8.10.2008

Project Superpowers: The Arrow!

Today's PROJECT SUPERPOWERS Flashback Spotlight is on: The Arrow!!

The Arrow was one of the cover-stars featured on PROJECT SUPERPOWERS #5. Yeah, he was the one with one of the most boring logos I've ever seen. At least it's not hideous, like the logo DC gave Raven. But, still -- who came up with that? And were they paid? I demand a refund for Dynamite!!

The Arrow first appeared in FUNNY PAGES Vol. 2 #10 (#21, Sept 1938). For those of you keeping track of such things, that puts his debut 8 months before Batman (DETECTIVE COMICS #27, May 1939).

According to Toonopedia: "The Arrow didn't mind taking the Judge Dredd approach of being judge, jury and executioner all in one. If a criminal deserved death, but was untouchable due to those pesky legal technicalities like due process and the presumption of innocence, The Arrow would simply take care of the killing himself, bypassing all the fuss and bother. He even kept a particular arrow in his quiver, a black one, for just that purpose."

Okay! Let's read an Arrow story! This one if from THE ARROW #3 (Oct 1941):

You can download THE ARROW #3
and lots of other awesome golden-age goodness
from Golden Age Comics Downloads!

5 comments:

  1. I couldn't agree with you more about that god-awful RAVEN logo. Not to mention that horrible artwork and "emo" bullsh*t. This was one that I snuck back onto the shelf after I had asked my comics shop to reserve a copy. Don't know of Wolfman's story turned out to be any good, but do I know I would not be able to see past the art. I never thought I'd say this, but artwork like that makes me miss Don Heck.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RGH. I didn't think anything could make me miss Don Heck. Or Vince Colletta for that matter. But at least you could read the stuff they worked on with out having your eyes bleed.
    Even if you usually wanted to cry.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Another great post! :-) Most people don't know that The Arrow was around LONG BEFORE Green Arrow. There were a LOT of archery heroes during the Golden Age, in fact, but for some reason Green Arrow is the only one who's done a good job of surviving since that era. (Hawkeye doesn't count -- he's from the Silver Age.)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hey Sea, thanks!!!
    Yeah, Arrow beat that Green guy by 3 years! In fact, The Arrow #3 was (I believe) the last time Centaur published an Arrow adventure...and that came out the month before Green Arrow debuted in More Fun Comics #73!!
    Hmmm...
    Maybe they're actually the same person.


    Have you ever seen them in the same room together...?
    :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. LOL! Hadn't thought of that -- good point! ;-)

    ReplyDelete