The Fifth Day of Classic Comics Christmas '06

[Cei-U!]

It's no secret that I consider Gilbert Hernandez's Palomar stories in Love & Rockets to be as close as comics get to great literature. Choosing one member of its rich cast as representative was no easy feat. I love so many of them. In the end, I had to go with the character I consider the heart and soul of the series. My #8 selection is Heraclio Calderon. Noble, intelligent, loyal, a devoted family man with enough flaws and eccentricities to keep him from being saccharine, he is the Pogo through whose eyes we see the rest of the swamp critters and the most fully-realized character in American comics.

Cei-U!
I summon another bowl of Heartbreak Soup!

[SamuraiJack]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v79/SamuraiJack31/sbgorgonbust.jpg

GORGON! (sooooo hard to choose only one Inhuman! Curse you Cei-U! CURSE YOU!)

I don’t know how I made this choice. Out of all the other Inhumans (particularly Black Bolt), why does Gorgon make my list? I mean, he’s very cool and all (what Inhuman isn’t?), but he doesn’t ring “iconic” like BB does. My first exposure to Gorgon, Karnak, Triton, and the rest of the crew came in Marvel Two-in-One #71 (Thanks, MWGallagher!) in a scene my mind drifts to quite often: http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=156193, and since then the ‘guy with the hooves’ has been a staple on my favorites list.

He's such a great counterpoint to Karnak's placid demeanor that the two of them in my mind make up the greatest duo in Marveldom. Everything they've been in has been a fun ride, and I hope to see more of these two (and all the Inhumans) in the near future...

[Nate C.]

#8 Frank Miller's Batman from Dark Knight Returns

I love dystopias. I love the last act of all good stories. I love seeing a man end his life the same way he began it. I love good philosophical, ethical and political works. I love a good satire and I'm rabid about a good revenge story, so suffice to say, The Dark Knight Returns fires on all cylinders for me. From the art to the writing, seeing Miller's late sixties years old Batman, bent but not broken, aged but not dead, meaner but not gone, bullying but still bullying the right people, it was a powerful piece of art. Going backwards to forwards in the book, seeing Batman tell Robin to, "sit up straight", to beating the crap out of Superman, to telling himself that it would be easier to push the button than fight the mutant hand to hand, to hearing the demons scream as he sits alone, a shell of the man he used to be, it is a phenomenal peice of storytelling for me.

I love Batman as a character, but it is Frank Miller's DKR Batman that I most want to be.

What you should Read- The Dark Knight Returns, 1-4

[Simon Garth]

After Cei-U's thread starter, I've dropped this one down the order, just because it serves as a counter-point (to be honest, the order of some of mine are pretty arbitrary)

Anyway, number 8.

I loved the first series of Love and Rockets. I could never much get into the Palomar stories, but the Locas/Hoppers series had me hooked, and from that, I bring you a feisty, headstrong, sometimes raging, bass-playing punkette. Sometimes blonde, sometimes brunette, always fabulous: Esperanza Letitia Glass, better known as Hopey
http://www.libertas.co.uk/book_fullsize/locas.jpg
http://www.bookpalace.com/acatalog/LoveRocketsMusicMechanics.jpg

[Aaron King]

8. Mr. Miracle
A resident of my 2005 Classic Comic Christmas, Mr. Miracle was created by Jack Kirby as part of his Fourth World saga. Exemplifying the escapist nature of comics, young Scott Free ran away from the alien orphanage he was raised in to become an escape artist and hero on Earth, serving with the Justice League and fighting the madcap fascist forces of Apokolips.

Ironically, Scott Free was the only human with knowledge of the Anti-Life Equation, a galactic power that ended all free thought. This secret was never revealed until brought into conflict with his half-brother Orion, who was enslaving everyone for the benefit of the universe. There’s some amazing mythology in these stories, masterminded by Kirby and abetted by Walt Simonson.

Currently, Mr. Miracle is professional famous person Shilo Norman, who has learned to escape the 21st century blues of pop culture life. A trippy and transcendental hero for the reality TV generation.

