Green Arrow #20 Review

Flash Forward

Written by: Ben Percy
Art by: Eleonora Carlini, Mirka Andolfo, Arif Prianto and Nate Piekos
Cover Price: $2.99
Release Date: April 5, 2017

The Return of Roy Harper is coming to a conclusion and while I have been enjoying this arc, it's all about the flashbacks for me.  Yea, Ben Percy has worked hard to set up everything with Roy and Oliver fighting the good fight on the Rez, but the fun of the past is where it's at for me.  I know not everything in the Green Arrow/Speedy past is fun, but it's just fun seeing them together.  So, is this issue more of the same or does Percy bring things around to make the present day stuff more kick ass?  Let's find out...


The issue opens in the present and guess what...it's fun!  Roy and Oliver are going back and forth with some playful insults and while they are easy target stuff, I still laughed out loud reading them.  While this is going on, we see the Wild Dogs and that piece of shit Sheriff trying to alter the deal with Broderick when Black Canary shows up to even the score.

We then go back in time to "then" and see Roy at his lowest, until Count Vertigo shows up to make everything alright...by controlling everyone with a crazy mind altering virus.  We also get a separate flashback showing Big Bow teaching Roy how to shoot an arrow.  It's all setup for what's about to come.

When Roy confronts the Sheriff, the piece of shit (he really is) tells him that he's helping Queen Industries because everything is "one big reservation these days" and it's such an over the top line, but if Percy uses it to make us hate him more, mission accomplished.  It also makes Roy remember the past and realize this very Sheriff is the one who killed Big Bow way back when.  Roy still blames himself for good reason, but still wants to return the favor.

The issue ends by showing Roy and Oliver working to save the day in the past and present, but unlike back in the day, Ollie and Roy end the issue as friends and allies.  I'm so glad because Roy really feels like the big piece of the puzzle that was missing to get Oliver's life back.

This was a really quick moving issue that made me want so much more.  More resolution with Roy and his brother, Bird...more of the Count Vertigo story and more of the fight with the Wild Dogs.  Everything seems so rushed and even though it all pushes the overall story forward, it does so in a very forced way.

Bits and Pieces:

This issue ends the Return of Roy Harper story in a very forced and rushed way.  I really liked the issues leading up to this one which made this ending hurt even more.  I liked the art from both Eleonora Carlini and Mirka Andolfo, but that couldn't save the issue.  I am still enjoying this book, just not this conclusion.

6.0/10