Jon Hancock
Feb 13, 2005, 09:18 pm
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/Top70DCCharacters.jpg" align=left border=0 alt="Top 70 DC Characters">Part 2: #50-31
By: Raul Grau, Alex Groff, Jon Hancock, Matt Lazorwitz, Robin Lewis, Jordan T. Maxwell, Dylan McKay and Ann Nichols
Editor: Jon Hancock
Characters are everything when it comes to story. Without characters you’re left with some nice scenery that would look good as a calendar in a toilet, but makes for a lousy comic. Characters within comics are a special breed. They earn such attention and admiration that many readers will follow a character rather than a writer or story. How many times was Dickens asked to introduce Oliver Twist in the Pickwick Papers? How many times did Shakespeare receive death threats for killing off Romeo and Juliet? Comic fans know what characters they like and so do staff members on comic websites.
For the second instalment celebrating DC’s wide and varied character base you can expect to find a wabbit, a Baptist minister, Sylvester Stallone, an antiques dealer and J.K. Rowling’s favourite character (allegedly)
If you've only just joined us then feel free to check what you've missed in Part 1 (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32275) of the column
But enough with the teasers and meaningless prattle. Ladies and gentlemen, ComiX-Fan’s staff proudly presents the second instalment of The Top 70 DC Characters Of All Time starting at #50
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#50 Daffy Duck
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/50.jpg" align=left alt="Daffy Duck">First Appearance: Porky’s Duck Hunt
Created By: Tex Avery and Mel Blanc
Daffy is second only to Bugs Bunny as a Looney Tunes character, and how bitterly he resents that! He once blew himself up in a Vaudeville act just to prove he was greater than Bugs. Daffy is conceited, self-centred, impatient, and, as he admits himself, a greedy, craven little coward. Yet it is these unlikeable qualities that make him so endearing. Perhaps that's because his worst plots usually backfire often finding Daffy at the prey of scenery and circumstance as much as his own ineptitude. Daffy’s allure is added to by his fantastic parodies of pulp heroes: Duck Dodgers, Duck Twacy, Dripalong Daffy, Robin Hood Daffy, Dorlock Holmes, etc all show the characters relentless drive towards fame and acceptance. Yet as a hero, those in distress are better off looking to his sidekick, Porky Pig. Usually Daffy is saved by a combination of Porky and luck rather than his own skill. If Porky doesn't come to the rescue, a certain amount of cunning and dumb luck will have to do. It seems his guardian angel is overdue for a nervous breakdown. Daffy found himself firmly rooted in the DCU when he was made a member of the Green Lantern Corps. A scarier thought than him having that much power is hard to imagine. The universe may yet regret that they didn't settle for giving him a replica ring and a key to the executive washroom. A big Daffy Duck fan (the author’s sister) was asked what makes Daffy so great. She replied, "He's funny. That's all he needs to be." Given the sheer amount of gloom and doom in most comics, the ability to make people laugh is a mighty power indeed.
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#49 Delirium
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/49.jpg" align=left alt="Delirium">First Appearance: Sandman #21
Created by: Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg
Delirium isn’t just insane. She is insanity. Her words dance about in multi coloured balloons like a mix between avant-garde poetry, a child’s wide eyed wonderment and a crack addict coming down from a bad trip. She is the embodiment of madness. Not just the lunacy of mental patients, but the mad frenetic energy of poets, the grey eyed ramblings of drug addicts and the homeless, the dancing and innocent joy of a child…and the corruption of that innocence with discovery. Because Delirium was once Delight, youngest of the seven Endless. Older than gods and stars, but eternally the little sister. It is her tragedy and her triumph because she knows things that are not in her older brother Destiny’s dusty book. She imagines things that would rival the wonders of the kingdom of her brother Dream and her embrace is often the one to encompass the lost souls left ravaged by her siblings Desire and Despair. Despite the dysfunctions of her family, she is the most loyal and affectionate of the seven...for better or worse. While her relationship with Death is endearing and her innocent lunacy is a wonderful foil to Dream’s stuffed up pretension, it is her quest to reunite with prodigal brother Destruction that leads Dream to the act that would destroy him. Whether creating chocolate lovers, forgetting words that never existed, learning how to drive or coming up with ice cream flavours, there is great joy in the character of the infectious variety. In her insane ramblings are great truths and revelations (“I knew it was going to be in the last place I looked for it, so I looked there first.”). We love Delirium for her joy and her sadness, her innocence and her corruption, but most of all because she is fun and true. She is the madness that gives sense to the method.
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#48 Jenny Sparks
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/48.jpg" align="left" alt="Jenny Sparks">First Appearance: Stormwatch #37
Created by: Warren Ellis and Tom Raney
The twentieth century was a violent era of change and discovery. An era of contradiction…war to bring about peace, violence to bring about freedom, cynical idealism, passionate apathy. Jenny Sparks was the Spirit of the Twentieth Century. And whether she embodied that contradiction or merely reflected it, she was a wonder to behold. Born at the turn of the century along with a handful of other destined protectors of this planet (such as Planetary’s Elijah Snow), Jenny stopped aging on her twentieth birthday. But she didn’t stop living. She drank hard, chain smoked, slept around, cursed like a sailor and saved more worlds than this one. This girl was electric…literally! She was a Golden Age crime fighter in the 30s, a Spirit like pulp detective in the 40s and a science fiction adventurer in the 50s. A brief stint in the 60s as an underground writer a la Crumb gave way to her founding a Kirbyesque super team that failed. A similar attempt in the 80s fell apart due to the darkness and paranoia of the Watchmen era. And in the 90s, she was found drowning her sorrows in shots of liquor by Henry Bendix who recruited her for his revamped Stormwatch. Jenny was a superhero again (though she’s always preferred her white suits to the “spandex body condom things” of tradition) and she wanted to change the world. She had been witness to the evolution of the genre and served as the mouthpiece for a kind of British cynicism and skepticism towards traditional superheroes. In the wake of Stormwatch’s destruction, on the cusp of a new millenium, Jenny formed a new kind of team for a new kind of world: The Authority. She died at midnight at the end of the century, having saved the world and through the Authority changed it forever…for better or worse.
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#47 Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/47.jpg" align=left alt="Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)">First Appearance: Black Lightning (1st series) #1
Created by: Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden
In the 1970's, Blaxploitation was huge. DC's answer was going to be the Black Bomber, a racist character that was everything DC's first African-American hero, starring in his own solo title, shouldn't be. Bringing Marvel writer Tony Isabella in to get the character to work led to the sane decision being reached, scraping the whole idea and starting from scratch, under time constraints, a hero to be proud of emerged, Black Lighting. Jefferson Pierce differed from the typical blaxploitation hero. He wasn't a jive talkin' bad mutha. Well he was, as Black Lightning, but not as Jefferson Pierce. See, he was one of the first heroes to realize that having different speech patterns in civilian and in costumed life was an effective tool in protecting his identity. And that was just the first time Jefferson Pierce deviated from the typical. Black Lightning was just the third hero to refuse membership in the Justice League of America and later became a founding member of the Outsiders. In recent times he accepted a position as Secretary of Education in Lex Luthor's cabinet, surviving as the superhero community's insider voice whilst also fighting for what he believes in most, the future of others. He worked tirelessly, albeit without success, to prevent his daughter, Thunder, from taking up the life of a costumed hero. Jefferson hoped that she would fight for justice in a way that would not need such a high price. Proud, noble, honorable, aware of the injustices of the African-American community, but not a one note character. Jefferson Pierce is willing to be different in his hopes to make a difference and in doing so laid the groundwork for characters like Cyborg, John Stewart, Mr. Terrific and countless other dynamic African-American DC heroes.
