Saturday Catch-Up: Green Arrow
Aug. 2nd, 2025 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
babbling_bookendsI spent my Saturday finally getting caught up on the ongoing Green Arrow, which I've been meaning to do for ages but just didn't have the time or energy. I fell off the series after issue 09, which was published way back in February 2024, partly because I was just stretched too thin to keep up with all my comics due to some life things, and partly because the whole Absolute Power, Amanda Waller-takes-over-the-Earth event just didn't catch my interest that much. Which isn't to say I didn't enjoy it in Green Arrow! It wasn't bad, just not my cup of tea. Reception for Joshua Williamson's run on Green Arrow seems to be lukewarm on average; some people like it, some people don't, which is fair, but he did succesfully get what was supposed to be a limited series turned into an ongoing, which I think makes his run at least worth a read.
I think part of what makes Chris Condon's first arc such a stand-out to me is that it's very different from Williamson's. Williamson's run was marked by a series of high-profile events: the launch of Dawn of DC, Countdown to Absolute Power, and the Absolute Power event; Condon's first arc was set in Star City without any DC universe shenanigans going on. Williamson's run had an extended cast of Arrowfam heroes; Condon's first arc featured Oliver Queen alone, with a few cameos from Dinah Lance, Roy Harper, and Connor Hawke, and his second arc is (so far) featured around Oliver and Roy, with Dinah and Lian Harper supporting. Large casts can be fun, but they're more work to juggle, which means that sometimes characters are there but don't get much screentime, so to say, which is a shame. I'm eager to see more interactions between Oliver and his family (I'd love to see more of Connor and Mia!) but I think it's wise to add characters in slowly, giving each one the opportunity to really be fleshed out without the constraints of 8 other characters and a plot to manage.
Despite their differences, the concept of family is central to both runs; in Williamson's, Oliver takes action alone to protect his family, even though it alienates him from them. In Condon's, even though Oliver is working alone again, central to the first arc is an entire community of families hurt and torn apart by forces beyond their control, and in the second arc, (which isn't finished yet) Oliver and Roy work together and rediscover how good it can be.
I'm also going to take a moment of appreciation for Montos, the artist on Condon's run. He draws Oliver so pretty. I struggled to pick just one panel to show off, because there were so many that had Ollie looking like an absolute dreamboat of a man. Even in costume with almost all of his body concealed, he looked good! And that's why you get no panels. You'll just have to go read the comic yourself to see what I'm talking about :)
I think part of what makes Chris Condon's first arc such a stand-out to me is that it's very different from Williamson's. Williamson's run was marked by a series of high-profile events: the launch of Dawn of DC, Countdown to Absolute Power, and the Absolute Power event; Condon's first arc was set in Star City without any DC universe shenanigans going on. Williamson's run had an extended cast of Arrowfam heroes; Condon's first arc featured Oliver Queen alone, with a few cameos from Dinah Lance, Roy Harper, and Connor Hawke, and his second arc is (so far) featured around Oliver and Roy, with Dinah and Lian Harper supporting. Large casts can be fun, but they're more work to juggle, which means that sometimes characters are there but don't get much screentime, so to say, which is a shame. I'm eager to see more interactions between Oliver and his family (I'd love to see more of Connor and Mia!) but I think it's wise to add characters in slowly, giving each one the opportunity to really be fleshed out without the constraints of 8 other characters and a plot to manage.
Despite their differences, the concept of family is central to both runs; in Williamson's, Oliver takes action alone to protect his family, even though it alienates him from them. In Condon's, even though Oliver is working alone again, central to the first arc is an entire community of families hurt and torn apart by forces beyond their control, and in the second arc, (which isn't finished yet) Oliver and Roy work together and rediscover how good it can be.
I'm also going to take a moment of appreciation for Montos, the artist on Condon's run. He draws Oliver so pretty. I struggled to pick just one panel to show off, because there were so many that had Ollie looking like an absolute dreamboat of a man. Even in costume with almost all of his body concealed, he looked good! And that's why you get no panels. You'll just have to go read the comic yourself to see what I'm talking about :)
