My favorite Leaguer: Green Arrow

[JulianPerez]

When I first started reading JLA during the Satellite Era, Oliver Queen stood out right away. The JLA was a bunch of mature, father figure guys that were pretty much always right.

Green Arrow on the other hand, was irrational, a loudmouth that alienated people. He presented a definite point of view, and he was not always objective and sometimes (most of the time!) was "wrong."

I guess i like Ollie for the same reason Dr. McCoy was my favorite character on the original Star Trek.

Also, I liked that he had connections and relationships with the other heroes. He was buddies with Hal Jordan, romancing Dinah Lance, and best friends/rivals with Hawkman. It was Avengers-style approach to a team, where all the characters hang out with each other and have real relationships as opposed to showing up when there was a crisis.

When I started reading JLA by Brad Meltzer after a long time, I was a little disappointed Ollie wasn't going to be back, but he more than satisfied me with his characterization of Red Arrow. I liked little wonderful character bits, like the idea that he keeps a picture of his daughter inside his quiver. That's one thing I like about Meltzer: he made missteps, but the characters were emotionally three dimensional.

[jackdaw53]

So what do you make of his solo series? I thought the Mike Grell run on vol 1 was top stuff... and a chunk of the latest series has been very entertaining. (Certainly the early sections.)

[AdamYJ]

You know, I'm not crazy about Ollie. I understand why people like him, but he just gets on my nerves sometimes. I like his son, though. Connor seemed like such a departure from the stereotypical "roguish modern Robin Hood" that most superhero archers were at the time. Too bad he's in a coma or something. I stopped reading GA/BC, so I don't know what the latest is on him.

[Lupek]

I tried to get into the Green Arrow comic but I am just not a fan of Judd Winick's writing. So then I picked up the entire Grell run on ebay. I've only just started but it is really good.

And while I dug the team line up he chose, I didnt care for Brad Meltzers JLA. Red Arrow was/is pretty cool though. I'm hoping GA/BC restarts at some point as just GA. And then I'll give a GA book another shot.

[Phantom Druid]

If someone wanted to delve more into solo Green Arrow, where would be a good place to start?

[Lupek]

If someone wanted to delve more into solo Green Arrow, where would be a good place to start?

I'm no expert but I am pretty sure a lot of folks would recommend Mike Grell's Green Arrow. Unfortunately I don't think it's ever been collected.

[jackdaw53]

I'm no expert, but I've read the entire vol 1 run (some 130 ish issues), and the first 25 of the latest series. As Lupek comments, I'd certainly recommend the Mike Grell run (1 to 80, I believe of vol 1). Its not available in trade, but the back issues can be got for cracking prices. A mini series called the Long Bow Hunters (both written and drawn by Mike Grell, the main run was just written by him) has been collected in trade, and is very highly rated.

The only thing I should "warn" you about is that the Mike Grell run is not really a super hero series. Its about Ollie as a tough guy adventurer, and street level vigilante. (Even when Hal Jordan appears, he promptly takes off his ring and has a fist fight with Ollie. Its that sort of comic... and for the life of me I can't remember whether Ollie or Hal won the punch up.)

The first 25 issues of the current series have been issued in trade... I found them very enjoyable.

[Mon-el]

Julian this might be of intrest to you.

On Season Six of the Smallville Dvd's. They have a 24-28 minute History of the Green Arrow character as one of the special features on the first disc.

It's sort of like The History Channel's Comic Book, Batman Tech, Inside the Batman, programs that they showed.

Mark Hamill narrates the show, with just about everyone that has ever worked on the Green Arrow, throughout the ages.

I would recommend it to any Green Arrow fan of the Emerald Archer.

[celticguy]

I always liked GA. the comparison to McCoy is intersting Batman/spock vs. GA/McCoy.

GA gives the heros a voice, Batman as the other headling non powered hero cannot.

I am enjoying his part of the outsiders.