A Note of Thanks To The Artists at the Hartford ComicCon

I have always found it remarkable how people don’t understand how truly talented they are.  Everyone reading this has a talent which is admired by someone.  The problem is we are never told how much we are admired and when we are we tend to shrug it off.

Why is it that we would love to be complimented then when we are we say, “Oh, it’s really nothing.” or “Anybody can do what I do”.  It’s an odd trait that we all have.  That trait was never more obvious than at the Hartford ComicCon this past weekend.

It’s no secret to anyone that knows me that I have my own group of favorite artists, writers, etc.  We all do.  But it’s rare to find many of them in one spot on one day and you can meet them all.  This is what happened to me.

With the risk of leaving anyone out my personal favorites are:

Paul Ryan:  Iron Man, Squadron Supreme, Thor and the Thing to name a few
Mark McKenna:  Listed on more than 500 comics and inking over 8,000 pages
Mark Texeira:  Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider, the original Guardians of the Galaxy to name a few
Steve Orlando: Midnighter and Eisner Award Nominated Outlaw Territory to name a few
Kurt Busiek:  Astro City, AutumnLand, Trinity and Avengers to name a few
Chad Hardin:  Harley Quinn, Traveler, The Warlord to name a few
Ray Fawkes:  Batman Eternal, Constantine, Gotham by Midnight to name a few

They are all incredibly talented and I got to meet all of them except Kurt Busiek and Steve Orlando.

The thing that I noticed about all of them, though, was their incredible modesty.  The art that they have created is amazing and all of them were almost surprised at how much of a fan I was.  None of them asked me to pay for the autograph, although two did ask for a small donation to a special cause they were supporting which I gladly donated to.  On top of that several of them did something special for me as a fan.

Mark McKenna was extremely kind and more than willing to sit and talk.  Although he was drawing a custom picture for someone he told me how he much preferred speaking to the fans over drawing custom pics.  Since I did want a custom pic he offered to draw something special and personal if he could draw it at home and I pay a nominal fee (which is well worth it).

Paul Ryan took the time to talk about the cause to which he was taking donations.  He spoke with my son and I like he knew us forever and gladly signed autographs.  Not once did he ever make us feel rushed or that we were just another fan.

Mark Texeira was someone who enjoyed his work and it showed.  He was even surprised at how much we loved his work.  The thing about Mark was that he gave more than you asked for.  He not only signed my comic but he also drew a picture on the comic.  He didn’t stop there, though, he asked for the plastic that we kept our comics in and drew a picture on them!  I now need a plastic sleeve for my plastic sleeves.  He also asked for a modest donation to a cause and I gave him more than he asked for.

Chad Hardin was the first person I got to interact with and he was also incredibly friendly.  Although I did have a Harley Quinn comic for him to sign he was also selling a special Harley Quinn comic of which there were only 1,000 made.  For a nominal fee I bought the comic and he drew a picture of a zombie Joker on the front cover.  For those of you who follow me you know that I asked Neal Adams, at a previous ComicCon, to draw me the world’s only zombie Joker.  It was nothing short of awesome.  But Chad Hardin’s zombie Joker easily matched it.  The Joker he drew looks like it is actually part of the cover.

Ray Fawkes had a funny reaction to us coming to his table.  I was looking all over for him and simply could not find him.  It turns out I must have walked by him and his table 10 times and not seen him.  The reason?  Ray had no backdrop of his work, no fancy signs introducing him like the others had and was very modest.  When I told him we were looking all over for him he said, “For me?” as if he has never done anything worth talking about.  Ray was kind enough to take a picture with me and talk a little about his work.  He told me he was working on a really cool project that was being launched soon but said he couldn’t give any details.  Ray took my award for best dressed artist.

The bottom line is this;  ComicCons all over the world bring together some of the top comic artists together under one roof.  One would think that there would be a lot of big egos all fighting for the right to be the best, but there was no sign of that.  What I found instead were a group of absolute professionals, with a modesty like I’ve never seen.  All acted humble when I complimented them, most were surprised that I like them and their work (who doesn’t?), and all of them went the extra mile to make me feel like I was the only fan they had.  It could not have been a better day.

A note to Steve Orlando and Kurt Busiek, I hope to meet you face to face soon.

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What Would Happen If All The Villains Struck At Once Due To a Technical Glitch?

When the Fear Itself series came out there was a parody comic that came out as well called “Shame Itself”.  If you haven’t read it, do so, it’s worth the time.  As a spin on “Shame Itself” I offer my story.

Before I begin, however, let’s look at what typically happens in your typical comic book.

The heroes from any given universe finish up with one disaster, mend the city, have time for a meeting, and are then informed of another disaster taking place.

