Ollie & Bruce: Crush or Competition? You decide.
We know Ollie owes his Green Arrow persona to Bats, but do you know here was a time when Ollie didn't know that Bats was Bruce Wayne? Here from a JLA Giant from 1999 are 3 1/3 pages from a 10 page story that looks back at a time when Ollie got a little, let's say, obsessive with Bruce.
Rather than my trying to tell the story, I will let the overwrought writings of Mr. Queen set the scene.
Ollie goes on to say, "I figured a man is entitled to be weird if that's what gets him through the day."
We next see that Ollie is at a high society party in Star City and he is attempting to ditch his date and pick up another but he's out of luck ...
I believe, dear, the word is "beard" not "front". His pager goes off and he runs to the scene of a crime. But what's this?
It's a drug kitchen, "where they cook up treats for the dope fiends." (you know you're thinking it so just say it, "like Roy.")
Things go poorly Bats gets the brunt of it in an explosion. He and GA escape using a rope arrow.
Ollie heads home and begins to think about the coincidence of Bruce and Bats being in town at the same time.
And it got cut off a little but Ollie lies and says he is in Gotham (Anyone think Roy look like Neil Patrick Harris there?)
But Bruce was injured quite badly last night. He really shouldn't but it is Ollie calling.
Oh you two, wouldn't it be easier just to whip 'em out and measure them or whatever?
So here they are 7:30 the next morning on the racquetball court. And Ollie can't stop thinking about it.
Then he beans Bruce with his ball. His racquetball. Ollie now feels he has gone too far.
Ollie decides Bruce is not Batman. The game ends. Ollie throws a big fit, breaks his racquet because he can't believe he flew across the country for this.
Bruce heads home mission accomplished.
Ollie signs off his story by saying he never thought much about Bruce until that day. He's no Batman but he is an 'extraordinary guy' and if Ollie is better guy now than Bruce had something to do with it.
The last panel goes harkens back to the first page with Crazy Bruce laughing as he car careens into a snowbank happy that his secret identity is still a secret to Oliver Queen.