Story: Benjamin Percy
Art and Color: Otto Schmidt
Lettering: Nate Piekos of Blambot
Green Arrow #17 brings us part six of the “Emerald Outlaw” storyline. Ollie knows that Malcolm Merlyn is out to make his life miserable, and so far it’s working. The beginning of the issue flips between Ollie in the woods and Chief Westberg’s funeral procession. It’s a nice moment of reflection for Ollie to remember why he’s doing this and why he needs to continue to defend Seattle.
Mayor Domini allies himself with Ollie, but he gets caught trying to bug Broderick’s computer at Queen Industries. It’s one of those scenes where you just know something is going to go down even before it does. Percy and Schmidt do a great job of working together to tell a story and make you eagerly await what will happen next. Percy’s writing in this issue is strong and Schmidt’s work on art compliments the gritty lifestyle that Ollie is accustomed to. It does help when you’re staying in the woods to keep hidden, too.
So far, this series focuses on a lot of various characters outside of Ollie himself. It’s made the series more enjoyable and one to look forward to as it comes out. As someone who hasn’t read many other Green Arrow comics, this one caught my attention. While it doesn’t focus a lot on his origin now, you know enough of it to focus on the present. And besides, how many origin stories do we need for the same characters anyway? I think DC has provided more than enough of those in their time as a company.
That aside, Percy and Schmidt make a great team for this character. The art style might not work for everyone, but the story is solid enough to push past that. This issue doesn’t have a huge amount of action in it, but Ollie gets to shine in various ways. He’s a big brother to Emi, a dedicated partner to Canary, and still manages to try to protect the city all in one issue. There’s even a twist or two that will make you wonder what exactly happens next.
Verdict: Buy. I would say only buy this if you plan on reading the first five parts of the “Emerald Outlaw” story. Ideally I’d suggest reading the whole series, but that’s a bit to get through. This is a solid issue that sets us up for what’s next in Seattle.
