Warner Bros. has released a new trailer for its upcoming serialized comic book adaptation.
Recently, I reacted to some remarks from the Arrow showrunners about the comics influence (or lack thereof) which is going into the show. Of course, I could be a little biased, considering Green Arrow is my favorite super hero comic.
Now however, we’ve got this new extended trailer for the first season, in which it seems more like a comic book than in any other material so far. In fact, contrary to what Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg said earlier this week, the character even calls himself ‘Arrow’ in the voice over.
This looks fantastic, so I’m confused. Does Oliver act like a super hero or not? They say that there won’t be a any super powers in the show, but that level of aim and speed with a bow looks super human to me. They say there will be no secret identities, but Oliver specifically silences someone for the threat that they may expose his secret in one of these clips.
And there is this new synopsis for the show:
After a violent shipwreck, billionaire playboy Oliver Queen was missing and presumed dead for five years before being discovered alive on a remote island in the Pacific. When he returns home to Starling City, his devoted mother Moira, much-beloved sister Thea, and best friend Tommy welcome him home, but they sense Oliver has been changed by his ordeal on the island. While Oliver hides the truth about the man he’s become, he desperately wants to make amends for the actions he took as the boy he was. Most particularly, he seeks reconciliation with his former girlfriend, Laurel Lance. As Oliver reconnects with those closest to him, he secretly creates the persona of Arrow – a vigilante – to right the wrongs of his family, fight the ills of society, and restore Starling City to its former glory. By day, Oliver plays the role of a wealthy, carefree and careless philanderer he used to be – flanked by his devoted chauffeur/bodyguard, John Diggle – while carefully concealing the secret identity he turns to under cover of darkness. However, Laurel’s father, Detective Quentin Lance, is determined to arrest the vigilante operating in his city. Meanwhile, Oliver’s own mother, Moira, knows much more about the deadly shipwreck than she has let on – and is more ruthless than he could ever imagine.
So, there will be plenty of extra drama, and a bit of darkness, but is the claim that it’s not really a superhero story just lip service in attempt not to scare away audiences who might have a bias against comics? Is there still such an audience anymore? I mean, people still don’t read comics much, but the two most successful films out this year are comic book adaptations, so why the reticence?
With these mixed signals from the showrunners and the studio, I guess we’ll just have to see for ourselves when Arrow premieres on October 10th, 2012 on The CW.
