Art by: Sean Izaakse
Colors by: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letters by: Troy Peteri
Cover art by: Sean Izaakse, Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Cover price: $3.99
Release date: February 27, 2024
Green Arrow #9 sends Oliver Queen on a mission to confront Amanda Waller to find out what happened to Roy Harper. The meeting didn't turn out as planned.
Is Green Arrow #9 Good?
This is why we can't have nice things, DC Comics. You create a scenario with a popular character and create an intriguing hook. Just when you think you've got some special sauce brewing, you ruin it with a boneheaded creative decision that turns interest into pure dread. That's Green Arrow #9.
When last we left the Emerald Archer (before the so-so but deeply flawed Beast World event), Ollie learned that Amanda Waller isn't holding Roy Harper hostage but that he's working for her. After the Beast World event, Waller took advantage of popular opinions and confiscated the Hall of Justice, turning it into the Hall of Order (unrelated to Dr. Fate).
Now, Ollie takes on a stealth mission to infiltrate the governmentally-managed Hall of Order to get to Waller and force her to tell him what she did to Roy to get him into her service. Ollie succeeds in sneaking into the Hall, but he's captured by Peacemaker and his cronies. During interrogation, Waller makes Ollie an offer- she'll give Ollie everything he wants and more if he'll do one thing...
Steal all the digital records from the now-infamous Sanctuary (see: Heroes In Crisis).
Why, Joshua Williamson? Why, DC Comics? Why would you choose to put yourself back on track by leaning into one of the most reviled crossover events in modern DC history? DC Editorial needs to relocate to a monastery, cause y'all need Jesus!
What's great about Green Arrow #9? At least on a technical level, Williamson's script is on point. The plotting, pacing, and dialog hit their mark. Regardless of the creative direction, this reads like a well-structured comic.
What's not so great about Green Arrow #9? Several of the plot points in this issue rely on a suspension of disbelief that Williamson either can't or won't create, starting with the outcome of the Beast World event.
How was Waller able to confiscate the Hall and all the very dangerous items in it without any member of the Justice League putting up a fight?
Why didn't the Hall's security measures prevent Waller and her government lackeys from taking over the joint? Surely the Hall has faced more powerful invasion attempts.
Why would Roy "choose" to work with Waller without saying a word to the Arrow Family?
Why would Waller engage/support Malcolm Merlyn, Dark Raven, and a whole host of other villains just to facilitate a Rube Goldberg-esque series of coincidences that forces Ollie to serve Waller?
Why in the name of God's green Earth would anyone in their right mind try to resurrect Heroes In Crisis?
How's the art? Sean Izaakse does a great job with this issue. Action is limited to Ollie getting smacked around during capture and interrogation, but the linework is super-crisp, and Fajardo Jr.'s colors are aces.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Green Arrow #9 is a pretty solid issue that lays the foundation for this Sumer's Absolute Power event, but a heartbreaking creative decision on the last page casts the entire strategy in doubt. Nobody in their right mind loves Heroes In Crisis, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone interested in going back.
When last we left the Emerald Archer (before the so-so but deeply flawed Beast World event), Ollie learned that Amanda Waller isn't holding Roy Harper hostage but that he's working for her. After the Beast World event, Waller took advantage of popular opinions and confiscated the Hall of Justice, turning it into the Hall of Order (unrelated to Dr. Fate).
Now, Ollie takes on a stealth mission to infiltrate the governmentally-managed Hall of Order to get to Waller and force her to tell him what she did to Roy to get him into her service. Ollie succeeds in sneaking into the Hall, but he's captured by Peacemaker and his cronies. During interrogation, Waller makes Ollie an offer- she'll give Ollie everything he wants and more if he'll do one thing...
Steal all the digital records from the now-infamous Sanctuary (see: Heroes In Crisis).
Why, Joshua Williamson? Why, DC Comics? Why would you choose to put yourself back on track by leaning into one of the most reviled crossover events in modern DC history? DC Editorial needs to relocate to a monastery, cause y'all need Jesus!
What's great about Green Arrow #9? At least on a technical level, Williamson's script is on point. The plotting, pacing, and dialog hit their mark. Regardless of the creative direction, this reads like a well-structured comic.
