My Top Ten Heroes February 11, 2007
Posted by 54071 in : Comics , trackbackI know that everyone has their favorite heroes that they like to follow and always want to read.
And everyone has their own subjective opinion about who the greatest heroes in comics are, past and present.
Well, here are my ” Top Ten Heroes ”
1- Superman
I don’t care what anyone says about my first pick, but when you think of ” Hero/Super ” this will always be the first name that comes to mind.
The last survivor of the planet Krypton, sent to Earth in a rocket designed by his father Jor-El, baby Kal-El arrived on Earth, his rocket landing near a small farm in Kansas, and adopted by Martha and Johnathon Kent, young Kal-El would be named Clark, and grow up in Kansas. Under a yellow sun, which grants Clark his extraordinary powers.
Super Strength, Super Hearing, Invulnerability, Super Speed, and the ability to Fly! And a will to do for others unselfishly.
In the story ” Kingdom Come “, there is one picture of Superman, an older and wiser Superman that just exudes an air of heroism and majesty that I have seen in only one other hero, which leads me to ….
2- The Mighty Thor
Ragnarok be damned, Thor will return!
Another of the greatest and most heroic of heroes, Thor is on a level with Superman in this category…did I mention he is a god? A fight between Thor and Superman, only if there is ever a team-up between them. I know there was the JLA/Avengers crossover, but that was really nothing as far as deciding who was the better of the two.
Now, Thor was bound in spirit to the earth man doctor Donald Blake, who was lame and needed to walk with a cane.
I don’t remember the situation of how he came across Thor’s hammer, but I remember seeing the panel where Donald Blake strikes the cane on the ground and than there is a flash of lighting and then the heroic form of Thor appears from the smoke and mist.
While the Thunder God has been missing from the comics scene for more than a year now, there have been a few signs of his return…a certain ” URU ” hammer falls to Earth, and a small cut scene in a certain comic that shows someone actually lifting the hammer, and then disappearing. And another scene in another comic, of a stranger with his back to us, with ( and I’m not certain of which of these it was ) either a small back pack or a small brief case, with the initials ” DB ” on it….
3- Batman
We all know the story by now, even if you do not read comics….
Bruce Wayne’s parents are killed right in front of him, he is orphaned, and a millionaire. He travels the world, he learns the martial arts, he becomes the worlds greatest detective.
He comes back to Gotham City, intent on avenging his parents murder. But he needs a disguise, something that will spread fear into the hearts of the criminals he intends to hunt.
He gets his inspiration from a bat, which in at least the original origin story, comes flying thru a window in Wayne’s living room one evening.
And thus the Batman is born.
And anyone with alot of training and resources, could actually become the Batman! You, me, Donald Trump, you get the idea.
4- Spiderman
If your reading this post and your a Spidey fan, I’m sorry but Spiderman is number 4 on my list because of HOW he got his powers ( and I almost had it as a tie between Spidey and the Bat, but that would not have been fair in my opinion so…) Peter Parker, bitten by fate ( and a certain now infamous ) radioactive spider, Parker inherits the proportionate strength and powers of a spider.
Spiderman is also the ultimate ” anti-hero “, with more than his share of angst, a huge rogues gallery, and powers that have changed thru the years.
And his latest mistake of revealing who is behind the spider mask, for all the world to see, has certainly not made his life any easier.
Now, lets see what happens when he goes to ” Black “!
5- Namor, The Submariner
Certainly, one of Marvel’s most underrated heroes, Namor is a regal character, who deserves much better treatment( reminds me of another king of the sea who has gotten a face lift by another comics publisher..DC maybe ) Namor is the unrivaled king of the undersea realm of Atlantis( I think he and Aquaman need to have a little discussion about this…) he was a member of the Invaders and fought alongside Captain America, and the Human Torch ( not Johnny Storm, but if I remember correctly, this Torch was an android ), he was also a member of the super group the Defenders.
Subby deserves another try at his own comic, but with a little darker tone, and a great writer and artist to elevate him to greater stature than he enjoys at this moment.
6- Wonder Woman
Princess Diana of Themscyria ( or Paradise Island if you like ) while certainly not a god along the line of Thor, certainly is a Goddess in the world of comics and has become my favorite femme to read.
She is beautiful, majestic in her stature, and in her said mission of preaching the way of peace taught by the Amazons.
She also has a pedigree that rivals Superman and Batman.
She is also a founding member of the ” Justice League “, along with Superman & Batman. These three characters form the conscience of the DC universe.
And if for nothing else, her costume is one of the best designed in all of comics, and is ” Very Form Fitting ”
At least till Marvel gives ” Shanna ” her own series anyway, than all bets are off.
7- The Incredible Hulk
Can a 1000 lb monster be a hero?
In this case, yes.
But not just a hero, a brute driven by rage, angst in the guise of his alter ego, Bruce Banner, and just plain, relentless hounding, from everyone.
Another comics legend born in the sixties, Bruce Banner was caught in a Gamma Bomb explosion while trying to save the life of a young drifter named Rick Jones, throwing Jones into a safe bunker, and not being able to save himself before the gamma bomb explodes, Banner gets caught in the blast, and is bathed in gamma radiation. And a few nights later Banner’s nightmare begins and an anti-hero is born.
I have to like the Hulk, because if I don’t the Hulk will get mad, and when Hulk gets angry, Hulk smashes!
And I’m not covered for that type of insurance damage…are you?
8- The Punisher
Frank Castle, in the gritty underworld of Marvel’s New York City, there is not a more feared name than that of the Punisher.
A vigilante, who is not particularly well liked by the super hero community either, and who just recently has taken a side ( somewhat anyway ) in the ongoing Civil War story line, Castle’s origins are not particularly unique, and neither is his approach to the tragedy that makes him become the Punisher, and his war against crime is very much a part of what makes him who he is, which is along the same line as the Batman, but while both are vigilantes, the differences are profound, and Castle is definitely not Batman when it comes to a code of ethics. If the Joker were a Punisher villain, he would have been dead already!
The Punisher ” Civil War ” journal has caught my attention and put him on my favorite comics reading list again.
9- Captain America
Steve Rogers is america’s living weapon against evil.
His costume is the American flag, which he wears proudly.
Rogers was in the big one, World War Two, where he was involved in the government’s ” Super-soldier Program ” and after that experiment became Captain America. Near the end of this conflict, Cap is hurt and somehow becomes preserved in a block of ice, and found some 20 years later in that same block of ice by the Avengers. He would later become the leader of the Avengers, do special ops work with Shield, and in a twist of fate ( and story writing ) become the leader of the resistance movement against the now infamous ” Hero Registration Act ” the central storyline of Civil War.
The guy wears the flag, and is a natural born leader. You have to respect the man, no less his uniform, and no I did not mean costume, not in this case.
10- Green Lantern
First, let me make the distinction here, I am refering to the one, true, lantern….
Sinestro!!
No, I just kidding, what you can’t take a joke?
Of course, I’m referring to the one true lantern, Hal Jordan, arguably the greatest of all the green lanterns. But Hal has not just been a Green Lantern….
Hal was also Parallax, who at one point in time, single handedly destroyed the Green Lantern Corps, and destroyed the Central Power Battery on Oa, and did a pretty good number on the Guardians of the Universe to boot.
Later, Jordan would become one with the Spectre, and eventually ( and deservedly so ) was resurrected and again was able to become the Green Lantern of Earth again, in the six issue limited series ” Rebirth ”
That’s my Top Ten, and I’m sticking with it till the end!
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