Review: Green Arrow #17

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino start their run on Green Arrow with the first issue in an arc that sees Ollie with nothing to his name, a new threat, and what would seem to be revelations about Ollie’s past. Lemire has worked his magic on other books and it looks like DC is eager for him to do it again with Green Arrow.

Lemire seeks to reveal some secrets about Ollie’s past and his time on the island,while still making this issue approachable for new readers. The reference to past content is kept to such a level that it doesn’t swamp new readers while still making them interested in picking up past issues in order to fully understand all the back story. He finds a good middle ground between creating new content and keeping in line with older content, all while being accessible. The introduction of the new threat to Ollie and the revelations about his past should have implications for many issues to come.

Andrea Sorrentino has an interesting art style. The art is at times both detailed and generalized. The characters often have eyes blocked out by shadowing, while the backgrounds and clothing exhibit fine detail. At first, it seems odd, but as the issue goes on, it becomes better and more in line with the story. Sorrentino’s practice of only coloring one object in a panel in order to emphasize it is something that was appealing. It allowed the focus to be shifted to one thing, even while portraying entire panels.

Green Arrow #17 was a fun read. It’s a fitting start for a team like Lemire and Sorrentino and is setting up for what will surely be a monumental chapter in the mythos of the New 52 Green Arrow.

 

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