Reddit reviews Green Arrow: Year One
We found 17 Reddit comments about Green Arrow: Year One. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
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Reddit reviews Green Arrow: Year OneWe found 17 Reddit comments about Green Arrow: Year One. Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
I'm a big GA comic fan so I feel like I can go into more detail than the other comments here. Since I don't know if you're caught up in Arrow, I'll refrain from any overly-specific show spoilers.
To begin: Arrow started off with a lot of recognisable themes and aspects from the comics. Season 1 in particular. It is very rare that Arrow will follow any specific story line, but it is recognisable where the writers got a lot of their stuff from.
For the first 2 seasons, Oliver on the island was basically "Green Arrow: Year One", about Ollie being a survivalist. In the comic there are pirates on the island instead of soldiers, but it is basically similar. Aspects of Year One was also added to S4.
Season 1 of Arrow was very 80's Green Arrow. During that time period Ollie started killing criminals (for reasons I won't get into), but he still had his usual agenda. Comic GA's main adversaries have always been corrupt politicians, career criminals and rich people who took advantage of the less fortunate. S1 had that down. Mix a little New 52 in there (Which was brand new when they were making S1 and featured an Oliver Queen in his 20s) and you have Arrow.
There was no kill list in the comics - instead Oliver had to investigate to find his targets, or stumble upon crime in the streets. It makes sense why they would do that in the show - it is a good way to tie an episodic plot together. They also had to remove superpowers from the show, as they didn't exist during S1. This forced them to remove Dinah Laurel Lance's ability to Canary Cry, and had them re-evaluate characters like Count Vertigo and Solomon Grundy. Unfortunately as a result, some characters are unrecognisable (like Grundy).
S1 did introduce or change some characters though. John Diggle is a totally new character, but he has since been added to the main comics continuity. Felicity Smoak, having been originally intended as a throwaway character in the show is actually a small-time character in the Firestorm comics. She was briefly added to the Green Arrow comics as Arrow Felicity, but she was removed soon after. Thea Queen is named Mia Dearden in the comics and she isn't Ollie's sister - she is Ollie's sort-of adopted daughter. Laurel in the comics goes by her first name - Dinah. The Dark Archer has a different identity, but that was done on purpose to throw of viewers who knew the character's history.
Season 2 was also pretty faithful to the spirit of the comics. Sarah Lance is a brand new character, but she exists for the same purpose as comic Dinah Drake - the first Black Canary. They couldn't have both Laurel and her mother be Black Canary in the show, so they made it sister instead. Deathstroke was also a very faithful big-bad. While he was originally a Teen Titans villain and is most well known as a Batman villain, it was GA who shot his eye out - giving them a long-standing rivalry.
Beyond that, connections to comics get much weaker. Green Arrow has very little to do with the League of Assassins, and Damien Darhk was both a Titans villain and non-magical in the comics.
Oliver Queen's personality has also grown further from his comics counterpart. In the comics he is very much Robin Hood - the bleeding-heart protector of the poor, always ready to make a joke. Over time, Arrow's Oliver has lost that humorous side and very rarely deals with street-level crime.
 
I highly recommend you read some Green Arrow. Besides his New 52 run, Green Arrow has a standard of being very good. Jump on Amazon or down to a comic shop and pick up any one of these - you won't regret it.
Also, if you have 10 minutes to spare, DC released a short animated film on Green Arrow that is worth a watch: DC Showcase: Green Arrow.
I would recommend starting with Green Arrow:Year One by Andy Diggle. It modernized his origin and is what the island flashbacks were roughly based on.
Then I would move to the best Green Arrow run from the New 52 by Jeff Lemire which can be found in Volume 4: The Kill Machine, Volume 5: The Outsiders War, and the first half of Volume 6: Broken which releases in May.
I would also recommend Green Lantern/Green Arrow by Denny O'Neill & Neil Adams, as it was the original run that modernized the character.
As for other characters from the show appearing in the New 52, Roy is a main character in Red Hood and the Outlaws along with Red Hood (Jason Todd, the second Robin) and Starfire. Laurel was also the leader in Birds of Prey, but I never read it so I don't know if it's good or not.
Edit: And for a good Ra's al Ghul story I would check out JLA: Tower of Babel.
If you are into Green Arrow, you should read Green Arrow: Year One and Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters. You will not be disappointed.
Maybe I'm misunderstanding and you are only looking for individual issues, but the 6 issues have been collected into a trade paperback available on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Year-Andy-Diggle/dp/1401217435/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1519155390&sr=8-1&keywords=green+arrow+year+one.
It is a great read, one of my favorites!
