Stories that "made" a character for you?

[Crimson]

Have you ever had a character that everyone seems to love but you just don’t get why? You don’t understand the hype for the character and they aren’t the slightest bit interesting and then one story with the character totally blows you away and you like them from that moment on?

One of my main ones is Doctor Doom. Every appearance I had off him he was just a cardboard cut out "I'm going to rule the world" guy and then got beat at the end of the issue. Then earlier this year I picked up Secret War and fell in love with the scheming, double crossing, badass that is Doctor Doom!

[Mikl C]

I never knew why anyone would consider themselves a "fan" of Longshot until I read his mini.

[Magneto Rocks]

Quick note- I actually had the opposite once. I kept well clear of the X-Men until after the movie, where Magneto BLEW me away with sheer awesomeness. I then decided to pick up an X-Men book- Fatal Attractions. Breezed my way through these Magneto stories, LOVING the conflicted character... and catastrophically chose 'Planet X', which defiled the character beyond memory. Put me off him ever since- he simply hasn't been used well in years. Still, I remember the REAL Magneto. hence the name ;)

Anyway....

This one will get a lot of people gaping but....

I could never understand why ANYONE would like Iron Man until Civil War. He seemed like a third-rate Batman rip-off, even in the Avengers. But CW has redefined the character for me. He's brave, he's courageous, he's ruthless and he does what has to be done. He has by FAR the hardest job of any hero in the Marvel Universe right now, but that doesn't matter because it's the right thing to do. He doesn't follow his cause with blind conviction, he tortures himself over whether it really is the only way but in the end he KNOWS it is and does everything he can to bring an end to the conflict.

He is, without doubt, a true hero.

Oh, and I stiull can't understand why anyone would like the Hulk.

Just... why?

[Mean Mr Mustard]

Thor. Two stories.

The first one was Thor: I whom the gods would destroy. I fell in love not only with Thor but also with Dr Blake. Thor's love for humanity and the contrast between his inmortal form and his not only painfuly mortal but crippled human body and the conflict that both worlds caused to Thor was great. Thor and Blake were one and the same and to this day that's my favorite interpretation. Heck, it gives him a Marvel Flaw.
The second was much more recent: Thor: Blood Oath. It reminded me of Asterix... Yeah, I know. You probably don't see where I'm coming from but it did! Mostly the structure. And the Warrior Three were awesome here.

Thor could have lots of timeless (though this particular story happened in a specific period) asgardian adventures like this. Just plain old fun/funny fantasy adventures set in the classical Asgard that you can read in basically any order.

[Niro]

I always used to wonder why ppl loved the fantastic four so much, but during civil war i've found respect for 3 of their team members; The Thing for saying enough is enough and leaving, well Johnny i always liked cos to me he had like mutant powers lol, and Invisible woman for leaving the man she loves temporarily because she doesnt agree with what hes doing.

Reed i still dnt feel anything for him.

But i still wouldnt buy any fantastic four issues unless they teamed with the guys i really like

[The Confessor]

Oh, and I still can't understand why anyone would like the Hulk.

Just... why?

Nah, I never 'got' The Hulk either. I just don't see the attraction. I mean, if we're talking about muscle bound, super-strong guys who smash things in the Marvel Universe, surely you've gotta go for The Thing haven't you? He's a much more likable character with a great catchphrase - "It's Clobberin' Time!". Let's face it, "Hulk smash!" hardly has the same ring to it, does it?

Anyway, as for comics that changed my opinion of a certain character or characters, I'm gonna pick Busiek and Ross' wonderful 'Marvels' series. I could never understand why anyone would be into the Fantastic Four until I read this. I'd long been a fan of The Thing from his appearances in 'Marvel Two-In-One' but as for the other three members of the Fantastic Four, forget it.

The FF weren't even featured that prominently in Marvels but I think it was just seeing the public fascination with Reed & Sue's marriage, as well as seeing them face off against Galactus that did it. Somehow I suddenly saw how they fitted into the larger Marvel Universe and just what all the fuss was about.

Now, I'm not the greatest FF fan in the world these days by any means, but I have the Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 1, a few scattered 70s issues and I currently have the Fantastic Four on my pull list...which would’ve been unthinkable before I read Marvels.

So, in short, I've learned to like and understand Mr. Fantastic and his gang much more than I used to.

[Kevinroc]

Oh, and I stiull can't understand why anyone would like the Hulk.

Just... why?

It's a story of man vs. the beast within. And whether or not The Hulk is truly the monster or the man, Bruce Banner, is the monster.

Some stories you should check out.

Hulk: Future Imperfect

Hulk: The End (out of continuity but an incredible Hulk story)

Pretty much the entire PAD run.

The Paul Jenkins run (definitely an underrated run).

Planet Hulk.

[cactusmaac]

The graphic novel team-up with Dr Strange made me a big fan of Doom.

[ducklord]

That Thing Two-In-One Annual where he boxes the Champion.

Defined the character for me.

