Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Edin Parks sign what is considered the best platform in Green Arrow history with Quiver, a work published by ECC Ediciones in their great graphic novel line.
It usually shows when a guy from another medium starts writing comics. Sometimes it’s for the worse, like when the great science fiction writer Orson Scott Card wrote Iron Man, and sometimes it’s for the better, like when independent film director Kevin Smith eventually came to Marvel Comics with Joe Xeda. The nineties to come with an amazing Daredevil adventure as part of the publisher’s rebirth. Now, thanks to ECC Editions, we can get our hands on the next installment in DC’s greatest graphic novel line, The Ninth Art, which reboots the out-of-fashion hero in style, in an extensive volume under the green title. Arrow: Quiver.
The politically incorrect Kevin Smith
In the world of cinema, writers were left broke to make his debut, and luckily the move turned out well for him. Kevin Smith’s name first became popular among the most popular film buff circles and later became popular among the public thanks to his following projects. Although his films were not always popular with the public, Smith’s intimate and human character ensured that his followers never left him.
He wrote and directed a wide variety of films, but among his characteristics we can point out his love for political correctness, his favorite subculture, his witty and dynamic dialogue and, paradoxically, his politeness and politeness. A romantic view of human relationships. With these tools, Smith has made a dent in the hearts of many viewers as well as many comics readers.
If his debut in The House of Ideas was a success, the accolades didn’t take long to come when, a few years later, he took on a regular series of underdog heroes like Green Arrow. His unique take on the world of superheroes has resulted in a never-before-seen approach to some of DC Comics’ most iconic characters.
Return from the grave
There wouldn’t be enough scrolls in the world if we started listing the pajama comic characters who have come back from the grave after suffering beyond death. In this universe, justification is not necessary to make the resurrection believable and consistent, and Smith knows this. Therefore, it is not necessary to waste time on this topic.
Oliver Queen is dead. His body is torn apart by an explosion in the plane, saving Metropolis in the process. Since there is no way for anyone to recover from such a thing, let’s go straight to the chapter of heroes who return from the grave through divine intervention and not think about it any further.
The strange thing about this return is that Oliver doesn’t actually remember his death. There is a time when he does not know that he was not there. Readers last saw him alive in the mid-1990s, and dressed as a mad hobo archer in the 21st century. The technological leap made by society in those years (everyone has a mobile phone!) becomes something that the scriptwriter takes advantage of, which leads to many funny situations that the character fits perfectly.
As the main novelty in this new platform, we will have the character of Mia Dearden, a young prostitute who gives Oliver the chance to escape from her horrible life on the streets and become his new sidekick. Her story is done very well by Smith, but in fact this character is not just an excuse to put the reader’s point of view into the life of the queen who is with him.
And in that life we get not only a new Oliver, Kevin Smith’s Oliver, but a good chunk of the familiar DC Universe with this screenwriter’s vision and some new villains. Who can come from this creative mind.
Green Arrow’s best rating
This is not just a great comeback story. We see a strong evolution in the various characters with maturity and a great narrative beat, the plot is always interesting and addictive and even if some of the twists can be a little tricky, it ends up inside. At the end of the satisfyingly named Quiver’s first arc, and then proceed with what we can only describe as a long and intense exposition, putting each character in their place.
In the graphic department, we have Phil Hester in one of his best works, despite the simplicity of the lines, moments that will remain forever in the mind of the reader, for example, the conversation between Batman and Superman where he opens the voice. Or Oliver’s first appearance when he says, “They look dead,” not to mention some pretty awesome splash pages.
Along with what he did with Daredevil and Spiderman, this is Kevin Smith’s best story in the comics world, and perhaps the most important story, because the work of bringing such a forgotten character back to the front line is amazing. And it wouldn’t be crazy to put this level as the best in Green Arrow history, far from it…
This volume is presented in hardcover, 384 color pages, and includes the US edition translation of the first fifteen issues of the characters’ regular series, an introduction by Kevin Smith, and a final section of extras, as well as covers. The issues involved. It has a recommended retail price of €44.50 and goes on sale in January 2024.
Green Arrow: Quiver (Great DC Graphic Novels)
Everyone assumed he was dead. And of course he was. However, Oliver Queen is back and patrolling the streets of Star City as the Green Arrow…only without a soul. Literally. With the help of his family, Oliver thus begins a new adventure in which he finds himself again and, moreover, finds a new enemy: Onomtopia!
Filmmaker Kevin Smith, known for films like Clerks or Mallrats, joins artist Phil Hester to tell one of the most acclaimed stories in Green Arrow’s career, finding the identity of the hero and adding a new member to strengthen the supporting cast.
Quiver and the Other Adventures of Kevin Smith’s Green Arrow is a DC Comics classic that has delighted many readers who have rediscovered the character after many years of absence, a lifelong following, and an encounter with one of the world’s most important heroes. The DC Universe.
Autores: Kevin Smith, Phil Hester and Ande Parks