Absolute Green Arrow #1 Is Absolutely Worth the Read

It’s been a few weeks since I’ve made a post, but things are finally starting to settle down again in my life so I’m back with a review that I’ve been wanting to get out for the last few weeks. In the past, I saw a lot of praise online for DC Comics’ new(ish) Absolute Universe, especially Batman’s run. As a result, I picked up the two currently available Absolute Batman books and read them. I very quickly understood the hype. However, by doing that, I kind of pigeonholed myself into only reading the books that collect the issues together, and those lag behind the regularly released issues. Luckily for me, I was still getting into the universe at a good time because Green Arrow and Catwoman are both getting their own standalone runs, with Green Arrow having dropped earlier in the month. I decided to pick it up. Here are my thoughts.

SPOILERS FOLLOW

I don’t know a whole lot about Green Arrow and Black Canary aside from seeing them in the Justice League cartoons back in the day as a kid. I remember liking them and thinking they were cool, but my actual knowledge and understanding of the characters is fairly limited. So Absolute Green Arrow #1 feels very fresh and different from what I remember as a kid.

For starters, Oliver Queen, the man who is normally Green Arrow, is dead. He was murdered before the events of the comic take place, and his death serves as a backdrop upon which the events unfold. The story itself follows Dinah Lance, Black Canary, as she works as a bodyguard for the rich and famous. She hates the people she works for, but she has to swallow her pride and do it in order to provide for her sick father. It’s a really touching, and heart-wrenching, motivation. One of the hardest scenes occurs when she initially turns down work protecting billionaire pharmaceutical CEOs, only for one to completely cancel her father’s healthcare in retaliation so that she is forced to accept the position. It’s such a simple, calculating move that perfectly encapsulates how selfish and evil this clientele is. Returning to the story, it opens with the murder of Jubal Slade–Oliver Queen’s old business partner. Queen and Slade worked together to create a stock trading platform made for the common man, ironically named GreenArrows Trading. Queen cared about the common man and hoped to fix the system by making east-to-use financial tools that everyone could have access to. Dinah learned abut all of this when she briefly dated Queen since they were neighbors. They eventually broke up, and Queen made his billions. He and Slade had a falling out, and eventually Queen was murdered. Now, a masked vigilante is stalking and killing billionaires with a bow and green arrows. The similarity isn’t lost on Dinah, but she doesn’t know what to think. After begrudgingly taking the job to protect the pharmaceutical CEOs, they all embark on an investigation of Queen’s “doomsday bunker.” The group is attacked by the Longbow Killer, who easily tears through the billionaires’ personal security forces. One of the CEOs, Tyler Reese, is killed when a poisoned arrow grazes his face, infecting him with something that quickly melts him. The other CEO, Hector Hammond, survives, but only after losing a hand. Dinah and one of her freelance security co-workers continue to investigate the bunker after the attack, eventually finding a secret door that leads to the dead body of boy that’s covered in eyes.

Absolute Green Arrow #1 presents far more questions that answers, and that’s what it sets out to do. The goal of this first issue is to introduce our characters and get the story rolling. It succeeds in doing that. The pacing feels pretty good. It opens with some solid action, then has a large lull in the middle, before ending with another really intense action sequence. The characters, namely Dinah since she is the main heroine at the moment, feel compelling (or the opposite in the case of the billionaires you’re supposed to hate). Motivations feel realistic and relatable. Overall, the pacing and character writing are seriously well-done. It does a great job of leaving you wanting to see what happens next.

The story’s tone is pretty dark, which fits with the theming of the Absolute Universe. In summary, the Absolute Universe was created by Darkseid when he was defeated, and he made despair the ruling principle, which means that all of the heroes have their advantages taken from them while all of the villains get them. It’s an interesting reversal that feels fresh, and it’s on full-display in Absolute Green Arrow #1. Dinah is forced to take work that she hates if she wants to provide for her father. Her work is corroding her mental health, but it’s a necessary sacrifice that she has to make. The social commentary and thematic parallels are not lost on me. The Longbow Killer’s targets are all corrupt billionaires who use their wealth and power to bully and abuse others. Case in point: Hammond deleting Dinah’s father’s insurance. Jubal Slade, the first billionaire we see killed, has numerous sexual misconduct allegations made against him, including references to his private island. The parallels are heavy-handed and not that subtle, but they don’t need to be. The just desserts of the rich and powerful is cathartic. But it’s also meant to be disturbing. Throughout the story, there’s this idea that these victims were not good people. They deserved what they got. And yet, there was such savage cruelty inflicted to them that it completely strips them of humanity. In the words of Dinah about people talking about Slade’s death on the internet, “they’re celebrating torture.” The point is uncomfortable, but I think well-presented: how do you view the murder of someone who may deserve it? Even that phrase, “deserves it,” is so loaded and judgement laden that you can’t help but wonder if it’s appropriate or not. Or better yet, is cruel suffering justified for those who use their wealth and power to abuse others? It’s a deceptively deep examination of one of the most challenging ideas relevant to us today. I’m looking forward to seeing how this all develops as the series progresses.

On a similar note, it’s worth discussing how the series is marketed as an urban horror/thriller take on these characters with slasher and detective noir inspirations. The comic is very comfortable adapting these mediums into its story. I want to know more about this Longbow Killer. I want to know who he is, and what it is that’s driving him, especially because Oliver Queen is supposedly dead. Aesthetically, the Longbow Killer is intimidating. He’s efficient with his arrows and how he uses them to poison his targets, or just strap grenades to them. And then his bow also disassembles into two swords. I don’t care how impractical it may be, it looks really cool. The subversion of traditional genres in the comic continues to feel interesting and fresh.

SPOILERS END

Story, theming, and characters aside, Absolute Green Arrow #1 is a comic book, which means that artwork is just as important as these other parts. The artwork is fantastic. Something that the Absolute Universe continues to nail is its aesthetic and art direction. Absolute Green Arrow #1 is dark, both tonally and aesthetically. The color palette tends to stay on the darker side, emphasizing the shadows. The darkness is often set against a brighter backdrop, which looks really good and helps the art pop. The backdrops can also help set the mood. Dark and cool backdrops are used to evoke emotions of dread or despair, whether at something that’s about to happen or in the aftermath of some tragedy. The vibrant, action scenes are set against bright backdrops. The flashback sequences have their own distinct coloring, which really helps to set them apart, both aesthetically and tonally; these flashback sequences feel happier and more optimistic than the rest of the story, so it makes sense that they would be colored brighter.

Absolute Green Arrow #1 cost me $5. Something I’ve quickly come to appreciate about these comics is that they are very affordable. If you like comics, I’d heavily recommend checking out Absolute Green Arrow #1. I found it to be a very fun read with a surprising amount to say. The social commentary is directly pertinent to modern audiences and events, and it looks at things in a genuinely nuanced and thoughtful way. It can be a really cathartic read, but it also might get uncomfortable when it makes you think about the catharsis. Absolute Green Arrow #1 is genuinely a great comic, and one that I cannot wait to continue reading, especially because I have to wait until September before I can pick up my next book for Absolute Batman. I implore you to check out DC’s Absolute Universe. The stories are well-written and genuinely interesting, and best of all, super easy to get into and follow. I cannot recommend these comics highly enough, especially when the barrier to entry for Absolute Green Arrow #1 is a mere $5.