- Written by Benjamin Percy
- Art by Stephen Byrne
- Cover by Otto Schmidt
“ISLAND OF SCARS” part two! Lost and alone on a remote island, John Diggle finds a secret facility manufacturing illegal narcotics, and an eccentric drug king who’ll stop at nothing to protect his empire. Where are Green Arrow and Black Canary, and will they reunite with Diggle before it’s too late?
Pickup your copy of ‘Green Arrow’ #9 at Comixology now!
‘Green Arrow’ has been impressing me on so many levels. The artwork has been world class. The strong mix of action and character has also helped make this a compelling series.
The previous issue was an intense character portrait focussing on both Oliver Queen and Dinah Lance. What it lacked in action it made up for in sharp dialogue. It was an intense look at a relationship which DC Comics fans are now happily seeing return to the fore.
With issue #9 ‘Green Arrow’ is making up for lost time by ramping up the action. There is still time for Ollie to learn or lesson or two about his own actions but on the whole ‘Island of Scars’ part 2 is very much part of the overall Ninth Circle arc.
This storyline has benefitted from a lack of Ollie’s little sister Emi. She is perhaps the most confusing character in the franchise, having her out of the way for this storyline has actually been a benefit I had not expected. Putting Green Arrow, Black Canary and Diggle together makes for one of the strongest issues since the ‘Rebirth’ launch.
The Ninth Circle themselves haven’t made for the most memorable villains however the setup of a long running arc through this first nine issues has still be a solid read. Even their involvement with the island is much more emotionally centred rather than purely based on hero vs. villain action.
Ultimately the story of Ata and Ana serves to show Ollie that his actions sometimes have serious consequences. There’s always a lesson to be learned as he tries to find his way in the world. Most intriguing is their connection to Robert Queen, there’s no way he was mentioned as a throwaway comment in this issue. The cliffhanger ending should jump off in to a new investigation for Ollie which will uncover some Queen family history.
It’s a satisfying ending to this chapter of the ongoing arc.
Once again this issue is an artistic masterpiece. Stephen Byrne takes over the story whilst Otto Schmidt remains on cover duty. Both are stunning. If I’m honest I prefer Schmidt to Byrne but there’s a similar sense of flair to each artist which suits the ethos of the ‘Green Arrow’ series.
There are so many double-page layouts in this issue. Most of the action takes place on a much larger scale than we would see in a normal issue. It’s impressive and gives Byrne a chance to push himself. For fans of comics with a lot of action this is well worth checking out.
Verdict
‘Green Arrow’ #9 is a solid action piece which builds on the strong characters from the previous issues and also capitalises on the long running storyline featuring the Ninth Circle. A solid read.
4 stars
