(Green Arrow II #40-43, 45) - Brick made a name for himself as a gangster by acquiring territory after the rule of Mr. Davis’ demons in Star City wiped out most of the head honchos of the underworld. When crooked cops balked at him taking Duster’s Triangle and demanding 40 percent of his take  he responded by crushing them to pulp, noting that he hated haggling. Star City’s mob bosses were concerned that Brick was rising above his station as a former gangbanger and invited him to a meeting at Griffen’s restaurant, telling him their terms. Brick sat through the meeting, and when it turn out not to be to his liking he had his gang fire a rocket launcher at Griffen’s, killing all the bosses, but leaving him unscathed. Brick spread talk that Green Arrow was involved with the hit, and then lured Green Arrow to a warehouse where his gang almost killed the hero. Having failed to eliminate one threat to his business he concentrated on the mayor and Allen Fuentes, having them killed by a suicide bomber gangbanger. Brick was taken into custody by acting mayor Karen Woodruff, and he had her daughter kidnapped, promising to kill her if he wasn’t released within 12 hours. Arrow and Connor ran down every available lead, but Brick gave them a red herring, knowing that the kidnapper, the child’s nanny, would talk, he had him give the heroes the location of a false safe house. Arrow had to admit defeat, and Woodruff released Brick. Brick hoped he’d made the point that he now ran Star City. Green Arrow found Brick and challenged him to a one-on-one fight. Brick was impressed with his bravado and accepted. After a pitched battle Arrow used a glue arrow to nearly suffocate Brick, and reminded the gangster that Star City belonged to him.

(Green Arrow III #47, 50) - Green Arrow chipped away at Brick’s empire, taking down drug rings, his skin trade and weapons shipments, prompting Brick to call in outside help. He brought in Riddler, the Duke of Oil and Drakon, with the Duke robbing a bank to lure in Team Arrow, and Drakon separating Arsenal from the rest of the team by using a trip-wire to close the bank’s windows and doors. Drakon kidnapped Arsenal, and after Team Arrow defeated the Duke they had to track him to Riddler’s safe house, Puertas al Infierno, a former prison. Team Arrow rescued Arsenal, but they were weakened, just as Brick hoped for. He hired Deathstroke, who’s motives were similar to his own, to destroy Arrow’s house with a bomb.

(Green Arrow III #60, 63-65) - <one year later> After the Society bombed a third of Star City the city was in ruins. “The Wall,” a bridge overpass officially built to aid reconstruction, but in reality segregating the most damaged area, which were also the poorest and crime ridden, was built. Brick went from being a crimelord to a vigilante, protecting the poor of “The Glades” from predatory gangs. Mayor Oliver Queen (Green Arrow) approved of his efforts, but warned him to stop executing criminals. Bestial humans started ravaging The Glades, so Green Arrow lent a hand to Brick in dealing with them. They realized the bestial effect came from tainted morphine, and located the warehouse where the drugs were kept. In locating the warehouse Brick used excessive force, and Arrow criticized him, telling him he wasn’t a champion of the Glades, only looking after his own illegal interests. Brick responded that there was truth in that, but he’d stayed in Star City after the bombing, unlike Arrow, and had a right to look out for himself. As Arrow and Brick prepared to destroy the narcotics an army of the bestial addicts stormed the warehouse, but they were saved by the timely intervention of Speedy. Green Lantern arrived and rounded up the last of the junkies, sending them to S.T.A.R. Labs to detox. Green Arrow uncovered the source of the drugs, Theodore Davis of the Willobeigh Project.

(Green Arrow III #69-71) - Brick was supposed to get a shipment of hi-tech armaments, but the deliverymen were busted by Green Arrow. The buyer, Red Hood, came looking for Brick, and was accompanied by his gang. When he cronies mouthed off to Brick, Red Hood shot them all for their lack of civility. Red Hood offered to go after Green Arrow with Brick, so they could get his weapons back. Brick declined, so Red Hood engaged him in intense combat until he agreed to give it a shot. They set up ambushes at the drop locations for the hi-tech weapons, and got the drop on Arrow and Batman, who’d come to Star in search of the Hood. The villains switched their normal combatants, with Brick going after Batman and Hood going after Arrow. When the fight went against Brick he revealed that he was just distracting Batman, who he knew he’d never beat in one-on-one combat. While he was distracted Red Hood’s thugs had captured Speedy. Brick escaped and Red Hood got into Speedy’s head before releasing her.