Review: Green Arrow Vol. 4- The Rise of Star City

October 18, 2020 ComicBookWire

Quick Summary

Pros: The book’s main storyline is full of entertaining action. The main storyline answers some questions about mysteries running through this series and develops more mysteries for the future. The volume’s artwork is consistently positive.

Cons: The opening chapters have some problems and end up being just alright.

Overall: This volume stumbles a bit at first but seriously makes up for it as it goes along. The main storyline here utilizes the development done over the past several volumes to launch an epic and enthralling battle for the fate of Seattle. It rewards fans for sticking around while promising there is still more in store for the future. Plus, the entire volume contains some great-looking visuals. Those interested in the larger narrative running through this series should seriously not miss out on this collection.

Story

Green Arrow Vol. 4: The Rise of Star City, by Benjamin Percy, starts out a little slow but really develops into something substantial as it progresses. The problems in the beginning come from a weak opening arc, which reintroduces Roy Harper but isn’t as well constructed as previous storylines. Then, the book’s main storyline takes over and seriously ups the ante. The bulk of the book depicts a thrilling battle between the comic’s heroes and the Ninth Circle, the mysterious group of villains who have been developed throughout this series. This battle utilizes this development to make things even more tense and interesting. It then ends with more questions yet to be answered, leaving a future confrontation clearly on the horizon. All in all, this is a fun volume who’s later successes easily make up for its early failures.

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The first arc in The Rise of Star City is a bit mixed. Seeing Roy Harper is always a treat and seeing him interact with Green Arrow is even better. Plus, the arc explores the relationship between them and gives information about their modern day status quo. It also shows off Green Arrow’s timely take on politics, with him opposing the construction of a pipeline through Native American land.

However, this arc contains more problems than previous ones. The fact that Roy’s first appearance in the series coincidentally resolves one of the most important issues from his past, by having him discover the truth behind his father’s death, and does so in just a few chapters feels incredibly cheesy. In addition, the politics here are not as nuanced as they were before, with the “white savior” trope playing against the volume’s inclusion of indigenous people.

Luckily, The Rise of Star City seriously kicks things up with its second arc. Here, the comic’s main narrative goes into overdrive as the Ninth Circle’s plan enters its next stage. The team is fractured, Green Arrow’s base is burned, and the Ninth Circle essentially seizes control of Seattle. The heroes try to save the city but it is unclear if they will be able to, which adds to the overall feelings of tension and excitement. This portion of the read is a pulse-pounding thrill ride that uses all of the development of previous volumes to its advantage.

The entire Ninth Circle narrative also helps seriously increase anticipation for the next volume. The evil group is furthering their plans without hesitation, ensuring a showdown is on the horizon. Plus, the reveal that Oliver’s own mother is in the Ninth Circle adds a massive complication to the entire ordeal. I closed this book seriously excited to pick up the next one.

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Art

The artwork in The Rise of Star City fluctuates a bit but ends up being positive overall. The opening story arc is where this mix of quality is the most prominent. Eleonora Carlini’s visuals are crisp, clean, and suit the story being told, however, they end up lacking detail in some places which end up coming across as a bit dull. Luckily, like the story, the quality of this book goes up significantly as it enters the main story arc. Here, Juan Ferreyra takes over and brings along some seriously great visuals. Ferreyra’s work is detailed and atmospheric in a way that makes both the characters and locations look great. It also is darker and grittier than other visuals in this series, which pair well with the specific story being told here. Finally, the book closes with a single, beautiful chapter from Otto Schmidt. Altogether, this book has plenty of good-looking visuals to offer.