Oliver Queen jumps five ears into a hairier future, and says goodbye to an outstanding creative team in “Green Arrow: Future’s End” #1.
As a note, this article contains spoilers for “Future’s End” #1 — and the next five years-worth of “Green Arrow” storylines, I guess.
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Andrea SorrentinoGreen Arrow is dead – and his replacement finally stands revealed!
A couple years ago, Oliver Queen found himself in a nasty situation. It didn’t involve getting stranded on a deserted island, brainwashing by Count Vertigo, or a hostile business takeover. Instead, “Green Arrow” was a mess. In the wake of the New 52 reboot, the series was one of many that fell victim to frequent creative team turnover, extremely uneven tone, and a seeming lack of care from editorial. Other series’ would finally hit their stride or get cancelled, but “Green Arrow” took a bit longer. Things turned around when Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino came onboard, quickly followed by colorist Marcelo Maiolo, and together they set a brand new and vastly improved course for the series. Nineteen issues later, this stellar creative team says goodbye to Oliver Queen, and gives fans a glimpse to the future of everyone’s new favorite archer.
While tying into DC’S larger September event, this issue actually acts as a prequel to the Lemire co-written “Future’s End” #1, and before Oliver’s shocking apparent death. Seattle hasn’t changed much in the interim, there are still criminals running around and emerald shaded superheroes chasing after them, only now a teenaged Emiko has stepped into the role of Green Arrow, with Naomi as her new sidekick. Things are shaken up when Oliver returns after a long absence, and quickly meets with the Outsiders. Oliver rallies his former adversaries with the news that Cadmus, a secret government agency, is experimenting on superheroes . Oliver wants to expose Cadmus’ dark secret to the public, and even with the Outsiders on his side it might not be enough to keep the original Green Arrow alive.
Jeff Lemire has become the definitive “Green Arrow” writer of this generation. In the first year and a half of the New 52, Oliver Queen cycled through personalities quicker than Gollum giving a soliloquy. Lemire first gave Oliver a definitive characterization beyond bored rich kid, and then broadened his entire world with the ‘Outsider’s War’ storyline. This issue is the encapsulation of many of the themes and elements of Lemire’s entire run. When the audience catches up to Oliver five years in the future, he has the socialist and anti-government leanings (not to mention the facial hair) of his classic pre-52 self. While it would be easy to see it as fan service for longtime “Green Arrow” readers, Lemire has seeded the ideas of Queen’s more radical side throughout his issues.
What makes the future city work so well is that Lemire writes a world that is not dramatically different, and all the characters have made a natural progression instead of vast leap. Emiko has always seemed destined for major heroics once her height caught up to her temper, and Oliver’s growth actually acknowledges the world weariness that would quickly befall the non-superpowered. When viewing this issue as part of the large DC September event, it stands out due to its nature as less of a one-shot and more of a lead-in to the weekly “Future’s End” series. Knowledge of that book is not needed for the reader to make sense of 98% of the story, a wise decision on Lemire’s part; there are references to the larger Earths shattering events, but he keeps it fairly self-explanatory. The conclusion of the book, however, is basically open-ended — and if readers are coming strictly from “Green Arrow” it might leave them feeling slightly disappointed.
Andrea Sorrentino has reinvented the look of this series, and made it one of the most visually interesting books coming out of DC. Originally, “Green Arrow” was a prime example of New 52 homogenization, with everything being hyper realistic and gritty. Sorrentino has proven that images can maintain a sense of realism without becoming boring and drab, and this issue points a nice period on his artistic statement. He ages his character designs perfectly, as Emiko looks like a living weapon full of smooth and fluid lines that reflect her skill. Oliver looks tired from his years of action, and Sorrentio has found a way to update the classic facial hair without looking the character look dated and retro.
Continued belowMarcelo Maiolo has been the unsung hero behind the stellar art on “Green Arrow”. His use of monochromatic colours for each section of the characters and settings give the images a highly stylized appearance, without sacrificing the requisite DC realist slant. The instances of black and white panels with green accents elevate the action above the standard beat-em-ups found in superhero comics. Sorrentino is a vastly talented penciler, but Maiolo makes a huge contribution to the look of the series. The final issue for this art team gives them a chance to show off all their tricks. There are fight scenes, splash pages, spreads, and great character moments, all rendered beautifully by Sorrentino and Maiolo.
The ending of this creative team’s last issue of “Green Arrow” will surely leave fans wanting more, and that’s a good thing. While some will surely decry the “Future’s End” tie-in, upon further study Lemire has actually crafted a fitting end for Oliver’s time as the Green Arrow. Expanding on the nature of identities becoming symbols and commenting on the everlasting nature of superhero comics, Green Arrow lives on even without Olivier Queen, and now without Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Marcelo Maiolo.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino has become the definitive “Green Arrow” storytellers of this generation, and this issue is an appropriate conclusion to their run, while also setting the course for the future.
