UNOFFICIAL GREEN ARROW WEEK!
Every day this week we're talking about GREEN ARROW! The Final Order Cut-Off is on April 2nd!
WELCOME TO THE UNOFFICIAL GREEN ARROW WEEK! (And a few more days after that…)
Green Arrow #1’s Final order Cut-Off is in two weeks on April 2nd. Normally I’d just promote the book the week before the FOC and then the week of release. But this time I thought I’d try something different. I’d start a bit early and offer up way more info and behind the scenes looks at the series than I’d normally do. So, let’s begin!
My first introduction to Green Arrow was the Kenner Super Powers toy when I was four years old. I didn’t know a whole lot about the character, he wore green and was an archer, and he gave off Robin Hood vibes and I loved him. It was one of my favorite toys.
But then one day the toy went missing. We moved around a bit when I was a kid, and during one of the moves he was just…GONE. It was heart breaking to my little self. And I think that is part of why I’ve always been so obsessed with Green Arrow. Maybe Green Arrow has been my “Rosebud” this whole time. Who knows?!
BUT when I was a pre-teen getting into comics I discovered him again. I was very into the Death of Superman and Reign of Superman storyline, and after Coast City was destroyed it lead me to start picking up Green Lantern, which then lead me to Green Arrow. Then Connor Hawke was introduced in Green Arrow #0 and by then I was reading the book on a monthly basis. Then I went backward and started to read more. Longbow Hunters. The Golden and Silver Age stories. I was hooked. I loved the Green Arrow world and mythology. I always saw Ollie as John McClane in the Die Hard movie. You can drop him into any situation and he will find a way to survive and save the day. With a bow and arrow. Ollie will always find trouble…or trouble will find him.
But for a good part of the 90s Ollie was dead!
Then in 2001, we got the awesome Kevin Smith and Phil Hester’s Green Arrow #1. After years of waiting for his return, we finally got Ollie back in the most prolific way possible with a major name writing the new series. I was still working at a comic book store when this happened and it was BIG. (I actually have the original promo poster by Matt Wagner still.)
The new series was the talk of the shop, everyone working at the store and the customers were reading it and talking about it. The new series reestablished Oliver Queen as Green Arrow and firmly planted him back into the DC Universe in a major way. It was an awesome and fun comic book series. That run was a massive success. Kevin Smith was eventually replaced by Brad Meltzer and then Judd Winick, who defined Green Arrow for the majority of the 2000s.
Over the years the creative teams changed and lead to Green Arrow and Black Canary, Then Brightest Day Green Arrow, New 52 Green Arrow and then Green Arrow Rebirth in 2016. The last Green Arrow comic was Green Arrow #50 in 2019…
Wait…There hasn’t been a Green Arrow series in FOUR YEARS? Holy crap! This book is long overdue!
Our new Green Arrow #1 is the Green Arrow comic that I wished I had read, so I hope you pre-order it and then check it out when it launches on April 25th!
Below is some other cool stuff about Green Arrow before we dive into the plans for the next week.
This is a shelf in my OLD office. I THINK this picture is from around 2010? Because of the home remodel we’re doing most of this is in storage right now, but will have a new shelf in the new office in a few weeks.
I actually have way more Green Arrow toys now, but I’ll save that picture for another day…maybe when #1 comes out! As you can see I have a few of that Super Powers Green Arrow toy now.
Here is the schedule for this week and the next week.
MONDAY: That’s today. Cool designs and the FAQ about the series.
TUESDAY: Comic Pop Returns video interview about Green Arrow and Knight Terrors. Plus, a never before scene page from Green Arrow #1!
WEDNESDAY: I interview Sean about his love of Green Arrow. I will also show off the moment I feel in love with Sean’s work…at Marvel?
THURSDAY: Sean interviews me about my love of Green Arrow.
FRIDAY: Sean's and my favorite Green Arrow (and Family) issues. Also, with some more art! Process on the #1 cover.
There will be some posts over the weekend but I’ll leave those as surprises.
Next week I’m at MEGACON, so I won’t be able to post as much. But we will post some variant covers every day next week until Thursday. And we have a few interviews planned with comic book web sites.
Expect a post about Megacon on Monday!
DESIGNS: Here are three designs that Sean did when he got started on the book. Ollie, Roy, and Connor. We’ll be talking about these designs in more detail in the Wednesday interview with Sean.
F.A.Q
When is Green Arrow #1 launching?
April 25th!
Who is working on it?
WRITER: Me, Joshua Williamson
ARTIST: Sean Izaakse
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo Jr
LETTERS: Troy Peteri
EDITOR: Ben Abernathy.
Where is my favorite character? And why are they not on the #1 wrap around cover that Sean did?
Depends on who it is. Listen…that #1 cover has a LOT of characters on it. There was no way I could keep adding more characters. This was the first time Sean and I have ever worked together, I didn’t want to kill him on day one. We made sure that certain characters made it because we wanted to single out what the series was going to be about…a reunion.
That being said, I know a few characters didn’t make it…I see you Eddie Fyers fans!
How many issues is it?
6 issues.
What? It’s only a mini-series?!
Yeah, I know, but the hope is that if the book sells enough that we can get extended. Our first goal would be to get extended to 12 issues, at least. BUT…BUT…there is no guarantee of that. Green Arrow can be a hard sell sometimes. This is why the PRE-ORDERS ARE KEY. We already know what the 2nd arc would be about and hope we get to share it with you!
How do I pre-order Green Arrow #1?
Pre-ordering is a crucial piece of today’s comic book marketplace. And it’s easy.
Contact your comic book store and let them know you’re interested in pre-ordering the new series. There are a few resources to do this:
Here is the link to comic shop locator: https://www.comicshoplocator.com/
Comic Hub has a service to help you pre-order: https://comichub.com/
There are two great posts that get into detail on pre-ordering here.
One from “How to Love Comics”: https://www.howtolovecomics.com/2022/06/13/how-to-preorder-comics-and-graphic-novels/
And another very informative one from Greg Pak: https://gregpak.com/master_list_of_places_to_preorder_comics_online/
You can use the information below as well. Or hell, just take this to your comic book store:
A LOT of comic book stores have amazing pre-ordering programs. You just need to let them know you want to check out the #1 or to subscribe to the series.
In fact, you should pre-order Green Arrow #1 to #6. That will tell your comic book store that you are invested in the series.
I’m going to be candid here and say I’m excited to get out there and talk about Green Arrow, BUT I’M CURIOUS if this all works. If this level of online promotion actually increases pre-orders and drives people into comic book stores. Will promoting the #1 issue a bunch actually catch anyone’s attention? We’ll see!
I'll end this first day with this. A prized possession from my own personal collection. A headshot of Golden Age Oliver Queen by the master Darwyn Cooke. I met Darwyn a few times, but the first time I met him, he this head sketch as we talked comics at a SDCC. He was an awesome person and a gift to our industry and the world.
See you again tomorrow as Unofficial Green Arrow week continues!
P.S. For paid subscribers there will be a larger update post this upcoming Monday that will be coming just to you, so be on the lookout!
