Green Arrow #27: The Truth Revealed?

January 13, 2014

Well. It just got real up in the Green Arrow world. Since Jeff Lemire took over the series, he’s been taking full advantage of the New 52 sandbox. Now, in Green Arrow #27, he drops perhaps the biggest bomb young Oliver Queen has faced thus far. I’m getting ahead of myself – let’s jump into the issue shall we?

Shado and Oliver have stumbled into the Tomb of the Arrow Clan. The prize they seek is a mystical shaman of the clan in the shape of a green arrow. Problem is, it’s gone. The Shield Clan arrives at exactly the wrong moment. Two against hundreds, it seems like a good day to die for young master Queen and Shado. Whipping out his bag of trick arrows (in a funny moment between Queen and Shado), our hero manages to stall for time. Meanwhile, the blind enigma Mangus has found Katana and promises to help her in her quest against The Sword Clan, Coil and Mona Shard.

Things begin to deepen with Shadow and Queen as she relentlessly attacks him about the reality of his time stranded on the island. Was it an accident? Could it have been planned? Queen refuses to even entertain the idea. Thankfully, the leader of the Shield Clan shows up to stomp Queen and his accuser. Here’s where the bombshell comes. The leader of the Shield Clan seems to be Oliver Queen’s dead father. Oh yeah, Green Arrow #27 ends with one those “NO WAY” type endings.

Lemire’s talent is always impressive. Few writers can create his kind of tension; fewer still can inject humor without losing that tension. Lemire has also humanized Oliver Queen in a way few have since the days of the controversial Green Arrow & Green Lantern team-up book. This new Queen is layered, interesting, and somebody you want to root for.

Andrea Sorrentino’s art is, again, without equal. His ability with dark shadowing brings to mind icons like Alex Toth, but the pages never get murky. The line work is sharp enough to stand out against the darker areas, which is also due to some nice coloring from Marcelo Maiolo. Sorrentino’s work gives a specific identity and spark to Lemire’s words, and the combination is amazing.

Green Arrow is book that continues to get better with every issue. Lemire and Sorrentino are in top form here.

(4.5 Story, 4.5 Art)

Iann Robinson started his career early writing for Sound Views magazine and spreading all the way to Japan Warp. In 1996 he created the wildly popular cable access show Monkey Butt Sex. In the four years it was on Robinson interviewed dozens of bands ranging from Sick Of It All to The Melvins as well as cementing his name in the underground music world. From Monkey Butt Sex, Robinson began MBS Productions, directing small budget videos for Hedpe, H20, Napalm Death, Sick Of It All, Warzone, and others. This led to the next big phase of Robinson’s career, MTV. In 2000 Iann Robinson became an on air news reporter and quickly attracted both bands and fans with his honest and often brutal opinions. After MTV Robinson began writing for Crave Online as well as starting his own small press comic shop Isolation Disorder Comics. Robinson also produced and starred in the on-line pop culture show Dude, That’s Awesome.