NOT YOUR DADDY'S GREEN ARROW - TALKING ANDY DIGGLE

[MattBrady]

by Steve Ekstrom

Change is good, right? Andy Diggle and Jock think so—they’re the team responsible for DC’s Green Arrow: Year One mini-series—the first issue hits stands on July 11th. Diggle and Jock are most notably known for their work together on the Vertigo book, The Losers—a revamp of an obscure DC title featuring a team of covert military operatives at war with the CIA.

Reunited, Diggle and Jock are setting out to modernize the DCU’s ultra-liberal, van dyke wearing emerald archer. Bare in mind, Green Arrow’s origin has never been a cauldron of calamity and constant change like some of his other cohorts—Oliver Queen’s existence has been a fairly simple one these past 40 or so years.

Newsarama spoke with Andy Diggle about his intentions on this Year One project and he was more than willing to talk; as well as, share some of Jock’s pages from the first issue.

Newsarama: Green Arrow’s definitive origin is probably the least re-told origin of all the big heroes of the DCU. What brought you to this story?

Andy Diggle: I’d been kicking around Vertigo for a while and I wanted to write some big, upscale action for the DCU. Jock and I wanted to bring our own brand of crazy action from The Losers to the wider audience that the DCU brings. And while I’d had a hoot writing Adam Strange, I didn’t want to get mired in the interminable crossover continuity cluster-f_ck of Infinite Crisis, 52, Countdown and the like.

Origin stories and revamps are great in that regard, as you can start with a completely clean slate and rebuild a classic character from the ground up. You can give the hero a real arc, put him through real growth and change, without having to worry about what he’s supposed to be doing in sixteen other editorially-mandated crossover appearances that month.

NRAMA: Do you think Green Arrow’s definitive origin is “too easy”? Does the simplicity of Oliver Queen’s transformation to Green Arrow beg for revision?

AD: Simplistic origin stories always beg for revision, as each new generation of readers becomes more sophisticated. Batman’s origin story used to be summed up in less than one page, but that didn’t stop Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli from expanding it into the masterful Batman: Year One. It’s like a fractal pattern—you can zoom in and expand the story infinitely.

Left unchanged, an origin story written for the children of the 1940s simply isn’t going to hold water for mature 21st century readers. If we treated every origin as sacrosanct, Batman would still carry a gun and Superman wouldn't be able to fly. Of course you have to respect what’s gone before, but at the same time you have to keep moving forward. Superheroes should be men of tomorrow, not yesterday. Evolve or die!

NRAMA: As an experienced writer, what do you think is the most important constraint you can put on yourself when retelling an iconic character’s definitive origin? What do you think makes for the best type of revisionism in this medium?

AD: It’s a fine balancing act between respecting what’s gone before and preserving those elements which are sacrosanct, while at the same time not being afraid to move the story forward and build something that feels new and fresh and contemporary. The fans seem to think I got that balance right on Adam Strange, and I’m pretty confident with this one.

NRAMA: All that said then, how does your “Year One” concept re-invigorate or modernize the origin without damaging the status quo of the time honored original story?

AD: One of the things that made this new version not only desirable but necessary is the fact that there is no single “time honored original.” To date, I’ve read three quite different versions of Oliver Queen’s origin story, each of which contradicts the other.

In the 1959 version featured in the Showcase edition, Ollie simply “fell off the ship” while traveling in the South Seas. He swam to a remote jungle island, where he made himself a crude bow and arrow to hunt for food. All alone on the island, he eventually swam out to a ship off the coast, where he used his new-found skills to quell a mutiny.

Mike Grell’s post-Crisis revamp in The Longbow Hunters does away with the mutineers, but claims that Ollie confronted a couple of drug farmers on the island, both of whom were too stoned to offer any resistance. It also does away with the ridiculous home-made “net arrows” and “drill arrows” which probably looked pretty neat to kids in the 1950s but seem slightly laughable nowadays.

Chuck Dixon’s 1995 Green Arrow Annual states the Ollie actually shared the island with another castaway who turned out to be a psychopathic serial killer known as the “Love Boat Killer”, and ultimately pursued him back to the mainland.

So while the details change, the overall basics remain the same. Six issues gives us a lot more room to put meat on the bones of the story, and to raise the action quotient significantly. It starts low-key but builds and builds as Ollie becomes aware of the true nature of the threat he faces on the island.

What I’ve tried to do is take the strongest elements from each of the previous versions and meld them into something that has more action, more drama, more internal logic, and where more of the story elements are more interconnected. I wanted to find a way to make Ollie’s transformation from wastrel playboy to selfless hero seem not only believable, but somehow inevitable.

NRAMA: Oliver Queen isn’t your ordinary millionaire playboy—do you think the ramifications of his origin have anything to do with his liberal mindset?

AD: Ollie’s social conscience wasn’t an intrinsic part of the character when he was created back in the 1940s—it’s something Denny O’Neill brought to the character in the 1970s. I’ve tried to embrace that contradiction by showing Ollie as a spoiled, selfish brat at the beginning of the story—a kind of male Paris Hilton, if you can imagine such a horror.

