Green Arrow #1 by Rob Richardson
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Green arrow
Written by J.T. Krul
Art by Dan Jurgens
I really liked J.T. Krul’s run on Green Arrow during Brightest Day. He gave Oliver Queen a really cool vibe, an intensity that gave him a new drive and purpose. Protector of Star City and the magical star-shaped forest, Green Arrow was back as a no-nonsense, kick-ass hero.
I expected great things from this title but as an issue one and a relaunch title this was pretty standard fare.
In all fairness this is an all new, younger Oliver Queen. The tech-arrows are back in full force; one can freeze water, another can aid remote control piloting of a boat, whilst another acts as a flare. His identity remains unknown in this version – at one point he chairs a board meeting whilst hopping across the rooftops in Paris.
green arrow
Oliver now comes equipped with a very Smallville-esque uniform. I imagine if I could hear him speak in costume then his voice would have lowered an octave. He also has a team working with him; a weapons designer who is against weapons and a female computer wizard. This team looks set to play off each other well however this detracts from the “lone wolf” Green Arrow image that has always fit the character expertly. That’s what made Green Arrow stand-out against many of the other Justice League – perhaps too many parallels had been drawn with Batman in the past?
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I found the villains to be uninteresting but the action scene where Green Arrow takes them head on is quite exciting. It’s a well paced battle that showcases the relaunched hero’s equipment well and also allows him to quip and play to the reader.
Once that was over, though, I didn’t feel invested in the character. Once out of the suit I found proceedings seemed to wane and I became bored. I felt detached from Oliver and his team.
OK, I’m holding my hands up and saying I know this is a relaunch. We expected the characters to be different but I didn’t think it would be this different. I found the title to lack any feel of Green Arrow at all. Take for example Gail Simones Batgirl title. Even though this is a different Barbara Gordon, I still felt as though I knew the character and I expected so from a writer who was familiar with her.
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Krul has taken an opposite approach and presented us with radically altered Green Arrow. I don’t want to write him off yet as I see the potential of the series – I just found I was left wanting and not necessarily in a good way.
Jurgens art is brilliant. The line work is smart and carries off the characters well, especially in the fight scenes. Although you may expect them to seem incredibly busy, the style is smooth and you become lost in the action, zipping from panel to panel and almost following the arrows from quiver to target. It’s a bright and colourful comic too, making it stand-out from the other titles that have been released.
Overall, I found Green Arrow to be quite an average opener to a new series. It doesn’t mean it was bad but I wasn’t over awed either. Like I said above, I can see the potential in the direction it appears to be heading but it wasn’t all that I thought it was going to be.
3:32 pm
Lame. Lame lame lame. *shaking head*
4:02 pm
I’m a little surprised here, this WAS a title I was looking forward to. Great review Rob!
4:11 pm
I completely disagree and feel it is Jurgens and Perez best work in 10 years! It is a fun fancy free swashbuckling tale of renegade morality and corporate struggle. I loved this book.