What's not so great about Green Arrow #9? Several of the plot points in this issue rely on a suspension of disbelief that Williamson either can't or won't create, starting with the outcome of the Beast World event.
How was Waller able to confiscate the Hall and all the very dangerous items in it without any member of the Justice League putting up a fight?
Why didn't the Hall's security measures prevent Waller and her government lackeys from taking over the joint? Surely the Hall has faced more powerful invasion attempts.
Why would Roy "choose" to work with Waller without saying a word to the Arrow Family?
Why would Waller engage/support Malcolm Merlyn, Dark Raven, and a whole host of other villains just to facilitate a Rube Goldberg-esque series of coincidences that forces Ollie to serve Waller?
Why in the name of God's green Earth would anyone in their right mind try to resurrect Heroes In Crisis?
How's the art? Sean Izaakse does a great job with this issue. Action is limited to Ollie getting smacked around during capture and interrogation, but the linework is super-crisp, and Fajardo Jr.'s colors are aces.
About The Reviewer: Gabriel Hernandez is the Publisher & EIC of ComicalOpinions.com, a comics review site dedicated to indie, small, and mid-sized publishers.
Follow @ComicalOpinions on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter
Bits and Pieces:
Green Arrow #9 is a pretty solid issue that lays the foundation for this Sumer's Absolute Power event, but a heartbreaking creative decision on the last page casts the entire strategy in doubt. Nobody in their right mind loves Heroes In Crisis, and you'd be hard-pressed to find anyone interested in going back.
6/10
Part 1: I was one of the people who liked issue 7 and thought it was actually a very good setup and had very good interactions that were missing between the justice league since we haven't had a JL book in a long time, it showed that these people are colleaguesand friends and know each other very well. And that's the thing. Williamson writes characters and dynamics and developments very well (for the most part) and he has some interesting setups and hooks ( Roy missing, Ollie doing covert research on JL etc etc) but whenever he has to deliver on those promises and payoffs, he is usually mediocre at best and at worst horrible. Same here, the whole premise of the family being kept apart, Merlyn and Roy stuff don't make sense now that we have the answer as to what was going on. Waller's plan depends on GA to be absolutely alone in this matter and not ask any other superhero for help. Even now he can get Roy back without help not doing what Waller says cause Roy and Ollie know so much dirt about Waller( especially regarding the beast boy fiasco) that it is impossible for her to hold any leverage on them. I gave a pass to the whole hall of order thing existing because that is Taylor's idea not Williamson's. He is just keeping continuity but no one evacuating the hall and its items and securities is all on Williamson. No way that happens. This not being able to write a well conclusion was exactly what was wrong in his Batman run too. He wrote an interesting hook, good characers but failed to write a good conclusion. Now onto the elephant in the room...
ReplyDeletePart2: so, despite what I think about the quality of his work, Williamson is very clever in regards to what elements he chooses to use in his titles and which characters and dynamics to showcase. What I mean is that he knows what gets the fans excited and what they like to see and does that, how well he pulls it off is another story (Robin, Batman and Robin, Green Arrow, the batman knight terrors two shot etc). All this to say that no way he himself thought that bringing up Sanctuary was a good idea! It's such a badly written non sensical story that is also despised by fans, that there is no way that DC writers don't know what the fans think about it let alone Williamson who keeps a close eye on fandom and what gets them to go easier on writers. This unfortunately leads me to the dreadful conclusion that this was an editorial decision to include sanctuary and it is not something concluded just in this title but is going to play some part in the upcoming Absolute Power event, a trinity of Zur, failsafe and Sanctuary . I have said before Zur's existence doesn't make sense, Batman wouldn't compromise himself like that and now Sanctuary still existing after it disbanded does not make sense either, no one least of all those who partook in it would let it exist. Only failsafe makes sense. This just makes me dread the event more than i already did.
DeleteI generally like Williamson's work, but there are too many GA family archers in this title, GA is searching for Roy which is his only agency, and I don't like how DC is making Amanda Waller a Lex Luthor-type big bad...
ReplyDelete