I grew up reading comic books and I still check out a few titles from time to time. I read every comic book from Marvel and DC I could get my hands on.
I think superheroes are some of the most interesting characters to appear in any work of fiction. Over the years, I grew to like many of the mighty men and women that appeared in comic books, on TV and in movies.
These are my all-time top five superheroes.
5. Storm
Storm became of my favorite characters when I was a regular reader of the X-Men. She controls the weather and that's cool. No matter who the writer was, they kept Storm strong and a good leader.
There is no truth to the rumor Storm became one of my favorites when the beautiful Halle Berry portrayed her in the movies.
4. She-Hulk
It is embarrassing to admit, but when She-Hulk made her debut in 1980 I was a 13-year-old bag of hormones so a 7-foot green woman wearing tattered clothes was an exciting proposition.
I liked She-Hulk in her own series and when she was in the Avengers, but when she was a member of the Fantastic Four is when she became one of my favorites.
3. Superman
When you take into account comic books, TV shows, movies, and cartoons, I have probably been exposed to Superman more than any fictional character. I watched the original Superman movie with Christopher Reeves about 10 times in the theater. Some of my favorite Superman stories appeared in the Justice League comics. I also watch "Smallville" on the CW every week.
Superman represents the best in everyone.
2. Spider-Man
Spider-Man is awesome. The recent movies were good, the cartoons he appeared in were cool and his comic book adventures are among some of the best stories ever told. I always think of Spider-Man as solo act, though I loved his old team-up book and enjoy his run as a member of the Avengers.
Spider-Man was the first comic book character I could think of that was flawed. He received his powers as a teenager and all the problems he faced as Peter Parker made him a character kids could relate to. I think what gave all of us teenage comic geeks hope was a dopey kid like Peter Parker grew up to marry a babe like Mary Jane.
1. The Thing
Ben Grimm was turned into the rocky Thing after exposure to cosmic rays. He was turned into a monster and struggled with his transformation, but that didn't stop him from battling evil. While The Thing is good at clobbering the bad guys, the best stories revolve around his struggles with being a monster. At those times, The Thing is the most human character in comics.
The Thing also gets bonus points for being in the Fantastic Four, which is my favorite super team and comic book. He also had his own team-up book and solo series. I read every issue of both. He also served as an Avenger.
The Thing is one of the greatest heroes in comic book history and my personal favorite.
October 21st, 2009 at 1:58 pm
What, no Batman? Geeez! Female Hulk v Wonder Woman?