The new creative team of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino take over for Green Arrow this week to hopefully give it a much-needed shot in the arm. Will they be able to revive this floundering title or will it continue to circle the drain? Major Spoilers checks it out!
Green Arrow #17
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino
Letterer: Rob Leigh
Colorist: Andrea Sorrentino
Editor: Joey Cavalieri
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $2.99
Previously in Green Arrow: Oliver Queen talked Pike into not committing suicide, let Harrow blow up, lost his company holdings and walked away with next to nothing to his name. On the bright side, he saved Seattle.
PREVIOUSLY ON LOST…
Oliver Queen was left with nothing but his role as Green Arrow as he lost his company, heritage and billions. But, when he was framed for the death of his CEO and financial babysitter, Emerson, and then witnessed the explosion of the Q-Core building possibly killing a dozen people, including his friends Jax and Naomi, Oliver was really left with nothing but a few safe houses and his Green Arrow equipment. However, Emerson’s assassination wasn’t carried out by any old assassin, but a skilled archer named Komodo. And, through it all, Ollie is haunted by Emerson’s last words, urging him to be the man he was supposed to be, to claim the legacy left to him by his father, his real legacy…
After his absurdly awesome work on Animal Man and Swamp Thing, Jeff Lemire works his magic on Green Arrow and does a great job of it. Though, it’s important to view this book more as a reboot of the New 52 Green Arrow, which, quite frankly, is a very good thing. With that in mind, this book should be approached as one would approach an issue one.
Lemire has set up a very different Green Arrow story, dropping a ton of plot hooks in the process. For instance, what exactly is this legacy he was supposed to inherit? Why was he supposed to stay on the island? Since he’s lost just about everything now, Ollie is free to pursue these questions unhindered. The way he narrates the story feels like a noir, giving Oliver a disillusioned realistic tone to his voice that he hasn’t had before.
The only red flag is the palpable Lost-like warnings, a reference to ‘the others’ and telling Ollie he was never supposed to leave the island being the foremost in my mind. Providing it doesn’t end with Queen really having been dead and stuck in purgatory all this time while fighting a giant smoke monster, everything should work out for the best.
TAKING THE HAWKEYE APPROACH
After having done a stellar job on I, Vampire, Andrea Sorrentino brings the gritty to the world of Green Arrow. Heavy black inking and the most minimal of facial detail give this book its trademark Sorrentino feel. Since he’s also the colorist, Sorrentino has a minimalist take on coloring, one that works for his own unique style. His style might not be to everyone’s taste, but he’s one of the best at what he does.
There is a bit of a Hawkeye nod inherent in the art, though whether it’s intended or not is debatable. There are several mini-panels used to highlight action points, such as the loading and firing of an arrow or that moment of contact when a fist hits a face. It’s helpful with Sorrentino’s art since it is very minimalistic and little things like that might go unnoticed.
Despite the conscientious and strategic lack of detail, there is a very realistic feel to the art, as if they were all adapted from a photograph instead of drawn from scratch. A lot of these look like stylized stills from real life instead of what’s generally expected from most comic art out there. There is also a definite Sin City feel to it, complimenting Lemire’s noir influenced plot line.
BOTTOM LINE: INTERESTING THINGS BREWING…
Honestly, I’m so biased against the terrible writing of Ann Nocenti that literally anyone could have written this book and gotten a five-star review from me. However, putting that aside, Jeff Lemire has really managed to put this title back on track. With Sorrentino adding his gritty artistic style to the Green Arrow universe, this issue is a promising sign of things to come for Oliver Queen. Pick it up. Green Arrow #17 has earned 4 out of 5 stars.
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