Arrow Comic Series #8 Review


We All Have To Die Sometime.
Issue #8 of Arrow follows a similar pattern that I have noticed in recent issues - they all seem to include one great backstory, then two pretty empty stories revolving around the Hood's campaign. This issue contains the stories 'Back from the Deadshot', 'Hunters' and 'Diamond in the Rough'; 'Back from the Deadshot' fills in the blanks between Deadshot's appearances in season one whilst also showing how he escaped after his first showdown with the Hood; 'Hunters' takes a different approach and shows how Oliver would fare whilst being hunted by a wild beast; and 'Diamond in the Rough' puts Felicity front and centre as she becomes caught up with one of Oliver's targets.
'Back from the Deadshot' is by far the highlight of this issue, with the always brilliant Floyd Lawton shining in his solo adventure. We learn how he was abducted by a strange group after being shot in the eye. Unfortunately, the group had weirdly evil intentions to cut out Lawton's brain and explore it, but this aside it was great seeing Deadshot in action once more. I also liked how it linked directly to the TV episode 'Dead to Rights', once again making this story feel rewarding to the reader.
'Hunters' was less plot-based and more a character focus on Oliver's hunting instincts. He compares the plight of the animal to his own protecting Starling City, which lends a different tone to the story and kept me interested despite the lacklustre content. It was cool seeing the Hood being the prey for once as well. Another highlight was the flashbacks to previous villains faced in the TV show (Adam Hunt, the Royal Flush Gang, the Huntress and the Dark Archer).
'Diamond in the Rough' is the final story and in it Felicity falls for the charm of one of Oliver's targets and thus needs rescuing by the vigilante when he reveals his true intentions. I liked how it turned out the villain was on the List, as it made it seem more realistic that the Hood would show up to save Felicity. Additionally, it's always good to see Ms Smoak reprise her role in the comics, as her dialogue is on point and accurately reflects her character in the show.
Overall, I enjoyed this issue a lot and was particularly fond of Deadshot's backstory, which linked directly back to the TV show.

 STARRING: Deadshot

 RATING: 7.9/10

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