John Barrowman on Bringing 'The Dark Archer' to Life On Screen and On the Page
Fans of Malcolm Merlyn on Arrow can feed their need with a new series of comics penned by John Barrowman himself. Co-written with sister, best-selling author Carole E. Barrowman, Arrow: The Dark Archer is a twelve-issue series that will be released in digital form before it’s collected into a graphic novel. The first issue was published last Wednesday.
The series looks to fill in some of Merlyn’s very shady history. “It takes place between Season 3 and Season 4,” says Carole, “And it flashes back from that point.” Issue 1 takes us back a week, but John promises that soon, “It flashes waaaaay back — to a much younger way back!”
Related: Get Caught Up With Our ‘Arrow’ Recaps
The comic sprung out of another pitch that the Barrowmans brought to DC’s CCO, Geoff Johns. “There was a project I wanted to do about some unknown characters from the DC world that hadn’t been talked about in decades,” says John. But also, he told Johns, “My sister and I would love to go and do the backstory and look into the life of Malcolm Merlyn. And their eyes just lit up.”
Neither of the Barrowmans will say if any of the main cast members show up in the comic. “Certain paths may cross,” says a circumspect John, but the focus will be on new characters. Some have been referenced on the show (Nyssa’s mother appears in the first issue) and others have not (Nyssa’s brother also shows up). Will those new characters get live-action counterparts on the show? John says when he talked to Arrow’s executive producers, Andrew Kreisberg said maybe, but he might’ve been joking.
The producers were firm that whatever happens in the comics will be part of the TV show’s canon, though. This won’t be the first time that John has had a hand in crafting Arrow’s narrative. At one point, there was talk of making Oliver Malcolm’s son (“It’s too Darth Vader,” he recalls thinking), but John said, “Why don’t you make Thea his daughter?” It was an idea he had been talking about with his husband, Scott. “We look like each other,” and back in Season 1, “There were a couple of instances where I touched her on her shoulder and her hand that the camera slightly picked up.” And the rest is Arrow history.
Related: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ Review: Nutty, Anarchic Fun
Some of the joy of watching Malcolm Merlyn on screen is seeing John Barrowman’s storytelling nature sneak through. As a lifelong fan of the genre, he plays with comic book tropes like a magician (ironically — or not — Merlyn’s Arabic name is Al Sa-Her, “The Magician”). He describes a scene in which he’s addressing Team Arrow. The director asked him to face the team, but John tried something different. “I turned away. I did this whole speech and I just let this tear drip down my face.” It was information for the fans, not the characters. “But then, was I telling the truth to the audience? Or was I manipulating them?”
Their writing process varies from project to project (they’ve written two memoirs and two young adult novels in addition to their comic book work). “There’s a lot of wine involved,” says Carole with a laugh. “A lot of yelling back and forth in all caps on text.” Usually, they’ll tape their brainstorming conversations, Carole will do the writing, then John will give feedback. With Dark Archer, though, there was a much tighter collaboration given John’s particular expertise in the character. “It’s very much like sitting in a writers’ room,” says John, only it’s through texts or on FaceTime.
If the series does well, John says they may return to Merlyn. “Not rehashing things that have happened to him, but adding to the world of Merlyn.” Or they may do something with one of the new characters. Or maybe even return to those unknown DC characters. “Weird things happen,” he says with a shrug. There is a blissful unconcern for the the direction his creative endeavors head. For John Barrowman — who has done stage, movies television, recorded multiple albums, and written both memoirs and fiction — his options are limitless. “I’m an entertainer,” he says. And as long as you’re entertained, he’s happy.
Arrow airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW; Issue #2 of Arrow: The Dark Archer will be released Jan. 27.