Escape Into Some Good Comics: Jack Kirby’s Mister Miracle; Jack Kirby’s Fourth World; Mister Miracle Special #1; Orion (volume 2) #10-25; Seven Soldiers: Mister Miracle #1-4

Mister Miracle Special, art by Steve Rude (http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/7839/400/7839_4_1.jpg)
Mister Miracle and Metron by Pascal Ferry (http://www.comics.imakinarium.net/autores/f/ferry_pascual/mr_miracle/r2.jpg)

[Lone Ranger]

8. Tubby Tompkins

Tubby is probably the biggest shit disturber in comic book history.

Nobody gets up to, and into, more trouble than this guy.

He is greedy, lazy, arrogant and delusional.

I love him.

He is Little Lulu’s nemesis as well as her paramour. He is the perfect Yin to her Yang. Together, they are the 'Hepburn and Tracy Jr.' of the Four Color world. Lulu just wouldn’t be Lulu without Tubby serving as the constant headache in her life.

Whether he’s trying to get a free soda, eating someone else's food, keeping girls out of his clubhouse or trying to frame Mr. Moppet for some crime, Tubby does it all with a lack of both grace and class.

They just don’t make kids like Tubby anymore. Tragic.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v471/scottandkat/CBR/top12/tubby1-sm.jpg

[Sir Tim Drake]

I was confused as to who that guy in Kurt's avatar was. I guess I've never seen Heraclio in color before.

Heraclio is a wonderful character, another one who I might have included on my list. I think he's my favorite Palomar character, although his daughter Guadalupe comes close.

[dan bailey]

8 -- Bizarro No 1

Looking back, it's hardly coincidence that Superman #202 -- http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/arktrav/116_2_202.jpg -- placed 4th on my list last year.

... or that, having foolishly let the copy I bought as a just-turned-8-year-old vanish into oblivion over the decades, that very comic was very probably the first one I hunted down on eBay (if it wasn't first, it was second, after a lot consisting of 5 or 6 ishes devoted to my upcoming #2-at-this-writing entry) lo these 6 or so years ago.

... or that Tales of the Bizarro World was almost certainly the first comics TPB I picked up back in the late '90s (depending on whether you want to count the first two Origins of Marvel Comics collections from the mid-'70s).

Mind you, those two purchases transpired a good half-decade or so before I regained my mania for this crazy hobby of ours after some 25 years away. Obviously, Bizarro No 1 & his topsy-turvy world have appealed to my sense of the absurd for most of my life. Heck, at age 8 I'm not sure I really had a sense of the absurd, so there's every good chance the stories he appeared in had a lot of do with honing it (along, of course, with various issues of Mad, Cracked & Sick).

I gather that Bizarro as we know him was retconned out of existence back in the mid-'80s. Fie on that crap (though if his death scene in "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" was indeed his swan song, it was a helluva way to go).

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c129/arktrav/Bizarro1.jpg

[Aaron King]

The recent Bizarro Comics and Bizarro World anthology TPBs are great fun, too.

[Scott Shaw!]

No. 8: PIG-IRON

http://www.supermanartists.comics.org/bronzeage/PigIron-CaptainCarrot01_12.JPG

Hey, no one said that you couldn't list one of your OWN characters...!

When Rascally Roy Thomas and I created CAPTAIN CARROT AND HIS AMAZING ZOO CREW! for DC, we both had input on each team member...except for Pig-Iron, who was entirely mine. I felt the team needed a big, muscular lug in the tradition of the Thing, who is my all-time...(Oops, getting ahead of myself, folks!) He may have a metallic exterior, but inside, he's not only Peter Porkchops, he's a big ol' softie, too!

Anyway, I love the big porker, whether I'm writing or drawing or just seeing him in print. Hopefully, a few of you do, too!

Aloha,

Scott!

[dan bailey]

The recent Bizarro Comics and Bizarro World anthology TPBs are great fun, too.

Note to self: Update want list yet *choke* again ...

[Aaron King]

Pig-Iron is my favorite Zoo Crew member as well. Although that Captain Carrot fellow is pretty neat at times.

[Cei-U!]

They just don’t make kids like Tubby anymore. Tragic.


I'd say Eric Cartman is the closest approximation.

