Green Arrow #26

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Stephen Byrne

Publisher: DC Comics

Following the disappointing Rise of Star City storyline, Benjamin Percy sends Oliver Queen on a cross-country arc that has him interacting with major DC heroes in an attempt to finally take down the Ninth Circle.

As you can tell by the wonderful Otto Schmidt cover, Oliver meets the Flash, and they have a nice little team-up. This title has been very self-contained ever since Rebirth started, and it's nice to see Oliver interact with the wider DC Universe. Oliver and Barry have a fun rapport, which even highlights the hostility that the Justice League have against Green Arrow.

Stephen Byrne has done art for the series before, and it was alright. His cartoony style didn't always look good, and it didn't always fit the tone of the story, but there were some scenes that looked great, particularly in the issue's final few pages. There will be multiple artists on this arc to give each DC character and location and certain vibe, which I fully support, and I can't wait to see what comes next.

As for the story, it was one of the better issues of this series. It's nicely paced and even ties into the current Flash run by Joshua Williamson and his overarching Black Hole storyline, which I greatly appreciated. While also tying in to the previous year of stories, Percy actually keeps the issue relatively exposition-light and that's something I always appreciate. There's a clear goal on both ends, as Oliver has his own mission, while Black Canary and the rest of Oliver's allies aim to dig deep into the conspiracy back in Seattle.

This was one of the most fun issues of the series yet, which was slightly bogged down by the art. Byrne isn't as good as Juan Ferreyra and Otto Schmidt, although his art had moments of greatness. Branching out this book to have Oliver interact with a bunch of DC heroes is something I'm looking forward to see, which will make for a nice Green Arrow summer read.