Green Arrow #11 is written by Joshua Williamson and published by DC. Artwork is by Sean Izaakse, Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur. Colours are by Romulo Fajardo Jr. Letters are by Troy Peteri. Main cover art (left) is by Sean Izaakse.
Green Arrow #11 is available from, in print and on digital, where all good comic books are sold. Grab your digital copy from Amazon Comixology UK right here.
Synopsis
Since Green Arrow #1, Merlyn has manipulated Oliver Queen and the Arrow family but after Green Arrow makes a deal with Waller, the final battle between the two archers is here! And whoever loses this shootout will be stranded forever!
Review
For some time now Joshua Williamson has been teeing up Oliver Queen as a central figure in the DCU. After years away from the spotlight, Green Arrow return almost a year ago with one eye consistently on the publishers Dawn of DC initiative which is now coming to a head. With than in mind this issue straddles a thin line between pushing Oliver in to the oncoming conflict with Amanda Waller and his long-time feud with arch nemesis Malcolm Merlyn.
Issue #11 picks up directly in the wake of last month, Oliver has been reunited with Roy but the two find themselves facing off against a holographic Justice League as they fight to capture the left over Sanctuary data. I had anticipated the fight could take up the entire of this month’s issue. So I was pleasantly surprised that Williamson breaks Green Arrow #11 up in to three distinct chapters, aided by the hand-off between artists Sean Izaakse, Phil Hester and Eric Gapstur.
The fight between Ollie and the league is frenetic and exciting to read. It’s led by Izaakse’s incredible artwork which encapsulates all of the confusing and energy each character puts in to the battle. With sometimes up to 12 characters on the page it takes an artist like Izaakse to balance all of those elements without scenes becoming messy and confused. What could be treated as an excuse to cameo each of the League members is instead treated correctly as an obstacle in Ollie’s way. But with the Sanctuary data collected, Williamson gets to the real meaty part of this month’s story: setting up the next conflict with Merlyn.
Malcom’s presence has been felt throughout Williamson’s Green Arrow, he had a large part of play in Ollie’s trip around the galaxy before being able to reunite with his family. But with only a brief fight sequence between the two, we’ve been left wondering what exactly lay ahead for these two. Williamson transitions issue #11 in to its second chapter which acts as a reintroduction for Merlyn, teeing up their coming battle but also tying his actions in to recent events. Of course Amanda Waller is involved. The reveal further illustrates that she’s pulling the strings and working every conceivable angle. Without feeling like Waller has been shoehorned in, Williamson is able to tie all of the wider conflict in to her attempt to seize power in the DCU. It never clubs the reader over the head, instead quietly reminding us there’s more going on than just what’s happening on the page.
The Merlyn sequence also brings back the legendary Phil Hester. Hester’s Green Arrow is the stuff of legend and it’s been great to see him dipping in and out of this version of the book. His artwork is reminiscent on Bruce Timm in some times, making the story feel animated on the page. It’s fun to see the villain given this kind of substantial page-time but for fans who may not have read previous versions of Green Arrow it deftly sets up their dynamic as arch nemeses.
Transitioning back to the artwork of Izaakse, Green Arrow comes full circle in a way I had not anticipated. Now up-to-date with Merlyn’s story we return to the idea of a conflict with holographic opponents. Only this time Ollie is staring down the rest of the Arrow Family. Given that Izaakse’s cover sets up a fight between Ollie and Malcolm it does seem that Green Arrow #11 is a little distracted by bringing us spectacle rather than having these two fight mano-a-mano. But there’s also denying how fun it is seeing Ollie in the fight of his life.
Verdict
Green Arrow is a book no longer fighting to prove its place in the world. With a year of storytelling under its belt from the accomplished Joshua Williamson, Green Arrow is now setting its sights on longevity and solid character development for Oliver Queen and his supporting cast.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
