Rafael Albuquerque Talks Making Absolute Green Arrow

Rafael Albuquerque is the talented Brazilian comic artist behind American Vampire with Scott Snyder, Superman Unlimited with Dan Slott, and most recently, the character reimagining of Green Arrow with Pornsak Pichetshote as part of the Absolute Universe. I caught up with Albuquerque at Fan Expo Toronto, and we talked Absolute Green Arrow! Check out the conversation below.

What was it like to get the call to do Absolute Green Arrow, and was it daunting at all to tackle such a well-known character and put such a unique spin on it?

The call came at the perfect moment because, at the time, I was finishing my short run in Superman Unlimited, which was a really nice experience but definitely out of my comfort zone. It's a much lighter character, much more colorful and all that. So, having the chance to get back to horror roots was like perfect for me and also have the chance to work with Pornsak [Pichetshote], who I know since Vertigo times — He used to be an editor back in the day and we’ve known each other for more than 10 years. So, it was like the perfect thing, you know. And it was even better when I got the chance to read the pitch because that was exactly the kind of thing I like and that I'm into. I like mystery stories. There's an Agatha Christie kind of factor to it, but it's also a slasher; it's also a body horror thing. So, it's kind of a mix of horror genres that interested me a lot."

The book feels like a reflection on the real world…

Oh, absolutely.

What interested you in the story in that regard?

That's exactly the kind of social commentary we wanted to do, both me and Pornsak. This is why this story was so interesting for me. It's, I think, of course, we're talking about fiction, we're talking about superheroes, we're talking about DC Comics, but this is a story about something that's going on in the world right now. And although it borrows influence from V for Vendetta and other comics, it's a lot about what is going on. And I feel that the entertainment industry is not talking about that enough, right? So I'm happy and proud to be part of that. You know, so that's the kind of story I really want to be doing right now.

What's it like to see the success of the Absolute line as a whole? It feels like every book has just hit the ground running, and it's introduced a bunch of new people to comics in general, but also captured the attention of fans of these stories and characters in new ways.

I think it's overwhelming to see this whole thing happening, and being part of it is even greater. But my understanding is that it's cyclical in a way.

Every decade, every generation has these initiatives; In comics, in every aspect of the entertainment industry, you see that with Marvel movies, you see that with video games once in a while. And now we're seeing like a new boom in comics. And that's probably the first time we're seeing something this big since the 90s. So I think it's very smart, especially from Scott [Snyder]. Kudos to him for having the vision to reshape these characters in a way that hits a new audience. And he's actually competing with video games for the first time. He's competing with movies for the first time. And I think that's great.

How was working with Scott again? Was he in control of the pitch?

Not really. I don't really know how it was to pitch. I wasn't there back when Pornsack pitched it to Scott. But I know that he oversees the whole line. So I think, for how everything is connected, it's all about him. But all I can say is that we had a lot of freedom. He wasn't just interfering or anything. Nobody actually. We were surprised by how much freedom we got with DC Comics doing this kind of story.

What was it like to jump into this world and then see the audience reaction to new versions of these characters? Were you at all nervous that this was a very different take on how fans might react?

Yes, because we were reshaping it in a way. Because the whole goal for us was keeping the core of what these characters and this small Green Arrow universe mean, but trying to subvert that in a way that becomes something different. Modern, also. Something that resonates with, again, our reality. But yes, we were both very nervous until it came out. We had no idea. First, because we are talking about something that is going on. The whole world is very polarized politically. So, yeah, we had no idea how people would react. And we were very surprised in a very good way. Also, we were changing a very dear and old character, right? So how would people react to that? And it was great, you know?

Do you have a favorite sequence or page from Absolute Green Arrow so far?

I really love the very first sequence where he appears for the first time, where he's hunting Jubal. And I really like the pacing of that sequence. I was still trying to figure out how the book would look by then, but I was drawing in that particular sequence when I found out what it should look like. So I think I would pick that one.

Thank you so much to Rafael Albuquerque for chatting with us about Absolute Green Arrow! The hardcover for volume one is available in February 2027. Visit your local comic shop to catch up on the first three issues!