Then his experience on the island begins to awaken his conscience and reveal an inner well of self-reliance that he never knew he had. After his pampered billionaire lifestyle, it’s his first taste of real hunger, desperation and fear. He learns how the other half lives and discovers what it’s like to be dependent on someone else for your very survival. The experience changes his perception of the world, and finally allows the hero within to emerge.

NRAMA: Is Ollie the chili cooking, swashbuckling, lady-killer who readers love in the beginning of your story? Is he someone different with the advent of the modern erudite being personified by people like Paris Hilton? Will he be likeable?

AD: He’s certainly a lady-killer, but he thinks he’s more charming than he actually is. The Ollie you’ll meet in issue one is actually kind of a dick. But don’t worry, he won’t stay that way!

NRAMA: Elsewhere you’ve stated that “Year One” acts a definite year of time in Ollie’s life—he’s stranded on the island for a year? Does your story deal with the hardships of a year’s exposure to the elements? How much realism can be expected in Ollie’s struggle with being stranded?

AD: We’ve tried to be as realistic as possible within the confines of the genre, but at the same time we’re not interested in spending six months watching him try and catch a fish, y’know? Like Hitchcock said, drama is real life with the dull bits cut out.

NRAMA: Do you give readers a sense of the passage of time in a written sense or do you leave that chore to Jock—would you prefer to visually convey Ollie’s tenure on the island or would you rather verbally explicate the passage of time? Or do you blend both ideas together?

AD: Jock’s done a brilliant job of visually charting the changes Ollie goes through during his time on the island. By the end of the story he’s almost unrecognizable as the guy we saw back in issue one.

NRAMA: You’ve also stated before that the origin of Ollie’s transformation into the Green Arrow will be more concretely linked to criminals on the island—care to elaborate on that?

AD: Nope! Wouldn’t want to spoil it.

NRAMA: You and Jock have a very contemporary looking Oliver Queen book in the form of Year One. Were there any ideas or concepts that were shed prior to the two of you formed everything into this six issue mini?

AD: Nope. It’s all there. I love Jock’s idea of starting young Ollie with this tiny little soul-patch of hair under his lower lip, which gradually grows into the iconic goatee we all know and love.

NRAMA: When scripting a project like this, how closely do you control your actual conveyance of the story with someone like Jock who you’ve spent a lot of time working with? Do you let him take more liberties with the scripted material than someone you haven’t had a close working relationship with?

AD: Yeah, Jock and I have developed a kind of shorthand whereby we can predict each other’s moves, so there’s no need to over-explain anything in the script. I know he’ll see what I’m getting at. I can just throw him the ball and he’ll run with it. That’s very liberating, especially with the action scenes. I trust Jock completely, and the work he’s doing on this book absolutely rocks.

NRAMA: In one sentence, spoil readers to something new you’ll be engraining into the mythos of Oliver Queen the Green Arrow—give something away that will make them run to the stores to buy this book.

AD: You’ll learn Ollie’s darkest secret - the real reason why he flipped out when he caught Speedy shooting smack. This ain’t your daddy’s Green Arrow.

[SpyGuy]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Newsarama: Green Arrow’s definitive origin is probably the least re-told origin of all the big heroes of the DCU.

It is? Apart from the ones mentioned above, what about Mike Grell's GREEN ARROW: THE WONDER YEAR "Year One" mini-series, GREEN ARROW ANNUAL #7 and SECRET ORIGINS (Vol.3) #38?

[mdmaguire]

Looks good. Hope it won't suffer the lateness of the other recent "Special" books...

--Matt M.

[A-Newton]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

AD: You’ll learn Ollie’s darkest secret - the real reason why he flipped out when he caught Speedy shooting smack. This ain’t your daddy’s Green Arrow.

What? The real reason? You mean finding someone you care about shooting up isn't enough to make you flip out?

[The_Adventurer]

Whatever happened to the original origin where there were Green Arrows all over the world and the US Green Arrow was just one of the club?

[Grievous]

Im there, count me in,

because of the delays in superman and batman lately, i went and bought 8 green arrow trade paperbacks from the current series,

enjoyed them alot, so count me in for year one of this fantastic character

[Caeu Zokul]

Looks good 'n meaty. A promising start for a new round of 'year ones.'

Make me care, DC!

[Truthseeker]

I am torn between getting the monthly and getting the trade. Comics are just getting to expensive! This looks brilliant and it is making the choice really hard.

[cook]

It sounds like this series is in good hands. I was never a huge fan of The Losers, but Diggle's doing great things over on Hellblazer, and I'm sure GA: Year One will deliver.

Green Arrow has always been one of those characters where I know the origin, but I've never actually read the origin. It will be interesting to see the story told.

[necropol]

Originally Posted by The_Adventurer

Whatever happened to the original origin where there were Green Arrows all over the world and the US Green Arrow was just one of the club?

I thought Ollie became Green Arrow first, and it was his exploits that inspired the "Green Arrows of the World".

