Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Review: Green Arrow #4

By Philip Schweier
August 3, 2016 - 13:30

If I have a complaint about Green arrow #4, it’s that it was so short. To compare it to a TV episode, it seemed less like an episode, and more like a segment between commercials. It features a total of six scenes, bouncing between Green Arrow (and Diggle) and Black Canary. Does the plot advance? Yes. Are questions answered? Yes. Do more questions arise? Yes. Will it keep you interested? Yes.

But as I said, it’s only part of a greater whole, and I am reluctant to judge the title based on only a portion of a story that has yet to fully unfold. Still, of the Rebirth titles I’ve read so far, it’s one of the ones I look forward to the most. Perhaps because of the overall cast of the title, writer Benjamin Percy offers a depth to the GA franchise that comic books these days should aspire to, which many don’t.

Juan Ferreyra’s artwork is very strong, and the fact that he colors it himself I believe ads a quality missing from many other comics. I expect that because he has an idea of what he wants in the final product, he is able to plan ahead, enabling him to blend his rendering and coloring in a manner that can genuinely be regarded as art. He is able to convey mood and tone for a given scene without resorting to muddy, ineffective Photoshoppery.

If you’re not reading Green Arrow now, you should be. I strongly encourage you to pick it up, at least until the first story arc concludes. Then we’ll all be better able to judge this latest incarnation on its own merits, which I expect to be considerable.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12