Comic Review: Green Arrow #43

Green Arrow #43

DC Comics

Writers: Julie Benson & Shawna Benson

Artist Javier Fernandez

Oliver Queen is back in Seattle and working as a 1% CEO businessman at Queen Industries. For the past 42 issues, he’s been on the run from the law, believed dead, on trial, and more. Now, new series writers Julie Benson and Shawna Benson have brought The Emerald Archer back to the top, and it’s a pretty good start.

The issue starts with a team up between Green Arrow and Arsenal. There’s a corrupt businessman about to blow up a building with tenants still inside. Of course, the people are saved by Green Arrow and Arsenal, and the businessman gets away. The rest of the issue shows a lot of Oliver Queen being Oliver Queen. He’s CEO again and hanging around the office. Black Canary is moving in, and they’re living in a lower-class neighborhood. The new villain, “Citizen Watch” has captured the corrupt businessman from the beginning and live streams his execution. Citizen Watch, targeting the “one percent” announces his next target: CEO Oliver Queen.

It’s not the most original story ever told, but I like it. For the past 42 issues it’s been a lot of Oliver Queen being “dead” and on the run. It’s a little refreshing to have him back on top again. I’m sure, it’ll be done away with eventually, but it’s good for now. There’s also a focus on his relationships, which is nice. Black Canary is moving in, and he’s trying to see Roy Harper as a partner rather than a sidekick. Again, I like it.

The art by Javier Fernandez is alright. It’s not bad, not by a long shot, but there are some parts that feel bare and kind of empty to me. I like the way Green Arrow and Arsenal look in their costumes. In this style, they both look good, and there wasn’t any change to them that I could see. When they’re firing arrows they also look natural, and not out of form. But some of the faces outside of costume look bare. No details or depth, just eyes, small hint of a nose, and a mouth. This isn’t the case for the whole issue, but it was noticeable to me.

The weakest part for me might be the villain. Citizen Watch is just going to live stream and let people vote on executions? I like the live stream aspect of it, considering everyone and their mom has the capability to live stream in 2018. The voting part seems like it’d backfire on him, and assumes everybody is willing to kill. There’s also some really ham-fisted set up for Heroes In Crisis that happens. From what we saw in this, it doesn’t look good for Roy in that series.

Overall, I did like this first issue. Julie and Shawna Benson never wrote a bad Green Arrow in Birds of Prey. It doesn’t look like they’ll be writing a bad one in this book either. It’s not without its flaws, but they can be overlooked with all the positives. I have looked forward to the next issue of this series since its start, and I’m happy to say that trend will continue.