Of the various characters chosen for the pre-"Zero Hour" issues of "Convergence," the ones that seemed the most intriguing were slated for "Convergence: Green Arrow" #1, starring Oliver Queen and Connor Hawke. Connor was actually introduced the month after "Zero Hour" in "Green Arrow" #0, so what Christy Marx, Rags Morales and Claude St. Aubin have on their hands is a chance to give an alternate version of that first meeting between the two characters.

Marx's rendition of Connor Hawke is a little frustrating to read, because it feels both exaggerated and simplified. While the character of Connor Hawke had a touch of naivety about him, this version seems to be so naïve that it's a minor miracle he's survived inside the domed Metropolis over the past year. One minute he's babbling at Oliver Queen, the next he's quietly taking out gangs. There's no in-between or subtlety here, and that's a shame because the character as written by Chuck Dixon and Kelley Puckett was much more nuanced and produced a character that felt much more well-rounded right from his first appearance.

This is also the issue that feels the most coincidental. While even the characters try and brush off some of the ones here, everything happening mere minutes before the dome comes down feels somehow a little too perfectly timed. Everything lines up so perfectly that the scenes actually don't feel quite right together, like there are some transitions that are being left out. Even the plunging of the characters into one of the other cities feels abrupt, to the point that it's hard to digest the cliffhanger. It's a shame, because there are parts of the script here from Marx that do work. The idea about there not being any stars behind the dome and the artificial dawns and nights is a great one; I'd love to have seen more of that sort of concept explored here. These are the sorts of moments where the writers are able to bring their own special stamp to "Convergence" but, once the domes come down, all of that seems to go out the window.

Morales and Claude St. Aubin are a heavy hitting art team for the book. I've got no complaints with their contributions; the action sequences are drawn well, and Morales in particular knows how to stage a crowd scene that is both slightly chaotic (for the characters) and easy to follow (for the readers). I love the depiction of the inside of the ashram, too; its balconies and indoor gardens are both realistic and also remarkably peaceful. The care brought to these scenes helps bring Marx's ideas to life, and it's good to have someone of Morales and St. Aubin's caliber working on this book. It's also a particular relief to see colorist Nei Ruffino not only doing good work here in general, but to also see someone remember that Connor isn't supposed to be white-skinned. For those not reading comics with the character in the '90s, his ethnic background seemed to shift from one comic to the next.

"Convergence: Green Arrow" #1 is a slightly odd book in that it's taking a character who existed immediately post-"Zero Hour" and giving us a new first meeting with his father in a pre-"Zero Hour" world. There are little touches in Marx's script that have real potential, and the art from Morales and St. Aubin looks great. On the whole, though, the rough spots and the strong aspects even each other out. Hopefully, like with so many of the other "Convergence" tie-ins, the conclusion will take advantage of not needing any more setup to use that space to deliver a slightly stronger conclusion.