Confession #1 - Although Green Arrow dates back to the Golden Age of comics, for the purposes of this particular rant the Keeper will stick to the character who essentially debuted in Denny O’Neil’s and Neal Adams’ ground-breaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow series.

Confession #2 - Your friendly narrator never much liked that incarnation of Oliver Queen.

Maybe it was the holier-than-thou attitude, lecturing others on “what really matters” while using boxing-glove arrows to nab bad guys.

Maybe it was the constant bickering with Katar Hol, a decent enough fellow who didn’t deserve such grief.

Maybe it was just the stupid green hat.

Yet, this enmity (mixed, admittedly, with a tinge of envy. How did that loud mouth rate a knockout like Black Canary?) leads directly to perhaps the most startling admission of all.

Confession #3 - The Keeper will at the very least browse at a comic featuring Green Arrow.

The very character traits that defined Oliver’s obnoxiousness also made him distinctive. Back in the day, few DC characters actually exhibited much in the way of personality. The Silver Age iterations of The Flash, Green Lantern, The Atom and Hawkman were straight shooters who relied on their wits as much as their fists.

They were optimistic heroes for an optimistic age - the reign of JFK’s Camelot. Green Arrow, on the other hand, reflected the growing cynicism of the late ’60s and entire ’70s. The “establishment” was not to be trusted; we all saw government figures abuse their power in Vietnam, Cambodia and even at home.

The Green Arrow, little more than a Batman clone before O’Neil and Adams got their hands on him, was the perfect vehicle to express the growing dissatisfaction of the era. The “Robin Hood” motif was a natural fit for a “hero of the people,” and the character proved more malleable than his Justice League brethren to a portrayal that at least encompassed two dimensions.

(Neither Barry Allen nor Hal Jordan proved receptive to more “realistic” portrayals. The Flash’s incipient optimism could only be dampened by the death of his wife, while GL ended up indecisive and without direction. Honestly, from test pilot to toy salesman? No wonder he fell to the Parallax infection…)

Green Arrow was so human that - unlike any other DC or Marvel hero of the era - readers could actually infer the hero enjoyed a sex life. (Except for the time Clark Kent got lucky, of course.)

As the times changed, Green Arrow changed as well. After Frank Miller transformed the Dark Knight, Oliver Queen became an urban avenger unafraid to kill a criminal or bed an Elektra-style assassin. When killing old school heroes became the vogue, Green Arrow bit the dust - only to return after resurrecting dead, classic characters became the new trend.

In his latest incarnation, Oliver Queen has become the mayor of a Star City devastated by disaster. The parallels to Hurricane Katrina and the Gulf Coast are unavoidable, leaving Green Arrow facing off once again with political - as well as superhuman - obstacles.

Although the current storyline is somewhat similar to the outstanding Ex Machina strip, the Keeper believes Green Arrow can more than hold his own. After all, Ollie was tackling “the man” before Michael Hundred was even in diapers.

And no matter what the future holds for Mayor Queen, it is certain the character will continue to be as obstinate, quick-tempered, judgmental and just as much an ass as ever.

And, undoubtedly, the Fortress Keeper will be hanging on every word …