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cozener
08-19-2009, 08:07 AM
Who are they and why? What about them excites you?

Here's mine...

1. Batman. He’s not some jacked up alien or mutant or a god…he’s a super intelligent and super driven mortal man. He’s widely considered to be a more formidable foe than Superman in the DC universe. He’s a rich man that could live a life of careless luxury but has taken upon himself a dangerous and all consuming responsibility while pretending to be the carefree playboy that he really should have been. His real self is Batman, not Bruce Wayne. I love his dark persona but for all of this darkness the man doesn’t kill and I love that about him. In this, he’s a champion of my ideals and as such, I have a special bond with him. (to say nothing of the fact that I’ve loved him since I was, like, 3 years old)

2. Joker…I love his style. I love his view of the world (although I don’t share it) He is chaos incarnate and is the perfect foil for the dark and serious Batman. I thoroughly enjoy the contradictions of their relationship….the good man shrouded in darkness…the bad man bringing bursts of terrible light to that darkness. I don’t believe his relationship with Batman is symbiotic but it is complementary.

3. Catwoman . Whats not to like about a voluptuous dominatrix turned cat burglar? Whats more, she’s a fucking badass that can give Batman a run for his money in a toe to toe fight. She 's beautiful, graceful, and completely unpredictable. To my mind, she is the sexiest comic book character there is by far.

4. Green Lantern. I love GL for two reasons. First off…the idea of the ring. This ring gives him powers that are limited only by his imagination (and the need to recharge of course) This is appealing to me as imagination is something I’ve always admired and enjoyed. The idea of harnessing it and using it to fight evil is just fucking awesome. Then there’s the GL outfits; the symbol, the green on black. Easily one of the coolest looking superheroes there are. I like Hal Jordan’s suit the best but I dig them all.

5. The Hulk. Always loved the premise. You have this guy…who is essentially a skinny geek…running around with this monster with unlimited strength and unharnessed rage abiding inside of him; waiting to be unleashed by Bruce Banner's anger to do untold destruction. Banner's life is a constant battle for self control. One comes to admire and respect the steel of this “geek” because of how he deals with the burden he carries. He's every bit the hero (and really even more so) than Hulk himself. And, of course, the Hulk is just cool as all get out; capable of both great harm and great good. He’s the ultimate wild card in the realm of comics and more...he's the trump.

6. Lex Luthor (the modern Lex…the cold, manipulating CEO of Lex Corp that became President Lex, not the mustache twirling, bank robbing dildo of yesteryear) I view him as a shadowy reflection of Bruce Wayne. I’d go so far to say that he would have made an excellent Batman villain but at the same time, I thoroughly enjoy the fact that a “mere man” is Superman’s arch-nemesis

7. The Punisher. As Lex Luthor is the shadowy reflection of Bruce Wayne, The Punisher is the shadowy reflection of Batman. He’s everything Batman tries so hard not to be. While Batman skirts the slippery edge of the dark, all consuming pit of vengeance and murder Frank Castle freely flung himself into it and his soul is blackened by it. He’s one mean motherfucker. But, in the end, he’s a force for the greater good. He’s the ultimate champion of the saying, “The end justifies the means.”

And notice that almost all seven are mortal people with no special powers. The Hulk and the Green Lantern being the exceptions. Even GL is a normal man that happens to have a bitchin' ring. :)

Odetta
08-19-2009, 08:21 AM
1. Batman - Always been my favorite, I like the darkness of the character and the fact that Mr. Bruce Wayne is basically a fucked up person whose been through a lot of shit.

2. The Thing - I know this one is silly, but I liked The Thing when I was a kid... just a giant rockman. There's really no reason other than nostalgia, I think.

3. Spiderman - Spiderman has staying power, in my mind. I never tired of the comics... anyone who can spin webs is cool in my books.

4. The Joker - I can basically write the same as I did for Batman... he is Batman's alter ego... and he is insane just for the sake of being insane. I can relate to that!
(btw, I DO think their relationship is symbiotic)

5. Wonder Woman - First strong female role I remember reading in comic books. That chick kicks ass and she paved the way for other powerful female characters.

I can only think of 5 right now... I'll add 2 more when they come to me

flaggwalkstheline
08-19-2009, 09:10 AM
1 Ben Reilly- Spiderman's clone, like peter parker he's an iconic yet relatable character but
way cooler, funnier, angstier, more complex, just generally an awesome character. And he's coming back, soon!

2 Norman Osborne- The most badass villain ever, he impregnated and then killed gwenstacy, orchestrated the clone saga, and now after killing the skrull queen is a national hero and has tony stark's job.