Luckily, villains seem to be on a schedule and don’t strike at the same time.  It seems that while Dr. Doom is attacking, the Red Skull is busy hatching a plan that won’t be ready to go until Dr. Doom has been defeated.  Of course, at that point Galactus is on the other side of the galaxy and will make his way toward Earth only to arrive after the Red Skull has been defeated.  The same thing happens in the DC Universe as well as others.

But what if the villains, due to a technical glitch, all struck on the same day?  More importantly, let’s say that the villains from DC don’t wait until the villains from Marvel are done attacking?  Everyone’s protecting the same Earth, right?  So, shouldn’t villains and heroes cross over during attacks?

Let’s start with a typical day where we find Electro fighting Spider-Man for some random reason:

Electro:  Spider-Man, your time has come!  I have finally found a way to defeat you!

Spider-Man:  Electro, what could you possibly want this time?  Haven’t I beaten you enough?

Electro:  I must own all of the frozen toothpaste in the world!  You can’t stop me!

Spider-Man:  Wait...frozen what?  Why would you..... (he stops and looks up surprised)

Electro:  What are you looking at?

Spider-Man:  Is that Doomsday?  I thought he was DC.  What’s he doing here?

Electro:  I’m not really sure.  There’s got to be a copyright or trademark infringement here somewhere.  Someone call Stan Lee!

Doomsday:  Electro?  Spider-Man?  I thought this was....(he looks around in surprise)...Metropolis.

Spider-Man:  Nope.  Wrong town.  Wrong comic, even.  (looking up again, amazed, he sees the Hulk coming out of the sky)

Hulk:  Hulk smash!!

Spider-Man:  Now wait just one minute....

Electro:  Hmmm....do I fight Spider-Man or do I try to get rid of the other villains?  Are you guys looking to corner the frozen toothpaste market?  That’s all I really wanted.

Doomsday:  The frozen what?  No, you can have that.  I’m here to destroy Metropolis.

Spider-Man:  Again, I think you’re in the wrong place.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!!

Spider-Man:  Is this a Groot type of thing?  “Hulk smash” means something different each time?  Never mind.

Green Lantern:  I heard there were problems in this Sector!  Wow.  What’s everyone doing here?

Electro:  I was just leaving.

Spider-Man:  Well, that’s one gone.

Doomsday:  I really just want to get on with destroying the city.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Batman:  (winded from running) I came as soon as I heard!

Green Lantern:  I’m anxious to hear what you heard about this.

Spider-Man:  Shouldn’t all of you be in another comic?

Batman:  I heard that the Outlook calendar on the Villain network was having issues.

Red Skull:  (stepping out of the shadows) There are no issues!  I specifically had conquering the Earth set for 2:00 pm today!

Galactus:  (appearing in the sky)  That can’t be right, I had devouring the Earth set for 2:00 pm today.

Flash:  (showing up in a blur) I came as soon as I heard!

Spider-Man:  What...is this being Tweeted?  What is everyone hearing?

Flash:  I got the text that Outlook is having issues.

Spider-Man:  Why aren’t I getting these (shaking his iPod and looking at it quizzically)

Flash:  Do you have it on airplane mode?

Spider-Man:  Darnit!  Why do I always do that?  OK, I’m on the same page now.

Reed Richards:  (walking up calmly) I don’t mean to interrupt, but I’m working on the fix right now.  It should be OK shortly.

Doomsday:  Listen, times a’wastin here.  I have another planet I’m supposed to destroy in 2 hours.

Red Skull:  Let’s do this the right way and take a vote.  Which villain would you heroes like to fight right now?

Green Lantern:  I’m not fussy, but I think Galactus would be the toughest to beat.  I vote Red Skull.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Flash:  I agree with Green Lantern, I vote for the Red Skull.

Batman:  Doomsday, is there any way you could go destroy the planet now and then come back after we beat the Red Skull?

Doomsday:  But I was already at this end of the universe.

Galactus:  Reed, where are the rest of the Fantastic Four?

Reed Richards:  They are at their regular jobs.  How do you think we pay for all of this stuff?

Galactus:  I just don’t feel right devouring the Earth without all of you here.  No offense to you Justice Leaguers.

Batman/Flash/Green Lantern:  None taken.

Reed Richards:  They should all be available tomorrow for the whole day.

Galactus:  Do you heroes think you can take out the Red Skull by midnight tonight?  Then we can all go home and get a good night’s sleep and fight tomorrow.

Thanos:  (just showing up and looking around at everyone sitting and talking)  What gives here?

Starro:  (also just arriving on the scene and giving a heavy sigh)  Don’t tell me, the Outlook issue?

