Translating comic book characters to film or television can be a daunting task, as they often work like gangbusters on a printed page, but may lack something for the screen. But if you can get to the heart of it, the center of what makes these great characters tick, then you've got something.The writing staff for the DC shows have been getting inside the heads of these characters, making their larger than life superhero personas a backdrop for their very human struggles. The ongoing struggle of Bruce Wayne in Gotham, the singular and mission-driven identity of Arrow's Oliver Queen, there's some incredible work going on here. Finding the humanity of Oliver Queen, that can be difficult for the medium of television, but the combination of sharp writing and strong direction have kept things moving at a swift pace that is a perfect balance week to week. Multi-part, ongoing sagas on Arrow make it feel like a comic book. The last five episodes of Arrow's second season alone felt like something out of a great run in the comics, where the story was never quite finished at the end of each issue and kept you along for the ride. It's a very rich and dynamic world that DC is creating with these television shows, matching up complex plots with pitch perfect characterization.
