Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
This series has really been on a high since Jeff Lemire took over writing duties way back with issue 17, going from strength to strength ever since. On to of that it's had amazing developments, and his setting up something spectacular in it's future.
Plot
Count Vertigo has come to Seattle to take on Green Arrow (Oliver "Ollie" Queen), though with the Green Arrow not at 100% will he still be able to save his home city.
Review
This was a fantastic issue and a brilliant way to continue from last months Villains Month issue. Jeff Lemire does a great job of continuing Ollie's journey, and the developments made in this issue were extremely interesting. Lemire also managed to add a lot of tone in this issue, as it managed to be very gritty as well as being dark at times, also having brilliant emotion throughout. Lemire also handled the dialogue and character interaction perfectly, as apart from being very interesting, it really helped to add a lot of tone as well. On top of this Lemire wrote some brilliant action sequences, that were very exciting and dramatic, and Lemire continues to keep me hooked to this series.
The artwork was also once again phenomenal, and Andrea Sorrentino once again did a fantastic job. Now if it isn't good enough having a brilliant story, having amazing artwork makes things even better, and the detail in Sorrentino's artwork is spectacular. The best thing about Sorrentino's artwork however is his layouts which are very dynamic and unique, which helps make his art stand out. Besides that Sorrentino also handles the emotion and action sequences perfectly, and overall he manages to show the tone of this story brilliantly. The colouring of this issue also helps the art to stand out, and Marcelo Maiolo's unique style of colouring help make Sorrentino's artwork truly unique.
This issue would see Count Vertigo attack Seattle in an attempt to draw out the Green Arrow. Following Count Vertigo's actions in his Villains Month issue it was nice to see at least one more issue before Ollie moves onto another villain, as although it appeared that Ollie was done with Vertigo it would appear that he isn't. I also enjoyed the reaction that Ollie and his group had to Vertigo's actions, and the fight that would happen involving Vertigo was very exciting, having brilliant dialogue throughout.
Shado would also face Richard Dragon in this issue in what was one of the most interesting fights that I've ever seen. Now the fight itself wasn't as interesting as the one that Count Vertigo was involved in, but it was very interesting, and I especially enjoyed how Lemire showed Dragon's mind working out Shado's moves in advance, and how he's going to counter them. The interaction between Shado and Dragon during this sequence was also very interesting, as it allowed the sequence to be more dramatic, and overall made it much more entertaining.
Lemire would also introduce a new character to this series at the end of this issue, and although I won't reveal who this character is, I will say that it's not a completely new character. Now I managed to avoid any spoilers as to who this person was, so when it was revealed it was a very nice surprise. It also makes me question the role that this person will have in this story, as well as the series as a whole, as well as if they will be similar to how they've been elsewhere. These are things that I really look forward to finding out, and I'm sure that Lemire will do a brilliant job of revealing them.
Final Verdict
This was an amazing issue, and the story continues to be mysterious as well as dramatic. The character interaction was also brilliant, and the action was very exciting. Along with this there were some brilliant developments, with one in particular being a big surprise. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this issue, as well as Lemire's run so far, and can't wait for the next issue, especially due to it being a Zero Year tie-in.
Rating: 9/10
This was a series that I was really looking forward to watching, but unfortunately couldn't due to not having Sky, the channel that it was aired on in UK. I have thus been even more eager to watch it, and now that the DVD is out I finally have.
Plot
Oliver "Ollie" Queen has returned after being trapped on an island for five years. Now that he's back in Starling City he plans on righting his fathers wrongs and making the city a better place as the vigilante known as the Hood.
Review
This was overall an amazing season, as although the quality was slightly inconsistent throughout the season, it was always enjoyable with the overall tone and concept being phenomenal. Where this season excelled the most however was with it's opening and closing episodes as both these episodes managed to harness all the qualities of the series that made it brilliant, also adding much more excitement and suspense. Besides this however the season managed to have very deep character developments, that managed to make the season that much more interesting and dramatic. These developments did however sometimes slow the season down slightly, but overall I was very impressed with this opening season and can't wait to see the next.
The cast in this series was overall very well chosen, as although I initially questioned some of the choices, for this realistic style I felt that it was a well chosen cast. Stephen Amell was just brilliant as Oliver Queen, managing to show the naive act that he puts on, whilst making the vigilante seem the threatening figure that he should be. I also really enjoyed the performances of Katie Cassidy as Laurel Lance, David Ramsey as John Diggle, Colin Donnell as Tommy Merlyn, Willa Holland as Thea Queen as well as the rest of the cast. I did however also really enjoy Manu Bennett portrayal of Deathstroke (Slade Wilson) in the flashbacks, and although I questioned whether John Barrowman would suit the role of Merlyn, he managed to do it perfectly, showing this character in a new light, whilst also showing his darker side brilliantly.
