Avernus

So, in honour of this news, about which I am *entirely* too excited, I thought I'd do an introductory post about one of my favourite comicbook characters, Connor Hawke, Green Arrow II. Yeah, I know none of you will be interested. My blog :P (Note: this post's mainly from Connor's GA v.2 appearances, with a couple of JLA and v.3 thrown in for good measure. As and when I have the time and energy I may work through some of the later stuff.)

So, we first meet Connor when Ollie Queen, Green Arrow I and Playboy Of The Western World, managed to get himself sufficiently screwed up that he hocked all his stuff and drove into a tree, leading to his waking up in a nearby monastery. (This sort of thing happened to Ollie about every twenty issues Back In The Day. The Day being the early 90s. Man, I love early 90s comics.) Connor is first introduced as essentially a well-meaning, somewhat stuttery and very bald Green Arrow fanboy. We find out later that he nagged his mother until she let him join the monastery at the age of 13, and he's been there for the last five years. This is the kind of person Connor is.

He went there to learn archery, but is increasingly frustrated because he wants so badly to be good at it that it's getting in the way of the correct Zen archery detachment - his aim and technique and so on are great, but he doesn't have to right spiritual qualities. By contrast, he's an excellent martial artist - because he doesn't worry about it as much. (A situation which is rather reflected in his first exploit as the new Green Arrow: 1, 2, 3, 4.) Ollie, of course, is Amazingly Zen in his archery, and so when he eventually recovers and leaves the monastery Connor decides to follow him.

Of course, it's also a bit of a factor that Connor knows Ollie is his dad. Woo. Go Ollie. Another illegitimate Queen sprog running around the DCU. Does that make two or three now?

A basic primer of Connor:

1. He's really hot. This works everywhere, from aeroplanes to strip clubs. (On a side-note: Roy is actually using the phrase 'stud muffin'. Also, *he has taken Connor to a strip club*. Wow. This issue was just about the best issue of anything ever. Particularly for Connor's idea of fun.)

2. He's buddhist, doesn't smoke, drink, swear, eat meat (leading to many unfortunate experiences in diners) or drive (as both Timmy and Roy can attest.)

3. He's capable of being quite stunningly clueless.

4. He's quite definitely not 'street'.

5. His father's of Irish-American ancestry, his mother's half black and half Korean, with a bit of Cherokee lurking somewhere in the background. Kyle, with his usual wit and subtlety, says he's 'kind of like one-stop multiculturalism.' This means that he started off looking like this, and more recently has ended up somewhat more caucasian. Really very hot, but still. (yes, Connor. Yes, I will indeed a grab a bow. thank you Connor.)

6. He's really much better than Ollie deserves. (For the record: Ollie was pretty much being both a jerk and a traitor at this point in the run. Woo. Go Ollie.)

7. He may or may not be gay. Pretty much every letters' page in his run of Green Arrow was at least partially devoted to the subject.

8. Pursuant to number 7: I don't care that Eddie Fyers, scaryCIA dude, has the most dubious moustache known to man, and blatently exudes a delightful scent of cheap bourbon, cigarettes and too many unwashed stake-outs. He and Connor totally have Implications. Essentially: when Ollie and Fyers interact, Ollie ends up taking on traits of Fyers' almost total disregard for the sanctity of human life, and while their relationship is a gleeful place of snark, anger and buddy-moviedom, it's also more than a little alarming. Gratuitous killing around Connor, however, would be like kicking puppies. Even Fyers isn't that much of a bastard. He hangs around Connor against his better judgement. They have lovers' tiffs, followed by jilted lover imagery. Occasionally, we get issues where Connor's grandfather is encouraging him to go out and find a nice girl, intercut with Fyers explaining darkly that he hasn't had much luck with 'partners' in the past. And after Connor and Fyers reconcile, Fyers goes cold turkey on the murder-and-mayhem. Awwww. Greater love hath no man than this: that he should stop laying down other people's lives for his friend.

9. Connor can probably handle a plastic cat arrow as well as the next man.