3 Spiderwoman/ jessica drew/ skrull queen- secret invasion was awesome

4 Peter Parker- The real spiderman, the original spiderman. Do I really even need to say anything about marvel's flagship character? he's iconic yet totally relatable

5 John Constantine- He's a rude, charming, chainsmoking demon blood infected wizard who always has a plan

6 Evil Ernie- This early 90s horror icon is one of the freakiest villains in comic history

7 Mac Gargan (AKA scorpion and venom 3)- much more interesting than eddie "protect the innocent" brock, gargan is a badass, plus osborne is having him pose as spiderman.


obviously I'm a spiderman fanboy :rock:

Sam
08-19-2009, 07:14 PM
My top 7. Ok, here goes.

1. Ogami Itto: If you look up the word Badass, this dude's picture will be beside it. The star (along with his son Daigoro) of Lone Wolf and Cub, Itto has carved his way into comic legend via his expedicious use of his Dotanuki and other weaponry in his quest on the Assassin's Road and his trail toward vengence against the Yagyu clan. Trust me on this one, he's tougher than anyone before or since.

2. Grendel Prime: Speaking of tough guys, this is one of the toughest. He's the Timex of the comic world. He takes a lickin' and keeps on tickin'. If you haven't read Grendel: War Child, you wouldn't understand it so you need to read it. If you have read it, I need to say nothing more.

3. Frank Castle (The Punisher): This guy has cut his way through the criminal world to the point that to mention his name brings hardened criminals to the point of pissing themselves. He and Ogami Itto have a lot in common, but Castle's fight is never ending while Ogami's was directed toward a specific goal. Advantage: Castle

4. Spider Man: Spider Man's thing has always been about him living his life both as Peter and as Spidey. His story has always been about his humanity. He has always tried to blend the two while trying to protect his family at the same time. His power has always come more from within than from the spider bite. With great power comes great responsibility. Those are words that have literally shaped MY life.

5. Green Lantern: What more needs to be said about someone whose power was limited only by his or her imagination? I PREFER KYLE RAYNER!!! That's what. Hal was great, but Kyle was even better.

6. Captain America: Steve Rogers wanted nothing more than to do his part and he was willing to be a guinea pig to do it. In return, he gained powers that made him more than a man ever was, but he never lost his humanity, his mercy. He wasn't easy on the criminals, but he also was interested in justice via the system, nothing less was acceptable. With flawed heroes all around him, Cap was the best of them.

7. Wee Hughie: Hughie is an innocent (not quite so much as he was) in the very dirty world of The Boys. He's one of the Boys, a CIA group charged with monitering superhero (supes) activity and making sure they don't run amok and get too full of themselves. He is brought into the group after his girlfriend is killed because of the careless actions of the supe A-Train. He brings humor, humanity, and some pretty sharp investigation skills to the Boys. Beware though, this ain't the superheroes we grew up with. These supes are... different.

turtlex
08-20-2009, 12:19 AM
Kyle over Hal Jordan?!? :nope:

Nice choices, everyone. I'll post mine soon.

cozener
08-20-2009, 04:33 AM
Kyle over Hal Jordan?!? :nope: I don't get that either. I mean, Guy Gardner I could understand because of the smooth GL jacket he wears, but Kyle? Wtf Sam?

flaggwalkstheline
08-20-2009, 06:01 AM
Kyle over Hal Jordan?!? :nope: I don't get that either. I mean, Guy Gardner I could understand because of the smooth GL jacket he wears, but Kyle? Wtf Sam?

I'd pick kiliwog over all of them:P

but then I did pick ben over peter so its to be expected:pirate:

turtlex
08-20-2009, 06:54 AM
:lol:

Sam
08-21-2009, 11:10 AM
Kyle had more humanity than Hal (thank the better writers). Actually, blame the better writers. The best story that I had ever read with Hal Jordan in it WAS Emerald Twilight at the time Kyle was introduced. Most of the writing up to that time with Hal had truly limited the character.

Think about it. Here is a character who holds on his hand the most powerful weapon on the planet and he wasn't even second banana to Superman. Hal Jordan had so much potential in Emerald Dawn and all the writers did was have him pine for Carol, chase after Pie when Pie constantly got in trouble, and make boxing glove constructs. Kyle was a more dynamic and more fully realized character than Hal. The writers fucked it up with Kyle too and turned him into some tragic, whiny little guy that had a fucking parasitic creature in him, but that's a different thing.
Kyle was a more human and more "real" character than Hal was ever portrayed with the exception of the Emerald Twilight storyline (STILL my favorite Jordan story because he became such a tragic character).

