Green Arrow #12 – Joshua Williamson, Writer; Sean Izaakse, Phil Hester/Eric Gapstur, Artists; Romulo Fajardo Jr, Colorist
Ray – 9/10
Ray: This title has been one of the biggest surprises of the new era of DC, starting out as a six-issue miniseries, becoming a twelve-issue maxiseries, and now an ongoing. And at its core is Josh Williamson’s strong focus on the Arrow family, which is one of the most complex and least explored DC families. This final issue of the arc brings the whole thing together before the next era begins, with Ollie flashing back to the first night on the island when he was truly alone before his showdown with the twisted Malcolm Merlyn—now a cyborg—who is determined to take him and his family apart. While Merlyn gets his shots in first, he doesn’t count on one thing—Ollie being willing to bring in his family, one of whom is perfectly suited to take down his holograms. And ultimately, it comes down to a battle of arrows, one shot each—and you would be dumb to bet against Ollie Queen in a battle of bows and arrows.
From there, we get a rare moment of peace on the island, as the entire Arrow family reunites, including a particularly emotional moment between Roy and Lian, whose story has been one of the emotional cores of this series. And Ollie and Dinah finally get some time to themselves as everyone else engages in a game of beach volleyball. It’s a great moment before the storm—the storm, of course, being Amanda Waller, who has been in the background of this series and was key to manipulating Ollie and Roy. They have the item she wants, and Ollie even cut a deal with her—one which, if the FCBD issue was any indication, he intends on keeping to some degree. That sets the stakes nicely high for the next arc, now that Williamson has gotten the family back together. How far will Ollie go to keep his family—and will it involve betraying his fellow heroes? Can’t wait to see what Williamson has planned for this series’ next act.
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GeekDad received this comic for review purposes.
