Good morning, afternoon or evening dependant on where you may be reading this.  Confessions of a DC Geek is certainly all grown up now, reaching the key of the door of editions, number 21.

For this edition we have Connor Sheffield, a fan of all things DC, with one character in particular standing out from the rest.

If you enjoy what you see and you’d like to take part in a future edition, then please see contact details at the end of this article, I look forward to hearing from you.

And so, for your reading pleasure I present to you Connor’s Confessions…

JH@DCW: First of all, would you mind telling me a bit about yourself – name, age (if willing), where you’re from and what you do for a living, anything else you wish to mention?

CS: My name is Connor Sheffield, I’m 24 years old, born in Nottingham, England but have lived the majority of my life in a small town called Rotherham. I am an aspiring writer of fiction stories.

What, or who, helped kick-start your DC Comics fandom and when? 

As a child I always loved watching Batman: The Animated Series, and then it was watching films with my Dad such as Tim Burton’s Batman (1989). My love for the comics themselves didn’t kick in really until I got to college and found friends with very similar interests, who use to recommend good starting points to read more about some of my favourite characters.

Who is your favourite DC Superhero and why?

As you may be able to tell from my twitter handle, Green Arrow is my favourite DC Superhero because when I started reading his comics I did so because of my love of archery and just thought he looked cool, but then the stories I read added so much depth to his character and had me wanting to read more and more. He dealt with real world problems rather than just aliens from other planets or monsters destroying cities. It really inspired me to be a better person as odd as it sounds. GA is famous for “looking out for the little guy” and honestly we could really use more people like that in the world.

Who is your favourite DC Villain, why so? 

My favourite DC villain comes from Batman’s rogue gallery but it’s not the Joker. My favourite is the Scarecrow, with my reason being that I have a lot of fears myself, such as fear of heights, fear of deep water and a few others but it became one of my own interests to research fears so I could overcome them. I’ve swam in deep pools before (though not for long) and I’ve been rock climbing and climbing high places etc because I wanted to try and overcome them. Then I found out about this comic book villain who controls fear and I instantly fell in love with the stories though I think he is criminally underused in a lot of story arcs, often being a quick cameo or distraction character for the main villain.

Away from the two mentioned above, who is another character you could call a favourite, villain/hero/other character or one of each, what is the reason they are so great to you?

I suppose Batman would be next on the list. Very similar to Green Arrow because he is merely human with no superpowers and it feels like anyone could be either of these two heroes in real life, so they’re very connected to reality compared to other heroes. I do however only enjoy Batman to the point of him remaining human, rather than him being overpowered in some comics because whilst many DC fans use him and Superman as a basis for arguing against other characters, everyone has limits.

TV shows – which is your favourite DC effort, past or present? 

My absolute favourite has always been Arrow, because it gave a dark and gritty adaptation of Oliver Queen but remained somewhat true to the character, although that’s fairly arguable to some. The writers did a fantastic job of creating emotional scenes and action packed scenes that had me hooked from the premiere. Even in its lesser seasons, I stuck around to see what unfolds and how the characters overcame the next big villain. I’m sad it’s ending but I’m also glad they didn’t drag it out too long and start making a mess of it.

What is your favourite DC Movie? 

Tough choice as despite many critical reviews of the DCEU and other DC films, I love them all for what they are. I would have to say Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice (Ultimate Edition) as I think Ben Affleck played my favourite live action Batman so far, and seeing him on screen with Cavill’s Superman and the introduction of Gal Gadot’s Wonder Woman was incredible for me.

Are there any DC Universe characters, any that we haven’t seen a live action/animated version of so far, you would like to see become part of the movie, TV or even animated universe?  If so, which character and who would you like to see play/voice the part/s? 

I think with the cancellation of the show we could really use a movie version or animated film version of Green Arrow but one who is the main character, not a silent side character or an element of humour for the other serious characters. I think he needs his own because it would be great. For film my first choice would be Charlie Hunnam, for animation any of the previous animation voice cast would do or even Amell himself.

Regarding anyone who hasn’t been adapted from comics yet, I think we could really use a live action Nightwing but I honestly don’t know the character well enough to cast anyone just yet. I’ve only just started getting into his solo character so I’ll leave the casting to the true fans out there.

The DC Universe has featured many, many actors on TV and in the movies, as well as voice acting for the animated movies/series’, so I ask you – who is your favourite actor, anyone who has made any kind of appearance within a DC creation? 

As I mentioned before Ben Affleck was my all time favourite Batman thus far because to me personally it was very similar to how I imagined the Dark Knight in Frank Miller’s TDKR, even after I saw and loved the animated movies for that.

Comics – do you read them? If so do you have a favourite series, or a graphic novel, that you enjoy more than others? 

I do read comics, and my favourite series from DC is the dark and gritty series of Green Arrow comics by Mike Grell. However outside of DC my all time favourite graphic novel is The Crow by James O’Barr.

