Defining Moments in Comics

[Gail Simone]

I was thinking of moments that, to me, completely define a comics' characters essence, and wondering what these moments would be for you.

What moments in comics made you think, oh, yeah, that is absolutely what (Character X) is ABOUT.

I'm not looking for runs or arcs or even individual issues, just single scenes that summed up a character for you completely.

Go! Think! Show! Link!

Gail

[Kyuubi]

"I'm the Goddamn Batman!"



'cause he is the Goddamn Batman.

[AaronJ]

Diana, having blinded herself in order to battle the Gorgon Medousa, has an "evaluation" with the JLA.

She battles Plas, J'Onn, Flash, Canary, and eventually Batman, at the same time. She kicks their collective asses, then Superman shoots a gun at her from about 15 feet away, from behind.

She deflects the bullet.

That's my Di. :)

[Kyuubi]

Everything I think of is from stuff like the Ultimate universe or the All Star books.



Is that good or bad?

[Red Berens]

Green Lantern/Green Arrow # 76.

Before that issue, Green Arrow was one of the least interesting characters in the DCU. In one single issue, Denny O'Neil set the tone that is still followed to this day. While many characters have changed and evolved over the past 36 years, Green Arrow is still closer to how he was in that issue than any other DCU character from that time period I can think of.

[Michael P]

The last panel of Amazing Fantasy 15. Everything you need to know about Spider-Man is in that panel.

[heystacy]

Diana, having blinded herself in order to battle the Gorgon Medousa, has an "evaluation" with the JLA.

She battles Plas, J'Onn, Flash, Canary, and eventually Batman, at the same time. She kicks their collective asses, then Superman shoots a gun at her from about 15 feet away, from behind.

She deflects the bullet.

That's my Di. :)

I think blinding herself is the strongest moment. She was committed to killing Medousa for her atrocities.

[Aggie]

http://content.answers.com/main/content/wp/en/thumb/d/db/145px-Uxm170.jpg

what happens in this issue cements storm as one of the biggest badasses in the MU...nay, in all of superhero comics...

[Sabrinaset]

Oops, double post!

[Pink Bat Max]

The Death of Gwen Stacy and Green Goblin.

[Gail Simone]

Green Lantern/Green Arrow # 76.

Before that issue, Green Arrow was one of the least interesting characters in the DCU. In one single issue, Denny O'Neil set the tone that is still followed to this day. While many characters have changed and evolved over the past 36 years, Green Arrow is still closer to how he was in that issue than any other DCU character from that time period I can think of.

Okay, but what MOMENT made it happen for you?

We're looking for scenes at BEST, not whole issues.

It's an experiment!

Gail

[Sabrinaset]

The first page of Fantastic Four #51 defined Ben Grimm as the Thing.

http://www.joesinnott.com/images/200_ff51splash.jpg

This defined Dr. Doom.

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f336/sabrinaset/DrDoom.jpg

Edit to add: You know, there's some goofball somewhere asking the age-old question ...well, something like ... who is better, Liefeld or Kirby? I dare anyone even THINKING about answering Liefeld to lookit this artwork and give an example of anything Rob did that even comes close to the power, drama, and pathos Jack could convey. He's called the King for a reason.

I wonder what kinda story Gail would write if Jack was doing a story for her?

[Michael P]

Green Lantern/Green Arrow # 76.

Before that issue, Green Arrow was one of the least interesting characters in the DCU. In one single issue, Denny O'Neil set the tone that is still followed to this day. While many characters have changed and evolved over the past 36 years, Green Arrow is still closer to how he was in that issue than any other DCU character from that time period I can think of.

Actually, a lot of the reinvention of GA had already taken place; O'Neill just picked up and ran with it to create those team-up stories.

The "nothin' for the black skins" moment definitely marked a shift in how DC treated its universe and its heroes, though.

[Charles RB]

Two moments in Judge Dredd. The first is the flashback panel where we see him arresting his brother for corruption, with absolutely no hesitation or qualm shown.

The second is when he personally wipes out East-Meg 1 during the Apocalypse War, killing 500 million people to save his city and not showing remorse - "you shouldn't start wars if you can't take the consequences!".

