Green Arrow #0

Oliver Queen has been sent to work on one of his father’s oil rigs after messing up every other job his father has given him, and so he doesn’t spoil his record Oliver is doing his best to get thrown off this rig as well. While the rig is in full production good young Ollie is having a beach party complete with bikini clad girls on the oil rig deck in front of all the workers, now as a safety officer I could see several violations in just one panel but as its just a comic I will let it slide this time.

As you can imagine Ollie is not very popular except with the workers who are all trying to do hard manual oil riggy stuff (don’t know how else to put it), but does Ollie care no not really this is Ollie before his Green Arrow days rich, spoilt and selfish.

Unbeknown to Ollie his ferrying of his friends and drink to his party by helicopter has opened up a gap in the rigs security, a gap that the local pirates led by a super pirate called Iron Eagle take advantage of.

It’s here where we see a glimpse of the Ollie we have read over the last 12 issues come to the fore and along with his friend Tommy Merlyn he decides to take the fight to the pirates, this despite the fact that the pirates have wired every one up with explosives including his girlfriend Leena.

Ollie decides to take out Iron Eagle by shooting the detonator out of his hand, and true to form he is dead on shooting an arrow through Iron Eagles hand and making him drop the detonator into the sea. Unfortunately for him the beeping sound that follows means the detonator is about to blow killing all the hostages and destroying the rig, now I’m no expert but I would have thought blowing up your girlfriend may put a dampener on your relationship.

Ollie and Tommy escape from the burning rig where a badly burnt and dying Tommy tells Ollie that these wont be the last people he will kill, Ollie ends up alone on a deserted island where he repents and hones his archery skills (new Arrow TV show tie-in). We then jump forward a year to see a young Roy Harper (Red Hood & the Outlaws) in jail, where he is bailed and offered a job by the now returned Oliver Queen.

All in all its not a bad issue but it isn't as good as the previous 12 issues, the 12 month jump made the issue a bit disjointed and a bit rushed. I couldnt shake of the feeling that this was originaly a two issue story that had been cut down to fit into one issue, I may be wrong on that but thats how it felt.

The final scene with a bandaged patient zero starting to wake up from a coma was a great teaser on things to come, all in all not a great issue but if you have read the previous 12 then it’s worth picking up.

The artwork by Freddie Williams is up to his usual high standards (I'm a Freddie fan), and although the issue was a bit of a let down it wont stop me from continuing to read this book.