Character most in need of becoming a "major player?&quo

[JulianPerez]

Some comic stories capture the imagination of the public in such a way that any character involved in them immediately becomes high-profile, an important asset of the universe they're in. Sometimes the creators rebuild a character from scratch, but more likely what they do is take over a character with a publishing history and tell us why a character is "already" cool.

The best example of this would be Frank Miller's DAREDEVIL. It would have been unthinkable to imagine Daredevil prior to Miller, a character that battled the Man-Bull and the Purple Man who never really acquired an identity, being a significant member of the Marvel Universe. Without Miller, he'd be a minor but ultimately invisible character like Hank Pym and the Wasp (only without their AVENGERS connection and significance to that group's history).

The Len Wein, Dave Cockrum and Roy Thomas "All New, All Different" X-Men would be another example .They went from a cute and trippy Stan and Jack (later Roy and Neal) Marvel comic with a devoted fan following, to being, arguably, the most successful comic in history, as big as STAR WARS and JAWS put together.

If you could apply the "major player" makeover to any one character, who would it be?

The makeover would include: constructing a dynamic gallery of villains, an interesting supporting cast, having several particularly memorable and significant comics story arcs (the kind that never get out of TPB), and the possibility of a movie or television series down the road.

Me, I'd have to say Ms. Marvel. She just FEELS like the sort of character that would be "big," doesn't she? Great costume, straightforward "visual" powers...what she really lacks are good villains. Her Chris Claremont solo title had its moments, to be sure (particularly that issue where she hunts Sabretooth through the subway) and I am pleased she had her own series at present, however, she needs something more than Frank Cho covers if she is to become more than just the Marvel Universe's version of John Jones, Manhunter from Mars. She needs some bad guys, and a creator of vision to do for Carol what Miller did for Daredevil.

I would also say the Thunderbolts, but really, considering what a gigantic deal their book was at the time and today, and the fact the Thunderbolts was, arguably, the best-written book of the 1990s (with Busiek's own AVENGERS, the Priest BLACK PANTHER, and Gaiman's SANDMAN obviously excluded) it's hard to say what could make them any "bigger." Mostly I blame a comics-illiterate media failing to see what a gem they've got in THUNDERBOLTS, keen to develop movies based on MORT, THE DEAD TEENAGER and (my God) DEATHLOK before THUNDERBOLTS will even be considered. I'm absolutely astonished that THUNDERBOLTS has not been optioned up for an animated series, at the very least.

[nightwing]

The Len Wein, Dave Cockrum and Roy Thomas "All New, All Different" X-Men would be another example .They went from a cute and trippy Stan and Jack (later Roy and Neal) Marvel comic with a devoted fan following, to being, arguably, the most successful comic in history, as big as STAR WARS and JAWS put together.

I don't know if I'd go that far. Star Wars and Jaws were pretty successful comics! Maybe not as big as "MASK" or "The Transformers", but still...

Me, I'd have to say Ms. Marvel. She just FEELS like the sort of character that would be "big," doesn't she?

Frankly, no.  Ms Marvel was predicated on an obvious, ham-handed gimmick from the beginning; remake a male hero as a hot chick.  I know at the time I didn't care for her, partly because of that annoying (and quickly dated) "Ms." in front of her name and its obvious, pathetically desperate appeal to the feminist crowd.  Granted she wasn't as hideously designed or totally uncalled for as "Spider-Woman," but she gets extra points off for being an early (but hardly the last) attempt to spike sales by grabbing headlines ("Bam! Pow! Move over Spidey, Ms Marvel strikes a blow for Equal Rights!").

Then again, She-Hulk was an even dumber idea than Spider-Woman and they managed to make her appealing eventually, so who knows?

I'm not as versed in the Marvel mythos as you are, so I'm not sure who to suggest for a makeover.  But at DC I always thought something cool could be done in the modern day with Jerry Seigel's original take on Robotman (as opposed to the Cliff Steele version).  Also I'd like to see a modern, global force of non-powered adventurers that included the Sea Devils, the Challengers, Rip Hunter, Cave Carson and maybe even a peacetime Blackhawk team.  They could work together or at least with some sort of central dispatcher to respond to crises in remote areas, underground, undersea, whatever...mix it up every month.  Personally I think this sort of thing would be a natural set-up for a revived "Adventure Comics" title.

I also think Captain Comet could be made into something great, but I see from this month's solicits that DC's already got plans for him.  (I'm not hopeful, in case you were wondering).

[Klar Ken T5477]

Hey Nightwing - good one for Adventure - they could be an ECO-Team

[MatterEaterLad]

I always thought a "Legion Worlds" would be good for Adventure, maybe a few in depth comics about alien worlds of Legion people where things work very differently...

[MatterEaterLad]

Or maybe I just want to see the women of Saturn running around in cool futuristic space outfits...  

[JulianPerez]

I always thought a "Legion Worlds" would be good for Adventure, maybe a few in depth comics about alien worlds of Legion people where things work very differently...

That would be so cool! I remember the Curt Swan/Jim Shooter issues with Mantis Morlo where we actually got to SEE the Legionnaires' respective homeworlds. Daxam was another "future world" with weird buildings and so forth, but the single most fascinating was Dream Girl's homeworld.

The idea of an entire civilization that has precognition is an entirely mindblowing idea, and I'm really glad Jim Shooter didn't wuss out on this frankly, courageous idea. He showed us what life was like on Nural - as car accidents are known in advance, papers are settled out of court. There is no gambling, and as election results are known in advance, nobody ever votes!

I also loved any Legion story set on Imsk, where EVERYBODY had the power to shrink - as in there were FUTURAMA style transport tubes that only the inhabitants could use by getting small as they were six inches tall. It was also rather trippy to imagine that Imsk ITSELF was shrinking!

Though the Mark Waid Legion reboot has been fine so far, one of my favorite moments was when Colossal Boy demanded his name be changed to "Micro Lad" because he was from a planet of giants, and his power was that he could shrink to six feet tall.

Also I'd like to see a modern, global force of non-powered adventurers that included the Sea Devils, the Challengers, Rip Hunter, Cave Carson and maybe even a peacetime Blackhawk team.

Wow, this would be a fantastic idea.

The thing about the Blackhawks and Sea Devils is, there's been something like three decades of progress in terms of vehicles and vehicle design - just crack open any issue of Popular Mechanics and you read innovations for VTOL (Vertical Takeoff and Landing), GPS systems and laser pathfinders, uranium tipped ammunition, and so on. If you give the book to a real techie-type who's crazy for engineering and machines, it might be a lot of fun.

I really, really enjoyed the Sean McLaughlin run on AQUAMAN back in 1989, and while it only lasted a few issues, it was fantastic to see the Sea Devils again.

And those jet skis of theirs...if I could have any comic book vehicle, give me one of those! (Or Thunderbird-3.)

[Klar Ken T5477]

Or maybe I just want to see the women of Saturn running around in cool futuristic space outfits...  

Calling all Saturn GIRLS! MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM....