The Best Comic Book Characters

[Paul 584]

Also J Rock, check out the Arrow series. Its honestly pretty good, though its Green Arrow meets Punisher. :lol

[DC 536]

I second the recommendation to view the TV show.

[Guest Boyo]

Less yakkin', more listin' :P.

 

Cheers!

[Guest Anime Otaku]

So, I'm calling Deadpool in the 5 to 10 bracket.

[Paul 584]

Character - Judge Dredd

 

Position - 32 (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense - Dredd was concieved as a parody of American hardass cops such as Dirty Harry. The idea of taking the acceptance of these brutal and uncompromising lawmen to its logical extreme; judge, jury and executioner. Judge Dredds face is never seen because justice is faceless in this world, and this sure as hell shows it (and f*ck off Stallone).

 

Dredd is almost unique in comics in that he ages in real time! One year in the real world is one year in the comics. This means Dredd is now over 70 years old, and as such he is - despite futuristic medical advances - slower than he once was. In fact recent storylines have him diagnosed with cancer... where will that one go?

 

If you like your heroes morally questionable and violently over the top then Dredd is for you! Also if you like to see comics address politics then Id suggest it. Dredd has dealt with the importance of freedom of choice, segregation and even the morality of eugenics and cloning.

[Guest Beefhead]

Also J Rock' date=' check out the Arrow series. Its honestly pretty good, though its Green Arrow meets Punisher. :lol[/quote']

 

I thought it felt like the show runners wanted to make a Batman show and were told no because ofd what theyre doing with the nolan films so made this instead. Then watched the first season of revenge while scripting it. Still a hell of a show though

[Paul 584]

Character - Guy Gardner

 

Position - 32 (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense - Oh God, I was dreading seeing a Green Lantern on this list! Not because they are crap, just because any that isnt Hal Jordon is a nightmare to explain.

 

So, Green Lanterns are intergalactic spacecops who are allergic to the colour yellow (and, in early stories, wood - so avoid fake bananas). Hal Jordon was the first choice for Earth and its sector, Gardner was his backup. Gardner was hit by a bus (yellow?) and while recovering was bumped to third place in favour of a sassy black stereotype. When he finally recovered Gardner decided to get the shit kicked out of him until finally ending up in the phantom zone (AKA where Superman keeps his bad guys) and believed to be dead by his girlfriend and Hal. Who promptly hook up. And try to get married. Stay classy Hal!

 

Anyway, Gardner gets free of the zone and goes back to crimefighting. Nah, Im shitting you all. He comes back and falls into a coma. And he has brain damage. Guy cant catch a break! Pun unintended by the way.

 

Yeah, he recovers (if the majority of the DC universe can recover from the death then why the **** not?) and becomes a dick. But an entertaining one. Whats he up to in the New 52? I have no idea, but im about to go and find out!

[Guest Inno]

Guy's finest moment was in the JL Geffen/Maguire stories where Batman knocked him out with one punch. ONE PUNCH!

 

http://i.imgur.com/TMf7qpz.jpg

[Paul 584]

Character - Big Daddy (Kick Ass)

 

Position - 32 (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense -

 

A professional crimefighter, he has been training his daughter Hit-Girl to become a lethal vigilante. He himself is quite adept at firearms though most of the missions shown to the reader are mainly accomplished by Hit-Girl, with Big Daddy providing armed support as a sniper. In issue # 6, it is revealed that he and his daughter have been living on the run for years under many false identities, and that Big Daddy claims to be an ex-cop eager to avenge his wife's murder by the mob, a "secret origin" that Kick-Ass compares to Frank Castle's. In issue # 7, it is revealed that Big Daddy, actually a comic geek just like Dave (who funded his operations by selling mint issues of comics on eBay), has lied about his origin, was never a cop, and has trained his daughter to fight crime so she would be "different" and "special".

 

In the film adaptation, Big Daddy is played by Nicolas Cage. His full name is given as Damon MacCready, and Cage's portrayal of the character is much more eccentric and funny than the comic. His costume also differs from the comic, described in the dialogue as resembling Batman's, and his purported origin as an ex-cop (and consequentially his motives for fighting crime) are genuine, but the comic Big Daddy's love of comics is still referenced in his drawing abilities and the use of comic references for tactical maneuvers. He is shown to be as effective as Hit-Girl, brutally accomplishing at least one mission by himself and possibly several more. Writer Mark Millar considers that the plot twist regarding Big Daddy's background would not have worked in the film adaptation, and would have "messed up the structure of the movie".

