Ricky Church reviews Green Arrow: Rebirth #1…
Together again for the first time, the Emerald Archer meets Black Canary. Questioning everything Green Arrow believes in, Dinah Lance throws the hero’s world upside down, forcing him to question what he cares about more: his morals or his money?
If you’re like me and are fed up with Arrow after this season’s missteps, then Green Arrow Rebirth is just the book for you.
The New 52’s depiction of Green Arrow was not always favoured among fans, seen as straying too far from his depiction in the pre-Flashpoint universe while also erasing several long-standing characteristics, such as his defense of the little guy, his marriage to Black Canary and friendship with Hal Jordan. Green Arrow Rebirth is a good step in the right direction to bring the title back to basics.
Benjamin Percy’s writing is on point, showing he has a good handle on Green Arrow and Black Canary’s dynamic. In one funny meta-moment, Black Canary even calls Green Arrow out for his behavior during The New 52 and how he and the Justice League never really got along. Percy also takes Oliver back to his roots as a ‘social justice warrior’, looking out for the little guy and protecting those who are often forgotten by larger society.
Speaking of Black Canary, its awesome to see her alongside Green Arrow once again. Their chemistry is immediate and it’s just like reading an issue from pre-Flashpoint. Now, I don’t mean to draw a direct comparison to Arrow, but the series had always treated Laurel Lance in an ill-effective manner. Once she became Black Canary herself she started to be a more interesting character and Katie Cassidy became much better in the role. However, her sidelining throughout the third and fourth seasons was unfortunate and death a misguided story beat. It’s strangely serendipitous that at a time when the show has put Green Arrow and Black Canary aside for good, the comics bring them back together. Black Canary is written very well and knows just how to handle herself in a fight as well as Green Arrow’s temperamental attitude.
Otto Schmidt’s artwork is good too, making his facial expressions very animated. His depiction of the issue’s main antagonists is quite creepy, though if there’s one downside to the artwork its that the backgrounds aren’t always detailed and can be rather bland looking and one of the action scenes towards the end is a little difficult to follow. Still, Schmidt shows a competency in his character work and his colouring makes the issue a very vibrant looking story.
Percy and Schmidt’s run on Green Arrow is off to a good start, righting the wrongs of The New 52 and Arrow. Their back-to-basics approach breaths new life into the character and gives longtime Green Arrow fans something to remember the better times before Flashpoint while indicating what lies ahead for the Emerald Archer and Black Canary. Just from this issue alone, Green Arrow may be one of Rebirth’s must-read titles.
Ricky Church
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Originally published June 9, 2016. Updated April 15, 2018.