(everyone nods their heads)

Starro:  I knew I should have sent a herald ahead.

Doomsday:  Listen, I just called the planet I’m supposed to destroy and they’re not doing anything right now, so I’ll just do that and come back.

Green Lantern:  Is anyone protecting them right now?

Doomsday:  No, so it shouldn’t take long.  I can come back the day after tomorrow.

Red Skull:  So, then I’ll attack now, Galactus will come back tomorrow and Doomsday will be the day after?

Thanos:  Great.  Push me off until next week.

Starro:  You?  I travelled 200 light years to get here.  Do you know how much gas that takes?  I’m calling the Outlook help desk right now and giving them a piece of my mind.

Thanos:  Then that should definitely take until next week.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!

Spider-Man:  I don’t do weekends anymore so Thanos and Starro will have to wait until Monday.  By the way, did Electro leave?

(incoming text:  Budapest Frozen Toothpaste Factory raided.  Everything taken.)

Spider-Man:  Never mind.

Reed Richards:  OK, everything seems to be working with the calendar now.  Is everyone set with their schedule?

Galactus:  I’m set.  Does the Marriott have any rooms available for tonight?  I’ll just stay over.

Doomsday:  OK everyone, I’m on my way.  I have a planet to enslave.

Red Skull:  I hear that....

Spider-Man:  I’m glad this is settled.  My spider-sense has given me a migraine.

Batman:  Alfred, book Galactus and I a room at the downtown Marriott.  King size bed for Galactus.

Red Skull:  Is it OK if we start now?  I have thousands of troops waiting to attack and we haven’t even had lunch yet.

Spider-Man:  That’s fine.  Green Lantern, Flash, can you stay with Batman and I and try to wrap this up by midnight?

Green Lantern:  I’m good, I can hang around.

Flash:  I have to run home and set my DVR to record Walking Dead.  OK, I’m back.

Spider-Man:  Hulk, can you go smash another town and we’ll just come clean it up later?  If you do it far enough away from here we have plausible deniability.

Hulk:  Hulk smash!  (he jumps over the horizon)

Starro:  I’m on vacation next week so I’ll attack the week after if that’s OK.

Thanos:  Cool!  Where are you going?

Starro:  It’s a stay-cation.  I have a bunch of chores to do for the wife.

Thanos:  I know the feeling.  Between conquering civilizations and scheming I have no time to cut the lawn.

Batman:  I can recommend a lawn guy.  Starro, we’ll see you in two weeks and Thanos in three.  Can you both send us a meeting planner?

Starro/Thanos:  Sure thing.

Red Skull:  Are we good to go?  Great!   ALL MINIONS ATTACK!

Outside the realm of reality?  Not in our high tech world.  I often wonder if team-ups weren’t just the result of two villains, or heroes, showing up at the same time and just figuring “what the heck” and working together.  All I know is that I’m glad that the artists and writers have the attack schedules firmly in their heads or else we might see something like this in the not so distant future.

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The Sides Taken in the Upcoming Civil War Movie, Do They Make Sense?

Let me start by saying that I have every comic, story arc, spinoff, you name it, of the original Civil War series.  It was well thought out and very collectible.  Looking at the sides in the upcoming movie, though, I have to ask...why have these sides been set up so poorly?  Or are they the perfect mix?  Let’s take a look:

Team Captain America:

Captain America
Falcon
The Winter Soldier
Hawkeye
Ant-Man
Agent 13 (Sharon Carter)

Team Iron Man:

Iron Man
Black Widow
War Machine
Vision
Black Panther

Let’s start with Team Captain America and their philosophy.

As we know, Cap isn’t a big fan of the government’s idea about revealing the faces behind the masks.  This, however, seems at odds with the beliefs that he espouses.  Cap is a “just follow orders” guy.  It doesn’t matter what the orders are...they are orders.  He walks and talks the American Dream, Apple Pie and Mom.  One could argue that he is becoming disillusioned by all that is happening around him, but I still don’t think this would call for a radical behavior change.

As for the rest of the cast of characters it’s not a huge secret as to who these people are under the masks.  Hawkeye doesn’t use one.  Ant-Man never worried too much about people knowing who he was under the mask.  The Winter Soldier doesn’t wear a mask anymore.  Sharon Carter is...well...Sharon Carter.  The Falcon never let on that he was even remotely concerned about this type of issue and, frankly, he doesn’t appear to be a big government fan either, and we already discussed Cap.

Now let’s shift to Team Iron Man and their philosophy.

