Green Arrow #32 – Review

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

The Story: Don’t look so down, Ollie; it’s always a shock going back to the grind after an overseas trip.

The Review: Sometimes, I really feel sorry for ol’ Green Arrow. Although technically a contemporary of Batman and a predecessor to Hawkeye, in recent years, they’ve overshadowed him to the point where he feels like a craven copycat. As a billionaire vigilante fighting the good fight in a crime-riddled metropolis, Ollie’s got nothing on Batman’s legendary war in Gotham. As a human among near-gods in a premier superhero team, both Batman and Hawkeye outclass Ollie in reputation, skill, and personality.

The mythic Outsiders had the potential to change all that; at the very least, they might’ve sent Ollie in a radically different direction from his counterparts. Imagine if Lemire had committed to a long-term, globe-hopping adventure, allowing Ollie to take his time and discover all the ancient secrets each band of Outsiders held. Imagine epic battles of weaponry that’d give you new appreciation for mortal combat. Imagine him gaining knowledge and skills that could finally let him rival the Dark Knight himself. Too bad the Outsiders turned out to be little more than a squabbling band of cosplay nerds with ambitions of terrorism and white-collar crime. Too bad the most Ollie got out of the experience was some unwanted family members and a broken arrow.