Following the events of James Robinson's Cry for Justice, Roy Harper/Arsenal's daughter is dead. Prior to the demise of the pre- Flashpoint universe, there was one last great Green Arrow story to tell: Justice League: Rise and Fall. Justice League: Rise and Fall (Image credit: DC) One of the more bold and experimental approaches to mainstream comics, Sorrentino uses inserts, overlapping panels, and bold monochromatic color (and often the complete absence of it) to ensure that every page strikes at the reader and remains lodged in their brains. If Lemire's soft reboot is imaginative, then Sorrentino's artwork is nothing less than mindblowing. Plus, he also brings Shado, the long-thought-dead Robert Queen, martial artist Richard Dragon, and Ollie's half-sister Emiko into the contemporary DCU. Like the best remixes of an origin story, Lemire introduces elements that expand our understanding of the character without undermining it. There he encounters the hitherto unmentioned Arrow Clan, one of several weapons clans all connected to the ancient Outsiders. In rebuilding Ollie's world, Lemire expanded the official origin story for the first time in decades, crafting something he has called a "Green Arrow-centric mythology." After recovering from his encounter with classic villain Count Vertigo, Green Arrow returns to the island that made him. They stripped the character back to his barest elements, literally detonating Oliver Queen's past life and leaving him penniless and on the run. Yet one of the shining beacons was unquestionably Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's run (as collected in Green Arrow By Jeff Lemire & Andrea Sorrentino Deluxe Edition). Kevin Smith followed up Green Arrow: Quiver with Green Arrow: Sounds of Violence which wrapped up his run on the series.The 'New 52' era of Green Arrow had some issues, to put it mildly. It is a light, fun look at a character that needs to be light and fun, but he also still needs some bite. I don’t always love Kevin Smith’s stuff, but his Green Arrow does work. This rights the wrong of having him initially killed and brings back the lighter (aka non-’80s and ’90s) Green Arrow. This also permits the completion of Green Arrow’s return and having Ollie official rejoin the DC Universe. This is a fun, retro story and also has ties to Neil Gaimen’s famous The Sandman comic. The series is rounded out by a throwback to the old DC cartoon character Stanley and his Monster. It also allows for a reunion for his buddy Hal Jordon who is now the Spectre and smartly gets around the Parallax/Green Arrow awkwardness with a fresh start approach. This segues into the whole Hollow storyline which explains how he is alive. It first re-introduces Green Arrow and then goes into the mystery of how he is missing the ten years before he died. His work on Daredevil: Guardian Devil was ok, but I think Green Arrow was pretty decent. Kevin Smith was already starting to wear thin (in my opinion) by the time he was handed Green Arrow. The replacement Green Arrow (Connor Hawke) wasn’t bad but he was no Ollie. I always liked the Green Arrow and despite being a Marvel reader, I would casually read the solo Green Arrow series. The series was relatively well-received and also collected in Absolute Green Arrow by Kevin Smith which featured his entire run. Written by Kevin Smith and illustrated by Phil Hester, Green Arrow: Quiver is Kevin Smith’s follow-up to his run on Marvel’s Daredevil. As the world learns Green Arrow is back, Oliver is about to learn the cold hard truth and must find out how he survived the explosion or if he really did. Killed in a plane explosion, Oliver cannot possibly be alive, but he is and no one has told him that he isn’t supposed to be. Oliver saves a girl named Mia and sets out on his normal crimefighting in the city, but Oliver doesn’t know he’s dead. Waking up with amnesia and found by a man named Stanley, Oliver finds everything seems…off.
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