Release: May 2026 | Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote | Artist: Rafael Albuquerque | Colorist: Marcello Maiolo | Letterer: Jeff Powell
Absolute Green Arrow has finally arrived! But can the green hooded vigilante stick the landing in their debut issue?
*Absolute Green Arrow #1 SPOILERS ahead!*
MAKING AN EXAMPLE:
Star City, Jubal Slade is drinking while under the watchful eye of Hector Hammond's hired security. The same Hector Hammond that he states killed Oliver Queen. While on the phone, a guard gets taken out with a green arrow through their temple. During Jubal's escape he sees that the entire fleet set to protect him has been killed
A poisoned man with an arrow in his back calls for Jubal and tells him to stay back until the Green Arrow shows up behind Jubal. Claiming that he wants to make an example out of him.
The news of Jubal's death hits social media. And the community is celebrating his death. As it's revealed of his horrible controversies, the every day man is happy that he's gone, but some think that a bigger story is going on here.
Meet Dinah Lance.
A former MMA fighter turned bodyguard for the rich and empowered, she knows that the people she protects aren't her favorite type of people but she bites her teeth and does what she has to. After laying a woman out who shoves her, she continues her therapy sessions.
Trying to talk through her work conflicts, she tells her therapist that she can't just quit her job. She needs to help her dad pay his medical bills. With their insurance barely covering half, she has to do what she can to help him out. Luckily there is an offer for a special assignment that she's thinking of taking up.
A NEW JOB:
While meeting with Malcolm Merlyn at the Hammond offices and he asks about her relationship with Oliver Queen and Jubal Slade. Being their neighbors previously, Dinah formed a relationship with Oliver Queen until he eventually cheated on her. Soon after that, him and Jubal created Green Arrow trading. A way for people to get into trading that are struggling financially. Distributing wealth among those who could benefit from this.
Life was great until Oliver Queen was found dead on the shore with his head bashed in. And now Jubal is found dead as well. Someone is targeting them, and Malcolm is nervous. They need Dinah to protect himself, Hammond and Reese Tyler, the billionaire friend and partner of Hector Hammond.
After viewing the gruesome murder scene of Jubal Slade, with Arrow's shoved into his eyes, she's shown the three potential people who are thought to be this Green Arrow murdered. Roy Harper, Mia Dearden and Tom Hallaway. Wanting to say no to the job, Dinah is forced into it by Hector Hammond. Who takes it up on himself to delete her father's health insurance. Forcing her into a job she doesn't want to take, especially if she wants to keep her father healthy.
Her first day of work is a tough one with Tyler, Merlyn and Hammond already under attack. Arrows come raining down on them, one of them cutting the face of Reese Tyler. Poisoning him and killing him. Not just him but laying out everybody that he sees in this entourage. Even taking the hand of Hector Hammond.
After this, the mystery gets deeper, the body of a dead child is found in Oliver Queens old hideout. Covered in eyes from his arms and all down his torso. What kind of secrets did Oliver Queen hold that even Dinah doesn't know?
CREATIVE TEAM:
Everything in this book, from the art to the contrast of colors, is great. Seeing the horror movie-esque opening sequence while heavy grays gelled with contrasting reds was a great way to make the green on Green Arrow's costume really pop when he shows up. Even scenes like Dinah's therapy give a gloomy blue hue, showing the coldness of her meeting and how closed off she is. When I was wondering why I loved this coloring so much, I noticed Marcello Maiolo was the colorist on this. The Same Marcello Maiolo that I've had high praise for in The Fury of Firestorm.
Even when going through this issue a second time for this review, it was a joy to look at and experience a second time.
The entire creative team on this deserves a round of applause. What a great first issue to kick off this mini-series.
CONCLUSION:
And speaking of this being a mini-series, this is only going to be 6 issues?! Because if so, I wish it could go longer. If this book can keep the vibe that it set up in this first issue, we're in for a fun ride. The mystery of who this killer may be is a great trope for this medium, and this story so far has set it up perfectly.
A story where the title character is actually the antagonist is super up my alley personally. DC has me hook, line, and sinker for sure. Dinah, as the driving force of this book, is a genius choice, and her characters have so much potential to have their own book, even.
Having Dinah be the central connection to everything going on in this story almost gives this a sort of horror movie vibe. Where the title character is the big bad that's trying to be stopped.
Onto Green Arrow himself. A vigilante with good morals who goes about their justice in an illegal way, thus needing to be stopped, can make for some interesting reading. But more importantly, after how this issue ended, I’m intrigued to see Dinah’s dynamic with Green Arrow grow and possibly even find themselves on the same side of this fight.
DC and Pornsak Pichetshote have another win on their hands here within the Absolute Universe. So let's see if this ball can keep on rolling going forward. Definitely go out of your way to pick this up...if you can at least. This seems to already be flying off the shelves.