Dossier:: Merlyn

Alias: Merlyn

Real Name: Arthur King (groan)

First Appearance: Justice League of America #94

Modus Operandi: Master Archer, Assassin for Hire

Powers/Equipment: Trick Arrows, jetpack hidden in quiver, archer on par with Green Arrow and family.

Backstory: Merlyn first appeared when he challenged and defeated the entire Justice League (off panel, don't ask) in an attempt to fulfill a contract taken out on Batman's life. He was narrowly defeated when the killing arrow was deflected by fellow archer Green Arrow. Shamed by his defeat and unable to return the the League of Assassins, Merlyn became a freelancer.

He did join up with the occasional villain group, including Queen Bee's gang and the mysterious "100," but kept a fairly low profile until the events of Identity Crisis. He was one of the first to realize what Sue Dibney's death would do to the super-villain community, but managed to wiggle out of any consequences due to a connection to Amanda Waller and her government sponsored Suicide Squad.

Merlyn most recently appeared in the pages of Green Arrow vol. 3, just before the "One Year Later" event. As he and Green Arrow battled, Dr. Light set off the explosives they'd both hidden previously. The resulting blast destroyed much of Star City and left Oliver Queen in critical condition. Queen survived his injuries, but as of yet the two have not had a final showdown to settle the score.

Dossier Entry: Onomatopoeia

(Just for you, Benton!)

The first entry in our series on Green Arrow's associates, villains, and allies is none other than Onomatopoeia. Virtually nothing is known about Onomatopoeia's personal life, powers (if he has any) or even what he looks like.

He first shows up in Green Arrow vol. 3 #11 and wrecks havok on Ollie and his crew for the next several issues. Onomatopoeia seems to have a mission (for himself, for someone else?) to murder non-powered heroes. He start off small, killing Harrisburg, Pennslyvania's resident hero Buckeye (and his wife, too, for good measure). He works his way up from there, finally targetting Connor Hawke, Oliver Queen's son and the second man to bear the name "Green Arrow."

Despite being one of the world's finest martial artists, Connor falls before the enimatic villain. Connor is rushed to the hospital, where Onomatopoeia tries to finish the job. He runs afoul of a VERY angry Oliver Queen, along with his paramour Black Canary. Despite taking SIX arrows in various places on his body, Onomatopoeia fights on, until he falls out a seventh story window. Still, the villain manages to get up and run off before Ollie can follow him.

Oh, and his name? Onomatopoeia? The word itself means "words that are also sounds" For instance, BANG! is an onomatopoeia. This guy plays that up to the hilt, speaking ONLY in onomatopoeias throughout his appearances.

Well, appearance, ol' Ono had a brief cameo in the Battle for Metropolis, but has otherwise kept a low profile for the past several years. I think that's a shame, because the dude is seriously creepy and nigh unstoppable. I'd like to see more of him! Are you listening Judd Winick?