Fan Expo Canada 2026 is in full swing, and as expected, over at the Essential Sequential booth, where Rafael Albuquerque just returned from his Absolute Universe panel, he spoke to me about the unexpected dynamic that’s been fostered between not only himself and writer Pornsak Pichetshote but the entirety of DC Comics and the Absolute team. “(With Pornsak and myself) it’s a very horizontal collaboration. He’s very open about ideas for the story, just as I’m open to changing the art and other things. It feels like we are working in the same room,” he explains–since the majority of ideation and execution is done virtually.
“It’s my favorite way of collaborating,” he says, adding this synergy extends beyond Pornsak, “whether it’s with Scott (Snyder) or Jeff Lemire…” he confirmed with me that it’s ultimately about not feeling as though someone is looking over your shoulder the entire time.
The reason why this is so important is the sentiment of creative control and having it flourish organically: “It doesn’t feel like I’m working for someone… I’m creating purely for the sake of it. This feels like a creator-owned thing, even though it’s part of a big brand… so it’s absolutely fantastic how much freedom DC is giving us for this imprint… It’s been a blessing.”
As a lauded, award-winning artist, he revealed that he is always trying fresh ways to be creative and experimental: “With everything I do, I always try to do something different because I get bored very quickly,” so he tries to appease the book’s needs and his as a creative. He found it by going back to basics, “I’m using different pencils (graphite density and hue levels) to bring this grainy element to Green Arrow… it’s in the spirit of my work on American Vampire when I used to do ink washes.” This inspired aesthetic has brought him joy and excitement, “it reminds me of the 70s and 80s – like those horror and slasher movies,” he added.
Ultimately, he remains open-minded throughout this Absolute Green Arrow journey, “I’m still trying to figure it out for me as an artist, and it’s looking cool, I think.”
For more on the series, don’t miss our Fan Expo Canada chat with Pornsack Pichetshote!
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