Cei-U!
No, kitty, this is MY pot pie!

[Slam_Bradley]

'Mazing Man

To some extent this is a vote for the entire cast of this comic, but I dearly love Sigfried Horatio Hunch III. Maze was a hero for all of us. Whether it was unclogging a drain or keeping children from eating cigarette butts, Maze performed those small heroics that make everyday life a little easier.

Maze also had one of the great supporting casts in comics history. Denton Fixx, Eddie & Brenda Valentine, Guido and Senora Tiraldo could all have been our neighbors (well maybe not Denton, at least not without a new face).

I miss Maze. I hope he's still making his small difference in his corner of the world.

http://www.toonopedia.com/mazingmn.jpg

[Lone Ranger]

I'd say Eric Cartman is a fitting heir to Tubby's mantle.

Cei-U!
No, kitty, this is MY pot pie!

Fair enough, there's a definite similarity, but Cartman comes across as a bit of a one-trick pony when compared to Tubby.

He doesn't have all of the same layers (and I'm not talking fat here) and wide variety of interests and talents (or lack thereof) as Tubby.

In addition when Cartman is onscreen too much, he begins to annoy me after a while. I never get sick of Tubby.

That's just me, though.

[Kan-Man]

#8... Wolverine

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c118/Kan-Man/Wbestshotba.jpg

This entry is going to come off as more of an apology than anything else. Compared to all of your picks (especially today's), Wolverine appears like a rather lazy selection. Like choosing chocolate as one of your favorite ice cream flavors. Plus I tend to recoil when anything that I really like becomes immensely popular. It loses of some its specialness for me.

Having said all that, I came to the new X-Men a bit late. It was still the early 80s, but I wasn't reading the title at all. A good friend of mine at the time highly recommended I stock up. In those days, you could acquire back issues pretty easily at a convention so I had a large stack to read on a family vacation including death of Jean Grey and the whole Hellfire Club run. It always bothered my dad on these trips when neither my brother nor I would look out the window of the car and this time I was totally caught up in these dozen or so issues.

All of the characters made an impression on me, but Wolverine probably made the biggest. Now days, you can't swing a dead cat without seeing his mug but back then he was pretty unique.

[Nate C.]

I'd say Eric Cartman is the closest approximation.

Cei-U!
No, kitty, this is MY pot pie!


I agree, Kurt. You said it before I could.

Great post, LR.

[Nate C.]

Slam,

I just felll in love with you all over again.

You had me at 'Mazin.

[dan bailey]

#8... Wolverine

[Wolverine appears like a rather lazy selection. Like choosing chocolate as one of your favorite ice cream flavors.

Actually, chocoate probably wouldn't make my top, oh, couple of hundred ... (but then neither would Wolverine -- maybe there's a correlation).

[Hintermann]

#8 Donald Duck: Actually, this is bit of a paradox with me because I rate Donald Duck comics a couple of notches higher than the lead character himself. There are historical reasons for this, but mainly it is because DD’s adventures are so often buttressed by his nephews Huey, Dewey & Louie or Uncle $crooge. When Al Taliaferro first created Donald Duck in 1933, the character was little more than a dim-witted mischief monger, usually appearing in supporting roles and creating mayhem. Taliaferro gave his character some maturity with passing years and it was later vastly improved and rounded-off by the great Carl Barks. Even so, Donald remained a somewhat clumsy failure in life, more inclined to misadventures than true heroism and usually losing out in the end. But one did get the idea that somewhere beneath Barks’ version of Donald Duck there was a character with more strength and moral integrity than was apparent on the surface. Most other artists however did little to display this better side of Donald Duck; even William van Horn, whose DD 10-pagers are extremely funny, insisted on depicting Donald himself as little more than a stumbling, bumbling fool. Ironically, the artist who in my opinion showed Donald Duck’s hidden strengths better than anyone else is the one who gets least credit for it – Don Rosa. Rosa is undoubtedly partial to $crooge in his stories but if you look at some of them, Donald comes off rather well in a supporting role. Examples for this are Rosa’s “Return to Xanadu” and “War of the Wendigo”; but the story that finally showed everyone (including Donald himself) just how important Donald Duck really was – is “The Duck that Never Was”. This was the one that Don Rosa dedicated to Donald Duck’s 60th Anniversary issue in 1993 and convinced me once and for all that he deserved a place in my Comic Characters Hall of Fame.

