2017 Geek-A-Long: Green Arrow

There are a ton of issues with CW’s The Arrow. The thing is, I just don’t care. And not just because of Stephen Amell’s abs on the salmon ladder. Although, I think we can all agree it doesn’t hurt its case.

That loops for a minute and a half. You’re welcome.

Despite a truly ridiculous number of flashbacks to the island, plot holes you could drive a car through, and not nearly enough John Barroman, the show still has the right amount of charm to keep me watching. I cut superhero shows and movies a lot of slack. My first love is Gold and Silver Age comics, and if you’re going to read those you pretty much have to leave cynicism at the door. So I’ll forgive it the flaws, because it managed to make a dark, compelling show out of what is arguably weird source material. (And also because of abs on a salmon ladder.) However, the moment it really won me over was when Oliver used a boxing glove arrow. I was knitting while we watched it and wasn’t looking at the screen. Mr. Llama started hollering that I had to put down my work and rewind. And there it was:

I am obsessed with the boxing glove arrow. Green Arrow doesn’t have powers. In the style of Batman, he just has a bottomless pit of money and neat gadgets. But his arrows got insane in the comics. The guys over at io9 compiled a list of the most ridiculous ones. When I was reading them growing up, I would crack up at the thought of the boxing glove arrow. Like, if you are in close enough range for the arrow to work without it just going “thunk” on the ground before the person you are trying to shoot, you may as well just punch the person. But I guess it’s really got nothing on the antler arrow. What’s really magical about the antler arrow is that Oliver Queen woke up that morning and thought he might use it. Quivers don’t really hold that much. So he has to decide which ones to take, and that day he thought:

Yep. Antler arrow.

Why did he invent that arrow? Why is Speedy describing the spread as “like a parasol” of all things? Why is there a second Speedy creeping on them from behind a tree? We may never have answers to these questions, but at least we’ll have knitted boxing glove arrows.

emtscubagirl21 was the first to nominate Green Arrow in the fight for your fandom battle royale

How about Green Arrow. Poison ivy. Shazam Aquaman Harley Quinn. Dead shot. Phoenix. Spider man. Wolverine. Spider Gwen. Captain America. Medusa. Joker. Dead pool. Robin. Hulk. Black canary
Electra. Captain marvel. Firestorm. Death stroke. Super man prime. Krypto the super dog. Shield. Killer frost. Fantastic four. Punisher Gambit. Dr. Strange.

Here are a few I would like to see. Thanks.
The reason why they all should be on the blanket are because they are all badass. You know what I’m saying. They are strong and powerful in their own world. And not all of them get the credit they deserve!!

She was maybe a little overzealous with nominees, and Jac only counted the first one, but we’re into that at L&L.

Whether you’re knitting, crocheting, or cross stitching this square, you can download the Green Arrow pattern here, featuring the punching glove arrow. Instructions and charts for both knit and crochet are listed in the pattern. When you’re finished making it, don’t forget to Instagram your squares at us @lattesandllamasyarn with the hashtag #geekalong!

If you’re having trouble with double-sided knitting, we have a how-to video here and a tutorial on crochet here. Want to hang out with other people making the blanket? You can find moral support in the Geek-A-Long group on Ravelry here.

~ Megan-Anne
Resist.

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