Of course, I STILL feel like DC totally disrespected the character of Hal Jordan by bringing him back the way they did. He had redeemed himself by reigniting the Sun with his lifeforce. Then he became The Spectre (which subsequently created some plot holes you can drive a Mack truck through). I was still ok with all that because Hal was trying to make things right rather than undo what he had done. Then some editor decided to Etch-A-Sketch everything and ignore some of what had happened. Now suddenly the Ion power is some sort of creature as is Parallax, so Hal wasn't really a bad guy he was just under the influence. I really don't appreciate it.

For me I saw Kyle as taking being Green Lantern more seriously than Hal did, maybe because he was the last. But that's just my take on it.

flaggwalkstheline
08-21-2009, 11:23 AM
Kyle had more humanity than Hal (thank the better writers). Actually, blame the better writers. The best story that I had ever read with Hal Jordan in it WAS Emerald Twilight at the time Kyle was introduced. Most of the writing up to that time with Hal had truly limited the character.

Think about it. Here is a character who holds on his hand the most powerful weapon on the planet and he wasn't even second banana to Superman. Hal Jordan had so much potential in Emerald Dawn and all the writers did was have him pine for Carol, chase after Pie when Pie constantly got in trouble, and make boxing glove constructs. Kyle was a more dynamic and more fully realized character than Hal. The writers fucked it up with Kyle too and turned him into some tragic, whiny little guy that had a fucking parasitic creature in him, but that's a different thing.
Kyle was a more human and more "real" character than Hal was ever portrayed with the exception of the Emerald Twilight storyline (STILL my favorite Jordan story because he became such a tragic character).

Of course, I STILL feel like DC totally disrespected the character of Hal Jordan by bringing him back the way they did. He had redeemed himself by reigniting the Sun with his lifeforce. Then he became The Spectre (which subsequently created some plot holes you can drive a Mack truck through). I was still ok with all that because Hal was trying to make things right rather than undo what he had done. Then some editor decided to Etch-A-Sketch everything and ignore some of what had happened. Now suddenly the Ion power is some sort of creature as is Parallax, so Hal wasn't really a bad guy he was just under the influence. I really don't appreciate it.

For me I saw Kyle as taking being Green Lantern more seriously than Hal did, maybe because he was the last. But that's just my take on it.

Hal was really stuck in the silver age prior to emerald twilight...

I'm of the opinion that characters should age in semi real time, that there should be no status quo to return to at the end of a big storyline, changes should stick

Marvel and DC both had a shining moment in the mid 90s, marvel with the clone saga and DC with The death of superman and knightfall where they could have embraced a real continuity but both of them ended up failing miserably in the end

Now I think theyre moving slowly but steadily towards changing growing characters over a decade after they backed away from it the first time

Merlin1958
08-21-2009, 02:20 PM
Good topic!!! Pardon me as I go back aways, but as a kid comics were the shit!!! So here goes:

1. Spiderman: He was just the coolest and had some of the best stories.

2. Superman: Hasn't done well with age but back in the day he was da man!!

3. The Crypt Keeper: Corny but cool even then I loved horror!!

4. The Flash: Don't know why really just always thought he was really cool.

5. Dr. Strange: Dark territory. Always had great stories. Now that I think about it very DT-ish lol

6. Fantastic Four: Not sure if that counts as 1 or 4 but I always loved the storylines and the by-play between the Human Torch and the Thing.

7. Iron Man: Although the bit about his heart (at least in the comics) was really overplayed he was a cool character. The fact that he just put on a suit I guess just made him more accessible

Sam
08-21-2009, 05:13 PM
Dr. Doom was always my favorite Marvel villain. Norman Osborn was practically nonexistent seeing as to how he was dead until Marvel resurrected and retconned him to make him a lot more than he was when I was growing up. He was the ultimate Spidey villain, but he was still dead and not a threat. The Green Goblin I knew was his son Harry. Doom though was always a major player in the villain world and usually a few steps ahead of everyone else... except Reed Richards that is.

darkwolf
09-16-2009, 01:20 PM
Sam, Doom is one of my favs as well!