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| The Cast |
The Green Arrow himself, or the Hood as he's called in this series was obviously the thing that anyone interested in the series was looking forward to. Now I enjoyed the Green Arrow in the Smallville TV series, but this version of Green Arrow was much more interesting, as besides being much more intense, you could see that he's been through a lot, and that he's no longer the person everyone knew before he was trapped on the island. I also loved how much this version is different from the comic version, as although it's not that far away from the current Green Arrow that we see in the comics, he feels more intimidating and empowering in this series, making him a unique character at the same time.
The season would also see flashbacks to Oliver's time on the island, showing the start of his transformation. I personally was extremely interested in these scenes, as although the main plot lines of the season were brilliant and dramatic, this recurring plot line was very mysterious and suspenseful, also being very exciting at times. Another thing that I enjoyed was the difference in tone, as it managed to stand out from the rest of the series very well. I also found the other characters that were involved in these scenes very interesting, and the fact that Deathstroke would become a recurring character really made these scenes more suspenseful and mysterious, and when Manu Bennett portrayed him with the mask off later in the season he got much more interesting.
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| Lian Yu |
Besides Deathstroke this season would see a lot of comic book character make appearances in one form or another, whether by their comic book names or in a more unique concept. This included the likes of Deadshot, Huntress, Firefly, Count Vertigo, Roy Harper, and of course Merlyn, as well as more. I especially enjoyed seeing Huntress and Roy in this season as I loved seeing a character with a similar skill set as Oliver and the fact that we might eventually see Arsenal excites me. I also liked seeing Deadshot, and found the way they changed Firefly and Count Vertigo to suit the series to be very smart. I also really enjoyed Merlyn as well, as having one of Green Arrow's closest villains certainly helped build the atmosphere of this season.
This season would also see somewhat of a love triangle form, as upon returning Ollie learns that his best friend Tommy is in love with his ex-girlfriend Laurel, and that the two have had a relationship whilst he's been gone. This however would get interesting as although Ollie appears to be fine with this it is still obvious that he has feelings for her, and as the season developed this would become very interesting. I did however feel that it was sometimes poorly paced, as although it added great drama at times, there were some development points that either happened too soon or too late in my opinion, and overall I don't think this was developed properly over the season, even though it was overall very interesting.
Final Verdict
This was definitely one of the better opening seasons that I've seen, and especially for a comic book TV series. It was however slightly inconsistent throughout, with some plot developments being poorly paced and developed. In saying that most of the season was extremely interesting, and the way it transitioned from the current events to the flashbacks was very slick. The season also had a lot of depth to it, with brilliant characters and a lot of excitement. Due to all this I'd highly recommend this season as it is simply amazing.
Rating: 8/10
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Since Jeff Lemire has taken over this series it has been nothing short of amazing, and I've really enjoyed seeing Green Arrow in a brilliant series once more, and this story so far has been one of the best Green Arrow stories that I've ever read (although I've not read that many).
Plot
Green Arrow (Oliver "Ollie" Queen) is falling to his death, but manages to save himself. Komodo isn't happy about this, and the two get embroiled into a fight. Meanwhile Naomi is still captive of Komodo, being watched over by his daughter, Emiko Lacroix.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and Jeff Lemire is really doing something phenomenal with this series. After reading Lemire's amazing work on this series, as well as the brilliant two issues of Animal Man that I read, I decided to try more of his work, getting his run on Justice League Dark (up to date), as well as Constantine (which he co-plots with his JLD co-writer Ray Fawkes), and I've started to see that he's truly an amazing writer, and one of the best working at DC the now. Although JLD has been brilliant, I still much prefer this series, as I feel that it's much more grittier, and dramatic, and I've loved how he's taken Ollie out of his comfort zone, making him have to fight. I've also loved how Lemire's managed to keep the backstory a mystery, whilst giving us slithers of information about it, to keep us interested, which makes for brilliant suspense. Lemire's also managed to keep the story very exciting, having plenty of action, but not too much that it takes away from the development of the story, and overall his writing is amazing, and I can't wait to read more of it, and especially from this story.
