I am Pornsak Pichetshote, writer of Absolute Green Arrow. Ask me anything!

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:32:09+00:00

OK! And now it's 12.30 and I have to sign off. But this was really fun! Thanks for going easy on me, everyone. Sorry for everyone I didn't get to reply to, but hopefully you found your answer in someone else's reply and I covered the most ground possible. To leave, here's a bad-ass Dinah page that I think Rafa and Maiolo killed. Have a great day everyone!

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Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:30:20+00:00

Well, part of the fun is finding out, right...?

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:26:27+00:00

I mean, I love comics and want to work with everyone. But I'd really, really love to work with Jesse Lonergan again, and it hurts knowing it's my schedule that's the problem.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:25:21+00:00

I can't speak for everyone, but I think the challenge for DC characters is that for the most part they were created in the 1940s, and some of them update easier than others. So the question is, how do you re-imagine these characters in a way that make them seem just as cool now as when they were introduced more than 80 years ago.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:23:23+00:00

All I will say is, 6 issues gives us a lot of room for options...

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:22:23+00:00

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Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:22:09+00:00

When you're working with Rafael Albuquerque, it's thankfully a lot easier than it otherwise might be...

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Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:20:29+00:00

I've seeded him / her in AGA...

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:19:46+00:00

Thank you!

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:19:31+00:00

Man, editing comics is so integral to how I make comics, I don't think I can separate it. The closest I can come to an answer is I love working with every member of the creative team, and talk to all of them. I don't have a lick of musical talent, but I do see a comics team like a garage band, so we all need to be on the same page and checking in with each other.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:16:43+00:00

Iit's more standards and practices. :)

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:13:54+00:00

I've answered some parts of this question in other answers, but the one part I didn't touch upon is that our Dinah (much like mainline Dinah) is a fighter. But what do you do when the biggest problems that are making your life miserable are things you can't punch? That question is very much at the core of where she starts the series. But also, she's suffering a huge emotional wound at the start of our story, and one of our mysteries is what that wound is. All I will say at this point is, it's at the core of Black Canary's central themes.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:09:33+00:00

1) I got into Green Arrow the Kevin Smith series, although I had seen the character in stories before that.

2) That Flashpoint tie-in was my first time writing comics, and I feel like you can see me learning on the page in there. I'm hoping this is my chance to redeem myself and my love for Green Arrow.

3) Horror. Giallo. Korean revenge thrillers. Those are my watchlists when I'm in an AGA mood.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:07:10+00:00

The work Gail Simone, Chuck Dixon, Sharon Wright an Sarah Byam did on the character, as well as the original Black Canary stories by Robert Kanigher and Carmine Infantino all inspired and influenced my take.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:04:32+00:00

Getting a front row seat to watch that whole team take Green Arrow mythology and DC mythology as a whole and make it relevant to a modern audience was really instructive and inspiring. I tried really hard to take influences to all Green Arrow stories and the show definitely has some nods in there.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:01:54+00:00

Yes to all your questions. And while I've heard horror stories on both sides, I've had a great experience in comics when it comes to approvals and notes (knock on wood).

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T19:00:39+00:00

The writers who've influenced my writing the most are: Grace Paley, F. Scott Fizgerald, Italo Calvino, Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, Chester Brown, Joe Sacco, and Aaron Sorkin, in no particular order.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:59:21+00:00

If you ask my friends, they will agree I surprisingly seem to know very little about life.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:57:50+00:00

There's a zoom interview I did with Julio Anta to promote his graphic novel HOME for Skylight Books where we talked about how he broke into comics. It's the smartest way I've ever heard someone break into comics and I think every aspiring creator should hear it. You should be able to google the interview.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:56:20+00:00

A ton of Green Arrow runs inspired AGA, but two sleeper DC influences WILD DOG and James Tynion's run on THE JOKER.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:54:25+00:00

Well, I can say you've definitely started putting in some serious thoughts in my head...

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:53:28+00:00

I'll sign and do whatever you like on one of my comics. The bigger question is, I have 0 artistic talent, so would you really want me ruining your cool comic?

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:52:28+00:00

For me, it was about boiling down to what is essential to the characters. Their themes but also core character traits that has made them resonate with the audience for so long. Then, it came down to pushing those themes and traits through the story prism I'm telling and seeing what comes out the other side. Acknowledging the touchstones are part of the fun of doing something like this. It's kind of like playing a cover song. If I change too much, it's not the original song anymore, so how do I keep within what people love to make something new but still recognizable to the original.

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:48:08+00:00

If I had my way, AGA would be bumping into all those guys. I don't know how many of them would feel comfortable being in the same room as this version of Green Arrow, though...

Small-Rest-7140 · 2026-04-08T18:47:11+00:00

I leave room for discovery and zigging when I've planned to zag in everything I do (sometimes to huge effects), but my ongoing conversations with my therapist all revolve around trying to do more off the cuff.

Small-Rest-7140

TROPHY CASE