Top 10 Coolest Green Arrow Facts

The Emerald Archer took aim at comic book stardom in More Fun Comics #73 in 1941. But even though he would be a regular part of the DC Universe for decades, he didn’t actually get to star in his own solo comic book until 1983. And even then it was only a four-issue mini-series. Not to worry, though. Within a few years, the Arrow was starring in an ongoing series that sold very well and snared many new fans along the way.

The story of how Oliver Queen became the Green Arrow has been retold a number of times. In one of the more recent retellings, Oliver was stranded on an island and tortured by a masked man. This made him learn how to fight for himself and to develop defenses and strategies. It eventually turned out that the man who inflicted all this torture on him was his own father. He was, in fact, training Oliver so that he would have all the guts and know-how to take on the role of the crime fighting Green Arrow.

Batman has the batcave, the batmobile and the batplane. Green Arrow has an arrowcave, arrowcar and arrowplane. And, of course, both men are excessively wealthy. They also each have a ward that dresses up in red togs to fight crime with them. And while Batman has all those neat gadgets in his utility belt, Arrow has a quiver full of arrows with boxing gloves, bolos and boomerangs. The resemblance was intentional. DC wanted to give readers more of the things they loved about Batman without running the risk of them getting tired of him. Works for us.

#7: Green Arrow is a Family Man at Heart

Also in:

Superhero Origins: The Green Arrow

The DC Universe has a number of heroes who have – intentionally or otherwise – become fathers. Few of them, however, are as open and loving toward their family as Oliver. When his ward, Roy Harper, went through rough times, he took time out to be there for him. He’s also very demonstrative of his love for his son, Connor. And there has long been a deep bond of love between him and Black Canary, a bond that has strengthened through the years. Green Arrow was also clearly distraught when Roy’s daughter was senselessly killed. Family means a lot to this archer.

Mort Weisinger was the writer who crafted the first Green Arrow story, as well as many subsequent adventures. Weisinger also helped developed the Sea King, Aquaman, although he is perhaps better known for editing the Superman family of comics for many years. Without Weisinger, Jimmy Olsen and Lois Lane wouldn’t have had their own comics. Oh, and about sleeping with movie stars? It’s more innocent than it sounds. During World War II, Weisinger was stationed at Yale, where his roommates included future Oscar winners Broderick Crawford and William Holden.

#5: His Inspirations are Both Obvious and Obscure

Also in:

Top 10 Facts about Thanos

It’s pretty clear that any man who takes up a bow and arrow and fights crime is going to have been inspired greatly by the legend of Robin Hood. Add to that the fact that both men were fond of green apparel and the connection is even clearer. However, the green-ness, along with his wealth, also connect him to the Green Hornet. Much less well known as an inspiration is a novel and subsequent movie serial called “The Green Archer.” It’s about a masked bowman who wears leotards and uses his arrows to bring about justice. Sound familiar?

#4: The Justice League Wasn’t His First Super-Team

Also in:

Superhero Origins: The Justice League of America

Green Arrow wasn’t part of the original line-up of the Justice League, not joining until issue #4 of the team’s comic. But he’s heavily identified with the team, thanks to the prominent role he’s played in its various incarnations. But The League wasn’t the first team Ollie had joined. Back in 1941, Green Arrow and Speedy were both members of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, also called the Law’s Legionnaires. Kind of a second-string Justice Society, they lasted for 14 issues in their original run.

Okay, we left out one of the other similarities to Batman back in fact #8. Back in the 1940s, Green Arrow and Speedy tangled several times with a villain by the name of Bulls-Eye. He got his name from the giant target on his chest – but he got his inspiration from someone else. Wearing a clown suit with a white face and brightly colored make-up, he was clearly an attempt to give the Arrow a Joker-like foe. Nice try, but he was no match for the Clown Prince of Crime.

In the 1970s, Green Arrow became outspoken on political and social issues – and frankly, his soapboxing sometimes got a bit much. That’s why it was such a shock for him to discover that his sidekick, Speedy, had developed a heroin addiction. The issues dealing with this story were groundbreaking for their time. DC even prompted the wrath of the Comics Code Authority by publishing them. The issues were enormously controversial, but they helped usher in a new era of social consciousness at DC. Before we reveal our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions: He’s a Billionaire with Blue Collar Sympathies On Occasion He Has Killed The Arrow’s Politics Lean to the Left

Working conditions have not always been great in the comics world. In 1968, several DC creators, including George Papp, the artist who designed Green Arrow, wanted proper health care and retirement benefits. Exactly what happened when they approached management is a matter of debate. However, at about this time, many of DC’s “old guard” writers and artists were let go – including Papp. In addition to GreenArrow, Papp is credited with creating Bizarro, Congorilla and General Zod and working for many years on Superboy. As a spokesperson for the little man, Green Arrow certainly would not have approved of this treatment.