First, if you didn’t do a double take at Tony Stark agreeing with the government and acting as a strong-arm for them, you haven’t been paying attention.  In every movie to date Tony Stark has thrown the finger at the government and went out of his way to make them look like idiots.  It’s really no wonder why he doesn’t mind being outed....he already did it to himself and everybody knows he is Iron Man.  But supporting the government?  Come on, Tony, really?

As for the rest of the cast of characters I find this team to be even more bizarre than Cap’s team.  Let’s start with Black Widow, she and Steve Rogers have been tight through every movie and have had each other’s backs at every turn.  Further, Black Widow doesn’t even wear a mask and everyone knows her full name.  She hates what her government did to her, she’s no fan of the bureaucrats that she has come in contact with in the movies, she has no real fondness for Tony, yet she wants people to unmask and sides against Steve.  I can’t wait to find out how this came to be.  Second is War Machine, well, since Tony made him who he is, and everyone already knows that he is under the mask, his choosing this side is no more of a surprise than the Winter Soldier siding with Cap.  The Vision?  Really?  The Vision who is not human, doesn’t wear a mask, or maybe he does, has an opinion?  What could he possibly have to gain either way?  Can the Vision even really unmask?  It makes NO sense.  Lastly is the Black Panther.  If ever there was a person who tried to remain on the fence and not take sides it’s the Black Panther.  The thought of him even taking a stance in United States affairs like this is surprising.  Why would Wakanda even care?

So, we have Steve who is a classic government man going against the government.  We have Tony who is always against the establishment now the defender of the bureaucracy.  We have unmasked characters on both teams (and how did Hawkeye and Black Widow who could easily be confused as brother and sister get on opposite teams?).  We have the classic “fence sitter” taking a firm stand in a country that isn’t his own.  We have an android who has an opinion on something he can never relate to.  Really, what we have are sides that are hard to make sense of.

There is no doubt that Civil War is shaping up to be an incredible movie, and I will be right there with everyone buying a ticket, but they should have done the lead up to this movie much differently.  They aren’t following the comic book Civil War already, why try to with Cap and Iron Man?  Picture it differently:

Cap comes out saying that everyone should unmask.  Most on his team are unmasked and no harm has come to them or their families.  There aren’t too many people who don’t know that Steve Rogers is Captain America and he hasn’t had too many issues.  After all, it comes with the turf doesn’t it?  If we turn against the government now it would be anarchy!  Brother killing brother!  The rules must be followed and this is a rule set down by the government.

Iron Man states that this is clearly the wrong solution.  Sure he came out and revealed his identity, but he has a multi billion dollar security system around him constantly, he has nothing to fear.  But the government telling him, or anyone else, what to do?  What a load of crap that is.  He won’t stand for it and neither should anyone else.  No one tells Tony Stark what to do!

Drop Sharon Carter out of the mix, she’s not a hero anyway so her opinion is as worthless as the Vision’s.  Drop the Vision as well.  Both are non-entities.  Also, drop out Black Panther as he would NEVER take sides on any issue let alone this one.

The Winter Soldier and Falcon stay with Cap out of loyalty whether they agree with the overall philosophy or not.  War Machine sticks with Tony out of loyalty whether he agrees with the overall philosophy or not.

Hawkeye and Black Widow then take Cap’s side because he is now saying everyone should unmask.  After all, neither of them wear a mask, they are also very tight, so they would both be of the same opinion on the topic.

Ant-Man can stay with Cap as even though he isn’t really trying to hide who he is in his movie, he will want to keep it a secret based on what happened to him and his family in the movie.  Remember the huge Thomas the Tank Engine scene?

Now the teams are looking a little different aren’t they?

To round out Tony’s team shirking the government would be Bruce Banner, Wolverine and the currently absent Spider-Man.

Here’s how they look now:

Captain America’s Team:

Cap
Hawkeye
Winter Soldier
Falcon
Black Widow

Iron Man’s Team:

Iron Man
War Machine
Bruce Banner/Hulk
Wolverine
Spider-Man

Now things have gotten interesting.

You may or may not agree, but I would like to hear your opinion on this.  Who would you put on each team and are Cap and Tony fighting for the right causes?

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The Top 13 Superhero Vehicles

Throughout all the movies and TV shows we get a great deal of exposure to the superheroes and the cities they live in.  What we don’t always get to appreciate is what gets them from point A to point B...their vehicles.  I have to admit, with the low salaries of some of these characters, or seemingly no income at all (where does Mr. Fantastic get the money for all that cool stuff?) I sometimes wonder how they can afford to build, gas-up, and insure these vehicles.  No matter how they do it, I confess that I want one of each.

I realize that I normally do Top 10 lists, but there are so many cool vehicles that I had to boost it to 13 (because the Batmobiles take up 3 spots).  I hope you enjoy them all.

