Arrow

“Arrow” is rapidly moving toward the conclusion of its first season and fans can rest easy knowing that, no matter what happens, the show will return in the fall. The CW series has already been picked up for a second season. Though he’s still hard at work on the finale, which airs May 15, “Arrow” executive producer  and co-show runner Marc Guggenheim took a few minutes to talk about what’s still to come for Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) and Starling City. And for those wondering about what they can expect, check out the clip above from Wednesday night’s episode, titled “The Undertaking,” which flashes back to Oliver and his father before their ill-fated trip at sea. Beware, some spoilers lurk below for anyone not up to date with the season so far. HC: Were you able to accomplish everything you […]

Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen has been preparing for the opening of his mondo nightclub Verdant in the CW show “Arrow” for a good portion of the season — the venue provides additional cover for his actions as the bow-and-arrow-toting vigilante. For the hotspot’s splashy screen debut on tonight’s episode, “The Huntress Returns,” producers brought in Steve Aoki to help add cool visuals and an authentic soundtrack. A comic-book fan, the Grammy-nominated electronic music master was happy to step in and try something new. “It’s a good experiment and testing ground,” he said. “It felt like a good fit. The crew and the cast were incredibly nice. I like it ’cause it just puts a different angle onto my work.” Granted, Aoki’s involvement in the story line is overshadowed by the return of Queen’s old girlfriend Helena (Jessica De Gouw), also […]

“Arrow” gets a visit from a comic book legend this week, although the character doesn’t appear on screen. Geoff Johns, DC Comics’ chief creative officer and one of the highest profile comic book writers working today, drops in on Starling City to write this week’s episode, “Dead to Rights.” Often when a guest writer comes on to a show, the episode tends to be a little more self-contained. But not this one, which is filled with plot developments, the return of old villains and ends with quite a cliffhanger. (Wouldn’t you know it, the series takes a couple of weeks off after this week.) Johns recently announced that he was stepping down from his writing duties on “Green Lantern,” the DC Comic he helped reinvent nine years ago. He talked with Hero Complex briefly about his episode of “Arrow” and […]

Superheroes were never in Jeff Lemire’s plans. The Canadian cartoonist read DC and Marvel comics as a boy, but when he started creating his own work in the mid-’00s, he gravitated to small, human stories, published in such acclaimed graphic novels as “Tales From the Farm” and “The Country Nurse.” Then Lemire did a one-off book for Vertigo — an “Invisible Man” riff called “The Nobody” — followed by the recently completed 40-issue post-apocalyptic fantasy series “Sweet Tooth.” While working on “Sweet Tooth,” Lemire was asked by Vertigo’s parent company DC to try his hand at penning a couple of their ongoing titles, which ultimately led to Lemire’s takes on “Animal Man” and “Frankenstein” becoming a core part of the company’s “New 52” relaunch. Now, at a time when DC has been taking a lot of heat from fans for […]

The population of Starling City continues to grow on the CW’s “Arrow.” This week’s episode adds “Teen Wolf” vet Colton Haynes as Roy Harper, a tough kid who appears to be up to no good. Of course, longtime fans of Green Arrow will recognize Roy’s name as Oliver Queen’s ward and eventual sidekick, Speedy (or Red Arrow, depending on which part of the character’s lengthy history producers choose to work with). Haynes spoke to Hero Complex via phone about his new role, which debuts in tonight’s episode, “Dodger.” HC: Roy Harper has quite a history, at least as far as the comic books go. Did you educate yourself or did you come in fresh? CH: Oh no, I definitely learned a lot before I came into it. And I asked a lot of questions, trying to get spoilers. They tried […]

Heads up, music fans: DJ and music producer Steve Aoki is heading to “Arrow.” As the founder of Dim Mak Records, Aoki released Bloc Party’s first EP in the United States, as a DJ he does over 250 shows a year around the world and as a producer and remixer he’s worked with everyone from Will.I.Am to Duran Duran. And now he’s going to visiting Starling City, home of Oliver Queen (a.k.a. Arrow). “Arrow” has had a strong run of guest stars well-known to science-fiction fans, including “Torchwood’s” John Barrowman and “Fringe’s” Seth Gabel. But with the show’s continued success, it appears to be extending its reach into the non-genre aspects of Hollywood. Hence, Aoki’s guest appearance. However, unlike those other actors, Aoki won’t be portraying a character from the DC Comics. He’ll be playing himself, DJ-ing on the opening […]

The roster of villains on the CW’s “Arrow” series continues to grow, and fans of the “Green Arrow” comic book will definitely recognize the bad guy introduced in this week’s episode, “Vertigo.” Count Vertigo has been part of the Green Arrow mythology since 1978, but the TV version of the character, played by Seth Gabel, is a little more down to earth — less super-powered bad guy and more psychotic drug dealer. Gabel should be well-known to genre fans, as he recently completed a multi-season run on Fox’s “Fringe.” He recently talked to Hero Complex about his appearance on “Arrow” and the conclusion of “Fringe.” (Beware, some mild spoilers about “Fringe” lie ahead). HC: John Barrowman [who plays the villainous Merlyn on the series] revealed he has a copy of the DC Universe Encyclopedia that he refers to constantly. Do […]

The midseason finale of the CW’s breakout hit “Arrow” appeared to set up an impending showdown between Stephen Amell’s heroic Oliver Queen and his arch-nemesis, Malcolm Merlyn (John Barrowman), the wealthy head of the mysterious Tempest group also known as the Dark Archer. Executive producer Andrew Kreisberg (“Warehouse 13,” “The Vampire Diaries”) cautioned, though, that the second half of the season really will focus most intently on Oliver expanding his role as the Arrow and getting more in touch with his non-vigilante side as well. With the series set to return Wednesday, Kreisberg spoke to Hero Complex about what else audiences should expect — the importance of the show’s flashbacks to the years Oliver spent on a deserted island following the crash that claimed his father’s life, the difficulty of staging epic fight sequences and what actors have signed on […]

Fans of “Doctor Who” and “Torchwood” know actor John Barrowman as the ever-cheery Capt. Jack Harkness. But for his latest role, as Malcolm Merlyn on the hit CW series “Arrow,” Barrowman is putting his famous smile to more sinister use, playing the wealthy head of the mysterious Tempest group. Of course, in “Green Arrow” comic book mythology, Malcolm Merlyn becomes archvillain Merlyn, a whiz with the bow and arrow himself. Barrowman unequivocally declined to reveal whether his character will one day evolve into that famous foe, but in an interview with Hero Complex, he did discuss what’s in store for Wednesday night’s midseason finale of the show, his own archery skills and how he might commemorate the upcoming 50th anniversary of “Doctor Who.” HC: What can we expect from “Arrow’s” midseason finale? JB: You can expect a lot of twists […]

The creators of CW’s upcoming “Arrow” already have promised a grittier Green Arrow — Stephen Amell’s Oliver Queen sports a leather-and-hoodie ensemble from Oscar-winning costume designer Colleen Atwood, and the world he inhabits on the new series premiering Wednesday is designed to believably be home to a rough-hewn vigilante. But that doesn’t mean that the producers, including”Green Lantern’s” Greg Berlanti and “Smallville’s” David Nutter, are prepared to abandon the character’s comic book roots — DC characters including China White, Huntress and Deadshot will get some screen time.  And now it seems the Royal Flush Gang are on deck to shuffle things up as well. “Arrow” producers Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg, DC Entertainment Chief Creative Officer Geoff Johns and star Amell met with reporters Monday to tout the new superhero drama and revealed that the costumed cadre of supervillains will […]