Green Arrow #2 (2023) review

Green Arrow #1 was a fantastic start to this new series, and did so well that the initial plan of six issues was doubled to 12! Now that’s a good first impression, one I wholeheartedly shared. I can already say that the second issue doesn’t disappoint with the followup, so let’s get into it.

SPOILERS AHEAD for Green Arrow #1!

Characterization is still super on point. Ollie still feels plucked right out of the pages of Green Arrow Vol. 3, with the same sharp tongue and short fuse we should all know and love. It’s perfect – I know I spent half of my last review singing the praises of this book’s sense of connection to that run, but it seriously shows in how the characters speak and act. Lian is probably the only familiar character here with a wholly new spin, being far more grown up now and all, but she works perfectly with the personality presented here. She has that Arrow Family feel to her, with a similar sense of snarky humor and earned cockiness that many of her predecessors have. There was also the addition of that really cool blue-haired alien (Tamaranean?) woman, who I only wish to highlight for how friggin’ rad she was in the brief time we saw her. Really stole the show.

A moment I feel like calling out in particular was Ollie remembering his son, Connor. His listing of his previous supporting cast only to have Lian trigger his memories of his estranged (and previously retconned out of existence) son was a heartwarming reminder that the legacy is truly and wholly back.

We get a bit more plot progression here too, with Ollie being dodgy about what he knows, but implying there’s still a lot more going on that’s going to come to light. Memories of his family seemed to coincide with another random teleportation to another place and time, which I think is a purposeful hint at what’s really going on here, another piece of the puzzle worth paying attention to in coming issues. It’s certainly a bit odd seeing ol’ GA out in space, honestly. I’m just now thinking about how even that far outside his usual element, everything is still just clicking perfectly. That’s a testament to how strong the character writing is so far, but it also shows that Green Arrow is a much more versatile character than one may think. Having a villain potentially cosmically screwing with Ollie is certainly a new angle that I don’t think has been thoroughly explored, so I’m actually pretty excited to see how this mystery unfolds.

Of course, back on the Earth side of things, we have Dinah and Roy exchanging some fun interactions while they hunt down Amanda Waller, only to run into the issue’s cliffhanger: the Charlton hero Peacemaker. Given the character’s recent popularity bump due to John Cena’s DCEU portrayal, I can’t say I’m too shocked at this one. We also got to see the return of the greatest character in GA history, the boxing glove arrow, which is always really useful for punching somebody far away.

The art, like last time, was great. The colors popped just right for the alien setting – a lot of cool-toned neon purples and blues helped Ollie’s vibrant green really stick out. The layouts are just very solid and packed with good details and expressive movement, and the fights feel appropriately fast paced and dynamic, befitting a character whose main tactic is jumping around firing off arrows. The alien creature design was pretty fun and inventive, and the inclusion of a Tamaranean with blue flaming hair was a major character design win, in my opinion (I really like seeing cool women do cool things, and the color blue, sue me).

Green Arrow #2 continues the momentum of last issue to present another really great issue. As I highlighted heavily last time, I’m a huge Green Arrow fan (my dog is named after the guy for crying out loud), so believe me when I say this is the exact kind of book I’ve been wanting to read for years. It’s just nice having characters you love come back and feel done right by, something that a lot of us as comic readers don’t really have the luxury of sometimes. Williamson makes this all look effortless somehow, and everything he’s doing so far feels like a no-brainer, the kind of stuff fans want: new stories with strong character writing featuring the characters they love to read about. Sometimes it really is just that easy, you know?