2011. Green Arrow was not initially a well-known character outside of comic book fandom: he had appeared in a single episode of the animated series Super Friends in 1973. In the 2000s, the character appeared in a number of DC television properties, including the animated series Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice, The Batman and Batman: The Brave and the Bold, and several DC Universe Animated Original Movies. In live action, he appeared in the series Smallville, played by actor Justin Hartley, and became a core cast member. In 2012, the live action series Arrow debuted on The CW, in which the title character was portrayed by Stephen Amell, and launching several spin-off series, becoming the starting point for a shared television franchise called the Arrowverse. Publication history Beginnings, 1941–1968 Green Arrow and Speedy first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 (cover-dated November 1941), which was illustrated by artist George Papp. When Mort Weisinger was creating the character, aside from the obvious allusions to Robin Hood, he took inspiration from a movie serial, The Green Archer, based on the novel by Edgar Wallace. He retooled the concept into a superhero archer with obvious Batman influences. These include Green Arrow's sidekick Speedy, his use of an Arrowcar and Arrow-Plane for transportation, his use of an Arrow-Cave as his headquarters, his alter ego as a wealthy playboy, the use of an Arrow-Signal to summon him, as well as a clown-like arch foe named Bull's Eye, similar to Batman's arch-foe, the Joker. His and Speedy's first origin stories were told in More Fun Comics #89. Green Arrow began as a back-up feature in More Fun Comics, but within four months the Green Arrow and Speedy replaced Doctor Fate and the Spectre as the cover feature. In Superhero Comics of the Golden Age, Mike Benton writes that "their front cover star status was probably due to Speedy's appeal -- teenage sidekicks were the current rage." They were also given a spot as one of five back-up features to be promoted in one of the earliest team-up books, Leading Comics, starting with issue #1 (Winter 1941). They appeared in More Fun until issue #107 (January 1946), and then moved to Adventure Comics from #103 (April 1946) to #269 (February 1960). Green Arrow and Speedy also appeared in various issues of World's Finest Comics until issue #140 (March 1964). He was one of the few DC characters