In his recent efforts to thwart the schemes of the cabal known as The Ninth Circle, Green Arrow has destroyed The Ninth Circle’s secret spy satellite base and won the acceptance of The Justice League. Perhaps most impressively, Oliver Queen has earned Batman’s respect. So much so that Batman entrusted him with that greatest of honors – watching over Gotham City while Batman went on a secret mission of great importance.

Naturally nothing in Oliver Queen’s life can be easy, so of course he arrived in Gotham just in time for the end of the world. Well, maybe not the actual end of the world. It sure seems like it with a giant mountain having grown up in the middle of Gotham City and the area around it shifting into a dangerous labyrinth under the control of Batman’s most dangerous enemies. And that was before whatever dark force is corrupting reality got a hold of most of The Teen Titans and The Suicide Squad!

Thankfully, he isn’t alone. Robin, Nightwing, Harley Quinn and now Mister Terrific have joined forces with Green Arrow to take back the city. It won’t be easy but if there’s one thing Oliver Queen knows how to handle it is a long-shot.

 

Green Arrow #32 brings the Gotham Resistance story-line to an oddly uneven conclusion. Much like the previous Teen Titans and Suicide Squad issues that were part of the crossover, this comic is surprisingly lacking in focus on its title character. Writers Joshua Williamson and Benjamin Percy also seem uncertain just how heavily to rely upon the reader having read the earlier chapters in the crossover. This leads to oddities like Mister Terrific exposition-heavy monologue at the start of the comic explaining the concept of the Dark Metal cards but glossing over details like Nightwing having visions because his blood is filled with one of those metals.

Juan Ferreyra’s artwork seems slightly off-kilter as well. In his case, however, I believe this to be an intentional choice. Many of the page panels are cramped and Ferreyra’s usual pencils and inks seem oddly off-model, but this subtly serves to show the corrupt and claustrophobia of the Gotham Labyrinth. Visually, it is off-putting and difficult to follow at points, but it gets the job done.

In the end, that is the best thing that can be said about Green Arrow #32 – it accomplished what it set out to do. It brought Oliver Queen into the Dark Knights: Metal story-line and, much like Green Arrow himself, it did it with a certain ham-fisted style.