The artwork from Andrea Sorrentino is once again phenomenal, and I've been very happy that he's working on this series. The detail in Sorrentino's art is simply outstanding, as every thing is so precise, and perfect, with every minor detail given attention, and it really makes for a beautiful piece of art. There are however two things that I like most about Sorrentino's art, and that's the way he draws facial expressions, and the overall layout of the artwork. The facial expressions are simply fantastic, as it adds a lot of emotion to the story, showing the character's feelings perfectly. The layout is also brilliant, as it really gives a great dramatic feel to the story, also giving an overall unique style to the series. I also love the way that Sorrentino draws the action in this issue, as like the layout it adds more drama to the story, which is brilliant. Marcelo Maiolo has also once more done a fabulous job of the colours, and although I still prefer the colours that Sorrentino added in the first issue in this story, I've still really enjoyed the colours that Maiolo has produced, as they are very similar, and add a very unique tone to the series, whilst also giving more drama and suspense.
I've really enjoyed that this story continues to start with a couple of pages showing Ollie in Black Mesa, Arizona, and that although most of the story has been set three weeks prior to that, it's still reminding us where the stories eventually leading. Besides that I loved that the main part of the story continued from where the last issue left of, with Ollie falling to his death, as it made for a very dramatic start to the issue, and it would surprise people who are picking this issue up without reading the previous two. It was however also nice that Lemire didn't take long in driving the story forward, having Ollie, and Komodo tussle a bit, before the story moved to continuing Naomi's captivity.
Speaking about Naomi's (one of Ollie's former assistant) captivity, the developments in this part of the story was one of the more shocking events from the last issue, and although I didn't want to talk about that in my previous review, as to avoid spoilers, I will talk about it now, and how it developed more in this issue. Basically last issue Komodo killed Jax (Ollie's other assistant) in front of Naomi, and in fear of her own life she agreed to tell him everything about Ollie, basically betraying him. I understand why she betrayed Ollie, and although a lot of readers will see her as nothing but a traitor, you have to think of the bigger picture, as not everyone is brave, and most people are scared of death (whether they admit it or not). This issue however showed that Naomi still had some loyalty to Ollie, as although she'd given away his secrets, she still has faith in him, and tells Emiko that Komodo needs to be worried about him, which was nice, as it showed that she only really betrayed him out of fear.
As I said earlier in my review, this issue showed a fight between Ollie, and Komodo, and although I briefly mentioned it, I'll talk more about it now (without revealing spoilers). This was a brilliant fight, and it was really dramatic, as you could feel the tension between the two, as well as some desperation from Ollie, ans smugness from Komodo. What I liked most about this fight was the dialogue, as Lemire really wrote one of the best battle conversations that I've ever read, as it added more drama, and suspense, also giving a tremendous atmosphere, which you don't always get in comic book fights (whether they're entertaining or not).
This issue also continued to reveal more of Komodo's relationship with Ollie's father (Robert Queen), and although I won't go into much detail as to avoid spoilers (people who've seen the gatefold cover will know), I will say what I felt about this development. Last issue had a lot of development showing Komodo's history with Ollie's father, so it was kind of nice that this issue didn't focus too much on that, but at the same time I was happy that we got some. Although I won't say what actually happened I will say that it wasn't really much of a surprise, but that it should have a lot of influence over the rest of this story.
Final Verdict
This was yet another amazing issue from Lemire, and the development of the story has been handled brilliantly. This issue is also very action packed, having lots of suspense, and having a very dramatic tone. I'd highly recommend this issue, as it was truly fantastic, and I'd also recommend the other two issues in this series by Lemire, as the story's been amazing, and I for one really look forward to reading more.
Rating: 5/5
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Although I'm not the biggest Green Arrow fan, I have been a fan, and have enjoyed reading him over the years, but from what I've read of this series it's been very poor. Luckily Jeff Lemire took over as writer last issue, and has changed it into a brilliant series, and it's looking to be one of the best Green Arrow stories in the last few years.
Plot
With the death of his friends last issue Green Arrow (Oliver "Ollie" Queen) finds help in a former employee named Henry Fyff. Also the identity of Komodo is revealed, and Magus gives Ollie a warning.
