Green Arrow #18

History

Jeff Lemire came aboard as writer with issue #17, joined by Italian artist Andrea Sorrentino — whose reputation had been built on I, Vampire — in what DC framed as a hard reset for a title that had cycled through multiple creative teams and was widely considered among the weakest New 52 launches. The 'Kill Machine' arc, of which #18 is Part 2, was conceived to strip Oliver Queen of every material and social asset and force the story back to fundamentals: a man, a bow, and secrets. Emiko was explicitly designed as a comics counterpart to Thea Queen, an original character from the CW's Arrow, which was in its first season when the issue hit shelves in March 2013 — demonstrating the cross-pollination between the television production and DC's editorial direction at the time. Colorist Marcelo Maiolo and letterer Rob Leigh completed the production team, with Joey Cavalieri as editor.

Trivia · 9 facts

• First appearance of Emiko Queen (later Red Arrow), created by Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino; she is the illegitimate daughter of Robert Queen and the assassin Shado, making her Oliver Queen's paternal half-sister.
• First appearance of Henry Fyff, a former Q-Core/Queen Industries technician who becomes a supporting ally in the Lemire run.
• The issue is 'The Kill Machine, Part 2,' the second chapter of the five-part opening arc of the Lemire/Sorrentino run, which began with issue #17.
• Written by Jeff Lemire; art and inks by Andrea Sorrentino; colors by Marcelo Maiolo; letters by Rob Leigh; edited by Joey Cavalieri.
• On-sale date: March 6, 2013; cover-dated May 2013 (standard Diamond distribution offset); rated Teen+; published by DC Comics under the New 52 imprint.
• The issue includes black-and-white flashback sequences — a deliberate visual device by Sorrentino to differentiate past and present timelines — that begin to reveal Robert Queen's prior history on the island.
• Emiko was conceived as a comics-native parallel to Thea Queen, an original character from the CW's Arrow TV series, which was airing its first season concurrently.
• The issue and the broader 'Kill Machine' arc are collected in Green Arrow Vol. 4: The Kill Machine (trade paperback, 2014), Green Arrow by Jeff Lemire & Andrea Sorrentino: The Deluxe Edition (hardcover), and Green Arrow: War of the Clans (DC Essential Edition).
• Emiko Queen was adapted for the Arrow television series in Season 7, portrayed by Sea Shimooka, where she debuted as the arc's central antagonist-turned-tragic figure.

Full credits

Variants (2)