By Zack Quaintance — Today marks the release of Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1, the most recent of DC Comics’ ongoing set of character anniversary celebration comics. The way these comics are formatted is pretty simple. They’re all giant anthologies (this one is 100 pages, and I think all the previous celebrations have been 80 - 100 as well), put together by a dozen-plus different creators, usually a mix of folks who have long been associated with said characters, plus some rising and current DC Comics stars. The stories cover the character’s past, present, future, generally touching on different eras and incorporating any and all members of the supporting cast over the years.

At least, that is if they’re done well. So far, entries in this 80th anniversary series have included Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, The Joker, Catwoman, The Flash, and Green Lantern (curiously, Shazam!/Captain Marvel did not get one when that time came, but I digress…). Anyway, my point is that Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1 was one of the entries in this series that was done well, being put together in the ideal way that I described above. In fact, excepting possibly only the book for Superman, I dare say this is the best of DC Comics’ 80th anniversary celebrations so far.

The individual stories in the book are all really well done. One of them, in fact, is among the best short comics I’ve ever read, that one being Tap, Tap, Tap, which sees Denny O’Neil’s son, Larry O’Neil, collaborating with artist Jorge Fornes and colorist Dave Stewart, on a touching silent comic that honors the life, times, and work of his late father, a DC Comics legend and one of the creators most closely associated with Green Arrow. Also from that list, this book includes a new story from Mike Grell (the creator who has defined Green Arrow more than any other, in my opinion), the team of Phil Hester and Ande Parks (who first indoctrinated me to the world of Green Arrow with their late ‘90s run that spanned three big name scripters in Kevin Smith, Brad Meltzer, and Judd Winnick), and even Benjamin Percy with Otto Schmidt, two of the creators who in 2016 revived the Green Arrow comic by pairing Ollie once again with Black Canary as well as his trademark goatee.

It is, in short, an embarrassment of riches for long-time fans of the character, and it really does a great job capturing what I think is one of the greatest strengths of this IP — its longevity, the variety of tones it has deployed over the years, and the varied cast that has sprung up around Oliver. That’s all looking backward though. Looking ahead, this anthology also gave me reason to be optimistic for the future of Green Arrow with DC Comics, something I haven’t felt in some time.

See, the last time Green Arrow had a proper monthly comic was March 2019. As odd as it sounds, the pandemic was still an entire year away. In other words, a lifetime ago. Granted, we’ve gotten Oliver Queen and the Black Canary in other capacities, namely from Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev’s underrated Event Leviathan series, and the duo is also now appearing in Justice League. It’s just all felt a bit temporary, especially with Green Arrow’s imprint in other media fading of late with the conclusion of the character’s CW television series and not even a rumor of an upcoming film appearance. It’s just felt for a while like Oliver Queen and co. would be regulated to DC’s deep bench, maybe making occasional appearances in the mega franchises that sell better, a la Grifter now being Batman bench character, or Midnighter getting backup stories in Superman comics.

This book, however, features an incredible group of young rising star creators within DC Comics doing great work with Green Arrow and the larger Green Arrow family. Mariko Tamaki teams with Javier Fernandez for the stellar opening story that plays to Green Arrow and Speedy’s roots, Stephanie Phillips and Chris Mooneyham telling a great Connor Hawke story sure to be appreciated by Grant Morrison fans, and more. It all made me confident that even if we don’t get a new Green Arrow series (preferably written by Phillips with art by Mooneyham, because I want more of that), writers like Tamkai, Phillips, Ram V., Brandon Thomas, and Vita Ayala all seem to like these characters to the point we’ll be seeing much more of them in the future at DC Comics.

In the end, this is just such a great tribute to Green Arrow, one that is definitely satisfying to long-time fans of the character like me. I do also think, however, that it stands on its own with a number of stories that will feel satisfying to readers who don’t have a particular attachment to Green Arrow, provided, of course, they are interested in superhero comic books. Even if they’re not, the final story Tap Tap Tap is so good that it may appeal to those outside this corner of fiction, telling as it does a tale of a life lived with a steady output for art and creativity.

Overall: A near-perfect tribute to a long-time superhero character, Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1 stands as one of (if not the) best of DC Comics' 80th birthday anthologies. This book is well worth the price of admission .9.5/10

REVIEW: Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1

Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1
Writers: Mariko Tamaki, Tom Taylor, Stephanie Phillips, Mike Grell, Ram V., Brandon Thomas, Devin Grayson, Phil Hester, Vita Ayala, Benjamin Percy, Jeff Lemire, Larry O’Neil
Artists: Javier Rodriguez, Nicola Scott, Chris Mooneyham, Christopher Mitten, Jorge Corona, Max Fiumara, Phil Hester, Mike Grell, Otto Schmidt, Andrea Sorrentino, Jorge Fornes
Colorists: Annette Kwok, Mike Spicer, Lovern Kindzierski, Ivan Plascencia, Matheus Lopes, Trish Mulvihill, Adriano Lucas, Jordie Bellaire, and Dave Stewart
Letterers: AndWorld Design, Clayton Cowles, Tom Napolitano, Travis Lanham, Aditya Bidikar, Steve Wands, Araina Maher, Clem Robins, Becca Carey, Nate Piekos, and Rob Leigh
Publisher: DC Comics
CELEBRATING THE EMERALD ARCHER’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY! For the last eight decades Green Arrow has been one of the premier (and loudest) characters in the DCU, always at the forefront of where the superhero genre is headed. This over-sized anniversary issue follows in those footsteps, as an all-star lineup of Green Arrow creators, alongside some of the gifted creators of the modern era who have been inpsired by Oliver Queen, unite to pay tribute to the Battling Bowman. See what the past, present and future have in store for Oliver Queen, Black Canary, Connor Hawke, Arsenal, Red Arrow, Speedy, and more in this epic special!
Price: $9.99
Read It Digitally: Green Arrow 80th Anniversary Spectacular #1

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Zack Quaintance is a tech reporter by day and freelance writer by night/weekend. He Tweets compulsively about storytelling and comics as Comics Bookcase.