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Expanding the Arrowverse. It's been some time since I completed the Arrow  comic series, which tied in with the first season of the TV series of the same name, but I figured now it was time to give a brief summary of my thoughts on the series. To be honest, I had low expectations going in, expecting most of the issues to revolve around rehashed versions of events that had already taken place in the TV series. Instead, fans were treated to 36 chapters of backstory and exposition which helped to flesh out the debut season of Arrow . I loved the approach to the series, as learning more about characters such as China White, Diggle, Deadshot, the Huntress and the Dark Archer humanised them and made me more interested in seeing more of them in the future. I also loved how many issues linked directly to the show, as it made the content feel more relevant and fascinating. I particularly liked how the final chapters addressed the ending of the first season and even added some extra ...

Too Late. The final issue of the Arrow  comic book series certainly doesn't disappoint, as it wraps up the first season of the TV show in spectacular fashion. 'You Owe Me' is an enjoyable side-story involving the Hood helping a man save his wife from a kingpin in Bludhaven; and 'Sacrifice' parts one and two show the immediate aftermath of the Undertaking and the decisions Oliver made which would set up the beginning of season two. 'You Owe Me' is the story of a man who has asked for one too many favours, which catch up to him when his wife is kidnapped by a kingpin in Bludhaven. The Hood helps save them both before returning to Starling. A plot seen many times before, but helped by the protagonist who is likeable and garners sympathy from the reader. 'Sacrifice' is naturally the highlight of this issue however, as it shows Oliver trying to save Laurel, the decision to save a stranger which prevented him from saving Tommy and his brutal murders ...

I'm Finally Ready Now. The penultimate issue of the Arrow  comic series is one of the best yet and delivers in a multitude of ways, despite none of the three main stories focusing on the Hood himself. 'No Way Out' is a darker tale about a handyman for a mob boss who gains a conscience following an encounter with the vigilante; 'From the Darkness' reflects upon Malcolm Merlyn's past and how he became the Dark Archer; whilst 'Potential' examines Roy's past and forces him to consider if he is ready to become a responsible adult. 'No Way Out' focuses on Tony, a handyman for a mob boss on the Hood's list. In a relatively straightforward story, Tony grapples with guilt over his work and needing money to support his family. He questions himself at every turn and ultimately chooses to let the Hood kill his boss so he can get out of the industry and pursue more legal work. It's a nice alternative take on the Hood's crusade and focusin...

Pleasant Dreams. Issue 10 out of 12 in the Arrow  comic series continues to tie up loose ends from the TV show and present new and exciting stories for our hero; 'Aftermath' explores Diggle's attempts to avenge his brother's death during Oliver's five years in hell; 'Shado of the Past' helps explain how Shado came to Lian Yu and also shows the flashback story from the point of view of Yao Fei; and 'Patient Zero' is a disease-driven present day adventure, in which the Hood travels to Coast City to prevent biological disaster. 'Aftermath' is the worst of the three stories, but it is still very good - an emotional ride in which we are shown how Carly and Diggle reacted to the death of Andy. Seeing Diggle's fury as her pursues the wrong man is effective in portraying his pain during this time and how he found outlets for his rage. The plot itself is straightforward and predictable, but the emotional implications of the story carry the re...

To Do What You Can't. Issue nine of the Arrow  comic series takes a step back from Oliver's crusade and instead shows us stories from different perspectives; 'The Pieces Missing' depicts Diggle trying to unearth what happened to Oliver on Lian Yu by meeting with Lyla; 'Lapse' fills in the backstory of how Laurel and Tommy's relationship began during Oliver's absence; and 'Lone Hunter' introduces an SCPD officer who chooses to go undercover in order to catch the vigilante. 'The Pieces Missing' is the most underwhelming story of the three, comprised mostly of flashbacks to important moments in Dig and Oliver's friendship so far. It is nice to see Lyla appear in the comics for the first time, but she reveals nothing that we didn't already know, leaving this story feeling a bit empty. 'Lapse' takes the filling-in-the-gaps approach that many past issues have done, this time focusing on Laurel and Tommy beginning their sex...

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. Unfortuna...

Welcome to Lian Yu. The seventh issue of Arrow 's comic series is an excellent entry in the series made up of 'Wintergreen', 'Make it Rain' and 'Detour'; 'Wintergreen' fleshes out Slade and Billy's backstory and how Wintergreen turned on his lifelong friend; 'Make it Rain' explores how Oliver would react to a Robin Hood copycat; and 'Detour' is a fun jaunt around Starling City which sees Oliver and Dig get carjacked at gunpoint. 'Wintergreen' is by far the best story in this issue, benefiting from the great characters of Slade Wilson and Billy Wintergreen. This is the only time we get to see Billy's face and admittedly I was disappointed how similar he looked to Slade, so much so that I struggled to tell who was who throughout the comic. However, the backstory is emotional and brutal, and helps fill in the blanks that the TV show didn't fully cover. A great story with a heart wrenching ending, this story was o...

