Convergence: Green Arrow #1 Review

Writer: Christy Marx / Artist: Rags Morales / DC Comics

Because I’m not a huge Green Arrow fan [insert crowd booing here] I originally didn’t look twice at this comic; I do enjoy Ollie every now and then but definitely in small doses tempered by some Dinah. But add Connor Hawke to the mix? Lovable, kickass, everyone’s-favorite-triracial-superhero Connor Hawke? Y’all, I would stop traffic with my bare hands for this dude if it came down to it.

Of course, it helps to convince other people of this love when Connor actually looks… y’know… like himself. To be fair, this is certainly not the worst representation out there—hell, he’s actually brown, which is huge! Maybe it’s Rags Morales’ lineart that makes Connor so disturbingly resemble Mr. Clean at times (drawing him bald probably doesn’t help but it’s canon). Maybe it’s Nei Ruffine’s strange watered down Earl Grey palette (people like to do this weird thing where they forget that Connor’s mother Moonday has a deep brown complexion) and odd shading that throw me off. Whatever it is, it’s distracting and occurs throughout comic.

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Christy Marx’s storyline adds a bit of a silver lining, however; while Green Arrow has been doing his best to rise on the “even playing field” of a metahumanless hero community (read: riding on a motorcycle and saving drunks), we a find a new threat has taken over local communities in the form of the Brothers of Purity, i.e. every internet troll who has ever basked in the privilege of the White CisHet Patriarchy without consequence. What follows is your typical Connor narrative: Connor battles racists because being mixed = anti-racism, Connor meets Green Arrow and reveals he’s his son (after shooting off an impressive literal green arrow out of Green Arrow flares), Connor gets rejected and spends his life reeling from massive daddy issues. End scene.

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While there have definitely been more cringe-worthy introductions to Connor, this comic still feels like a solid “meh.” Ollie is mostly a jerk with sparse cleverness and even less cool fights to balance it out, though Connor’s skill and incredible ability to adapt to the dome conditions are interesting. Final verdict: if someone handed you this comic or you found it on the sidewalk, I’d suggest taking it. Otherwise? Save yourself the trouble and money for other Convergence titles this month.

 

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  • Lauren Bullock

    Contributor

    Lauren is a writer, performer, and reincarnated sailor senshi. She enjoys long walks in the woods and fighting crime as a costumed vigilante of many aliases.

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