Green Arrow #31 review: Hard Traveling Heroes

In Green Arrow #31, Oliver Queen is ending his road trip across America high above Star City, but he’s no longer alone.

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Written by: Benjamin Percy

Art and Color by: Otto Schmidt

Lettering by: Nate Piekos of BLAMBOT

Cover by: Otto Schmidt

Variant Cover by: Mike Grell and Lovern Kindzierski

For the past several issues, Green Arrow has been on a tour of America and their greatest heroes. He has never learned to work all that well with others, but his time away from Star City has taught him that an archer cannot always save the world alone.

Ben Percy’s take on Green Arrow has been one of the best things to come out of DC’s Rebirth and Otto Schmidt’s artwork has been something of a revelation to comic readers. This series is the highest profile work he has ever done and the new dynamic look he gave Green Arrow has established this series as something very unique. The past thirty issues have led to this moment and Oliver Queen’s battle with the Ninth Circle comes to a head. They have taken everything from him and had him kicked out of his own town. He has spent weeks hunting their efforts across America and teaming up with high-profile heroes alone the way.

Image: Dccomics, Art by Otto Schmidt

This version of the Green Arrow has never been a member of the Justice League and usually rejects the help of others. This latest struggle has broken Oliver down and taught him to accept help from wherever he can get it. We pick up the issue right on the tail end of his team-up with Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern, and Oliver was left drifting in the vacuum of space with no hope of rescue.

Image: Dc comics, art by Otto Schmidt

The action in this particular issue is brief but well done. It is more about Oliver Queen the man and the journey he has gone on throughout his battle with the Ninth Circle. He comes to know himself and his limitations better than ever before. At the end of the story, when the League finally offers him a seat at the table Oliver’s response defines who the Green Arrow really is and the rogue-like nature that the character has had since his original inception all those years ago.

We also get nice closure on the Black Canary story that has been running concurrently to Green Arrow’s. The two of them are more alike than they might ever care to admit and I, for one, look forward to when they inevitably reunite. This issue brings a powerful end to a long-running storyline. It really is a great example of how character arcs in comics should work. Everyone has been changed by what they’ve gone through and we are left looking forward to what comes next. I recommend Ben Percy’s whole run on Green Arrow and especially this 6-part story of the ‘Hard-Traveling Hero.’

Next: Hidden Gem: Invincible Iron Man#11 review-real life heroes

Next month Green Arrow joins in on the Gotham Resistance, part of DC’s Metal crossover, don’t miss out.

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