Not too long ago I had profiled Iron Man, stating he was one of my favorite solo comic books. That's true, for Marvel Comics, Green Arrow on the other hand was probably my favorite solo DC Comic character. The good ole Mike Grell drawn and written Green Arrow (Oliver Queen) of the late 1980's. I got to meet Mike Grell and had my copies of the Longbow Hunters series signed, probably the first time I had met a comic book creator which was cool and cemented Green Arrow as one of my all-time faves. For that he becomes the newest member of the Thor's Day Heroes.
There's tons of non-super powered, "everyday" superheroes out there, but Oliver Queen is about as everyday as you could get. He's good with a bow, really good with it, but it's just a bow. He also a flower shop cleverly named "Sherwood Florist", apt since he has a whole Robin Hood motif going on. To get a real sense of his personality you need to look no further than the Green Arrow / Green Lantern team-ups of the 70's, there's some really good writing and the duo made for the perfect 'odd couple' team. The character was killed off in the 90's but then brought back in a new series that was pretty well written I must admit.
I enjoyed the 70's Green Arrow, and his appearance in Frank Miller's Dark Knight returns... I'm not much of a DC guy though usually.
ReplyDeleteGreen Arrow has always had, in my opinion, one of the most visually striking costumes in the DC universe. By all rights, it should come off as super-corny - it is, after all, a really clear rip-off/homage to Errol Flynn as Robin Hood. But the cut of the tunic, the hat, and the facial hair... somehow they just all really WORK.
ReplyDeleteI also have a fondness for characters who don't have superpowers, but are nearly superhuman in their application of a single skill. Strangely, though, I hate Hawkeye, but love Green Arrow. Go figure.