Review:Â Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #7 (Final Issue)
[Editor’s Note: This review may contain spoilers]
Writer:Â Brandon Thomas
Art:Â Ronan Cliquet and Oclair Albert
Colors: Ulises Arreola
Letters:Â Josh Reed
Reviewed by:Â Matthew B. Lloyd
Summary
Green Arrow must convince Aquaman to give up the current timeline and the his unfractured family in order to restore the original.
Positives
Like the rest of the series, Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #7 maintains that Silver Age feel and uses it to good effect. There are clearly serious implications for manipulating the timeline, but we only get glimpses throughout the series- and sometimes they lean into humor- Planet of the Lizards! Like many Silver Age comics, this is a series focused on fun. It blends science fiction, espionage, super-heroics. There’s bigger things at stake, but the series keeps it focused on Aquaman and Green Arrow.
Thomas brings in a more personal element to the plot as we learn that in this timeline Arthur’s mother is not dead and he and Orm (his brother, Ocean Master) rule together happily with no enmity between them. It’s a nice story beat, but we never really believe Arthur isn’t going to give in to Oliver’s entreaty to help him restore the proper timeline. Bringing it all back to Atlanna (Arthur’s mother) on the final page is a nice touch, however.
Negatives
Despite the nice emotional ending, Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #7 needs more content in the denouement. It feels a little unfinished. A little more about the changes in the timeline that Oliver convinces Arthur to give up would’ve been nice. This would also provided the opportunity to show the reader how wonderful life is with the restoration of Arthur’s family. Additionally, it would be nice to learn more about Scorpio and sort of how everything worked and who Anderton/ Anderson was before. It seems like there are some missed opportunities and the series would’ve benefited from an eighth issue.
Verdict
All in all, Aquaman/Green Arrow: Deep Target #7 is a fun issue with a little bit of heart. It gets the job done, though it leaves a lot of room for a stronger final act. It’s a nice way of celebrating the 80th Anniversary of these two who are a strange pairing, but who’ve historically been linked since their first appearances in More Fun Comics #73. They shared many issues of that title as well as Adventure Comics through the end of the Golden Age and much of the Silver Age.
