Review: Green Arrow Vol. 1- The Death and Life of Oliver Queen

Quick Summary

Pros: The main plotline in this book is compelling and suspenseful. Green Arrow and Black Canary are together again. The themes and morals of this book are well done.

Cons: The first half of the book is a little messy and rushed.

Overall: Despite a somewhat lackluster beginning, this is an excellent book and a wonderful first chapter in the Green Arrow Rebirth storyline. It has action, adventure, and romance while also delving into the ethics of charity and classical literature references. Any fan of Green Arrow should pick this book up as it is more than well worth the read.

Story

Being Green Arrow is a tough job for one person, Oliver Queen needs a team to help him. Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen gives him that team while also throwing in a compelling and interesting story to go with it. Characterizations are great, the storyline is gripping and intense, and Green Arrow and Black Canary are finally back together. The only part of this book that isn’t an absolute treat is the beginning, which suffers due to the shear number of characters being introduced. However, with introductions in the past, the future of this series is definitely one to look out for.

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The book starts out by introducing readers to Green Arrow and Black Canary while simultaneously introducing them to each other. For fans of their relationship this will be an amazing moment as their romance has been teased by DC Comics for a while now. The duo go out and stop a human trafficking operation but fail to learn who is behind it.

For the most part these first few issues are alright. They are not anything special, though this largely due to introductions taking precedence over plot, something common for the beginning of most stories. However, it is also weighed down by some odd interactions between Oliver and Dinah. The two go from being head over heels with each other to fighting, over the course of only two pages. It feels inauthentic and is definitely noticeable when reading.

Things start to significantly pick up as Oliver digs into the organization behind the human trafficking, the Ninth Circle. He is ambushed by an assassin, then betrayed and left for dead by his own sister. While the rest of the world thinks he is dead, he recovers and begins tracking the Ninth Circle while his concerned friends start tracking him.

This is the best part of the story. Our hero is betrayed and at the end of his luck, nothing seems to be going right. He needs to scrape and crawl his way back or else the evil he is fighting will win. It is gripping and action packed in a way that will keep readers at the edge of their seats. Eventually we see Oliver team up with his friends and go head to head with the Ninth Circle, completely destroying them in the process. It is an ending that required work to get to and one that definitely pays off.

In addition to the book’s great storytelling, it is worth mentioning that the themes and morals in this book are extremely well constructed as well. Green Arrow has always been an extremely liberal hero, so here we get to see that liberalism examined. Oliver discovers that he needs to play a more active role in his charity work or his money will be useless. Plus, the entire work is layered with references to Dante’s Inferno. Specifically, the Inferno involves betrayal and the major twists in this book involve Oliver being betrayed by his sister and business partner. Benjamin Percy clearly put some work into crafting this storyline and his efforts echo throughout the collection.

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Art

The art in this collection is done by two separate artists, Otto Schmidt and Juan Ferreyra. Usually when multiple artists work on one book the styles end up working against each other and hurting the overall experience. However, in this book, the two styles work together in a manner that allows both to shine in their own way.

The first half of the book is done by Otto Schmidt. Schmidt’s drawing and colors are bright and light. They make the book feel like it takes place in a world where limits are pushed and boundaries are made to be broken. This portion of the book is also the most optimistic and carefree in regards to the story as well, meaning that the art matches the tone fantastically.

The second half of the book is drawn by Juan Ferreyra. Ferreyra’s drawing and colors are darker and more realistic. They give more drama to the book and almost push it toward horror in some places. Since the book’s second half is much darker in general, this works perfectly and emphasizes the change that Oliver Queen is going through.

Continuity

Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen is the first volume of the Green Arrow Rebirth series. Rebirth is not a continuity reset at all; it is more of just a good jumping on point for readers. This means that, although there are stories that come before this, an in depth knowledge of Green Arrow’s past is not really required to enjoy this series.

The story started here continues in Green Arrow Vol. 2: Island of Scars (Review). 

This volume also references stories from other comic books, all of which are detailed below.

• Black Canary states that she and Green Arrow have met before. This was in DC Universe: Rebirth (Review)
• A number of characters are brought back into Green Arrow’s life, some of whom new readers may not recognize.
  • Emiko Queen and her backstory are detailed in Green Arrow Vol. 4: The Kill Machine (Review)
  • Henry Fyff also joined Green Arrow’s team in Green Arrow Vol. 4: The Kill Machine (Review)