Editing Green Arrow (section)

===Beginnings, 1941–1968===
[[File:Green Arrow & Speedy (More Fun Comics -73).png|thumb|left|A panel of ''More Fun Comics'' No. 73 (November 1941), featuring Green Arrow and Speedy's debut and their original costumes. Art by [[George Papp]].]]

Green Arrow and [[Speedy (comics)|Speedy]] first appeared in ''[[More Fun Comics]]'' No. 73 ([[Periodical cover date|cover-dated]] November 1941), which was illustrated by artist [[George Papp]]. When [[Mort Weisinger]] was creating the character, aside from the obvious allusions to [[Robin Hood]], he took inspiration from a movie serial, ''[[The Green Archer (1940 serial)|The Green Archer]]'', based on the novel by [[Edgar Wallace]]. He retooled the concept into a superhero archer with obvious Batman influences.<ref>{{Cite journal | last=David | first=Peter | title='Aw, C'mon!' and other awards" "But I Digress... | journal=[[Comics Buyer's Guide]] | issue=#1330 | date=May 14, 1999}}</ref> These include Green Arrow's [[sidekick]] Speedy, his use of an [[Arrowcar]] and Arrow-Plane for transportation, his use of an Arrow-Cave as his headquarters, his alter ego as a wealthy playboy, the use of an Arrow-Signal to summon him, as well as a clown-like arch foe named Bull's Eye, similar to Batman's arch-foe, [[Joker (comics)|the Joker]]. His and Speedy's first origin stories were told in ''[[More Fun Comics]]'' No. 89.

[[File:Green Arrow (circa the 1940s).png|thumb|upright|Green Arrow, as he originally appeared during the 1940s, on the cover of ''More Fun Comics'' No. 77 (March 1942). Art by Papp.]]

Green Arrow began as a back-up feature in ''More Fun Comics'', but within four months the Green Arrow and Speedy replaced [[Doctor Fate]] and [[Spectre (DC Comics)|the Spectre]] as the cover feature. In ''Superhero Comics of the Golden Age'', Mike Benton writes that "their front cover star status was probably due to Speedy's appeal – teenage sidekicks were the current rage."<ref name=benton>{{cite book |last1=Benton |first1=Mike |title=Superhero Comics of the Golden Age: The Illustrated History |date=1992 |publisher=Taylor Publishing Company |location=Dallas |isbn=0-87833-808-X |pages=[https://archive.org/details/superherocomicso0000bent/page/101 101]–102 |url=https://archive.org/details/superherocomicso0000bent |url-access=registration |access-date=15 January 2020}}</ref> They were also given a spot as one of five back-up features to be promoted in one of the earliest team-up books, ''[[Leading Comics]]'', starting with issue No. 1 (Winter 1941). They appeared in ''More Fun'' until issue No. 107 (January 1946), and then moved to ''[[Adventure Comics]]'' from No. 103 (April 1946) to No. 269 (February 1960).<ref name=benton/> Green Arrow and Speedy also appeared in various issues of ''[[World's Finest Comics]]'' until issue No. 140 (March 1964).

He was one of the few DC characters to keep going after the [[Golden Age of Comic Books]]. His longevity was due to the influence of creator Mort Weisinger, who kept him as a backup feature to the headlining [[Superboy (Kal-El)|Superboy]], first in ''More Fun Comics'' and then ''Adventure Comics''; since [[Superman]]-related titles were all but guaranteed success during this period, Green Arrow endured the 1940s and 1950s relatively unchanged, outlasting most of his Golden Age contemporaries. As a result, he avoided being revived and "re-imagined" for the Silver Age, as [[Flash (DC Comics character)|the Flash]], [[Green Lantern]], and others were.

Aside from sharing ''Adventure Comics'' with him, issue No. 258 featured an encounter between a younger Oliver Queen and Superboy. The Green Arrow and Speedy feature during this period included a short run in 1958 written by Dick and Dave Wood and drawn by [[Jack Kirby]]. For much of this period, Green Arrow's adventures were written by [[France Herron]], who was the character's primary scripter 1947–1963.<ref name="Herron">[http://www.bailsprojects.com/%28S%285hrrr5555vfshk55rs4kw3yn%29%29/bio.aspx?Name=HERRON%2c+ED France Herron entry], ''Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999''.</ref>