Absolute Green Arrow #4 (DC Comics, 8/19/26): Writer Pornsak Pichetshote & Artist Rafael Albuquerque find Dinah learning the secrets of “Jubal Island” and the true fate of Oliver Queen. The issue delivers plenty of tense action and body horror, but the story still keeps Green Arrow on the back burner. Verdict: For Black Canary fans only.
Credits:
- Writer: Pornsak Pichetshote
- Artist: Rafael Albuquerque
- Colorist: Marcelo Maiolo
- Letterer: Jeff Powell
- Cover Artist: Rafael Albuquerque (cover A)
- Publisher: DC Comics
- Release Date: August 19, 2026
- Comic Rating: Teen
- Cover Price: $4.99
- Page Count: 24
- Format: Single Issue
Covers:
Analysis of Absolute Green Arrow #4:
First Impressions:
The big criticism of the last issue, and the series as a whole, is that this isn’t a Green Arrow story. It’s a murder mystery where Dinah Lance plays detective. History will judge whether or not that was a creative error, but at the moment, it’s a tense, action-filled issue that forgets its primary purpose.
Recap:
In Absolute Green Arrow #3, Dinah catches up with Roy Harper after his failed attempt to lure out Absolute Green Arrow, and Roy reveals that his friendship with Ollie collapsed when he could no longer keep pace with the billionaire’s lavish world. Promising answers, Roy brings Dinah to “Jubal Island”—an underground facility beneath the city—where he claims the trafficker Jubal was also conducting horrific anti-aging experiments and may have used them to resurrect Ollie from an empty grave. The issue closes as Jubal unveils a bunker full of grotesque human experiments, including a pale, monstrous figure called Solomon.
Plot Analysis (SPOILERS):
Picking up from last issue’s cliffhanger, Dinah swings into action with defensive moves and a little martial arts to keep Solomon Grundy off balance. She puts him down by jumping on his back and unloading her pistol into his head. She follows the trail of failed mutation experiments into a lab deeper in the facility known as Jubal Island, not realizing that Absolute Green Arrow already infiltrated the lab ahead and left the door open.
Inside the lab, Hammond interrogates Oliver Queen’s former bodyguard – Hallaway – who was captured and subjected to a mutation experiment at the hands of Hammond’s resident mad scientist – Dr. Iker. Using a specially modified spider, Hallaway begins sprouting multiple arms. Dinah witnesses the horrific scene and intervenes, shooting Dr. Iker in the leg and holding Hammond at gunpoint.
In a quick flashback, we see how Edvin Zytle was grooming Oliver Queen for political office.
Dinah forces Hammond out of the lab. When they reach the place where Solomon Grundy’s body lay, Hammond issues a command that causes the body to regenerate and attack. Hammond monologues about his experiments, including the death of Oliver Queen, which he confirms by showing Dinah the body. Dinah struggles to hold off the more grotesque and powerful Solomon Grundy, prompting Absolute Green Arrow to appear. He saves Dinah from death, but he loses his hand in the exchange.
How is the story in Absolute Green Arrow #4?
The central criticism holds – this isn’t a Green Arrow story. It’s a Dinah Lance detective story where Green Arrow and Oliver Queen (who might be separate characters, if anyone cares) are plot devices that show up to add context and occasionally move the plot forward with an action bump.
Pornsak Pichetshote is so dead set on cramming in as many Green Arrow-related characters and stuffing in allusions to real-world events (e.g., Jubal Island for Epstein Island) that the cadence is hectic and clues get lost in the noise. It’s tough to tell which revelation is shocking for shock’s sake or noteworthy because it’s an important clue. In effect, the murder mystery is overstuffed, only mildly interesting, and stars the wrong main character.
If you ignore all those problems, Pichetshote’s pacing and structure are solid. The action is tense and gritty. The dialogue drips with force and drama, and the cliffhanger is relatively decent. The bones are there, even if everything around them is not.
How is the art in Absolute Green Arrow #4?
Frankly, this issue is some of the best work we’ve seen from Rafael Albuquerque. In the past, I’ve taken issue with Albuquerque’s strangely arranged and inconsistent faces. Here, the panel composition and action choreography are so well presented that if there’s a flaw with faces and expressions, it’s not noticeable.
Since this plot centers on body horror, Albuquerque leans hard into Lovecraftian grotesquery that serves the tone and theme well. Plus, Marcel Maiolo’s harsh mood coloring elevates the shock and exclamatory escalation of emotion perfectly. There are legitimate issues with the writing, but the art is on point.
Characters
Dinah (strangely) remains the center of the story. She does a fine job acting as the audience surrogate, picking up the clues and revelations as the mystery unfolds. Her confusion is your confusion. Her shock is your shock. In that sense, and again, the bones of the mystery are solid, carried by Dinah’s journey.
Originality & Concept Execution
To be fair, an extended murder mystery is not typical for a DC Comic, unless you’re reading Batman/Detective Comics. It’s doubly atypical to have a murder mystery surrounding the death of the title character. It remains to be seen if Pichetshote can make the payoff worth the journey, but for now, the mystery of the masked vigilante’s identity is still a complete guess.
Pros and Cons
Art Samples:
The Scorecard:
Writing Quality (Clarity & Pacing): 1.5/4
Art Quality (Execution & Synergy): 3/4
Value (Originality & Entertainment): 1/2
Final Thoughts:
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Absolute Green Arrow #4 sends Dinah into the bowels of Jubal Island, where she encounters Hammond’s House of Body Horrors. Pornsak Pichetshote’s script is a serviceable murder mystery with tense drama and action, but it has almost nothing to do with Oliver Queen, and the pile of “Easter Eggs” overwhelms the gathering of clues. However, the art team’s delivery is on point
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