[Gingold]

#8- Nightcrawler

My favorite X-character. The first time I saw him, in one of the Claremont/ Romita Jr. X-Men (circa 18ish), I was immediately drawn to this cool looking guy. I remember my mom making me a Nightcrawler costume for Halloween when I was 9- based on Dave Cockrum's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe drawing. Even though pretty much nobody knew who I was, I thought I had the best costume on the block.

He's an acrobat, a comedian, a ladies' man, but also a sensitive soul, a devout Christian who looks like a demon. The late great Dave Cockrum designed dozens of memorable characters, but Kurt Wagner is his top creation in my book.

[dan bailey]

#I remember my mom making me a Nightcrawler costume for Halloween when I was 9- based on Dave Cockrum's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe drawing. Even though pretty much nobody knew who I was, I thought I had the best costume on the block.


Sounds brilliant -- & good on your mom!

I don't suppose the ol' family album has a snapshot or two of your get-up ...?

[shjonescrk]

8. Shang-Chi, the Master of Kung Fu

I loved Shang-Chi. Right from Englehart/Starlin through to Moench/Day. The book did dip after issue 50 but when Zeck came onboard it got good again. I especially liked Shang-Chi's meeting with the Man-Thing.

As I read everyone else's posts, they are provoking memories and making me go back and amend my list. Seeing Deathlok, Valkyrie, Wolverine listed has got me thinking and planning to raid my loft and dig all my old books out.

Thanks

Steve

[Red Oak Kid]

http://i135.photobucket.com/albums/q144/redoakkid/conan1.jpg

8. Conan

Obviously I am stuck in the 70s with most of my choices and this might be the ultimate nostalgic choice. I discovered the Conan comic and Barry Smith with ish 13 of the original run. Both were a revelation and both went to the top of my COOL chart. I'll probably always like Smith's version the most, tho John Buscema's is much closer to the original pulp character.

Red Nails by Thomas and Smith is greatness. I also liked their version of the Frost Giant's Daughter. Looking at any Conan page by Smith brings back all manner of great memories of the early 70s to me.

[DarthAstuart]

8. Guy Gardner

Is there a more unheroic hero in mainstream comics than Guy Gardner, the misogynistic, egotistical, self-centered and self-obsessed Green Lantern? Is there anyone who is probably more annoying to his spandex-clad counterparts?

And yet, when the fighting gets dirty and vicious and when all the chips are down, is there anyone else you'd probably want on your side?

Guy isn't so much an anti-hero as he is just an asshole. He's also a Green Lantern, standard bearer for the organization representing all that is just and right in the entire freaking universe.

THERE's a contradiction for you.

Again, he's definitely a character I first grew to know as part of the wacky cast of the Giffen/DeMatteis Justice League. Yet I appreciate him more now as part of the tapestry of the regular DCU--in the League, Guy's behavior just seemed like part of the exaggerated and comedic whole. In a regular superhero story, you realize why he's so fascinating, unique, and invaluable--he's a hero too, but he's also a jerk.

I don't agree with his opinions or his attitudes at all, but I'm so glad for his existence and presence in every story he's in--not only does he add a much-needed complexity to superheroics, he also throws plenty of curveballs into the interactions of other characters.

http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/img/op0805.jpg

[Nate C.]

I think it's cool seeing your "almosts" being someone elses "12".

Case in point, 'Mazin Man, Guy Gardner and Nightcrawler almost made my list.

[MDG]

#8 Kamandi

Two Kirby kreations in a row from me.

I wish more comic characters could be summarized with a phrase as evocative as "The Last Boy on Earth." Kamandi gave Kirby a character and setting where he could let his imagination run wild (like he had trouble with that before).

A great adventure strip (the last time we saw one from DC or Marvel?), with big concepts and sincere emotions. How could you not feel for a boy and his giant grasshopper?

