Absolute Green Arrow #1: Don’t Fear The Reaper

Absolute Green Arrow picks up where the Absolute Evil #1 special left off without skipping a beat, with the only thong that is missing is the editorial note to direct new readers to where the story began. That being said, it doesn’t detract from this inaugural issue which lays the groundwork for this limited series in a excellent an concise manner.  For this issue, Green Arrow only appears briefly first  in the beginning and in the closing action sequence.  Pornsak establishes from the beginning that the Green Arrow is hunting blllionaires as Jubal Slade, a Jeffrey Epstine-esque billionaire and one-time business partner of Oliver, who also conspired with Hector Hammond to have Ollie killed, is dispatched by the long-bow hunter.

Following the opening, the narrative switches over to Dinah Lance, Oliver’s ex-lover, ex-cop, ex-MMA fighter, turned private security, who is barely making ends meet, before she is hired to protect Hammond. Writer Pornsak PIchotshote pulls from the regular universe’s Green Arrow and Black Canary mythos to establish this new corner of the Absolute Universe. The origin of Oliver and Jubal’s business partnership and Dinah’s story threads gives strong Black Mirror vibes, which helps set the tone for the larger story. Like the other Absolute titles in the initial story arcs, Green Arrow does not rely on or mention what is going on in the other Absolute titles, but is subtle about with the use of Hector Hammond, who was already connected with the initial Oliver Queen thread from the Special.

There are plenty of cameos of the Arrow family and foes sprinkled throughout such Roy Harper, Mia, Merlyn, and a deep, deep cut of Tom Hallaway aka Alias The Spider / I, Spyder. Initially listed as suspects for being Green Arrow, chances are these characters will play a larger role as the limited series builds over the next five issues. Pichotshote also does a great job in establishing who Oliver was and his mission to level the economic playing field without having Oliver be the hot-headed bastion of liberal values that readers are familiar with from the regular DCU continuity.

Rafael Albuquerque’s art and Marcelo Maioloi’s colorwork enhance and add to the overall dark ambiance of the issue while showing the flashbacks sequences in lighter manner indicative of better times for Oliver and Dinah.