[Aggie]

Edit to add: You know, there's some goofball somewhere asking the age-old question ...well, something like ... who is better, Liefeld or Kirby? I dare anyone even THINKING about answering Liefeld to lookit this artwork and give an example of anything Rob did that even comes close to the power, drama, and pathos Jack could convey. He's called the King for a reason.

I wonder what kinda story Gail would write if Jack was doing a story for her?

i would like to know what crack pipe that person is smoking...many have tried to copy kirby, but none could ever quite capture that intangible thing that kirby had and only existed within him.

[Buzz Dixon]

"Sweet Christmas!"

[JeffreyWKramer]

I've cited this one numerous times, as the moment Wildcat won a permanent spot on my list of favorite comics characters. Back in the 70s run on ALL-STAR, the Psycho Pirate has taken out a lot of heavy-hitters like Alan Scott, and has mind-controlled a bunch of semi-retired JSAers (Hourman, the Earth-2 Robin and others) into fighting the current team. Things are looking pretty grim, and Wildcat saunters up to the Psycho Pirate, who is monologuing about how bad he is and how he is gonna reduce Wildcat to a trembling little girl or something... and Ted one-punches him into oblivion. Asked how he resisted the Psycho Pirate's power, Ted just repeats the wisdom taught him by a long-ago coach - "If you're afraid of an opponent, don't look at him" - and tells how he just shut his eyes and honed in on the ranting in order to put him down for the count.

I thought that was just cool beyond words, and it pretty much sums up Wildcat's combo of guts, street-smarts and straight-forward style.

Another, somewhat more famous moment, with a different character.

UNCANNY X-MEN, lead-up to the Dark Phoenix story... first fight with the Hellfire Club, the X-Men are defeated, Jean Grey is under the control of the Hellfire Club, and Wolverine, rendered super-heavy by Harry Leland's gravity powers, was dropped through the floor and some sub-basements, where he was assumed to have drowned. The last couple panels, we see a very bedraggled and pissed Wolverine, ready to take his turn.

Wolverine has become such an over-exposed cliche that it's sometimes hard to remember that he was once something different, and that he back in the day, he really was cooler as heck.

[sabongero]

The original maxi-series, Marvel's Secret Wars had a few defining moments for a few superheroes.

Spider-Man's battle with the X-Men, and outclassing them by himself, just shows the type of A-Class superhero Spidey with his battle skills.

The Hulk holding up a mountain preventing it from crushing the ensembled superheroes beneath, and his banter with Reed Richards. Reed mocking the Hulk's feeble mind, and the Hulk telling Reed that he better pray they all don't survive otherwise Hulk will smash Reed Richards. And Hulk then realizes that Reed was just angering him so that he will become stronger. Hulk is not just a dumb monster, he has smarts too.

Iron Man-Jim Rhodes was Iron Man at the time. And when he was injured and Reed was trying to fix the armor's arm, Jim asked Reed, "Doctor Richards, did you ever think there was a black man underneath this armor?" Now back in the early 80s to mid 80s, being a black superhero wasn't as prevalent as it is today. So it's like saying something about the time.

Then in Secret Wars II, the Molecule Man, Owen Reese stands up to The Beyonder. Now Owen was portrayed to be a geek, but given "godlike" powers he didn't take advantage and enslave the people of Earth.

There's alot of other things. I'll add on a later date.

[Corrina]

X-Men #137, Jean Gray, when she sacrifices herself because she can't control the evil within.

I pay no attention to later retcons. Everything that ever needed to be said or known about Jean Gray is in those panels.

Black Canary--no question, it's the moment she hits Chesire with the haymaker and sends her out of the helicopter.

Oracle--in "Hunt for Oracle" as she takes on a physical attack by Blockbuster's minions and almost single-handedly takes them down with intelligence, planning, and sheer courage.

Batman? Hmm....I think it's an old Len Wein story, with art by Marshall Rogers. It's in the "Batman of the 70s" collection. Batman has to capture the man who killed a famous surgeon's relative to prove there's hope left in the world to the surgeon (least, I think it's a surgeon. Could be a scientist). The last panel has Batman holding the killer up to the surgeon. The surgeon closes the lighter that would have burned up his notes. Batman has the smallest smile of satisfaction on his face. PERFECT.

