Despite Oliver Queen meeting a terrible fate in the Absolute Universe, DC still has thrilling plans for its new Green Arrow series going forward. The series recently got more details on its upcoming debut, namely a release date alongside other key details about its Scream-like slasher tone, and just who this masked vigilante is, bearing Queen’s classic alter ego.

DC’s Absolute Green Arrow Is a Slasher in the Vein of Scream & Halloween

In a world full of legacy DC superheroes growing up in wildly different circumstances than their original counterparts, Oliver Queen was already dead as of the Absolute Evil comic from December 2025. However, as Chris Conroy introduced Absolute Green Arrow and Absolute Catwoman’s runs for 2026 at this year’s ComicPro conference, the classic archer may have a gory successor.

Given Queen’s quest to take down Jubal Slade before his apparent death at the hands of Hawkman, Absolute Green Arrow’s six-issue announced run by writer Pornsak Pichetshote and artist Rafael Albuquerque has a couple of key questions to answer. Who is the Longbow Hunter, who is seemingly taking on Queen’s mission? Will Dinah Lance find out?

But given Queen’s motivation was to shut down Slade, a billionaire and monster ripped straight out of the headlines, carrying out his evil deeds on his private island with impunity, the Longbow Hunter may be a more understandable slasher-style killer.

“Oliver Queen may be dead. The Green Arrow is not dead. A serial killer called the Longbow Hunter is hunting down the billionaires responsible for Oliver Queen’s death. Nobody knows who the Longbow Hunter is, but it is down to Agent Dinah Lance to find out. This is a slasher horror series. This is Scream, Halloween, meets Green Arrow. Six issues from Pornsak and Rafael, starting in May.”

-Chris Conroy, DC Comics Executive Editor

Taking cues from runs like Mike Grell’s Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters as well as Jeff Lemire’s run in which several characters self-identified under the moniker, the Longbow Hunter is on the prowl for the billionaires behind Queen’s death. But the most exciting bit is that Green Arrow fans won’t need to wait for long.

Absolute Green Arrow Launches This May

DC confirmed Absolute Green Arrow #1 drops May 20, 2026. Absolute Green Arrow joins the likes of the Absolute Universe’s Green Lantern, Flash, Batman, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman. This particular run capitalizes on a similar spin on its key superhero: far removed from their usual resources and support sytsems, or in this case, their identity.

In addition to the release date and premise being laid out, DC’s unveiling also revealed new covers featuring the artwork of Albuquerque as well as Marcelo Maiolo, Gerard Parel, Guillem March, Tula Lotay, and Reiko Murakami. Each features the hooded Longbow Hunter bearing much of the Green Arrow’s usual gear, graffiti, blood-soaked backdrops, and a distinctive death’s head mask.