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Green Arrow:
The Best Of The New 52
Seriously, if y'all ain't reading Green Arrow, you are missing the BEST book currently in the Nu52! Jeff Lemire has taken the "new" Ollie to amazing places since the book's uneven (at best) beginning in the new universe.
The current storyline, "The Outsiders War," reveals that much of Ollie's past is a lie and that his future may not be able to be determined by himself alone. What role does Ollie play in a secret sect of warrior clans hell bent on causing chaos in the world? And how can he stop them?
(And if you're a fan of some of the classic tales of GA, as I am, it's fun to see how Lemire is taking even just the titles of famous stories or even the comics themselves and twisting them into his own new creations.)
The recently released Green Arrow Vol 04: Kill Machine collection is the perfect place to jump onto this book. It collects Lemire's first Green Arrow story and features absolutely stunning art by Andrea Sorrentino.
Trust me, NO ONE is creating art like this in a mainstream book. He will remind you of a rough J.H. Williams III, as he commands a beautiful and unorthodox page layout and hard lines that leap out at you from the page. His art is the grit and grime of the back alleys of Seattle, of forgotten streets in Eastern Europe and an island where Ollie was lost and found himself.
Do NOT let that "Vol 04" scare you away. The final arc of the previous creative team thankfully stripped away much of what had gone on before and gave Lemire and Sorrentino a tabula rasa in which to work. Thank goodness, because this is amazing stuff and it doesn't tie into anything that has come before.
I've been a fan of GA for a long time; he is definitely one of my favorite DC heroes. I was disappointed in the launch of the book, and hoped at some point it would get a fresh start and I would enjoy it. It did and I have loved every minute of it.
From Grell to Dixon to Smith to Meltzer, Green Arrow features some of the most brilliant (and underrated) runs of any character in history. Lemire has joined those ranks. I cannot wait to see what this team has in store for Ollie and his crew.
Kris Koller works at Earth-2 Comics Northridge, 8967 Reseda Blvd. in Northridge, California, always happy to help you find the book you're looking for. You can also venture into Earth-2 Comics at 15017 Ventura Blvd in Sherman Oaks.
As always, look to your local comics shop for the books discussed here on Fanboy Planet -- Earth-2 in Sherman Oaks and Northridge, The Comic Bug in Manhattan Beach, Illusive Comics & Games in Santa Clara, Hijinx Comics in Willow Glen would all be great places, and many do mail-order business.
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