Green Arrow #44 – Julie Benson, Shawna Benson, Writers; Javier Fernandez, Artist; John Kalisz, Colorist
Ray – 4/10
Ray: As the mystery of Citizen’s attack on Seattle continues in Green Arrow #44, writers Julie and Shawna Benson uncover a shocking secret from Green Arrow’s past – so shocking, in fact, that it may essentially destroy the character.
When the issue opens, Ollie is racing through Seattle in a classic car as people heckle and harass him. It seems like all it took to turn Seattle into a revolutionary mob composed of hipsters is one masked psycho promising to expose secrets. The one element of this book that the Bensons are expanding on that I enjoy is Kate Spencer’s presence as Ollie’s frustrated lawyer, and the book even seems to hint at her past as Manhunter. Although Ollie and Dinah try to track down Citizen, he uses innocent civilians as his patsies and they’re incapable of stopping him before he exposes three people – an investment banker who funds slumlords, a horse trader who dopes her horses, and Ollie – who he reveals killed a young woman while driving drunk and never knew, because his father covered it up.
To say this is a huge development is putting it lightly.
If the Bensons are actually retconning this in as part of Ollie’s history, it is pretty close to an unforgivable sin that I imagine will make a lot of people a lot less willing to see him as a hero. If it’s Citizen lying, then it makes Citizen a one-dimensional villain with no ethics or clear modus operandi. This also leads to a ridiculous bit of dialogue that basically boils down to – Ollie: “I killed a woman” Dinah: “I made chili!”
Citizen’s next attack, on the horse dealer, is so brutal and over-the-top that it removes any residual sympathy radical-minded readers might have had for him after last issue’s slumlord execution – he essentially tries to draw-and-quarter the horse trader for her corruption. The end of the issue brings in a serious-looking Superman – maybe to do with the accusations against Ollie, maybe to do with the box he was given in No Justice – but this run isn’t clicking at all so far.
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Disclaimer: GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
