Review: Green Arrow Volume 5 - The Outsiders War

In order to stop the villainous Komodo, Green Arrow must return to the island that changed his life forever. With the mysterious archer Shado as his guide, he soon discovers that his being stranded on the island was never an accident and that he is in fact entangled in the history of an ancient secret society. With shadows from his past returning to haunt him, Green Arrow must either accept the destiny that was chosen for him or strike out on his own.

Green Arrow Volume 5: The Outsiders War collects Green Arrow #25-31, written by Jeff Lemire and illustrated by Andrea Sorrentino.

With The Kill Machine ending on a soft cliffhanger, Lemire and Sorrentino take Green Arrow back to the island that turned him into the character we know today. This return brings new surprises, adding further twists in the origins of the Emerald Archer. Much like TV’s Arrow, much of the narrative here is interested in exploring the reality of what happened on the island while Oliver was stranded there. It’s also focused on the why as well. Where Arrow veered into melodrama with its predictable love triangle mess in order to give one of its antagonists’ motivations, Lemire takes a completely different route.

The Outsiders War is entrenched in a layered conflict that has simmered for centuries between the ancient weapons clans. Green Arrow and the Arrow Clan are at the epicenter of this conflict. Unlike the other clans, the Arrow Clan has been without leadership for years and its totem has been missing for just as long. The villain Komodo is eager to claim the totem for himself in order to procure leadership of the Arrow Clan, but he must eliminate Green Arrow and Shado to do that. What’s great about all of this is that our titular hero couldn’t give two flying flips about the clans or their totems. He just wants to get rid of Komodo and rescue the half-sister he just found out existed.

Responsibility, destiny and expectation are clear themes throughout The Outsiders War. Green Arrow feels responsible for all the hurt Komodo has inflicted upon his loved ones, while newly introduced Diggle feels responsible for protecting Seattle from a gang war bubbling up in the city. This helps to define both characters, giving one a sense of maturity and the other motivation. Meanwhile, destiny and expectation are interwoven as we learn that Robert Queen had a prophetic view on who he wanted his son Oliver to become. It’s a startling revelation, one which shakes Oliver to his very core. The real conflict then comes in whether Oliver chooses to become who his father wanted him to be or whether he becomes something else entirely. There’s never really any question as to whether good will triumph over evil. Komodo will go down, that’s never in doubt. What is uncertain is what path Oliver will go down and that’s what makes The Outsiders War so damn good.

There are a lot of characters in this arc. That’s to be expected, given the level of build-up involved from The Kill Machine and the overall scale of the narrative. This is a story that spans centuries and expands across the globe. While the vast majority of the characters here are either original creations or are part of the Green Arrow mythos already, Lemire includes two guest stars that are surprisingly brilliant as an ally and villain respectively. They are Katana and Onyx.

Katana, as we find out, possesses the totem of the Sword Clan and she is dragged into the war as an ally for the forces of good. I’ll admit to being biased when it comes to Katana, so while I was thrilled she was a guest star, it was still a bummer to see that she didn’t have as much panel time as I would have liked.

In the Pre-Flashpoint continuity, Onyx was an antihero largely associated with the Batman segment of the DC Universe. Here, she’s reimagined as the leader of the Fist Clan. She’s tough (duh) and is allied with the villainous Spear and Shield Clans. Her purpose in the narrative is largely to stand around being sassy, that is until she has an epic Kill Bill-esque showdown with Katana. It’s one of the most memorable moments from The Outsiders War, especially due to Katana’s deadpan humour during the fight.

There’s no contesting that Lemire and Sorrentino deliver yet another epic arc on Green Arrow. With The Outsiders War, Lemire unravels the mysteries that have shrouded Oliver’s past in order to give the character a new sense of purpose and clarity. The writing is crisp, fast-paced and, at times, quite funny. It strikes the perfect balance between relentless violence with layered character development. Lemire knows how to write nuanced personalities, as well as how to pull off a good twist. In other words, he is to Green Arrow what Gail Simone is to Batgirl. If you’re looking for a Green Arrow trade to pick up, you really can’t go wrong with The Outsiders War.

RATING: A