Can't Win 'Em All. Issue six of the Arrow comic series is made up of 'Sins of the Father', 'Two Minute Warning' and 'Keep 'Em Coming'; 'Sins of the Father' sees Oliver learn the hard way that trust can be misplaced as he dismantles a criminal operation; 'Two Minute Warning' sees the Hood race against time to save a football stadium from destruction; and 'Keep 'Em Coming' further fleshes out the relationship between Laurel and Quentin and we witness the beginnings of the latter's alcoholism. 'Sins of the Father' is the weakest link in this issue. In this story, Oliver turns soft on a criminal after he feeds him a tragic backstory, which turns out to be false and he betrays the Hood. The plot is thin and very short, and the betrayal seemed obvious to me as a reader. It was still good to see Oliver spare the boy's life - further evidence that he is changing as a character across the season. The second st...

No More Fear. The fifth issue of the Arrow  comic series isn't quite as thrilling as its predecessor, but still adds some nice themes and backstories. The issue consists of 'Shanghai', 'Call to the Bar' and '6:15 to Starling City'; 'Shanghai' is a disconnected story that sees Oliver take down a mob leader in China; 'Call to the Bar' depicts Laurel and Sara learning how to fight after being bullied in school; and '6:15 to Starling City' ups the ante with a high speed sequence involving armed terrorists on a bullet train. In 'Shanghai', Oliver helps out a family being abused by corrupt overlords. The loose connection to the TV show is that in the opening pages, the Hood takes down a drug dealer who is sending shipments to Starling City, which feels weak and makes this chapter seem a bit disconnected from the wider Arrowverse. Still, there are some badass fight scenes and it is nice to see Oliver turning from vigilante into ...

Will You Ever Be Free? Arrow  improves upon its formula in the fourth issue of the comic series, which includes 'Caged', 'Huntress Year One' and 'Limbo'. 'Caged' explores Oliver's darker impulses as a result of his time on the island; 'Huntress Year One' provides us with a fleshed out origin story for Helena as she trains to become a killer; and 'Limbo' sees Oliver struggle with memories of his past as he attempts to take down a triad shipment. 'Caged' introduces Monty Cora a.k.a. Deathride as an hugely imposing contract killer that Oliver takes down in an undercover fighting ring. Diggle narrates much of this story which is a nice change and I liked seeing his analysis of Oliver's rage and need to prove himself. Additionally, Oliver's fighting costume was cool and it was nice to see another name crossed off the list off-screen. The second story in this issue once again included the Huntress and was, again, the h...

It's A Start. The third issue of Arrow 's comic series consists of three stories - 'Boys Night', '[REC.]' and 'Falling'. If I was to summarise briefly I would say 'Boys Night' is an emotional double identity story, where Oliver balances his friendship with Tommy with his crusade as the Hood; '[REC.]' is a fun action packed spin on the Hood's campaign from the perspective of nosy kids; and 'Falling' is the heartbreaking origin story of Helena Bertinelli, a.k.a. The Huntress. 'Boys Night' is a fairly straightforward story, in which the Hood faces off against a jewel thief which is a nice change of pace to the corporate evils he's faced so far on the TV show. It adds depth to Oliver and Tommy's relationship too and we are left feeling exasperated for poor Queen, who can't find the right balance in his life at this early stage of his return. The jewel thief and his flashbang grenades are fun, although under...

Can Evil Ever Be Truly Stopped? The second issue of the Arrow comic series is comprised of 'Diggle', 'Fathoms' and 'Moscow'. Two of these focus on flashbacks whilst one furthers the Hood's quest to cross names off his father's list. In 'Diggle' we get a glimpse of Dig's past life in the army in Afghanistan. I liked that they fleshed out some of the character's backstory as it lends emotional weight to the character. It was also a nice twist that Oliver was reading the files on Dig, presumably to ensure he was choosing the right person to let in to his crusade. 'Fathoms' depicts Moira Queen salvaging the Queen's Gambit. It's a relatively straightforward plot, with Moira discovering that Malcolm had the Gambit sabotaged. It is helpful seeing how her involvement in Tempest began as it ties up questions around her behaviour in the present day in the show. 'Moscow' returned to the crusade as the Hood flew to Russ...

Filling in the Blanks. Upon discovering the Arrow  comic series I was extremely excited to discover that it linked to the TV show and in particular claimed to fill in the gaps between episodes. Having read the first issue and it's three storyline ('Time's Arrow', 'Prey' and 'China White'), I realise that the connections aren't as direct as I expected them to be, but they are still enjoyable nonetheless. 'Time's Arrow' is the most forgettable of the three. It is essentially a direct scene-for-scene rip off from the second episode of season one, 'Honor Thy Father', with Oliver speaking to his father's grave about having to dishonour his memory. It was a nice introduction to Arrow  in graphic novel format however so I enjoyed it despite nothing new being introduced. 'Prey' stepped up the ante, introducing a target on Oliver's List called Scott Morgan and chronicling his face off against the Hood as he begins sys...