Green Lantern / Green Arrow: World's Finest Special #1
Chad Burdette
Recap
Everyone's favorite hard-travelin' heroes are back and brought to you through the iconic lens of World's Finest!
In the not-too-distant past, Oliver Queen and Hal Jordan ?nd themselves at a crossroads... and only teaming up together once more will save them from the scope of the mysterious bounty hunter known in whispered tones throughout the underworld as Deathstroke the Terminator.
Plus, writer Jeremy Adams returns to the world of the Flash to weave a twisted tale of Barry Allen on the road to crisis — it's a World's Finest adventure you cannot miss in this special, oversize one-shot spectacular!
Review
Green Lantern / Green Arrow: World’s Finest Special #1 is a return to the 80s, a time of Hard Traveling Heroes and just before the Teen Titans first faced off with Deathstroke, who would go on to be a consistent thorn in the side of the original Teen Titans and future iterations.
The first story finds Deathstroke targeting Ollie and Hal as they travel across the country, focusing more on civilian concerns than those of their alter egos. Spencer captures the comradery and different views on the world without getting into the more political differences that were in the Denny O’Neil stories of the 70s. Keeping the philosophical debates contained to which roadside attractions they should visit sets a lighter tone which is quickly interrupted by Deathstroke, who neither hero knows of at this point. As the two heroes deal with Deathstroke, an unknown threat, it gives Deathstroke the tactical advantage allowing him to take Hal off the board for awhile allowing Ollie to “go hunting.”
There are some moments that feel classic and pay homage to the original Hard Traveling Heroes mythos but there is a freshness also that can be infused into the classic storyline which Adams does well.
The backup with The Flash is nice as it illustrates Barry and Hal’s relationship at this pre-Crisis timepoint as once again Deathstroke is attacking the League members without an unclear purpose until the end of the issue, which could be confusing for newer readers not steeped in the events that would take place in the DCU in the early to mid-80s.
The art and colorwork are good with the more modern line work and coloring than the time period that the story takes place in of the DCU history.
Final Thoughts
Green Lantern / Green Arrow: World's Finest Special #1 is an interesting modern look at the time before the DCU went through some major changes. Overall, the Green Arrow/ Green Lantern story captures the feel of the original story with a modern twist and polishes to things.
While newer readers may not understand the history behind the story, it may tweek an interest to delve deeper into the stories of the 70s/80s DCU.
Green Lantern / Green Arrow: World’s Finest Special #1
- Writing - 9/109/10
- Storyline - 8/108/10
- Art - 9/109/10
- Color - 9/109/10
- Cover Art - 9/109/10
