Pop Mythology Pop Mythology: Movie, Book, Comic reviews & commentary
There’s no doubt Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s run on Green Arrow has been some of the best storytelling in comics I’ve ever read.
To begin with, Lemire rebuilds and repurposes many of the stories told about Oliver Queen with a finesse and ease that is inspiring, and the legacy he constructs is full of new enemies and it casts the series in a completely new light. A compelling background sets the book back on its feet and ensures plenty of action and adventure is to be had in the future.
Lemire also uses some of the ideas that always felt a bit odd or funny and repurposes them as major elements in his world building to pull elements together and unify the book into a cohesive title moving forward. Even things that felt a bit gimmicky and looked down on, like trick arrows, are embraced to great effect.
I didn’t think it’d be possible, but Sorrentino’s artwork in the title only gets better and even more detailed as the series progresses. Ornate architecture, sculptures, and just the general attention to detail he has is really reinforced by some of the urban environments that Ollie ends up in throughout this volume of the series.
As always, the use of perspective and panels is masterfully done as Sorrentino always knows how to lead the eye and create a great sense of time and motion that works perfectly for the high-impact fights and action scenes the series has become famous for (among other things).
Marcelo Maiolo’s use of color works wonders and really drives home that cinematic action feel that I’ve come to love from the series. The minimal use of color at times during climatic moments that demand attention is poignant and effective, and when the artists stray from the signature look in certain key panels in the final issues it gives them even more impact. As an added bonus, this book includes the Zero Year tie-in with the Batman comics and we get to see Sorrentino draw Batman in issue #25.
The new additions to the story in the previous volume, like Shado, end up being even more integral to the plot than perhaps first expected and Lemire is methodical in how well he guides us through the course he’s plotted from issue 17 all the way through issue 31 before dropping a bomb so big that there’s a beat or two for us to gape in awe over before he sets the book up for a whole new world of potential coming down the pike.
While Lemire and Sorrentino’s run ends just two issues after the conclusion of this volume, they leave it with a wealth of potential to be explored in the future.
