Thursday, June 16, 2005
Golden Arrow
Why don't you know who this man is?
He's Golden Arrow. He's one of the characters from Whiz Comics (the same fine folks who gave us Captain Marvel).
Son of a balloon scientist (don't ask) killed by bad guys, Golden Arrow was raised by an old prospector ("Nugget Ned", *snort*) as a prodigy of the Wild Western Arts of bear-wrasslin, antelope-chasin, and rattler-killin. He was an expert bowman, and for no apparent reason, wore a red and white sash around his waist.
DC owns the character (you can find him in the DC Encyclopedia). If Geoff Johns or James Robinson had come within 20 miles of Green Arrow, they would have sensibly linked him to Golden Arrow, giving him a bit more dignity than he has now as just a Batman/Robin Hood rip-off. Hey, Green Arrow could use all the dignity we can muster for him, because he's a gooberish fanboy, a sleazy womanizer, a loudmouthed know-it-all, and a deadbeat dad.
Green Arrow's ward Roy Harper (Speedy) was raised on a natives' reservation. Lots of opportunity there to link him to a hero of the old West. He might even be a descendent of Roger Parsons (that's Golden Arrow, to you, bub).
Couldn't Ollie be a big fan of the old West? His sassy attitude is very "cowboy", after all.
Couldn't Ollie have been enamored of the Legend of Golden Arrow? Wouldn't that as background give some context to his self-creation as Green Arrow, rather than his current origin (which just makes him seem like a bored, rich lunatic)?
Couldn't his interest in Golden Arrow have brought him into contact with young Roy Harper, and give him a stronger interest adopting as his ward (or whatever their relationship was)?
Great writers do great things. But making connections like this is a no-brainer. Why does it take greats like Robinson and Johns to actually make things like, say, connecting the Green and Golden Arrows actually happen?
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5 comments:
Nah, linking one of DC's most enduring and well-known second-tier heroes to a Golden Ager who, aside from meriting an Encyclopedia entry, probably hasn't appeared since WWII, and may not have ever appeared in an actual comic published by DC is *clearly* a job, not for Johns or Robinson, but for Roy "DC screwed me over in Crisis and I did my best to return the favor by replacing the Golden Age Wonder Woman with Miss America" Thomas.
Although Robinson would, admittedly, write it more interestingly, and Johns would be good if you want random tripping over every continuity involved and plenty of gratuitous love for Hal Jordan....
"Nugget Ned"?
At least it's a better name than Pile-On Pete.
"Pile-On Pete"? I think I rented that movie...
I'm amazed no one put this guy, instead of the Spider, into Green Arrow's slot in the 7 Soldiers of Victory.
Easy enough, just make Raymond Begay/Bravebow (the guy who raised Roy Harper) Roger Parson's Indian sidekick. Not your Tonto big-heap-useful Indian sidekick, but a short haired, res-hatin' troublemaker Parsons straightens out. Eventually becomes pillar of the community sort.
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