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#46 Hawkman (Carter Hall)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/46.jpg" align=left alt="Hawkman (Carter Hall)">First Appearance: Flash Comics #1
Created by: Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville
Hawkman started off as an innocent hero with wings and a mace. He had roots in Egyptian mythology and was the reincarnated soul of an Egyptian Prince. Along the way there was also some confusion around reincarnated alien policemen and lost loves. So why does this guy deserve a place here? Hawkman’s personality is one of unabashed machismo. While other heroes try and be cool, he’s just genuinely scary. His extreme approach to justice, coupled with his mastery of arcane, brutal weapons make his silly hawk helmet a whole lot more intimidating. He looks like he’s going to swoop down and use the beak to rip your eyes out. He was the first person to be in both Justice League and Justice Society and was the only ever present member of the All-Star Squadron. His leadership skills command him respect from the hero community the likes of which is usually reserved for Batman and Superman. Carter is the hero’s hero. Carter is just a guy with wings and a mace, yet he hangs with the strongest and most powerful heroes in the world due to his valiant nature and unrivalled bravery. His relationship with the Atom is a truly unique one as his hard headed, larger than life warrior, somehow compliments the Atom’s straight thinking scientific method. Carter’s uniqueness comes from the fact he is one of the most ferocious and vicious of DC’s characters despite his roots in the schmaltzy days of DC’s Golden Age. This alone warrants his place in this list.
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#45 Judge Dredd (Joe Dredd)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/45.jpg" align=left alt="Judge Dredd (Joe Dredd)">First appearance: 2000AD Prog #2
Created by John Wagner, Pat Mills and Carlos Ezquerra
No figure stands taller in the world of British comics than Judge Joe Dredd. Top lawman in a future America dominated by sprawling Mega-Cities, Dredd is a paragon of duty, a brutal exponent of applied violence, a protector of his city, and a borderline fascist. No comic character from any universe comes close in terms of dedication, single-mindedness and toughness. He's been stabbed, shot, crushed, immolated, drowned, strangled, tortured and otherwise upset. A clone whose only love is the law and whose only reward is the satisfaction of duty, Judge Dredd has saved his city on countless occasions, been responsible for the deaths of over a billion people (most of them during the Apocalypse War, in which he nuked a city foolish enough to have invaded his own) and stalked the streets of his beloved home for decades dealing justice with a daystick and dispensing punishment with the coolest gun ever made. His stories have been by turns exciting, satiric, bleak, hysterically funny and touching. He is the law, and you better believe it.
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#44 Starman (Jack Knight)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/44.jpg" align="left" alt="Starman (Jack Knight)">First Appearance: Zero Hour: Crisis In Time! #1
Created by: James Robinson and Tony Harris
Jack Knight cared more about finding choice pieces of Heywood Wakefield furniture than he ever did about the silly little game of dress-up called superheroism. Harnessing unbelievable energies to stop pickpockets was the world of his father, and the aspiration of his brother... for Jack, life was great as long as the View-Master reels kept pouring in. A single gunshot changed all that, leaving Opal City without a Starman. The role fell upon Jack, and he acquiesced, first out of desire for vengeance, then out of parental loyalty, but always with his own style. Gone were the gaudy costume and head fin, this Starman needed only a cosmic rod, a leather jacket (quite cold in the sky), and a pair of tank goggles (that rod gets mighty bright). Along the way, he made friends, enemies, friends out of enemies, and, occasionally, enemies out of friends. In the end, Jack willingly retired from costume life, but not before finally admitting that he had enjoyed the adventure. Obviously, this Starman was a different breed of superhero. He eschewed spandex, adopting a personal look which mixed 50s retro with 90s slacker. Jack had tea with villains, and would avoid a fight when he could, especially if he could make a sale instead. However, he embodied the nobility of heroism, always willing to lay down his life for the people of Opal. With Jack Knight, James Robinson reinterpreted the modern hero, abandoning the pretence, but keeping the core. Most amazingly, when his story was over, Jack quietly passed his rod to another. Frankly, I would love to see Superman or Batman retire from crime fighting to care for their illegitimate son.
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#43 Flash (Jay Garrick)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/43.jpg" align="left" alt="Flash (Jay Garrick)">First Appearance: Flash Comics #1
Created by: Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert
Wally West may be the current titleholder, but from 1939 until 1951, Jay Garrick was the Fastest Man Alive! However, being the first of the Flash lineage is not the only record held by this racer. The current glut of super speedsters populating our fictional worlds can all be traced back to Jay, who was the first to fight crime with fleet feet. Almost immediately after his 'hard water' experiment went so horribly right, he broke standard heroic form by telling his girlfriend of his newfound abilities. The first chairman of the Justice Society of America, Jay proved popular enough to earn his own solo title (the aptly named All-Flash), something only Superman and Batman had done before him. Though his titles and team faded with the post-war decline of superheroes, Jay was the first DC hero to spawn a successor, ensuring his eventual legacy. His inheritor, Barry Allen, was the starting pistol for a new heroic age, providing Jay with the means to be the first Golden Ager to return. Today, Jay Garrick remains as active as ever, serving with the renamed JSA and acting as a respected mentor to the two generations of superheroes who followed. Most amazingly, he has even managed to maintain a marriage for nearly sixty years, putting all other wedded wonders to shame. All who ride the lighting are merely following in the footsteps of Jay Garrick, the Fastest Octogenarian Alive!
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#42 Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan Osterman)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/42.jpg" align="left" alt="Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan Osterman)">First Appearance: Watchmen #1
Created by: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
One of the most well known expressions in comics’ history is, "With great power comes great responsibility.” But what exactly is that responsibility? In Dr. Manhattan we see that much of that responsibility may be towards inaction. His presence not only revolutionized super heroics in a world where costumed vigilantes had no powers, but revolutionized everything from the automotive industry to international politics and the global balance of power. "God exists and he's American." The ways that he can change the world are immeasurable, not even by him, and as such, he must be incredibly careful of everything he does. He may have the power of a god, but he does not have the omniscience. Dr. Manhattan experiences time simultaneously; as opposed to in a linear fashion, and as such, his actions reflect what he views as the pre-ordained future. Never questioning time or his actions, it is the only way he can live with the power at his disposal. Often times the most common criticism of over-powered superheroes is that the reader cannot relate to the character, but in Dr. Manhattan, we see the inverse is also true, how can a being of such immense power relate to the world around him? What can ground a being who can see people on the atomic level and to whom changes in the natural world are perceived the same as changes in human emotion? Dr. Manhattan earns his place by being the most well thought out and realistic portrayal of the practical realities of being the most powerful entity on the planet.
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#41 Adam Strange
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/41.jpg" align=left alt="Adam Strange">First Appearance: Showcase #17
Created by: Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky
Adam Strange is Flash Gordon with an advanced degree in archaeology. He is a normal man who stumbled upon a grand adventure. Rann may not have been the world of his birth, but there he found love, family, a home, a purpose, and a destiny. As a man, Adam is a hero, nobly sacrificing his own safety countless times over, all in the service of his adopted homeworld. However, as a concept, he is far more. Adam Strange harkens back to the pulp roots of comic literature. When DC revamped their Golden Age concepts as modern heroes, they were reborn in science fiction clothing. A chemical rich Flash, Green Lantern with an extraterrestrial ring, a Hawkman from another planet, an Atom utilizing the power of a fallen star, and then came Adam Strange. A typical man cast in his very own space opera, Adam Strange is an Amazing Stories cover brought to life as a superhero. Every appearance he makes today, in an era when sci-fi is defined by the level of CGI, helps keep those pulp sensibilities alive. Adam Strange embodies the very core of science fiction, and he never even needed a codename to accomplish that.
