Since the very beginning of Arrow, John Barrowman’s Malcolm Merlyn has been a thrown in Oliver Queen’s side both as the Dark Archer and as the new (and now former) Ra’s al Ghul. While Malcolm Merlyn’s fate in Arrow season 4 is still unfolding, Barrowman is teaming up with his sister, Carole E. Barrowman for a new digital first comic called Arrow: The Dark Archer, which takes place in two time periods.
In flashbacks, a much younger Malcolm Merlyn and his companion, Lourdes are under attack from the League of Assassins at an archaeological dig. But in the present, Lourdes is out for Malcolm’s blood, and she’s brought along her son, Saracon, who just may be Malcolm’s child as well.
CraveOnline recently had a chance to speak with the Barrowman siblings about their Dark Archer comic, and we’ve also got exclusive artwork from this week’s Arrow: The Dark Archer Chapter # 8!
CraveOnline: What was your inspiration for this story?
John Barrowman: Our inspiration came from questions I’ve always had about Malcolm from the beginning of the series. The main one was where did all his wealth come from to begin Merlyn Global? We know Rebecca Merlyn was wealthy, but Malcolm had to have had some money of his own. And it had to be from something shady and mysterious, right?
Carole E. Barrowman: When we started our research, we couldn’t find much at all about Malcolm’s background in the DC canon. And that was actually great for us. It gave us more room to play around with possible story lines.
Where do the two timelines in the story fall in Arrow continuity?
John Barrowman: Ok. So the present day storyline takes place between season 3 and 4 and the flashbacks are set in 1985, a few months before Malcolm meets Rebecca, his wife, and Tommy’s mother. In the present day storyline, he is still Ra’s al Ghul.
Who came up with the idea of Malcolm’s real name and backstory?
John Barrowman: We found a reference to Malcolm’s given name, Arthur King, in a back issue of a DC comic from ages ago when we were doing our homework. I keep a copy of the DC Encyclopedia on my bedside table and used it a lot for research while we were planning. We loved… and this is a tease for chapter 8… that his given name explains something about Malcolm’s character.
Carole E. Barrowman: The idea that Malcolm is a member of a group of “ethical” tomb raiders called The Hidden developed out of us binge watching random Malcolm episodes last fall and realizing in the TV show, ARROW, Malcolm owns lots of art.
John Barrowman: Another tease for this chapter… in the secret room at his house and in his office where Malcolm keeps his Dark Archer suit, he has a lot more than cool weapons in the room…
Is Saracon Malcolm’s son?
John Barrowman: You’ll just have to keep reading…
Is the old man someone we’ve met before on Arrow?
Carole E. Barrowman: Nope. The old man and his llama are a product of our warped imaginations.
Will any of these elements appear in Arrow?
John Barrowman: You’ll just have to keep reading and keep watching. (grins)
John Barrowman: The artists are Daniel Sampere (pencils), Juan Albarran (inks) and Kyle Ritter is the colorist. They’ve been great, and I think we make a great team.
Carole E. Barrowman: They’ve brought the story to life so wonderfully, especially given how much of it takes place undergound in tombs and tunnels.
Do you have a favorite part of the story so far?
John Barrowman: I love the way the suspense is building as the water rises in present day and then we cut fast and leave poor Malcolm bleeding while we hear his story in the past.
Carole E. Barrowman: The screaming nasty bats with Saracon controlling them. I loved and hated those panels.
Last time, you left us on a cliffhanger with some leopards. Is it safe to assume they are not illusions?
John Barrowman: It may be safe to assume that… for now…
What’s coming up in Dark Archer Chapter 8?
John Barrowman: This is the chapter where Arthur and Lourdes break into the Ashkiri temple, and the plot takes a shocking twist. It’s also the chapter where you realize Arthur’s ethics are very situational.
Carole E. Barrowman: This chapter has one of the best cliffhangers! It’s visually stunning… adding to John’s comment… I think readers get a big clue everything may not be as it has seemed in Malcolm’s telling of his story.
Will Oliver Queen appear in this story at some point?
John & Carole: Keep reading… (laughing)
Last question, can you tease the upcoming chapters and give us a taste of what Malcolm is up against?
John Barrowman: He’s going to be up against something and someone very surprising so….
John & Carole:… keep reading!!
Arrow: The Dark Archer Chapter # 8 will be available for download on Wednesday, April 20 via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comiXology, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, and iVerse ComicsPlus.
