Jake Moses

Creation

Jake Moses was created by Mike Grell and Ed Hannigan in Green Arrow.

History

Green Arrow and Black Canary encounter Moses when they try to stop a robbery of a nightclub. In the ensuing fight, Green Arrow is almost killed before Moses shoots the robbers. Moses then disappears before the police arrive.

Later, Green Arrow tracks down Moses through a matchbook left at the nightclub. He finds him in a hotel under the name of Archie Leech (Cary Grant’s real name.) Moses attempts to flee, but Green Arrow convinces him to talk. They have a discussion where Moses admits to being a mercenary and talks about killing. After Green Arrow leaves, there is an explosion in the hotel and Oliver returns to find two men trying to shoot Moses flees by leaping from one building to another. Oliver prevents them from shooting but finds out they are agents of Australian Secret Intelligence Organization.

The agents tell him that Moses is a mercenary who is wanted for the destruction of an Australian research ship. Moses had been a long jumper at the Pan American Games. After competing, Moses married a fashion model and took her to on a photo safari. They stumbled on a group of poachers and were gun down. Moses survived and killed the poachers. He then became a mercenary working both sides of the Rhodesian Civil War and later for South Africa. He also began drinking and taking particularly dangerous jobs. This included destroying a boat loaded with weapons and munitions for . However, he messed up and destroyed the research ship full of civilians.

Green Arrow convinces the ASIO to let him track down Moses. They find Moses at the hotel staying under the name of Leonard Slye (Roy Rogers’s real name.) Green Arrow confronts him on a roof tops. Oliver tells Moses that he has of a death wish because of his guilt. Moses responds that it was an accident. The plan had been to sink the boat while it was empty the day before the munitions were loaded. However, the munitions were already on board causing a bigger explosion. Green Arrow replies he meant the guilt of having survived when his wife was killed. He says Moses became a mercenary in order to fulfill his death wish. He then tells Moses that he will have to answer for his actions.

Upon hearing this, Moses takes one final leap of the edge of the building.

Character

Moses back story and profession is similar to Mike Grell’s character Jon Sable. However, Moses is darker, more morally ambiguous and ultimately tragic than Sable. He is essential what Sable would be if he was consumed by his inner demons.