Top 10 Comic Book Characters

I'm going to be completely honest.  The only comic books I follow with any form regularity these days are Batman, Nightwing, Justice League, Black Panther, and Luke Cage & Iron Fist so I will be relying on media outside of comic books to make some points.  I hope that's not too much of a problem.

Even it is, at least you'll learn what makes a great comic book character!

Character/Rank:
#10- Magneto/Erik Lehnsherr

First Appearance:
The X-Men #1 (1963)

What's So Special:
X-Men was actually one of the few comic books I would read as I watched the amazing cartoon back in the day.  While I have not kept up with what's being written, I do watch all the movies and review them on podcasts like LDF Podcast and Spoiled Rotten Podcast!  Of the many (possibly too many) characters in that universe, Magneto always sticks out as a villain/anti hero that I can't help but sympathize with.  His abilities are cool and whatever, but it's the fact that he is a Jewish person who does not want to have mutants face the same fate as his ancestors.  Stan Lee has even said he is supposed to be like Malcolm X to Charles' Martin Luther King Jr.  I appreciate that both Magneto and Professor X ultimately want to keep mutants safe but have different approaches to achieving that.  It makes for consistently more engaging storylines since Magneto isn't just a crazy mutant who wants to take over the world.

Character/Rank:
#9- Rorschach/Walter Joseph Kovacs

First Appearance:
Watchmen #1 (1986)

What's So Special:
Luckily all of the stories featuring Rorschach have been collected in a convenient graphic novel and there is only one film that, as divisive as it may be, I dig a lot.  I'm aware that I wouldn't get along with Rorschach since our worldviews don't align much.  However, I've gotta respect his dedication.  In the comics and in the movie, he doesn't let the fact that everyone thinks he's crazy stop him from pontificating about what he sees as the ills of the world.  Plus, even in print, that attempt to escape the cops is nothing but dopeness. 

Character/Rank:
#8- Wolverine/James "Logan" Howlett

First Appearance:
The Incredible Hulk #180 (1974)

What's So Special:
If I'm being honest the fact that Wolverine is considered Canadian and his overall character design floated him along.  I dig his look and always loved trying to draw him while making the "snikt" sound effects when I got to his claws.  I do like how emotional his storylines can get.  How he can form strong bonds with few characters.  His devotion to Jean and his complicated relationship with Cyclops is always interesting.  In the cartoons I liked his loyalty to Morph and Beast when they went missing/died.  However, it's Hugh Jackman who actually made me love the character.  His performance over the course of 17 years was amazing culminating in the overall great sendoff in Logan.  I liked Hugh's performance so much that it was hard for me to root against him in The Prestige against Batman!  Hugh's performance, more than the cartoon, embodied the ferociousness mixed with lost animal who just wants to be loved vibe I got from the comics.

Character/Rank:
#7- Catwoman/Selina Kyle

First Appearance:
Batman #1 (1940)

What's So Special:
While I think Michelle Pfeiffer is the most effective Catwoman in terms of scaring me while also impressing me with her ability to maneuver  in a world filled with Shrecks, Penguins, and Bats.  That doesn't mean that I'm not interested in this character based on multiple media.  Comic storylines like Batman: Year One and The Long Halloween do great work to flesh out the character more than the cartoons and 60s show did.  I like that Year One sees Selina being independent and wanting to protect her turf and uses a costume like Batman to do it.  I like that The Long Halloween implies that Selina Kyle is the child of Falcone.  I even think Gotham does a great job of getting into the way that Selina has Bruce wrapped around her finger.  I think we all want to see Batman and Catwoman toasting across the restaurant from Alfred.  However, the comics definitely show us why that can never be.  Selina just isn't as committed to Justice as Bruce and that will always stop them from being fully together.   I find that always great to dig into.

Character/Rank:
#6- Deadpool/Wade Wilson

First Appearance:
The New Mutants #98 (1991)

What's So Special:
I had a Deadpool action figure.  That's how it all started.  It was like the coolest action figure I ever had and I didn't know that he was such a fun character.  As the internet became more prevalent I obviously gotta to hear about how wacky and violent a character Wade Wilson is.  I thought he was just a straight laced assassin like Deathstroke.  I then got his video game and I was sold!  I also loved his movie and don't think it's lost it's appeal yet.  I still haven't read a comic featuring Deadpool, but that's fine... I guess.  I'll get around to it.  What I like is that his constant four wall breaking just happens to line up with my sense of humour.  Plus he is a competent combatant so it's not like he's just covering up his inability to fight with jokes like me!  Irreverance and violence, what can I say, it works for me.

