Read Denny O'Neil tribute story by his son for Green Arrow 80th Anniversary special

Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1
(Image credit: DC)

Update: All six pages of 'Tap, Tap, Tap,' a silent, wordless story from June 29's Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 by Larry O’Neil, the son of the late legendary Green Arrow writer Denny O'Neil, has been released by DC

O'Neil passed away in 2020.

The publisher says it is "proud to share with readers this testament to the legendary writer that touched the hearts and imaginations of so many."

'Tap, Tap, Tap' is one of 12 stories in the anthology celebrating eight decades of DC's Emerald Archer. With art by Jorge Fornes and Dave Stewart, according to DC "the intimate look at Denny's life chronicles the challenges and victories both in and out of comics, from his childhood to raising a family, and his stellar career as a writer, until his passing in 2020."

Check out the story in our gallery below and check out two more three-page previews from the special, along with all eight 'Decade' variant covers celebrating Green Arrow's 80th anniversary.

Original story follows

The release of DC's June 2021 solicitations has revealed a new contributor to June 29's Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1.

Not mentioned in the special's original announcement, DC added the name Larry O'Neil to the list of writers.

cover of Green Arrow 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 (Image credit: DC)

If the surname sounds familiar, you've hit the bullseye. Larry O'Neil is the son of Denny O'Neil, the legendary DC writer and editor who passed away in 2020 and is the creator (along with writer/artist Mike Grell in the '80s) who has arguably most defined the current and most recognizable incarnation of Green Arrow.

Once a sort-of happy-go-lucky Batman with a bow with his own 'boy wonder' Speedy, in a late '60's Justice League story O'Neil stripped Oliver Queen of his millionaire playboy status and transformed him into a socially conscious, politically left-wing activist, a depiction that most famously helped drive the legendary '70s Green Lantern/Green Arrow "Hard-Traveling Heroes" run (Green Lantern #76-87) with artist Neal Adams.

It was the earlier Justice League stories that also established Oliver Queen's romantic relationship with Black Canary, a relationship that endures to this day with DC hinting in recent months it could be headed for a possible wedding.

Larry O'Neil is an actor/writer/director/producer who directed the 1997 original HBO film Breast Men starring David Schwimmer and Chris Cooper.

Look for more details on O'Neil's contribution to the special when available and check out the new variant covers DC released with the June solicits.  

Green Arrow was just one of the many characters Denny O'Neil had a profound creative influence on.

I'm not just the Newsarama founder and editor-in-chief, I'm also a reader. And that reference is just a little bit older than the beginning of my Newsarama journey. I founded what would become the comic book news site in 1996, and except for a brief sojourn at Marvel Comics as its marketing and communications manager in 2003, I've been writing about new comic book titles, creative changes, and occasionally offering my perspective on important industry events and developments for the 25 years since. Despite many changes to Newsarama, my passion for the medium of comic books and the characters makes the last quarter-century (it's crazy to see that in writing) time spent doing what I love most.