Green Arrow #29

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Letterer: Nate Piekos

Benjamin Percy brings Green Arrow to Gotham, continuing his mission to hunt down the Ninth Circle. I was personally excited for this issue because Juan Ferreyra is one of the best artists in the industry right now and I was so excited to see his take on Batman and Gotham. The first few pages alone are some of the most gorgeously coloured and conceptualised panels I've ever seen, with a great emphasis on the reds present in the scene. Ferreyra captures the sickening nature of Gotham, as does Percy to a lesser extent, and portrays the Ninth Circle as more of a disgusting force of nature than ever before.

Another organisation also features in this issue, which I honestly wasn't expecting and made sense to me upon seeing them. Percy made this issue a bit too action-heavy, and a lot of the dialogue didn't hit at all for me. It was oddly paced as well, and is similarly paced like the previous issue in that Green Arrow and his new partner fight a group of enemies for most of the issue and have a more intimate conversation for a few panels at the end of the issue. It's kind of disappointing to see such a lack of satisfying scenes between the characters.

I'm starting to think this arc might just be an artist showcase, since Otto Schmidt is drawing the next issue according to DC's website. Every artist on the arc so far, with the exception of Stephen Byrne, are unique and exceptional artists and I'm here to see their take on the DC universe rather than the story.

I'd like to get back to the art for just a second. I love the contrast between Metropolis and Gotham that Ferreyra so perfectly captures. The dichotomy between the bright, almost safe haven of Metropolis to the dingy, dark, and grimy Gotham is so well-realised.

There's not much here in terms of story, but this issue is an absolutely joy to behold. Excellent panelling and great character designs are what you'll find in this issue.