In an effort to make its
stories more accessible to new
readers, DC recently launched The New 52, cancelling all of its existing titles
and starting 52 new series with revamped and rebooted versions of its major
characters. But how will the New 52 affect the DC universe? Will new readers
actually be attracted? Will old fans still be interested? Will the new titles
be fresh and new, or disappointing and unfaithful to the original continuity?
After buying and reading all but a few of the 52 new #1s that DC released over
the course of a month, I have set out to review some of the major ones and let
potential readers know which new titles are and are not worth reading. So,
without further ado…
Green Arrow #1
Writer: J.T. Krul
Penciler: Dan Jurgens
Review by Samuel N. Harris
Who’s a wealthy industrialist playboy by day and a
crimefighter with combat skills and an array of gadgets by night? If you
answered “Batman,” then you probably aren’t quite as familiar with Green Arrow—the
other DC hero who fits that same description. Somehow, Oliver Queen manages to
run a global company and shoot arrows at supervillains all at the same time,
while still maintaining some semblance of a personal life as well. But what
will his life be like in the newly revamped DC universe?
Honestly, not a whole lot different—at least, not as far as
I can tell. I’ve never followed Green Arrow particularly closely, so I may be
oblivious to any more subtle differences if there are any, but as far as I can
tell, he’s the same old character—a fairly young and cocky guy who happens to
be good with a high-tech bow and arrows, and, motivated by personal tragedy,
uses those to make the city he lives in a better, safer place.
That’s pretty much what this issue is like. Early on, the
higher-ups at Queen Industries are speaking over the phone to Oliver Queen
himself—who just happens to be out patrolling the streets as Green Arrow at the
time. Within the first few pages, Green Arrow takes on some villains who I don’t
recognize—including a guy who can shoot electricity and a freaky-looking woman
with two heads and four arms—and proceeds to beat them up for most of the comic
book. He shoots arrows at the villains,
taunts them and exchanges witty banter, and even works in a few extra-special
arrows and other gadgets that do more than meets the eye, such as accessing a
computer system or turning water into ice. Green Arrow beats the bad guys and
spends a few pages as Oliver Queen again, talking to his business colleagues
and his few confidants about the superhero/alter ego business. He makes a
statement about how he has a responsibility to fight crime because of the
people he has failed to save in the past—which may be true, but is also fairly common
and clichéd as a motivation for a superhero. Then at the end, some more
villains who I don’t recognize show up, presumably to be fought by Green Arrow
in the next issue.
That’s it. That’s about all that happens in this issue. No
epic, overarching storyline that’s visible yet, and no fresh, new, dramatic
take on the character that I can notice. Just Green Arrow beating up some bad
guys and being a fairly typical superhero alter ego with a motivation of guilt
and a civilian life to try to maintain. This issue doesn’t seem to contain
anything much deeper or more original than that. I have nothing against Green
Arrow as a character, and I’ve seen versions of him that have been complex and
well-developed, but this issue is not one of them. It seems mediocre and unoriginal to me in that
respect—and most other respects as well. I have no major complaints with the
issue, nothing that was done particularly poorly, but no major compliments
about it either, nothing that was done particularly well. It’s another average, everyday superhero story that I could
just as easily go with as without.
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