[Paul 584]

Character - Prowl (Transformers)

 

Position - 32 (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense - To quote the main voter for Prowl 'goodie but a total, total jobsworth with a cruel streak in the IDWverse'.

Prowl (Cervo in French Canada, Pantera in Italy) is an Autobot of many virtues - he is quiet, competent, loyal, and possessed of almost endless patience. When Optimus Prime appoints Prowl a task, he can be guaranteed that it will be completed to the best of Prowl's ability. Prowl is not given to speculation or estimation - the only realm in which he will work is that of the proven fact; if he cannot explain it, he will not believe it. He hates doubt, and strives to make a situation as simple and logical as possible, purging excesses of concern from his mind by going to Optimus Prime for assurance. Prowl is friendly, but only as a listener; as a talker, he is not so sociable, entering a conversation usually only when someone makes an unreasonable remark, and demanding an explanation.

 

Prowl's logic center is unquestionably the most powerful of all the Autobots', giving him the ability to analyze any combat situation almost instantaneously and then advise on the optimal course of action - a skill that makes him eminently suited to his role as the Autobots' military strategist and analyst. For example, he can compute the paths of movement of 800 separate moving objects and determine the proper countermove in half a second. In robot mode, he is armed with a pair of shoulder-mounted cannons which fire wire-guided incendiary missiles, and a semi-automatic rifle that shoots pellets filled with a highly corrosive acid. He transforms into a police car version of a Datsun Fairlady 280ZX.

 

Prowl's straightforward mind means that non-linear thinking is one of his biggest weaknesses. Irrational situations and thought processes can sometimes scramble his circuits to the extent that his mind will briefly shut down.

[Paul 584]

Character - Cole (100 Bullets)

 

Position - 32 (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense - I know nothing about 100 Bullets (besides its acclaim), so heres DSRChris to tell us about it. 'He's just the epitome of cool. Sent into hiding as an ice-cream man with his memory wiped, Cole regains his memory and returns to the Minutemen, where he continues to hold the Guild accountable for their actions. There may be stronger, more violent Minutemen, but Cole is the brains behind the brawn'

 

This is the basic plot

 

The core concept of 100 Bullets is based on the question of people willing to act on the desire of violent revenge if given the means, opportunity, and a reasonable chance to succeed. In each issue, the mysterious Agent Graves approaches someone who has been a victim of a terrible wrong. Graves gives them the opportunity to take revenge by providing a handgun, 100 bullets, and documentation about the primary target responsible for their woes. He informs the candidate the bullets are completely untraceable by any law enforcement investigation.

 

Although all the revenge murders enabled by Agent Graves are presented as justifiable, the candidates are neither rewarded or punished for accepting the offer other than their own personal satisfaction. Several people decline, but others who accept find varied success or failure. The attaché and Graves' "games" are later revealed to be only a minor part of a much broader story.

[Paul 584]

Most HATED List:

 

Character - The Black Panther.

 

Position - 13th (joint)

 

Was it voted number 1 by anyone? Nope.

 

Stuff and Nonesense -

 

Its all well and good to create the first black superpowered hero, but at least make him... errr... you know I dont see the issue with him. Hes strong, smart and well written. Why the hate? Is it because he divorced Storm? Is someones Halle Berry desire playing up again?

 

Or are you racists? Is TWO populated by racists?

[Guest Boyo]

I saw a film with Kingpin in and he was black.

 

Cheers!

[Guest Beefhead]

So, Green Lanterns are intergalactic spacecops who are allergic to the colour yellow (and, in early stories, wood - so avoid fake bananas).

 

Or #2 pencils

[DC 536]

Has this died?

[dsrchris 190]

Sorry, Paul's been having difficulties getting online so he's sent me the rest of the list to post.

 

I'd just kinda forgotten until you've just reminded me. I'll get the next batch up tonight.

[dsrchris 190]

Okay, Paul's sent me the results, so let's do this. I've had a look through the results, and what it's left us with really is a chart of 17 with a lot characters getting the same amount of points.

 

Let's have a catch up to where we're at right now, and then I'll kick the chart back in with the full descriptions and whatnot. Since I only have the list and not who voted for what, then feel free to chip in if you see one of your picks with why you picked them and why everyone should find out more about them.