This editions’ BIG question/s:

Controversial Q1).  Arrow – As we are all aware now, the Arrow TV show is to finish after a shortened season 8.  It’s caused a stir among fans and for the most part, it is considered very sad news, though it will be going out on top (no doubt about that).  What are your own personal thoughts on the show finishing, especially as you are a big Green Arrow fan?

Everything has to end, and with shows like Arrow they have to end before they become something that moves away from their original appealing factors. I am sad that Arrow is ending, and there’s so much I wish we could have seen adapted from the comics, but at the same time I’m glad it’s not overstaying its welcome. Amell is a brilliant actor who has really brought one of my all time favourite characters to the spotlight he deserved and I can’t thank Stephen enough for that, but when you play a character for that long, in a show that has spawned a new age of hero television with multiple spin off shows that have become more than spinoffs in their own right and more than just shows, they`re a universe, so you know we’ll be seeing Amell pop up now and again and we can hear what he’s been up to as Arrow, so perhaps in the near future we’ll see the show come back, but at the same time if it doesn’t that’s understandable.

Controversial Q2).  Staying with Arrow, and further to the previous question, how do you envisage the series ending, or how would you like to see the series go out?

They need to go out BIG. I know it’s a shortened season for the eighth and final season but they need to really break Oliver down to his very core human being, and have him fight through everything and learn that he has friends who will fight beside him no matter what. He’s had villains who have supposedly “taken everything” from him from Deathstroke,  to Ra’s Al Ghul, to Damien Darkh, to Prometheus and more recently Ricardo Diaz but they only took one part of him each time; his family, his love, his city, his mind, his friends etc. What they need to do in my opinion is have him truly broken but not have him whining about it. They need to push him past the point of crying and have him go full angry badass so that we can see that Oliver is not always going to come close to giving up. If he thinks he has nothing left to live for then he has nothing left to lose. Bring out the real Green Arrow in him.

DC vs Marvel – Social media seems to be a hotspot for this kind of talk, however, at times, it can get out of control and comments can become quite malicious; what are your thoughts on the whole DC vs Marvel issue, or do you feel that there should be no issue and, as Joker said in Batman ’89, “Why can’t we all just get along?”

The whole DC vs Marvel argument is idiotic. People are comparing two giants of industry who share similarities but otherwise do their own thing. I have friends who love Marvel more than DC, that’s fine, I love DC more than Marvel, that’s fine and yeah when we get together we talk about how Marvel is owning at the cinema but DC is owning at animation, and sometimes we have little debates over who would be good in each other’s films etc but at the end of the day we all know that they’re their own characters in their own universes so it doesn’t call for full blown arguments.

I think, as with anything, there are plenty who love reading debates such as Marvel vs DC, but it’s the extremist who take it way too far. Don’t get angry over which made up character beats who, I know we have passion for the characters we read but it doesn’t matter at the end of the day.

If you were to fall in a swamp/be electrocuted/fall in a vat of chemicals/witness the death of a loved one etc. and made the choice to become superhero or villain, what would your name and powers be and what sort of costume would you go for?

No spandex! Just putting that out there.

I’d probably just go casual with black jeans and trainers etc. but I’d have to have a hood. Hoods are often depicted as criminal because of the trouble with today’s youth, especially in recent news with knife crime etc. but it can also be a perfect disguise for those who want to do good. I think the hood and mask work well but mine would be a full face mask because unlike the comics, all it takes is a small facial feature and today’s technology could find you quicker than you can say Superman. I would be a hero as much as I could but I wouldn’t say I’d be good, so probably more of an anti-hero, simply because I think those who do wrong deserved to be punished.

Apparel – do you wear any clothing that relates to DC Comics and its Universe, if so, do you have a favourite item of clothing that is still worn aplenty and fading?

I have a couple of T-shirts but sadly all of my old favourite ones got too small for me so I only own new ones at the moment.

Conventions – do you attend them and, if so, do you have a favourite convention that you have been to?

I’ve attended Sheffield Film and Comic Con a few times as well as Doncaster Unleashed a couple times. I really enjoy them but I don’t stay long as I’m not a fan of crowds. I go early before it gets too busy. I wouldn’t say I have a favourite but I certainly have great memories at both of them.

Before we go on to questions regarding your collection, if happy to do so, could you please tell our readers where we may find you online (Twitter, YouTube, Blogs etc.)?

You can find me through twitter mostly: @GA_Quiver

I also have an Instagram where I do Toy Photography which contains a lot of DC toys since that’s what I mostly collect: @memoirsofabigkid

Now we have your confessions of all things DC, I’d like to ask about your DC collection.

First up, do you collect large amounts of various and random DC merchandise or is there a single type of item that you like to pick up?

I collect various items but mostly toys and figures such as Funko Pop Vinyls.

Do the collect items that are specific to a character/movie/TV Show etc. or do you collect all things DC Comics? 

