Greg responds...

I feel weird answering this, as if I'm defending my work. But your "question" contains so much ill-concealed attitude that I might as well.

Merlyn is hardly a second-rater when it comes to archery. (And it's not like they fought hand-to-hand.) Merlyn TAUGHT Oliver. (There was a flashback to that effect in the original script that got cut for time.) And Vertigo has super-powers that caught Green Arrow off guard. Just as Black Canary catches Vertigo off-guard with HER super-powers. It's not like we see her fight Vertigo or anyone. And Batman's not even IN the short, so I don't know where that comes from. Comparing apples with apples, you don't know HOW either Black Canary or Batman would have done against the "goons" in this short.

Basically, we tried for a more realistic take on hand-to-hand combat in this particular piece. (Which is it's own entity and shouldn't be grouped in with any previous depiction of G.A. or B.C.... let alone Bats.) An injured Green Arrow was fighting a big guy at close quarters, while handicapped by having to protect Perdita. Green Arrow has skills, but he's better at long distance fighting for obvious reasons than close in. So, yeah, I DO think that either Batman or Black Canary would have done a bit better in a similar situation, but that's not meant to imply ANY "lack of battle prowness" on Ollie's part.