MDG

[Chris N]

I got into this late, but I'll post my 1st through 4th in the appropriate spots later if that's okay! May I begin with number 8 of a semi-arbitrary order of a sampling of my favorite comic characters.

8. Rorschach

http://i116.photobucket.com/albums/o1/CocaC0la99/rorschach.jpg

In part, this was a vote for Watchmen, but he was one of the more compellint characters in the saga, with one of my 2 favorite lines of the series (the other was uttered by some guy in some article: "God exists and he's American")

I figure it's okay to spoil Watchmen some, so I'm not including spoiler warnings:





But here, at the end, with tens of thousands dead, the only unethical part of a plan for wold peace done with, a plan that seems to be working, when the heroes felt the full weight of the old ideals vs. pragmatism struggle overwhelming them, deciding this needed to be thought through, he said: "Joking, of course. Never compromise."

[dan bailey]

I got into this late, but I'll post my 1st through 4th in the appropriate spots later if that's okay!

Not to speak for Cei-U, but I'm sure that's perfectly fine. The last Xmas list (so far) from last year, after all, showed up in July ...

[Cei-U!]

Not to speak for Cei-U, but I'm sure that's perfectly fine.

I got news for ya, Dan. You just spoke for me. (I know it's a Ben Grimm line but I can't remember from where.)

Cei-U!
Welcome aboard, c&c!

[Gingold]

Sounds brilliant -- & good on your mom!

I don't suppose the ol' family album has a snapshot or two of your get-up ...?

In a box in the attic somewhere, I'm sure. I need to try to dig that out next time I'm home.

[Kan-Man]

No. 8: PIG-IRON


I am a proud owner of every issue of Captain Carrot. Add the Crew to the list of characters I should have considered for my list. I think I would have picked Pig-Iron as well but it would be a close call between him and Fastback.

[Budman]

8. The Incredible Hulk

The Hulk works as wish fulfillment. How many of us have ever wanted to give vent to our anger and just start breaking things? How many of us, when crushed by the oppressions and fears of life just long to yell, "Enough!" and strike back somehow. How many of us, while being forced to be civil, wish we could respond to certain people and situations by growling? How many of us wish that when getting nowhere trying to solve our problems and seeming like ineffectual wimps we could suddenly gain superhuman abilities? The Hulk can do all these things and more.

His stories also work on the "Godzilla crushes Tokyo" level. We love to watch monsters destroy the puny humans and their works.

The Hulk stories celebrate the triumphs of emotion over reason, and brawn over brains, and force over negotiation. The stories are welcome changes of pace from the DC heroes and Spider-Man and Reed Richards and Iron Man using their knowledge of science to defeat their foes. No, instead, "Hulk will smash!"

The Hulk is probably the most male of all comic book characters. He wants to destroy all of his enemies, have a few loyal friends, have one true love in his life, and then just be left alone by the world. When he's hungry he want to eat and when he's tired he wants to sleep and doesn't like it when anyone stands in the way of him accomplishing these objectives. He hates authority. He despises any weaknesses he sees in himself and wants to eradicate them. He wants to be "the strongest one there is."

This is not to say that he is one dimensional. Writers have explored just where in Bruce Banner's psyche the Hulk comes from and why. The Hulk, though having a basic personality, has had many incarnations and mutations. He's been a mindless brute, a big, strong childlike and childish "dumb jock," a gangland Las Vegas leg-breaker, a scientist in the body of a behemoth, and more.

Though I enjoy Hulk stories by just about any author, the Hulk writer supreme is Peter David. His run on The Incredible Hulk is, well, incredible!! Humor, action, superheroics, twists and turns, character development and exploration, genuine emotions, psychology, theology, social and political satire, suspense, and thrills all mix together perfectly. It is a masterpiece! In a perfect world, Peter David would write the Hulk forever.

