Broken Frontier

DC’s Robin Hood, Oliver Queen of Queen Industries, is minus a beard but plus tons of fun technology.

The trademark goatee is gone, but Oliver Queen’s witty banter and left-leaning sensibilities still reign supreme in Green Arrow #1.  The vast majority of Green Arrow #1 follows Oliver Queen as he races through Paris battling disturbing villains.  This typical superhero scenario may seem less than spectacular, but writer J.T. Krul packs in enough humor and fresh tactics to keep the energy moving.

This younger incarnation of Oliver Queen aims to take Queen Industries to the top of the technological ladder and replace familiar competitors like Waynetech and LexCorp.  Q-Core, a covert high-tech division of Queen Industries, has outfitted Ollie with cutting-edge technology, including arrows that allow Q-Core members to remotely access vehicles, and the ability to illegally hack government information and correspondents.  If Krul aimed to make one thing clear, it is that Green Arrow is no longer a one-man mission, but a full-force technological operation to take on crime throughout the world.

Krul does not share all the secrets of Green Arrow, however.  Ollie’s motivations to take a sabbatical from his responsibilities as head of Queen Industries and wear the trademark green hood are left hidden.  Krul is slowly creating a tragic backstory for Queen, one that forced him from his comfortable seat of irresponsibility into becoming the hero he now is.

Dan Jurgens’ pencils perfectly capture the new technologically focused tone of Green Arrow.  The numerous tech interfaces that Q-Core utilizes are incredibly diverse, detailed, and fun to dissect.  Beyond the small detailed creations are the large and well-crafted backgrounds throughout Paris, including a backdrop of the Eiffel Tower at dusk.  While the tech and settings are gorgeous to look at, Jurgens’ character forms tend to leave a little more to be desired.  Oftentimes, the characters fail to reflect the same level of detail seen in backgrounds, buildings, and other set-pieces.

Green Arrow #1 marks a brand new direction for Oliver Queen.  The new tone will certainly satiate the appetite for those craving a more street level and technologically focused hero, one who is not limited to Star City alone.  Even though some new changes have been made, Green Arrow remains the champion of the common citizen in the DC Universe.