Review: Green Arrow Vol. 5- The Outsiders War
Quick Summary
Pros: The main story is filled with meaningful action and awesome feats of archery. There are more than enough unexpected twists to keep this book interesting. The artwork is incredible and works perfectly with the story.
Cons: One of the subplots is necessary but is a bit boring.
Overall: While the last volume was a great introduction, this volume ups the ante and presents an amazing story filled with action and heart. This is a book with emotion, intrigue, and enough twists to keep readers on the edge of their seat for the entire read. Plus, the entire work is so steeped in lore and history that everything feels like it has meaning and very little needs to be explained. This is not a Green Arrow story anyone should miss and is definitely a must-have for fans.
Story
In the previous volume, Jeff Lemire started to introduce characters and storylines designed to lead Green Arrow into an epic battle for the fate of the world. In Green Arrow Vol. 5: The Outsiders War, he delivers on all this and more. The intense mythos and backstory developed in the previous volume gives this one weight and substance that bleeds through on nearly every page. This is a story with action, suspense, and more unexpected twists than I could count. The Outsiders War is fantastic and is sure to be remembered as one of the better Green Arrow stories out there.
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The previous volume did an absolutely fantastic job in setting things up for this volume to be successful. The mystery behind the enigmatic Outsiders and the importance of the different clans becomes relevant as each play a huge role here. Setup like this allows the clans to be distinct and instantly recognizable with little to no effort from either narration or dialogue.
All of this serves in allowing the actual storyline to be the absolute rollercoaster ride of thrills that it ends up being. Oliver and Shado manage to reach the totem arrow and are plunged headfirst into the Outsiders War. They face off against the Shield Clan, the Spear Clan, the Fist Clan, and even team up with the Sword Clan and the Axe Clan. This war is full of action and suspense, with plenty of moments that will keep readers on the edge of their seats.
Yet this isn’t even the best part of this narrative, as the twists and unexpected reveals are what keep things truly interesting. Soon after realizing that the torture he suffered on the island was commissioned by his own father, Oliver discovers that his father is actually still alive. Then, the narrative pushes further and has Komodo take over the Outsiders and shoot an arrow through Oliver’s head. It is then revealed that this was a deception and that Komodo didn’t actually kill Oliver. However, Komodo is actually killed by the girl he raised as his own daughter. The crazy part about this is that this constant stream of twists and turns never feels forced or inorganic in any way; none of them feel like a twist for the sake of having a twist. This means that everything is always fresh and always interesting, in a read that is guaranteed to hold one’s interest.
My only complaint with this entire volume is that B story is a bit boring, especially when compared to the main story. It is focused back on Seattle and a rising gang war that Team Arrow is dealing with. I completely acknowledge that this less exciting story is necessary to set up the next volume. However, I also have to acknowledge that this story is less exciting.
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Art
In The Outsiders War, artist Andrea Sorrentino is even more ambitious than before. His artwork here is bold and detailed, with a style that shifts and changes in response to the story. Marcelo Maiolo’s colors also help with this and allow for distinct mood changes between pages of a story that has a lot of them. There are so many positives to the artwork in this volume that it is almost overwhelming to review, though I will admit that my favorite part of the book was probably the paneling. Sorrentino will draw pages set inside a cathedral with intense Gothic borders or will draw some pages entirely within the letters of onomatopoeia. It adds a level of diversity to the book that few others comics have and makes the entire collection look even better.
Continuity
Green Arrow Vol. 5: The Outsiders War flows directly out of the events of Green Arrow Vol. 4: The Kill Machine (Review).
The story continues in Green Arrow Vol. 6: Broken.
This volume also makes a reference to another comic book, detailed below.
- This collection starts off with a “Zero Year” tie-in. While this tie-in is pretty independent, it does reference the events of Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year-Secret City (Review).
- Katana mentions her and Oliver’s time together in the Justice League of America. This time is mostly detailed in Justice League of America Vol. 1: World’s Most Dangerous (Review).