Broken Frontier

Green Arrow was introduced in the pages of More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941), created by Mort Weisinger (perhaps best known for his work on the Superman line) and George Papp.  Mixing trappings very reminiscent to Batman (teen sidekick, customized car, secret cave hideout, signal that shone in the sky) with a Robin Hood/archery theme, Arrow was originally a back-up feature to Dr. Fate.  As More Fun Comics shifted to superhero themes, Green Arrow and his sidekick, Speedy, quickly found themselves promoted to the lead feature (running from issue #77, March 1942, until #103, May 1945, when the book returned to its comic strip humor roots).  Additionally, Green Arrow appeared as a secondary feature in the pages of World’s Finest Comics and as a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory in Leading Comics.  Although Green Arrow never reclaimed the degree of exposure he had in More Fun Comics, his adventures continued in the back-up features in Adventure Comics.   It was in one of these back-up features (Adventure Comics #256, January 1959), that Green Arrow’s origin was finally established.

Oliver Queen was a wealthy playboy who was on a cruise ship which was overrun by pirates.  Tossed overboard, Queen was marooned on a nearby island.  Forced to battle not only the elements, but also smugglers on the island, Queen fashioned himself a bow and several trick arrows, becoming an expert marksman.  Following his return to civilization, Queen attended a costume party dressed as Robin Hood.  After successfully thwarting a thief at the party, Queen decided to embark on a career as a superhero.  Armed with his bow and arsenal of trick arrows, he became Green Arrow, protector of Star City.  Not long after, Queen began a partnership with young Roy Harper, another skilled archer he met at a competition.  Christened “Speedy” by his idol (as Roy was able to subdue a criminal faster than Queen himself), this dynamic duo began on a career of adventure. 

Green Arrow proved to be an interesting exception for DC during the Silver Age.  While the “big three” heroes (Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman) continued uninterrupted from the Golden Age, many of the second –tier characters (such as Green Lantern and the Flash) were re-imagined as entirely new creations.  Green Arrow bucked this “2nd tier” trend as, at least initially, the character who joined the Justice League of America as a non-charter member in issue #4 (April/May 1961) was the same who adventured in the Golden Age.  By the end of the decade, DC’s “Earth-One/Earth-Two” division became more obvious for Oliver Queen.  With The Brave and the Bold #85 (September 1969), Green Arrow began sporting a new look costume designed by Neal Adams (while the “classic-look” Arrow still occasionally appeared in “Earth-Two” adventures).  With a new visual, Arrow’s personality was remade in time for Justice League of America #79 (March 1970) when Queen lost his vast financial fortune.  Outspoken and argumentative, Green Arrow became a distinctly liberal voice among the traditionally conservative pantheon of DC heroes.

During this era, Green Arrow developed two important relationships, both through his Justice League connections.  The first was with Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, with whom Oliver has had a long-running, off-and-on romantic relationship.  The second was with the cosmic superhero, Green Lantern.  The pairing of these unlikely heroes primarily occurred in the pages of Green Lantern (beginning with issue #76, April 1970), which unofficially was re-titled Green Lantern Co-Starring Green Arrow .  Under the guidance of editor Julius Schwartz, writer Denny O’Neil and artist Neal Adams, the title became a sort of “buddy book” in which the liberal Green Arrow and conservative Green Lantern traveled across America fighting social injustice.  Of all these adventures, the most significant to Green Arrow lore was the arc from Green Lantern #85-86 (September-November 1971) in which Speedy battled an addiction to heroin.  Although the stories can be considered heavy-handed and simplistic by today’s standards, this era of the “hard-traveling heroes” retains an important spot in comic book history.

Despite the immense legacy this era carries, it is often overlooked that the run, while critically acclaimed, failed to generate significant sales in the early 1970s.  Combined with deadline troubles, Green Lantern moved to a bi-monthly schedule before being cancelled following issue #89 (April/May 1972).   The O’Neil/Adams run on the characters was carried over into a back-up feature in The Flash #217-219 (August 1972-January 1973), in which Oliver accidentally killed a man and sought solace in an ashram monastery.  With the conclusion of this tale, the Green Lantern/Green Arrow pairing was discontinued, and Ollie became a back-up regular in the pages of Action Comics (#421, February 1973).  Around this time (December 1973) Oliver also made a brief appearance on the small-screen, as a guest-star in the episode of the Saturday morning cartoon, The Super-Friends.

For the next decade or so, Oliver bounced around the DC Universe, appearing primarily as a co-feature in the re-launched Green Lantern book (#90, August 1976-#122, November 1979), and in World’s Finest Comics (#244, April 1977-#284, October 1982).  The World’s Finest arc was of particular significance to Queen’s story as it moved his political beliefs to the forefront as he began a career as a newspaper columnist (and later as a political candidate).  Oliver also made appearances in Detective Comics, DC Comics Presents and Justice League of America, among other titles.  Following all this time as a back-up and guest star, a self-titled Green Arrow series (a four-issue mini) debuted in May 1983.  Establishing an ongoing feud with Count Vertigo, this would be the last major starring role for Oliver before the re-launch of the DC Universe in Crisis on Infinite Earths (1986).