[MWGallaher]

http://home.comcast.net/~vicoscia/images/Reddy.jpg
#8: Red Tornado.
Comicdom's best introverted superhero. His earliest appearances were packed with cool aspects: first newaddition to the JSA (Robin was new to the team, but an established Earth-II character, a rare serious introvert hero, he sacrificed his own existence (more than a few times, but the first time was a kick in the gut), he had an awesome blank face under his "mask" (hey, I didn't know about the Question back then!), he had a unique, highly visual power that was flexibly employed, a great code name, amusing secret identity ("John Smith", temp worker), developed a notable supporting cast (how many male superheroes have adopted little girls?), and earned the love of a lot of folks like me, Kurt Busiek, and Brad Meltzer, despite almost always being the background JLAer. In my book, Reddy was the soul of the satellite era JLA. Of all my favorites this season, he's one of the few that I don't recall ever being seriously misused. I like his current spotlight in JLA, I enjoyed him as the mentor of Young Justice, I loved his "defective era" in Primal Force, I like his Infantino-drawn miniseries, his Detective Comics backups, everything all the way back to his Dick Dillin JLA/JSA crossover roots. And when I sold my Super Powers toys, I kept that one. Red Tornado fan forever!

[Rob Allen]

The first time I've duplicated another poster's choice:

8. Shang-Chi, Master of Kung Fu

Between this comic and the Kung Fu TV series, I absorbed a healthy dose of Taoist ideas in the early-to-mid 70s. This series started really strong - Englehart and Starlin seemed to be really into it. And Moench and Gulacy took it to another level. This is one of the few series that I want to track down all the late-70s and early-80s issues that I missed.

[benday-dot]

http://home.comcast.net/~vicoscia/images/Reddy.jpg
#8: Red Tornado.
Comicdom's best introverted superhero. His earliest appearances were packed with cool aspects: first newaddition to the JSA (Robin was new to the team, but an established Earth-II character, a rare serious introvert hero, he sacrificed his own existence (more than a few times, but the first time was a kick in the gut), he had an awesome blank face under his "mask" (hey, I didn't know about the Question back then!), he had a unique, highly visual power that was flexibly employed, a great code name, amusing secret identity ("John Smith", temp worker), developed a notable supporting cast (how many male superheroes have adopted little girls?), and earned the love of a lot of folks like me, Kurt Busiek, and Brad Meltzer, despite almost always being the background JLAer. In my book, Reddy was the soul of the satellite era JLA. Of all my favorites this season, he's one of the few that I don't recall ever being seriously misused. I like his current spotlight in JLA, I enjoyed him as the mentor of Young Justice, I loved his "defective era" in Primal Force, I like his Infantino-drawn miniseries, his Detective Comics backups, everything all the way back to his Dick Dillin JLA/JSA crossover roots. And when I sold my Super Powers toys, I kept that one. Red Tornado fan forever!

Truly fabulous picture of Red Tornado MW... and thanks for picking the guy who starred in the first superhero comic I ever owned... JLA 102. It was a story that killed the Red Tornado, but cemented my love of the genre.

[benday-dot]

http://www.comics.org/graphics/covers/1514/400/1514_4_15.jpg[IMG]

For the fifth day of Christmas it’s back to Marvel after a lightning trip with Flash in the DC universe. If I’m guilty of the obvious choice here, perhaps the recompense comes with its honesty. How could I not choose Spider-Man? In changing the shape of the Marvel Universe he became its face. Maybe the wall-crawler did more. Maybe he did for the heroes, what my last choice, Galactus, did for the villains. Maybe Spider-Man redefined the American comic book superhero. Under the authorship of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko the new superhero wore for perhaps the first time the uneasy cloak of moral ambiguity. Under the difficult and unusual emblem of the spider, fans were asked to accept as the defender of the superhero faith a nebbish teen, beset by allergies, in chronic financial straits, butt of the fist and bluster of the school bully, and most difficult of all, set with carrying the burden of an alter-ego, whom the world as often as not, called a criminal. In the early years especially, the Spider-Man persona, before important life lessons were learned, seemed destined as nothing more than a valuable ticket to ride. It was not an easy lesson-- that of great power demanding great responsibility. It is interesting to look back today, given Steve Ditko’s subsequent voicing of objectivist screed, how much intimate intensity there was in the early years of the character. How much the struggle of it all really mattered. Never in subsequent years would Steve Ditko allow his characters so much travail, so little of life given. Later on quite a different argument would be made. A man must look out for himself first and foremost, exercise the selfish gene if he is to succeed in life, altruism left as vice and instrument of decadent compromise. How much the more remarkable then that Marvel’s most famous hero began in a cloud of that moral ambiguity that would seem abhorrent and so out of place in the future incarnations of his creator. But it was the lean and contorted youth, who in a sordid, dark place in the city, took on the familiar of the spider in a war against crime and injustice, who found an abiding place in the hearts of comic fans everywhere. We never believed in Jameson’s propaganda, and knew the kid Parker was pure, that for all of his struggles with trying to do the right thing, in all his shortcomings, strike outs and failures, he was really one of us. He was a hero of our times. There is no way Spider-Man couldn’t be on my list.

