Green Arrow #24
Written by Jeff Lemire
Art by Andrea Sorrentino
Colors by Marcelo Maiolo
Review by Mike Duke
We often use the term “melodrama” in the pejorative, and usually with good reason. But sometimes, in the right hands and with the right story, the heightened emotion and twisting plots can be just what is needed. Green Arrow, under the skilled pen of Jeff Lemire, is just such a story. Lemire’s run, starting in issue 17 and going forward, is one of those that we will be able to tell our friends about–the kind where we will buy trades as Christmas and birthday presents and say, “Here’s what comics can be.”
Green Arrow #24 picks up from the events of Villain’s Month’s Count Vertigo #1 as well as Green Arrow #23. Arrow and the gang are back in Seattle, and the place is getting crowded. Count Vertigo is on a full scale attack, calling out Green Arrow for a fight. However, Oliver Queen is injured from his last encounter with the Count and cannot aim from inner ear damage. Shado steps up to take out the megalomaniacal villain, but she is stopped by Richard Dragon, who we saw in issue #23. This is the first time we’ve seen anyone who is a match for the former assassin, and the implications of this ring throughout the entire series thus far. With Shado down, Oliver steps up to face the Count, and we all win as an excellent and satisfying battle unfolds.
I personally will miss Count Vertigo as he gave Andrea Sorrentino and company the opportunity to do some really amazing things with the art in this book, which was already top-notch. I know some people appreciate DC’s “house style” of art, but it’s books like Green Arrow–the ones doing something different and special with their art–that are, I believe, the true gems in the DCU right now. The colors, contrast, and layout of this book are something every comic fan should experience.
Verdict
Buy it. We’re not exactly at a jumping-on point in this issue, but the story is constructed well enough to follow and enjoy. Just be prepared to want to know more–to feel compelled to find the rest of this excellent run in trades and back issues. And be ready to add this book to your pull list, because once you’ve started, you won’t want to stop.