[Kevinroc]

Actually, a lot of the reinvention of GA had already taken place; O'Neill just picked up and ran with it to create those team-up stories.

The "nothin' for the black skins" moment definitely marked a shift in how DC treated its universe and its heroes, though.

Ethan Van Sciver has the funniest comment ever about the "nothin' for the black skins" moment. I can understand what the comic was going for but I must admit that Van Sciver's comment about that made me chuckle (and I don't tend to agree with him politically).

[Wrigley]

In the Kevin Smith run on Green Arrow, GA punches Batman for knocking him out. He is going to do it again, and Batman warns him that the first one was free but he will pay for another. He looks at Bats for a moments, and then says `Where the hell are my pants?'

I think that captures GA. He has a temper but he is no ones fool.

[Charles RB]

The Punisher is defined forever in Welcome Back Frank when he's asked "why do you kill the bad people?".

"Because I hate them."

[Sabrinaset]

i would like to know what crack pipe that person is smoking...many have tried to copy kirby, but none could ever quite capture that intangible thing that kirby had and only existed within him.

Hee! You can see the thread right here! (http://forums.comicbookresources.com/showthread.php?t=187201)

[Kevinroc]

There's a scene in Alias where Jessica Jones is looking at some magazine about women and curses the magazine out. She blames these magazines for the unrealistic standard of beauty that women have to meet. And then she thinks about taking the little quiz in the magazine.

There was a particularly funny scene in Young Justice where Superboy had lost his powers. Impulse felt so sorry for his friend that he was determined to get his friend new powers. And then proceeded to try and recreate several comic book origins. His heart was in the right place but he just ended up causing some trouble.

I also particularly like the scene where Spider-Man faces off against The Juggernaut, despite being completely outmatched. But through the use of his brains, he defeats his much stronger foe.

This one's out-of-continuity but a very good example. It's the ending of Hulk: The End. The apocalypse has already happened and Banner is the last sentient being alive. He feels terribly lonely, he feels cold. At the end of the story, Banner pleads with the Hulk to let die. That they can go to a better place where all their friends are. Hulk thinks it's a trick and refuses to die. Banner pleads and pleads but it falls on deaf ears. We then see Hulk, alone, thinking about how he finally got rid of Banner and how he's happy to be alone. He can't ever die because that would mean his enemies (even though they are long dead) would win. He can't ever let them win because he's the strongest one there is. And that's when he realizes that he is the only one there is. Hulk feels... cold...

[ducklord]

Here's an easy one...

Ben Grimm, beaten to a bloody pulp, pulling himself off the mat against the insanely powerful Champion, saving the Earth by sheer refusal to acknowledge defeat.

Marvel Two-In One Annual #7 "And they Shall Call Him Champion."

One of my favorite comics evah, even if it does make Thor look like a chump.

Mike

[Infra-Man]

Hmmm... For now, two moments with The Flash:

That moment in "Return of Barry Allen" when Wally is finally able to move as fast as Reverse Flash. A bit later, he backhands Reverse Flash while saying "You're no Barry Allen." Something about that moment--maybe the fact Wally was no longer holding back and it felt like he was emerging from his uncle's shadow by defending his uncle's honor--gives me chills every time I read it.

Similarly, there's that one Johns-era issue of The Flash where Blacksmith tries to bring down the bridge between Keystone City and Central City. In two pages (if I remember right) Flash says something like "I can do what I have to, I'm the fastest man alive" and then builds a brand new bridge. That moment is always golden to me.

[JeffreyWKramer]

Defining moment: Wonder Man. Two moments, actually.

Moment 1) Shortly after his return from the dead, Wonder Man was with the Avengers when they went up against Count Nefaria. Nefaria had just drained the powers from several other villains and was at that moment more or less a Superman analogue - super-fast, incredibly strong and durable, laser vision, etc. He'd was pounding the snot out of the Avengers. Captain America was out of the fight, and Wonder Man was hanging back, not sure what to do, when Cap handed him his shield and told him to take the fight to Nefaria. Wonder Man was dumbstruck that a living legend would trust him and hand him that responsibility so - still doubting himself, full of fear - he went into battle. Nefaria was beating the snot out of him, but Wonder Man plain-out admitted that if he had half the guts of Cap, Nefaria would be toast.