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#40 Zatanna (Zatanna Zatara)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/40.jpg" align="left">First Appearance: Hawkman #4
Created by: Gardner Fox, Julius Schwartz, and Murphy Anderson
As the daughter of a Golden Age stage magician/crimefighter, Zatanna, the first gender-swapped successor, seemed destined for uniqueness. To start with her beginnings, she has the distinction of starring in the first multi-title comic book crossover. Zatanna's Search (as it has retroactively been dubbed) spanned four series and three years before coming to rest in Justice League of America. She would later return to that title as their first mystical member, holding her own even alongside that other, second-generational fishnet-clad heroine. Arguably their most powerful member, her abilities would ebb and flow as her writers saw fit, before she was abandoned to the limbo of guest stardom. Still, Zatanna persevered, appearing in every book that would allow her top hat. Her relationships with Vertigo characters (very intimate relationships, in some cases) bridge the gap between the two imprints, blending adult mysticism and superheroics into one, leggy package.
Identity Crisis further raised her profile, transforming Zatanna into the most feared character in her universe, at least among heroes and villains who particularly like keeping their memories intact. Of course, everyone would love the power to effect change simply by talking backwards, tub ti ylno smees ot krow rof reh.
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#39 Ra’s al Ghul
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/39.jpg" align=left alt="Ra's Al Ghul">First Appearance: Batman #232
Created by: Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams
Ra’s al Ghul is a man who wears many faces. He is a father, he is the master of the League of Assassins, he is an eco-terrorist, he is an immortal. Using his Lazarus Pits, a combination of alchemy and mystic lay lines, Ra’s has lived through the centuries and watched the world slowly crumble due to the depredations of man. It was his decision that the only way to stop this was to wipe out ninety percent of humanity. This goal has brought him into conflict on many occasions with the Batman. Ra’s would sooner have Batman as his heir, marrying his daughter Talia, helping to bring about Ra’s apocalyptic visions. But this is not to be, and so Ra’s has become one of Batman’s most cunning and deadly adversaries. As opposed to the usual breed of psychotic that the Dark Knight faces, Ra’s is cool, calculating, and always one step ahead, ready with a legion of underlings and his own sword if the battle reaches that point. He has teamed with many of Batman’s other foes, and has bedevilled the Dark Knight for some time. Ra’s is one of the few villains to come from the seventies who has had lasting effect on the Batman mythos, created by the legendary team of Bat guru Denny O’Neil and comics legend Neal Adams. In recent years, he has gone as far as being a threat not only to Batman, but to the entire JLA. And though he died in Batman: Death and the Maidens, with his upcoming appearance in Batman Begins, we may still see more of Ra’s al Ghul.
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#38 Animal Man (Buddy Baker)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/38.jpg" align=left alt="Animal Man (Buddy Baker)">First Appearance: Strange Adventures #180 (1965)
Created by: Dave Wood and Carmine Infantino
Reimagined by: Grant Morrison and Chas Truog
When a character's most memorable appearance in two decades is as part of a superhero team named The Forgotten Heroes, one really has to wonder how important that character is. I mean, let's face it, Animal Man? A guy whose great ability puts him on par with fleas and porcupines? Riiight. A lesser writer would have broken down and cried when DC handed him or her the reins to a book so obviously the brain child of psychedelic drugs and the Animal Planet. But not Grant Morrison. No. As someone well-acquainted with both psychotropic substances and animal rights causes, Morrison turned Buddy Baker from a spandex-clad punch line to a character that represented certain cultural ideas that were gaining credence during the seventies, eighties and nineties. Animal rights, vegetarianism, the relationship between man and animal, man and the earth, man and commercialism-- these all became a part of Buddy Baker's multifaceted character. Buddy Baker is a family man, married with two children, who tries on his costume again as a way of beating unemployment and winds up facing the realities of animal abuse, the excesses of activism, the brutality of reactionary corporations, and the suffering caused simply by being human. In an era of realistic comics a la Dark Knight Returns, Animal Man managed to combine innocence, naiveté, and in the end, hope. If comics had need of a patron saint for lost causes, it would be Buddy Baker-- a character who began as a lost cause himself.
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#37 Jesse Custer
<img src=" http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/37.jpg" align=left alt="Jesse Custer">First Appearance: Preacher #1
Created by: Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Jesse Custer was a disillusioned Texan preacher whose congregation was mysteriously killed when a mysterious power entered him. Jesse began a search for God, hoping to find out why he had received this entity. Along the way he confronted his abusive childhood and managed to foil a global conspiracy to replace all the world’s leaders. Jesse’s story is one of love, inner searching, revenge, friendship and betrayal. Jesse is more than a cool anti hero. He is an everyman who strives to understand his history and his spirituality within the context of the life that he is presented with. Whether he is confiding in the ghost of John Wayne or dealing with betrayal from his best friends, Jesse’s tale nurtures the reader’s emotions as well as tickling their funny bone. Jesse deserves his place on this list because he is not only ridiculously cool, but you can take him at whatever level of entertainment you want. Whether that is a gripping commentary on relationships, a deep exploration of someone’s spiritual motivations or an action packed, non stop ride is up to you. The only constant is quality comics.
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#36 V
<img src=" http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/36.jpg" align=left alt="V">First appearance: Warrior #1
Created by: Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Anarchist. Criminal. Terrorist. Not the words you would typically expect to describe a hero…particularly when he describes himself as the villain. But such is the brilliant ambiguity of V. He is both champion and criminal, terrorist and freedom fighter, psychotic and visionary, standing as the lone force of opposition against a fascist regime. Driven insane by the government experiments that left him a superhuman specimen, V has a charming eccentricity about him. He dresses like Guy Fawkes and is as likely to quote Macbeth as Motown. Yet that insanity has granted him a certain clarity and a deeply dangerous intelligence hidden behind his eerie porcelain smile, almost as deadly as his bombs and knives (and fingers…it’s best not to discuss it). The weapons at V’s disposal are multifaceted. He can kill you up close with a dagger. He can kill you from afar with plastique. He can kill you with the delicious irony of a communion wafer. He can drive you insane, manipulate you…or set you free (or, in the case of poor sweet Evey, all three). In short, he can do anything he wants and what he wants is to set people free from the yoke of fascism with the bombs and poetry of sweet, sweet anarchy. For all his incredible physical prowess and mental agility, for all the delights of his moral ambiguity, the most important aspect of V is his philosophy. In his words, we find great wisdom, cleverness and truth. He was written as a reflection of a dark and troubled period…and in today’s world where the lines between terror, tyranny and freedom are so blurred, he is more relevant than ever. His villainy destroys our oppressors. His heroism sets us free. Oh, and he helped get Alan Moore noticed and hired by DC. That’s got to count for something.