Review
This was yet another brilliant issue, and it looks like Jeff Lemire has this series heading in the right direction. I haven't read a great deal of Lemire's work, but I have read a couple of Animal Man issues, and plan on reading Constantine when it's out, but he appears to be one of the better writers in DC the now, and the praise he has gotten from others is deserved. This issue wasn't quite as good as the last issue, but not far behind, and you don't expect these types of issues to be as good as this. When I say these types of issues I mean issues that spend most of the time explaining the background story. Don't get me wrong, I love when a story delves into the background, and overall it makes a story much better in the long run, but having that takes away from the overall excitement in that issue. I have however loved how Lemire's handled the story so far, and I've loved how he's given us the surprises in pieces, leaving some suspense, and mystery to the story.
Andrea Sorrentino once again produced some amazing art on this issue, and I'm happy that he's working on this series. His artwork is simply phenomenal, and he really has a great dynamic style. Sorrentino's art is also brilliant in other ways, as even the finer details are great. I was however slightly upset that he wasn't doing his own colours in the interiors. I understand that it would add onto the time to draw the issue, but his colours in the last issue were excellent, and I always feel that when an artist colours his own art that it looks overall much nicer. The colourist on this issue, Marcelo Maiolo did do a great job, and his colours were also brilliant, but it wasn't quite as Sorrentino's, and it was noticeable (if only slightly) that Sorrentino didn't do the colours. I do however think that the coulour has really helped the art, as although Sorrentino art is already dramatic, the colours add to that, and I love that the monochrome flashback colours make the flashbacks stand out.
Komodo's identity was revealed in this issue. I won't reveal who Komodo is, or spoil anything, as I hate spoiling things, but sometimes it can't be helped. This time however I can keep the spoilers secret, so I will. Komodo was a shocking introduction in last issue, and as I said, I was happy that like Ollie Komodo was an archer. Although I won't spoil his identity I will say that it was a surprise, but not too much of a surprise. I say that as when I found out I wasn't too shocked, but at the same time it wasn't the first person I would have thought of. Anyway it wasn't his identity that interested me the most in this issue anyway, it was his past, and more so his connection to Ollie. Last issue showed that Komodo knew a lot about Green Arrow, knowing that he was Oliver Queen, and who his father is, saying that he expected more, so it was nice to find out how he knew all this. The development of Komodo was excellent in this issue, but I look forward to seeing more of his background (if we get more, which I assume we will) in the rest of this story, and seeing him, and Ollie square of against each other.
Ollie also got a new assistant in this issue. With his previous assistants, Naomi, and Jax being killed in the Q-Core building (apparently) Ollie decided to trust another to help him, former employee Henry Fyff. Having not read much of the series prior to this I haven't became attached to Naomi, and Jax as characters so it will probably be easier for me to accept a new assistant than some readers. Anyway from the little I did read of the other characters I already prefer Fyff anyway. He's a very funny character, and I think he will keep Ollie on his toe's. I also look forward to seeing if there is any backlash from Fyff over the fact he was fired. From his funny appearance in this issue, I'm looking forward to seeing more of Fyff in this series, as he adds comic relief to a mostly serious story.
The mystery in this story just keeps getting more interesting. Besides the identity of Komodo being revealed in this issue, it also delves into more secrets in Ollie's past (or should I say his fathers). The mysterious Magus character has been very interesting, and although I liked finding out about Komodo's past, I feel that Magus' will be more interesting. I am however really hooked to this series, and hope that Lemire continues this good work after this story.
I'll finish by talking about two minor points that I liked about this issue. The first one is that it was nice to see that the issue acknowledged that he's a member of the Justice League of America (or going to be). It appears that most of the JLA members will be acknowledged as becoming members in their solo books, as Vibe, and Katana have their own series out of JLA, Catwoman's getting a visit from the JLA soon, and Hawkman apparently is also getting help from the JLA before his series is cancelled. It was a big change to the New 52 adding another Justice League, and although it was built up for the better part of a year it is nice to see it acknowledged in the solo series. At the same time I'm happy that it didn't take up too much of the issue, as it'd take away from Lemire's story, which is brilliant.
Like the acknowledgement of the JLA I was also happy to see Roy Harper mentioned in this issue. With Roy being my favourite DC archer (loved him in Red Hood and the Outlaws, and pre-New 52 Justice League of America) it was nice to see him mentioned, and having not read much of the series prior to this I don't know if he's been mentioned before. As I said though I having been reading him in Red Hood and the Outlaws, so I know that the rift between Ollie, and Roy has continued into the New 52, and it was nice to see that Ollie is upset about what happened between the two of them. Again like the JLA acknowledgement I was happy that this didn't take up too much of the issue.
