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Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow
For 75 years, Green Arrow has been a part of the DC Comics world, working his way up from a supporting player to the star of a flagship television series. Yet for much of his career, he was a hero without a home, separate from his contemporaries, or unfavorably compared with a certain Dark Knight.
Whether it is the “cowboys and Indians” influences of the 1940s and 1950s, the rebellious realism of the 1970s, the darker edge of the 1980s, or the melodrama of his TV personas, Green Arrow has remained the conscience of the comics world, and perhaps an even better representative than Batman of what one person can do.
This collection is the definitive analysis of the Emerald Archer, from his Golden Age origins to his small screen adventures and beyond. Exploring overlooked chapters of Green Arrow’s life, and those of alter ego Oliver Queen, this book shows that Green Arrow has never been just one thing, but rather a perpetually moving target. Includes new interviews with Green Arrow creators from across the decades, including Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Chuck Dixon, Phil Hester, Brad Meltzer, and Jeff Lemire.
From Sequart Organization. More info at http://sequart.org
Whether it is the “cowboys and Indians” influences of the 1940s and 1950s, the rebellious realism of the 1970s, the darker edge of the 1980s, or the melodrama of his TV personas, Green Arrow has remained the conscience of the comics world, and perhaps an even better representative than Batman of what one person can do.
This collection is the definitive analysis of the Emerald Archer, from his Golden Age origins to his small screen adventures and beyond. Exploring overlooked chapters of Green Arrow’s life, and those of alter ego Oliver Queen, this book shows that Green Arrow has never been just one thing, but rather a perpetually moving target. Includes new interviews with Green Arrow creators from across the decades, including Neal Adams, Mike Grell, Chuck Dixon, Phil Hester, Brad Meltzer, and Jeff Lemire.
From Sequart Organization. More info at http://sequart.org
- GenresComicsNonfiction
340 pages, Paperback
First published August 10, 2017
16 people are currently reading
37 people want to read
About the author
Richard Gray
2 books21 followersRichard Gray is a writer and reader of things. As the editor of TheReelBits.com, he has been talking and writing (at length) about pop-culture for years, whether you wanted him to or not.
His first book, Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow is out now through Sequart Publishing.
He is Australian, and is in your future.
His first book, Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow is out now through Sequart Publishing.
He is Australian, and is in your future.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 17, 2018
Oh god, where to start? I am a great fan of Green Arrow, or so I thought. It seems I was only in love with the *idea* of Green Arrow, but I knew nothing about thim.
Richard Gray explores the entire history of the emerald archer from conception, the outlandish stories of the golden age, all the way through its currently accepted small screen version.
The best stories, the concepts, the friends and enemies, it's all in here, and if you really want to know about Oliver Queen and company, there's no better book.
Richard Gray explores the entire history of the emerald archer from conception, the outlandish stories of the golden age, all the way through its currently accepted small screen version.
The best stories, the concepts, the friends and enemies, it's all in here, and if you really want to know about Oliver Queen and company, there's no better book.
August 9, 2017
A fantastic book. A real insight into Green Arrow's history!
November 5, 2020
In Sequart's Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow, Richard Gray paints a complete picture of DC Comics' battling bowman, from the Golden Age to the New52 (not forgetting the Arrow show), with a few key creator interviews along the way. He loves his subject, that's clear, and perhaps he fawn over it a bit much sometimes, but his thesis that Oliver Queen is a "moving target", continually moving from one incarnation to another with the whims of continuity is an interesting one. Though he's working with 75 years of history, Gray finds a nimble enough thru-line for the character. There are a few errors in the book, but they're never about G.A. himself and like the occasional typo, don't really detract from the work. I like Green Arrow, but I admit to having skipped a lot of his comics, so I definitely learned something. Moreover, I was impressed enough to wish other writers would take up the baton and provide Sequart with similar books about the second string of superheroes - like Hawkman & Hawkwoman, the Atom, or Supergirl.
September 29, 2017
Double disclosure: the author is a friend of mine, and my name is in the acknowledgements of this book.
Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow represents an incredibly deeply researched history of one of DC’s most enduring but often under-utilised heroes.
Gray offers both fact and analysis and pairs them with far-reaching interviews with a wide variety of people tied to the history of Green Arrow, many of whom reveal far more than one might expect. The people who have worked on Green Arrow have obviously been passionate about the character, and that passion is reflected in both their own words, the work itself and Gray’s analysis.
Gray is not afraid to illustrate that Green Arrow’s catalogue has not always been a a cavalcade of quality, and his asides about the history of DC itself in relation to the character are invaluable.
If you want to know what primary colours combine to form Green Arrow, you likely cannot do better than Moving Target. Moving Target fills a niche you may not have known existed, but if you’re an Oliver Queen diehard or a fresh recruit to the cause of the Emerald Archer, this is a more than worthy addition to your quiver.
Moving Target: The History and Evolution of Green Arrow represents an incredibly deeply researched history of one of DC’s most enduring but often under-utilised heroes.
Gray offers both fact and analysis and pairs them with far-reaching interviews with a wide variety of people tied to the history of Green Arrow, many of whom reveal far more than one might expect. The people who have worked on Green Arrow have obviously been passionate about the character, and that passion is reflected in both their own words, the work itself and Gray’s analysis.
Gray is not afraid to illustrate that Green Arrow’s catalogue has not always been a a cavalcade of quality, and his asides about the history of DC itself in relation to the character are invaluable.
If you want to know what primary colours combine to form Green Arrow, you likely cannot do better than Moving Target. Moving Target fills a niche you may not have known existed, but if you’re an Oliver Queen diehard or a fresh recruit to the cause of the Emerald Archer, this is a more than worthy addition to your quiver.
May 28, 2022
Enjoyable and a little too deep
This took me a while to read. Each chapter includes an overview, details, and interviews with Green Arrow creators. The book was written more than half a decade ago which means that it is early in the run of the Arrow television show and several more creators have left their stamps on the comics.
Richard Gray builds a great thesis and supports it throughout this book. There are a lot of changes for a character created in 1941 yet had very little personality development until the 1970s. Since then it's been constant change, evolution and devolution.
If you are a fan of one of more eras of Green Arrow including the Arrow show, I recommend this book to further your appreciation of the characters.
This took me a while to read. Each chapter includes an overview, details, and interviews with Green Arrow creators. The book was written more than half a decade ago which means that it is early in the run of the Arrow television show and several more creators have left their stamps on the comics.
Richard Gray builds a great thesis and supports it throughout this book. There are a lot of changes for a character created in 1941 yet had very little personality development until the 1970s. Since then it's been constant change, evolution and devolution.
If you are a fan of one of more eras of Green Arrow including the Arrow show, I recommend this book to further your appreciation of the characters.
March 26, 2023
4.5 for occasional errors (Carmine Infantino was never a DC editor). Otherwise very good, with the usual caveat that if you aren't into the topic this won't do a thing for you.
Green Arrow debuted in the 1940s as Batman with a bow and arrow, but Gray shows he also took on influences from Westerns (much of his first origin was tied to Native Americans), Robin Hood and earlier comics archers. The book traces him through his gimmick-arrow era, the angry radical of the late 1960s, the struggling everyman hero of the 1970s, then more urban vigilante of Mike Grell's run and onward from there.
While Gray strains to argue the various versions knit together into some sort of quasi-cohesive whole, his analysis is overall excellent.
Green Arrow debuted in the 1940s as Batman with a bow and arrow, but Gray shows he also took on influences from Westerns (much of his first origin was tied to Native Americans), Robin Hood and earlier comics archers. The book traces him through his gimmick-arrow era, the angry radical of the late 1960s, the struggling everyman hero of the 1970s, then more urban vigilante of Mike Grell's run and onward from there.
While Gray strains to argue the various versions knit together into some sort of quasi-cohesive whole, his analysis is overall excellent.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews