After over 1,000 ballots had been forged, YOU the reader ranked your favourite comedian e-book characters from 1-10. I assigned level totals to every rating after which tabulated all of it right into a High 50 checklist. We’re now revealing that checklist for the remainder of November and into December. The countdown continues now…
I used to do kind of “biographies” for every of the characters on the checklist, however you already know what, they’re on the High 100 DC and Marvel characters checklist, so I feel we needs to be working underneath the idea that you just all just about know the fundamental details about these characters. As a substitute, I am going to simply write about no matter pursuits me in regards to the character in query, together with a notable comedian e-book second that includes the character.
45. Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) – 265 factors (2 first place votes)
Throughout the No Man’s Land storyline, Huntress took on a brand new id as Batgirl for a short time (in a dressing up designed by Alex Maleev). When her id was revealed, she gave it up and left the id accessible. A younger, mute and intensely expert martial artist named Cassandra Cain was working as an assistant for Oracle (Cassandra was created by Kelley Puckett and Damion Scott). After she proved herself saving Commissioner Gordon, Batman and Oracle each agreed that Cassandra needs to be allowed to grow to be the brand new Batgirl.
Cassandra was educated as a younger lady to be an murderer by her jerk father, the murderer David Cain. When she was eight, she murdered somebody – this roughly blew her thoughts and her historical past as a hero largely served in her thoughts as her method to atone for that earlier homicide.
She turned one in all Batman’s best allies, as she was practically a superhuman in her abilities as a martial artist. She would possibly very properly be the perfect martial artist within the DC Universe (deciding who’s the perfect martial artist within the DC Universe is outwardly some of the essential issues, because it appears to return up CONSTANTLY). She finally was revealed to be the daughter of Girl Shiva.
After Infinite Disaster, Batgirl appeared to grow to be a super-villain for a while, turning into the brand new head of the League of Assassins. Fortunately (and convolutedly), this turned out to be a part of a plan involving her father and Deathstroke the Terminator drugging her and controlling her thoughts and turning her towards her mates.
She was as soon as once more a trusted member of Batman’s allies (and Batman even mentioned that he deliberate to undertake her) however then Bruce Wayne was seemingly killed. She gave up the Batgirl id to her good friend Stephanie Brown. Upon the return of Bruce Wayne, she turned an agent of Batman Integrated as Blackbat. After the New 52, Cass was out of fee till she was finally launched, now going by the title The Orphan. Finally, Barbara Gordon made Cassandra Batgirl once more, and Cass shares the Batgirl mantle with Stephanie Brown.
44. Firestorm – 271 factors (4 first place votes)
Ronnie Raymond was created by Gerry Conway and Al Milgrom to mainly be a Marvel hero for the DC Universe. He acquired caught in a nuclear explosion as a result of he was making an attempt to impress some of us, and he was saved by a scientist, Professor Martin Stein. This time, nevertheless, the 2 ended up merging to type Firestorm, who may management molecules. Ronnie managed the physique, however Stein was a disembodied voice who would give Ronnie recommendation. They had been regular heroes for awhile, with Firestorm becoming a member of the Justice League throughout the identical time.
Nevertheless, John Ostrander took over the title and had Professor Stein determine that, since he was terminally in poor health, he would have the US and the USSR eliminate all their nuclear weapons. Each international locations didn’t like this, and a Russian operative, Mikhail Arkadin, was despatched to cease them. After a confrontation, they all of a sudden realized that they had been all being betrayed by their international locations, who had been working collectively to nuke them!
After the nuclear explosion, the three males had been now merged collectively to type a brand new Firestorm, however largely it was Ronnie and Mikhail, managed by Stein’s thoughts, who had amnesia, so it was liek Firestorm was a brand new baby on the planet, and Ronnie, Mikhail and the world needed to take care of the unusual new establishment. They’d grow to be kind of an ecological warrior, punishing firms for air pollution. Finally, Martin Stein took over and developed right into a Fireplace Elemental, with Ronnie and Mikhail returning to their previous lives as Stein left for outer house.
