Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia
Chad Burdette
Recap
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia is a bold, character-driven new four-issue comic book series by acclaimed storyteller Gabriel Hardman, from DC Black Label imprint.
Writer/artist Hardman comes to DC Black Label with a hard-boiled modern twist on the DC thrillers of the 1980s, updating this opinionated trio of lone-wolf vigilantes, Batman, Green Arrow and the Question, for a new era of open class warfare and ecological collapse.
From the decaying husk of Hub City, Vic Sage, the Question goes deep undercover on the trail of a human-trafficking operation in the frozen Arctic.
Oliver Queen, the Green Arrow, pushed out of his own company’s C-suite, must get his crumbling life back together… but what is Queen Industries’ involvement with a mysterious project dubbed Arcadia? Spurred on by the Question, Green Arrow joins the hunt for answers… but one obstacle stands in the way of their investigation: the Batman.
Review
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 take Batman, Green Arrow, and The Question (Vic Sage) back to their dark, street-level, late 80s, social justice roots in the first installment of this Black Label series. Hardman does a solid job of establishing the three vigilantes and setting the stage for the series.
The first few pages do a good job of introducing the character of Vic Sage, as newer readers might associate Renee Montoya, the current in continuity Question, more so with the character. Hardman also does a solid job of giving readers the status quo for Ollie, channeling the Mike Grell-era archer who has seemingly left the superheroing behind. Batman also gets more involved in things balancing his Bruce Wayne persona and means , while delivering his usual brand of street justice.
The Question gets the bulk of the page space and rightly so, as it is his investigation thats sets everything in motion, as Oliver is brought in when he learns his former company is involved, and Bruce follows suit as The Arcadia project is being considered for Gotham City. There is also plenty of action from all three of the vigilantes, although most of Oliver’s revolves around a bar brawl, which is a fun scene.
Artist Hardman channels Grell, Klaus Janson, and Denis Cowan, updating and giving things a cleaner look to the characters and thier surroundings. Romulo Fajardo Jr’s colorwork complements the art and helps to further set the tone of the story with a gritty late 80s color template that is muted but not overly dark.
Final Thoughts
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #1 is a strong introduction to this story and captures the gritty feeling that defined these three street-level heroes in the late 80s and shows the respect that Hardman has for these versions of the characters
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 9/109/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