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#35 Brainiac
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/35.jpg" align=left alt="Brainiac">First Appearance: Action Comics #242 (1958)
Created by: Al Plastino & Curt Swan
There's a lot of back story to Brainiac (from 1958 to the 64th century, to be exact), but at the heart of it is a villain whose uber-intelligence is only matched by his disregard for human life. In his first appearance, he shrunk most major world cities. He never did get around to enlarging Kandor, the only remaining city from Superman's home world of Krypton.* Since then, he has taken over Metropolis, killed Jimmy Olson and Lana Lang, nearly killed Superman multiple times, attempted to overtake Earth2, taken over Metropolis again, and so on. He has been an alien named Vril Dox, a robot named Brainiac, a clone, a robot named Brainiac 2, a human being named Milton Fine; he's now a robot again, #12 or #13. Or, you ask? Well, he was Brainiac #13, but then Superman went into the future and prevented #13 from being created in the past. Yes, you read that correctly. Continuity, as they say, be damned.... With a history that confusing, its a good thing he's smart. But just how intelligent is Brainiac, you ask? The finest Brainiac story I've read was Superman's Dead Again storyline, when Superman finally defeated Brainiac. Unwilling to admit defeat, Brainiac convinced himself that he was still Milton Fine, the circus magician whose body Brainiac inhabited. By convincing himself that he was someone else, Brainiac could never lose another battle. Imagine the brainpower required to convince yourself that you are someone else-- to literally hide within yourself. It was a fine ending to a fine villain... until he came back again.
*This event occurred pre-Crisis. The post-Crisis story of Kandor is... confusing, to say the least. See here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandor) for more information.
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#34 Tim Hunter
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/34.jpg" align="left" alt="Tim Hunter"> First Appearance: Books of Magic #1
Created by: Neil Gaiman and John Bolton
Long before Harry Potter ever picked up a broom, there was Tim Hunter. A normal brown-haired, bespectacled, thirteen year old British boy, who is suddenly confronted with the rather unsettling news that the world is an infinitely stranger place than he could ever have imagined. Magic exists, his parents are not really his parents, and he has the potential to be the greatest mage of his time... quite a bit to lay on a thirteen year old. He quickly learns that mysticism cannot be measured by the number of rabbits pulled from hats... magic is the unseen world functioning parallel to our own, it is a curse always threatening to destroy those who dare to harness it, it is beauty transcendent, it is inside him, and it will never let him go. Neil Gaiman broke every standard of what a wizard should be with the creation of Tim. No white beards, starry robes, or pointy wands here... not even a trench coat and a nicotine habit. Tim is just a boy, learning about life as he learns about magic. He flirted, stumbled, and wept like any other adolescent, with his abilities as much a help as a hindrance. Even now, living a Life During Wartime, Tim remains Tim- desperate to reclaim that lost normalcy, but amazed by the true wonders he unlocks. Plus, he never lowered himself to nonsense-speaking, robe-wearing, wand-waving clichés like certain other pampered boy mages you might have heard of.
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#33 Darkseid (Uxas)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/33.jpg" align=left alt="Darkseid (Uxas)">First Appearance: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
Created by: Jack Kirby
Lord and master of the despotic hell hole that is Apokolips, Darkseid rules with an iron fist, dominant over all. Feared by every creature and hero within the DC Universe, Darkseid is immortal and all powerful. However, there is more to the character than his immense power. Darkseid’s constant quest for knowledge and power is a calculated one rather than the hair brained schemes or shows of force often seen by would-be world conquerors. Darkseid is rarely outwitted or out fought and when he is then you can be sure he will gain vengeance. He has no comparables, no equals, no betters. Darkseid represents all that is evil within Jack Kirby’s dualistic Fourth World Saga. Twisting and torturing each of his subjects to earn their loyalty. Darkseid’s importance is such that whenever he appears in a comic, the hero’s situation instantly becomes hopeless. Immensely powerful and yet intensely cerebral, Darkseid is the ultimate villain. His appearance is dominating, commanding and hope sucking. Darkseid rules over a hell of depression and he does so with pleasure.
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#32 Robin (Tim Drake)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/32.jpg" align=left alt="Robin (Tim Drake)">First Appearance: Batman #436
Created by: Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick
Tim Drake is not the first Robin, but he is a different one from the previous two in many ways. A witness to the death of the Flying Graysons, Tim used his clever young mind to deduce the identities of Batman and Robin. When Batman began to lose his grip following the death of Jason Todd, Tim hunted down Dick Grayson to try to get him to help. Dick told him that he wouldn’t come back as Robin and so Tim was offered the chance to be a hero. And he took it. Not because of some dark past or a death of a family member, but because it was the right thing to do. Tim learned to be a hero slowly, and readers of the Bat titles watched it happen. Unlike other Robins, Tim wasn’t a natural fighter or athlete. He was a thinker, a computer hacker and a detective who had to try hard to follow Batman’s physical regimen. After his initial appearance, it was a year before he donned his own version of the Robin costume and went out into the world. Tim would get three mini-series before getting an honor no previous Robin had, his own monthly series. And he has continued to grow. Readers have watched him deal with the death of his mother, his father’s slow recovery from illness, and his new stepmother. Tim has found first love, and lost it, and found someone new to be with. And recently, his life has been full of tragedy. His father has died, a victim of Jean Loring’s machinations, and Spoiler, his once girlfriend, was killed by Black Mask. And yet he perseveres. Robin, Tim Drake, is a hero above all else, and his future holds much promise.
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#31 Bugs Bunny
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/31.jpg" align=left alt="Bugs Bunny">First Appearance: “Porky’s Hare Hunt”
Created by: Cal Dalton, ‘Bugs’ Hardaway and Mel Blanc
Bugs Bunny differs from your conventional superhero. He has no powers, aside from the ability to conjure up necessary objects out of thin air (or command fabulously quick service through letters or ads) and his continuity is that of character. Bugs is recognizably Bugs no matter what setting you drop him into, be it a hole in the forest, Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelugan", or a stage ready for a performance of "The Barber of Seville". The grey rabbit is a hero for all the ordinary people because he stands up for himself, and smaller, weaker creatures, against bigger, stupider or more powerful foes. He tends to be minding his own business until someone comes along to shove a gun in his face or threaten something he holds dear. Whose heart doesn't beat faster in anticipation when Bugs utters those famous words, "Of course you know, this means war?" Bugs is a master of disguise with a deep knowledge of human nature, which he uses to hilarious effect. No proper man would do anything other than slam the door, stammer an apology, and slink shamefacedly away if he finds an apparent woman taking a bubble bath and "she" screams at him. Although his casual, "Eh, what's up, Doc?", in a threatening situation shows his courage, when it comes to escaping, Bugs has no shame. He makes a convincing coward or lovely lady. His motto might as well be, "Whatever it takes." Fortunately for us, whatever it takes is hugely entertaining.
Join us next time for moments #11-30, and watch ComiX-Fan all month long for more anniversary goodness! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32203)
#34, 40, 41, 43, 44: Raul Grau
#33, 37, 46: Jon Hancock
#36, 48, 49: Jordan T. Maxwell
#35, 38: Alex Groff
#32, 39: Matt Lazorwitz
#42, 47: Dylan McKay
#31, 50: Ann Nichols
#45: Robin Lewis
Editor: Jon Hancock
Columns Editor: Joel Phillips
Editor in Chief: Al Harahap
Co-Publisher: Brian Wilkinson
Publisher: Eric J. Moreels
<center>All characters, titles, and likenesses thereof ™ © DC Comics (http://www.dccomics.com) or its licensors,
and are used without permission, not for profit. All other content © original author and ComiX-Fan (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan).</center>
By: Raul Grau, Alex Groff, Jon Hancock, Matt Lazorwitz, Robin Lewis, Jordan T. Maxwell, Dylan McKay and Ann Nichols
Editor: Jon Hancock
Characters are everything when it comes to story. Without characters you’re left with some nice scenery that would look good as a calendar in a toilet, but makes for a lousy comic. Characters within comics are a special breed. They earn such attention and admiration that many readers will follow a character rather than a writer or story. How many times was Dickens asked to introduce Oliver Twist in the Pickwick Papers? How many times did Shakespeare receive death threats for killing off Romeo and Juliet? Comic fans know what characters they like and so do staff members on comic websites.
