(sorry about the image guys, I only own the Showcase for this one)
Issue: World's Finest Comics #95
Title: Green Arrow vs. The Red Dart
Credits: Unknown (script) George Papp (art)
Cover Date: July-August 1958
Overview: This story introduces a new chracter, the Red Dart. GA and Speedy meet up with the Red Dart when he shows up to assist them in catching an escaped criminal. After using his "trick darts" (I swear I'm not making this up) to capture the crook, Red Dart introduces himself and offers his assistance as a hero to GA. Ollie accepts, and Red Dart assists them on several more cases.
It is only later that we find out that Red Dart is secretly working with the criminals he's supposedly foiling. By posing as a hero and getting in Green Arrow's good graces, he hopes to throw him off the scent of what he's really doing: robbing a gold shipment from the central bank.
Green Arrow and Speedy arrive to foil the robbery, and initially welcome Red Dart's help. However, in the middle of the fight, Red Dart switches sides and uses his "rain dart" (again, not making this up) to defeat GA's smokescreen Arrow. Apparently prepared this possibility, Ollie counters the dart with an umbrella arrow. Silly trick arrows aside, Green Arrow reveals that he knew Red Dart was on the side of evil all along, due to hi use of prison lingo and presence of gold assaying chemicals on his hands.
Red Dart and his compatriots go to prison, and all is well in GA's home city (not yet Star, as far as I can tell).
Thoughts: Wow, tons of Silver Age silliness in this issue! Don't get me wrong, I loved every minute of it, but even I had to groan at the rain dart and umbrella arrow. This story is in Green Arrow's Showcase, so if this sounds fun, check it out for yourself!
3 comments:
Wow, silly is almost an understatement for that one! Still, the basic premise of this one is pretty cool, sort of like Batman and the Cavalier. If it had been a better character, he could have turned into an interesting villain...but who wants to read about the Red Dart?
I wonder if now we'll get a Green Dart to fued with Red Arrow? Does Red Dart make any more appearances, or is he a one-timer?
Red Dart did come back for a few more appearances as a Green Arrow villain and later even made the cover of a DC Blue Ribbon Digest as Green Arrow's "Arch-Nemesis" (and GA was wearing his Neal Adams designed costume!)! I always thought Red Dart had promise as a concept, but the look of the character was hilariously bad. Maybe next time, work some red into the costume!
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