Favorite Superhero of All Time

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

i have to admit that i was always fond of The Shadow. ever since my dad gave me the books to read, i've like the style. kinda proto-batman in many ways. even in cannon. ^^

Spiderman comes to mind. Generally speaking, the less superhero powers one has, the more one relies on their wits. So, put me down for Batman as well... but not Robin. Could never stand that character. But in fairness, my judgment may be flawed for i cant get the '60's tv image of Robin out of my head. LOL

Thoth-Amon

[Arch Lich Thoth-Amon]

Okay guys,

Who is your ONE favorite hero from any comic book publishing company?

Name the one hero you hold above all others and give one or two sentences as to why you hold this being in such high esteem. If there have been multiple incarnations of this hero (ie. Green Lantern, Flash, Robin) feel free to specify which one you like most.

Let's not get into a discussion of who is better or why did you say that reason instead of another. We can save those for another thread.

I'll kick off the thread:

My favorite hero of all time is the Green Lantern, specifically Kyle Rayner. I like the Green Lantern character because they start out as normal people whose sole ability is their indomitable willpower. I like Kyle more than other other guys because he has the greatest imagination and didn't just fly around with boxing gloves and catcher's mitts like the rest of the Lanterns.

Hmmm, my favorite comic books heros, if you can call them heros, were Dracula(antihero), and Tarzan (hero to the damsels). I loved these comics. But if they dont count, then Silver Surfer was pretty cool.

Thoth-Amon

[nijineko]

if i had to narrow it down to one... heck, i don't think i can. it would come down to trying to figure out which reason for liking a hero is better than the other reason. and with each reason being different that makes it really hard.

[Valdar]

I love re-imaginings of superheroes and their genres- things that question the assumptions inherited from the comic-book land of the early to mid 20th century.

Top of the list would be Bendis' Ultimate Spider Man- how the Spider Man legend would look if it played out in the 2000s (Genetic spider vs. Radioactive spider, Venom as failed cancer cure rather than thing from space vending machine, etc.)

The rest of the list would be gritty stories like the Ultimates, Supreme Power, Alias (also Bendis, natch), and especially, Garth Ennis' "The Pro" (a story about a hooker who gets superpowers). Also liked his work on Punisher- Ennis is one twisted individual.

Invincible is also a top-notch book, despite the slow start and simpler artwork.

[Webhead]

I love re-imaginings of superheroes and their genres- things that question the assumptions inherited from the comic-book land of the early to mid 20th century.

Top of the list would be Bendis' Ultimate Spider Man- how the Spider Man legend would look if it played out in the 2000s (Genetic spider vs. Radioactive spider, Venom as failed cancer cure rather than thing from space vending machine, etc.)

The rest of the list would be gritty stories like the Ultimates, Supreme Power, Alias (also Bendis, natch), and especially, Garth Ennis' "The Pro" (a story about a hooker who gets superpowers). Also liked his work on Punisher- Ennis is one twisted individual.

Invincible is also a top-notch book, despite the slow start and simpler artwork.

While not specifically a singular "hero", one of my favorite hero concepts is the "Hero Device" from Dial H for Hero and it's follow-up series H-E-R-O that was published a few years ago.

For those not familiar, the device is a solid, round disc that fits in one hand and it has four buttons on its face: "H", "E", "R" and "O". When a person dials the buttons in order, they are temporarily granted a random suite of super powers, complete with costume which are lost when the person dials the device again. They can repeat the process, gaining a new suite of powers and costume each time.

It has been established that other button combinations will work as well, some with much stranger (and more frightening) effects.

Any person can use the device to gain powers, and use of the device does not require or encourage heroic behavior. In fact, at one point in the H-E-R-O series, a serial killer finds the device and gains terrifying power from it.

H-E-R-O is one of my very favorite comics of the last several years and I was sad that it ended so abruptly (after about 22 issues, if I recall correctly). But at least the series went out with a bang and it was a very epic, climactic end indeed.

I also read and liked the first 2 trades of Ultimates and the first trade of Supreme Power. Still on the fence about Ultimate Spider-Man. I liked some things about it and disliked others.

[ryan973]

Hymm i have so many favorites. but if i had to pick one and only i would say GREEN LANTERN - Kyle Rainer.

