A conspiracy is brewing in the heart of Hub City.  A scheme so big and complex it will take three of DC’s street-level heroes to unravel it.  Your Major Spoilers review of Arcadia #1 awaits!

BATMAN/GREEN ARROW/ THE QUESTION: ARCADIA #1

Writer: Gabriel Hardman
Artist: Gabriel Hardman
Colorist: Romulo Fajardo Jr.
Letterer: Simon Bowland
Editor: Chris Conroy
Publisher: DC Comics
Cover Price: $5,99
Release Date: November 26th, 2025

Previously in Arcadia: Queen Industries, no longer run by Oliver Queen, has been utilizing old factories in dying cities like Hub City, to produce materials for something mysterious.  Bruce Wayne, inspired by environmentalists, heads to Belize to hear the latest innovations in climate change from none other than Queen Industries.

EVERYONE’S ON THE CASE

Arcadia #1 starts with The Question, following up on a lead regarding a military helicopter that’s been making landings in Hub City.  While investigating, he witnesses someone bombing the helicopter and then getting gunned down.  Following up on this, he discovers the bomber had ties to Queen Industries.  In Gotham City, Batman stops a pair of young activists vandalizing a tanker, and he then decides to go to a conference regarding climate change in South America.  After being convinced by The Question, Oliver Queen decides to start looking into his old company and starts following his own leads.  The Question heads to Azerbaijan, trying to figure out where the bomber came from, but is captured.  In Belize, Batman has his own run-in with some explosive-wielding activists.

A FINE START TO A BIG MYSTERY, BUT CRACKS ARE SHOWING

Arcadia #1has a tough job to do.  It has to somehow establish a plot big and complex enough to bring in three separate heroes, while also making sure each one of those heroes actually has something valuable to bring to the table.  It does manage to pull off both of these tasks, but it definitely takes some shortcuts to get there.  What we get here is a tale of dark corporate dealings mixed in with topics like climate change, class divide, and economic downturn.  This makes it ripe for some solid social commentary, and it capitalizes on this well.  It doesn’t get too heavy-handed in this, and the critiques we do get feel like they’re in-character with the people saying them. Also, there’s some really good detective work on display here, especially from Ollie and The Question.  It’s not all great, though; there are some problems here, and oddly enough, they can all be tied to one thing, and that’s Batman.  Of everything that happens in this issue, and there are a lot of things that happen, it’s Batman’s plot that feels the weakest.  For starters, he just stumbles into this whole plot after being suddenly driven to environmentalism after a chance encounter.  While at the conference, he just sort of stumbles onto a bigger plot and then is shoved further into things without much justification.  In a lot of ways, it feels like his inclusion here actually detracts from the genuinely tight and interesting plots going on with Vic Sage and Oliver Queen, just by eating up valuable page real estate.  But, even with this weak plotline, the tone achieved here is spot-on, and the overall product is an intricate and surprisingly brisk detective story opener.

NOT RE-INVENTING THE WHEEL

If someone told you there’s a grounded comic featuring The Question, Green Arrow, and Batman, you might have an idea of what it would look like, without ever seeing a page.  Chances are, you’re absolutely right about what it looks like.  This comic is dripping with noir stylings, but it doesn’t quite feel like an attempt to mimic the look of detective stories of the past.  There are lots of dark shading, sparse yet vivid use of color, dynamic angles, and plenty of close-ups on faces.  There’s also liberal usage of big onomatopoeias, which really solidifies the retro look of this book.  What keeps this book feeling more modern, though, has a lot to do with the costume design.  We get pretty much the usual looks for all these characters, but each one has just a little bit of a change to them, like giving Green Arrow a cloak and going full action-figure lineup with Batman’s different getups.

BOTTOM LINE:  TWO OUT OF THREE AIN’T BAD

Arcadia #1 is a strong first chapter in an already intriguing and complex mystery.  Two out of the three main characters have interesting plots that are connected to each other but also feel independent due to character motivation and goals.  Then there’s Batman.  It’s not that his part is outright bad; it just feels tacked on and has yet to convince me that his inclusion is necessary to this story.  4 out of 5 stars.

---

Dear Spoilerite,

At Major Spoilers, we strive to create original content that you find interesting and entertaining. Producing, writing, recording, editing, and researching requires significant resources. We pay writers, podcast hosts, and other staff members who work tirelessly to provide you with insights into the comic book, gaming, and pop culture industries. Help us keep MajorSpoilers.com strong. Become a Patron (and our superhero) today.

ARCADIA #1

87%

87%

Ollie Still Hates Reagan

Arcadia #1 is an ambitious comic that has some stuff to say. But it doesn’t let that get in the way of crafting an enjoyable and complex storyline first. For the most part the characters are utilized wonderfully, but one third of the trio might be pulling things down for the rest of them.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  10
• Coloring

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0