Here is The Comic Whisperer’s Top 13 Superhero Vehicles.  The list is in no particular order.

13.)  SR-71 Blackbird:  Yes, the baby bird that takes the X-Men wherever they want to go.  Especially if they want to get there in a hurry, unseen, and looking stylish.  With all the right looks for a mutant world saving mission or maybe just taking it for a spin the SR-71 rounds out the Top 13 list.

12.)  The SHIELD Helicarrier:  One of the scenes that really blew me away in Captain America:  The Winter Soldier was when they were showing off the Helicarriers.  Absolutely amazing computer generated graphics.  I have to admit, I don’t own a pilot’s license nor do I know anyone who does, but this would be cool to have even just to drive you car on and do donuts in the clouds.  But I digress.  This floating fortress is the size of my hometown and has the capacity to carry most of an army, or kind-of contain the Hulk.  The best part?  You never have to worry about having a flat tire.

11.)  The Punisher’s GTO:  For readers 30 and below this car may not mean a great deal to you.  Let me assure you, however, that this is one of the all time classic muscle cars.  It has the loud, rumbling engine, rear wheel drive and a staggering 10 miles to the gallon.  This car with the killer paint job, and a Doomsday feel, makes this car #11 on the list.  My advice?  If the Punisher asks how you voted, I’d tell him you thought it should be #1.  I’ll take the heat for you.

10.)  Ghostbuster ECTO - 1:  Loosely defined, the Ghostbusters are a true blue set of superheroes.    This 1959 Cadillac/ECTO-1 is a true icon in movie history and sports enough space to carry all that equipment and the backpack thingys that they use to catch ghosts.  I’d buy one of these in a heartbeat.

69.)  The Fantasticar:  This people mover has had many iterations with the most recent one being the best.  Featuring a photon accelerator and an ion generator for propulsion, three cockpits, a bullet proof exterior and, well, it can fly.  I will reserve my opinion of the cast, the movie, and pathetic storylines for another blog.

8.)  The Original Batmobile:  This list could be littered with Batmobiles alone.  I don’t know how many iterations there were of the Batmobile, but I can think of 5 off the top of my head.  Based around a Lincoln Futura Show Car, some of its lines are meant to look like a Mako Shark.  Tell me if I miss anything, but this car has lasers, rockets, a Batphone, radar, a Bat-tering Ram, a Batcomputer, a smoke emitter, a rear facing camera, a police beacon, two parachutes, a voice control Batmobile Relay Unit, and the Bat-Ray.  I wonder if they were options or if they came standard on this car.

7.)  The Tim Burton Batmobile:  Get used to these because this one won’t be the last Batmobile on the list.  It certainly helps to be a billionaire, doesn’t it Bruce?  This beauty has a fully functioning gas turbine, two Browning machine guns, a grappling hook, a Batdisc Ejector, smoke emitters, oil slick guns and bulletproof shielding.  Don’t forget about it’s ability to jettison it’s sides and become a Batmissle (or whatever it’s called, its got to be “Bat” something...)  I’m not sure if I should drive it or hang it on my wall.  This bad boy is a true work of art.

6.)  The Hellcycle:  This was one of the saving graces of the Ghost Rider movies.  Frankly, if the special effects weren’t so good these movies would have been complete garbage.  This tank of a bike is a 12 foot long half-bone, half-metal bike that looks good with or without the fire.  The ability of this bike goes beyond that of any Batmobile.  This baby can leap long distances and come out of nowhere, it can ride up buildings, bomb it over water, and stays lit the whole time.  The producer of Ghost Rider said, and I quote, the bike is “the epitome of how fun hell can be.”  

5.)  The Red Mist Mobile:  Largely overlooked in the vehicle category, just like the movie which was largely overlooked in the entertainment category, this car rocks.  This suped-up Mustang is looking slick...unlike the driver.  It’s got sat-nav, an iPhone hookup, mood lighting, a rear-view camera, and it’s got...well...the mist.  The ability to squirt water out of its bonnet had to be an add-on. The only drawback?  You have to stop every block and a half to fill up your gas tank and water for the mist which makes it a lousy getaway car.

4.)  The Herkimer Battle Jitney:  Who could forget this little number from Mystery Men?  It has a giant electro-nuclear magnet, and several tonnes of villainy-squashing awesomeness.  Honestly, this contraption is probably the most non-lethal thing on the road.  I’d bet against it in a fight against a Pinto.  Frankly, it looks like it doesn’t handle very well either, or corner, or parallel park and it’s probably got low trade-in value.

