DC Comics reviews 9/16/26 – Absolute Green Arrow 5, New Titans 39

Absolute Green Arrow 5

Absolute Green Arrow 5 is the penultimate installment of the murder mystery series with the reveal of the man operating as Green Arrow since Oliver Queen’s death.

Last issue, Hector Hammond captured Dinah Lance and Green Arrow after his ace in the hole, the horribly genetically engineered Solomon Grundy, attacked and quickly overwhelmed them.

Absolute Green Arrow 5 makes good on the cover tease with the reveal that Green Arrow II is actually Malcolm Merlyn. Hammond completes his villain monologue along with some timely flashbacks to fill in more of the background, just as Roy Harper arrives to help Dinah and Merlyn. Even with some element of surprise, writer Pornsak

Pichetshot makes sure to put the heroes at a greater disadvantage early in the fight.

Artist Rafael Albuquerque does some fantastic work making Grundy an uncontrollable rage-filled force of destruction. Albuquerque definitely brings an intense sense of movement to the action and the shock and horror of the characters as the battle plays out.

Colorist Marcelo Maiolo and letterer Jeffrey Powell complement the chaos with darker, muted colors and pronounced sound effect fonts throughout Absolute Green Arrow 5.

When the issue nears its conclusion, not every character survives, but Dinah has one final mystery to uncover as Absolute Green Arrow 5 draws to a close — who really is Green Arrow II?

Rating: 9 out of 10

After reading Absolute Green Arrow 5, pre-order Absolute Superman Vol. 4: Get Brainiac on trade paperback on Amazon.

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