Of course, I also love Superman vs. Muhammad Ali, so maybe I just have a thing about boxing comics.

Mike

[1WEBHEAD]

Captain America,Hulk, and Daredevil

Hard to believe it, I know.

This was before Brubaker pimped out both Cap and DD.

As for Hulk, thank godness for PAK and Planet Hulk.

[MakeMineMarvel]

Captain America,Hulk, and Daredevil

Hard to believe it, I know.

This was before Brubaker pimped out both Cap and DD.

As for Hulk, thank godness for PAK and Planet Hulk.

I felt exactly the same about Captain America and Daredevil until I read Ed Brubaker's (GOD!) take on them. Now they are two of my favorite heroes.

[Mariah]

I never knew why anyone would consider themselves a "fan" of Longshot until I read his mini.
I felt the sameway about the Firestar mini. OMG, it was the shiznit!

[MakeMineMarvel]

I felt the sameway about the Firestar mini. OMG, it was the shiznit!

Is this the same Firestar mini from the 80's that you are referring to?

[Mariah]

Is this the same Firestar mini from the 80's that you are referring to?
That would be the one. The only thing that would have made it better for me, is if Steve Leialoha had done the full pencils.

[MakeMineMarvel]

That would be the one. The only thing that would have made it better for me, is if Steve Leialoha had done the full pencils.

Haven't read that in ages. I did pick up the digest when it came out no to long ago. I am gonna have to re-read it. Angelica is hot :D

[jaguarshark]

I could never get into Namor, until I picked up 'Essential Defenders Vol. 1'. I'd just never really seen him in anything I liked him in, but that book (which is just awesome, in general) changed my mind.

On the flipside, now that I like Namor, I've realised what a rip-off Aquaman is (at least in his more dickish/underwater sword-and-sorcery stories) and don't like him anywhere near as much anymore.

[swinebread]

It was the Hulk for me but a long time ago in the 80s. Bruce had been in control of his mind for a while, but finally the wild hulk takes over and all hell breaks loose in a fit rage unseen before or since. It was issue #300 of the Incredible Hulk, 'Days of Rage.' Spiderman, the Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D, FF, Daredevil, Heroes for Hire, all try to bring him down and they all FAIL. Mothers abandon their children trying to get away from the hulk as he tears through New York. This is superhero shock and awe. It comes down to Doc Strange and he does the strangest thing to stop the battle. Excellent art by Sal Buscema, the Hulk is really scary, a real monster in this one. You want to know what the Hulk is all about read Incredible Hulk #300!

great review here http://the-isb.blogspot.com/2006/02/dollar-comic-review-incredible-hulk.html

[oneasian]

i want that hulk issue now

[Olivier]

The Fantastic four. The only one I appreciate now is Reed Richards for beeing in the ILLUMINATI (and I appreciate DOOM too).

[mastaflan]

I never really liked Cable back then. But I have to say that when Fabian wrot him in Cable Deadpool going toe to toe with the Silver Surfer, I found a certain respect for that guy.


Another character Cyclops. I never liked him when I was a kid but one day after the Age of Apocalypse When Cyclops had to lead a bunch of Acolytes out of the desert I was impressed by his leadership skills. From there on I had decided that Cyclops was the man.

[jam37wcc]

I could just never get into Daredevil until Bendis came along, amazing stories and to top it of Brubaker comes on afterwards and keeps up the great work.

[FanboyStranger]

here's a few of mine, probably more on the way:

I always thought cyclops was un-interesting until X-Factor 13 & 14. Those were the issues that got to the point as far as how powerful he really is, what he stands for, and why he's more interesting than wolverine, to me at least.

Born Again for Daredevil. Because Miller made him a "good" character rather than a novelty character, but after this, he was a "must-follow" character".

The Avengers Annual where Hawkeye conned the Grandmaster with the fate of the universe on the line. One of the most satisfying character moments ever.

[Joe Acro]

Do scenes count? Because there was one issue of Spider-Man where he needed mystical help and went to Dr. Strange. Strange had to leave, but told Spider-Man to reach his inner self in order to access his astral self. Afterwards, there was a page spread of Spidey sitting in the chair, focusing, getting up to use the restroom, and then returning to the chair. It's a great moment.

[Magneto_X]

Guardian Devil - Daredevil, Bullseye (DD #1-8 Vol.2)

The Heroes Reborn FF Origin (#1-6 Vol.2) - FF

Captain America vs Lady Shiva - Cap, Shiva (Cap #1 Vol.3)

X-men vs Post - Cyclops, Storm, Wolverine, Cannonball (X-men #50 Vol.2)

Secret Wars - Doom

Deadpool #11 - Deadpool, Blind Al

(Demattius' run) Spectular Spiderman - Alyosha Kraven, Chameleon

Maverick #1-12 - Maverick, Sabretooth

[OdinSon1]

Captain America - I believe the arc was 'Man Without A Country' where Steve was forced to either take orders from the government or quit as Captain America, and they tried to replace him with John Walker. It showed carrying the identity of Captain America didn't make you a hero, it was always the man in the suit who embodied the true spirit of what Cap was.