[M Intensity]

From what I gather from the interview, Diggle misses the point of Year One stories. In most of them, the origin itself takes one issue but the rest of the series actually lays out the first in action and the things that shaped the hero that happened during the first year.. This looks like a six issue long origin story and really, the origin is not that interesting. The hook should be Green Arrow's first, pre-Speedy, particularly in light of whatever continuity DC is using today, not Oliver Green on the island for six issues.

M Intensity

[nyhardcore]

Green Arrow is my favorite DC character, but it's definitely time to update his origin. Even the more recent updates (from the '90's) were lame in my opinion. A solid, believable year one story is something I've been waiting for for a long time.

The story sounds cool and the art looks amazing. Count me in.

[Dalarsco]

Does he tell you how to do your job? Just because previous "Year One" minis followed a formula doen't mean this one has to. Let the writer be original and unique. In the case of Green Arrow, his origin really can take the entire thing because it made sense for him to be stuck on the island for a prolonged period of tme.

[Daaaaaaaang!]

This sounds fantastic. Jock is perfect for a character like Green Arrow - his art has this kinetic quality that makes every kick, punch or arrow sling pop. And it looks like Diggle is giving Ollie a sharp, smart and modern origin story - rich prima-donna gets a serious dose of the real world. Hmm.

Ollie on the island = Paris in jail?

[ziza9]

Old origins be damned. This is the team that gave us the awesome Losers. I'm all in for this one.

[johnny.blaze]

Jock and Diggle? i'm SO there.

Hey Andy, any word on the Losers movie? have they gotten you involved in the story writing? how about Jock he doing storyboards? Hopefully the studios will realize movies that stay faithful to their comic adaptations (see 300, Sin City) do really well

[TheMightyGeek]

Originally Posted by Daaaaaaaang!

Ollie on the island = Paris in jail?

I don't think so. It's not like they'll put him on the island, then bring him back home, only to put him back on the island again.

[MattBrady]

Originally Posted by TheMightyGeek

only to put him back on the island again.

just wait for the polar bear fight.

MattB

[kalorama]

I'm generally not a big fan of the retold tales/early years/retcon stories, but I'll give this a try. GA's origin could definitely use some polishing. I always thought the whole "got drunk, fell off a boat, learned to shoot arrows, decided to become a superhero" thing was a bit weak.

[Hoopertoon]

What about the story that was a joint origin GA and Speedy? They were taking out a group of thugs that killed Roy's adoptive American Indian father. While Ollie and Roy team up to beat the bad guys, the crooks are saying thing like: "That guy sure shoots a mean green arrow!"; "Yeah. And the kid's speedy, too!". It was reprinted...along with a completely contradictory solo Green Arrow origin story...in the hardback "Secret Origins of The DC Super - Heroes" from the '70s. Or would that be the origin of the Earth - 2 GA?

[patient37]

Originally Posted by SpyGuy

It is? Apart from the ones mentioned above, what about Mike Grell's GREEN ARROW: THE WONDER YEAR "Year One" mini-series, GREEN ARROW ANNUAL #7 and SECRET ORIGINS (Vol.3) #38?

He said "least re-told", not "never re-told". Consider how many times we're given rundowns/revisions of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, Flash and Green Lantern's origins. You could say that the Martian Manhunter's has been told less, but even though he's always been an integral part of the JLA, he's never really been "big".

[IvCNuB4]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

Reunited, Diggle and Jock are setting out to modernize the DCU’s ultra-liberal, van dyke wearing emerald archer. Bare in mind, Green Arrow’s origin has never been a cauldron of calamity and constant change like some of his other cohorts—Oliver Queen’s existence has been a fairly simple one these past 40 or so years.
.

Unless you're talking about Ollie being a nudist, the phrase is "bear in mind"

[Crusader K]

Originally Posted by Hoopertoon

What about the story that was a joint origin GA and Speedy? They were taking out a group of thugs that killed Roy's adoptive American Indian father. While Ollie and Roy team up to beat the bad guys, the crooks are saying thing like: "That guy sure shoots a mean green arrow!"; "Yeah. And the kid's speedy, too!". It was reprinted...along with a completely contradictory solo Green Arrow origin story...in the hardback "Secret Origins of The DC Super - Heroes" from the '70s. Or would that be the origin of the Earth - 2 GA?

LOL - actually it WAS the origin of the pre-COIE Earth-2 Green Arrow! You ARE right!

I wasn't interested in this at all but now . . .? Sounds too good to pass up!

[TheMightyGeek]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

just wait for the polar bear fight.

MattB

Wait, Matt, I think an opportunity's being missed here. If Andy's likening young Oliver Queen to Ms. Hilton, then he needs to be teamed-up with a young Bruce Wayne to serve as his Nicole Ritchie!!

It's "The Simple Life" meets "Survivor!" It'll be a HIT!!

[TheMightyGeek]

Originally Posted by IvCNuB4

Unless you're talking about Ollie being a nudist, the phrase is "bear in mind"

Well, he is a liberal, dontcha know.

BTW, to answer your sig, all Marvel has to do is dress her all in red, then her fanboy spelling would be accurate, at least. "Look out!! It's ROUGE!!"