Suspense for the Romantic Heart

In a nod to the wonder of Comic-Con this week, we are looking at the predicted CW hit, Arrow. Oh lord, not another superhero show…yes folks it is.

Super Heroes will never die, figuratively and literally. Have you been to the movies in the past three to five years? Super heroes abound not only in the marvel of action (pun intended), excitement, and romance, but most importantly, at the box office. The characters created by Marvel and DC Comics will be revived again and again.

First, for those of us who are not walking comic encyclopedias, I wanted to look at the history of our new CW character, Green Arrow.

Green Arrow is a comic series created by DC Comics, not Marvel. Do not mix these up, the fans get very annoyed. Green Arrow was co-created by Mort Weisinger, known for his co-creation of Aquaman and his editing of Superman in the mid-fifties and sixties, and George Papp, best known as one of the principal artists on the long-running Superboy feature for DC Comics. Green Arrow first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941.
Originally developed as an archery-themed analogue of Batman, writers at DC developed Green Arrow into a voice of left-wing and progressive politics very much distinct in character from Batman.

For the next 25 years Green Arrow went through several transformations, including being paired up with Green Latern, and then killed off to be replaced by his son, the not as popular, Conner Queen. In the 2000s, the character was featured in bigger storylines focusing on Green Arrow and the character Black Canary, the climax of which sees Green Arrow becoming a morally ambiguous anti-hero.

More recently, specific to CW fans, Green Arrow was played by actor Justin Hartley, on the long running CW hit, Smallville. In the sixth season, the character became 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 featured Green Arrow supporting characters and mythos.

Now the CW is releasing Arrow in its fall lineup, and truth be told, this show is going to kick some serious butt. Below is the official blurb from CW.

After a violent shipwreck, Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island. His mother Moira, sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. Oliver secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory.

Okay kids, here is the scoop. Green Arrow has several things going for it, all supporting my prediction. First it landed on the right network. Known for being geared for the teen audience, every girl in Metropolis, or in this case, Starling City will be swooning over the gorgeous intensity of Stephen Amell, playing the title character.

Any superhero has to have the swoon factor, and Amell definitely has it. He is also a good actor, guaranteeing the shows staying power after the female population recovers. Amel has hopped around on prime time for the past few years, including guest spots on The Vampire Diaries and Heartland, and finally someone realized how talented he is.

So we have the right network, and a strong leading man. So far so good, directing the pilot is David Nutter, his credits include Entourage, Game of Thrones and the pilot of Smallville. Executive Producer, Greg Berlanti is no stranger to super heroes as he’s held the bag for 2011’s Green Latern with Ryan Reynolds, has green-lighted Green Latern 2 (that was not intended but still worth a giggle) and is also know for the projects No Ordinary Family, Eli Stone, and the upcoming political miniseries, Political Animals.

The trailers for Arrow are action packed but also give us a peek into a solid plotline. Intriguing, relatable characters stand out, and the promise to pull the viewing audience in and keep us coming back every week is without question.

I am putting this to the three episode test but I am confident enough to give it two thumbs way up! I am really looking forward to seeing where the Arrow goes. Below is the extended trailer, enjoy!!

Arrow premieres October 1oth 212, check local listing for channel and schedules.