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Official Site: DC Comics

Green Arrow (Oliver Jonas "Ollie" Queen) is a fictional character that appears in comic book published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver "Ollie" Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City. Dressed like Robin Hood, Green Arrow is an archer who invents trick arrows with various special functions, such as glue arrows, net arrows, explosive arrows, time bomb arrows, grappling arrows, fire extinguishing arrows, flash arrows, tear gas arrows, cryonic arrows, boxing-glove arrows, and even a kryptonite arrow. Originally developed as an archery-themed analogue of the very popular Batman character, writers at DC have developed Green Arrow into a voice of left-wing and progressive politics very much distinct in character from Batman, with his own supporting cast.

Throughout his first twenty-five years, Green Arrow was not a significant hero. In the late 1960s, however, writer Denny O'Neil chose to have him lose his fortune, giving him the then-unique role of streetwise crusader for the working class and the disadvantaged. In 1970, he was paired with the more law-and-order-oriented hero Green Lantern in a groundbreaking, socially conscious comic book series. Since then, he has been popular among comic book fans and most writers have taken an urban, gritty approach to the character. The character was killed off in the 1990s and replaced by a new character, Queen's son Connor Hawke, the second Green Arrow; however, Hawke proved a less popular character, and the original Oliver Queen character was resurrected in the 2001 "Quiver" storyline. In the 2000s, the character has been featured in bigger storylines focusing on Green Arrow and the character Black Canary, such as the DC event The Green Arrow/Black Canary Wedding and the high-profile Justice League: Cry for Justice storyline, the climax of which sees Green Arrow becoming a morally-ambiguous anti-hero.

The character was not initially a well-known character outside of comic book fandom; he had appeared in a single episode of the animated series Super Friends in 1973. The character, however, became a prominent feature in the DCAU animated series Justice League Unlimited in the 2000s, reflective of his status in Justice League comic books, as well as the animated series The Batman and several DC Universe Animated Original Movies. From season six of popular live-action series Smallville, in 2006, Green Arrow has been played by actor Justin Hartley, who later becomes a core cast member; he was originally introduced in a guest run as a substitute for the restricted-rights character Batman. As a main character, Smallville prominently features Green Arrow supporting characters and mythos. David S. Goyer has also attempted to get Green Arrow: Escape from Super Max into production as a film in the late 2000s.

Green Arrow and Speedy first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (cover-dated November 1941), which was illustrated by artist George Papp. Aside from the obvious allusions to Robin Hood, Mort Weisinger, when developing the character, was also inspired by a movie serial, The Green Archer, based on the novel by Edgar Wallace. He retooled the concept into a superhero archer with obvious Batman influences. These include Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy, his use of an Arrowcar and Arrowplane, his use of an Arrowcave as headquarters, his alter ego as a billionaire playboy, the use of an Arrow-signal to summon him, and a clown-like arch foe named Bull's Eye, similar to Batman's arch-foe, the Joker.

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