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Author Topic: Favorite Superheroes Besides Superman & the Superman Fam  (Read 27696 times)
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nightwing
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« Reply #8 on: October 02, 2005, 02:01:21 AM »

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Nightwing, is that really you???



'Tis I.  But the location of the bat-cave must remain my secret.

Oh, and I also like Plastic Man, Dr. Strange, the old-guard JSA, vintage Captain Marvel and Kirby-era FF.  I think most of my favorites are tied to specific eras or creators, whereas Supes and Batman work for me in many forms/
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« Reply #9 on: October 02, 2005, 03:06:51 AM »

Quote from: "nightwing"
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I think most of my favorites are tied to specific eras or creators, whereas Supes and Batman work for me in many forms/


Superman and Captain Marvel are my big two, I like them about even. Yet, I have a lot more Superman stuff around here than Cap stuff, but that is only because there isn't a lot of Captain Marvel stuff to buy, at least nothing I can afford. Can Rao and Shazam join forces and bring us a Showcase Shazam for the love of Hill Billy Marvel!

Poor Captain Marvel, DC actually has made Billy into a teenager, and not a young teen, but high schooler! Can you believe that? Sheesh, how clueless can DC be? Talk about not being even remotely close to getting that character.

I must say that I have a serious love-hate relationship with DC these days.

They do really stupid things like make Superman into a whiny non-smiling grim stale loser and have also made Batman into the most unlikable "hero" ever, he is actually more annoying and jerkish than most villains nowadays, that's not my Batman. I think the writers there have taken the whole Dark Knight bit too far, IMHO. Batman is one of those characters that nearly write themselves, you really have to be an full blown moron to screw him up, yet they have, go figure.

On the good side of things, they release really sweet action figures and reprints like that Showcase Sliver Age Superman, those are terrific!

Someday we will get an "All-Star" Captain Marvel when Jeff Smith finally finishes his Captain Marvel mini series, years from now Wink

Some really old news, that is worth reading again Cheesy, hopefully someday it will come true Wink

DC fans were a little surprised when the company announced at Comic-Con International: San Diego that Jeff Smith, best-known for his work on the award-winning Bone series, would be bringing the iconic Captain Marvel back in a four issue limited series. Although when you think about the elements of Bone which are a healthy mix of outrageous and realistic, a series like Captain Marvel which contains much of the same, seems a natural for Smith. Even if the creator wasn't sure he was the right man for the job. "When DC Comics approached me about working on Captain Marvel, I was a little hesitant at first," admits Smith. "I read a lot of superhero comics back in the '60s and '70s, including Shazam!, but I'm out of the mainstream loop these days. Mike Carlin knew that, and assured me he wanted to re-launch the character in a traditional style – an old fashioned adventure story that suited the original Binder & Beck Captain Marvel comics."

The idea of doing it along the lines of those classic creators was something Smith liked a lot. "That appealed to me," comments Smith. "A lot of what I enjoy doing in my own work on Bone is that seat-of-your-pants cliffhanger stuff. I told Mike I'd think about it, then on a visit to my parent's house, I discovered that Captain Marvel was my mom and dad's favorite comic when they were kids! Well, that decided that. I only had two major concerns: I couldn't start until my current project, Bone is finished (issue #55 summer 2003), and I wanted to write and draw the book myself. DC agreed, and here we are. Shazam!: Monster Society of Evil, a four issue, prestige format mini-series coming out some time in 2004."

Although the title: Monster Society of Evil might be the same as that classic twenty part serial from the 1940s Captain Marvel Comics, this isn't going to be the same story. "We're just stealing the name," says Smith. "It's a classic serial, but it's pretty goofy by today's standards. But don't worry, all the good villains will be in the new book. And all the odd-ball good guys. Giant, out-of-control casts of characters are my specialty."

Another specialty is writing about the darker side of things, even if that grim part is disguised amidst cute cartoon looking characters. "Writing scary stuff is also a specialty," continues Smith. "Readers unfamiliar with Bone probably think my comics are cartoony, but those who read it know Bone can be funny, but also rough, violent, and frightening. I think that balance is an important part of story-telling, so while the Captain himself will be good and honest (like all true heroes), the villains he will face will be terrifying and cruel."

The creator's not concerned with making this appeal to his existing Bone fans or the existing Captain Marvel fans. He just wants to tell a fantastic story. "I don't aim Bone at either mainstream or independent comics readers, and I won't be aiming Captain Marvel at any particular audience," explains Smith. "I plan to make this story as good and wicked as I can and let DC worry about the rest. The response I've gotten from people since the announcement has been really good – from both Indy pals and mainstream folks. I tested out my ideas on friends like Frank Miller, Charles Vess, Dean Haspiel, Paul Pope, Judd Winnick, James Kochalka, Terry Moore, and of course, Mike Carlin, and they all loved it (at least they told me they did!). Now all I have to do is finish Bone!"