For the second instalment celebrating DC’s wide and varied character base you can expect to find a wabbit, a Baptist minister, Sylvester Stallone, an antiques dealer and J.K. Rowling’s favourite character (allegedly)
If you've only just joined us then feel free to check what you've missed in Part 1 (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32275) of the column
But enough with the teasers and meaningless prattle. Ladies and gentlemen, ComiX-Fan’s staff proudly presents the second instalment of The Top 70 DC Characters Of All Time starting at #50
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#50 Daffy Duck
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/50.jpg" align=left alt="Daffy Duck">First Appearance: Porky’s Duck Hunt
Created By: Tex Avery and Mel Blanc
Daffy is second only to Bugs Bunny as a Looney Tunes character, and how bitterly he resents that! He once blew himself up in a Vaudeville act just to prove he was greater than Bugs. Daffy is conceited, self-centred, impatient, and, as he admits himself, a greedy, craven little coward. Yet it is these unlikeable qualities that make him so endearing. Perhaps that's because his worst plots usually backfire often finding Daffy at the prey of scenery and circumstance as much as his own ineptitude. Daffy’s allure is added to by his fantastic parodies of pulp heroes: Duck Dodgers, Duck Twacy, Dripalong Daffy, Robin Hood Daffy, Dorlock Holmes, etc all show the characters relentless drive towards fame and acceptance. Yet as a hero, those in distress are better off looking to his sidekick, Porky Pig. Usually Daffy is saved by a combination of Porky and luck rather than his own skill. If Porky doesn't come to the rescue, a certain amount of cunning and dumb luck will have to do. It seems his guardian angel is overdue for a nervous breakdown. Daffy found himself firmly rooted in the DCU when he was made a member of the Green Lantern Corps. A scarier thought than him having that much power is hard to imagine. The universe may yet regret that they didn't settle for giving him a replica ring and a key to the executive washroom. A big Daffy Duck fan (the author’s sister) was asked what makes Daffy so great. She replied, "He's funny. That's all he needs to be." Given the sheer amount of gloom and doom in most comics, the ability to make people laugh is a mighty power indeed.
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#49 Delirium
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/49.jpg" align=left alt="Delirium">First Appearance: Sandman #21
Created by: Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg
Delirium isn’t just insane. She is insanity. Her words dance about in multi coloured balloons like a mix between avant-garde poetry, a child’s wide eyed wonderment and a crack addict coming down from a bad trip. She is the embodiment of madness. Not just the lunacy of mental patients, but the mad frenetic energy of poets, the grey eyed ramblings of drug addicts and the homeless, the dancing and innocent joy of a child…and the corruption of that innocence with discovery. Because Delirium was once Delight, youngest of the seven Endless. Older than gods and stars, but eternally the little sister. It is her tragedy and her triumph because she knows things that are not in her older brother Destiny’s dusty book. She imagines things that would rival the wonders of the kingdom of her brother Dream and her embrace is often the one to encompass the lost souls left ravaged by her siblings Desire and Despair. Despite the dysfunctions of her family, she is the most loyal and affectionate of the seven...for better or worse. While her relationship with Death is endearing and her innocent lunacy is a wonderful foil to Dream’s stuffed up pretension, it is her quest to reunite with prodigal brother Destruction that leads Dream to the act that would destroy him. Whether creating chocolate lovers, forgetting words that never existed, learning how to drive or coming up with ice cream flavours, there is great joy in the character of the infectious variety. In her insane ramblings are great truths and revelations (“I knew it was going to be in the last place I looked for it, so I looked there first.”). We love Delirium for her joy and her sadness, her innocence and her corruption, but most of all because she is fun and true. She is the madness that gives sense to the method.
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#48 Jenny Sparks
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/48.jpg" align="left" alt="Jenny Sparks">First Appearance: Stormwatch #37
Created by: Warren Ellis and Tom Raney
The twentieth century was a violent era of change and discovery. An era of contradiction…war to bring about peace, violence to bring about freedom, cynical idealism, passionate apathy. Jenny Sparks was the Spirit of the Twentieth Century. And whether she embodied that contradiction or merely reflected it, she was a wonder to behold. Born at the turn of the century along with a handful of other destined protectors of this planet (such as Planetary’s Elijah Snow), Jenny stopped aging on her twentieth birthday. But she didn’t stop living. She drank hard, chain smoked, slept around, cursed like a sailor and saved more worlds than this one. This girl was electric…literally! She was a Golden Age crime fighter in the 30s, a Spirit like pulp detective in the 40s and a science fiction adventurer in the 50s. A brief stint in the 60s as an underground writer a la Crumb gave way to her founding a Kirbyesque super team that failed. A similar attempt in the 80s fell apart due to the darkness and paranoia of the Watchmen era. And in the 90s, she was found drowning her sorrows in shots of liquor by Henry Bendix who recruited her for his revamped Stormwatch. Jenny was a superhero again (though she’s always preferred her white suits to the “spandex body condom things” of tradition) and she wanted to change the world. She had been witness to the evolution of the genre and served as the mouthpiece for a kind of British cynicism and skepticism towards traditional superheroes. In the wake of Stormwatch’s destruction, on the cusp of a new millenium, Jenny formed a new kind of team for a new kind of world: The Authority. She died at midnight at the end of the century, having saved the world and through the Authority changed it forever…for better or worse.
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#47 Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/47.jpg" align=left alt="Black Lightning (Jefferson Pierce)">First Appearance: Black Lightning (1st series) #1
Created by: Tony Isabella and Trevor Von Eeden
In the 1970's, Blaxploitation was huge. DC's answer was going to be the Black Bomber, a racist character that was everything DC's first African-American hero, starring in his own solo title, shouldn't be. Bringing Marvel writer Tony Isabella in to get the character to work led to the sane decision being reached, scraping the whole idea and starting from scratch, under time constraints, a hero to be proud of emerged, Black Lighting. Jefferson Pierce differed from the typical blaxploitation hero. He wasn't a jive talkin' bad mutha. Well he was, as Black Lightning, but not as Jefferson Pierce. See, he was one of the first heroes to realize that having different speech patterns in civilian and in costumed life was an effective tool in protecting his identity. And that was just the first time Jefferson Pierce deviated from the typical. Black Lightning was just the third hero to refuse membership in the Justice League of America and later became a founding member of the Outsiders. In recent times he accepted a position as Secretary of Education in Lex Luthor's cabinet, surviving as the superhero community's insider voice whilst also fighting for what he believes in most, the future of others. He worked tirelessly, albeit without success, to prevent his daughter, Thunder, from taking up the life of a costumed hero. Jefferson hoped that she would fight for justice in a way that would not need such a high price. Proud, noble, honorable, aware of the injustices of the African-American community, but not a one note character. Jefferson Pierce is willing to be different in his hopes to make a difference and in doing so laid the groundwork for characters like Cyborg, John Stewart, Mr. Terrific and countless other dynamic African-American DC heroes.
