Ben Percy Leaving 'Green Arrow,' Hints at a Gotham Title

After more than 50 issues of Green Arrow, writer Benjamin Percy is stepping away from the series this spring.

The just-solicited Green Arrow #39, due in stores this April, will feature a script from Colin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing. it is not clear whether those creators, who recently took over Nightwing, will remain on two books, whether theirs is a fill-in issue of Green Arrow, or whether they might leave Nightwing.

Despite having a hit TV series that spawned a shared DC Universe on The CW, Green Arrow as a comic book has struggled in recent years. Attempts revitalize the series have almost always hinged on a reinvention, but Percy managed to find the sweet spot that blended classic and newer elements. He made the start of his run, which was published pre-Rebirth, into one of DC's most critically-acclaimed titles and carried that success through the relaunch.

"With The New 52 and Rebirth, I'll have written 52 issues of Green Arrow. I'm lucky to have had such a long run and to have worked with such an incredible editorial and art team," Percy tweeted after the solicitations were released. "We still have two more issues, so stay tuned to see how this novelistic journey concludes. I'm so damn thankful to have worked with all the artists on this series, but want to give a special shout out to Juan Ferreyra and Otto Schmidt — who are brilliant and great dudes. There's a killer team taking over the series. Green Arrow fans are in good hands. And I'll be jumping on to another title for DC Comics. Announcement soon. Let's just say it's the zip code where a darker sensibility like mine belongs..."

Especially given that he noted later that his only pre-Green Arrow experience at DC were a pair of Detective Comics issues, it is difficult not to read that last part of his statement as teasing fans that he might move to Gotham City. Currently both Detective Comics and Batman have critically-acclaimed and best-selling runs going on, but it seems that DC as a whole is shaking things up from their now-two-year-old Rebirth status quo in the coming months, so that does not seem like a guarantee that such a status will prevent Tom King and James Tynion from moving if all parties are amenable. Similarly, Percy could be trading titles with the Nightwing scribes taking over Green Arrow.

Of course, given his work with Damian Wayne in Teen Titans, there could be an entirely new Gotham book in Percy's future.

You can check out the full solicitation below.

GREEN ARROW #39

Written by COLLIN KELLY and JACKSON LANZING • Art by MARCIO TAKARA • Cover by TYLER KIRKHAM • Variant cover by MIKE GRELL

Retailers: This issue will ship with two covers. Please see the order form for details. Includes a code for a free digital download of this issue.

"THE CHILDREN OF VAHKAR" part one! Following a hellish year in Seattle, Oliver Queen heads to the war-torn city of Vahkar to use his considerable resources to help its starving citizens. But Oliver soon finds himself in over his head when he discovers that Vakhar is being run by a mysterious new warlord known as NOTHING…and all the town's children have gone missing. Oliver Queen can't save the children of Vakhar…but can Green Arrow?

On sale APRIL 4 • 32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T+