Green Arrow #20, March 2003
Tonight is the final episode of the extremely well-done Arrow, lasting eight seasons on the CW and successfully launching the “Arrowverse” which now includes Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, Supergirl and more. I doubt anyone could have predicted that these shows would create a well-crafted and (mostly) unified TV DCU, much like Marvel has created a unified film universe.
I’ve seen some (unjust) criticism that ultimately, these shows feel like any other show on the CW, just with more spandex. I think some of that criticism comes from grading these Greg Berlanti produced shows against the more mature (and expensive) shows that are running (less frequently) on premium cable and streaming services.
Its difficult to imagine something like this unified DCU coming together even just 10-years ago, and kudos off to Berlanti and company for creating quality shows with just enough (hopefully not too much) fan service. And the shows will continue on even without the launch series, and star Stephen Amell.
Matt Wagner created a terrific series of painted covers for this Brad Meltzer run of Green Arrow in 2002 and 2003, including this very dramatic portrait of Oliver Queen. (In this story arc, Ollie is dealing with a Hal Jordan (Green Lantern) sub-plot, hence the green illumination.) And speaking of Green Lantern, will he (they) crossover from the upcoming HBO Max series? Very much looking forward to seeing how this all plays out .
