Green Arrow #25
Writer: Jeff Lemire
Artist: Andrea Sorrentino,
Colorist: Matt Hollingsworth
Review by Patrick Brennan
I have never had much patience for tie-in books. Too often they achieve absolutely nothing in terms of adding to the larger narrative they promise to connect to, leaving you with a book you didn’t want from a series you weren’t interested in reading. Of course, there are obvious exceptions. Gail Simone, for example, made her Death of the Family story into something quite special: an actual contribution to the main arc that also acted as a wonderful standalone Batgirl tale. Though it is a slightly higher quality than most, Green Arrow #25 isn’t going to win any awards for “best tie-in of the year.” However, what makes the issue great isn’t its Zero Year references, but everything else that has made this Jeff Lemire/Andrea Sorrentino-helmed run so much fun to read.
Centering around Ollie’s first outing as Green Arrow, which just so happens to coincide with his first meeting with the Batman, our hero is literally fresh off the boat from his isolation on the island when he learns that his mother is in danger in Gotham city. As he races to save her from the clutches of some idiot named Killer Moth, he and the mysterious Dark Knight will have to put their hard-learned skills to the test. Sort of. I mean, this is Killer Moth we’re talking about here.
The main problem that plagues this book is the Batman. I love me some Caped Crusader, but it never really feels like there’s a reason for him to be here, or for it to take place in Gotham City for that matter. Apart from those aspects of the issue, it’s basically another great installment of Green Arrow. Jeff Lemire gives us some awesome character interactions between Ollie and his mother, a few kick-ass action sequences, and more welcomed screen-time for Diggle. In fact, it’s the scenes with the newly incorporated “Arrow” character, especially the backup story, that shine the most in this issue. Lemire and company seem to be taking Diggle in an interesting direction, one that promises some curious developments to come.
Verdict:
Buy It – On its own, Green Arrow #25 is an exciting and fun issue, filled with some neat references that fans of the series will enjoy and more Diggle than you can wave a stick at. In terms of it succeeding as a Zero Year tie-in, though, it unfortunately fails to hit the bullseye.
