Wednesday, November 27, 2024

Green Arrow #18 Comic Review




  • Written by: Chris Condon

  • Art by: Montos

  • Colors by: Adriano Lucas

  • Letters by: Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou

  • Cover art by: Taurin Clarke (cover A)

  • Cover price: $3.99

  • Release date: November 27, 2024


Green Arrow #18, by DC Comics on 11/27/24, finds Oliver Queen settling back into his nightly rounds in Star City when he learns about a serial killer targeting executives of a chemical company.

Is Green Arrow #18 Good?


Writer Chris Condon, most known for his Image offerings That Texas Blood and The Enfield Gang Massacre, joins DC to take a crack at the Emerald Archer as Oliver Queen gets back to the business of being a vigilante in Star City. After a first read, Condon's take shows potential with a few caveats.

Green Arrow #18 begins with a brief flashback to years ago. A boy named Kenny notices a strange puddle of black goo on the school playground. A wider panel shows the goo comes from chemical waste barrels that have begun to leak.

Now, we catch up with Green Arrow during his nightly patrol after moving back to Star City. He intercepted an armed robber when the latter fled a convenience store hold-up. After a job well done, Ollie heads back to his apartment to catch up on sports and the news, but his relaxation is cut short when he sees a news report about the death of Donald Sherman, CFO of Horton Chemical and once business partner to Oliver Queen. The two did not end their working relationship on good terms, and the police believe Sherman's death is one in a string of murders.

Later, Green Arrow breaks into the crime scene to look for clues. He spots a photo of Sherman at an awards dinner, and he recalls his contentious behavior during the same event when he accused Sherman of illegal chemical dumping.

Green Arrow's search is interrupted when a police detective enters the same crime scene. A brief standoff ensues, but the two protagonists agree to lower their weapons and talk. The issue ends with Green Arrow learning another attendee of the awards dinner was just found murdered.


What's great about Green Arrow #18?


Depending on your tastes and preferences, it's good to see Green Arrow get back to basics with a rock-solid murder mystery that suits a street-level hero. There are only so many cosmic threats a guy with a bow and arrow can face before things get silly, so Chris Condon is moving the title in the right direction.

Further, a murder mystery connected to an unscrupulous chemical company is a perfect fit for Oliver's socially minded personality.


What's not great about Green Arow #18?


Honestly, there's not much to criticize above minor nitpicks with the story. After everything Oliver went through to finally reunite with his family and endure the Absolute Power event, it seems ridiculously weird that his first order of business is to move away from his family and into a bachelor pad, but it's likely a DC editorial mandate to give the "family" a break.

How's the Art?


Here comes the biggest caveat. I'm not sold on the costume redesign or the rough inks in Montos's art style. The layouts and perspective look great, and you get the right tone for a detective noir-inspired story, but the lack of crispness in the lines gives off an indie comic vibe, which doesn't fit well for a member of the Justice League.


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 YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter



Final Thoughts

Green Arrow #18 begins a fresh start and a murder mystery for DC's Emerald Archer and a new creative team. Chris Condon's detective noir plot is a perfect fit for a street-level hero, so the new direction for Oliver Queen shows promise. That said, the art style and costume redesign may not be the best choice.

8/10


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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousNovember 27, 2024 at 1:38 PM

    Is this the guy who's going to be doing ultimate wolverine?

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  2. IgwahNovember 27, 2024 at 2:54 PM

    See, the thing was all this time I wanted THIS setup with Ollie, solving crimes and street level fights and fighting against injustice coupled with his personality ALONGSIDE his family. Williamson gave us a baffling plot that didn't make sense and didn't fit GA and his family and now we got a setup that does fit but apparently no family! Though hopefully that might change. I don't even think the whole family should be there for every issue, but one or two characters per arc would be nice and would give the story some drama that happens alongside the crimefighting and might tell a personal story. No cosmic grand scale stuff, just street level stories which I think is what GA is best at and brings to the table for Justice League, representing a side of the world that he is suited for tackling like all the other members having one for themselves.

    Apart from this, there is not much to criticise about the issue itself. It's just a standard case and investigation, however this stuff fits Batman solo cause he is generally an introspective detective that details his cases like a writer(when written well) but GA should deal with this stuff with some partner to bounce off of (hence why I think Roy or Connor or some other member should be there, a duo of GA and Connor or Roy going case to case in this setup would be very neat). Feels like DC got the wrong idea of what was wrong exactly with Williamson's run. (Spoiler: it was the bad writing for characters without their histories and the nonsensical plot, not the idea of a GA family).
    In conclusion, I am interested in this series (the costume is a definite improvement from the previous one) and cautiously optimistic about maybe Connor showing up for some father and son dynamic. Agree with your score. A fair one.

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