Just for fun, we asked Smith if he could have any of Captain Marvel's powers, what would he want and he answered, "I'd want his magic word so I could become invincible! Shazam!"
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« Reply #10 on: October 03, 2005, 06:38:04 AM »

They did a Mego Capt. Marvel, no?
And Mary Marvel?

My ability to like a superhero character depends primarily on the art, and then character.

A Shazam playset, with the 7 vices and a throne would be a cool PVC set!
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« Reply #11 on: October 03, 2005, 07:15:34 AM »

Quote from: "TELLE"
They did a Mego Capt. Marvel, no?
And Mary Marvel?

My ability to like a superhero character depends primarily on the art, and then character.

A Shazam playset, with the 7 vices and a throne would be a cool PVC set!


Mego did Captain Marvel and Isis but no Mary Marvel.

http://www.megomuseum.com/dc/shazam.shtml
http://www.megomuseum.com/dc/isis.shtml


A PVC set would be great.
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« Reply #12 on: October 03, 2005, 05:09:10 PM »

DC's had, what, like 5 or 6 shots at Captain Marvel and they've screwed them all up.

Same with Plastic Man, which is why I added the caveat to my last response.  Plas without Cole, Cap without Binder, Beck and Costanza... what good are they?  Sometimes I think we just have to admit that a confluence of forces came together at just the right moment to create something fantastic, but all efforts to keep it going past that moment, let alone resurrect it years later, are doomed.

DC needs to keep up its aggressive reprint schedule on Cole's Plastic Man and do a better job with Marvel family reprints.  Other than that, they shouldn't touch either character with a ten foot pole.

Incidentally while Supes and Bats had much longer runs where greatness was possible, and sometimes standard, by now they've joined Cap and Plas in  Comic Valhalla, while imposters in their costumes disgrace their legacy in modern books.
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« Reply #13 on: October 03, 2005, 05:22:38 PM »

Quote from: "nightwing"
DC's had, what, like 5 or 6 shots at Captain Marvel and they've screwed them all up.

Same with Plastic Man, which is why I added the caveat to my last response.  Plas without Cole, Cap without Binder, Beck and Costanza... what good are they?  Sometimes I think we just have to admit that a confluence of forces came together at just the right moment to create something fantastic, but all efforts to keep it going past that moment, let alone resurrect it years later, are doomed.

DC needs to keep up its aggressive reprint schedule on Cole's Plastic Man and do a better job with Marvel family reprints.  Other than that, they shouldn't touch either character with a ten foot pole.

Incidentally while Supes and Bats had much longer runs where greatness was possible, and sometimes standard, by now they've joined Cap and Plas in  Comic Valhalla, while imposters in their costumes disgrace their legacy in modern books.


I must agree, the creative teams make the characters. DC only need to print 2 or 3 more archives to finish Cole's Plastic Man run, Plas keep going after that, but I see no need to reprint those Wink

DC needs to get their act together with the Fawcet reprints. There are rumors of a possible Captain Marvel, Jr. archives, but that might be just wishful thinking, though they are some people at DC that really want to see it happen, but there are a lot of factors that decide what gets reprinted. So it may never happen.

I don't want to completely give up that it will never be as good as it once was, this is why people have such high hopes for All-Star Superman and that 200 Page Captain Marvel story by Jeff Smith. Yet, I feel I still have to play the wait and see game with them both. Since after all, All-Star Batman was DC's idea of back to basics pure iconic Batman and Robin, no seriously,  so I don't trust anything that they say at this point.
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« Reply #14 on: October 03, 2005, 08:57:32 PM »

My favorite superheroes (apart from Superman)? Gosh, what a question! Here's a few to start. I'm limiting myself to ten so as not to talk all day:

Captain Comet. It's like the Silver Age is encapsulated in a single man. Who can forget his rocketship, the Cometeer, operating on "Spectrum Drive?" Who could forget Professor Zackro? Who could forget the wonderful sloganeering: "Man of Destiny" and "Man of 100,000 AD!" His origin is top-notch. His powers are far from a boring suite endorsed by the Superman clones (*ahem* Captain Marvel), but included various other science fiction related abilities, like Telepathy and Telekinesis. A wonderful, imaginative synthesis of superheroism with a science fiction slant; he felt more like the LENSMAN and SLAN characters. He may not even be a superhero at all, arguably; he's...he's...well, I don't know what he is, but whatever it is, it's GREAT.


The Valkyrie. What a powerful, poignant story Steve Englehart wrote in his DEFENDERS run - the Valkyrie in love with a stone statue of a man she had never met. It really says something about the Valkyrie's vivaciousness and strong personality that on a team with Doctor Strange and Namor, the Valkyrie completely stole the show. And who can forget her winged horse, Aragorn? Not me - I'm a sucker for creatures.


Fing Fang Foom. Speaking of creatures, Fing Fang Foom was the one thing any comic book universe needs: a big monster. A superintelligent space dragon, Fing Fang Foom combines the best of science fiction and chinese myth. I especially enjoyed Fing Fang Foom when he was drawn by that one artist whose name escapes me at the moment but worked during Busiek's run.


