5. TERRALast month, I wrote of much I love Marvel Comics' Squirrel Girl. I think I may have to deal with the fact that I might have an affinity for buck-toothed gals with Dorothy Hamill haircuts.
4. WONDER GIRLI don't know why but I've always just been absolutely in love with Wonder Girl. Donna Troy or Cassie Sandsmark, doesn't matter. I've just always loved the character. Something about the earnestness one must possess in standing in the shadow of your mentor, being seen the lesser of something greater. Wonder Girl embodies everything most people feel when standing next to someone like me or Batman. Guys doing something awesome and spooky, at any given moment. You know how we do.
I had a point, I swear.
3. HAWK AND DOVEYeah, yeah, I know. It's two people but they're like a Reese's Cup, OK?
I'll never forget picking up the first issue of the 1988 mini-series and yes, being blown away by this new artist, Rob Liefeld. (Now, as an adult, I realize that kudos are certainly due his inker, Karl Kesel.) Combine that with the fact their costumes were designed by Steve Ditko and operated out of my hometown of Washington, DC. Hawk and Dove were aimed straight at the heart of that goofy sixteen year old guy and he loved every page of it.
2. CYBORGWhat I've always loved about Vic Stone is that he's the brains AND the brawn of The Titans. Pretty much before Vic hit the scene, all characters who looked like me did was steal things on rocket-powered skateboards and yell, "Sweet Christmas!" (Actually, that really doesn't sound so bad once you put it out there in the air like that.)
In Cyborg, we got the son of two brilliant scientists, who wasn't afraid to show that he was equally as brilliant. He's just as liable to build a wall as knock one down. Over the years, he's come to embody the spirit of The Titans and quite frankly, if you have a team called "Titans" without him, well... it ain't The Titans.
1. IMPULSE/KID FLASHCreated by Mark Waid and the late Mike Wieringo, Bart Allen embodied everything good about comics. He was bright, colorful, funny, witty and worked best at his own breakneck pace.
As Impulse, he did what The Batman couldn't, damn near giving The Joker a nervous breakdown by simply being himself.
As Kid Flash, he showed his true character by reading a library in order to help defeat a foe.
Inconceivably, Bart was forced to grow up and went on to become The Flash, resulting in his death mere months later. With Bart's death, The DC Universe lost its hugest resource of wonder. Rumor has it that Bart may be re-appearing soon. Comics could certainly use him right now.
5 comments:
I'm with you completely on Impulse. Making Bart grow up and become responsible was a horrible mistake.
Hawk & Dove is one of my all-time favorite series. So much so, that when I think about Armageddon 2001, Extant, etc., I actually get somewhat depressed.
And yeah, it was nice to see D.C. get represented in the DCU. Other comics have been set here since then, but none have done as good a job as capturing its feel as H&D did.
"As Impulse, he did what The Batman couldn't, damn near giving The Joker a nervous breakdown by simply being himself."
Issue number, please.
Derek:
If I remember correctly, I believe you can find that scene in the trade paperback JLA: World Without Grownups.
Scotus:
You know what I always thought was hilarious about Hawk and Dove?
That they made a big deal of Hawk playing Georgetown FOOTBALL. Georgetown's football was, at that time, a Division III program.
I always thought they did this simply because Georgetown's basketball was incredible at the time that the writers went,"Well, their football team MUST be just as good."
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