Green Arrow Volume 5: The Outsiders War

Author:  Jeff Lemire

Artist:  Andrea Sorrentino

Publisher:  DC Comics

First Publication:  October 14, 2014

Source:  Net Galley

Graphic Novel Challenge #31

Collects:  Green Arrow #s 25-31

Summary:  As Green Arrow discovers that his stranding on a desert island was more than just an accident, there seem to be more sinister forces at work behind all these sudden revelations. The Queen family is embroiled in a war generations old. A war of clans. A war of outsiders. 

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino have put together one of my favorite Green Arrow series.  I was sorry to hear that their time on the title is coming to an end.  I will be following both creators to their new series.

Lemire's history of Green Arrow is being slowly revealed with more clues being show in each issue.  He is a master of how to craft an exciting present day story while working in flashbacks.

And what more can be said about Sorrentino's art?  He has developed into one of the best artists working today.  The innovative panels/page layouts make the atmosphere explode off of each page.  I have not been this impressed with original page composition since the heyday of "Master of Kung Fu" when either Paul Gulacy or Gene Day was the artist.  

Green Arrow, and the Queen family, continue to be put through the ringer as the tension builds with each chapter.

Highly recommended.

Green Arrow: Year One

Writer:  Andy Diggle
Artist:  Jock
First Publication:  2007
Challenge:  Graphic Novel (#5)

One of my guilty pleasures was the CW show “Smallville”.  Was every episode great?  No.  But most shows that last that many years have good and bad episodes.  When it ended CW announced that they were considering a Green Arrow show.  This would be a new continuity.  I had my doubts that it would be another favorite of mine.  It did not take long for me to get hooked on the show.  I enjoy the way the names of various comic creators are used for character names.  And it is always fun to see them work other DC heroes and villains into this story. 

I had missed “Green Arrow Year One” when it was published.  When I attended the recent Comic Geek Speak Super Show, Wild Pig Comics had the collection for 50% off(that is the standard discount they give at the convention).  I heard that various elements from this story were used for the show “Arrow”.  One of the main characters was named for the writer of this story.

Oliver Queen is a young spoiled rich kid whose parents have died.  He lives life on the edge.  Eventually he is betrayed by a friend who casts him over the side of his yacht.  Washing up on the shore of an island, he has to learn how to take care of himself.  Utilizing skills he had learned as a child, he is able to survive.  Then he learns that it is not always good to find that other people are on the island.

Andy Diggle has crafted an exciting island adventure.  He shows how Oliver works to improve his skills.  Due to the challenges he runs in to, he becomes aware that he should put other peoples’ problems ahead of his own.  And in the process he becomes the hero he was always meant to be.

The art by Jock is a perfect fit for Diggle’s story.  He does a great job with both the action scenes and the quieter moments of island life.  Jock’s choices of panel arrangements make the action seem more intense.

If you are looking for a good done in one book story, pick this up.  Highly recommended.