Green Arrow: Quiver

by Kevin Smith (W) and Phil Hester (P) and Ande Parks (I)

Published by DC Comics. Originally published as Green Arrow #1-10. Cover price $17.99

The plot: Oliver Queen returns to the DC Universe, only no one, especially Ollie, is quite sure how. Much action, adventure, drama and hilarity ensues as filmmaker Kevin Smith takes on the Emerald Archer and completes a memorable arc and a quality restoration of one of DC’s greatest undead men.

The positives: Kevin Smith is at his absolute best here. I’m not particularly a fan of any of his movies, but he nails the Green Arrow and manages to weave Queen’s politics and personality seamlessly into a story packed with so many things I dare say I wouldn’t have bothered to pick it up if I would have known about them in advance. There are so many different directions taken by this story that I think it must be read to be believed, because any back-cover blurb combining political humor and magic and demons would have likely turned me away. As Smith says in his intro, he wrote the Green Arrow story he would have liked to have read if it were written by someone else, and I have to think he accomplished that goal.

Phil Hester’s art is bold, simple and powerful, in a way that perfectly suits an action-oriented comic. To some, a simple style might seem juvenile or indicative of a lack of talent, but Hester is clearly employing a deliberate style for effect, and it fits the book well. Just as Neal Adams’ lifelike renditions were pitch perfect for the Green Arrow’s legendary travels into real-life drama and politics, Hester’s art is spot on when it comes to riding giant whales, visiting moon bases and exploring the afterlife (all with plenty of flying arrows throughout).

The bad: There is a lot of DC history in this book, with plenty of references to the Green Arrow’s past and supporting characters. Most of it is handled in a way so as not to lose the reader, but there is plenty of it, so be warned if you’re completely unfamiliar with anything about the Green Arrow. Also, had I been purchasing this one issue at a time, I might have given up on it, because it takes several issues for the real underlying mystery to reveal itself. Reading it in trade form, one is less likely to give up, but it does still take a while for the story to go from good and entertaining to great and intriguing.

The grade: A. I would love to give this an A+, as it was one of the best trades I’ve read in ages, and instantly one of my all-time favorite stories. If you don’t mind not knowing who everyone is, it’s a great introduction to the Green Arrow and a great fleshing-out of the character if you only know him from JLA cameos and company crossovers. Only the heavy references to the DCU (which suit the story well, mind you) stop this from being one of those books I’d love to push onto non-comics readers. The humor is sincere, the emotions are genuine, and the action and adventure are what make superhero comics great.