SPOILERS AHEAD!
Initial Thoughts
Wow! What an ending. Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4, the final issue of this Elseworld series, delivered one of the most shocking endings I can remember for a DC Black title. The way this series ended left me wanting more, which is the sign of a great issue and series. This last issue felt a little rushed, as a fifth issue would have done wonders for this story. However, the cinematic plot structure, along with the art and mature storytelling, still made this a very satisfying and worthwhile experience. The world built in this series is immensely interesting, and I hope there is a second chapter.
I would EASILY read an ongoing series of these three, written by -- and drawn by --. The chemistry between all three heroes was fantastic, and the dialogue felt fresh and unique, like actual grown adults speaking to each other. The writing also characterized all of the heroes, especially Batman, as malleable and imperfect. The ending also reminded us that not everything has a happy ending. Not everyone makes it unscathed or alive, which is what real life is like. Both themes are what make the DC Black Label so valuable. It makes Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Acadia possible.
How to Save The World is Jut as Important a Why?
It was an all-out fight for Batman, Green Lantern, and The Question as they tried to save themselves and the indentured workers from Emil Rotha and his ravenous, untrained army. The issue felt as though our heroes were under siege, with added interpersonal conflict between Batman and The Green Arrow. Rotha was no longer trying to protect his Arcadia project; he was going scorched-earth and killing everyone who was against him. As hard as our heroes tried, there were casualties. So while they captured Rotha, they could not stop the destruction of Arcadia or the death of Ashti, the leader of the worker resistance.
But as much as this was a traditional good-guy-versus-bad-guy story, Gabriel Hardman’s story really challenges the morality of our heroes and questions whether the process is always good, even when it gets the job done. In this particular case, it did not. The internal struggle within heroes, and what would be the Justice League, was infinitely interesting to me. We see that firsthand in the conflict between Bruce and Ollie and in The Question's internal conflict. This will be the lasting legacy of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4, as the conflict over HOW to save the world should be explored more often in comic books.
Not So Happily Ever After
The third act of Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Arcadia #4 was phenomenal, and I think it was not only the peak of the issue but also of the entire series. There was so much going on that it felt like it was too much for our heroes to handle, but that is exactly what I think the daily life of a superhero (if they existed) would be like. There would be a million fires to put out, and sometimes they all can't be put out. It all works so well, and just like the art that we will talk about, it is plotted cinematically.
Ultimately, what I loved about this issue is that, to me, the final theme of this series is that not everything has a happy ending. Batman reveals his true identity, Rotha is murdered in cold blood in front of the heroes, and Arcadia collapses onto itself with hundreds, if not thousands, of people. Batman had come clean about his identity, and Oliver Queen might not be the same, physically, after shattering his arm. Those are not signs of a happy ending. It might be the first chapter of a longer story, but having it end, almost like a movie, has me wanting more.
The Art was Cinematic
The art was bombastic yet cold, and both worked so well to create a feeling of endless cold and nerve-shaking anxiety. It is cinematic as hell. Look at the explosions drawn by Gabriel Hardman and colored in by Romulo Fajardo Jr. in this book; they are immaculate. The gunfire, just like the explosions, is so realistic it's straight out of a movie. I mentioned this in my last review in this series, but it needs more love here. The cold is a character in this book. Every character, wrapped in warm clothes and fighting the elements, made this feel much more effective.
The characters all look so worn out, which makes this journey feel so lived in. In the final battle, all the characters, especially Batman and Green Arrow, seem to be kept up only by perseverance. Between the facial expressions and the characters' looks, the art perfectly conveys the weight of the world. Hardman is the writer and artist, and having that talent is truly the closest we can get to the author's full vision of what Hardman saw in his mind. I can't imagine Fajardo Jr.'s coloring would be too different either. Just great work all around.
Final Verdict
Batman/Green Arrow/The Question: Acadia #4 had a fantastic ending, even if it felt a bit rushed, and it leaves the door open for a second chapter. I'm hopeful we get it, as the story, art, and chemistry between all of the characters were fantastic, making this world feel like something Jason Bourne would thrive in. The world is built with a cinematic world view in mind at all times, which makes the scenery stand out in the cold tundra of Greenland. Batman, Green Arrow, and The Question all underwent personal growth, but it might have come at the expense of the lives of the very people they were trying to save.
There is no doubt in my mind that this story would work as an ongoing series. How does the world react to the unveiling of Batman’s true identity, and will Green Arrow ever get back to his former self? Has Bruce and Ollie’s relationship been forever changed by the results of Acadia? So many questions we need answered!