Five Reasons Arrow Is the Best Comic Book Show on the Air

At the outset: Please understand this isn’t a Marvel vs. DC thing. I’m sure that’s where the comments thread will go, but…ugh.It’s also not just about the already-getting-old fanboy complaint that Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn’t have enough superheroes. I get (on some level) what they’re trying to do, and think it could work, if done right.But with due respect to both AMC’s The Walking Dead and ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., just a few weeks into the new, young season, I’ve got no doubt that Arrow is the best comic book adaptation on TV right now. I’m not saying that either of the other shows are not good. The Walking Dead is probably, from an acting and cinematography perspective, the best show of the three by a football field. But Arrow hits a sweet spot of technical excellence and pure entertainment that neither of the others can touch. It’s like hybridizing the best elements of those shows and, okay, maybe it isn’t as bouncy and fun as S.H.I.E.L.D. can offer on a good day, and maybe it can’t punch its weight at the Emmys against The Walking Dead…but on balance, it’s the best thing we fanboys have right now.Why’s that? A few reasons:

AT LEAST ELEVEN DC Comics references Arrow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. The Avengers Arrow District Attorney is Kate Spencer Spider-Man Hulk Iron Man oh-so-clever The Walking Dead Bob Stookey played a key role freaking Deathstroke Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Entertainment Weekly S.H.I.E.L.D. The Walking Dead The Walking Dead teasing “Richonne” this year Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Arrow The X-Files Star Trek S.H.I.E.L.D. The Walking Dead Arrow How I Met Your Mother That was something like five years and fifteen or sixteen false starts ago, and now I only watch that series because Cobie Smulders is freaking awesome at comic acting and I’m unwilling to wait for her inevitable recurring role on S.H.I.E.L.D. to see more of her. None of that is relevant to my argument here. Arrow The Walking Dead Arrow Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. ratings have been slipping NCIS it’s a job The Walking Dead Arrow The Walking Dead S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately Arrow S.H.I.E.L.D. The Walking Dead Arrow worked Avengers desperate