DC honoring Green Arrow with an 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular
Eighty years ago, in November 1941, DC Comics introduced the Green Arrow for the very first time in More Fun Comics #73. Green Arrow was and is a superhero with no actual superpowers except for his extraordinary human skills as a crime fighting archer. The comic book rumor mill says that DC came up with the Green Arrow to have a hero to use in lieu of Batman; because in many instances the publishing rights for Batman were often too restrictive.
And the parallels between Green Arrow and Batman are many: no superpowers, skilled combatants, wealthy socialites, young wards, trick gadgets, etc. One of the differences between them now is that Oliver Queen evolved into a hero with a tree-hugging social conscience. And although Oliver has his dark side, it’s nowhere near as dark as Bruce Wayne / Batman’s.
… Oliver Queen, the heroic archer, has worked with the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Justice League, starred in the DC animated Universe and launched his own branch of the DC Extended Universe: The Arrowverse. His skillful use of the bow and arrow and his boisterous personality have made him one of DC’s most compelling characters.
To celebrate The Green Arrow’s illustrious career, DC released Green Arrow: 80th Anniversary, a 100-page anthology featuring 12 short stories by a star-studded cast of writers and artists. ~ CBR.com
DC is honoring the Emerald Archer with the release of their Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1; and we can read “Tap, Tap, Tap” from the twelve-story anthology for free. This anthology features a number of celebrated storytellers whose careers have been connected to Green Arrow, but none more so than the iconic DC scribe Denny O’Neil.
“Tap, Tap, Tap” is a silent, wordless story from Denny’s son Larry O’Neil, with art from Jorge Fornes (Rorschach), and Dave Stewart (Plunge).
The intimate look at Denny’s life chronicles the challenges and victories both in and out of comics, from his childhood to raising a family, and his stellar career as a writer, until his passing in 2020.
DC Comics is sharing this testament to the legendary writer that touched the hearts and imaginations of so many.
Additional stories in this anthology include:
- “The Disappearing Bandit” – Written by Mariko Tamaki, Art by Javier Rodriguez
- “Punching Evil” – Written by Tom Taylor, Art by Nicola Scott, Colors by Annette Kwok
- “Who Watches the Watchtower?” – Written by Stephanie Phillips, Art by Chris Mooneyham, Colors by Mike Spicer
- “Out of the Shadows” – Written and Art by Mike Grell, Colors by Lovern Kindzerski
- “The Arrow and the Song” – Written by Ram V, Art by Christopher Mitten, Colors by Ivan Plascencia
- “One” – Written by Brandon Thomas, Art by Jorge Corona, Colors by Matheus Lopes
- “Green Man and Autumn Son” – Written by Devin Grayson, Art by Max Fiumara
- “Star City Star” – Written and Art by Phil Hester, Inks by Ande Parks, Colors by Trish Mulvihill
- “Happy Anniversary” – Written by Vita Ayala, Art by Laura Braga, Colors by Adriano Lucas
- “The Sympathy of the Woods” – Written by Ben Percy, Art by Otto Schmidt
- “The Last Green Arrow Story” – Written by Jeff Lemire, Art by Andrea Sorrentino, Colors by Jordie Bellaire
And, what’s considered by DC as a “must-have collector’s item,” the anniversary spectacular comes with 80 years’ worth of variant covers from some of the most prolific artists in comics:
● 1940’s Variant: Michael Cho
● 1950’s Variant: Daniel Warren Johnson
● 1960’s Variant: Neal Adams
● 1970’s Variant: Derrick Chew
● 1980’s Variant: Gary Frank
● 1990’s Variant: Howard Porter
● 2000’s Variant: Jen Bartel
● 2010’s Variant: Simone Di Meo
See all the above-mentioned variant covers in the Slide show below.
To celebrate the milestone 80th Anniversary, fans can read the first issue of Denny O’Neil’s and Neal Adams’ (Batman) legendary run that saw the team-up of Green Lantern and Green Arrow in Green Lantern #76-#87, for free with registration on DC UNIVERSE INFINITE.
Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 is available now at participating comic bookstores and is also available in digital format. To find the nearest store close to you, check out DC’s Comic Shop Tracker.
Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, Pages: 6
You can also see some cool and classic Green Arrow animated adventures in Justice League Unlimited, now streaming on HBOMAX.
And for more on this well-deserved anniversary tribute to the Emerald Archer, see the video accompanying this article.
(Source: DC Comics)
Posted by Richard Webster, Ace News Today / Follow Richard on Facebook and Twitter
