Green Arrow #24

By Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, & Marcelo Maiolo

Green Arrow #24 brings the climactic finale to the Count Vertigo story. Writer Jeff Lemire and artist Andrea Sorrentino manage to cap off this storyline in a satisfying way while also making it new reader friendly for new adopters on the heels of Villain’s Month; not an easy task.

It’s astounding what Lemire has done with Count Vertigo in such a short amount of time. He turned him from a lame low-tier villain to a villain who arguably causes the most damage since Darkseid appeared in the first Justice League story. It’s also a testament to Lemire’s skills that the title character’s supporting characters are just as interesting, if not more so, than Green Arrow in this issue. Shado and Naomi’s instant rivalry is great and Shado’s remark that “she’s fallen for a Queen as well” shows how much they have in common.

The final page is a bit questionable, however. If Lemire wanted this character in the book then it will be interesting to see what he has planned for him, but if this was a request of DC higher-ups then it may feel a bit shoe-horned into the story. Based only on issue #24 it feels like the latter.

Sorrentino and colorist Marcelo Maiolo knock another issue out of the park. Sorrentino’s style seems perfectly matched with Count Vertigo’s power set and, as has become standard for the new artist, he has a two-page spread that kicks you in the teeth it’s so good. He also draws action as good as any of them. The fight between Shado and the mystery man flowed great and Sorrentino’s use of boxes to point out specific areas was used at its best to date.

I think everyone can agree that Marcelo Maiolo’s name deserves to be on the cover of this book. What he brings to the table adds just as much to the tone of the book as Lemire and Sorrentino. His coloring for the pages of Ollie and Vertigo’s showdown managed to be both bright and gritty at the same time.

Green Arrow #24 is a great conclusion for the long-time readers while being a badass entry point for new adopters. Aside from the questionable appearance at the end of the book, this is a great end to Vertigo’s story (even if it feels a bit too soon). Villain’s Month didn’t slow down this series at all. Pick up this book, people.