Moment 2). The big showdown with pretty much every living Avenger, plus a bunch of hangers-on and reservists, against Korvac. Korvac had spent about half the issue to that point kicking the asses of the Avengers, taking everything they could throw at him effortlessly and knocking the stuffing out of them - literally in some cases. Most of the Avengers were either dead, down for the count or on the ropes, when Wonder Man - who again had been holding back - jumps into the fray on his own. Monologuing about how he'd been holding back for months now because he'd been afraid of dying again, Simon stated that seeing the bravery of all the other Avengers was an inspiration to him, and that he was gonna take down Korvac or die trying. He gave it his best, and while it wasn't near enough to beat Korvac, it was enough to give some of the other heavy-hitters, like Thor and Iron Man, the breather they'd needed to get back into the fight, and a moment to organize their assault.

Wonder Man's portrayals have been all over the board over the years, but those scenes, and the progression demonstrated between them, is what defined the charcter to me - a guy that faced and conquered his fears and his insecurities and found what it took within himself to be a hero. I've always thought that if he had a better look to go with those cool scenes, Wonder Man would have ended up a much more major character, rather than an eternal third-stringer.

[Reptisaurus!]

The first page of Fantastic Four #51 defined Ben Grimm as the Thing.

http://www.joesinnott.com/images/200_ff51splash.jpg



Here's an easy one...

Ben Grimm, beaten to a bloody pulp, pulling himself off the mat against the insanely powerful Champion, saving the Earth by sheer refusal to acknowledge defeat.

Marvel Two-In One Annual #7 "And they Shall Call Him Champion."

One of my favorite comics evah, even if it does make Thor look like a chump.

Mike

Yeah. Between these two you know all you gotta know about Benjamin J.

And Thor isn't a chump. Just a filthy, filthy, cheater.

[Pink Bat Max]

Oh, and The Killing Joke for the Joker... as much as I hated the crippling of Babs, especially in a book not her own, to me that story has the final word on the Joker.

And for the Silver Age Titans... A Killer Called Honey-Bun. Seriously, that story said it all.

[stealthwise]

The issue of Preacher where Jesse catches Cassidy's hand cold in mid-swing, then nonchalantly asks for a ride to the hospital afterwards. Bad. Ass.

Then there was the moment in Transmetropolitan where you realized that the Smiler was a severely fucked-up, twisted bastard who NEEDED to be stopped at all costs: when he had his own wife killed to gain public sympathy.

And then there's the classic moment that I'm sure Alan Moore wishes he could take back, if it wasn't so goddamn cool:



"I did it thirty-five minutes ago."


Right there we have a moment of complete and utter futility in a superhero story, within a genre where the heroes always pull it out in the end to succeed. That moment changed everything, pretty much for the worse overall, given the look of things from the 90s onward in many superhero comics. It created a new outlook where the hero not only is capable of losing, but of losing everything, of having the stakes raised and then not being able to rise to the challenge, which brings us to the last defining moment:

"Never compromise."

Moore claims that he was surprised at the audience's embracing of Rorscarch, given his violent and sociopathic tendencies, but that final scene with his character represents not only his narrow-minded, black-and-white, archaic viewpoint towards the world, but that never-say-die attitude that we have become so smitten with our icons for having. Rorscharch is the kind of man who would kick the ever-living crap out of any of the Stalins of the world who break some eggs to make an omelette, yet I know that upon my first read I didn't even take into account his idolization of Harry Truman. Or even of his paranoid racism and homophobia.

Because of that moment.

[Sharpandpointies]

With Batgirl, it hit me in three stages.

Cassandra Cain, deprived of her body-reading defense by a telepath, is caught between a gunman and his own partner, both of them killers. He opens fire. Rather than let his partner take the bullets aimed at her (as he would if she dodged), Batgirl deliberately takes several high powered rifle rounds during her charge toward the man, and jerks the gun from his hands before falling unconcious.

Her explanation? 'It was instinct.'

That caught my attention.

But without her Body-Reading ability, Batman won't let her be Batgirl. Won't let her go out there and save people, because he worries about her. Cass does not agree - in her own words, 'People dying! My life worth more than theirs?'

