Green Arrow #3 // Review
Father and son have a lot to talk about. It’s the first time that they’ve seen each other in a long time. There’s a lot that’s gone unsaid. This isn’t anything out of the ordinary for a lot of fathers, but this is a meeting between father and son in the future. Ten centuries into the future. The dad is lost in time. It’s a long story. A little more of it gets delivered in Green Arrow #3. Writer Joshua Williamson continues a whole new direction for Oliver Queen and his family in a story that’s rendered into the visual by artist Sean Izaakse and colorist Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Green Arrow is lost in time and space. It’s been rough. He’s not alone anymore, though. So there’s THAT. A couple of members of Ollie’s family are with him now as he finds himself hanging out with the Legion of Superheroes. Ollie has been in worse spots before. There’s no question he’ll make it back to his home time and place...but elsewhere, there ARE some serious issues. Black Canary and Arsenal are forced to fight two different Peacemakers. Black Canary’s been looking for answers. Maybe she’s going to find them if she can survive long enough.
The danger that Williamson is applying to the page feels real and present. The pacing feels like it’s moving along with the requisite speed to give the reader a sense of pressure from all of that danger. Somewhere in the midst of it all, Williamson DOES allow for casual and reflective moments between characters. Ollie’s encounter with his son seems nice enough, but as this is still the beginning of the series, it’s a reunion that feels a little misplaced. Williamson clearly has everything mapped out with the plot. There ARE a lot of moving pieces in play. Williamson has a lot to work with. Every now and then, something might feel like it’s a little mistimed. Oliver’s meeting with the Legion might be a bit premature.
To his credit, Williamson is allowing the art team time to let the dramatic moments play out with the kind of space that they really need to engage the reader. There’s a moment not long after Green Arrow meets his son where they’re allowed a moment to hug. Izaakse is allowed nearly a full splash page to let the hug happen. It’s a nice gesture that might have felt more justified if there had been more time leading up to it, but it’s cool to see an action-based comic allowing the emotional end of things to hit the page in a casual moment like that. Romulo Fajardo Jr. adds to the mood and resonance of things immeasurably. Big group shots that occasionally hit the page would feel like a bit of a mess without careful work by the colorist.
Green Arrow is regaining some footing in the course of things. It’s nice to see that happen, but Williamson’s series seems far too connected to Green Arrow’s earlier exploits to feel like it’s truly exploring new territory with the character. Throwing the character into a strange relationship with time and space is a nice step in the right direction, but Williamson needs to find something a bit more engaging if the premise is going to live up to its potential.