Character/Rank:
#5- The Joker

First Appearance:
Batman #1 (1940)

What's So Special:
I can talk about The Joker without even bringing movies, TV shows, or video games.  The ultimate Joker story has got to be The Killing Joke.  Most other media portraying The Joker use some element of this storyline since it gives you a Joker origin story but also give you The Joker modus operandi that works best.  There's no need to have him try and rob a bank or have joke filled capers.  The best use of The Joker is some guy who just wants to prove that everyone has a tipping point and they'll go crazy if you push the right buttons.  What's great about the story is it shows Commissioner Gordon's fortitude since he doesn't lose his morals even after Joker does some horrible stuff you can look up with the hyperlink I provided earlier in this entry.  As he pertains to Batman, specifically, I really do like the Death of the Family storyline.  The Joker rounds up all of Batman's allies and argues that they all make Batman worse since he has to look out for them and care for them.  The Joker posits that he is actually the only person who makes Batman better.  MIND GAMES!  The Joker is best when he is a puppet master of sorts who messes with peoples minds!

Character/Rank:
#4- Black Panther/T'Challa

First Appearance:
Fantastic Four #52 (1966)

What's So Special:
To be fair I only started reading Black Panther comics this year with A Nation Under Our Feet written by Ta-Nehisi Coates.  However, Black Panther was always on my radar!  The first time I really liked Black Panther was on Earth's Mightiest Heroes.  It pretty much encompassed everything I love about comics.  This new character coming in who could mop the floor with a group of well known and formidable characters and then a team up happens.  This is what I like about characters like Black Panther.  You love when they team up with others but they also have a world so rich that they could never team up with the other stars and you'd be fine.  It should also be obvious that I like Black Panther so much because he's a black leader who is more wealthy than Tony Stark or Bruce Wayne and probably could out strategize and beat them in a fist fight with no gadgets.

Character/Rank:
#3- Spider-Man/Peter Parker

First Appearance:
Amazing Fantasy #15 (1962)

What's So Special:
My mom actually put me onto Spider-Man.  I don't even know if she still likes him but her enthusiasm for him made me watch any show about him, read any comic book I saw with him on the cover and get multiple action figures for him.  Much like Wolverine, the way Spider-Man is drawn really appealed to me.  What I like about Spider-Man is that his stories tend to show how difficult it would be for a non billionaire to fight crime.  You have to worry about your aunt's mortgage, your rent, money for dates, finishing homework.  All depending on where in Peter's life we are reading or watching.  That kind of conflict is always interesting.  But what keeps things interesting beyond real life stress, is the amazing rogues gallery!  We've all seen who has appeared in movies so far.  Ben and I even tried our hands at casting villains for future films.  But Spider-Man is a great character with amazing villains who give him all sorts of opportunities to shine in combat and in problem solving.

Character/Rank:
#2- Robin & Nightwing/Dick Grayson

First Appearance:
As Robin: Detective Comics #38 (1940)
As Nightwing: Tales of the Teen Titans #44 (1984)

What's So Special:
People don't like Robin because of the Schumacher films.  I'm convinced.  No one who read Dark Victory or saw some of the Batman: TAS episodes like "Robin's Reckoning" and "Old Wounds" could come away with any disdain for young Dick Grayson.  His relationship with Bruce Wayne and Batman is so interesting.  You just know that Bruce loves him like a son or brother but can't bring himself to say it.  You just know that Dick wants some form of confirmation of that unspoken thing between him and Bruce.  And yet he is able to go off and be his own hero as Nightwing.  He even tries to reject the mantle of Batman since he's just too well rounded of a person to be as dogmatic as Bruce's Batman.  Dick stops Bruce from being too dark and inhuman.  And I think is the only Robin to not die?   Either way, he's the goods!  The fact that he was able to take on the mantle of Batman and have Gordon admit to him that everyone likes his version better should let you know that Robin isn't just some kid who makes light of every situation.  He's a complex character who is strong enough to have his own stories and still interact with Bruce from time to time.

Character/Rank:
#1- Batman/Bruce Wayne

First Appearance:
Detective Comics #27 (1939)

What's So Special:
I don't know.  I feel like if you read any random post on this site or even had a 5 minute conversation with me, Batman would come up.  I even wrote about Batman in my book, Better Than Me AVAILABLE ON AMAZON!  Both of my parents loved Batman but my dad's genuine excitement around every movie that would come out definitely rubbed off on me.  There are a lot of stories about Batman I love but there is one panel in a comic I don't even remember the name of that sold Batman for me at a young age.  It was Batman gasping for air as he was being washed down a sewer while he thought about saving some kids instead of passing out like he wanted to.  The mental fortitude it takes to Batman is always what impresses me.  A normal man... as normal as any billionaire who witnessed his parents' murder in Gotham can be, who is committed to making sure no one ever loses a loved one to violent crime ever again is a great starting point for a hero.  Yes I get bogged down in things like his stance on the use of guns and alcohol.  But, I think that in addition to having the best look of a superhero ever and his cool gadgets and vehicles,  you can't beat Bruce Wayne's mission statement.  Which, essentially, means he'll never be done being Batman since there will always be people to protect.  I kind of love that dedication even if it means he'll never be truly happy.

-YG