So she faces Lady Shiva, and asks the killer to help her recover her body-reading ability. The only way Shiva will do it is if Batgirl agrees to fight her to the death in a year. But Cass doesn't kill, and knows that because of this, if she fights Shiva, she will die.

She agrees to Shiva's terms. One year to save people, then it's over.

When Batman asks her how she regained her ability, her reply:

"I gave it everything I've got."

THAT hooked me.

Batman is 'Never kill'. Cass was 'No one dies'.

Then they screwed up her character, completely.

[JKCarrier]

My personal favorite Ben Grimm moment is from FANTASTIC FOUR #40:

The FF have lost their powers, and the Thing has reverted to human form. Dr. Doom takes advantage of their weakness and attacks. Reed realizes there's no way they can beat Doom without their powers, and reluctantly uses a gizmo to turn Ben back into the Thing. Needless to say, Ben is more pissed off than he's ever been in his entire life, and he takes it all out on Doom. Doom is blasting him with every gadget and death-ray at his disposal, but Ben just keeps coming. "Maybe I'm just too stupid to know when to quit... too ugly to die! All I know is that I finally got my hands on you, and now nothing's gonna stop me!" He proceeds to tear Doom's armor to shreds, and beats the villain within an inch of his life. His teammates barely manage to restrain Ben from killing him. Doom slinks away, crippled and humiliated, and Ben is left to cope with the realization that his dream of being a normal man is now lost forever. One of the greatest moments in a run filled with great moments.

[TomStillwell]

Batman: Year One

The wealthy & corrupt of Gotham gather for a dinner party. Batman sneaks onto the grounds, takes out the guards, and delivers a warning in most theatrical fashion. He essentially tells them their feast on Gotham has come to an end and leaves them in the dark.

No one is safe. He can get you anywhere, anytime, even in your place of power. While you're eating steak and drinking champagne, Batman is taking out all your high-priced muscle.

The only thing keeping them alive is his vow not to kill. Which that don't know about.

Yeah, that's Badass.

[DocAbsurd]

Giffen and DeMatties JLA.

Batman.

Guy Gardner.

One punch.




Doc 'Now THAT'S Comedy' Absurd

[DaveRothe]

Well I did like that alternate cover to Man of Steel #1 by Byrne with a close up of the SuperMan emblem as the shirt is being torn open. That was a great time for comics then.

[Alan Lynch]

The recent issue of New Avengers where Luke Cage and Iron Man argue the Registration Act. I'd never realised what a badass Cage could be until reading that book; it's brilliant.

[beetlebum]

There's so many to list. I'd say when Alan Moore started on Swampman. He brought such brilliant prose to the character. Also, Frank Miller's run on Daredevil. Even though he makes me cringe at times, you can't deny the impact it had on the industry. When Stan Lee gave the two fingered salute to the Comics Code by taking a cue, from the Nixon administration of all places, and publish that issue with detailing Harry Osborn's addiction to drugs. As a result, werewolves and vampires and other demons, real or imagined were allowed to be dealt with.

But the defining moment in comics for me personally was reading The Dark Knight Strikes again. I thought it captured the mood of a post 9-11 America well, still maintaining Miller's trademark cynicism while stating the obvious: now more than ever, heroes are needed. How true that is today. And Civil War got me back into Marvel. There is also a comic called Deadpool which was written by some lady named Tamryn Bonquita Lusty Funbaggs that was pretty good. Poor thing never made it that far and is now reveling in obscurity.:p

[thehod]

Two moments in Judge Dredd. The first is the flashback panel where we see him arresting his brother for corruption, with absolutely no hesitation or qualm shown.

The second is when he personally wipes out East-Meg 1 during the Apocalypse War, killing 500 million people to save his city and not showing remorse - "you shouldn't start wars if you can't take the consequences!".

I'll see that, and raise you the opening and ending monolog of Judge Dredd: America....

"Where do I stand?

I'll tell you where I stand.

I stand four-square for justice. I stand for discipline, good order and the rigid application of the law - and Grud help any limp-wristed liberals who say different.

The people, they know where I stand. They need rules to live by - I provide them. They break the rules, I break them. That's the way it works.

The people like it that way. They need to know where they stand.

Rights?

Sure. I'm all for rights. But not at the expense of order.

That's why I like to see that Statue of Judgement standing there, towering over Liberty.

