THE NEEDLE

AND THE DAMAGE DONE


Artwork by Neal Adams

Roy's transition to life in the big city was a difficult one. Ollie had no parenting skills and little time or the necessary attention span to care for a growing teen-aged boy who was already reeling from the stark contrast of his new, affluent lifestyle, compared to that of the impoverished one he'd formerly led. Not long after moving to Star City, Roy began to suffer from Ollie's lack of attention to him and to the pressures of a perceived rivalry to best Robin, the dashing and able-bodied sidekick of Gotham City's Batman. With little in the way of coping skills, Roy began to experiment with drug usage. He began smoking pot, later graduating to a deadly list of narcotics which included cocaine, LSD and, eventually, heroin.

With Ollie gone much of the time either on business or off with his JLA pals Green Lantern (test pilot Hal Jordan) and/or Dinah Lance, his crimefighting lady love, known to the wold as Black Canary, the partnership of Green Arrow and Speedy seemed to end before it began. Roy kept company with the Teen Titans almost begrudgingly; he openly criticized Robin's leadership skills and berated his other teammates, mainly the ill-at-heart Aqualad. Speedy's boarish behavior hid his dark secret: at the same time he acted as a costumed hero along with his friends, he commonly stole and fenced illegally obtained items (among other shameful acts) to support his drug habit. As he later recounted to some young abusers he sought to teach a lesson from his own suffering, "I've done things for drugs that would make you sick."

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As Roy's drug usage progressed, Ollie's financial situation took a turn toward disaster. Having lost his entire fortune due to his lack of attention to business and his deceitful associtates, Queen Enterprises suffered major losses and put Ollie and his ward out onto the street. They came to rest in a dingy, decaying tenement apartment in Avalon Park, a far cry from the comforts they'd become used to. The pair became even further estranged, with Ollie leaving his young charge "home alone" for weeks at a time. It was on his return from a joint effort crimebusting jaunt with Green Lantern that Ollie finally learned of Roy's addiction. His reaction: he physically attack Roy and threw the boy out into the street. Frighten and deathly ill from heroin withdrawal, Roy lived on the streets, eventually finding refuge at the back corner of a filthy, garbage-strewn alleyway. Apparently, the trickster god of his childhood---the Coyote---chose to send Roy an aide in the guise of the Cosmic Crusader, Green Lantern. Hal took Roy to Black Canary, hoping that Dinah's patience and concern would help to protect Roy and offer him solace.
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Artwork by Neal Adams

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