Here is the second part of my top 25 favorite comic book characters. The final 12. Six are male, six are female. And two villains make this portion of the list. So here we go:
12.) DEATHSTROKE - Slade Wilson is one of the craftiest and bad ass villains ever. His constant hatred of The Titans has pretty much fueled his entire career. But he has also managed to tangle with the big boys, the Justice League. His battle with some of their members in the Identity Crisis series is classic.
11.) FLASH - Barry Allen/Wally West. I always thought super-speed was a cool power to have. And Flash is about the best speed character there is. I was devastated when he died in Crisis. But when Wally West (Kid Flash ) took over I liked the character even more. Wally matured into a great hero. And I personally think by bringing Barry back,DC messed up. That's just me.
10.) BLACK CANARY - Dinah Lance. Superb female character that can kick ass with the best of them. Armed with her powerful canary cry, bad guys beware. Her rocky relationship with Green Arrow over the years has been one of the best relationships in comic books. She is a proven team leader and works great with The Birds of Prey.
9.) DONNA TROY - One of my favorite sidekicks that matured into her own heroic self. Growing up in the shadow of Wonder Woman couldn't have been easy but Donna quickly became a fan favorite as Wonder Girl. Her years with the The Teen Titans were great and her very confusing origin was finally explained. She has gone from Wonder Girl to Troia and is now a member of the Justice League.
8.) MAGNETO - My highest ranking villain is Magneto and he is awesome. Regal but can be ruthless. When his character was brought to the silver screen, Sir Ian McKellan nailed it. And was one of the best things about the X-Men films, besides Wolverine. This guy is one of the best characters ever! And I dare you to say anything bad about mutants if front of him. I dare you. He'll turn the iron inside out of your bloodstream.
7.) WONDER WOMAN - Diana Prince. Amazon. Warrior. Hero. Friend. These all describe the first major female hero to grace comic books. Her career has spanned some 60 years and doesn't seem to be slowing down at all.
6.) BATMAN - Bruce Wayne has been around forever. Through the good and bad, he has always come out on top. This character is definitely one of my favorites. And the fact that he has no super-powers, just gadgets and one of the greatest minds ever, just make him even better.
5.) SARA PEZZINI - The New York cop who became the bearer of the powerful weapon called the Witchblade. I have read every single issue of this amazing series since day one. And it started back in 1995. Sara Pezzini is a take charge, no bullshit kind of a character and I love her. I can't believe this series is actually still as good since it first came out some 15 years ago.
4.) MS. MARVEL - What started out as a Marvel version of Wonder Woman has become something more. Carol Danvers has had a life of ups and downs, probably more downs but she is back in form now as a team player on The Avengers. I have loved Ms. Marvel since her early days and love her even more today. Her connection to my next favorite comic book character makes her and said person even more of my favorites.
3.) ROGUE - Not talking about the movie version but the real deal. Rogue started out as a super villain, stealing Ms. Marvel's powers completely, because she wasn't able to control her own power stealing powers. But after coming to the X-Men for aid, she became a true hero. I love Rogue as she is my favorite X-Man. Lately she has lost those original Ms. Marvel powers but she is still one great character.
2.) NIGHTWING - Dick Grayson always known as Robin, sidekick to Batman. Once he became Nightwing and his own man, things really took off for him. He is a natural born leader and his detective skills rival those of Batman. Hell he even stepped in to fill Batman's shoes while Bruce was missing and did one hell of a job. Nightwing is one of the best comic book characters ever created.
Finally got around to making my top 25 favorite comic book characters list. I split it into two parts and I will start at no. 25 and work down. As The Joker would say...Here...we...go.
25.) SUSAN STORM AKA THE INVISIBLE WOMAN - Sue is my favorite member of the Fantastic Four and not just because she's a beautiful blonde. But Sue is one bad ass woman. Early in her career all she could really do was turn invisible. But things quickly changed and Sue became really powerful. Remember her force fields has held The Incredible Hulk in check. And let's not forget that awesome display of power back in the 80's when she maintained a large force field on the entire Manhattan island after baddie Terrax flung it into space. WOW!
24.) THE SILVER SURFER - Speaking of Terrax, here is another former herald of Galactus..actually Norrin Radd is the first and most famous herald. He rebelled against Galactus and gained his freedom. Over the years he has been a pain in Galactus side. But for the most part Surfer scours the universe looking to help those in need. Occasionally he stops by Earth from time to time. Plus he is one of the coolest looking characters in comics ever.
23.) POWER GIRL - Karen Starr, cousin to Superman, was once known as a joke in comic books. Mainly treated as a sex object thanks to her amazing body. But lo and behold over the years, she has become a fully developed character. While part of the Justice League back in the late 80's/early 90's, she started to show signs of improvement as a really good character. And when she became leader of the JSA years later, she had really arrived. Now she is kicking butt in her own monthly series that is one of my favorite reads.
The latest Marvel super-hero to grace the silver screen arrives in the form of the God of Thunder, Thor. The brash warrior is played with effortless charm by Chris Hemsworth who loves a good battle. The action unfolds in the mystical realm of Asgard, another world which is part of connecting planets throughout the universe which includes Earth. Thor's father Odin (played by Anthony Hopkins) is about to crown Thor King of Asgard when their hated enemy, The Frost Giants invade the castle. After a brief skirmish, Thor demands retaliation but Odin forbids it. Thor's brother Loki (played by Tom Hiddleston) manipulates his brother into a journey to the Frost Giants world. That sets up an epic battle right out of Lord Of The Rings, with Thor and his fellow warriors taking out waves of the giants. It's cool seeing Thor cut loose with his mighty hammer, Mjolnir as he spins it very fast or throws it and it always comes back to him. Pure comic book bliss.
But Odin becomes furious with Thor for his reckless actions and strips him of his powers and banishes him to Earth to learn some humility. It's there he encounters scientist Jane Foster (played by Natalie Portman) and the two quickly form a friendship. While on Earth, Thor runs afoul of those pesky SHIELD agents and has an exciting fight that sees him take out about 20 of them. It's also where we get a glimpse of ace archer Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye (played by Jeremy Renner). The crowd immediately was in heaven when they saw Clint grab his bow and arrow.
Back in Asgard, Odin takes ill and Loki assumes the throne and forms an alliance with the Frost Giants to finish off his dad. Loki also sends the massive weapon of destruction called The Destroyer to finish off Thor once and for all.
I love this movie. They got everything right from the beauty that is Asgard to the way Thor talks to his mannerisms. The visual effects are impressive. The battle scenes are exciting. And there is enough humor to keep things from getting to serious. Hemsworth is indeed a fine choice to play Thor and he is backed up by an impressive cast, especially Portman and Hiddleston. As Loki, Hiddleston is the master manipulator of all those around him.
This movie works on every possible level and Thor fits right in the Marvel universe of heroes like Iron Man and the upcoming Captain America. I can't wait to see all these guys together next year when The Avengers hit the screens.
B+
