Arrow: The Dark Archer

Arrow: The Dark Archer brings readers the man behind the.....villain (you thought I was going to say "mask," didn't you?!) or should it be the villain behind the man? Whichever way you spin it, John Barrowman's Malcolm Merlyn is a complex guy. You don't even know how complex until you get comfy with a copy of this graphic novel by both John and Carole Barrowman.Malcolm Merlyn is just one iteration of this character. He's been known by several names and one in the novel that is not familiar to me - Arthur King. In this adaption we learn who Arthur King is and how he became involved in a secret organization, crossing paths with supernatural creatures and with the League of Assassins. The history he reveals at the hands of his captors pulls pieces together, answers questions, and allows the reader to get to know the The Dark Archer.Written in the same tone and with the same sass that John Barrowman portrays with Merlyn, you'll feel like you're in an Arrow spin-off. I found the entire graphic novel to be written well while providing much needed backstory for our beloved antihero. I have a love-hate relationship with Merlyn, and The Dark Archer doesn't improve that relationship..haha.The Barrowman's did a fantastic job writing Malcolm Merlyn's history, giving fans of the character more information about the character. The artistry was also fantastic. Each panel is clearly drawn and the speech and though balloons are easily discernible from character to character. There is action, adventure, wit, and danger in this fast-paced look into The Dark Archer.I purchased my review copy.

Great story but will raise questions as to what happened to certain characters. Beside that, it was entertaining and a great addition to the collection.

Amazing comic. John and Carol Barrowman have come up with a brilliant backstory for Malcolm, exploring who he was before he became the dark archer. A must read for Arrow fans.

I enjoyed very very much. I wanted to find out more about Malcom Merlin and I did!

Story line kept me reading until I had it all read and then re-read it again! Interesting back story about Malcolm Merlyn.

Awesome comic. Loved learning about Malcolm's past!!

I loved the backstory to Merlin

Good but not what I expected

This book serves as a companion to the tv series Arrow. It fills in the backstory of series regular Malcolm Merlyn. What is really cool about this book however is that its written by John Barrowman (the actor who plays Malcolm in the show) and his sister Carole. The story itself is fast paced and adds a bit more depth to the Arrow universe. The art in the book is great and really brings the story to life!

love arrow a good read.

A gift

I have read Flash Season Zero and Arrow Season 2.5 before reading this. All these graphic novels have almost equal number of pages but flash had 7 stories while arrow 2.5 had 3 stories. The stories in arrow 2.5 were still better connected than flash's. In this book there's only one story so obviously plot expansion and depth is much more than rest two books. I like the plot as well as the narration, it was heartening to see that John Barrowman is so connected to his role that he tried to explore his character furthermore. This is basically Arrow season 3.5 along with few flashbacks of Merlyn's past (before he came to Starling City). The story fits reasonably OK with the show. No doubt Malcolm Merlyn's character has more dimensions/shades than any other in the Arrow TV Series and this story provides another. Artwork throughout the pages is quite good and the coloring is exceptional, specially in the flashback sequences. Overall a good read for the TV series as well as graphic novel fans.

Endlich ist er da! In kürzester Zeit war er dann Suchvorgang schon ausgelesen. Toll gezeichnet, super Story. I Love Malcolm ;-)Nun heißt es erst mal warten, bis der nächste kommt.