The essential periods: the limited series of Mike Grell(April 14, 1987) then its monthly series (October 20, 1987);“Quiver” of Kevin Smith and Phil Hester (February 28, 2001); Year One d' Andy Diggle and jock(July 11, 2007); the duo signed Judd Winick and Cliff Chiang(October 10, 2007); the resumption of Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino ; Ben Percy (June 15, 2016); Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse(April 25, 2023).
A man with a bow in a universe populated by gods, aliens and armored billionaires: the problem has been posed since 1941, and each generation of authors has responded differently.
The best way to navigate these runs is neither chronology nor quality, but a single axis:the distance at which each places the character from the rest of his universe. Some take it as far away as possible, others reintegrate it completely — and that's enough to predict whether you'll like a run.
1983: the first attempt at autonomy
The first limited series in his name hits newsstands on February 1, 1983 , priced at 60 cents. Mike W. Barr writing, Trevor Von Eeden draws, and the story opens with a formula which announces the program: all his faults belong to him.
The intention is clear: to take the character out of the status of permanent guest and give him a plot that belongs only to him. A story of family, of past, of personal responsibility.
The result remains timid, and it must be said. The tone remains that of its time, the ambition modest, and the story never strays far from the usual formula. But he establishes the idea which will be exploited four years later: this character works better when we take him seriously as an individual than as a member of a team.
Read to understand where the rest comes from, not for its own sake. Note that the catalog lists several versions here — a Canadian edition at 75 cents, a British price of 25 pence, and the distinction between newsstand and boutique copies.
1987: the maximum distance
Here is the most important run of the file, and the most radical in its response.
Three volumes on sale from April 14, 1987 , written et drawn by Mike Grell. Just the price – almost four times that of a newsstand booklet – announces that we have changed the category of object.
The solution Grell found is disarmingly simple:since comparing an archer to gods makes him ridiculous, just remove the gods. The character leaves the superhero register for that of an urban criminal story. No more team, no more planetary threat, no more improbable gadgets. A rainy town, ordinary arrows, and consequences.
The shift is total, and it concerns three planes at once. THE your becomes an adult, with a violence that cannot be excused. THE format abandons the kiosk for the specialized store. And the ladder tightens to the point where armed robbery becomes an event again.
It's this shift that has made the character a serious collector's item, as explained in ourrating analysis. It also fixed for twenty years the image we have of him.
Our entry recommendation, without hesitation. Three volumes, a complete story, no prerequisites.
1987-1993: keeping the promise over time
Six months later, a monthly series took over — first issue on shelves on October 20, 1987, at one dollar — and extends the experience over several years under the direction of the same author.
The exercise is different, and more difficult. A short story can have a radical bias; a monthly series should make it habitable, month after month, without weariness.
Grell achieves this by permanently establishing the character in a city, with stable relationships, a job, a neighborhood. The intrigues remain at ground level: trafficking, disappearances, local corruption. There are few pieces of bravery and a lot of consistency.
This is the most underestimated period of the file. It can be found for almost nothing in mismatched issues, and it offers several hundred pages of very consistent quality.
2001: the road back
Fourteen years later, the problem has reversed. After being deliberately isolated, the character must be reintegrated — and nothing is more difficult than bringing back someone you've spent a decade apart from.
The relaunch arrived on February 28, 2001 , written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Phil Hester, tackles it head-on. The title of the story designates a quiver, and the first chapter already announces that it will be a question of succession.
Success depends on a choice of method. Smith does not pretend that the parenthesis did not take place: he integrates it into the story, makes it the subject, and summons the rest of the universe to resolve a situation that the character alone cannot resolve. Reintegration becomes the plot instead of being a prerequisite.
Hester's line, angular and cut into solid areas, gives the whole thing an immediately recognizable graphic identity, very different from the realism of the previous decade.
The success was considerable, and the catalog keeps a telling trace: this opening number had to be reprinted at three times. A detail that matters when buying, a reprint is never worth what the initial print is worth.
2007: two directions in the same year
The year 2007 offers two very different entries, three months apart.
The first, arriving on July 11, 2007 , is written by Andy Diggle and drawn by jock. She does what no one has done since 1941:finally tell its origins. Let us remember that the inaugural story offered none – the character arrived there constituted, without explanation.
The story is dry, fast, almost documentary, and Jock's drawing, all silhouettes and contrasts, serves exactly this register. This is the best entry point for a reader coming from the screen, because it covers the same narrative ground.
The second, arriving on October 10, 2007 under the pen of Judd Winick with Cliff Chiang in drawing, takes the opposite path: she installs the character in a permanent duo and makes the couple the very subject of the series.
This choice still divides. It shifts the center of gravity of the story toward the relationship, which delights some readers and alienates others. Chiang's drawing, with its remarkable elegance of line, remains unanimously praised.