I only collect characters I love a lot, or ones that are in movies I love. I do however search for all things Green Arrow.

Thinking about the items you own, do you have a most prized possession?  One that you cherish most of all, why does it mean so much to you? My most prized possession is probably a little cross stitch of Arrow that my mum made for me. We started watching Arrow together and she was really into the first season but soon drifted away from it, however after the first few episodes she could see how much I loved the show and the character so she made me this little cross stitch for my wall and I love it (I adore this – John)

In your collection do you have anything that is considered a bootleg piece of merchandise?  If so, what is the item and what made you buy it?  

It’s very possible as I’ve bought a lot of my action figures for photography from cheap second hand markets without packaging but as far as I’m aware they’re all legit thus far. I wouldn’t mind bootleg stuff as I think some of them make for awesome or hilarious pictures.

Do you have something in your collection that could be described as a rare item? 

Not sure how rare it actually is but I managed to find a Flash comic that I believe is the 3rd ever appearance of Silver Age Reverse Flash. It’s The Flash Issue #153, June 1 1965: The Mightiest Punch of All Time and I have it in a frame after I read it only once, because the quality of it isn’t bad but isn’t great either and I didn’t want to damage it.

When you want to show off your collection, what is you “go to” item? 

Not really one item but my ever growing collection of Green Arrow figures would be what I show off to friends.

Going back to conventions again, if you attend, what sort of merchandise do you like to pick up, or do you prefer getting to meet the celebs and receive photos/autographs etc?

I look for figures that I could use for photography, or for the celebs that have been in some of my all-time favourite films, no matter what role they play. I have a signed Empire Strikes Back film cell signed by Alan Harrison who played the bounty hunter known as Bossk, and my Original Trilogy DVD case is signed by Rusty Goffe who portrayed a Jawa, a Gonk Droid and one or two other creatures in the films.

At the same location just a few months later I met Jeremy Bulloch who played Boba Fett in the original trilogy and I asked him to sign my collectible Boba Fett statue figure which he did. It’s always so cool meeting the people who played a role in your favourite films no matter how big or small the role was.

What are the biggest and smallest items in your collection?

The biggest item in my collection would probably be my blu ray collection if that counts, if not then my DC Collectibles action figures or the Graphic novels themselves, and the smallest regarding actual size is probably my Lego minifigures.

What is the most and least expensive or valuable item that you have purchased to add to your collection?

The most expensive is probably my Green Arrow mini patina statue which only cost me £30 but is worth slightly more as I got it on sale, the least expensive would my lego minifigures as they only cost me £1 at most.

Is there a Holy Grail for you, an item that you would love to own that may prove to be extremely difficult or even impossible to obtain? 

The DC Comics version of Green Arrow pop vinyl figure. When this first came out I wasn’t as big into the comics just yet or into collecting pop vinyls, but now that I am into both especially with collecting Green Arrow stuff, this would be great to own but it has been priced for hundreds of pounds and dollars now and it’s so heartbreaking that I will probably never own one for this reason, because it is far too expensive to spend on a figure in my opinion. It would be a miracle if I ever get a hold of one.

Finally – away from your confessions and collection, what are your hopes going forward for the world of DC Comics?  Please feel free to write about all mediums (TV/Movies/Comics etc.) that you wish.

My biggest interest lies within films, and so I hope that we get to see more great DC movies, with better writing than some of the previous ones have had, but also stick to solo films in my opinion, they work a lot better. However I  do need to make one thing very clear, the films that are yet to be written, thought of or made, need to stop trying to compete with Marvel, and a lot of them need to stop trying to be like Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy.

Aquaman was a phenomenal film because it was an Aquaman film, not a Batman film with Aquaman in it, not a team up film, it was simply an Aquaman film, and it was incredible. Wonder Woman also did the same thing before it but for me the build-up was great but the payoff was a little weak in Wonder Woman. Ares wasn’t as great as he should have been in the end and that’s nothing to do with David Thewlis who portrayed Ares, cos I think he was a brilliant choice, but the writing fell off the wagon at the end in my personal opinion.

Well, it always pains me to say this but there we have it, another fine set of Confessions of a DC Geek and reader of the site.  I must recommend that you get on Twitter, and on Instagram and follow Connor.   He’s a top man and always willing to converse on any DC related subject. 

My thanks to Connor for taking part, I have thoroughly enjoyed reading and putting together this article.  I am extremely envious of the cross stitch that he has; a very personal and unique piece from his collection. 

Now, if you fancy taking part and confessing all to us at DC World then please do contact us via any of the ways below:

Twitter: @DC_ComicsGeek / @_DCWorld

Email: john@dcworld.org.uk

Seriously, don’t be shy, get in touch.  We all love reading these and we hope that our readers do too.

Until next time, remember…

‘IF SOMEONE IS AFTER YOU ON THIS EARTH, OR ON ANY OTHER EARTH, WE ARE GOING TO GET THEM.  TOGETHER!’

Cheers, John