[Editor’s note: This review may contain spoilers.]
Writer: Benjamin Percy
Artist: Otto Schmidt
Summary
Team Arrow teams up with the Police Chief in order to take on the Vice Squad.
Positives
The cover is pretty cool. I like the bow splitting the two characters; it’s a neat effect. The cover is trying to play Ollie and Malcolm as two sides of the same coin. I could see that working in the story but it’s not present in the actual story of the issue.
The art and colors are by Otto Schmidt and it’s all really good. My favorite part of the art is when Green Arrow and Red Arrow hug while stuff blows up behind them. The contrast between the warmth of the hug and the destruction is fairly hilarious. The faces are nicely expressive and the action looks damn cool.
I love having Emi back; her presence has been missed. Her attitude is refreshing and I have a lot of fun with her interactions with Ollie. I have four siblings which is why I think this dynamic appeals to me so much. Benjamin Percy writes the two very well and it’s my favorite aspect of the issue.
I want to laugh at this guy who is running for mayor but it’s hard to with certain political realities. Green Arrow has always been a politically charged book so it makes sense for Percy to tackle the current political situation and I think he’s handling it well.
The ending is great; it was a genuine surprise.
Negatives
This is a minor quibble but there is a small mistake. The cover gives credit to Juan Ferreyra but the interior credits says Schmidt is the artist. I am familiar enough with their styles that I know it’s Schmidt so the cover is wrong.
Verdict
I love the issue. Emiko being back makes me really happy. It’s cool to have a Red Arrow with Green Arrow and Black Canary again and it makes perfect sense for it to be Emi. I like the police chief and that he is not easily manipulated by what has happened in the previous issues. He’s smarter than that and able to recognize that Green Arrow is trying to help. The art is great with a nice intense action scene. If you’re reading just for the Green Arrow/Black Canary dynamic, you might be disappointed because she takes a back seat. I am okay with that because I like Emiko. I highly recommend reading this issue.
