Comic Book / Green Arrow (2011)

Green Arrow is a 2011 relaunch of the DC Comics hero as part of the New 52 publishing initiative.

Like many comics published during DC's New 52 initiative, much of Green Arrow's history and background as a superhero were wiped clean. A new series was launched, initially written by J.T. Krul, Dan Jurgens, and Keith Giffen. After leaving the comic with issue #6, however, the title was taken over by Ann Nocenti from issues #7-16.

Faced with dwindling sales, Jeff Lemire was given creative control of the struggling title, beginning with issue #17, in hopes of giving it a much-needed direction. The artwork was done by Andrea Sorrentino.

Running from issues #17-34, Lemire's duration on the title proved to be incredibly rejuvenating to the series. Further wiping the slate clean and ignoring much of what had come before, Lemire's run focuses heavily on a Myth Arc and extensive lore that was entirely new to the character, while re-introducing key members of Oliver's Rogues Gallery in new and interesting ways.

The series would then be taken over by Ben Sokolowski and Andrew Kreisberg for a five-issue story arc from #35 to #40, featuring the return of Mia Deardan.

Finally, following the conclusion of Sokolowski and Kreisberg's story arc, the title would be taken over by Benjamin Percy for the remainder of its run from issues #41-52.

The series would then be relaunched with the advent of the DC Rebirth initiative in 2016. For more info see Green Arrow (Rebirth).

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Green Arrow (2011) provides examples of:

In General

• Affirmative-Action Legacy:
  • A villainous version. The original Clock King was white. This version is African-American.
  • Additionally, the new version of Red Dart is a young adult woman.
• Canon Immigrant: Cast members from the Arrow TV series made their way into the comics, including John Diggle, Felicity Smoak (who is in the comics but was completely different), and Tommy Merlyn.
• Canon Immigrant: John Diggle was originally unique to the TV series, the New 52 introduced him to the comics.
• Comic-Book Time: Averted, as following Flashpoint, Oliver's age is given as 25-26.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive:
  • Walter Emerson, the CEO who attempted to take over Ollie's company.
  • Komodo, who actually does take over Queen Industries, and liquidates it, and after framing Ollie for murder, sets on hunting him down now that he's without any form of aid.
  • John King, who tries to take over Seattle and destroy Oliver Queen in both his identities in the Kingdom arc.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Not discussed in any detail, but Felicity Smoak did a lot of bad things and apparently double-crossed The Cheetah at one point.
• Expy: Emiko Queen is one for Damian Wayne from Batman. Both were trained as assassins for the purpose of killing a family member who was a superhero and both wound up becoming snarky teen sidekicks to said hero, who complained about not being allowed to kill. She's developed a personality under Benjamin Percy, though now she's said to be an expy for Kate Bishop from Hawkeye, which is ironic considering Kate was said to be an expy for Mia Dearden when the Hawkeye (2012) book first came out.
• Faking the Dead: In the New 52, Robert Queen did this, to keep his family safe from Komodo, and be free to plot against him.
• Four Eyes, Zero Soul: Eddie Fyers post New 52.
• Gadget Watches: Uses weaponized clocks and watches to attack his victims.
• Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: It is never confirmed if Felicity Smoak dyed her hair like her television counterpart (for what it's worth, she has black hair as a Firestorm supporting character pre-Flashpoint), but she is still depicted as a blonde who didn't quite have it in her to be a hacker mercenary for hire.
• Heel–Face Revolving Door: After having a full-fledged Heel–Face Turn during Chuck Dixon's run, Eddie Fyers is back to being a villain again.
• Heel–Face Turn: Felicity Smoak admits to having committed a lot of crimes in the past but wants to make up for it by helping Green Arrow.
• Legacy Character: Post New 52, there are two Merlyns running around, Malcolm and his son Thomas, the latter was hired by John King but has otherwise been less prominent than his father.
• Long-Lost Relative: In the New 52 volume, Oliver discovers that he has a younger Japanese half-sister sister named Emiko.
• Not Wearing Tights: The New 52 gave several older villains some more street level redesigns (e.g. Clock King is reimagined as a Tattooed Crook).
• Playful Hacker: Felicity Smoak, eventually.
• Put on a Bus: Felicity Smoak completely disappeared from the Green Arrow comics (along with Mia Dearden and all of Oliver's support team apart from Emiko Queen) after the conclusion of The Kingdom.
• Race Lift: The New 52/Rebirth version is an African-American crime boss/inventor who can build bombs disguised as clocks.
• Remember the New Guy?: John Diggle is described as working with Ollie during very early his Green Arrow career, before leaving after a disastrous encounter with Richard Dragon.
• Retcanon: The success of Arrow has lead to several aspects of the show being introduced to the New 52 Green Arrow mythos-
  • John Diggle and, more recently, a new version of Felicity Smoak, have been introduced in roles virtually identical to those they had on the show.
  • The idea that Oliver was stranded on the island for years, and that the island, far from being deserted, was the site of a conspiracy that Oliver gets involved with.
  • Oliver's parents, Moira and Robert Queen, who were never particularly important in the comics, become more important, following on from their portrayals on the show. In particular, the latter is significantly involved in Green Arrow's origin, much like on the show.
  • Felicity Smoak was originally a Firestorm supporting character, a version closer to the Arrowverse version was introduced into the comics in The Kingdom arc.
• Steven Ulysses Perhero: Averted with Count Vertigo, as the New 52 changed his surname to Zytle.
• Tattooed Crook: The New 52 incarnation of Count Vertigo sports a hypnosis spiral tattoo on his torso.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: John Diggle with Ollie.
• Wham Episode: In the first issue of Jeff Lemire's run once he takes over the New 52 title, Emmerson is killed off, Queen Industries is taken over and liquidated, Q-Core is destroyed, Jax is killed and Naomi is kidnapped, and Oliver meets Komodo, an archer who's skill excels his own, and Magus, a mysterious and cryptic being with no eyes. The series changes a LOT from that point... but not in a bad way.