[Green Arrow:The Longbow Hunters] (http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Longbow-Hunter-Graphic/dp/1401238629/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409974410&sr=1-1&keywords=green+arrow+longbow+hunters), [Green Arrow:Quiver] (http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Quiver-KEVIN-SMITH-ebook/dp/B00FKLSU6U/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409974439&sr=1-1&keywords=green+arrow+quiver) , Green Arrow:Year One, and New 52 [Green Arrow Volume 4:The Kill Machine] (http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Vol-Machine-Graphic/dp/1401246907/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1409974510&sr=1-1&keywords=kill+machine).
$9.61 Green Arrow: Year One to serve as a survival guide.
$18.29 Batman Knightfall vol 2 for warmth. (656 pages)
$11.58 We:3 for easy, reliable tear production (if I'm strapped for water)
$13.33 Sandman v4 Season of Mists. for reading
$12 Flares
$33 multitool
$2.13 for half a Guy Gardner costume.
total: $99.89
Manhunter special edition: https://www.amazon.com/Manhunter-Special-Archie-Goodwin/dp/1563893746/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1482466068&sr=8-1&keywords=manhunter+special+edition
Batman Man who Laughs: https://www.amazon.com/Batman-Man-Laughs-Ed-Brubaker/dp/1401216269/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1482466112&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=bruabker+batman
Green Arrow Year One: https://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Year-Andy-Diggle/dp/1401217435/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1482466451&sr=1-2&keywords=green+arrow
Introduction to Comics
How to Get Into Comic Books (13:40) | Patrick Willems
Consider your intent/commitment. Think about your favorite shows, movies, books, etc. Reading primarily for enjoyment or encyclopedic knowledge? Collecting? Have the time/resources to read 50 or 500 comics per character?
Don’t try to read everything at once. There’s too much. Forget about catching up, continuity, universes, etc. for now. Older comics can be an acquired taste for modern audiences, so they aren’t necessarily ideal starting points. Writers change often, characters get re-worked, and origins are re-told. Remember, there are many great characters, creators, publishers, etc. to explore.
Pick an interesting character/team and seek their most popular/acclaimed stories. Focus on self-contained, complete stories in one corner of the universe. There will be unexplained references/characters, just persevere or Wiki. Don’t let the tangled web of shared-universe comics overwhelm you. Think of it like solving a jigsaw puzzle one small piece at a time until you finally see the big picture.
Discover your preferences and let them guide you. Don’t get stuck preparing/over-analyzing, just start reading. Do you like/dislike old/new comics? Specific writers/genres? Cartoony/realistic art? Familiar/weird concepts? References/self-contained? All-ages/mature content? Follow these instincts. Didn’t understand a reference? Maybe read that next.
Acquire/Buy comics:
Marvel
DC
You can skip to the 2016 re-launch with DC Universe: Rebirth and then any Rebirth series #1.
Other
He's worn the hood on and off since 1987, possibly earlier if I missed something:
Longbow Hunters (1987)- http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Longbow-Hunter-Graphic/dp/1401238629
I believe it's the first time he wore a hood, and due to it's popularity/influence, the hood started becoming more common, with him wearing either the hood or the hat depending on the comic/artist
He also wears a hood in 2007's Year One -http://www.amazon.com/Green-Arrow-Year-Andy-Diggle/dp/1401217435 and in Smallville.
Arrow is heavily influenced by Longbow Hunters and Year One. Great reads, generally considered two of the best GA titles of all time.
I'd recommend Andy Diggle's Green Arrow: Year One. The show owes a lot to that book.
First step is to figure out what characters you think you might like, then find out what the recommended reading is for those characters.
The sidebar is a good resource for that.
My person recommendations:
Batman: Death of the Family: You can't go wrong with Batman, and this is a great Joker story. It is the third Volume of Batman New52, this collects Issues #13-17. #1-13 is also worth your time if you're a Batman fan.
Batman Eternal Vol.1: A great on-going series, following the wake of Forever Evil, which was a recent big event.
Green Arrow: The Kill Machine: Vol. 4 of Green Arrow New52, this collects #17-24, and is a great arc, Vol. 5 Outsiders War collects #25-31 and is also amazing. Other essential Green Arrow books: Year One, Longbow Hunters.
Flashpoint: This is a large scale book, it is the event that led to the creation of the New52 universe, worth checking out, but if you want to save time, there is an animated DC movie that covers this story pretty reliably. Justice League: War is another decent DC movie which covers Vol. 1 of Justice League new52.
Stories outside of the New52 world:
Batman: The Killing Joke: an amazing Batman/Joker story from Watchmen writer Alan Moore.
