GRAPHIC NOVEL
Green Arrow
The Archer's Quest

Author: Brad Meltzer
Artist: Phil Hester
Titan Books
RRP: £9.99
ISBN
1 84023 781 3
Available 24 September 2004


Returned from the grave, Oliver Queen (AKA The Green Arrow) is disturbed to discover that a mysterious figure was seen at his funeral. It is soon revealed that the man in question is an old foe, and his appearance at Queen's funeral means he now knows the real identity of The Green Arrow as well as the other superheroes, including Superman, that attended. Queen sets out on a dangerous trip down memory lane as he and his former ward Arsenal seek out a series of legendary artefacts from his past...

The Archer's Quest is not just a story for Green Arrow fans. There is enough back story here to allow those unfamiliar with Oliver Queen's life to follow what has gone before. This is not a Green Arrow story as such. This could just as easily have had Batman, Superman or any other superhero with a secret identity as the central character. And that is part of the charm of this story.

What is interesting about this collection is how the whole thing came about. Author, Brad Meltzer, explains in his Afterword to this collection that the whole idea for The Archer's Quest was born during a conversation with one of his friends on the subject of "porn-buddies". Porn-buddies, apparently, are close friends that you entrust with the whereabouts of your porn collection. Should you die, it is your porn-buddies duty to go to your house and remove all of your porn before your family discover it.

While this collection doesn't feature any porn, it does feature a number of secret items that Queen would rather didn't fall into the wrong hands and so off he sets to track these items down.

Along with the usual extra pages that contain covers and sketches, The Archer's Quest contains the original proposal for this collection, as well as the original script for the first chapter of the book.

Well written, beautifully illustrated, and extremely moving. A fantastic collection.

Darren Rea

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