Written by Julie Benson and Shawna Benson
Illustrated by Javier Fernandez
Published by DC Comics
Man, what an issue.
Make sure to read Heroes in Crisis before you read it though. Don’t read this review until you have because it’s a doozy. Then come back here and read this review!
I’ll wait.
Are you back?
Okay, here goes.
So this issue begins with the funeral of Roy Harper. It’s an emotional and terrible event as you might imagine.
This causes a ripple right in the center of Oliver Queen’s life as you might imagine. The most emotional moment is when Bird leaves Roy his first bow on his grave.
That moment made me tear up a bit.
Roy Harper is a major DC character and I can’t believe honestly he’s gone. One of the first Green Arrow comics I read had him in it.
And he’s had a ton of trouble over the years. Oliver is understandably upset at the funeral. He gets into a fight with Clark. He handles it in a real way. The Bensons handle this issue with grace and class. They make everything ring true.
Oliver becomes unreasonable. He asks Green Lantern to create something that will bring Roy back. When Hal tells him he can’t, the Martian Manhunter steps in and calms him down. We get some flashbacks.
Some stories are told. And it all feels human and relatable.
And so, the funeral ends. Oliver gets himself together and composes himself the best way he knows how.
And then he sets forth to continue his life as a superhero.
But not only that, he goes forth to continue his life as a person. The Bensons do a great job of writing this issue and making it simple yet completely powerful.
The art by Fernandez is incredible. It hits all the right emotional beats. It works so well with the story to make it all unforgettable. This is something else indeed.
Of course this is just the opening salvo of the Heroes in Crisis storyline and related crossovers. It can only get better. For now though, this is an incredible issue of Green Arrow.
RATING: A
