Green Arrow #46 // Review
The residents of Star City have been called into action in the latest Green Arrow story, as a man named the Citizen allows people to vote on whether or not a crooked one percenter should be killed or spared. The tale continues in Green Arrow issue #46, which is written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson, art by German Peralta, colors by Josh Kalisz, and letters by Deron Bennett. Oliver Queen has been exposed as a murderer by the Citizen, as he reveals to the public a car accident Oliver was in when he was younger killed a woman, and his father covered the whole thing up. After reeling himself back in from the death and funeral of Roy, Oliver must get back to finding the Citizen and stopping him.
The Citizen ushers forth hordes of regular civilians on the “one percenters,” and Green Arrow and Black Canary try their hardest to fight against the mobs. They each take a different approach in trying to track down who the Citizen might be. As Black Canary speaks to an employee of a real estate tycoon that was killed by the Citizen, she gains a hopeful lead as to who could potentially be under the mask. Green Arrow visits an old friend of Oliver Queen’s in hopes of learning how the crime scene photos got leaked, and whether Oliver is actually at fault.
Julie and Shawna have pinned Oliver into a corner, as the public and the Citizen want him to be imprisoned on the belief that he’s a murderer. The two tell an intriguing tale about how powerful the usage of social media can be, and how the power behind a united group of people can be nearly unstoppable. As the story progresses, it will be interesting to see how Oliver pulls himself out of this while also coping with Roy’s death.
The illustrations provided by German Peralta are captivating, capturing the moments of a united front between Green Arrow and Black Canary. There’s plenty of raw emotion etched into the characters, as Oliver tries to remain his normal self even though his world is falling apart around him and others are scared for their own lives. There is a seeming lack of in-depth detail when it comes to the active and moving panels, and the backgrounds provided also seemed rather bland. The colors provided by Josh Kalisz are dark and bold, and aid in setting the mood for when the scene is more intense and serious. The colors set the tone and help the story progress smoothly, as the Green Arrow is a character chock-full of emotions and he isn’t afraid to convey them.
The Citizen does seem like an intriguing enemy for Green Arrow to have to face off against, and it’s gripping to see him go up against someone who pretty much shares his views. With the story strongly focused on the people, and Green Arrow just trying to find the mastermind behind it all, he seems like he’s lost in a sea.
