Sunday, March 10, 2013

Green Arrow #18 Review

GREEN ARROW #18
by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino

Komodo's  daughter is hilariously sick, twisted, demented and horrifying.

Jeff Lemire's Green Arrow has quickly become one of my favorite series. Lemire's Green Arrow changes from the James Bond-esque tone of JT Krul and Ann Nocenti's run to a dark Bourne like thriller. The supporting cast built up by the previous two writers are quickly killed off (except for one) making it feel like Ollie's world is coming down on him. Komodo was a menacing presence in #17, but here he shows a human side. And then he quickly goes back to killing people without hesitating, keeping him from becoming a sissy-villain. Magus is an interesting character, and I'd like to see more of him. There are also a few interesting reveals about the Island in this issue, adding a few extra layers to the cliched origin story. 

Andrea Sorrentino's artwork suits this gritty story, and it feels very different from his I,  Vampire work. Unlike his I, Vampire art, in which he used to shadows to maximize the creepiness, he isn't afraid to  play in the light here. Sorrentino's style of dealing with action scenes is pretty cool as well, where he uses panel borders and monochrome colors to emphasize important parts of the action. The last page looks a little bit strange, but beyond that, Sorrentino does his best.

Green Arrow #18 is the bomb. If Lemire and Sorrentino keep up this level of quality, we'll have a classic Green Arrow story on our hands.

STORY: 5/5
+ Komodo is freaking awesome!
+ Supporting cast utilized well (and then thrown away)
+ Magus seems pretty cool
+ The Island origin story is given a few extra layers

ART: 4.5/5
+ Excellent use of light 
+ Great action scenes
- Last page looks kind of weird

VERDICT: 4.5/5

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