3.)  Captain Nemo’s Otto Mobile:  This ranks up there as my favorite car in this list.  Just look at the style and metalwork on this thing.  No, it doesn’t have the gadgets or ejector seats some of the others have, but it does have a trick up it’s tailpipe.  Nemo can track it remotely, allowing it to serve as the beacon he needs to fire his missiles accurately.  Actually, that’s pretty useless except for very rare scenarios, so forget I revealed that one.  My only question is how does that thing steer with four wheels up front?  Although it’s my favorite I’d need to take it for a test drive before I applied for financing.

2.)   The Black Beauty:  Remember this lovely little piece of mechanical death?  The Green Hornet invested in all the right gimmicks when he put together this beautiful car.  It has a GM Performance ZZ454 500 hp crate motor and Race Trans Turbo 400 manual valve body transmission.  I know it’s a fact but I have no clue if all of that is good or bad.  Weapons-wise there are mini-guns that pop out of the hood, it has suicide doors with 12-Guage AR-15 machine guns, an m2 flamethrower in the front grill, 12 front and rear stinger missiles, giant spikes that come out of the wheels, and all the bulletproofing one could want.  If it had a luggage rack to carry all of the dead bodies it would be perfect.

1.)  The Tumbler/The Batpod:  It hurts me to do so, but I have to add one more Batmobile.  This may be the best of them all.  A prototype military vehicle, this baby is meant to leap over otherwise unbridgeable gaps.  The designer said he was going for “a cross between a Lamborghini and a tank”.  If you think the Batpod is awesome you’ll love the Tumbler.  It can travel through office block corridors, flip around lampposts, and scoot up walls.  It’s a two-in-one deal that any self respecting male should have parked in his driveway.

This list is far from complete.  It left off goodies like the motorcycle that Wolverine took from Cyclops and the Optimus Prime tractor trailer truck.  In the end it’s all in what you like and what you would love sent to you as a birthday gift.

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Bruised Fruit...The Top 10 Good Characters That Went Bad (even if just for a little)

It happens occasionally, unless you’re Magneto where it happens all the time, heroes switch to villains or vice versa.  Even in the most recent Ant-Man movie (which I LOVED) you have to question whether Ant-Man is good or bad.  You know it’s true. You may think him the hero, but he was doing some underhanded stuff.  Cool underhanded stuff, but underhanded nonetheless.  We see him as the hero but you could argue he’s a little....questionable.  No matter how you look at Ant-Man there are those who made the switch completely.  This list looks at the bruised fruit of the batch.

The Comic Whisperer’s Top 10 Good Characters That Went Bad (even if just for a little).  This list is in no particular order:

10.)  Superboy Prime:  An obvious choice for the list.  Here was Beaver Cleaver that wound up picking up a cleaver.  You remember what happened.  He was trapped in a dimension with a couple of loved one but cracked under the pressure.  He supposedly hated how dark things were becoming earth wise but wound up turning dark himself.  He pushed planets out of orbit, killed heroes, junked the JLA Watchtower, and even started voting for the Democrats (no hate mail please, I dropped all the political parties in a hat and I drew the Democrats).  After that there was no stopping him.

9.)  Hal Jordan:  You can put Hal in the flip-flop category because although he killed untold numbers of people he’s back with the good guys now.  The interesting part of him turning evil was that he just snapped.  After recreating his beloved Coast City, without the express written consent of the Guardians, he just went berserk.  All was forgiven when he sacrificed his life to reignite the Earth’s Sun.  A pretty easy way to be forgiven if you ask me.  I could reignite the Sun....if I wanted to.

8.)  Jason Todd:  One of my favorite conversions, Jason Todd’s history is probably more to blame than anything for his “bruising”.  The reason for my love is that Jason never really fell over the line into true villainy.  True, he doesn’t mind killing, wreaking havoc, or other mischievous things, but he still can be considered on the hero side...kindof.  The most interesting thing about Jason Todd is that his Robin character was killed off not as a choice of the publisher but as a choice of the fans.  At one point DC had a number you could call to vote whether Jason’s Robin lived or died.  I don’t know how you do a “thumbs down” motion over the phone, but he got tons of ‘em.

7.)  Omni-Man:  Who?!?!  You know...Nolan Grayson!  The Viltrumite sent to protect the Earth.  (It seems like there are alot of races that think the Earth needs a single protector)  You might know him better for his son Mark, the hero Invincible.  In a soap opera like twist, Nolan revealed himself as actually playing for the enemy team and gave his son a near fatal beating.  Sure, Omni-Man played the Magneto role by fluctuating back and forth as hero and villain, but he was a turn-coat.  Thankfully his son Oliver liked him enough to become “Kid Omni-Man”.  Not a very catchy, or original, name.  He could have picked “Kid Bruised Fruit”...Nah.