 

Okay, let's get this show back on the road:

 

TWO's Top 50(ish) Comic Book Characters (the story so far)

17. The Sentry - 1pt

17. Deaths Head - 1pt

17. Shockwave - 1pt

17. Herr Starr - 1pt

17. Magneto - 1pt

16. Carnage - 2pts

16. Dazzler - 2pts

16. Guyver 1 - 2pts

16. Barbara Thorson - 2pts

16. Optimus Prime - 2pts

16. Fone Bone - 2pts

16. Kurt Kilgore - 2pts

15. Rorschach - 3pts

15. Doctor Doom - 3pts

14. Big Daddy - 4pts

14. Guy Gardner - 4pts

14. Cole - 4pts

14. Prowl - 4pts

14. Judge Dredd - 4pts

 

And that's where we're at right now. I'll get cracking on the character stuff for at least the four people who share the 13th spot, and I'll have more for you soon! :D

Edited March 12, 2013 by dsrchris

[Guest Boyo]

Nice one Deeser :xyx

 

Cheers!

[dsrchris 190]

13. Swamp Thing – 5pts

 

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx286/dsrchris/2186311-swamp_thing_lead_zps6581f352.jpg

 

Dr. Alec Holland had all the answers... he was an intelligent man... but Alec Holland is dead... and in his place stands only a... SWAMP THING!

 

I don’t know much about Swamp Thing, so I’ll step aside and let Wikipedia do it’s thing:

 

The Swamp Thing character first appeared in House of Secrets #92 (June–July 1971), with the name Alex Olsen. The comic is set in the early 20th century, when scientist Alex Olsen is caught in a lab explosion caused by his co-worker, Damian Ridge, who intended to kill him to gain the hand of Olsen's wife Linda. Olsen is physically altered by chemicals and the forces within the swamp. He changes into a monstrous creature who kills Ridge before the latter can murder Linda, who has started to suspect Damian. Unable to make Linda realize his true identity, the Swamp Thing sadly ambles to his boggy home.

 

The creature, called Swamp Thing, was originally conceived as Alec Holland mutating into a vegetable-like creature, a "muck-encrusted mockery of a man". However, under writer Alan Moore,Swamp Thing was reinvented as an elemental entity created upon the death of Alec Holland, having somehow absorbed Holland's memory and personality into itself. He is described as "a plant that thought it was Alec Holland, a plant that was trying its level best to be Alec Holland"[5] with the result that he suffered a temporary identity crisis as he tried to surrender to his plant side. Then he discovered that he could never be human 'again', but he eventually adjusted to his role after a fight with the Floronic Man. This new twist on his identity in turn further diverged the character from Marvel's character.

[dsrchris 190]

13. Elissa Megan Powers – 5pts

 

http://i764.photobucket.com/albums/xx286/dsrchris/417080-EMPOWERED_back_cover_art_by_AdamWarren_zpseb2e03fa.jpg

 

Empowered is an original English-language manga written and illustrated by Adam Warren. Described by Warren as a “sexy superhero comedy", Empowered began to take shape in 2004 with a series of commissioned sketches of a damsel in distress; these illustrations became the basis for short comic stories that helped develop the characters for the Empowered series. Warren says that Empowered is "nominally a superhero title, yet it’s drawn by a clearly manga-influenced artist". The pages are greyscale reproductions of pencil "layouts", and they are neither inked nor toned (as in the screentones common in manga).

 

Empowered chronicles the story of the titular character, a superheroine whose civilian name is Elissa Megan Powers, but is more commonly referred to as "Emp" (originally after her initials, E.M.P.). Emp is a young blonde woman who is highly self-conscious about her figure, and has other self-esteem issues. She was inspired to become a superhero and help others after witnessing the death of her father at a very early age, going so far as to get a degree on "Metahuman Studies" while attending an unnamed college. She obtains a unique "hypermembrane" supersuit through unknown means but the suit is both very revealing and unreliable. Her concern over her appearance frequently serves as a dominant aspect of her career as a superheroine, as her "hypermembrane" supersuit is composed of an extremely fragile material; a material so thin and clingy that it outlines every curve of her body. Additionally, while her suit can provide her with several fantastic powers, such as super strength and directed energy blasts, these enhancements will usually fail if her suit becomes too damaged. Due to the fragility of her suit, this has happened frequently, and thus, she has earned herself a reputation for being ineffective and easily defeated ... and subsequently tied up. Despite these many limitations, Empowered still manages to achieve triumphs in both her personal and professional lives using her intellect and determination, even if she rarely gains accolades for said heroic acts from the public at large.

 

Chris’ comment:

I personally love this comic (hence my vote getting her placed fairly highly), even if it did start off as a bit of a weird bondage-fetish type comic strip. I really adore the art style too, the sketchbook feel to it gives it a personal touch that I like. I’d recommend checking out volumes 1 and 2 and see what you think.

Edited March 12, 2013 by dsrchris