Kind of a symbol.


Justice has a price.
The price is freedom."

[Charles RB]

Batman is 'Never kill'. Cass was 'No one dies'.

Then they screwed up her character, completely.

She'd briefly been in Bludhaven, which was then senselessly destroyed and everyone she knew killed - you'd think they could use that as a reason for her taking over the League of Assassins, to use it to forcibly ensure nobody dies, if they really wanted her as a Bat-villain. It'd still piss people off but it'd make more logical sense.


I'll see that, and raise you the opening and ending monolog of Judge Dredd: America....

Nice one.

[PatrickG]

Ethan Van Sciver has the funniest comment ever about the "nothin' for the black skins" moment. I can understand what the comic was going for but I must admit that Van Sciver's comment about that made me chuckle (and I don't tend to agree with him politically).

What's his comment?

The original quote from the comic BTW is:

"I hear how hard you been working for the blue skins, and how you helped out the orange skins, and you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there's skins you never bothered with... the black skins! How come? Answer me, Mr. Green Lantern?"

My response has always been that this implied that real world relevance was more important than fictional context and that accepting an ugly statement like this shatters the fantasy and leads to crap like Parallax.

Hal Jordan should have reacted the way Buzz Aldrin reacted to Bart Sibrel's claims of the moon landing being a hoax in 2002 and decked the guy (after removing his ring).

Then, for good measure, added something like:

"You petty racist! What makes you think your issues down here matter and more than those 'orange skins' or 'purple skins'? I have a space sector to police and this planet and all the colors on it are a spec of dust. You can't get a job and people look at you funny. Compare that to the android genocide I halted on Seti Sigma V, I don't think your problem rates. Somebody comes to kill you or infect your blood with necrotic alien parasites, I'll give my life to save yours. For what it's worth, you have my sympathies and I wish humanity would grow up a little. But I have the most powerful weapon in the universe. And I fight things with it. I can't make your life better with the power of a thousand atomic bombs on my finger. I'll write my congressman. I'll protest with you. But this ring is a weapon and it can't solve your problems. And I suggest you think twice before you ever suggest the problems of anyone on this planet even compare to those 'orange skins' and 'purple skins'. You got that?"

Mark Millar once told me I won the internet with one post where I suggested that. :D

[thehod]

Nice one.

I'll give you another one too.

The Dead Man speaking to Judge Dredd in the Cursed Earth...

"Forget the pain. They’ve hurt you before. They’ve burned you, blasted you, torn you apart and stitched you back together with bullets – until you were nothing but a hide of scars streched over a heart of stone. And they never, never made you quit. After all, what did you care? It was only pain."

[PatrickG]

BTW, in response to the thread:


"I could go back to Colu. My people spend centuries studying theories. Maybe I should too. I couldn't hurt anyone that way... no chance of building a Computo, an Omega. I've brought so much destruction into this world, trying to do good. Perhaps the answer is not to go to Colu, but simply away. Explore the ultimate question: death. I couldn't hurt anyone then... and I might not suffer from the memory of Kara. Kara. My Supergirl. I could take the Time Bubble--try to change history and save her--if the resulting paradox didn't destroy us both. As it has everyone else who ever tried and didn't return. Or, I suppose, I could go back inside. Coward."
-- Brainiac 5, LSH v3 #16

It hits every major beat of Hamlet's "To be or not to be" soliloquy and is one of the finest pages that Paul Levitz ever wrote IMHO.

[ChthonicSpirit]

"Never compromise."

Moore claims that he was surprised at the audience's embracing of Rorscarch, given his violent and sociopathic tendencies, but that final scene with his character represents not only his narrow-minded, black-and-white, archaic viewpoint towards the world, but that never-say-die attitude that we have become so smitten with our icons for having. Rorscharch is the kind of man who would kick the ever-living crap out of any of the Stalins of the world who break some eggs to make an omelette, yet I know that upon my first read I didn't even take into account his idolization of Harry Truman. Or even of his paranoid racism and homophobia.

Because of that moment.

Oh, man. I thought of that immediately when I saw this thread.

"Joking, of course".

That and "Looked at sky through smoke heavy with human fat, and god was not there. The cold, suffocating dark goes on forever, and we are alone".

