Posted in: Comics, Review | Tagged: Benjamin Percy, Comics, dc, green arrow, HRL, Juan Ferreyra, lex luthor, Review, superman
Green Arrow #28 Review: A Much-Needed Ray Of Hope In A Dark Time
Green Arrow #28 by Benjamin Percy and Juan Ferreyra gives us the next stop in Oliver Queen's cross country journey to bring the villainous financial institution the Ninth Circle down.
You know, that sentence alone shows one of the amazing strengths of this comic. It takes some skilled storytelling to make a tale of financial villainy and make it something action-packed and interesting to tell in a superhero story.
A big part of this is how Ollie has been cut down to size somewhat by his downfall from rich playboy to penniless fugitive. It's not necessarily something that hasn't been done before with the character, but what is handled well this time is how he's been forced to confront his own privilege and see this from a different angle.
This is what Percy has done well with his run. And the current arc, Hard-Traveling Hero, continues that and expands upon it, by having the heroes of the DCU having to change their views of Green Arrow. Moreover, this particular entry sees the hero saving the day by convincing one of the biggest egotists of the DCU to think of other people and how important they are to him.
Granted, it's baby steps; we're talking Lex Luthor here.
We also get to see the growth of Green Arrow as a hero of hope, mirrored by that other great hero of hope, Superman.
This issue is masterfully painted by Ferreyra, giving us a wonderful Clark Kent/Superman, and impressive panel structure that makes the action of heroes doing the simple act of saving the day, and providing that one moment of uplift in the darkest moment, all the more heartfelt and powerful.
That darkest moment, in the days of the internet, feels all the more frightening and realistic, too. The fact the victims get driven to the lengths they do is something easy to understand and relate to. Having it be more personal than the obvious financial freefall is also a nice touch.
Green Arrow remains one of the most interesting and relevant titles that DC is putting out into the comics market. If you haven't read it yet, now is the time to get on board.