Absolute Green Arrow #4 Is a Heart-Stopping Addition to DC’s Most Intense Story (Review)

The Absolute Universe is DC’s biggest, most imaginative reinvention in decades. It’s taken DC’s classic heroes and villains and reimagined them in a bleak, invigorating new world. Darkseid’s evil has infected this world down to its atoms, turning it towards darkness. The villains sit at the top of the food chain while the heroes are fostering small rebellions against their corrupt order. This new approach has lit a fire under DC’s heroes, giving them a chance to tackle problems that feel just as real and present as they ever have in a way that resonates with modern audiences to a T. One of the best series in that regard is Absolute Green Arrow, and issue #4 takes it all to another level.

This entire series has centered around the mystery of who the Green Arrow Killer is and what happened to Oliver Queen. Dinah has finally reached the depths of Hector Hammond’s hell and seen the monsters he’s created, and gotten the truth to one of her mysteries. This issue just keeps ramping up the tension and horror, which is more than anyone could ask for. This series has never looked or felt more brutal, and I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who has enjoyed the series thus far.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Gorgeous and gruesome art	Dinah’s turn is just a bit too quick
Tension that just keeps ramping

One Mystery Solved, Another One Closing In

This issue saw Dinah battle the horrific Solomon Grundy, who was a result of Hammond and his personal monster maker, Dr. Iker, experimenting with Miraclo in an attempt to achieve immortal life. Dinah temporarily took down Grundy and finally got the drop on Hammond, who revealed that he never wanted Oliver dead. In fact, they tried to experiment on Ollie to revive him, but couldn’t, so they cut him up to investigate his perfect match with Miraclo. Then Grundy revived, and the Green Arrow arrived, who tried to save Dinah, only to lose the fight in a horrifying way. The penultimate chapter of this first arc is ramping up to be the bloodiest one yet.

This story has always had masterful tension, and the way it continues to slowly ramp up and up is nothing short of exhilarating. The way it balances the impact a normal human could have with the strength of an unholy abomination like Grundy is amazing. Every action scene is tense, and the unfolding mystery continues to weave through twists and turns. Everything is falling into place for a climactic reveal. This issue even called back to why Green Arrow prioritized cutting off Hammond’s hand, using it to access his files. This issue tries to keep asserting that Roy is the only Green Arrow candidate, but I’m still convinced he’s a red herring. It also foreshadows what I can only hope is Dinah’s sonic scream developing.

My only real complaint for this issue is that Dinah joined Green Arrow’s side a tad too quickly. She should definitely be fighting alongside him given what’s happened, but she’s spent this whole series bemoaning his methods. I would have liked a single thought bubble about her not wanting him to be the person to save her, or at least disliking how much she wanted to help him. The turn was a little bit too fast, but beyond that, I am very excited to see how the next issue develops their complicated relationship.

Punchy, Powerful, Painful Art

The art in this book has been and continues to be genuinely gross in the best way possible. The design for Solomon Grundy is disgusting, with eyes all over his body and extra mouths on his palm and back. He looks like something straight out of a horror movie, and his regeneration perfectly conveys the unnatural, selfish nature of his creation. The way the extra arms sprouted from Halloway’s torso like spindly meat sacks will stay with me for weeks. Even beyond the pure imagery, the action is just as great. Every punch, gunshot, and arrow hits its target with weight and follow-through, which makes the violence pop out even more.

The color choices need to be praised, as well. Green and red hues cover the entire comic, truly bringing us into the Green Arrow’s world, with flashes of blood and violence interrupting the mystery. The way entire panels turn red when extreme shock or horror override someone is fantastic. The single dominantly blue panel being the one where Dinah battles her headache heavily implies that her powers are on the way and that she will break through this world of green greed and red pain, which I cannot wait to see in action.

The mystery is rapidly approaching its revelation, and alongside it, Dinah’s decision not in who she fights, but how she does it. She has to be different from the Green Arrow killer, but she will continue the fight in a way that he never could.

Absolute Green Arrow #4 is on sale now!

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