It’s time for another review. This time, I’m reviewing a book part of the DC Rebirth era with Green Arrow Vol. One: The Death & Life of Oliver Queen. The new creative team for this book is Benjamin Percy (Wolverine, Teen Titans, Ghost Rider) and the artistic team of Otto Schmidt (DC vs Vampires, Batman, Un/Sacred), and Juan Ferreya (Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Colder, Punisher: Kill Krew).
Green Arrow’s life will be changed once again as he has been betrayed by the ones closest to him. Plus, it’s a romance renewed as Black Canary forces him to confront the one thing he has always fought against, and that’s The Man. But what happens when he realizes that he is The Man? One by one, his friends began to leave his side, and no matter how much money he had isn’t going to bring them back when he needed them the most.
Even though most readers claim that it is a generic story arc, I felt that this helped new readers who weren’t familiar with the hero get a good grasp of what he stands for, and fights for. Percy’s Green Arrow return does offer some brief nostalgia for older readers who are familiar with Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams’s iconic run in terms of offering real-world elements (a recommended read for new readers and older fans, available on DC Infinite) but also offers a pseudo-horror approach to it, something brought back from the New 52 era. Speaking of bringing back things, it was great to see Shado, Emiko, and of course, Black Canary! But the new villains were truly terrifying, the underground men, the Burned Men, and the Ninth Circle.
Getting back to the topic of real-life elements, Percy introduces the Ninth Circle, an international criminal organization that funnels money from multinational corporations, crime lords, etc. Most probably wouldn’t realize this or just forgot but it harkens to a real-life situation involving a well-known former financier and sex-offender named Jeffrey Epstein, who was involved in a disgusting sex trafficking/human trafficking ring, how JPMorgan Chase aided, and profited from the perverted financier’s trafficking in terms of funneling money, he would eventually get arrested and die in prison. Aside from this history lesson, Green Arrow would share another idea from Batman’s success and give them an organization that is similar to the Dark Knight’s Court of Owls. I did enjoy Percy bringing back what made Oliver so likable and tackling the elephant in the room, where the hero is similar to Robin Hood, but it also runs against his billionaire status.
While I give praise for the writing, the credit also goes to the artistic team of Otto Schmidt and Juan Fereyra, who do a magnificent job of illustrating each issue in this arc. It offered a perfect balance of action, horror, and humor by blending it into a well-organized, illustrated story. When it comes to the first part of the book Schmidt hit it out of the park in terms of being optimistic and carefree, the colors are bright and light, while Fereyra’s art for the second half is a darker, more realistic tone. It went from being carefree into a drama-filled and horrific-toned realistic story that worked well for an action-packed superhero book.
If you’re looking for a good story to pass the time and be up-to-date on current events, or perhaps taking a page from Green Arrow’s approach to being a Social Justice Warrior, then be sure to check out DC’s Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Death & Life of Oliver Queen, available now at your Local Comic Book Store, Digitally, and on DC Infinite! And if you want to read more of my reviews, check out this link!
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Final Grade:
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