Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2 Is an Exciting Thriller (Review)

The ’80s were an amazing time to be a comic fan. Some of the best creators of all time put out mature, complicated stories that often tackled the social issues of the day, especially at DC Comics. The publisher has often been on the cutting edge, giving readers exciting and thought-provoking stories that changed comics forever. Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia is taking a page from ’80s DC. The story, which sees Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question all get pulled into a corporation’s mission to create a “city of tomorrow” to allow humanity to survive the tumults of the 21st century, is a taut thriller, and Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2 builds that story up to an amazing fever pitch.

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 was fantastic, and this second issue builds on that. The first issue sets up the pins, and this issue knocks them down. Writer/artist Gabriel Hardman does an amazing job with the characters in this issue, each of them fitting perfectly into the story that he’s telling. The Question is a hard-boiled detective, getting his hands dirty on the ground. Green Arrow is the firebrand, fighting against one of the “fat cats” he’s always been opposed to. Batman takes his place as the defender of order, but one who is too smart to believe that everything is on the up and up. DC Comics’ classics of the ’80s were great because they combined social issues with the best superheroes in comics, and Hardman remembered that lesson.

Rated: 4.5 out of 5

Pros	Cons
Great pacing that gives the story a nice rhythm, allowing readers to breath after big scenes	“Evil rich guy with a hidden agenda” is a cliche that works for this story, but is a cliche nonetheless
Exciting action scenes from beginning to end
Hardman nails the characters, each of them to fitting the story to a tee

The momentum of this book is another plus. Hardman paces the issue very well. It starts quietly, giving us an idea of what’s going on before it jumps into the action scene. It slows down again to show us more, and then speeds up again, moving with an inexorable pace towards the end. It keeps you on the edge of your seat from the word go, as you learn more and more about the reality of the situation.

The issue then gives up its layers like an onion, each one leading to the next surprise. Another feather in its cap is the way the book does a fantastic job of catching readers up on what came before. Even if you didn’t get the first issue of the book, you’ll still be hooked on this story right away, and learn what you need to know as you keep reading. Some writers take for granted that you’ve gotten the first issue, so this story’s new reader friendliness is a breath of fresh air.

Hardman’s Art Fits the Story Like a Glove

This story takes a card from old school DC classics like Swamp Thing‘s “American Gothic”, using the problems of society — in this case rich people trying to “fix” the problems of the world to aggrandize themselves — to tell their story. That idea implies a certain grittiness that Hardman’s art is perfect for. The book’s opening page captures the hopelessness of the people forced to work on the city, Hardman and colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr. creating a gorgeous page with ugly subject matter. It then jumps into the action scene, one that is beautifully laid out and fluid. Hardman knows how to lay out a page and it definitely helps make the action better.

The detail is outstanding on every single page, and Fajardo Jr. is able to light the scenes perfectly. This is actually a bigger accomplishment than it seems; this is a dark comic without a lot of bright colors, and yet the lack of brightness in the colors doesn’t mess up the detail, as can happen with darker pages. The character acting is also pretty awesome; you can tell what everyone on the page is feeling, and this really helps the dialogue land. Hardman and Fajardo Jr. are a fantastic art team, and their skill makes this great story even better.

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2 is everything you love about DC Comics. It has an excellent story that plays into our real world, it’s beautifully paced, and the art is killer. This is exactly the kind of grim and gritty detective story that Batman, Green Arrow, and the Question do so well, and putting them together takes it to another level. It’s one of the reasons why the Black Label is so great; it gives creators a chance to tell stories that might not get told in the main line. This book is “grim and gritty” in the best possible way, and it’s a joy to read.

Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #2 is on sale now.

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