From other comics . . .

The scene in V for Vendetta where V lectures not only the citizens of london, but the entire human race.

The end of Huntress: Cry for Blood, when Helena arranges arranges the murder of the man who ordered her family killed.

The scene in Swamp Thing, where Swampy tries to explain the nature of evil to The Darkness.

[WhiteRose]

Mine came when I was about 10, and picked up an old issue of Spider-Man that did not have anything to do with Spider-Man at all, but Dr. Strange and the Black Cat.

There was a character called The Foreigner, and he'd just broken into Black Cat's apartment to steal back the gold she stole from him. And there was one line in one panel, where Black Cat is dangling off her balcony about to fall and he's just leaning against a bar sipping a drink that made him for me:

"Men call me Foreigner. Women call me frequently."

Since then I can't find anything as to what happened to the Foreigner. But to my 10 year-old brain, it was like "This is awwwwwesome".

[MartinRedmond]

Everything I think of is from stuff like the Ultimate universe or the All Star books.



Is that good or bad?

You should read Essential Avengers / Spider-Man and 60s and 70s issues of Action Comics / Superman. Your mind will be blown away.

[Charles RB]

The original quote from the comic BTW is:

"I hear how hard you been working for the blue skins, and how you helped out the orange skins, and you done considerable for the purple skins! Only there's skins you never bothered with... the black skins! How come? Answer me, Mr. Green Lantern?"

Didn't Hal Jordan save the entire Earth quite a few times before 1970? That's doing quite a bit for "the black skins", I'd have thought.

[Kevinroc]

Didn't Hal Jordan save the entire Earth quite a few times before 1970? That's doing quite a bit for "the black skins", I'd have thought.

That's basically what Van Sciver said.

[Night Swordsman]

The Man Called Nova,issue #12,first series. Last Page. Battling a cosmic bad guy called the Sphinx(who once went one on one with Galactus,back in the days where that was NOT so common...),and was there to steal Nova's power and with it his life. Beats the LIVING crap out of Nova,but Richard Rider just would NOT quit,even on his last legs. Even despite the fact that the Sphinx could kill him,his courage and spirit makes the Sphinx spare him,having never met one who fought like he did.

Those first 12 issues of Nova are a childhood classic to me.

[Astonishing X-Fan]

In Morrison's first JLA arc, when Batman takes down four of the white martians by himself.

Hell yeah.

Really just Morrison's run on JLA in general.

[Dr Manolis Dooplove]

'the last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead', a line that clearly defined superman at that point

someone mentioned it before, but Storm killing Callisto in the Morlock Tunnels was a clearly defining moment, as was that whole battle (from the moment she grabbed that knife in the air!)

Wonder-woman: the Maxwell Lord neck twist. not because it drove the next 3 years of stories but because that one moment showed the core difference between WonderWoman and the other big heroes, her amazon upbringing as a warrior who would understand the point where no alternative exists and do what needs to be done regardless of personal feelings or fear of repercussions

[Opinionated Observer]

That final panel was the moment for me where Wolverine was a total badass. Never before, or really since, has there been a last page of a book where I wish I could jump ahead 30 days instantly to see what happened next.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p264/John95926/wolverinesewer.jpg

[adam_warlock_2099]

Defining?

Thanos' visit to Captain Marvel's bedside . . .

http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/apr7/arise.jpg
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/apr7/illusion.jpg
http://www.moviepoopshoot.com/comics101/images/2004/apr7/gone.jpg

[Pink Bat Max]

Terra: Her death scene. She's delivered the Titans to Deathstroke, then turns against him too, bringing all her powers to bear to attempt to kill him.

I love that sociopath.

[JKCarrier]

Defining?

Thanos' visit to Captain Marvel's bedside . . .

That was a good one. I also loved the bit where one of the Skrulls shows up and awards him a medal for being the greatest enemy they ever had.

[Sabrinaset]

It's an experiment!

Gail

What exactly IS the purpose of it, and what have you learned from this experiment ..?

[The Beast Of Yucca Flats]

Superman defeats The Elite.

Black Canary-- although injured-- does everything in her power to escape Savant.

Tommy Monaghan's parting words to Johnny Navarone after he'd killed Pat Noonan: "We're all scum."

