Why You Should Be Reading Green Arrow

Like many heroes in DC’s lexicon, Green Arrow has positively benefited from the company’s line wide Rebirth initiative, bringing the best parts of the character back to the forefront while leaving some of the convoluted aspects behind in its wake.

The result has been one of the company’s stronger books, with a unique mix of traditional Green Arrow elements like Black Canary, assassin throwdowns, and plenty of run-ins with the city law enforcement, with some modern flourishes. The creative team has also built off of the successful CW show by introducing characters like John Diggle into the mix, while also adding a few new characters while they’re at it.

Hit the next slide to see why you should give Star City’s protector another try, and you can read the description to Green Arrow Vol. 1: The Death and Life of Oliver Queen below, which is in stores now.

By day he’s Oliver Queen, playboy socialite, CEO of Queen Industries and philanthropic do-gooder. But at night he patrols the streets of Seattle, where he champions the oppressed as a true social justice warrior. He is Green Arrow.

But how can you fight the man when you are the man? That’s the question left with Oliver after an electric, love-at-first-sight encounter with Black Canary, the superhero rock star who challenges everything he thought he knew about protecting the innocent. As if that weren’t enough, a sinister organization with ties to his nearest and dearest prepares to tear down Oliver’s financial empire, destroy his family’s legacy and end his life.

Without fortune or friends, can Green Arrow defeat this unholy alliance of traitors? Or has death finally caught up with Oliver Queen?

Discover the shocking answers in GREEN ARROW VOL. 1: THE DEATH AND LIFE OF OLIVER QUEEN, the surprise hit series from writer BENJAMIN PERCY (TEEN TITANS), gorgeously illustrated by OTTO SCHMIDT (Korvac Saga) and JUAN FERREYRA (NEW SUICIDE SQUAD) and exploding from the blockbuster DC Universe Rebirth event! Collects GREEN ARROW: REBIRTH #1 and GREEN ARROW #1-5.

Starting From Scratch

Oliver has often been compared to Bruce Wayne, in that he moonlights as a vigilante while also running a billion dollar company. The thing is, the nature of the character is more Robin Hood than anything, so having him so well funded takes some of the thrill out of his adventures.

Bringing him back to basics on its own would be one thing, but Benjamin Percy’s theme is whether Oliver is better with his resources or without them, and he makes a compelling case for the latter.

A Great Supporting Cast

While Green Arrow is front and center in Star City, he doesn’t often go it alone. In fact, he’s at his best when surrounded by his allies, and the book certainly has a few to choose from.

Whether it’s his at times protege Emi, who’s skill outclasses Oliver’s but lacks his cool temperament, or John Diggle, who’s loyalty is only outweighed by his ability to surprise. Pulling it all together is Henry, who’s curmudgeonly personality hides a rather loyal member of Team Arrow. Along with one other important member of the team, this is the best the group has looked in some time, and regardless of if Ollie’s world is falling down around him, at least he’s not alone.

Black Canary

The aforementioned Team Arrow (though not ever official referred to as that mind you) is at its strongest when it can count Black Canary as a member. Luckily for Oliver Dinah Lance is the best she’s been in years and manages to just about steal the show in every issue she’s featured in.

Percy has a wonderful grasp on Dinah and Olliver, with just the right amount of biting flirtatiousness. She’s charming but no less lethal and is able to get at Oliver’s heart unlike anyone else. The pairing is magic on the page, and hopefully, Percy has no plans to change the formula anytime soon.

The Art Of Otto Schmidt

Not since Scott McDaniel has there been such a perfect fit for Green Arrow than artist Otto Schmidt.

The artist has an electric visual style and excels on illustrating motion on the page. Every fight is filled with energy and movement, and there’s a grace to every leap, dodge, and action that Oliver and Canary take. While that grace is part of what makes it all work, Schmidt isn’t afraid to go for more brutal moments to shake things up, and he often succeeds in suppressing you.

Oliver At His Best

While the TV show Arrow brings many facets of the Olliver Queen character to the small screen, there is one thing significantly missing from that depiction.

That would be Oliver’s quippy and carefree nature, and Green Arrow has that in spades. It’s what disarms those in Star City that look at him as a menace, as when confronting him for the first time they somehow feel at east, despite being told countless times that he’s a threat to the city.

Oliver often uses humor to process heavy stakes, and it helps make the emerald archer more relatable. This Oliver is a hero anyone can root for, regardless of how you feel about his past. Regardless of your previous experiences with the character, this Oliver Queen is the best he’s been in years, and you owe it to yourself to give him a shot.

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