Later, Ronnie turned Firestorm once more, however by himself (usually aided by the Atom to assist substitute the scientific understand how that Martin Stein had provided). Ronnie was killed in battle, and a brand new younger man, Jason Rusch, took over as Firestorm. Martin Stein returned to Earth and merged with Rusch to type a extra conventional Firestorm setup once more. Finally, Ronnie Raymond was resurrected and he and Jason shared the matrix for a time till the New 52 reboot, which modified their origins, nevertheless it remained Ronnie and Jason as Firestorm till finally the “traditional” setup of Ronnie and Stein returned.
43. Blue Beetle (Ted Kord) – 283 factors (3 first place votes)
Blue Beetle was truly one of many extra fashionable superheroes of the Forties, however that was an entire different man, Dan Garrett, and TWO COMPANIES faraway from DC Comics. Blue Beetle was one of many first superheroes launched by Fox Options Syndicate, one of many earliest comedian e-book corporations that launched particularly in response to the success of Nationwide Comics’ Superman characteristic (different comedian e-book corporations had already been round earlier than Superman, however then there was a increase of corporations making an attempt to get their very own Superman). Blue Beetle was fashionable sufficient that he even had his personal newspaper caricature! Finally, although, gross sales fell by the wayside and Fox went out of enterprise, promoting the character to Charlton Comics within the Nineteen Fifties. Charlton didn’t have any actual thought on what to do with the character, both. They did a collection of sporadic relaunches of the character however none of them offered. Finally, they determined to simply use the well-known title and drop the opposite parts all collectively. After turning into a significant success at Marvel Comics, Steve Ditko was sick of Marvel for numerous causes, one in all which was that he felt that he didn’t have sufficient inventive management at Marvel, although he plotted his titles all by himself. There was all the time one thing that he needed to take care of the corporate altering, both when Stan Lee scripted the problem or else when Marvel proprietor Martin Goodman simply wished to go a distinct path with the collection.
Charlton gave Ditko the liberty to mainly launch his personal line of superheroes, solely Ditko’s heroes had been known as “Motion Heroes.” Ditko then launched a brand new model of Blue Beetle as a science hero relatively than a superhero, as Ted Kord, the brand new Beetle, was all about expertise and athleticism…
Blue Beetle acquired his personal comedian e-book collection, however gross sales didn’t do properly for Ditko’s line of superheroes, and he quickly made his method to DC Comics. Finally, Charlton offered their superheroes to DC Comics, as properly. The Editor-in-Chief of Charlton on the time Ditko launched these new heroes was Dick Giordano and Giordano was the pinnacle editor at DC years later when DC bought the characters. It was virtually as in the event that they had been shopping for them as current for Giordano. Len Wein and Paris Cullens launched a reasonably devoted adaptation of the Ditko Blue Beetle.
The collection didn’t promote that properly, although. Nevertheless, fortunately for Beetle, a accident would work in his benefit. DC was relaunching the Justice League, however new writers Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis weren’t allowed to make use of most of DC’s most distinguished superheroes (like Superman, Marvel Girl, the Flash, and many others.) and so as an alternative they used different solo heroes who had their very own titles, similar to Blue Beetle.
Giffen and DeMatteis determined to show Beetle right into a kind of sitcom character, an everyman trapped in a world of absurd superhero shenanigans, a lot of which had been perpetuated by Beetle and his new teammate, Booster Gold, who quickly turned Beetle’s greatest good friend…
For some time there, this model of the Justice League was one in all DC’s hottest titles and Blue Beetle and Booster Gold (or “Blue and Gold”) turned cult icons. Finally, although, Giffen and DeMatteis moved on and later writers could not fairly appear to seize the identical voice for Blue and Gold and they also settled into comedian e-book limbo. Beetle was introduced out of limbo simply to be the sacrificial lamb that launched Infinite Disaster, as he’s murdered after discovering the OMAC Mission ( one thing that Batman could not even do).
A brand new Blue Beetle took over, returning the character to superpowered adventures, however after the New 52 occurred, Ted Kord was introduced again to life and Blue and Gold performed a distinguished position in DC’s Heroes in Disaster. Ted Kord is now serving as a mentor determine for Jaime Reyes within the pages of Blue Beetle’s present collection.
