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Review: Green Arrow #9

By Philip Schweier
October 21, 2016 - 12:52

Green Arrow, even after all these years, is still stranded on a remote island. Kinda cool how the comic reflects the TV series, huh? But in this case, it’s not Oliver Queen stranded, it’s Green Arrow – in full costume, complete with mask. Who he needs to protect his identity from is a wee bit uncertain, since the only other person on the island is Black Canary. And she already knows he’s Oliver Queen.

Actually, they are not on the island alone, but they don’t really know that. Just who or what IS on the island is a spoiler I won’t reveal. But it’s so full of amazing coincidences, that of all the remote islands they could have become stranded on, they both came to this one.

Mercifully, the story seems to end with this issue, promising a new adventure to come next time. I will regard this story as mystery meat, a brief interlude until a more ambitious story with more effort behind it. What I hope will follow is more urban hijinks on the mean streets of Seattle. Or Star City. Or anywhere, for that matter. I’ve had my fill of remote islands where there seems to be more crime than grains of sand on the beach. It just seems unlikely.

As for the artwork, I genuinely like Stephen Byrne’s style, and it helps that he’s the whole package. It demonstrates a single artistic vision. Not that I object to teams of pencilers, inkers and colorists, but him handling all three, it makes for a much streamlined process.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12