2011: the outline
The signed recovery Jeff Lemire to the script and Andrea Sorrentino to the drawing, made during the series, constitutes the most formal proposal in the file.
Sorrentino dismantles the page itself: exploded boxes, overprints, inlays of enlarged details, palette reduced to a few dominant shades. The result looks less like an action comic and more like an analysis panel — which is perfect for a character whose weapon requires aiming.
Lemire, for his part, reconstructs a mythology around archery itself, with lineages and ancient orders. This part ages less well than the drawing.
This run exists in deluxe volumes, which remains the best way to appreciate such careful graphic work: Sorrentino's large compositions suffer from being read on a small format.
2016 and 2023: the cause, then the family
Two recent runs close the course, at the two opposite ends of our axis.
The one launched on June 15, 2016 by Ben Percy reestablishes an explicit political dimension: inequalities, economic power, institutional corruption. The character becomes again what he has been intermittently since the 1970s — a figure who takes sides. The drawing alternates between several hands, including those of Otto Schmidt and of Juan Ferreyra, with very contrasting colored registers.
The one launched on April 25, 2023 by Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse goes all the way to reintegration: it makes the character the center of an extended family, and the story is literally about bringing everyone together. It's the exact opposite of 1987, where isolation was the strength of the point.
A word for buyers: its inaugural issue was released six times, between cardboard boxes, metallic effects and a cover left blank. No impact on reading.
What no run has achieved
A gap deserves to be pointed out, because it explains part of the readers' hesitations.
None of these periods produced memorable opponent gallery. Where other characters drag behind them a dozen identifiable figures, this one mainly faces ordinary criminals, institutions and circumstances. Attempts to install a lasting enemy never really took off.
This is not necessarily a fault — it is even the logical consequence of the bias of 1987, which refused the spectacular register. But this has a measurable effect on the reading: the runs are distinguished by their tone and by their position on our axis, never by their antagonists. Choosing a run therefore amounts to choosing an atmosphere, not a confrontation.
In what order to read
Three routes, depending on your starting point.
If you come from the screen: start with Year One (2007), then move on to the 1987 series. You will first find familiar ground, before discovering what made it possible. OURcomparison between the television series and the comicsdetails the discrepancies.
If you are looking for the best story: the three volumes from April 1987, without detour. This is the most advanced proposal, and it requires no prior knowledge.
If you want the big picture: 1987, then 2001, then 2011. These three runs are enough to cover the entire axis, from complete isolation to reintegration, including the way back.
The 1941 fascicle and its authentication pitfalls are the subject of aseparate study.
The questions that come up the most
The three-volume series by Mike Grell, arriving on April 14, 1987. It forms a complete story, requires no prior knowledge, and it is the most accomplished proposal in the file. Grell writes and draws there, which gives the whole thing a rare coherence.
Because it provides the most radical answer to the character's problem. Since comparing an archer to gods makes him ridiculous, Grell removes the gods: the story shifts from superhero to urban thriller, with an adult tone, a tighter scale and real consequences. An armed robbery becomes an event again.
In Year One, arriving July 11, 2007, written by Andy Diggle and drawn by Jock. This is the first story to tackle it seriously, sixty-six years after its beginnings - the 1941 issue did not propose any origin, the character arriving there constituted. The treatment is dry and quick, and it covers the same ground as the TV adaptation.
A lot, and for a methodical reason. After a decade of deliberate isolation, it was necessary to reintegrate the character - Smith does not pretend that the parenthesis did not take place, he makes it the subject of the story. Phil Hester gives it a very recognizable angular graphic identity. Its opening issue, published in late February 2001, had to be reprinted three times.
For drawing, undoubtedly. Sorrentino dismantles the page itself: exploded boxes, overprints, enlarged details in inlay, reduced palette. This is perfect for a character whose weapon requires aiming. The archery mythology constructed by Lemire ages less well. Prefer luxury volumes, these compositions suffer from the small format.
This is the most underestimated period of the file. Launched on October 20, 1987, it extends the bias over several years: city, stable relationships, ground-level intrigues. Few pieces of bravery, a lot of consistency. It is available for almost nothing in mismatched fascicles and represents several hundred very regular pages.
To understand where the next thing comes from, not for its own sake. Mike W. Barr and Trevor Von Eeden established the idea that would be exploited four years later – the character works better treated as an individual than as a team member – but the tone and ambition remain those of the time.
They occupy opposite positions. Benjamin Percy, from June 15, 2016, reinstalls an explicit political dimension and makes the character a figure who takes sides. Joshua Williamson and Sean Izaakse, from April 25, 2023, will complete reintegration by building an extended family unit — the exact opposite of the isolation that was the strength of the 1987 run.
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