[Kan-Man]

#8: Red Tornado.


First of all, let me be the latest to compliment you on your artwork. I especially like the use of color pencils.

Secondly, Red Tornado is really someone who should be on my list. Not being an active reader for a couple of decades has made this assignment quite challenging. I know I've always liked Red Tornado but couldn't come up with compelling reasons why. I guess that's besides the point. If a character is memorable enough to you that's all that matters.

Maybe I should start a new thread - The Twelve Characters You Realized Were Your Favorites After Reading Everyone Else's Choices

[Aaron King]

Kan-Man, I've had similar feelings regarding who should have been on my list. I assume everyone else has, too.

[Graham Vingoe]

http://i119.photobucket.com/albums/o156/grahamvingoe_2006/1848_4_3.jpg

Bat Lash
My first exposure to Bat Lash came with his appearance alongside Scalphunter in Weird Western Tales 45. The rogueish elements of his character immediately appealed to me, especially alongside the dourer Kewonotay. This led me to seek out his back appearances back to Showcase 76 where the sheer exuberance of the Aragones/ Cardy team on Bat lash first appeared. Many may prefer Jonah Hex as DC’s “best” western character but for my money Bat is the man!

[zilch]

"He's pouncy, bouncy, trouncy, founcy fun fun fun fun fun..."



8. The Beast

I was introduced to the X-Men in the wrong order.

My earliest memories are of the Thomas/Adams stories, my second fave team (after the Avengers, at the time) and a big barefoot loquatious member caught me off guard. I, too, was a big word user as a kid and the blue and red uniform was simple and fun.

Then it was gone, but the reprints kept me going. Kirby action, Roth soap opera, and then the treasure trove. My mom found a bunch of early X-Men at a garage sale (#1, 2, 3 and 8 along with Hulk #1 and FF with Infant Terrible) cemented it.

About the same time, a weird beastie showed up in Amazing Adventures replacing the Inhumans... was this the same happy go lucky Hank? yes, but no. I was rivited by the story (and why isnt this collected???) and creeped out by the Sutton artwork. I loved the writing of Steve Englehart and was overjoyed when he came to the Avengers and brought Mrs McCoy's baby boy along for the ride.

An Avengers mainstay for years, he eventually found his way back to the X-Men, but by then i had lost interest in Marvel in general, but was always keeping an eye out for his appearances and was saddened by the "further mutation" storyline.

Bring back the bigworded, fun Beast, please!

Tomorrow... "Bring me a dream, make him the cutest thing i've ever seen..."

[Lone Ranger]

#8- Nightcrawler
I remember my mom making me a Nightcrawler costume for Halloween when I was 9- based on Dave Cockrum's Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe drawing. Even though pretty much nobody knew who I was, I thought I had the best costume on the block.


I also went as Wolvering one Halloween.

Of course, I was in law school at the time (1996 I think).

Still, nobody knew who I was.

[Lone Ranger]

dan - I had completely forgotten about Bizarro. He'd be a contender for my list, but still might be left off (apparently, I have 500 characters slotted at #13). He's a character I appreciate much more now that I am older - didn't think much of him as a kid (didn't have much of a appreciation for absurdist humour, I guess).

Scott! - I like Pig Iron for sure, but I Fastback has always been my favourite. He just seems like such a nice guy!

