For the entirety of the shows first season, the opening monologue was accompanied by the image of Queens salvation, where the hooded figure shot a burning arrow in order to get a passing boats attention. This is nothing spectacular, but fans of the comics instantly recognised Oliver Queens blonde hair, beard and moustache, as well as the Robin Hood inspired outfit, as being a direct reference to the comic books on which the show is based. The characters initial appearances in comic books were pretty laughable there was the boxing glove arrow, the arrowcar and the atrocious facial hair. The show has tried to distance itself from this, but it has at least shown that it is aware of the characters rich history. The nod towards the comics showed that from the start the shows producers wanted to please fans and general audiences at the same time, and they have certainly accomplished this so far.