This day (July 31st 2019) marks the release of the a book written by Michael Northrop and illustrated by artist Gustavo Duarte. It's all about the big heroes of the DC Universe recieving letters, texts, emails etc. from their biggest fans - children!
The heroes involved, as seen in the trailer, include Superman, Aquaman, Hawkgirl, Batman, Wonder Woman, The Flash, Green Lantern, and Cyborg. You can watch the trailer below, or visit the DC site (https://www.dccomics.com/graphic-novels/dear-justice-league) to read a preview of the book and perhaps pre-order your own copy!
This book has only just been released. I have not read it yet, not even the preview because I don't want to spoil anything before my first read when I buy a copy (bring on payday), but the book, the artist and the writer have already inspired me with an idea. I decided that I would love to be able to write a letter to my favourite hero in the DC Universe. Some of you might think that's a silly idea for a guy in his mid 20's but in all honesty, I couldn't care less because DC Comics, and comics in general have meant a lot to me in my life. I've always struggled with reading which only recently I'm discovering could be due to mental health issues, but comics helped with reading because the words were spread out into small bits and pieces so I could read one bit at a time and not have to worry about the large chunks of text you find in a novel.
Not only do the layout of the comics help, but the art and the character designs help me immerse myself into the different worlds from the dark and creepy detective world of Batman, to bright yet dangerous world of Superman. Not to forget the crossover world of Justice League and the other heroic teams that bring us a combined story of a world where all these heroes live as one.
My favourite of all these heroes though is Green Arrow. A world in which there are the few odd meta human foes, or some big evil organizations that try to take over the world, but for a lot of the stories I first read of the Robin Hood/Batman hybrid, it seemed very ground in a gritty reality, where Olive Queen, also known as the Green Arrow not just in secret but to the rest of the world as well it seemed, owned a flower shop called Sherwood Florist (which is a great name in itself) with his wife Dinah Lance a.k.a Black Canary. I do of course refer to the Mike Grell run of the character, which is one of my all time favourites, both for it's style and it's nostalgia factor. Since then, his stories and his world has effected me in ways I didn't think was possible. It changed the way I see the world around me, it helped me stand up to bullies, and it helped shape me into the man I am today, along with the lessons I learned from my Mum, Dad, Brother and other Family and Friends of course.
I emailed Michael Northrop to tell him how he had inspired me with this letter but I didn't reveal the letter I wrote to Oliver Queen because I wanted everyone to read it at the same time and the email I sent to Mr Northrop was as simple as the fanmail I wrote to Oliver Queen. I didn't want anything for it, I simply wanted to tell the creators of this book that it was inspiring. I was honoured to have Mr Northrop reply to my email as well, thanking me for getting in touch, which is heartwarming and inspiring in of itself. He told me that 'Dear Justice League' is a love letter from him and Mr Duarte to these iconic heroes that have meant so much to them both over the course of their lives. However he did tell me that Green Arrow is not in the book as they decided to stick to the more core memeber of the Justice League.
So, without further a do, below is my letter to Oliver Queen, written on paper and typed up/edited on the computer. I hope you enjoy the letter, and maybe you too can write a letter to your favourite hero, or if that's too much, just have at least a think about what you'd say to them.
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