Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal

Roy Harper
Roy Harper as Arsenal. Art by Brett Booth.
Publication information
Publisher	DC Comics
First appearance	as Speedy: More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941) as Arsenal: The New Titans #99 (July 1993) as Red Arrow: Kingdom Come #2 (June 1996) (alternate) Justice League of America (vol. 2) #7 (May 2007) (mainstream)
Created by	Mort Weisinger George Papp
In-story information
Alter ego	Roy William Harper Jr.
Team affiliations	Teen Titans Justice League Suicide Squad Checkmate Outsiders The Outlaws
Partnerships	Green Arrow Red Hood Nightwing
Notable aliases	Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow
Abilities	Exceptional athlete Master archer Master marksman Expert Martial Artist Occasionally uses trick arrows

Roy Harper is a fictional superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Roy is one of DC's most longstanding characters, originating in 1940s comics as Speedy, the teen sidekick of the superhero Green Arrow. Like his mentor Green Arrow, Roy is a world-class archer and athlete who uses his exceptional marksmanship to fight crime. Along with other prominent DC Comics superhero sidekicks, he goes on to become a core member of the superhero group the Teen Titans. As an adult, Roy casts off his Speedy identity to establish himself as the superhero Arsenal, and for a time adopts the name Red Arrow to symbolise his having become an equal of Green Arrow. As well as continuing to serve as one of the Titans at various times, Roy has had leading roles in the superhero groups the Seven Soldiers of Victory, the Outsiders, the Justice League, and the Outlaws.

Roy's profile as a hero has varied over the years. He was the subject of the award-winning 1971 comic book story "Snowbirds Don't Fly", which was celebrated for its gritty depiction of Roy's battle with drug addiction; the story is considered a key moment in comic book history as it represented the emergence of mature themes in comics. In 2013, ComicsAlliance ranked Harper as #50 on their list of the "50 Sexiest Male Characters in Comics". The character has been adapted for video games and animation several times, and has been portrayed in live action by actor Colton Haynes on the television series Arrow.

The character first appeared as Green Arrow's teenage sidekick Speedy, a name by which he was known for over fifty years, in More Fun Comics #73 (November 1941) and was created by Mort Weisinger and George Papp. The character's modern-day version was an early member of the Teen Titans who later assumed the identity Arsenal in The New Titans #99 (July 1993), and became a member of the Justice League of America under the guise Red Arrow in Kingdom Come #2 (June 1996) or Justice League of America (vol. 2) #7 (May 2007).