- Written by: Jeff Mednikow
- Directed by: Jeff Mednikow
- Produced by: Ben Jones & Jeff Mednikow
- Associate Producer: Kimberly S. Moreau
- Executive Producer: Sam Register
- Editor: Bruce King
Intro:
In 2012, Warner Bros. Animation produced a new series of short videos that would air alongside their Animated shows on Cartoon Network. This new series of short videos were called ‘DC Nation Shorts’, and these new shorts would have a range of characters from Batman, to Teen Titans, Green Arrow and more.
For Green Arrow, there have been just three short animation videos. The first of which is this one, which stars Will Friedle as the voice of Green Arrow.
Plot:
In this first short, Green Arrow teams up with Black Canary (Kari Wahlgren) to take down Onomatopoeia and his Ono-Bots, who are wreaking havoc in the city.
Whilst Green Arrow thinks he’s got it covered, Black Canary challenges Oliver to see who can take down the most Ono-Bots. Luckily, Green Arrow wields a high-tech, sentient bow, that is able to keep count for the pair of them.
After some fun, fast paced action it seems our heroes are tied for the count, and only one thing can settle the score…taking down Onomatopoeia himself.
Voice Cast:
The voice cast is fairly spot on for the characters. Will Friedle’s voice brings out the charm and humour of Green Arrow, whilst Kari Wahlgren’s voice counterbalances Friedle’s in order to make Black Canary the more serious, yet still fun character, who knows that Green Arrow is overly confident, or for lack of a better word, cocky.
Kevin Michael Richardson’s voice is smooth and calming as the voice of Green Arrow’s high-tech bow. It’s hard to think the simply addition of a voice could bring an inanimate object to life, but Kevin Michael Richardson is able to do it very well.
It may be hard to hear over the gun shots and explosions, but right at the beginning of the short, you can hear a call over the radio, and believe it or not, the voice on the other end of that Police Scanner is none other than Kevin Conroy himself. Yes, THAT Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman!
Animation/Design:
The designs of the characters are, to say the least, recognizable, though Black Canary’s design is somewhat different to what some fans might be used to. Dinah is more often known for having long blonde hair but the design for this animation shortens her hair and feels more inspired by the Smallville Black Canary more than anything, which isn’t a bad thing before anyone says anything. I’m simply making a point.
I also enjoy the little references to the world of Green Arrow that we know and love, such as the Queen Industries sign in the background of one of the earlier scenes.
Who is Onomatopoeia?
I was surprised to see that this animation used a lesser known villain from DC Comics. Onomatopoeia is a villain created by Kevin Smith during his run on Green Arrow, in a story titled ‘Sounds of Violence’, though he first appeared in the finale of the issue before, titled ‘Feast and Fowl’.
Onomatopoeia is a mortal human being who often targets heroes that don’t have super powers, and he kills them. His name comes from the fact that he doesn’t talk in the comics, he merely repeats certain sounds he hears.
Onomatopoeia first appeared in Green Arrow Vol.3 Issue 12 (March 2002), and became the main antagonist in issue 13 (May 2002).
Overall:
If you watch these shorts then please do not judge them for comic book accuracies. These are not meant to be highly detailed, intricate, or accurate, they are just a series of fun short animations that lighten the mood. They were aired on Cartoon Network, a channel designed for children, so don’t judge them if you’re a hardcore comic book fan. They are highly enjoyable and very funny. They also chose villains you don’t hear about often even from the fans of the comics.
Media Mallrat 
Leave a Reply