ForComicJunkies: DC WEEK

Day 3 of the massive CW Crossover Invasion! It's exciting for two reasons tonight, we're seeing more super team ups AND it's the 100th episode of my favorite TV show - Arrow!! I had previously discussed why Arrow was so important to me in my personal life. If you don't mind I'd like to elaborate on that a little bit.

During New York Comic Con 2012, Arrow premiered on the CW. My sister and I had missed it due to our vacation plans in NYC. While we were making our plans for the week at Comic Con we came across an interesting thing - There was going to be a signing with the Arrow cast on Sunday as well as a panel previewing the new series. We decided to download the pilot and watch it before making a decision if we wanted to go to these events. We watched it. We fell IN LOVE with it. It's very rare for a pilot episode to be so gripping and exciting. I felt like I was watching a new DC movie series come to life. The Dark Knight parallels were obvious but didn't overpower the show. While this was clearly inspired by Christopher Nolan's trilogy, it was a different beast.

That Sunday we got in line to get bracelets for the signing. Then we jumped in line for the panel. The whole room was full! If you've never been to the Javits Center in New York, I'll tell you it was their biggest screening room and it was filled with people excited to see more of Arrow. Geoff Johns (my man) moderated the panel which featured Katie Cassidy, Willa Holland, Stephen Amell, and producer Marc Guggenheim. I was lucky enough to be in line to ask a question during the panel. Actually I was the last one allowed to ask a question. THAT was a big deal to me. I've never been in that position. They showed us footage of the upcoming season. If the pilot blew me away, then I'm not sure how to describe that footage. It was amazing. Deathstroke? The Royal Flush Gang? Deadshot? Arrow kicking ass?? Hells yes!

As a side note - my question was "Will writers of the comics ever guest write? Like Kevin Smith or Judd Winick?" The answer was that some Green Arrow people were scheduled to help out like Geoff Johns writing an episode or two and Mike Grell submitting the famous "Hood Guy Sketch" from the pilot.

I thanked them and told them that the footage was incredible. "I felt like I was watching The Dark Knight," I told them. Guggenheim said, "That's the best compliment I've ever gotten!" That made me very happy.

Next, we went upstairs for the signing. In line, a woman was selling 8x10 prints from the pilot. Granted, they were signing a free poster at the table, but we couldn't resist the image she was offering.

It was so cool looking and we felt like it was a little bit better looking than the poster they had so we each bought one. We got up to see them and we both gushed and geeked out at the actors and producer. I told Amell, "Dude this show blew me away! I can't wait for more!" He thanked me and I asked if he could sign the 8x10 as well as the poster. One of the DC volunteers tried to stop us and said, "Um he's only signing the poster!" But Amell and I disagreed. I said, "Well, he said yes and he's signing it!" Amell laughed and said, "I mean you're already in line! What are they gonna do?" At that moment I knew this guy was awesome not just on screen but in real life. I met Holland and told her she was adorable. She blushed and thanked me. I told Cassidy that I think she looked better as a brunette. She also blushed and thanked me. When I got to Guggenheim I told him that I was the one that said the show looked like The Dark Knight. He said, "Ah yes! You were my favorite question at the panel!" We talked a little bit about the Green Lantern film and he agreed to sign not just the Arrow poster but the free Arrow comic DC had produced over the summer to promote the series. My sister and I walked away feeling like we had had a great experience that day.

Ever since that day, Arrow has been a regular fixture in my life. When my ex-fiancee left me, Arrow was a constant comfort during a very difficult time. When I moved away from my home in North Carolina, Arrow season 3 was there. I could watch it in real life with my sister, as opposed to just texting about it later. I could watch the Flash v Arrow episode with my nephew and he was excited to see the two heroes on screen together. Granted, he wasn't as excited as me but he was close ;)

When I left Pittsburgh and came back to my home of Erie, Arrow was still there. Now season four may not have had the best episodes that seasons 1 and 2 had, but it still got me excited every week. And now we're in season 5. So far this season has been superb and the crossover looks to be the type of episodes I was secretly hoping for back during season 1 when it was a "grounded, vigilante, street justice show."

I don't know if Stephen Amell, Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Katie Cassidy, or whoever else will ever read this but I just wanted to offer a very sincere thank you. Arrow is one of my all time favorite TV shows and one that I will defend to the death every day of my life. I've met Stephen Amell twice at different Comic Cons and I'm hoping to see more of the cast during other Comic Cons. I'm confident that we'll see more Arrow during the next few years whether it's during guest spots on The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, or heck even Supergirl. And I can't freaking wait!