'Green Arrow' Volume 4: 'The Kill Machine' Comic Review

Sometimes you just have to revisit your favourites to truly appreciate everything else. For me, there are only 2 options. Batman, and the ultimate archer: Green Arrow.

 This is the Black Watcher, and here is the second half of my favourite series reviews, with Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino's 'Green Arrow' Volume 4: The Kill Machine.

Art:

I won't dance around the subject here, because this book's art could quite simply be described as the best collection of modern comic book art I have ever seen. I've always been one to try and avoid claims like that, but in this case the art is just too good not to recognise fully. The story is dark, gloomy and dramatic, and Sorrentino's art acts as a perfect match for this darker tone. Heavy usage of shadow and ink works beautifully with the masterful colours from Marcelo Maiolo, causing a constant back and forth between heavy shadows and silhouettes, alongside the brighter settings in the book such as the Black Mesa desert. While character's hair styles may be somewhat repetetive, the wide range of highly emotive body and face actions meld expertly with the cinematic establishing shots of Seattle and fast paced fight scenes. The art really is, for lack of a better expression, a piece of art.

Story:

The Kill Machine focusses quite strongly on rebooting Green Arrow's post New 52 story, and wastes no time in smoothly erasing the result of one of the character's worst runs in history. It takes Ollie and strips him down to hisnmost basic form. No trick arrows, no team, no support. It is when he's been brought down to this level that the Green Arrow we know and love comes to light. This is a younger, less refined Oliver Queen, but by no means is he less interesting. The story is told with elements of origin intertwined into a strong central narrative that brings family and trust into the forefront, introducing a new villain, Komodo, who has the potential to become one of GA's greatest villains if dealt with well (he has recieved nothing but good writing since his debut). Komodo is another archer, with ties to Ollie's past, and incredible bow skills. His involvement in the story brought an intrigue and complexity to Green Arrow that is unfortunately not always present within his stories, but is flowing strongly in this one. The story also allows for a lot of future developments to be made for the character, showing a secure future for Oliver Queen

Readability:

The Kill Machine is a very easy read, with enough intrigue and suspense on each page to keep you turning. There are a couple of moments in the book where the text is slightly heavy, but this is still well balanced by the plentiful, but not excessive, action scenes that add bursts of primal energy to sections that may initially appear to be somewhat calm.

Verdict:

 The Kill Machine is a fantastic introduction into the ever expanding and ever enthralling world of Green Arrow, and a masterclass in modern comic book art. Pick this up, and do not regret it.

Score:

10/10