There are many people to thank. The largest portion of my gratitude goes to James Tuck because without his efforts, this book would literally not exist.

Back when I was in college, I interned for Steve Saffel in Marvel Comics’ promotions department. I learned much from him and am privileged to still be working with him—lo, these many years later—on this project.

My assistant, Liz Kim, Arrow’s Script Coordinator, Jeanne Wong, and Arrow’s Writers’ PA, Becky Rosenberg provided mission critical reads of the manuscript, assuring fidelity to Arrow’s continuity. Carl Ogawa of Berlanti Productions was another key pair of eyes and clearly missed his calling as a book editor.

Speaking of Berlanti Productions, none of the CW superhero shows would be possible without Greg Berlanti.

I don’t know why you’d read these acknowledgments first, but in the unlikely event that you are, skip this paragraph: This novel ends with a recapitulation of the opening of Arrow’s Sixth Season Premiere, which I co-wrote with my fellow showrunner and partner in crime, Wendy Mericle.

Finally, thanks to Arrow’s cast, crew, writers and post-production team. Their tireless efforts are the reason there’s an audience that makes a book like this a viable proposition.

Marc Guggenheim

Encino, California

November 2017