Final Verdict
Lemire continues to turn this series into a respectable series again, and this issue was fabulous. It was very interesting, and fun, and although it wasn't quite as good as the last issue it was still brilliant. I'd recommend both this issue, and the last issue, as Lemire has really changed this series for the better.
Rating: 4.5/5
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
I've been a fan of Green Arrow for a few years now, and quite enjoyed the pre-New 52 series. I have read the first few issues of this series written by J. T. Krul, but didn't feel like catching up after reading the negative comments about Ann Nocenti's run, and after reading her Catwoman run so far I can truly believe it. So when I heard that a new creative team was joining I was hoping for good things, and after hearing good things about Jeff Lemire's previous work I though I'd give it a try, and definitely after the good reviews for this issue.
Plot
This issue sees Green Arrow (Oliver "Ollie" Queen) upset about Emerson losing his company, and a new villain, who's also an archer, named Komodo enters the fray.
Review
This was a brilliant issue, and one of the best Green Arrow issues I've ever read, and definitely the best that I've read from this series. After also loving Animal Man #17 from Lemire that was also out this week I'm starting to see what everyone else sees in him as a writer, as he really knows how to give interesting stories, and he's done the best possible job of taking a series which everyone classes as bellow poor to a terrific series, and I hope he keeps this quality. This story is also very fresh, and it's a brilliant jumping on point, as it felt more like a number one than a series that's had 17 previous issues. Although some of Krul's Green Arrow issues were good, with some being very good, I don't think that any have been anywhere near as goo as this issue, and if the series stays at this level it will easily shoot up to the top 5 or higher in my DC pull list, and I might also try some of Lemire's other work including more of Animal Man, and his run on Justice League Dark.
The art form Andrea Sorrentino is amazing. I've never really seen Sorrentino's art but after seeing the cover for this issue, and noticing that it was the same artist doing the interior I wanted this issue just for the art. So in a way that was the biggest thing that drew me to wanting to try this issue. I did however notice a slight difference on the interior artwork, and that was the colour, as the cover was coloured by Hi-Fi (Brian Miller), whereas the interior was coloured by Sorrentino himself. Although I din't initially like Sorrentio's colouring, as I was reading I started to feel that it suited the story more, giving more drama and feel. Hi-Fi's colours on the cover were very punchy and made a brilliant impression for people who buy for covers, or like me don't initialy like Sorrentio's colours. The artwork itself was amazing, and very detailed, with the characteristics, and emotions done brilliantly. I also felt that the art itself gave a tremendous dramatic feel to the issue, and that the choice in colours added to this, especially the monochrome, with a hint of colour in certain panels.
This issue started slightly in the future coming back to the present. I felt that this was a brilliant way to start the story, as the reader is already gripped in wanting to know what has happened to Ollie, with the next page taking you back to the very start of the story. I am however happy that the issue didn't jump around as I feel that that leads to confusion whereas a dramatic flashback, with a continuous story gives the right mood without confusing readers, especially newer ones.
There was quite a lot of disaster in this issue, and although I won't mention specifics to avoid spoilers it really did set the tone for the issue. I was expecting a light heartened start from the new creative team, to let them settle in, but Lemire doesn't waste any time making drastic decisions which will affect the series big time. It is however very admirable, as it's a risk to do something like this, and this time it payed off. I also loved the action in these sequences and the emotion from Ollie, as he's put in a position that he's probably not familiar with where he's got to get very serious, unlike his normal fun self.
The most interesting thing in this issue however was the new villain named Komodo. I always like new villains, and especially when they're mysterious, and well thought out. Although there have been lot's of terrible villains created in the past I always admire when a writer creates one, as whether good or bad it shows that they are creative, and not just going to stick with the same old characters, giving readers something new, and hopefully interesting to read about. This was the later, as Komodo was very interesting. I really liked that he was an archer like Ollie, as it gives symmetry, which shows gives Ollie a fair chance, even if Komodo doesn't exactly fight fair. I will be looking forward to the continuation of this story, and especially what role Komodo has.
There was also an appearance from another new character called Magus who gave Ollie a warning. I won't say much more but it was very interesting and I'm now really looking forward to the next issue.
Final Verdict
This was an outstanding issue, and one of the best Green Arrow issues I've ever read. I really hope that the series stays at this level, as the character deserves it as well as the fans, and I have every faith that Lemire won't disappoint. I would easily recommend this issue to anyone as apart from being brilliant it's also the perfect starting of point for any new readers, or Green Arrow fans that left the series due to the poor quality.
Rating: 5/5