The Flash: Rebirth: This is an essential pre-new52 Flash story that covers Barry Allens return to comics after being dead for a very long time.
Kingdom Come: A very interesting older book. Good story, and unique art.
Injustice: Year One: This is a comic based on the video game Injustice: Gods Among Us, but it has turned into so much more. Absolutely amazing on-going elseworlds book.
If you're looking for darker themed books, check out:
Hellblazer, Vol. 1 Original Sins: Very different from classic hero comics, in this series Constantine deals with magic, demons, etc.
The Sandman Vol. 1 Preludes & Nocturnes: Another great book, this follows the story of Dream, younger brother of Death, and sibling to the other Endless.
Lucifer: Book One: Lucifer Morningstar started out as a side character in Sandman, but received his own book later. This series begins where his character left off in Sandman, having resigned his post and abandoning his kingdom of Hell he lies low on Earth, however things change when he receives an offer from his father, God himself.
I'll add some more if I think of anything, or if you even find this helpful. I imagine it is pretty overwhelming. Good luck.
As Lemire's been recommended, I'll go for Mike Grell's late 80s run.
There's also Green Arrow: Year One by Diggle & Jock.
Kevin Smith's run has its fans, but it's also out of print--Quiver and The Sounds of Violence. There's an Absolute edition coming out, but that'll be about $75. Brad Meltzer followed Smith with The Archer's Quest.
If you like Spider-Man, the current run is great. The first volume will be released in October here. If you like Batman, Snyder's run for The New 52 starts here and has been incredible. Green Arrow starting from Volume 4 is good, as is GA: Year One. I always love pushing people to read Danger Girl by Andy Hartnell and J. Scott Campbell (he does a lot of variants for Spider-Man). Spawn, Witchblade (Good jumping point) and Hellblazer are all great series (Hellblazer has a TV show Constantine coming out soon).
If you want more recommendations, or there is a character you want to read let me know.
Here are the most recent runs to check out:
Scott Snyder's Batman (#1 - ongoing), start with Batman, Vol. 1: The Court of Owls
Peter Tomasi's Batman and Robin (#1 - ongoing), start with Batman and Robin, Vol. 1: Born to Kill
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's Detective Comics (#30 - ongoing)
Tom Taylor's Superior Iron Man (#1 - ongoing)
Jeff Lemire's Green Arrow (#17 - 34), start with Green Arrow, Vol. 4: The Kill Machine
Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato's The Flash (#1 - 29) The Flash, Vol. 1: Move Forward
Charles Soule's Red Lanterns (#21 - 37) Red Lanterns, Vol 4: Blood Brothers
 
Other current ongoings from the Big 2 worth checking out:
Tim Seeley and Tom King's Grayson (#1 - ongoing)
Matt Fraction's Hawkeye (#1 - ongoing)
Nathan Edmondson's Black Widow (#1 - ongoing)
Genevieve Valentine's Catwoman (#35 - ongoing)
Cullen Bunn's Magneto (#1 - ongoing)
 
More highly recommended stuff that's fairly recent:
Scott Snyder's Batman: The Black Mirror - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Andy Diggle's Green Arrow: Year One
Matt Fraction's Invincible Iron Man, start with Invincible Iron Man, Vol. 1: The Five Nightmares
Grant Morrison's Batman run, start with Batman: Batman and Son
Geoff Johns' Green Lantern run, start with Green Lantern: Rebirth
Enjoy
Okey, so this is (obviously) my opinion but I'd start reading in this order:
And then move on to Green Arrow Rebirth run which is the newest and ongoing run. You can also continue the run after Broken but in my opinion it was pretty meh. Rebirth has been great though. Don't read any super old stuff at first, comic fans like to recommend that stuff but it's not for most beginners.
Volumes refers to a collection of the individual issues. Typically, but not always, they are centered around one story arc. One Volume should usually have collected in it 5-8 individual issues. So Volume 1 of New-52 Green Arrow is just the first few individual issues brought together, while Volume 2 is the next few, etc, etc.It's best to check DC's website out to make sure what issues are collected in the volume.
Now, you do not want New 52 Green Arrow Volumes 1-3. They are garbage and a great injustice to the character. Green Arrow Vol 4. is a great place to start off for Green Arrow in the new-52, particularly if you like the show. I would also suggest some other Green Arrow comics which, while no longer in continuity, are must haves in my opinion for fans of Green Arrow. They are Year One, Hunters Moon, Here There Be Dragons, and The Longbow Hunter. All excellent and classic Green Arrow reads, which while not in current continuity help form the collective opinion of Ollie as a character.