I've made very clear my opinions on The New 52 before, but I've centered most of my arguments and/or complaints around the Bat-family and related titles. I've always been a Batman fan through-and-through, so that's probably the reason why; however, there's a character that I've always loved that's getting a really crappy treatment in the reboot that I've yet to really speak on: Green Arrow.

Every once in a while I'll pick up the Green Arrow book--I suppose in total I've read 5 or 6 of the new issues--and each time I'm more disappointed than the last. That's not saying much given that fact that I hated even the first issue. Ollie's already had a creative shift--which did nothing to help the miserable situation that is the Green Arrow title--and, so far, his strongest appearance has been in Justice League recently. This doesn't bold well for the book or Green Arrow as a character. How long until Green Arrow is canceled? And, worse, when it is, what will come of Green Arrow as a character?

The sad part is that we're not talking about a character that has never held his own ongoing, or one that doesn't have a strong fan-following: Green Arrow is a beloved hero in many circles and has had numerous long-running series that have a left their mark on comic book history (The Longbow Hunters, Green Lantern/Green Arrow, Winick's run) and has been involved in nearly all the important events in the DCU (although, one should ask: do they even matter anymore?).

So how is it that such a strong and well-storied character has gotten such a dismal treatment in The New 52? The obvious answer is that he's been changed too drastically. However, this is somewhat of a cop-out. There's absolutely no reason why Ollie couldn't have undergone drastic changes and still hold a good, solid series. Would this be ideal? Not in my mind, no. But it's not out of the realm of possibility. Instead of telling a compelling story for a character that has so much potential, DC editors and creators decided to try and make him into a weird Iron Man ripoff. They totally missed the boat; the most compelling parts of Oliver Queen are not his wealth and tech. Queen is compelling because he's a very human character that's been shown to deal with loss, depravity and scandal, make the hard choice when the situation called for it, and always fought for the people. He's been criticized by some as a 'liberal hero', and I understand that making a character adhere to such values potentially cuts the readership, but that was such a big part of his character--and worse, today, in an era where we have left-wing movements happening across the world, he could've been probably more well received than ever.

But, alas, DC cut Green Arrow to ribbons, stripping him of all the aspects that made him interesting and compelling in the first place. I just can't see the reason why... why de-age him to a point where he just seems like an angsty Backstreet Boy? Was it Smallville? Why take an opportunity to add to character's depth and dimensions and waste it reducing him to cheap rip-off of other characters? Before The New 52, Green Arrow occupied a unique place in comics; he stood out amongst all the other milquetoast heroes as someone who was so many interesting shades of grey in the very black and white world of superhero comics.

I do fear for the future of the character, because recent history has not proven there's much hope. It will take a good writer who knows the strengths of the character to come on the book and get it back on course--essentially, a reboot of the reboot. I'm not saying Ollie should go back to his pre-DCnU characterization in totality, but there should be a concentrated effort to tell new stories with him, without losing the essence of the character.