1. Dr. Doom: Sheer bad ass super genius. Just when you thought you beat him, you find out it was just one of his doombots!
2. Apocalypse: World's first mutant, need I say more? One of my favorite villains of all time. Love his Darwinian beliefs.
3. Batman: Everything's been said about this guy. He was the first superhero I really thought was awesome because he had no super powers. Just a man in his costume.
4. Joker: Same with the Joker, definitely one of the all time greatest characters!
5. Bane: Bane is awesome. Plus he crippled the shit out of Batman, forcing him into retirement for a bit while someone else took over for him. And plus he has a genius intellect and an awesome backstory.
6. Magneto: Basically Marvel's Malcolm X. Plus he has an awesome lair made from an asteroid.
7. Herr Starr: Such a hilariously tragic villain you love to hate but I dunno, I still felt sorry for him. If you haven't read the Preacher series.... Please do yourself a favor and get all 9 volumes. You won't be disappointed!

Sam
09-16-2009, 01:57 PM
Herr Starr? Herr Starr? Over Jessie Fucking Custer?? :panic:

Arthur Heath
09-16-2009, 02:00 PM
In no peticular order:

1- Cassidy (Preacher) : Hard drinking, swearing vampire.
2- Marv (Sin City): Badass. 'Nuff said'
3- Grifter (Wildcats): A wiseass gunslinger much like Cuthbert Allgood.
4- Gambit (X-Men): He'll steal a womans heart, then their paintings.
5- Yorick Brown (Y: The Last Man): Who wouldnt want to be the last man on earth. Females, thats who.
6- Mr. Sinister (X-Men): Never done right, though I still love him.
7- Fone Bone (Bone): Courageous little bastard who I just want to hug.

darkwolf
09-16-2009, 04:48 PM
Herr Starr? Herr Starr? Over Jessie Fucking Custer?? :panic:

Ahaha yeah, I chose Herr Starr over Custer! I was always more keen on villains. And he was hilarious. Although I think that Custer does remind me of the bloodline of Eld...

turtlex
09-17-2009, 12:50 AM
Hey darkwolf - Welcome to the site! Great to see you over here in the Comic Tower!! I love your take on Magneto.

AH - I like your picks. Nice to see Y included.

Okay, let's see if I can pick my 7 ( in no order ) :


Matt Murdock : Daredevil. My all time favorite character.
Hopey : Love and Rockets.
Kate Kane : Detective Comics/Batwoman ( current run ).
Wolverine : X-Men
Rogue : X-Men
Evey : V for Vendetta
Jean Grey : X-Men. Specifically the Dark Phoenix arc.


Gosh, I could just keep going. Hal Jordan would be next probably. Green Lantern. And Gambit would have to be in there soon. And Spidey. And Katchoo from Strangers In Paradise. Maybe we should have done 7 female / 7 male?

Sam
09-17-2009, 08:03 AM
Ahaha yeah, I chose Herr Starr over Custer! I was always more keen on villains. And he was hilarious. Although I think that Custer does remind me of the bloodline of Eld...

At least you didn't pick the sexual detectives. Starr WAS funny as hell though. I'll give you that one. Just thinking of ol' peckerhead makes me grin.

darkwolf
09-17-2009, 03:02 PM
Hey darkwolf - Welcome to the site! Great to see you over here in the Comic Tower!! I love your take on Magneto.

AH - I like your picks. Nice to see Y included.

Okay, let's see if I can pick my 7 ( in no order ) :


Matt Murdock : Daredevil. My all time favorite character.
Hopey : Love and Rockets.
Kate Kane : Detective Comics/Batwoman ( current run ).
Wolverine : X-Men
Rogue : X-Men
Evey : V for Vendetta
Jean Grey : X-Men. Specifically the Dark Phoenix arc.


Gosh, I could just keep going. Hal Jordan would be next probably. Green Lantern. And Gambit would have to be in there soon. And Spidey. And Katchoo from Strangers In Paradise. Maybe we should have done 7 female / 7 male?

Thank ya big-big for the welcome turtlex! Nice choices! Evey and Wolverine would have made my list if we were talking top 15-20ish characters...

And Sam, that nickname never gets old. LOL. How about Arseface?! Another classic comicbook character!

Sam
09-17-2009, 05:39 PM
Wait, wait. Stop. Your bag is coming off! AGGHHHHH!!!!!

darkwolf
09-17-2009, 06:39 PM
http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f314/dirtdaddypimpslap/Arseface.jpg

How could you not love a face like that? Its a damn shame the HBO series fell through...

Hannah
09-18-2009, 06:06 AM
1. Dream/Sandman (for obvious reasons...)
2. Cassidy - Preacher (I can't resist a sexy smartass, vampire or not)
3. Michonne - Walking Dead (she's such a badass)
4. Cinderella - Fables (another badass female character)
5. Betty - Betty & Veronica (don't judge me, growing up a girl I had no one to teach me about comic books and only discovered Archies on my own, I didn't get into other comics until I was in my 20s. Betty was smart and sweet. I hated Veronica - but who didn't, right?)
6. Yorick Brown - Y The Last Man (again, I can't resist a sexy smartass, especially if he's the last man on earth)
7. Rorschach - Watchmen (for obvious reasons...)

darkwolf
09-18-2009, 06:40 AM
Awesome choices Hannah! I myself am a big fan of 6 out 7 of those characters!