42. Deathstroke the Terminator – 284 factors (4 first place votes)
Marv Wolfman and George Perez created Deathstroke the Terminator (Slade Wilson) as an attention-grabbing menace for the New Teen Titans to face. Deathstroke’s son, The Ravager, took a job to kill the Titans. Nevertheless, he died earlier than he may full the duty, forcing Deathstroke to be honor-bound to finish the duty.
Deathstroke was experimented on within the military, and is now a peak human. He’s smarter, sooner, stronger, and many others. than a traditional human. He’s very robust. Nevertheless, his house life was a large number. His different son was kidnapped by one in all Slade’s enemies and was held hostage with a knife to his throat. Slade was so assured in his talents that he tried to kill the person earlier than he may slice the kid’s throat. Slade killed the person, however not earlier than slicing open the boy’s throat sufficient that he turned completely mute. Slade’s spouse than shot him within the eye in revenge for his cockiness getting their son injured. Once more, he’s so assured in his abilities that he integrated his injured eye into his costume, letting folks know that he’s lacking a watch as he figures it would not matter in the event that they know that or not, he’ll nonetheless beat them with one eye or two.
Through the years, whereas Deathstroke has accomplished loads of evil issues, he gave the impression to be working underneath a bizarre code of honor. Which confirmed after he labored with a traitor throughout the Titans, Terra, to seize them for HIVE. Changeling needs revenge, however finds that Slade shouldn’t be the person he thought he was…
For a time, he was virtually a superhero, even being personally recruited by Superman to guide the heroes of Earth towards an alien invasion from Warworld.
In the direction of the tip of the Submit-Disaster DCU, he had grow to be an increasing number of of a standard sadistic supervillain.
Within the New 52, he was extra of a mercenary. Throughout DC Rebirth, he had his personal ongoing collection the place he vacillated between villain and anti-hero. His house life was nonetheless a large number, after all, as his youngsters had been main elements of the collection and their relationship with their dad was greater than a bit difficult. Issues acquired fairly unhealthy in the direction of the tip, and I feel he has been killed off and resurrected extra occasions than you’ll suppose. He then turned one of many main villains of the latest Darkish Disaster on Infinite Earths crossover occasion, the place his normal ache in his life was a driving drive in his actions in the direction of making an attempt to destroy the Multiverse.
41. Superboy (Conner Kent) – 286 factors (5 first place votes)
After the Loss of life of Superman, 4 beings confirmed up that folks confused for being the return of Superman. A type of beings turned out to be the CLONE of Superman, solely taken out of his growth earlier than maturation completed, so the clone was nonetheless a young person. Finally going by the title Superboy (he was created by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett), this clone was a brasher model of Superman, with powers that labored extra based mostly on telekinesis than precise Kryptonian powers (the clone was cloned from half Superman DNA and half human DNA).
After a formidable solo profession on the island state of Hawaii (whereas additionally forming the unique Younger Justice with Robin and Impulse), this younger hero (who had lengthy been given the Kryptonian title of Kon-El by Superman) moved to Smallville and started residing with Superman’s adopted mother and father, the Kents. Right here he tailored Kon-El to Conner Kent, and started sporting a brand new costume (initially he wore a leather-based jacket – now it was a black T-shirt with a Crimson S on it and blue denims). He turned a member of a newly reformed Teen Titans and developed a relationship with Marvel Woman. Nevertheless, he quickly found that the human half of his DNA was from Lex Luthor!!!
Luthor then confirmed that he had put in some failsafes in Superboy’s DNA, and he was in a position to flip Superboy towards his teammates. Superboy finally fought this off. Nevertheless, it was solely in time to sacrifice himself to assist save the world from an insane model of Superboy from one other universe. Fortunately, he was in a position to return to life in an journey involving the Legion of Tremendous-Heroes, and he returned to Smallville as a neighborhood hero (within the custom of Superman as a teen hero named Superboy in Smallville).
Then the New 52 occurred and Superboy went via a lot nonsense that it mainly took Brian Michael Bendis simply deciding to disregard all of these different tales and focus on the traditional model of Conner/Kon-El (and I suppose let continuity work itself out later) to carry the character again to prominence once more in Younger Justice. Later Superman writers have now slowly however absolutely gotten Superboy again to a state the place he can transfer ahead once more.