If you like comics, you are typically either a Marvel person or a DC person.You could be neither and prefer Valiant or Image, but DC and Marvel are the two big publishers. Most people prefer one over the other. I enjoy Marvel quite a bit, and through different phases of my life I have bought more Marvel than DC. However, overall, I consider myself a DC guy. I don’t know why, but I have always been drawn more to the DC characters than the Marvel characters. So, yes I have talked about two Marvel characters this week, and only one DC. Now it is time to even that up.
Green Arrow
It is interesting what they have done with the Green Arrow character on the Arrow series. The similarities between him and Batman are numerous and glaring sometimes. Like the Arrow Cave, Felicity being Overwatch, who is basically Oracle, Oliver being handpicked by Ra’s al Ghul to be the heir to the Dragon, and so on. It is almost like they are making him a TV version of Batman without calling him Batman.
The irony here is that Green Arrow really was created to compete directly with Batman. This was back before DC was the DC we know now. Green Arrow was under a different publisher, and he was created to be Batman, but not. Like a mix of Batman and Robin Hood. In the comics, his history and character have evolved quite a bit to be very different from Batman. Yes, Oliver is a rich playboy like Bruce Wayne, but Green Arrow is much more jovial than Batman, much more outspoken. And, Green Arrow doesn’t have the “no killing” rule.
Why Green Arrow?
Green Arrow has more or less become the liberal voice of the Justice League. He is probably more left leaning than I like, at times, but I respect him. The biggest reason why is because Green Arrow stands by his convictions. He does not allow himself to be swayed from what he feels to be right and wrong. He knows what he believes and he stands for it.
His biggest motivation as a character is not vengeance for his parents’ deaths. Instead, for him, it’s all about helping the little guy. Helping and protecting the people who can’t help and protect themselves. Really, it’s one of the most noble motivations any superhero could have. Oliver is still flawed and tortured and he makes mistakes, but he puts all of his resources and abilities into helping others. What could be more heroic than that? That’s why I love Green Arrow.
30 Days 30 Characters
Did you miss one of the previous days? Are you checking the series out for the first time today? Check out the rest of the series by clicking on the links below.
Day 3- Captain Jean Luc Picard
