Green Arrow #21

Writer: Benjamin Percy

Artist: Juan Ferreyra

Publisher: DC Comics

This is the arc the whole series has been building towards. It's a big and personal story for Oliver Queen, who's been in a bit of a rut ever since the series first started. The Ninth Circle has destroyed Oliver, and he thinks it's time he got his life back. This issue did a good job at setting up this arc, even though not much really happened.

New readers are meant to hop on board with this arc. It's VERY new-reader friendly, as Oliver recaps what has been happening lately. All the important information is presented, with the exception of his adventure with Roy Harper. What this issue really focuses on is the Ninth Circle's plan. They're seriously evil bastards, and Benjamin Percy does an excellent job at setting up the human cost. A plane crashes, but we meet the people on board. A building topples over, but we see a couple in each other's arms moments before it comes tumbling down. The human element is what Green Arrow is fighting for, and that's what makes the character so special, which hopefully means we get a good story out of it.

The real star of the show is Juan Ferreyra's art. Green Arrow has some of DC's best art, with its main artists providing very different takes on the world presented. Juan Ferreyra's art is dark and ominous, as he uses a paint-like aesthetic with his art that excellently highlights colours. His double page spreads are absolutely gorgeous to look at. I hope Ferreyra draws the whole arc, mostly for consistency purposes but also to see what he does with the story.

Aside from the art and the recap, there isn't much to this issue. We know a lot of the information given to us, but this set-up has me excited for the story going forward.