[Sharpandpointies]

She'd briefly been in Bludhaven, which was then senselessly destroyed and everyone she knew killed - you'd think they could use that as a reason for her taking over the League of Assassins, to use it to forcibly ensure nobody dies, if they really wanted her as a Bat-villain. It'd still piss people off but it'd make more logical sense.


Yep. Instead, we got 'Daddy trained another child! Waaah!'* Amongst other stupidities.

*which, you know, was news she handled pretty well when she talked to Bronze Tiger over a year before.

[titanfan]

Ice in JLIQ#5: Tora wishes on Guy's ring and does the impossible--wills Professor Ivo to be cured from his illness/disfigurement.

Terra in Titans Annual#3: Judas Contract finale. To this 8 year old--I was sure that the story was going to end with Tara's redemption. Because that's how stories like that always ended. It didn't. I was crushed.

Oracle in Suicide Squad: Amanda Waller is shot and hanging on to life. The squad is in chaos. "Who is in charge?" asks a squad member. Barbara is silent for a moment before saying: "I am." This was the first time that Barbara would actually be in command of operatives--a trend that continues to this day.

Donna Troy in JLA/Titans: Nightwing arrives to rescue Donna from a virtual reality world. He sees nothing but empty space and Donna joyfully playing with her dead son, Robert. "Donna, this isn't real." Nightwing says. Donna looks at him with tears in her eyes and says: "I know."

Booster Gold saves the universe in #52! As a long time fan of Booster, and one of the few readers of his comic book back in the 90's, I felt that I was there with Michael from the very beginning and I was so proud when he finally started to reach potential and save the multiverse.

Batman vs. White Martians in JLA#4: The birth of the "Bat-God" maybe, but for the first time in the pre-Denny ONeil era, Batman was cool again.

[a. non]

Captain America's stand against Thanos in Infinity Gauntlet #4

[saintsaucey]

Deathstroke takes out the ones who came for dr light but doesn't kill them because thats not what he was paid to do. loved it.

[PatrickG]

"Because I am Thanos is Death and the lover of Death."

I hope Adam Warlock made sure to wash the stains off the Infinity Gauntlet before putting it on.

[Linkara]

I hope Adam Warlock made sure to wash the stains off the Infinity Gauntlet before putting it on.

Great, now I've got this image of him putting on the glove, going wide-eyed, and then wincing and going, "Eeeww..."

[Karl J Barnes]

There are many defining moments,but these two stand out for me: John Constantine's fooling the three devils to cure him of his cancer and then knowing it was a stupid move; giving them a shit eating grin and the bird. Priceless.

Barry Allen's death in Crisis. It defined him as the selfless hero that he was. It actually choked me up like no other moment in comcis,except the death of Gwen Stacy.

[OzBat!]

The two-page spread in "Return of Barry Allen" where Wally has finally, like six-years-of-his-own-title finally, thrown off the shackles and accepted his place and the speed, and slams Eobard Thawn with a brilliant backhand. "YOU'RE no Barry Allen!". Great power in that moment, not of itself, but building on everything that went before to perfection.

[Shisho]

1 Pissed off Kitty Pryde + 1 group of mean girls from a prep school + 1 hockey stick = happy fun time.

Still one of my favorite moments in comics, and solidified why I loved her as a kid.

[adam_warlock_2099]

I hope Adam Warlock made sure to wash the stains off the Infinity Gauntlet before putting it on.

You have to wash it several times. Bloodstains are hard to get out.

[JKCarrier]

For Spider-Man, it really begins and ends with the last page of Amazing Fantasy #15: Spidey discovers that the crook he let escape is the guy who killed his Uncle Ben. That single moment has pretty much propelled the series ever since. No matter how tired, angry, frustrated, or fed up he gets with the superhero gig, there's always that voice in the back of his mind saying: "Uncle Ben died because YOU SCREWED UP. Don't do it again."

[PatrickG]

You have to wash it several times. Bloodstains are hard to get out.

Eek!

We were talkin' about Thanos' self-love. You caught that, right?

Cause.... ew.

[adam_warlock_2099]

Eek!

We were talkin' about Thanos' self-love. You caught that, right?

Cause.... ew.

Well wouldn't he at least use a tube sock?