Comics / Comic Reviews / DC Comics

Green Arrow #22

By Avi Weinryb
May 7, 2017 - 10:43

Seattle is burning as a squad of villains seek to create disasters to seemingly help the mayor distract the electorate from his grand plan. Allusions between the mayor and the 45th President of the United States are impossible to ignore, with an abrasive mayor pinning all blame on a previous administration while engaging in fear-mongering and tactics of distraction. Benjamin Percy’s script is smart in that it subtly slips in these references without letting it derail the storytelling. Green Arrow and his team have their hands full and it will take everything in their power to stop the bad guys from destroying this town.

With an Arrow family team presented here, a Bat-team over in Gotham, and an ever growing Superman team in Metropolis, it is clear why the Justice League of America doesn’t carry the weight it used to; there is a team for every hero. The solitary super-vigilante pushing back against the evils of the world is becoming rarer as the need to sell toys and create intellectual property becomes greater. But I digress. The fact is, Black Canary, Arsenal, their tech support dude, and likely others (Speedy?) are backing up Green Arrow while giving him strong foils for his internal drama and side-stories that interweave with the grander narrative. It works; but whether it’s entirely necessary is another story.

Villains in this issue are quick to explain their motives and the underpinnings of their grand plan. The only thing seemingly unrevealed is the identity of their boss, which seems obvious judging by the scummy mayor and his antics. Another writer might leave a lot more unconnected dots, making this an extended mystery as well as a thriller, with a case for the Arrow team to solve. It doesn’t quite hit the watermark.

The illustration work by Juan Ferrerya is gorgeous. His faux watercolor work uses what seems to be a combination of hand-pencilling and digital color to produce something visually arresting and exceedingly attractive. Some instances are benign and then we’ll get treated to a showstopping series of panels that deserve the double-take it elicits. It’s just pretty.

The story is setting the stage for what may be a memorable arc. Green Arrow arrives with a lot of potential and this particular issue has not capitalized on it just yet. It very well may in the succeeding chapters.

Last Updated: August 31, 2023 - 08:12