Green Arrow #19 - A Review

While many characters suffered from poor characterization and a lack of development in The New 52, it's hard to think of a complex character who underwent greater devolution than Roy Harper. Raised Native American and a proud single-father, his history was scrapped in favor of a vague backstory that hinted at his being a homeless petty criminal whose employment and subsequent falling-out with Green Arrow was never explained... until now.

The story of Green Arrow #19 alternates between flashbacks showcasing the Green Arrow/Speedy relationship and action sequences in the modern day. It is here that Roy Harper and Oliver Queen have crossed paths again, with Roy having come home to aid the tribe that raised him and Oliver tracking the latest crimes against humanity being perpetuated with his company's resources - i.e. building an oil pipeline across sacred Native land.


In just two short issues, Benjamin Percy has done much to negate the damage dealt to Roy Harper. Roy's Native roots have been reaffirmed, though the details of how he came to be adopted have yet to be divulged. And Percy has rebuilt the friendship between Dinah Lance and Roy Harper, albeit under different circumstances than in the original universe. The "big sister looking out for little brother "vibe is there again, even if this Dinah didn't check this Roy into rehab.


Despite there being two separate teams at work in this issue, there is no discontinuity between the pages. Both Eleonora Carlini and Mirka Andolfo utilize a style based around detailed pencils and light inks, so the two complement each other to the point that I'm not entirely certain that one did the flashbacks and the other did the modern day sequences!  Well, whoever did what, the artwork in this issue is fantastic!