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#46 Hawkman (Carter Hall)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/46.jpg" align=left alt="Hawkman (Carter Hall)">First Appearance: Flash Comics #1
Created by: Gardner Fox and Dennis Neville
Hawkman started off as an innocent hero with wings and a mace. He had roots in Egyptian mythology and was the reincarnated soul of an Egyptian Prince. Along the way there was also some confusion around reincarnated alien policemen and lost loves. So why does this guy deserve a place here? Hawkman’s personality is one of unabashed machismo. While other heroes try and be cool, he’s just genuinely scary. His extreme approach to justice, coupled with his mastery of arcane, brutal weapons make his silly hawk helmet a whole lot more intimidating. He looks like he’s going to swoop down and use the beak to rip your eyes out. He was the first person to be in both Justice League and Justice Society and was the only ever present member of the All-Star Squadron. His leadership skills command him respect from the hero community the likes of which is usually reserved for Batman and Superman. Carter is the hero’s hero. Carter is just a guy with wings and a mace, yet he hangs with the strongest and most powerful heroes in the world due to his valiant nature and unrivalled bravery. His relationship with the Atom is a truly unique one as his hard headed, larger than life warrior, somehow compliments the Atom’s straight thinking scientific method. Carter’s uniqueness comes from the fact he is one of the most ferocious and vicious of DC’s characters despite his roots in the schmaltzy days of DC’s Golden Age. This alone warrants his place in this list.
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#45 Judge Dredd (Joe Dredd)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/45.jpg" align=left alt="Judge Dredd (Joe Dredd)">First appearance: 2000AD Prog #2
Created by John Wagner, Pat Mills and Carlos Ezquerra
No figure stands taller in the world of British comics than Judge Joe Dredd. Top lawman in a future America dominated by sprawling Mega-Cities, Dredd is a paragon of duty, a brutal exponent of applied violence, a protector of his city, and a borderline fascist. No comic character from any universe comes close in terms of dedication, single-mindedness and toughness. He's been stabbed, shot, crushed, immolated, drowned, strangled, tortured and otherwise upset. A clone whose only love is the law and whose only reward is the satisfaction of duty, Judge Dredd has saved his city on countless occasions, been responsible for the deaths of over a billion people (most of them during the Apocalypse War, in which he nuked a city foolish enough to have invaded his own) and stalked the streets of his beloved home for decades dealing justice with a daystick and dispensing punishment with the coolest gun ever made. His stories have been by turns exciting, satiric, bleak, hysterically funny and touching. He is the law, and you better believe it.
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#44 Starman (Jack Knight)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/44.jpg" align="left" alt="Starman (Jack Knight)">First Appearance: Zero Hour: Crisis In Time! #1
Created by: James Robinson and Tony Harris
Jack Knight cared more about finding choice pieces of Heywood Wakefield furniture than he ever did about the silly little game of dress-up called superheroism. Harnessing unbelievable energies to stop pickpockets was the world of his father, and the aspiration of his brother... for Jack, life was great as long as the View-Master reels kept pouring in. A single gunshot changed all that, leaving Opal City without a Starman. The role fell upon Jack, and he acquiesced, first out of desire for vengeance, then out of parental loyalty, but always with his own style. Gone were the gaudy costume and head fin, this Starman needed only a cosmic rod, a leather jacket (quite cold in the sky), and a pair of tank goggles (that rod gets mighty bright). Along the way, he made friends, enemies, friends out of enemies, and, occasionally, enemies out of friends. In the end, Jack willingly retired from costume life, but not before finally admitting that he had enjoyed the adventure. Obviously, this Starman was a different breed of superhero. He eschewed spandex, adopting a personal look which mixed 50s retro with 90s slacker. Jack had tea with villains, and would avoid a fight when he could, especially if he could make a sale instead. However, he embodied the nobility of heroism, always willing to lay down his life for the people of Opal. With Jack Knight, James Robinson reinterpreted the modern hero, abandoning the pretence, but keeping the core. Most amazingly, when his story was over, Jack quietly passed his rod to another. Frankly, I would love to see Superman or Batman retire from crime fighting to care for their illegitimate son.
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#43 Flash (Jay Garrick)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/43.jpg" align="left" alt="Flash (Jay Garrick)">First Appearance: Flash Comics #1
Created by: Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert
Wally West may be the current titleholder, but from 1939 until 1951, Jay Garrick was the Fastest Man Alive! However, being the first of the Flash lineage is not the only record held by this racer. The current glut of super speedsters populating our fictional worlds can all be traced back to Jay, who was the first to fight crime with fleet feet. Almost immediately after his 'hard water' experiment went so horribly right, he broke standard heroic form by telling his girlfriend of his newfound abilities. The first chairman of the Justice Society of America, Jay proved popular enough to earn his own solo title (the aptly named All-Flash), something only Superman and Batman had done before him. Though his titles and team faded with the post-war decline of superheroes, Jay was the first DC hero to spawn a successor, ensuring his eventual legacy. His inheritor, Barry Allen, was the starting pistol for a new heroic age, providing Jay with the means to be the first Golden Ager to return. Today, Jay Garrick remains as active as ever, serving with the renamed JSA and acting as a respected mentor to the two generations of superheroes who followed. Most amazingly, he has even managed to maintain a marriage for nearly sixty years, putting all other wedded wonders to shame. All who ride the lighting are merely following in the footsteps of Jay Garrick, the Fastest Octogenarian Alive!
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#42 Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan Osterman)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/42.jpg" align="left" alt="Doctor Manhattan (Dr. Jonathan Osterman)">First Appearance: Watchmen #1
Created by: Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
One of the most well known expressions in comics’ history is, "With great power comes great responsibility.” But what exactly is that responsibility? In Dr. Manhattan we see that much of that responsibility may be towards inaction. His presence not only revolutionized super heroics in a world where costumed vigilantes had no powers, but revolutionized everything from the automotive industry to international politics and the global balance of power. "God exists and he's American." The ways that he can change the world are immeasurable, not even by him, and as such, he must be incredibly careful of everything he does. He may have the power of a god, but he does not have the omniscience. Dr. Manhattan experiences time simultaneously; as opposed to in a linear fashion, and as such, his actions reflect what he views as the pre-ordained future. Never questioning time or his actions, it is the only way he can live with the power at his disposal. Often times the most common criticism of over-powered superheroes is that the reader cannot relate to the character, but in Dr. Manhattan, we see the inverse is also true, how can a being of such immense power relate to the world around him? What can ground a being who can see people on the atomic level and to whom changes in the natural world are perceived the same as changes in human emotion? Dr. Manhattan earns his place by being the most well thought out and realistic portrayal of the practical realities of being the most powerful entity on the planet.
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#41 Adam Strange
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/41.jpg" align=left alt="Adam Strange">First Appearance: Showcase #17
Created by: Gardner Fox and Mike Sekowsky
Adam Strange is Flash Gordon with an advanced degree in archaeology. He is a normal man who stumbled upon a grand adventure. Rann may not have been the world of his birth, but there he found love, family, a home, a purpose, and a destiny. As a man, Adam is a hero, nobly sacrificing his own safety countless times over, all in the service of his adopted homeworld. However, as a concept, he is far more. Adam Strange harkens back to the pulp roots of comic literature. When DC revamped their Golden Age concepts as modern heroes, they were reborn in science fiction clothing. A chemical rich Flash, Green Lantern with an extraterrestrial ring, a Hawkman from another planet, an Atom utilizing the power of a fallen star, and then came Adam Strange. A typical man cast in his very own space opera, Adam Strange is an Amazing Stories cover brought to life as a superhero. Every appearance he makes today, in an era when sci-fi is defined by the level of CGI, helps keep those pulp sensibilities alive. Adam Strange embodies the very core of science fiction, and he never even needed a codename to accomplish that.
