my opinion but the cultivation of Emiko is magnificently evil and is what brought this character into the forefront for me. I won’t tell you how, what or why Emiko ended up as a Komodo’s sidekick but trust me, it’s special and is certainly a story worth telling, I personally would have had Emiko enter Arrow sooner with Prometheus taking the role of Komodo in this regard. In respect of characters, I thought the use of Count Vertigo was great, I can see why a lot of people view him as a potential main villain for a Green Arrow movie.
On to art. The art of Andrea Sorrentino for me is so uniquely beautiful. To me it’s raw and sublime. It potentially isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and may take some getting used to but I think you can tell from the pictures in this review that Andrea is incredibly talented.
This story is spot on for me and I would love a movie based around it. I think that an animated universe entry would be preferential. I think due to the nature of the story that a live action effort would be too ‘Arrow-y’. Anyway Green Arrow needs a proper animated movie! It’s long overdue, you listening Warner Bros?
If you’ve already delved into Green Arrow stories and know his origins then I urge you read this. I read it digitally but I will be looking to purchase this for my collection. It’s a must for any Green Arrow fan and a definitely enjoyable read for any DC fan. Thank you Jeff and Andrea.
“Tornado arrow, you psycho!” – Green Arrow
DCs Earth-9 