Babysitting can be hard, but it’s a lot harder when you’re asked to keep watch of a supervillain that sucks the life force out of others, becoming bigger, stronger, and gaining new abilities in the process. Green Arrow learns this the hard way in the current storyline of his ongoing series, teaming writer Mairghread Scott with artist Matthew Clark, inker Sean Parson, and colorist Jason Wright to pit Oliver Queen against The Parasite. It’s an action-packed two-parter that takes Green Arrow deep inside Stryker’s Island prison, where he faces off against a variety of supervillains before making his way to his escaped target, who has been steadily growing in power as he feeds off of his fellow inmates.
This exclusive preview of this week’s Green Arrow #42 kicks off the big showdown, with the art team creating a terrifying image of The Parasite that highlights what a hulking monstrosity he becomes when he’s all juiced up. Clark makes excellent use of targets and arrows in his layouts to give pages bolder graphic impact, with the opening page putting Oliver at the center of a target to indicate that he’s The Parasite’s next meal. Later, Clark uses arrows as panel borders, and the direction of the arrows also guides the viewer’s eye across the page. This team is only filling in until writers Julie and Shawna and artist Javi Fernandez take over the ongoing adventures of the Emerald Archer next month, but Scott, Clark, and their collaborators craft a thrilling tale that showcases the dynamism of Green Arrow.