Green Arrow #19 – Review

By: Jeff Lemire (story), Andrea Sorrentino (art), Marcelo Maiolo (colors)

The Story: Komodo goes a little too far in sharing his love of work with his daughter.

The Review: Switching genres is always a tricky deal for any writer.  Not only do they have to overcome the many missteps along the way as they navigate unfamiliar territory, they have to deal with the skepticism and expectation of the readers, too.  Lemire made a name for himself with offbeat stories, largely placed in rural settings, driven by sci-fi conventions and family drama.  To go to an urban crime series starring a costumed archer is quite a switch indeed.

The previous two issues showed Lemire still trying to find the right voice and rhythm for this series, and this issue continues that trend.  This doesn’t bode well for the title’s success in the long run, since the fast-paced world of serial comics doesn’t really allow much time just so the writer can find himself.  Even so, this issue takes another incremental step forward to getting the right tone and intrigue for the series, even if it doesn’t feel quite enough for the arc’s mid-stage.