Green Arrow #8: Wham, Bam, Shang-a-Lang

Green Arrow has been one of DC’s best books in terms of visual storytelling since the publisher’s Dawn of DC relaunch. Surprising no one, Green Arrow #8 continues that trend with Phil Hester joining the title as a guest artist and delivering some of his best work at DC Comics to date. Paired with the aforementioned visual excellence is Williamson’s strongest script on the book thus far, helping to keep the book’s momentum up now that it’s become a full ongoing series. If you’ve been onboard with what Williamson has been doing with the title thus far, this issue is a can’t miss, and if you might find yourself reading out of title loyalty or just aren’t too in love with the core plot, the technical expertise on display is engrossing enough to potentially sell you on the series even this late into the game.

Burying the lead on last issue’s cliffhanger, the story picks up with an unexpected set of events. Oliver, having lost in an unseen fight with Onomatopoeia, has died, leaving the hunt for Roy Harper in the hands of his son Connor Hawke. With a slew of swerves and fine-tuned action sequences, the book ends up exactly where the series’ overall plot needed to while still managing to give the audience an in-the-moment thrill ride that’s hard to shake after the issue ends.

Spoilers, but yeah, Oliver Queen isn’t really dead, and his death was all but a ploy to get closer to the man who initially set Onomatopoeia on the Arrow family, Star City’s finest mob-boss Brick. The overall plot of this issue is a double-sided coin though, no matter how exciting the subversion of expectations was during the reading experience. While yes, it moves the Waller plot along at a great pace and manages to do something fun as it does, it also reminds readers of how much deeper this series could be if it simply let this Green Arrow title be a Green Arrow title without all the Dawn of DC schlock choking up Williamson’s otherwise strong voice for the title.

The potential of Onomatopoeia being re-defined for the modern day alongside a story that brilliantly put Connor in the spotlight again had so much potential behind it, but a fast-tracking commitment to the repetitive hunt for Roy Harper continues to leave the book overcrowded and under-focused, so regardless of how well-written this issue is, in its quest to subvert and surprise, it showcases what potential this title could’ve had with Williamson at the helm if the the greater universe baggage was dropped and the plotting more focused. That being said, this issue is great for what the series is trying to achieve and even managed to wow myself, someone who’s really only been keeping up with the title for the beautiful art and the superficial pleasantry of reading one of my favorite DC characters.

Now, Phillip Hester’s art is just stellar, plain and simple, with some absolute and masterful inking from Eric Gapstur and colors from Romulo Fajardo Jr. that exude atmosphere. It’s an artist team that isn’t simply one step away from perfection, but a team achieving without a second thought. The paneling in this issue is also superb, the visual language and flow of the story contributing a lot to its engrossing and subversive nature.