The way he used his ring was just so damn original when compared to the others and he was alwase real for me his vulnerability and self doubt is something usually missing from so many powerful characters.

[Webhead]

Hymm i have so many favorites. but if i had to pick one and only i would say GREEN LANTERN - Kyle Rainer.

The way he used his ring was just so damn original when compared to the others and he was alwase real for me his vulnerability and self doubt is something usually missing from so many powerful characters.

I've always been partial to Hal Jordan, but admittedly I've not read much of John Stewart, Kyle Rainer or...*ugh*...Guy Gardener.

[ryan973]

Oh i will admit a fondness for Hal even as the Spectre he is very passionate about what he does. I have never really taken to guy gardner, But Kyle rainer in my mind is really the epitome of Green lanterns he is alot ALOT liek Hal but still his own man and i love the fact that he is an artist it makes most of his constructs really interesting when compared to most green lanters with there giant boomerans and boxing gloves.

[GreatMamboChicken]

I agree with many posts that it's hard to pick when different heroes appeal to different aspects.

But it's always been easy for me to say "My favorite superhero is....


...Wolverine."

In the age of everyone trying to be as idealistic as Captain America, there was just this one guy who usually fought for the good guys, but he wasn't nice about it. He wasn't incredibly strong, couldn't blast you from across the room, and always looked like he needed a bath. But once you tangled with him, you knew it was only a matter of time before your insides came out.

He reminds me in many ways of Miyamoto Musashi. A rogue samurai with somewhat skewed ideals, a serene acceptance of his own mortality, and the ability to stand against countless foes.

"I'm the best at what I do. And what I do isn't very nice."

[Webhead]

I agree with many posts that it's hard to pick when different heroes appeal to different aspects.

But it's always been easy for me to say "My favorite superhero is....


...Wolverine."

In the age of everyone trying to be as idealistic as Captain America, there was just this one guy who usually fought for the good guys, but he wasn't nice about it. He wasn't incredibly strong, couldn't blast you from across the room, and always looked like he needed a bath. But once you tangled with him, you knew it was only a matter of time before your insides came out.

He reminds me in many ways of Miyamoto Musashi. A rogue samurai with somewhat skewed ideals, a serene acceptance of his own mortality, and the ability to stand against countless foes.

"I'm the best at what I do. And what I do isn't very nice."

I always liked Wolvie as a counter-point to the rest of the X-Men. They were as responsible for him as he was for himself (the sense of "family" that the X-Men had) and so they had to protect him even from his own rage at times.

Wolvie was best written when it was clear that he was filled with passion and fury, but that he could still bring himself back from the brink at a crucial moment in order to still "do the right thing"...even when his instincts told him otherwise. It showed real depth of character and made him into something greater than a "killing machine". He was also admirable for his sense of devotion. He wouldn't think twice about giving his life to protect his friends or innocents.

Wolvie's not a bad character...he just suffers from bad writers from time to time (just like Superman, Batman, Spiderman and just about every other comicbook character).

I think I could play a good Wolverine in a supers RPG.

[Igbutton]

I almost said Wolverine but there is so much resentment towards him atm, I was worried about opening a can of worms. I love him too but appearing in 4 comics series as well as having his own is a bit much.

He does remind me of my favorite anti-hero.

Deadpool.

I can just never get enough of his sadistic, wise-cracking, over-killing style.

[Tomcat1066]

I'm a big Wolverine fan also, mostly because he does what he does and doesn't apologize for it. While the rest of the heroes try to do "good", Wolverine just did what he felt needed to be done. People aren't just good or bad, they're usually somewhere in the middle...Wolverine is like that.

[Webhead]

I'm a big Wolverine fan also, mostly because he does what he does and doesn't apologize for it. While the rest of the heroes try to do "good", Wolverine just did what he felt needed to be done. People aren't just good or bad, they're usually somewhere in the middle...Wolverine is like that.

He had a "hard" side and a "soft" side, even if he tried to hide it from everyone. But you could tell that, deep down somewhere, he genuinely cared about his fellows and believed in sacrificing himself for others.

[Tomcat1066]

No argument there on any count. He's one of Marvel's more interesting heroes on many levels.

[Webhead]

No argument there on any count. He's one of Marvel's more interesting heroes on many levels.

I agree. I think he just ends up getting written a lot by writers who think he's nothing more than a walking blender...