A lone hero stands up against government agents in the start of a new story arc for the Emerald Archer and his family!
Written by Joshua WilliamsonCover by Sean Izaakse and Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Illustrated by Sean Izaakse
Colored by Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Lettered by Troy PeteriBEAST WORLD FALL OUT!
After months of searching, the Emerald Archer has found Amanda Waller at her new hideout. Oliver Queen has his sights set on taking her out and demands answers for why she messed with his family, but what does Ollie do when Amanda Waller offers him the deal of a lifetime?
“Fall out” issues from event comics (not to be confused with “Omega” or “Epilogue” issues) can be a bit hit-or-miss depending on both how much the readers actually care about the players at work, and how much it is necessary to actually know the various goings-on of the event in question. With Amanda “The Wall” Waller’s emergence as an overarching villain ever since “Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths” being mostly in the background, it was only a matter of time before we get some more direct spotlight beyond being a malicious benefactor to various villains. As Oliver Queen seeks her out and the rest of Team Arrow works their own way toward dealing with the Dark Archer, how does this story start coming together at the onset of a new story arc?
Joshua Williamson does a good job of setting up the next stage of the Green Arrow family’s core conflict. While “Green Arrow” #9 is indeed billed as the fall out from the “Titans: Beast World” event, there is next to no required reading to get up to speed. We learn about what has happened with the Hall of Justice (as was shown before at the end of the aforementioned event), and the primary conflict of that story is mentioned briefly, as are others, but overall the references are brief and minor, with focus being on moving forward and using those elements, rather than looking backward exclusively. Mind, there is one element toward the end that may make returning readers rather upset at a returning element, but in the interest of avoiding spoilers, it is best not to dwell on it.
Though Williamson’s run on “Green Arrow” in the Dawn of DC era has been largely a family book, with focus spread around the entire team, there is a more direct concentration on Oliver Queen, the eponymous Green Arrow himself, in “Green Arrow” #9. The Emerald Archer’s conflict with Waller, and by extension with her agents Peacemaker, Peacewrecker, and Bright, helps illuminate (pardon the pun on the latter) some of the details of Waller’s more overt antagonism against the superhero community. Williamson does not make “the Wall” actually sympathetic, and in fact making her feel even more obstinate than previously believed. However, he crafts a believable rationale behind her behavior that makes for an intriguing arrangement offered to Oliver Queen.
While there is primary focus on Queen himself, his is not the only plot thread Williamson follows. For the readers who do not particularly care about the primary conflict of this new ‘Arrow vs. The Wall’ story arc (especially if the last page fills them with dread or aggravation), there is a bit of development with certain members of the team, including bringing back a well-liked more recent member, albeit one who has not been seen in new issues in around six years. The battle to finally defeat Merlyn the Dark Archer is still going on, just without Oliver necessarily being at the front lines at the moment. This use of the rest of the cast also helps to showcase that they are all competent heroes in their own right, and while Oliver is their leader, he needs them as much as they need him.
Sean Izaakse does a good job with the artwork, merging fast-paced action with close facial shots. Characters like Bright come across as monstrous due to the details, while the disappointment of Waller or the anger of Queen are palpable even without words. The speed of the action is in focus, with quick shifts to focus on impact over movement making the fights feel all the faster, only slowing down once combat has ended one way or another. The action may not be bloody, but it is still brutal, emphasizing how a non-powered hero may take dirty tactics to win over those with powers or enhanced gear. Although the artwork is rather stylized in some instances, they feel balanced against a sense of realism, marking something of a middle ground that safely fits this tale (and this run in general).
Romulo Fajardo Jr. makes interesting color choices throughout “Green Arrow” #9. Generally speaking, the light situation is rather dim, focused on darker shades as if indicative of the more subversive story at work. When there are brighter lights, the change is harsh and almost violent, unwelcome and painful to see, much like the light itself is in-story. Overall, there seems to be an approach of focusing in on the comfort in darker places, as if to welcome the morally impure aims of Waller herself and her mission for Oliver (as implied in the cover).
Final Verdict: 6.5– Though there is some dread for what is to come from an out-of-story perspective, the approach brought here for a story arc start, as well as for a “fall out” from a previous event, works well enough.