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#40 Zatanna (Zatanna Zatara)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/40.jpg" align="left">First Appearance: Hawkman #4
Created by: Gardner Fox, Julius Schwartz, and Murphy Anderson
As the daughter of a Golden Age stage magician/crimefighter, Zatanna, the first gender-swapped successor, seemed destined for uniqueness. To start with her beginnings, she has the distinction of starring in the first multi-title comic book crossover. Zatanna's Search (as it has retroactively been dubbed) spanned four series and three years before coming to rest in Justice League of America. She would later return to that title as their first mystical member, holding her own even alongside that other, second-generational fishnet-clad heroine. Arguably their most powerful member, her abilities would ebb and flow as her writers saw fit, before she was abandoned to the limbo of guest stardom. Still, Zatanna persevered, appearing in every book that would allow her top hat. Her relationships with Vertigo characters (very intimate relationships, in some cases) bridge the gap between the two imprints, blending adult mysticism and superheroics into one, leggy package.
Identity Crisis further raised her profile, transforming Zatanna into the most feared character in her universe, at least among heroes and villains who particularly like keeping their memories intact. Of course, everyone would love the power to effect change simply by talking backwards, tub ti ylno smees ot krow rof reh.
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#39 Ra’s al Ghul
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/39.jpg" align=left alt="Ra's Al Ghul">First Appearance: Batman #232
Created by: Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams
Ra’s al Ghul is a man who wears many faces. He is a father, he is the master of the League of Assassins, he is an eco-terrorist, he is an immortal. Using his Lazarus Pits, a combination of alchemy and mystic lay lines, Ra’s has lived through the centuries and watched the world slowly crumble due to the depredations of man. It was his decision that the only way to stop this was to wipe out ninety percent of humanity. This goal has brought him into conflict on many occasions with the Batman. Ra’s would sooner have Batman as his heir, marrying his daughter Talia, helping to bring about Ra’s apocalyptic visions. But this is not to be, and so Ra’s has become one of Batman’s most cunning and deadly adversaries. As opposed to the usual breed of psychotic that the Dark Knight faces, Ra’s is cool, calculating, and always one step ahead, ready with a legion of underlings and his own sword if the battle reaches that point. He has teamed with many of Batman’s other foes, and has bedevilled the Dark Knight for some time. Ra’s is one of the few villains to come from the seventies who has had lasting effect on the Batman mythos, created by the legendary team of Bat guru Denny O’Neil and comics legend Neal Adams. In recent years, he has gone as far as being a threat not only to Batman, but to the entire JLA. And though he died in Batman: Death and the Maidens, with his upcoming appearance in Batman Begins, we may still see more of Ra’s al Ghul.
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#38 Animal Man (Buddy Baker)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/38.jpg" align=left alt="Animal Man (Buddy Baker)">First Appearance: Strange Adventures #180 (1965)
Created by: Dave Wood and Carmine Infantino
Reimagined by: Grant Morrison and Chas Truog
When a character's most memorable appearance in two decades is as part of a superhero team named The Forgotten Heroes, one really has to wonder how important that character is. I mean, let's face it, Animal Man? A guy whose great ability puts him on par with fleas and porcupines? Riiight. A lesser writer would have broken down and cried when DC handed him or her the reins to a book so obviously the brain child of psychedelic drugs and the Animal Planet. But not Grant Morrison. No. As someone well-acquainted with both psychotropic substances and animal rights causes, Morrison turned Buddy Baker from a spandex-clad punch line to a character that represented certain cultural ideas that were gaining credence during the seventies, eighties and nineties. Animal rights, vegetarianism, the relationship between man and animal, man and the earth, man and commercialism-- these all became a part of Buddy Baker's multifaceted character. Buddy Baker is a family man, married with two children, who tries on his costume again as a way of beating unemployment and winds up facing the realities of animal abuse, the excesses of activism, the brutality of reactionary corporations, and the suffering caused simply by being human. In an era of realistic comics a la Dark Knight Returns, Animal Man managed to combine innocence, naiveté, and in the end, hope. If comics had need of a patron saint for lost causes, it would be Buddy Baker-- a character who began as a lost cause himself.
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#37 Jesse Custer
<img src=" http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/37.jpg" align=left alt="Jesse Custer">First Appearance: Preacher #1
Created by: Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon
Jesse Custer was a disillusioned Texan preacher whose congregation was mysteriously killed when a mysterious power entered him. Jesse began a search for God, hoping to find out why he had received this entity. Along the way he confronted his abusive childhood and managed to foil a global conspiracy to replace all the world’s leaders. Jesse’s story is one of love, inner searching, revenge, friendship and betrayal. Jesse is more than a cool anti hero. He is an everyman who strives to understand his history and his spirituality within the context of the life that he is presented with. Whether he is confiding in the ghost of John Wayne or dealing with betrayal from his best friends, Jesse’s tale nurtures the reader’s emotions as well as tickling their funny bone. Jesse deserves his place on this list because he is not only ridiculously cool, but you can take him at whatever level of entertainment you want. Whether that is a gripping commentary on relationships, a deep exploration of someone’s spiritual motivations or an action packed, non stop ride is up to you. The only constant is quality comics.
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#36 V
<img src=" http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/36.jpg" align=left alt="V">First appearance: Warrior #1
Created by: Alan Moore and David Lloyd
Anarchist. Criminal. Terrorist. Not the words you would typically expect to describe a hero…particularly when he describes himself as the villain. But such is the brilliant ambiguity of V. He is both champion and criminal, terrorist and freedom fighter, psychotic and visionary, standing as the lone force of opposition against a fascist regime. Driven insane by the government experiments that left him a superhuman specimen, V has a charming eccentricity about him. He dresses like Guy Fawkes and is as likely to quote Macbeth as Motown. Yet that insanity has granted him a certain clarity and a deeply dangerous intelligence hidden behind his eerie porcelain smile, almost as deadly as his bombs and knives (and fingers…it’s best not to discuss it). The weapons at V’s disposal are multifaceted. He can kill you up close with a dagger. He can kill you from afar with plastique. He can kill you with the delicious irony of a communion wafer. He can drive you insane, manipulate you…or set you free (or, in the case of poor sweet Evey, all three). In short, he can do anything he wants and what he wants is to set people free from the yoke of fascism with the bombs and poetry of sweet, sweet anarchy. For all his incredible physical prowess and mental agility, for all the delights of his moral ambiguity, the most important aspect of V is his philosophy. In his words, we find great wisdom, cleverness and truth. He was written as a reflection of a dark and troubled period…and in today’s world where the lines between terror, tyranny and freedom are so blurred, he is more relevant than ever. His villainy destroys our oppressors. His heroism sets us free. Oh, and he helped get Alan Moore noticed and hired by DC. That’s got to count for something.
