Connect with us
Green Arrow #30 Review

Comic Books

Green Arrow #30 Review

The Green team is back together for the first time in the Rebirth era. Can it live up to expectations?

[amazon_link asins=’B073JVMF58′ template=’AiPTProductAd’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’80178ebb-92b6-11e7-9816-f1dfe22f6af7′]

It’s the team-up we’ve all been waiting for! That’s what the solicit says, so it must be true! In Green Arrow #30, Hal Jordan returns to give Ollie a helping hand. Can they get along? Is it good?

Listen to the latest episode of our weekly comics podcast!

The Skinny

That’s right, the mean, green team is back together (though one wears it better), as the Arrow’s street level adventure needs a space-sized boost. The evil Ninth Circle “black bank” has torn down and rebuilt Oliver Queen’s home of Seattle, and are using a geosynchronous satellite to keep tabs on it all. Sounds like a job for a space cop!

While Black Canary holds things down back on terra firma, and after the requisite reunion banter, the emerald allies jet up to the Clarke belt (a real thing!) to take care of business, only to get separated just as the bromance blossoms. Don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone. Goes for friends and, ya know, oxygen.

The Lowdown

Green Arrow #30 opens with a nice, artful and fair depiction of a lot of the concerns held by varied Americans right now. It kind of goes downhill from there, though, into a standard “evil corporation, greed and environmental destruction” parable — which is fine, I guess, considering the political leanings of the majority of comic readers, but it’s not as nuanced as the old days of Green Arrow (which are, naturally, referenced in the dialogue).

Green Arrow #30 Review

Writer Benjamin Percy also interjects a strange, informational interlude as the pair blasts off, while trying to avoid space debris. As a scientist, that’s cool for me, but it doesn’t seem to pertain much to the actual story progression, and the facts get muddled into silliness as Arrow and Lantern find what they’re looking for just by looking up. The predictable tripping of defenses at the end typifies the kind of “averageness” that permeates the whole book.

Black Canary only gets a couple pages to advance her mission, though it’s done capably and with arguably (and surprisingly?) more effective colors than in the rest of Green Arrow #30. The darker shades hammer home the despair of the underground, and the red eyes of the boss’ underlings are piercing enough to be creepy. Despite coloring his own work, the greens of Lantern’s constructs seem to wash out Otto Schmidt’s lines that distinguish what he’s crafting, making the objects blobbier than they should be.

Schmidt tries for some nice perspective shots here and there, with middling results, but his facial features leave something to be desired. Everyone’s head seems to be the exact same shape, leaving only beards and masks to tell who’s who. There’s also a hurried feeling to his figures that could evoke the worst tendencies of ’90s artists to readers with long memories.

Green Arrow #30 Review

[amazon_link asins=’B073JVMF58′ template=’BottomAdAIPT’ store=’aiptcomics-20′ marketplace=’US’ link_id=’e9d542a3-92b6-11e7-a477-992ed7a871b0′]

The Upshot

If DC’s Rebirth is really about getting back to basics, Green Arrow #30 is a great example. Both the art and the dialogue can feel kind of dated and ordinary, with not much to set it apart from a million other comics that have come before. There’s something to be said for returning to what the fans are familiar with and hungry for, but treading the same old ground without the unique kinds of tweaks that made the best of those old stories stand out can just lead to boredom, which is assuredly not the desired outcome.

Green Arrow #30 Review
Green Arrow #30
Is it good?
It's an average comic in every possible way. Probably not what DC meant when promoting a "back to basics" approach.
Hey, a cool science interlude!
Nice colors during the Black Canary scene
Sometimes circuitous dialogue
Coloring can obscure the lines
Standard tropes
6
Average

Join the AIPT Patreon

Want to take our relationship to the next level? Become a patron today to gain access to exclusive perks, such as:

  • ❌ Remove all ads on the website
  • 💬 Join our Discord community, where we chat about the latest news and releases from everything we cover on AIPT
  • 📗 Access to our monthly book club
  • 📦 Get a physical trade paperback shipped to you every month
  • 💥 And more!
Sign up today
Comments

In Case You Missed It

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024 WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

WWE SmackDown preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024 AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

AEW Dynamite preview, full card: February 28, 2024

Pro Wrestling

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024 AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

AEW Rampage preview, full card: March 1, 2024

Pro Wrestling

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt' Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in 'Blood Hunt'

Marvel unveils the new villains Bloodcoven appearing in ‘Blood Hunt’

Comic Books

Connect
Newsletter Signup