6 Times Arrow Improved Green Arrow Mythology (& 4 Times It Failed)

1. It Got Fans More Invested In The Comics

Green Arrow (Oliver Queen)
DC Comics

One of the very best things accomplished by Arrow during the show’s eight seasons, is that the success of the storytelling and characterisation of the series has led to fans taking a deep dive into the comic book world of the Green Arrow.

What greater effect can a TV show have on an established comic book mythology, than getting people to check out said comics?

That may possibly be the greatest compliment to place on Arrow – that the show made new fans of Oliver Queen, both in terms of Stephen Amell’s live-action Oliver and in terms of his comic book counterpart.

Previously, many non-Green Arrow fans may have simply labelled the Emerald Archer as a Robin Hood knockoff or possibly even Batman-lite. Instead, Arrow proved that, while Green Arrow does indeed share certain characteristics with both of those other heroes, the Master Bowman is a fantastic character in his own right.

Purely from watching Amell’s Oliver Queen for eight seasons, some have taken to checking out classic comic book runs from names like Mike Grell and Denny O’Neil. And that can’t be anything but a good thing for the mythology of the Green Arrow.

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Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics. As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic. Between his main dayjob, his role as the lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund, Kane Hodder, Adrienne Barbeau, Rob Zombie, Katharine Isabelle, Leigh Whannell, Bruce Campbell, and Tony Todd, to Kevin Smith, Ron Perlman, Elijah Wood, Giancarlo Esposito, Simon Pegg, Charlie Cox, the Russo Brothers, and Brian Blessed, to Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini, Tara Strong, Will Friedle, Burt Ward, Andrea Romano, Frank Miller, and Rob Liefeld, to Bret Hart, Sting, Mick Foley, Ricky Starks, Jamie Hayer, Britt Baker, Eric Bischoff, and William Regal, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, Brian Flynn, Denis Smith, Gary Bennett, Karl Connolly, and Bryan Robson - and that's just the tip of an ever-expanding iceberg.