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thehefnerSo someone took a vote and did a list of the 52 (har) Greatest DC Comics characters ever.
It's an excellent list, and I'm happy to see two of my all-time favorites listed prominently there. Some of the descriptions are quite excellent. My favorites include:
38. JOHN CONSTANTINE
Created by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben (Saga Of The Swamp Thing #37, June 1985)
Constantine was modeled on Sting, and although he appeared after the Police had broken up, I like to think of him as the slightly wild-eyed, spiky-haired frontman of the “Synchronicity” tour. Constantine tended to be more sedate than that, of course. Still, picture Sting chain-smoking his way through a Denis Leary impression while fighting demons. Does that sound like Keanu Reeves? No it does not.
32. JAMES W. GORDON
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger (Detective Comics #27, May 1939)
More than the Lestrade to Batman’s Holmes, or a mere public servant flipping on the Bat-Signal, Jim Gordon is integral to the Batman mythology. Straddling the line between upholding the law and condoning vigilantism also elevates him above a mere cheerleader for the folks in the masks. A few years ago it looked like he had retired for good, but returning him to his old role has helped restore the Bat-books' equilibrium.
23. DARKSEID
Created by Jack Kirby (Jimmy Olsen #134, November 1970)
The truly scary core of Darkseid can be seen in his perpetual quest for the Anti-Life Equation. He doesn't just want to rule all of creation, he wants creation to forget that there was any other alternative.
21. TWO-FACE, Harvey Kent/Harvey Dent
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane (Detective Comics #66, August 1942)
The villain who keeps himself company, Two-Face's appeal is (fittingly) twofold: his deceptively-simple high concept, and the pathos springing from his former friendship with Batman. Still, it's harder than it looks to do a good Two-Face story.
14. GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX/THE SPECTRE, Harold Martin “Hal” Jordan
Created by John Broome and Gil Kane (Showcase #22, October 1959)
Most people take their image of Hal Jordan from his test-pilot background, but I think it’s fascinating that Gil Kane apparently based his look on the young Paul Newman. That kind of flinty, cocksure swagger can be strangely endearing, even as it tends to seem frozen in time. It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that Hal got such a rude awakening in the 1970s, after the passing of the Jet Age into which he was born; and that once again he's struggling to find his proper place in the world.
Damn, so THAT'S why some people have had so much trouble "getting" Hal! The guy needs to be frickin' Paul Newman of space! Other acceptable takes on Hal include Dennis Quaid, Bruce Campbell, and Ben Browder.
Excellent list. Only thing I disagree with? Superman should be number 1, not Batman. The description of Superman says it all quite eloquently:
2. SUPERMAN, Kal-L/Kal-El/Clark Kent
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Action Comics #1, June 1938)
"You'll believe a man can fly," they said, and rightly so. Superman is about the almost Quixotic belief that the world can be changed through even one person's example -- which, in the face of apathy and cynicism, is probably on par with three-steps-and-jump! flying. It's easy to dismiss Superman as Quixote, out of touch and upstaged by more believable superheroes. The never-ending battle sometimes looks like the impossible dream, as well. Therein lies the thrill of realizing what's in the sky is not a bird, not a plane: it's *him*, unstoppable, invincible, out there for *you*. Does this make Superman Jesus, or even God? No. He's not the avatar of a movement, just a guy doing the best he can with the gifts he was given. He's the power lurking behind all our metaphorical glasses. Believe.
It's an excellent list, and I'm happy to see two of my all-time favorites listed prominently there. Some of the descriptions are quite excellent. My favorites include:
38. JOHN CONSTANTINE
Created by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, and John Totleben (Saga Of The Swamp Thing #37, June 1985)
Constantine was modeled on Sting, and although he appeared after the Police had broken up, I like to think of him as the slightly wild-eyed, spiky-haired frontman of the “Synchronicity” tour. Constantine tended to be more sedate than that, of course. Still, picture Sting chain-smoking his way through a Denis Leary impression while fighting demons. Does that sound like Keanu Reeves? No it does not.
32. JAMES W. GORDON
Created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger (Detective Comics #27, May 1939)
More than the Lestrade to Batman’s Holmes, or a mere public servant flipping on the Bat-Signal, Jim Gordon is integral to the Batman mythology. Straddling the line between upholding the law and condoning vigilantism also elevates him above a mere cheerleader for the folks in the masks. A few years ago it looked like he had retired for good, but returning him to his old role has helped restore the Bat-books' equilibrium.
23. DARKSEID
Created by Jack Kirby (Jimmy Olsen #134, November 1970)
The truly scary core of Darkseid can be seen in his perpetual quest for the Anti-Life Equation. He doesn't just want to rule all of creation, he wants creation to forget that there was any other alternative.
21. TWO-FACE, Harvey Kent/Harvey Dent
Created by Bill Finger and Bob Kane (Detective Comics #66, August 1942)
The villain who keeps himself company, Two-Face's appeal is (fittingly) twofold: his deceptively-simple high concept, and the pathos springing from his former friendship with Batman. Still, it's harder than it looks to do a good Two-Face story.
14. GREEN LANTERN/PARALLAX/THE SPECTRE, Harold Martin “Hal” Jordan
Created by John Broome and Gil Kane (Showcase #22, October 1959)
Most people take their image of Hal Jordan from his test-pilot background, but I think it’s fascinating that Gil Kane apparently based his look on the young Paul Newman. That kind of flinty, cocksure swagger can be strangely endearing, even as it tends to seem frozen in time. It’s perhaps appropriate, then, that Hal got such a rude awakening in the 1970s, after the passing of the Jet Age into which he was born; and that once again he's struggling to find his proper place in the world.
Damn, so THAT'S why some people have had so much trouble "getting" Hal! The guy needs to be frickin' Paul Newman of space! Other acceptable takes on Hal include Dennis Quaid, Bruce Campbell, and Ben Browder.
Excellent list. Only thing I disagree with? Superman should be number 1, not Batman. The description of Superman says it all quite eloquently:
2. SUPERMAN, Kal-L/Kal-El/Clark Kent
Created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (Action Comics #1, June 1938)
"You'll believe a man can fly," they said, and rightly so. Superman is about the almost Quixotic belief that the world can be changed through even one person's example -- which, in the face of apathy and cynicism, is probably on par with three-steps-and-jump! flying. It's easy to dismiss Superman as Quixote, out of touch and upstaged by more believable superheroes. The never-ending battle sometimes looks like the impossible dream, as well. Therein lies the thrill of realizing what's in the sky is not a bird, not a plane: it's *him*, unstoppable, invincible, out there for *you*. Does this make Superman Jesus, or even God? No. He's not the avatar of a movement, just a guy doing the best he can with the gifts he was given. He's the power lurking behind all our metaphorical glasses. Believe.
