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Trick Arrow (view source)

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{{trope}}
[[File:Fistarrow_sm_5287.jpg|link=Green Arrow|rightframe|<small>Green Arrow's infamous boxing glove arrows.</small> ]]
 
 
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It seems that there is no end to the inventiveness of bowmen, especially in [[Superhero]] comics. If a character uses a bow as their main weapon, you can expect that their quiver will hold, at the very least explosive arrows, arrows which split into nets for capturing opponents, and knockout gas arrows. Furthermore, they will undoubtedly be [[Improbable Aiming Skills|masters of trick shots, hitting targets around corners or rebounding from behind]].
 
While some other types of weapons get similar treatment ([[Precision -Guided Boomerang|boomerangs]] and [[Killer Yoyo|yoyos]] especially), the [[Trick Arrow]] is a trope in its own right that seems to appear anywhere there are bows and arrows. Doubly so if the characters are [[Thou Shalt Not Kill|honor-bound not to kill]], since there's very little bows are normally designed to do except shove sharp projectiles into bodies. Deconstructing the trope suggests that trick arrows are almost inevitable with superheroic archer characters. They are useful and straightforward starting points for superheroic characters for a variety of reasons, not the least of which is that [[Robin Hood]] is a cultural icon in the English-speaking world. In addition, references for the poses and equipment are fairly easy to come by, as well as being readily identifiable by readers. And therein lies the problem: We Have Seen ALL Of This Before, at least with respect to plain vanilla archery. Hence, trick arrows to surprise the readers and to break up the tedium of writing/drawing ordinary pointy-arrow-work.
 
Characters who use boring old [[Arrows On Fire|flaming arrows]] don't fall under this, unless the arrows are otherwise complex and/or unlikely. They may be pointless, but at least they're possible. A character who uses trick arrows is almost always capable of successfully pulling off a [[Multishot]].
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* The Street Angel in ''[[Astro City]]'' used to use gimmicked throwing rings ("halos") before he turned [[Darker and Edgier]], after which he used halos made of high impact ceramics with a steel core. This fact drives one character into virtual catatonia; the only person who calls himself an angel in Astro City hits people in the mouth with his steel-cored halo.
** Quarrel is a more straight forward example of the 'archer with trick arrows' archetype in ''[[Astro City]]''.
* [[Batman]] has occasionally been depicted as using trick [[Precision -Guided Boomerang|Batarangs]] when the situation calls for it. ''[[Batman Returns (Film)|Batman Returns]]'' had him use a programmable Batarang to knock out a large group of [[Mooks]], while a [[Choose Your Own Adventure]]-style book featuring the Caped Crusader had him using a "Flash-Batarang" (which emitted a bright flash of light when it was thrown, blinding the Joker in the process) and a "Sprinkler-Batarang" (which sprayed fire retardant to extinguish a fire started by the Riddler) in different storylines.
* Shaft from [[Rob Liefeld]]'s ''[[Youngblood]]'' plays with the trope. His arrows are the standard pointy variety, but he has a trick bow that doesn't require a string. During [[Alan Moore]]'s run on ''[[Youngblood]]'', [[Golden Age]] hero Waxman tried to get Shaft to consider using trick arrows, using as examples several old-school archer heroes. {{spoiler|Not one of which had survived the experience.}}
** "A a trick bow that doesn't require a string"?! Is that Rob's excuse?
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[[Category:Weapons and Wielding Tropes]]
[[Category:Trick Arrow]]
[[Category:Trope]]
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