Damien Hellstrom - "Son of Satan." The original SON OF SATAN was an underappreciated, wonderful gem of the silver age, and the most imaginative mystic comic of the 70s apart from the Englehart DR. STRANGE. Son of Satan wields a trident of "Netheranium." And I for one, don't get tired of demons. People rag on Son of Satan because of his costume, but if I was in that kind of shape, I wouldn't wear a shirt, either! I wonder how he got so fit - could it possibly be from doing a thousand SATANIC crunches in his SATANIC gym?


Hercules. I mean, specifically, the Hercules miniseries done by the wonderful Bob Layton in the early 1980s, which combined grandeur with a wonderful sense of swashbuckling humor. Many prefer Thor, but for me, Hercules's wit, humor and joy de vivre place him over his brave but grim Asgardian counterpart.


Hawkeye. Now here's a guy that had personality! Hawkeye is your average inarticulate macho man who picks fights when he's anxious, a guy that means well, but who is sabotaged by his big mouth. He is also a character who has grown more mature and less hotheaded with time, a gradual change over DECADES that is wonderful to see but is usually impossible to do, as writing is like a game of telephone: speak into one end and over several people it comes out completely different.  In real life, I hate guys like Hawkeye. But Hawkeye shows an interesting thing about fiction: characters you wouldn't like in real life are made absolutely loveable if a story makes them REAL.  

Captain Marvel (Monica Rambeau) Many writers dismiss her as a writer-obsession of Roger Stern's, but I for one, think she had potential: she had an imaginative superpower, and the first black female leader of the Avengers is nothing to sneer at. Many people talk about various DC characters that were obviously inspired by or done in the Marvel style, but Monica Rambeau was the rare animal: a Marvel character done following the DC model, instead of vice-versa. DC heroes have a vaguely "serve and protect" mentality, and are confident authority figures. Monica Rambeau, was a harbor policewoman and hardly a misanthrope like the Marvel characters; and she possessed a truly cosmic level power on the level of Superman or Green Lantern. She was a person with a confident, strong, assertive personality that was family-centered.

I recently heard Warren Ellis discuss his plans for the character, and like everything else Warren Ellis has ever done, it makes me shudder.


Doctor Light. I once had a conversation with a friend that went like this:

    ME: "You know, I think Green Arrow would be a more interesting character if he was a woman. Because then his concern for society would spring from the urge to nurture, and his anti-authority would come from feminine crabbiness."
    GUY: "Oh...you mean sort of like Dr. Light?"
    ME: "Who?" [/list]
    And that's how I was introduced to Doctor Light, a character that had wonderful potential but was never utilized. Her power alone suggests millions of permutations we the fans have thought of that no one has made use of.


    Black Panther. There's something that's just plain cool about giant robot panthers and "energy daggers." But apart from his fascinating gadgetry, the thing that is most interesting about the Panther is that he was a character created by worldbuilding - the world was created first, and the Panther second to fit into it. Everything about Wakanda is fascinating, from the great Vibranium Mound, to the heart shaped herb that gives the Panther his power, to the Panther's teenage Karate chick sidekicks, the Dora Milaje, to the aforementioned giant panther robots - the Panther has by far the most fascinating and immersive corner of the entire Marvel Universe.


    Vision/Red Tornado. Yeah, okay, they're not the same character, but the thing that works about one, works about the other: they are children in adult bodies, experiencing everything for the first time. The Vision, however, I would say is the character that lived up to his full potential, whereas the Red Tornado faded into the background. The Vision enjoyed possibly the saddest love of the entire Silver Age, starting as unrequited love because he felt he wasn't a real man, and ending with "Wanda...I can make you happy! Please...forget all the human rules and marry me." Sniff.

    Red Tornado, though, had one problem that Vision did not: he was in the Justice League. Kurt Busiek once said that in the Justice League, the ones that get the most attention in fight scenes are the heroes with the most interesting powers (Superman, Green Lantern) and the heroes with the personalities that get the most attention are the loud ones that call the most attention to themselves. Which makes it unsurprising that Red Tornado was never given anything interesting to do; there was no Wanda for him to have a poignant love with (all the women in the JLA were taken, thank you) and no "brother" or other characters to connect with. So he faded into the background, just like the Martian Manhunter, because those two loudmouths Green Arrow and Hawkman just never could shut up!   Smiley
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    « Reply #15 on: October 04, 2005, 10:23:01 AM »

    Quote from: "JulianPerez"

    Captain Comet. It's like the Silver Age is encapsulated in a single man. Who can forget his rocketship, the Cometeer, operating on "Spectrum Drive?" Who could forget Professor Zackro? Who could forget the wonderful sloganeering: "Man of Destiny" and "Man of 100,000 AD!"


    Er, I guess .... me?  

    He was that boring guy in Secret Society of Supervillains, right?
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