Daredevil - Anything Miller wrote for him. NOBODY got that character like Miller did, and it sucks because I don't think anyone's ever going to live up to those stories. I'm just not a fan of Bendis's work on DD despite the praise he gets. I think he's a good writer, just not on DD & Avengers.

Punisher - The original mini was so kickass. The definitive scene for me is when he goes into his holding cell at Ryker's unarmed and beats ten goons senseless. Thats what this character is all about. I wish Ennis never wrote 'Born.' Admitting 'Born' happened takes away everything from the character.

Thor - The Surtur Saga was so great. Much the way I feel Miller was on Daredevil, Walt Simonson was the definitive Thor writer, although the last few arcs in Thor's last book were pretty good.

Ghost Rider - I think this new series thus far is shaping up to possibly be the character's best run as Blaze or Ketch. The Ghost Rider's never really had a definitive story in my eyes, which is unfortunate, but I think there's a real commitment to the new series and we may finally get it.

Spider-Man - Kraven's last hunt, which for me was twofold because it also made the Kraven character for me as well. I think it still stands as the best Spider-Man story ever told, because it showed the vulnerability of Spider-Man and his incredible willpower to come back from what seems like the end. Classic Spidey story-mode in that Spidey gets defeated to a degree, and then comes back and wins, with a bittersweet ending, yet it really had me suspending disbelief at times of what was going to happen, and I think thats the sign of a great story. Plus JMS was nowhere near it.

Wolverine - Incredible Hulk #340. Yeah yeah it was a generous effort to put Wolverine over the gray Hulk, but it showed him really trying to control the beast within, and when you finally get him to snap into berzerker mode he's not stopping until one of you is dead, and its probably not gonna be him. Crap like the initial 'Origin' series showing him being brought up as a preppy rich kid are so needless and take away from the character so much.

Iron Man - Pretty easy to say IMO that the diffinitive Iron Man story is 'Demon in a Bottle.' Tony's a stumbling bumbling drunk, a danger to himself, and more importantly, a danger to anyone and everyone when he's in the armor after last call. It showed that these larger than life heroes when they take off the armor or cape are just flesh and bone, and they have problems just like everyone else, and they have to make a conscious effort to overcome them.

Dr. Strange - He really hasn't had a difinitive arc either IMO, but when Dracula began to gain the power of the Darkhold, the whole MU supernatural forces, with powerhouses like Ghost Rider and others all had to turn to him, and what does he do? Shows his true power and casts a spell from the Darkhold to erase vampires from the MU. Truly Sorcerer Supreme.

Doctor Doom - 'Emporer Doom.' He finally finds a way to accomplish his goal, he rules the world! Out of all the megalomaniacs who are written off as crackpots and beaten more times than the Brooklyn Brawler, Doom actually accomplishes the feat and controls the world through mind control. Then, he gets bored because there's no opposition to him, and actually lets the Avengers defeat him! It was Doom at his best.

Bullseye - I know I know, Bullseye seems out of place here, but after reading the Punisher vs. Bullseye series I had to include him. That series IMO more than any other really lets Bullseye be shown more than any other. He's a funny guy who's out there to make a quick buck the best way he knows how, killing. He actually gets other dimensions here, being charming and psychotic in the same instance like Patrick Bateman from American Psycho. It was an exteremly fun read mostly due to Bullseye.

Dracula - The Marvel depiction of Dracula IMO was always the best and the one arc that stands out to me was back in Tomb of Dracula when the devil strips him of his vampirism, and he's down and out and has nothing. Eventually he has to scratch and crawl his way back into vampirism and and eventually reclaim his title as Lord of the Vampires and become the badass we came to know him ass once again.

[Babylon23]

I could never understand why ANYONE would like Iron Man until Civil War. He seemed like a third-rate Batman rip-off, even in the Avengers. But CW has redefined the character for me. He's brave, he's courageous, he's ruthless and he does what has to be done. He has by FAR the hardest job of any hero in the Marvel Universe right now, but that doesn't matter because it's the right thing to do. He doesn't follow his cause with blind conviction, he tortures himself over whether it really is the only way but in the end he KNOWS it is and does everything he can to bring an end to the conflict.

He is, without doubt, a true hero.

That's interesting, because CW has had the exact opposite effect on me. I used to love Iron Man, but I can't stand meglomaniacal, hero-cloning supervillain Tony Stark at all. This story has also turned me off Reed Richards as well.

As for stories that turned me around on a character, the obvious ones would be:

Daredevil: DD always seemed kind of lame to me, until Miller came along. Miller's run turned me into a lifelong DD fan.

Bishop: I could never stand Bishop, until Claremont began writing him in X-Treme. He moved him away from the whole time paradox thing, and gave him a different purpose.

Justice: I was never much of a New Warriors fan (except for Firestar), but Busiek's depiction of Justice in Avengers turned me into a fan.

[swinebread]

i want that hulk issue now
When you get it, let us know what you think.