Golden Arrow (comics)
Encyclopedia
Golden Arrow is a fictional character
who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics
' Whiz Comics
comic book series, from 1940 to 1953.
, while the baby miraculously survived.
An old prospector
named Nugget Ned raised the child as his own, teaching him to fend for himself and developing the boy into a skilled archer
. On his deathbed, the old man told the now-grown boy of his origins, and the young man, calling himself "Golden Arrow", set out to avenge his father and right other wrongs throughout the West
Although the comic appeared to be set in the Old West, in Whiz Comics
#43 Golden Arrow had an adventure with Captain Marvel
and Spy Smasher
, which would indicate that the setting was actually contemporary.
The character may have served as inspiration to DC Comics
' Green Arrow
. DC Comics
purchased the rights to the characters published by Fawcett, including Golden Arrow, but failed to renew copyright on Whiz #2, putting that version of the character into public domain. DC Comics does own the right to subsequent Golden Arrow stories and has never revived the character.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
who had his own strip in Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics
Fawcett Comics, a division of Fawcett Publications, was one of several successful comic book publishers during the Golden Age of Comic Books in the 1940s...
' Whiz Comics
Whiz Comics
Whiz Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from February 1940 with issue #2 and stopping at issue #155 in June 1953, best known for introducing Captain Marvel. The first issue published of Whiz Comics was issue #2...
comic book series, from 1940 to 1953.
Fictional character history
The hero was originally Roger Parsons, the son of inventor Paul Parsons, who had developed a new type of gas for transportation by balloon. A greedy competitor, Brand Braddock, plotted to stop Mr. Parsons, and did so by shooting down a balloon Parsons was using to test the formula. Mr. Parsons, his wife, and his son Roger were all aboard the balloon; the two adults died when the balloon crashed in a sparsely-populated area of the Western United StatesWestern United States
.The Western United States, commonly referred to as the American West or simply "the West," traditionally refers to the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. Because the U.S. expanded westward after its founding, the meaning of the West has evolved over time...
, while the baby miraculously survived.
An old prospector
Prospecting
Prospecting is the physical search for minerals, fossils, precious metals or mineral specimens, and is also known as fossicking.Prospecting is a small-scale form of mineral exploration which is an organised, large scale effort undertaken by mineral resource companies to find commercially viable ore...
named Nugget Ned raised the child as his own, teaching him to fend for himself and developing the boy into a skilled archer
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
. On his deathbed, the old man told the now-grown boy of his origins, and the young man, calling himself "Golden Arrow", set out to avenge his father and right other wrongs throughout the West
Although the comic appeared to be set in the Old West, in Whiz Comics
Whiz Comics
Whiz Comics was a monthly ongoing comic book anthology series, which was published by Fawcett Comics from February 1940 with issue #2 and stopping at issue #155 in June 1953, best known for introducing Captain Marvel. The first issue published of Whiz Comics was issue #2...
#43 Golden Arrow had an adventure with Captain Marvel
Captain Marvel (DC Comics)
Captain Marvel is a fictional comic book superhero, originally published by Fawcett Comics and later by DC Comics. Created in 1939 by artist C. C. Beck and writer Bill Parker, the character first appeared in Whiz Comics #2...
and Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher
Spy Smasher is the name of two fictional characters appearing in comics published by DC Comics. The first is a superhero that was formerly owned and published by Fawcett Comics...
, which would indicate that the setting was actually contemporary.
The character may have served as inspiration to DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' Green Arrow
Green Arrow
Green Arrow is a fictional superhero that appears in comic books published by DC Comics. Created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp, he first appeared in More Fun Comics #73 in November 1941. His secret identity is Oliver Queen, billionaire and former mayor of fictional Star City...
. DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
purchased the rights to the characters published by Fawcett, including Golden Arrow, but failed to renew copyright on Whiz #2, putting that version of the character into public domain. DC Comics does own the right to subsequent Golden Arrow stories and has never revived the character.