GREEN ARROW #1/ Script by JOSHUA WILLIAMSON / Art by SEAN IZAAKSE/ Colors by ROMULO FAJARDO JR./ Letters by TROY PETERI/ Published by DC COMICS

When the first teaser artwork Sean Izaakse produced for Green Arrow #1 was released, you could have knocked me over with a feather. The artwork was good, but I was more concerned by the number of characters crammed onto the wraparound cover. Were they really going to try and bring all these characters back? Even the ones who haven’t been in continuity for decades, like the second Speedy and Arrowette?

There are few writers I’d trust with such a momentous task. The fact of the matter is that DC Comics has not had the best track record when it came to restoring neglected elements of the Green Arrow mythology, with one step forward leading to two steps back. For every Kevin Smith’s Quiver, there was a Judd Winick or Andrew Kreisberg around the corner. What Benjamin Percy restored in Green Arrow: Rebirth was quickly destroyed by Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly. I was hopeful, however, given that the writer in question was Joshua Williamson, who accomplished a similar miracle making The Flash one of DC Comics’ best books.

Green Arrow #1 is not quite as miraculous as its cover suggests, but it is a good start. Most of the characters on the cover do not show up in this issue. Instead, the focus is on introducing us to the core of the Arrow family through Oliver Queen’s eyes, as the Emerald Archer finds himself lost in space following the events of Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

Williamson explains all of this easily, and while the characterization is not as deep as it might be (particularly in the case of Black Canary), he does a fair job of establishing the characters and their history. He also tackles a scene that Roy Harper fans have been awaiting for years. Even if you don’t appreciate the significance of this moment, Williamson makes it accessible and ties it into the bigger story, which seems to suggest how the rest of the extensive ensemble will come into play.

The artwork is as on-target as the writing. Sean Izaakse’s cover teaser was the appetizer for a seven-course meal of some of the best artwork I’ve seen on a monthly comic in years. The colors of Romulo Fajardo Jr. and letters of Troy Peteri provide the perfect finishes.

Green Arrow #1 hits the bullsye! If you’re a fan of the Arrow Family, this is the book you’ve been waiting for. And if you aren’t an Arrow Family fan, you’ll be one after reading this issue.