The show centers on billionaire Oliver Queen who gets stranded on an island for 5 years after his yacht gets destroyed and returns to his city with the skills of an archer in order to bring criminals and corrupt officials to justice.
The show’s tone is very dark. During the first season, the Arrow is portrayed as a killer rather than a hero. He kills criminals but is often questions by his allies and the police. Even though he’s a DC superhero, the tone fits very well with other DC characters that have been portrayed on the big screen. Shots of men hanging with blood running down their face, criminals killing cops, terrorism, and sexual images have been shown on the show. In a way, the Arrow is somewhat the aftermath of post Comic Code Authority rule but for television. Before Arrow, there was superhero shows but not as dark and gritty as this one. It feels as if the FCC was loose with their rules on this show only because it’s a superhero show.
Like the Dark Knight Returns comic, the Arrow faces the struggle of being two people. He constantly struggles with running his company while chasing down thugs. Much like Bruce Wayne, he is obsessed with his alter ego as the Green Arrow. He keeps his suit in a glass case, which he often stares and is constantly trying to find his next target. He has technology and resources that the police could use but he keeps them to himself just like Bruce Wayne and his portrayal in the films.
Much like Batman, Green Arrow’s city of Starling City acts as his playground and as another essential character. The city is dark and dangerous and the aesthetics are very grim like with the skyscrapers looking sinister at night. The theme of “does the arrow create masked criminals” often appears on the show. Similar to the ending of Batman Begins by Christopher Nolan when Commissioner Gordon speaks to Batman about escalation. The show makes this very clear. Before Arrow took to fighting crime, there weren’t any masked criminals but once he put on that mask, characters such as the League of Assassins, Deathstroke, Suicide Squad and other various masked criminals started to terrorize Starling City.
Michael Cabon’s essay Secret Skin can also be seen on the show however it seems to be the other way around. Most people who partake in cosplay dress up as superheroes straight from the comics however the shows costumes lean more towards cosplayers because of their realism on the screen. The heroes on Arrow don’t wear capes nor tight spandex or bizarre red and blue outfit but instead a costume that can be made from modern day material and worn to fit contemporary times. The Arrow’s costume can easily be made from fabric found at your local Wal Mart and still make it look very real. Even the side characters costumes show signs of realism. Instead of going with the traditional colorful green or red costume, the show’s costume designers go for a more dark material to fit with the realism.
Even though Arrow may not have super powers or super speed, he can still take down powerful enemies. In a way, Arrow is very similar to a Batman show. When the show first came out, I read many reviews that stated that it looked like a Batman show instead of a Green Arrow show. Batman villains appear on the show and the Arrow shares many similarities with him. However, Arrow stands apart from other superheroes on t.v. and on the big screen. Unlike the Flash show, Arrow gives the audience that superhero lore but with a dark and gritty tone that audience fell in love with in the Dark Knight.
The show’s tone is very dark. During the first season, the Arrow is portrayed as a killer rather than a hero. He kills criminals but is often questions by his allies and the police. Even though he’s a DC superhero, the tone fits very well with other DC characters that have been portrayed on the big screen. Shots of men hanging with blood running down their face, criminals killing cops, terrorism, and sexual images have been shown on the show. In a way, the Arrow is somewhat the aftermath of post Comic Code Authority rule but for television. Before Arrow, there was superhero shows but not as dark and gritty as this one. It feels as if the FCC was loose with their rules on this show only because it’s a superhero show.
Like the Dark Knight Returns comic, the Arrow faces the struggle of being two people. He constantly struggles with running his company while chasing down thugs. Much like Bruce Wayne, he is obsessed with his alter ego as the Green Arrow. He keeps his suit in a glass case, which he often stares and is constantly trying to find his next target. He has technology and resources that the police could use but he keeps them to himself just like Bruce Wayne and his portrayal in the films.
Much like Batman, Green Arrow’s city of Starling City acts as his playground and as another essential character. The city is dark and dangerous and the aesthetics are very grim like with the skyscrapers looking sinister at night. The theme of “does the arrow create masked criminals” often appears on the show. Similar to the ending of Batman Begins by Christopher Nolan when Commissioner Gordon speaks to Batman about escalation. The show makes this very clear. Before Arrow took to fighting crime, there weren’t any masked criminals but once he put on that mask, characters such as the League of Assassins, Deathstroke, Suicide Squad and other various masked criminals started to terrorize Starling City.
Michael Cabon’s essay Secret Skin can also be seen on the show however it seems to be the other way around. Most people who partake in cosplay dress up as superheroes straight from the comics however the shows costumes lean more towards cosplayers because of their realism on the screen. The heroes on Arrow don’t wear capes nor tight spandex or bizarre red and blue outfit but instead a costume that can be made from modern day material and worn to fit contemporary times. The Arrow’s costume can easily be made from fabric found at your local Wal Mart and still make it look very real. Even the side characters costumes show signs of realism. Instead of going with the traditional colorful green or red costume, the show’s costume designers go for a more dark material to fit with the realism.
Even though Arrow may not have super powers or super speed, he can still take down powerful enemies. In a way, Arrow is very similar to a Batman show. When the show first came out, I read many reviews that stated that it looked like a Batman show instead of a Green Arrow show. Batman villains appear on the show and the Arrow shares many similarities with him. However, Arrow stands apart from other superheroes on t.v. and on the big screen. Unlike the Flash show, Arrow gives the audience that superhero lore but with a dark and gritty tone that audience fell in love with in the Dark Knight.