J.T. Krul, Dan Jurgens, and Keith Giffen's run (Issues #1-6)

• Acid Attack: Midas' touch is extremely corrosive; capable of slowly melting away at structures and dissolving projectiles (such as arrows).
• Angsty Surviving Twin: It seems likely that Light will become this.
• Badass Normal: Rush is the only member of his gang that does not have superpowers, and the gang hunts and kills metahumans for fun.
• Bare Midriffs Are Feminine: Limelight's Civvie Spandex outfits include strapless bustiers that leave their bellies bare.
• Beast and Beauty: Midas is partnered with the gorgeous android Blood Rose.
• Berserk Button: Harming Blood Rose will send Midas into an unstoppable rage.
• Boxed Crook: After being jailed, Limelight were recruited into the Suicide Squad.
• Brain Uploading: Blood Rose had her mind installed in a robot body.
• But for Me, It Was Tuesday: When Blood Rose comes after Oliver Queen for revenge, he has no idea who she is.
• Civvie Spandex: Limelight's 'costumes' consist of green bustiers and jeans.
• Coordinated Clothes: Lime and Light wear identical outfits.
• Flight: Limelight's energy powers allow them to fly.
• Genius Bruiser: Midas retained his original intellect following his transformation, so is strong enough to lift a car over his head, but is also an expert in the fields of chemistry, bio-medicine and robotics.
• Hell-Bent for Leather: Blood Rose dresses in red leather.
• Huntingthe Most Dangerous Game: Rush and his gang up the ante by hunting metahumans.
• Immune to Drugs: Due to his physiology, Midas absorbs new toxins, rather than being adversely affected by them.
• Killed Off for Real: Lime is killed when Amanda Waller detonates the nanobomb in her neck.
• Light 'em Up: Lime and Light have light powers, including the projection of energy blasts.
• Master of Illusion: Limelight control of light allows them to cast illusions.
• murder.com: Rush and his gang kill metahumans live on the Internet. The first storyline in the 2011 relaunch has Rush stream his gang hunting a captured Green Arrow live onto the internet.
• No Shirt, Long Jacket: Rush swaggers around in a leather jacket and no shirt showing off his ripped abs.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: Blood Rose's name was actually never revealed.
• Outlaw Couple: Blood Rose with Midas, teaming up against Green Arrow.
• Poisonous Person: Midas' entire body is composed of toxic waste, and he can absorb new toxins.
• Psycho Ex-Girlfriend: Blood Rose is a former lover of Oliver Queen who is out for revenge.
• Ridiculously Human Robots: Despite being a Cyborg, Blood Rose outwardly looks completely human.
• Robosexual: Midas is in a romantic relationship with Blood Rose; and android he constructed.
• Self-Destruct Mechanism: After Green Arrow blew her up—reducing her to components—Blood Rose activated her self-detonation and used it to cover Midas's escape, who managed to retrieve her head.
• Social Media Before Reason: Obsessed with fame, Limelight would would post their crimes on social media while they were performing them.
• Super-Strength: Midas' strength level is unclear, however, Midas was able to seemingly effortlessly lift a car over his head and throw it, as well as swing the base of a tree as a weapon. Naomi claimed Midas was "way" out of Green Arrow's league and could "give Superman a run for his money."
• Super-Toughness: Midas is capable of withstanding an explosion at point blank range.
• Toxic Waste Can Do Anything: Burning alive, Midas leapt into a river of toxic waste, and emerged a monster entirely composed of it.
• Trickster Twins: Limelight are a pair of fame (and social media) obsessed twin criminals, with flashy light-based powers, including the ability to create illusions.
• Walking Shirtless Scene: Rush swaggers around in a leather jacket and no shirt showing off his ripped abs.
• We Can Rebuild Him: Midas rebuilds Blood Rose after her first destruction.
• Your Head A-Splode: Lime is killed when Waller detonates the nanobomb in her neck and her head explodes.

Ann Nocenti's run (Issues #7-16)

• Gadgeteer Genius: Skylark built an array of Trick Arrows for GA.
• Genetic Engineering Is the New Nuke: King Leer tinkered with his daughters while they were in the womb.
• Genius Ditz: Skylark acts like a trio of lovestruck ditzy blondes, but they are bone fide Gadgeteer Geniuses.
• Honey Trap: Skylark's seduction of the hero builds to increasingly (intentionally) hilarious levels in the issue until it finally hits critical mass with the completely expected revelation that it was all a trap, baited with sex.
• No Name Given: Skylark's true names have never been revealed.
• Same-Sex Triplets: Skylark are triplets who are all female.
• Single-Minded Twins: Skylark are triplets that complete each other's sentences.
• Trick Arrow: Skylark uses miniature arrows of many types, including smoke-bombs, pheromones, and others.
• Twin Threesome Fantasy: Being triplets makes Skylark's Honey Trap even more enticing to Ollie.

Jeff Lemire's run (Issues #17-34)

See Green Arrow (Jeff Lemire)

Ben Sokolowski and Andrew Kreisberg's run (Issues #35-40)

• Archnemesis Dad: John King to Mia.
• Arc Villain: John King for The Kingdom.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: John King has ties to The Mafia, particularly the Falcone family, bought off several cops, and tends to make anyone who crosses him disappear.
• Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Thinks that everyone has a price.
• Expy: John King was created to provide Green Arrow with an adversary in the mold of post-Crisis Lex Luthor or Roland Daggett. Though he could also be considered a modern update of John DeLeon, the villain responsible for the loss of Ollie's fortune in the pre-Crisis era.
• Faux Affably Evil: John King puts up a charming facade, but reveals his ruthless true colors with minimal provocation.
• Kill the Poor: John King's urban renewal program in a nutshell.
• Luke, I Am Your Father: John King's Mia Dearden's father in the New 52 reboot.
• Meaningful Name: The name John King brings to mind King John of England, who is a Big Bad in many versions of the Robin Hood mythos.
• No Celebrities Were Harmed: John King bears some resemblance to John Barrowman.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Befitting his stature, John King wears some nice suits.
• Summon Bigger Fish: This works both ways; King hires Merlyn when his own Mooks seem ineffective against Team Arrow; Ollie turns to Batman, Green Lantern, and Katana to help him take down King.
• The Social Darwinist: John King believes that the deaths of the weak will help to ensure that those who remain are stronger.
  King: The sick and diseased are an anchor. Their expedited deaths will help cure the rest of us.
  Mia: Then what does that mean for me? Because I'm sick, too.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: John King sees himself this way. No one else is buying it.
  King: The city will be better off. That's what this is all about: The greater good.
  Mia: Pretty sure that's what Hitler kept telling himself.
• Would Hurt a Child: John King, with his own daughter, no less.

Benjamin Percy's run (Issues #41-52)

• All Bikers are Hells Angels: Marrock leads the Berserkers: a biker gang of werewolves.
• False Flag Operation: In issue #49, the Patriots (an anti-Warg group) help a murderous Warg to escape from prison - killing several guards in the process - and leave behind evidence that other Wargs were responsible to give them an excuse to start a full-scale hunt for the Wargs.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: Marrock suffers from Lukos; a sexually transmitted form of lycanthropy. The disease causes deformation of the frontal lobe and swelling of the adrenal and pituitary glands, increasing anger, hunger, and impulsivity. When the infected is excited or enraged, they bled from their eyes, nose, fingernails, and gums, thereby spreading the disease to those they hurt. The longer the infection, the more extreme the change, to the point of appearing akin to werewolves.
• Our Werewolves Are Different: Wargs. They're carriers of the Blood disease Lukos, a degenerative disease that gives them increased adrenal glands and causes swelling of the frontal lobe, while also causing their fingers and teeth to sharpen and their muscles to grow. The longer they stay unmedicated, and the more emotionally charged they are, the worse they mutate, some gaining fur, glowing eyes, and in some cases even wolf-like snouts. The medication available seems to regress these physical developments, but as a result, the infectee becomes extremely fatigued, leaving them unable to do much physical work.
• Plaguemaster: Marrock can infect others with Lukos, a form of lycanthropy.
• Right-Wing Militia Fanatic: The Patriots.
• Super-Senses: Because of his infection, Marrock has senses akin to those of a wolf.
• Then Let Me Be Evil: Essentially the motivation of the Berserkers gang. As a Warg (basically a carrier of the werewolf-like STD Lukos), they've been hunted down and treated like lesser beings, with the Patriots actively trying to kill them all and the government's response being to drug them into a state of submission so they can't defend themselves. If the world wants to treat them like rabid dogs, then they might as well act like it.

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