By: Kendall Tono
Green Arrow starts with a board meeting for Queen Industries in Seattle, with a businessman CEO named Emerson conducting the meeting and worrying if Q-Core (a division of the same company, Ollie’s division of course) is keeping up on the global market with familiar industries such as Lexcorp and Waynetech. As he questions if “visionary Oliver Queen has lost his touch” we see that Oliver (in his new Smallville-esque get-up) is attempting to be a part of the meeting over a speakerphone. Meanwhile, he is in Paris chasing down three youtube-centric villains who are about to enter a nightclub.
We are then introduced to Ollie’s personal Oracle, Naomi. She informs him of Dynamix, Doppelganger, and Supercharge’s past crimes (such as terrorizing Milan Fashion Week). Here Ollie shows off the first of his new hyped-up gadgets, his fancy infrared mask. We then are introduced to Ollie’s new personal weapon-maker, Jax, who seems to be more of a voice of reason while Naomi is more the voice of encouragement. Green Arrow bursts in through a glass roof and starts the fight, and is expectedly mocked for his use of “toys” (and presumably his typical Oliver sayings). The fight moves outback where we get a glimpse at one of his trick arrows, one that when shot at the yacht’s control board gives Naomi the ability to remotely steer the boat away from civilians. An entertaining fight between the 3 villains and Green Arrow breaks out, complete with the beloved snarky remarks and rantings of our hero.
Once the fight is over, we are back in Seattle where Oliver talks about refusing to merge Q-Core with Queen Industries, before going into his… Green Arrow Cave? Well, it is a HQ for GA inside of Q-Core, where Naomi updates him on what happened to the three villains. Back in Paris, we see Dynamix and Supercharge sitting in jail, wondering what is going to happen to Doppelganger since she is being experimented on. A team of villains breaks them out, vowing that they plan on killing Green Arrow on TV (presumably recorded using their Q-Phones and Q-Pads!)
Personally, I was so nervous for this relaunch. I have been a huge Green Arrow fan since I was a little girl and you know how those nerves go! But after reading this, I have to say that this is actually a good start for Ollie. It gave the story and character a lot of potential to grow and expand. I especially like that he is back in charge of his corporate side of life unlike in the past, where he has been forced to give it up. He now reminds me of a hybrid of Batman, Iron Man, and the politically minded Ollie of the past. I have a feeling that the whole Oracle-figure Naomi may bug me a bit if she’s overused, since I have always seen Oliver as an independent being, but maybe actual research and ‘voice-of-reason’ Jax will do him some good. I also think it was a very crucial and interesting scene when Oliver tells Jax that the reason why he needs him as his inventor/weapon designer. He needs someone to design them who doesn’t enjoy the thought of hurting people. I think that will come into effect later, since we all know Green Arrow isn’t afraid to hurt (or to a point, murder) for the greater good and what he thinks is right. He is a rule breaker, so we’ll have to wait to see how that stance holds in time.
About the costume, I was NOT liking the Smallville-esque design when I first got wind of it, but it has really grown on me and I’m liking it already. What I do NOT like though is the MIA goatee! He has a scruffiness going on that maybe might evolve into his trademark facial hair, but for right now, I miss it and would not mind at all to have it back. As much as he is now Steve Jobs meets Ironman and Batman, I see it working into a strong title and story.
The art was fantastic as always. To me it was classic and well done. Dan Jurgens and George Perez together are fantastic, and I think their style fits well with the story. I love the fight scene on the boat, especially with Doppelganger and the final blow on Supercharge. Another panel I adored was the bottom closeup of Ollie at the end, right before the cut back to Paris. It defiantly brought a smile to my face (yes, yes I am a Ollie fangirl!)
Overall Grade: 8/10
Superhero SciFi 
Great review! It’s nice to meet more superhero fanGIRLS. 😀 So far so good for most of the new 52 titles. I can see how the Oracle may get a little old, personally I find it a concept that’s been a little overused since the days when Barbara Gordon became one for Batman, but I guess superheroes need a strong team and these days all revolve around surveillance and technology. And I liked Ollie’s thinking about his weaponry and gadgets. If he feels he is crossing the line, it seems like Jax will reel him back and remind him of the consequences and limits of his inventions. And it does seem like the beard is growing in, so you may just get your wish. 🙂
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Great article, Kendall! You should consider a career in writing! I am looking forward to Green Arrow’s run as well and you’ve started me on the right foot!
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