Written by: Ben Percy
Art by: Otto Schmidt
Publisher: DC Comics
After the phenomenal Rebirth one-shot, Green Arrow was one of the books I was most looking forward to. It had everything I wanted from the character, and even brought Black Canary back into the fold to boot. The creative team of Ben Percy and Otto Schmidt returns for the debut issue, and, while I don’t quite think it reaches the same heights as the Rebirth issue, the duo certainly does not disappoint. This is unmistakably Oliver Queen, and if nothing else, Green Arrow #1 has that going for it.
That being said, there are some parts of the issue where the dialogue is a little clunky. This especially applies to the fight scene the book opens on. Some of Emi’s lines are unnecessarily corny, and the some is true of both Oliver and Dinah. This trend continues throughout the issue, though the dialogue certainly gets a little better. The writing is also odd in the respect that a lot happens at a really rapid pace. I felt the Rebirth issue was paced perfectly, but this issue definitely felt like it was trying to get more content in its pages than it had room for.
The thing is, neither the dialogue nor the pacing was a complete mess. In fact, for every thought bubble I didn’t like, there were another five or ten that I loved. I know this was mentioned in the introduction, but Percy writes Oliver really, really well. It’s just awesome to be reading that character in the pages of a monthly ongoing. In addition to nailing Ollie’s characterization, Percy writes interactions quite well. It’s awesome that Emi stuck around, and for the most part, I loved her banter with Oliver.
But the real interaction I want to touch on is Oliver and Dinah. Obviously, the two aren’t where they were pre-New 52, but they’re definitely getting their. The duo is developing an interesting dynamic, especially with her being concerned about his social crusades. The dialogue between them is really well written, and explores territory that Oliver, and potentially the reader as well, isn’t entirely comfortable with.
And then, of course, there’s Otto Schmidt’s art. I don’t really know where he came from, but seeing his beautiful pencils and color work in this book has made me wonder how I hadn’t heard of him before the Rebirth issue. He really brings the city of Seattle to life, and does some really awesome things with the panel breakdowns. It’s also hard not to appreciate the distinctive looks of each character in this book. They all look great, and Schmidt is able to convey character and story beats simply through his art alone.
Look, it is unfortunate that Green Arrow #1 has some issues that weren’t present in the Rebirth one shot. However, the issue still manages to be really, really fun. The plot is unfolding in an interesting manner, despite some pacing issues. And, in spite of a few awkward bits of dialogue, the writing is really good. When it comes to Schmidt’s art, I really can’t think of a caveat. It just looks great. All in all, this definitely feels like a Rebirth title you should be reading.