Slam - I must admit to never having read 'Mazing Man. It was published during the era when I first thought I was 'Too cool/old for comics'. My loss. I was delighted to see that the Slings and Arrows Guide gave it a strong recommendation too. Those guys do have a heart after all.

c&c - I also considered including Rorschach - as he's the glue to the narrative in Watchmen and a wonderful character who was used perfectly. Much like Charlie Droople, Rorschach was pretty much a one-shot character who should be left alone forever. Perfect.

Graham - Bat Lash missed my list by an inch. He's definitely a leading candidate for the 13th slot. There are so many great western characters, but he definitely carved out his own niche.

MWG - I was a big RT fan as a kid (less so now, for some reason). that picture is beyond awesome. It's the facial expression that does it for me - it's cold and human at the same time.

[Joe Rice]

8. Jimmy Corrigan

http://www.dialog.stred.org/pic/dialog/2005/rijen/chris_ware/corrigan.png
Jimmy's story isn't easy to read, in any sense of the word. It's dense, it's difficult, it's emotionally trying . . .but it's so damn well done and it's so damn real and it's so damn funny at times that it cannot be ignored. Jimmy himself is a masterful character, so perfectly shaped and rendered in all his neuroses, worries, ticks, and imperfections. He frustrates because he's so well done.

[Lone Ranger]

I've often said that they need to sell Jimmy Corrigan decoder rings.

I consider myself to not be too dumb, but I've had to really concentrate while reading this - as well as re-read certain chunks over and over. It's very layered work - a real treat.

I hear you about the 'emotionally trying' part of it - the pathos can actually make me feel physically unwell.

[Joe Rice]

Lisa had similar experiences. She ended up appreciating it very much, but it's not for the faint of heart!

[benday-dot]

Lisa had similar experiences. She ended up appreciating it very much, but it's not for the faint of heart!

Joe... nice choice, and well stated. Stay tuned in the very near future for my sharing your thoughts on the great Chris Ware masterpiece.

[Joe Rice]

Joe... nice choice, and well stated. Stay tuned in the very near future for my sharing your thoughts on the great Chris Ware masterpiece.

Cool. I like both the amount of overlap we're seeing here (some characters are just GREAT) and the amount of disparity. It's enlightening either way.

[Dr. Hfuhruhurr]

Seriously. Bill Foster's role in Project Pegasus as the never-was super-hero stricken by cancer (after battling Atom Smasher in his short-lived solo title) cemented my love for him, despite the goofy moniker he was saddled with. His fight with the mentally-challenged Nuklo in MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE 55 was good for a chuckle, yet poignant because, once again, Foster did not "win." His failed attempt to "block" the Nth Man was especially memorable because Mark Guenwald and Ralph Macchio didn't take the schmaltzy way out and have Bill Foster save the day. The impressive thing about Foster's run in MTIO was not that he "beat up the bad guy," but that despite his relative lack of success and despite his illness, he continued to fight the good fight. And what's more heroic than that?

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2003/aug13/blackgoliath.jpg

[prince hal]

#8: Adam Strange...

I'm going with the intellectual hero, the man whose brain was more than a match for anyone's brawn. Again, like so many of the Silver Age heroes I grew up with, Adam didn't have the kind of "personality-plus" disposition that seems de rigueurnow for comics superstars. About all he did from adventure to adventure was love Alanna of Rann faithfully, use his superior wit and problem-solving talents to save Rann from destruction on a regular basis, and somehow cobble up enough moolah to get to the Southern Hemisphere to rendezvous with the Zeta Beam.

Adam appealed to me because his adventurs - or at least understanding what I regarded as the science in them - was a challenge. I also liked his near-aloofness from the rest of the DC crowd. He wanted to be on Rann, not Earth: couldn't wait to get there every month. He and Alanna also had one of those oh-too-infrequent mature relationships. (The Lois Lane-Superman thing got old pretty fast compared to theirs.) Small wonder he teamed so well with Hawkman when they shared MYSTERY IN SPACE.

I hated the new version they did of him - when, the 90s? - which reeked of pseudo-Frank Millerism.

Adam Strange, a guy who can do the New York Times crossword puzzle in ink and save the world when necessary.