Oliver Queen’s life is in shambles. His family’s company has
been viciously taken over by a rival corporation and a new villain known as
Komodo is stalking Green Arrow’s every move. If that weren’t enough, Oliver is
framed for murder and his allies Naomi and Jax seemingly die in an explosion.
In order to gain control of his life and unravel the conspiracy closing in
around him, he must trust a mysterious stranger named Magus and accept that his
life as he knows it may very well be a lie.
Green Arrow Volume 4: The
Kill Machine collects Green Arrow #17-24,
written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino.
Jeff Lemire injects life into Green Arrow. His writing is electric and exciting, blending action
with just the right amount of suspense. He understands how to craft a compelling
story and how to develop his characters. Lemire smartly dials down Oliver’s
playboy antics, opting instead to examine the character from a point of view
where he’s just had the rug yanked out from under him. This shifting in the
status quo mirrors what we’ve seen work so successfully in the critically
acclaimed runs of Scott Snyder on Batman and
Brian Azzarello on Wonder Woman. In
fact, it hits many of the same notes that Knightfall
and its adaptation The Dark Knight
Rises did, with the villainous Komodo acting as Green Arrow’s Bane.
Saying I loved The
Kill Machine feels like an understatement to me. In many ways, it’s the
perfect Green Arrow story and is exactly what TV’s Arrow should be. Lemire builds a mythology around the titular hero
and unravels a complex mystery about Oliver’s father Robert in the process. To
do this, he introduces new characters and re-introduces familiar Pre-Flashpoint
ones as well. Shado, one of Green Arrow’s most memorable love interests, makes
a splash when he rescues her from the clutches of Count Vertigo. Lemire puts a
twist on Shado’s past and her involvement with the Queen family, something
which is unexpected and works surprisingly well. Her inclusion in the book
feels right, as she adds not only necessary exposition but serves as a
no-nonsense foil to Green Arrow. Where he’s come to rely on allies and cool
gadgets, Shado is a loner old school archer. Similarly, Lemire puts a revisionist
spin on Count Vertigo. He’s no longer an
eccentric cape-wearing supervillain, but rather a despotic ruler of a European
country whose abilities come from a gruesome cybernetic implant. As far as
villains go, he’s pretty terrifying and could very well be a contender as far
as giving Green Arrow a Joker-caliber villain is concerned.
The narrative itself is great. It’s exciting, action-packed
and incredibly suspenseful. It’s a page-turner that completely redefines the
Green Arrow mythos. The way Lemire does this is through the introduction of the
weapon clans – seven ancient tribes that possessed powerful totems that imbued
them with incredible gifts. It’s a franchise making idea that sets Green Arrow’s
section of the DC Universe apart from his close rival Batman. It’s unique and
adds a sense of gravitas to the world of Green Arrow. It leaves the reader with
many questions regarding these clans and it’s this curiosity that will keep the
reader on the edge of his or her seat.
Similarly, the art by Sorrentino is masterful. It lacks the
crispness and clarity of traditional comic book art, but it makes up for it in
its dynamism. Sorrentino adds a very stylized touch to the book, often
illustrating panels within panels to highlight the damage inflicted upon a
character or psychedelic spreads that make an impactful splash. His art is
well-suited to this street-level, slick kind of book, but would likely feel out
of place in a more traditional superhero title. He should also be commended for
coming up with such a freaky look for Count Vertigo.
Unfortunately, Sorrentino’s art does lack consistency
particularly when it comes to drawing supporting character Naomi. For those who
have read the title from its onset, Naomi was initially drawn to look like
R&B superstar Rihanna, implying that she’s African-American. Sorrentino’s
take veers away from this, meaning she goes from looking Black to looking East
Asian. Whether intentional or not, it seems like a bit of a continuity error.
She’s later given darker skin and the last name Singh, which implies she’s
likely Indian. This kind of inconsistency happens in volume 5 as well, where
Onyx is initially portrayed with bleached white skin in one issue and then a
mocha tone the next.
After the disservice paid to Green Arrow at the hands of
previous creative teams, Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino are like a breath of
fresh air. The pair proves to be a dynamic duo capable of rivalling New 52
super teams like Johns and Reis, Azzarello and Chang, or Snyder and Capullo. It’s
a promising new direction for a title that was once drowning in mediocrity. For
fans of Arrow, this is a sure to be a
hit. The Kill Machine is exciting and
dynamic, a total thrill-ride that put Green Arrow back on the map.
RATING: A
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