Arrow Exclusive: Farscape and Stargate SG-1's Ben Browder to Play DC Comics Character Ted Gaynor

The producers of Arrow are not being shy when it comes to bringing in characters from DC Comics, with several slated to appear in upcoming episodes – some known for their appearances in Green Arrow comics, some pulled from other DC sources.

IGN has learned that we’ll be meeting another new DC character in the show’s 11th episode, as Ted Gaynor is introduced, played by Ben Browder.

On Arrow, Gaynor is Diggle’s commanding officer from his first tour in Afghanistan, who now works as a bodyguard for Blackhawk Squad Protection Group in Starling City. As a series of armored truck robberies strike the city, Gaynor proves to be a polarizing figure between Oliver (Stephen Amell) and Diggle (David Ramsey).

Ben Browder (during his Stargate days) and the DC version of Ted Gaynor.

Ted Gaynor first appeared in DC Comics in Blackhawk #266 in 1984, while a story arc a couple of years ago in Batman Confidential involved the former member of the Blackhawk Squadron taking on Batman, Blackhawk and Lady Blackhawk. While it doesn’t look like Arrow will be involving the Blackhawk character himself (at least not yet), there is still a big nod to Gaynor’s comic book history via the inclusion of the Blackhawk Squad name.

Browder is well known to sci-fi fans for his roles on both Farscape and Stargate SG-1, and recently, he’s guest starred on series like Chuck and Doctor Who. This will be Browder’s second time playing a DC Comics character – he previously voiced Bartholomew Lash on an episode of the animated Justice League series.

Browder will be seen on Arrow as Ted Gaynor in the episode “Trust But Verify”, airing in early 2013.

Arrow airs Wednesday nights at 8pm on The CW, with a new episode, “Damaged” (featuring Deathstroke), debuting tonight.

Source : ign[dot]com

Arrow Hits Its Mark

Arrow, the CW's new series based on DC Comics' Green Arrow, premiered last night to some superhero-sized ratings (as per CW standards, natch). - via EW.com

Read IGN's Review of the Arrow Pilot!

Arrow's 4 million viewers, and 1.3 rating, might not seem enormous, but it marked the network's most-watched series debut in total viewers since The Vampire Diaries in 2009.  Arrow's premiere also helped give Supernatural its best ratings in two years, with 2.6 million viewers.

On the other side of the dial, ABC's critically-acclaimed new series Nashville trounced NBC's critically-poo poo'd new series Chicago Fire, 9 million viewers to 6.4 million viewers.

Read IGN's Review of the Nashville Pilot here!

Source : ign[dot]com

Green Arrow #0 Review

Green Arrow #0 is not good. It's a weird little comic that feels outdated and goofy. It stops just short of being bad, but if you are looking for an archer-centric book, you are better served elsewhere. Hopefully, this isn't a trend for these #0 issues, because this one is a waste of time and paper.

Judd Winick tells us the origin of Green Arrow in this issue, and he manages to make it pretty boring. The pacing is fine, the dialogue ain't bad, but the story and characters are laughable (in a bad way). In short, Oliver Queen is partying on an oil rig, pirates show up and everyone dies. Queen takes the blame, because it's kind of his fault. None of the events hold much weight and none of it really feels all that important. It just sort of happens and then he's Green Arrow. There are far better renditions of this well-known origin.

The book really suffers in the art department. Freddie Wiliams II has a sketchy, frantic style that does not fit the tone or feel of this book. It looks weird, to be frank. Then there are the bizarre angles. Several times in the issue, Williams draws a profile shot of Queen, with another character perking halfway around his face. It's awkwardly staged and he does it more than once. Panels like this derail what little momentum this book has.

There is a cold spot in Hell for dudes like Benjamin Bailey. Follow Benjamin on Twitter, or find him on IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Torchwood Star John Barrowman Joins Arrow in Recurring Role

An intriguing bit of casting was revealed today by EW.com for The CW’s new series, Arrow: John Barrowman, best known as Doctor Who and Torchwood’s Captain Jack Harkness, will be joining the new DC Comics-based series in a recurring role.

EW says that producers aren’t giving much away about Barrowman’s character, except that he is a “well-dressed man” who is “as mysterious as he is wealthy … he is an acquaintance of the Queen family and a prominent figure in Starling City.”

Of course, as EW notes, that immediately makes one suspect Barrowman is playing a character from the Green Arrow comics. But who could it be?

Arrow premieres October 10th on The CW.

Source : ign[dot]com

Arrow Will Face DC Comics Villain Deadshot

Arrow is not holding back on the DC Comics characters. Another DC villain has been revealed for the new series – based on Green Arrow – in the form of Deadshot.

KSiteTV.com confirmed the news, revealing Deadshot would appear in the third episode of the series. No casting is known as yet.

This will be the second live-action version of Deadshot in the last couple of years, after a rather different, sort of modern cowboy version, was seen in Smallville’s final season. There will be no characters with superpowers in Arrow, but someone like Deadshot – an assassin first introduced as a Batman villain – make sense in the more grounded world of the series.

It’s already been revealed that Green Arrow villain China White will be introduced in the second episode of the series, played by Kelly Hu.

Arrow premieres October 10th on The CW.

Source : ign[dot]com