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#35 Brainiac
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/35.jpg" align=left alt="Brainiac">First Appearance: Action Comics #242 (1958)
Created by: Al Plastino & Curt Swan
There's a lot of back story to Brainiac (from 1958 to the 64th century, to be exact), but at the heart of it is a villain whose uber-intelligence is only matched by his disregard for human life. In his first appearance, he shrunk most major world cities. He never did get around to enlarging Kandor, the only remaining city from Superman's home world of Krypton.* Since then, he has taken over Metropolis, killed Jimmy Olson and Lana Lang, nearly killed Superman multiple times, attempted to overtake Earth2, taken over Metropolis again, and so on. He has been an alien named Vril Dox, a robot named Brainiac, a clone, a robot named Brainiac 2, a human being named Milton Fine; he's now a robot again, #12 or #13. Or, you ask? Well, he was Brainiac #13, but then Superman went into the future and prevented #13 from being created in the past. Yes, you read that correctly. Continuity, as they say, be damned.... With a history that confusing, its a good thing he's smart. But just how intelligent is Brainiac, you ask? The finest Brainiac story I've read was Superman's Dead Again storyline, when Superman finally defeated Brainiac. Unwilling to admit defeat, Brainiac convinced himself that he was still Milton Fine, the circus magician whose body Brainiac inhabited. By convincing himself that he was someone else, Brainiac could never lose another battle. Imagine the brainpower required to convince yourself that you are someone else-- to literally hide within yourself. It was a fine ending to a fine villain... until he came back again.
*This event occurred pre-Crisis. The post-Crisis story of Kandor is... confusing, to say the least. See here (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kandor) for more information.
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#34 Tim Hunter
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/34.jpg" align="left" alt="Tim Hunter"> First Appearance: Books of Magic #1
Created by: Neil Gaiman and John Bolton
Long before Harry Potter ever picked up a broom, there was Tim Hunter. A normal brown-haired, bespectacled, thirteen year old British boy, who is suddenly confronted with the rather unsettling news that the world is an infinitely stranger place than he could ever have imagined. Magic exists, his parents are not really his parents, and he has the potential to be the greatest mage of his time... quite a bit to lay on a thirteen year old. He quickly learns that mysticism cannot be measured by the number of rabbits pulled from hats... magic is the unseen world functioning parallel to our own, it is a curse always threatening to destroy those who dare to harness it, it is beauty transcendent, it is inside him, and it will never let him go. Neil Gaiman broke every standard of what a wizard should be with the creation of Tim. No white beards, starry robes, or pointy wands here... not even a trench coat and a nicotine habit. Tim is just a boy, learning about life as he learns about magic. He flirted, stumbled, and wept like any other adolescent, with his abilities as much a help as a hindrance. Even now, living a Life During Wartime, Tim remains Tim- desperate to reclaim that lost normalcy, but amazed by the true wonders he unlocks. Plus, he never lowered himself to nonsense-speaking, robe-wearing, wand-waving clichés like certain other pampered boy mages you might have heard of.
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#33 Darkseid (Uxas)
<img src="http://x-mencomics.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/33.jpg" align=left alt="Darkseid (Uxas)">First Appearance: Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen #134
Created by: Jack Kirby
Lord and master of the despotic hell hole that is Apokolips, Darkseid rules with an iron fist, dominant over all. Feared by every creature and hero within the DC Universe, Darkseid is immortal and all powerful. However, there is more to the character than his immense power. Darkseid’s constant quest for knowledge and power is a calculated one rather than the hair brained schemes or shows of force often seen by would-be world conquerors. Darkseid is rarely outwitted or out fought and when he is then you can be sure he will gain vengeance. He has no comparables, no equals, no betters. Darkseid represents all that is evil within Jack Kirby’s dualistic Fourth World Saga. Twisting and torturing each of his subjects to earn their loyalty. Darkseid’s importance is such that whenever he appears in a comic, the hero’s situation instantly becomes hopeless. Immensely powerful and yet intensely cerebral, Darkseid is the ultimate villain. His appearance is dominating, commanding and hope sucking. Darkseid rules over a hell of depression and he does so with pleasure.
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#32 Robin (Tim Drake)
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/32.jpg" align=left alt="Robin (Tim Drake)">First Appearance: Batman #436
Created by: Marv Wolfman and Pat Broderick
Tim Drake is not the first Robin, but he is a different one from the previous two in many ways. A witness to the death of the Flying Graysons, Tim used his clever young mind to deduce the identities of Batman and Robin. When Batman began to lose his grip following the death of Jason Todd, Tim hunted down Dick Grayson to try to get him to help. Dick told him that he wouldn’t come back as Robin and so Tim was offered the chance to be a hero. And he took it. Not because of some dark past or a death of a family member, but because it was the right thing to do. Tim learned to be a hero slowly, and readers of the Bat titles watched it happen. Unlike other Robins, Tim wasn’t a natural fighter or athlete. He was a thinker, a computer hacker and a detective who had to try hard to follow Batman’s physical regimen. After his initial appearance, it was a year before he donned his own version of the Robin costume and went out into the world. Tim would get three mini-series before getting an honor no previous Robin had, his own monthly series. And he has continued to grow. Readers have watched him deal with the death of his mother, his father’s slow recovery from illness, and his new stepmother. Tim has found first love, and lost it, and found someone new to be with. And recently, his life has been full of tragedy. His father has died, a victim of Jean Loring’s machinations, and Spoiler, his once girlfriend, was killed by Black Mask. And yet he perseveres. Robin, Tim Drake, is a hero above all else, and his future holds much promise.
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#31 Bugs Bunny
<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/top70dccharacters/31.jpg" align=left alt="Bugs Bunny">First Appearance: “Porky’s Hare Hunt”
Created by: Cal Dalton, ‘Bugs’ Hardaway and Mel Blanc
Bugs Bunny differs from your conventional superhero. He has no powers, aside from the ability to conjure up necessary objects out of thin air (or command fabulously quick service through letters or ads) and his continuity is that of character. Bugs is recognizably Bugs no matter what setting you drop him into, be it a hole in the forest, Wagner's "Ring of the Nibelugan", or a stage ready for a performance of "The Barber of Seville". The grey rabbit is a hero for all the ordinary people because he stands up for himself, and smaller, weaker creatures, against bigger, stupider or more powerful foes. He tends to be minding his own business until someone comes along to shove a gun in his face or threaten something he holds dear. Whose heart doesn't beat faster in anticipation when Bugs utters those famous words, "Of course you know, this means war?" Bugs is a master of disguise with a deep knowledge of human nature, which he uses to hilarious effect. No proper man would do anything other than slam the door, stammer an apology, and slink shamefacedly away if he finds an apparent woman taking a bubble bath and "she" screams at him. Although his casual, "Eh, what's up, Doc?", in a threatening situation shows his courage, when it comes to escaping, Bugs has no shame. He makes a convincing coward or lovely lady. His motto might as well be, "Whatever it takes." Fortunately for us, whatever it takes is hugely entertaining.
Join us next time for moments #11-30, and watch ComiX-Fan all month long for more anniversary goodness! (http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/forums/showthread.php?t=32203)
#34, 40, 41, 43, 44: Raul Grau
#33, 37, 46: Jon Hancock
#36, 48, 49: Jordan T. Maxwell
#35, 38: Alex Groff
#32, 39: Matt Lazorwitz
#42, 47: Dylan McKay
#31, 50: Ann Nichols
#45: Robin Lewis
Editor: Jon Hancock
Columns Editor: Joel Phillips
Editor in Chief: Al Harahap
Co-Publisher: Brian Wilkinson
Publisher: Eric J. Moreels
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