6.)  The Plutonian:  Yes, a completely original, Superman-like, solo protector of Earth.  (They multiply like bunnies...yeesh)  The title Irredeemable pretty much says it all as this hero-turned-villain snaps because he feels under appreciated.  Oh, boo-hoo.  Join the club.  So, instead of just moping and going to bed early like most of us he kills dozens and sinks Singapore.  As of this writing he has yet to repent for his sins and still falls into the category of Irredeemable.

5.)  Jean Loring:  Everyone’s favorite whack job, Jean Loring went from the wife of a hero, to the ex-wife of a hero, to the killer of a pregnant wife of a hero.  That’s quite a transition.  I used this picture in a previous blog, but the artist truly captured her insanity with this one.  Not to add further unpleasantness, but she didn’t just shoot the Elongated Man’s wife, she shrunk down and caused a brain aneurysm in her.  She left no clues and drove the super hero investigators absolutely insane for dozens of pages.  She’s now at the Dark Phoenix Memorial Rehabilitation Center.

4.)  Terra (of The New Teen Titans):  Former semi-squeeze of Changeling, Terra turned out to be extremely powerful and extremely tight with Deathstroke.  She apparently was planted there from the start to be a mole in the organization.  Is it merely a coincidence that the “mole” was also the one that had control over the earth itself?  Hmmmm.  I don’t want to tell you how she died, but she was crushed by a building.

3.)  Jericho (also of The New Teen Titans):  Jericho was a bigger turn-coat as he actually saved the Titans THEN turned on them.  Now THAT is a way to be undercover and be convincing.  Save the group you are trying to destroy, then destroy them.   Jericho, it turns out, was Deathstroke’s son and was supposedly possessed by spirits.  Likely excuse.  He apparently was able to fight them off long enough for Deathstroke to kill him.  How’s that for a reward for fighting off your demons.  “Dad, I did it!  Ugh!”  (Ugh! is the sound someone makes when they die)  

2.)  Wolverine:  An obvious choice for the list, James Logan Howlett has fought against his own teammates on the X-Men a number of times.  It would seem like dozens of mind-wipes and reprogramming and having adamantium fused to his skeleton left him mentally fragile.  In his defense, he usually became a bad guy when he was brainwashed to do so.  He was possessed by demons in Hell, brainwashed by Apocalypse and the Horsemen, and even taken over by Hydra and the Hand.  This poor guy probably doesn’t know who he is anymore, well, and the fact that he died doesn’t help either.

1.)  Jean Grey:  I didn’t have this in any particular order but she has to be number one.  Starting off as an innocent girl in green and yellow (blue and yellow, black and yellow....whatever) she wound up as a planet swallowing bird made of flames.  It didn’t happen overnight.   Jean’s transformation took many forms and even looked like it may not happen thanks to Professor X and his mental “walls”.  Alas, Jean couldn’t handle all the power (like a long line of U.S. Presidents) and wound up losing control of her own reality.  This lack of control was nudged a little by the members of The Hellfire Club.  That Jason Wyngarde, the women love him.

A betting person would say that the line of characters changing from good to bad is not at it’s end yet.  It’s a twist, that if done properly, can make even the most ardent of collectors do a double take.  It’s also a reminder that heroes are only human.  They snap too.  They just have a little bit more power to play with than you and I do.

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Top 10 Best Dressed Comic Book Characters

I have often wondered how exactly a super hero character gets their outfit.  They often come out of nowhere just....dressed.  No nod to the tailor.  No credit given to the designer.  Nothing.  Oh, sure, you have your heroes like Iron Man who creates his own look and Spider-Man who designed his outfit initially and then had a symbiote design it for him.  But who designed Black Canary’s outfit or was it just that she only had fishnet stocking lying around along with a gymnastics outfit and she went with it?

There are some characters, though, that went to a designer.  They got decked out and really put things together to come up with a stylish look.  For men it’s a design that makes them look almost dapper and for women it’s one that doesn’t rely strictly on tight outfits and cleavage.

Here’s The Comic Whisperer’s Top 10 Best Dressed Comic Book Characters.  They are listed in no particular order.  They all look snappy.

10.)  Emma Frost:  Don’t get me wrong, I have seen some downright “Playboy-esque” drawings of Emma Frost, but I have also her drawn tastefully.  The all white look gives a VERY deceiving pure look, but I think it’s the cape that really pulls it together.  The suit allows her to run and be somewhat flexible, yet it’s airy and light for those times when it’s just too hot to fight bad guys.

9.)  Sebastian Shaw:  Another vaunted member of the Hellfire Club?  Yep, the Black King himself.  Sebastian always looks dapper, as do the other members of the Hellfire Club, with an outfit that commands respect.  As it turns out the white dangly thingy that hangs from his neck is also a great napkin for when Taco Bell forgets to put one in the bag.

8.)  The Phantom Stranger:  I’m not sure who dressed the Phantom Stranger but they did a bang-up job.  Where does one get an outfit in, well, wherever the Phantom Stranger goes?  The thing that sets him apart is that he is one of the few who wears such a stylish hat that matches the cape and outfit.  He also has the confidence to wear the white gloves and dookie rope necklace.  I think this leads to the age old question, “Does the Phantom Stranger suffer from hat head?”

7.)  The Joker:  Say what you will about his insanity and his need to kill any Robin that Batman can come up with, the guy can dress.  Check out the purple and green and red and how they tie together.  Stepping it up with a bowtie the Joker knows how to impress the ladies...or at least Harley Quinn.  My question was always, “Is he white all over?”.  Maybe he’s even hiding a tattoo.  If you really want to make a fortune you should look into being his cosmetics and hair dye salesperson.

6.)  Wonder Woman:  Say what you will about her outfit being revealing or tight but my focus is on the color combination and overall design.  The eagle, the blue with white stars, the yellow lasso, the red top, it’s all perfectly matched.  The boots are just high enough to guard against prickers and resist burrs, and yet they don’t cover the knees reducing flexibility.  She wears a beautiful tiara that pulls the outfit together and keeps her hair at a modest, yet playful, length.  When all the superheroes go to the pool after a hot day crimefighting all Diana needs to do is shed a couple of things and she’s ready for a swim!

5.)  Nick Fury:  Sporting all black, Nick Fury brings style to SHIELD.  Not only does he wear it well, but the black body-length leather jacket really give it that badass feel.  Not only does it give the look of a “cape” like a real superhero, but he could wear almost any accessory because anything goes with black.  The eyepatch adds a nice touch almost like a tiara that was too large and fell down his face crooked.  If he went to a formal affair I would suggest switching to a red eyepatch and adding a red cummerbund.

4.)  Zatanna:  Again, although I had seen many very revealing pictures of Zatanna, she is an extremely well dressed hero.  The fact that she is a stage performer probably accounts for the whole “tuxedo-esque” look.  Sporting the Black Canary fishnet stockings I would imagine this leaves her very flexible should a well placed kick be needed.  Also, if she should ever need to go to a formal occasion after banishing some demon to a nether realm all she needs to do is slip on black pants and she’s good to go.  My guess is that she doesn’t need a tailor, she just says the words, “ecin kool em ekaM”.  Wish I could do that.

3.)  Professor X:  9 times out of 10 Professor X is dressed very smart with a full suit and tie and sometimes even a vest that matches.  Even when he’s not wearing a suit he is still business casual.  I’m not sure how he does it every day.  Does someone dress him or does he do the old “Mental Dressing” trick when no one is looking.  One thing I can tell you is that men cannot pick their own ties so I’m thinking Moira did it for him.

2.)  Iron Man:  With armor for just about every occasion Iron Man is styling all the time.  This is a twofer as Tony Stark is also smiling and styling in every panel.  I’ve wondered how he cleans the inside of his armor after a sweaty battle or what happens if he vomits in his helmet after a high speed plunge.  Is there an “Armor Dry Cleaner” at Stark Industries?  I also have to ask how long his money will last.  Sure he’s rich, but 30 suits of armor, Jarvis constantly running, the huge tower,  Pepper’s constant shopping and his own bar bill has to put a dent in those billions.  I’ll never know.  I wonder if he has a missing son who looks like me?

1.)  Doctor Doom:  Could there be any doubt he’d make the list?  The Monarch of Latveria really knows how to dress.  I can’t help but think that Latveria has one heck of a tailor shop unless he just has the Doombots make stuff for him.  The silver of his armor and the maple leaf green cape with hood really go well together.  He really pulls off the large brown leather belt (which is strictly to hold his gun holster because it sure doesn’t hold his iron knickers up) with the enormous buckle.  It gives him a swashbuckler feel (no play on words intended) By the time you throw in the gold of the cape clip you have a Tryant dressed to the nines.  Who else wears a hood quite so majestically?   The only question I have is does he have a little trapdoor in the back for when he has to go potty?

Well, that ends the list.  Sure there are characters that probably could have made the list that didn’t.  It’s no surprise, however, that despite all of Hank Pym’s different outfits he still didn’t make the list.  He needs Janet to do his shopping for him.  However, seeing her outfits, she may need a persona shopper of her own.  Perhaps we will address the worst dressed characters in the future, I think that would be fun.

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