Hannah
09-18-2009, 09:13 AM
Awesome choices Hannah! I myself am a big fan of 6 out 7 of those characters!

I'm guessing you don't like Betty? :lol:

darkwolf
09-18-2009, 09:39 AM
I was always more of a Veronica fan myself :drool:

turtlex
09-19-2009, 02:39 AM
1. Dream/Sandman (for obvious reasons...)
2. Cassidy - Preacher (I can't resist a sexy smartass, vampire or not)
3. Michonne - Walking Dead (she's such a badass)
4. Cinderella - Fables (another badass female character)
5. Betty - Betty & Veronica (don't judge me, growing up a girl I had no one to teach me about comic books and only discovered Archies on my own, I didn't get into other comics until I was in my 20s. Betty was smart and sweet. I hated Veronica - but who didn't, right?)
6. Yorick Brown - Y The Last Man (again, I can't resist a sexy smartass, especially if he's the last man on earth)
7. Rorschach - Watchmen (for obvious reasons...)

:wub:

I completely love the range here - Betty to Preacher!!!

mystima
09-19-2009, 11:55 AM
here is my list

1&2-cloak and dagger. he was dark and she was his light
3 Blade-I was always drawn to vampires.
4 Batman-Human that was normal by day and crime fighter at night
5 wonder woman-female version of batman: with regards to gadgets not her powers
6 rogue-who wouldn't like the ability to touch someone and get their abilities as well
7 kitty pryde- who wouldn't want to walk through walls

turtlex
09-21-2009, 05:35 PM
I love your inclusion of Kitty. She's great and very overlooked as far as characters go!

LadyHitchhiker
09-23-2009, 01:42 PM
Batman
Poison Ivy
Wolverine
Gambit
Storm
Rogue
Hulk

would initially be my favorite... but let me think about it a little longer :)

turtlex
09-24-2009, 03:13 PM
Are those in order, Liz?!?

Seymour_Glass
10-04-2009, 07:30 AM
King Mob
Flex Mentallo
Spider Jerusalem
Wally Sage
Jesse Custer
Crazy Jane
Frank Einstein(Madman)

That took a lot of time to come up with.

Arthur Heath
10-04-2009, 07:42 AM
Why the hell did I not think of Spider?!?!? Good call Sey.

Seymour_Glass
10-05-2009, 05:11 PM
Spider's irresistible.

pathoftheturtle
10-22-2009, 12:24 PM
Tank Girl (http://www.tankgirl.info/tankgirl/strips/aboutTanky.html)
Nick Fury (http://marvel.com/universe/Fury%2C_Nick#)
Conan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conan_(comics))
Aram Anni-Padda (http://www.internationalhero.co.uk/a/armstrng.htm)
Michael Alexander (http://www.shooterswork.com/defiant/darkdominion.htm)
Barbara Gordon (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Oracle_(Barbara_Gordon))
Jonah Hex (http://dc.wikia.com/wiki/Jonah_Hex_(New_Earth))

>>>BUMP!<<<

:) Cool thread. I'll be back to discuss, soon.

turtlex
10-23-2009, 02:53 AM
Ohhhhhh.... Barbara Gordon !!

Great call there. Though, I hated that they called her Batgirl. Then again, that did open the door for Batwoman ( a completely different character ). I mean, they didn't call Batman .. Batboy. Hee.

Birds of Prey is a great storyline. Well done, path, some great choices.

I've got to be honest, I'm not familiar with Armstrong/Aram Anni-Padda. How did you come to know that book?

( thanks for including links ! )

pathoftheturtle
10-24-2009, 10:27 AM
Tank Girl
Sgt. Fury
Conan the Barbarian
Armstrong
Glimmer
Oracle
Hex

Thanks, Pam! :)

Superman doesn't have to worry about ever having to have ever been called Superboy, you know, at least until there's a settlement.

I could go on and on about obscure comics, and the politics of the entertainment. The old Valiant line are some great books, pretty influential in the superhero genre. Aram's brothers Timewalker and the Eternal Warrior had cool books, as well, at least for a little while.

I'm real excited about upcoming prospects of the industry, at Dark Horse in particular. But of course, I'm not truly current.