Who's your favourite major DC comics character?
- Thread starter Norrin Radd
- Start date
Hal Jordan, Green Lantern.
DC characters
- Batman
- Flash
- Aquaman
- Green Lantern
- Firestorm
- Robin
- Plastic Man
- Zauriel
- Martian Manhunter
- Superman
Jay Garrick, hands down, is my favorite comic book character, of any publisher, of all time. Period.
1) Jay Garrick
2) Tim Drake
3) Nightwing
4) Wally West
5) Hal Jordan
6) Batman / Superman (tie)
7) Alan Scott
8) Johnny Quick
9) Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson or Hector Hall)
10) Hawkman
1) Jay Garrick
2) Tim Drake
3) Nightwing
4) Wally West
5) Hal Jordan
6) Batman / Superman (tie)
7) Alan Scott
8) Johnny Quick
9) Doctor Fate (Kent Nelson or Hector Hall)
10) Hawkman
Especially when written by Geoff Johns who added such details as Jay always tipping his hat to those he rescues, his dad organizing a stickball game for the neighborhood kids, etc.
But, part of what makes him such a great character is how he contrasts with Alan Scott (another great character) and how they play sort of a "good cop/bad cop" deal with the rest of the JSA, especially the younger members.
^Yup, yup. I love Alan, too. And Ted. The three left of the old guard JSA, unless you count Carter (which is...iffy). Good cop, bad cop, tough cop, crazy mean cop (with an axe).
Johns and Waid are the only writers of the modern era to really get who Jay is, I think. He's more than just Grandpa Flash. He's everything that was honourable and good about the era in which he originated. The whole don't ever hit a girl, and never pick a fight, and especially, stand up for those who can't defend themselves ideal. Jay embodies all of that, and more, and with the right writer, makes it work for today without coming off as an outdated, ineffectual cliche.
All the heroes look to Superman for inspiration, but really, Jay is every bit as righteous and true as Clark, if not moreso. He always does the right thing, no matter what, and he doesn't get or want any of the glory for it. And in an age where only the dark and gritty and "realistic" heroes sell books, Jay is still relevant, probably more now than he ever was.
He's the anti-Wolverine. Or maybe the anti-Punisher.
Who cares. Jay's the man.
Johns and Waid are the only writers of the modern era to really get who Jay is, I think. He's more than just Grandpa Flash. He's everything that was honourable and good about the era in which he originated. The whole don't ever hit a girl, and never pick a fight, and especially, stand up for those who can't defend themselves ideal. Jay embodies all of that, and more, and with the right writer, makes it work for today without coming off as an outdated, ineffectual cliche.
All the heroes look to Superman for inspiration, but really, Jay is every bit as righteous and true as Clark, if not moreso. He always does the right thing, no matter what, and he doesn't get or want any of the glory for it. And in an age where only the dark and gritty and "realistic" heroes sell books, Jay is still relevant, probably more now than he ever was.
He's the anti-Wolverine. Or maybe the anti-Punisher.
Who cares. Jay's the man.
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^Spoken like a true teenager. 
Bart Allen.
One day, I will get my revenge on Geoff Johns for making him Kid Flash.
One day, I will get my revenge on Geoff Johns for making him Kid Flash.
One of the things I like about the JSA is the concept of the older, seasoned, level headed vets bringing the very young heroes along, teaching them fighting, tactics and how to be a hero. Since DCU superheroes came into their powers in all manner of ways (as opposed to mutations), the JSA - and the more generally acknowledgment through the JHSA that there were WWII mystery men inactive or dead - helps paper over glaring comic book oddity that 99% of superheroes are ages 15-35.
As much as I love Johns, yeah that was really bad.
See, I love Bart, and I agree he could have remained Impulse for sometime to come, but I have great appreciation for what Johns did with him in Teen Titans. Bart's character development in that comic was well-thought out, logical, and above all, consistent. It added new layers of depth to a fun but fairly one-dimensional character. I really got behind the "new" Bart.
Until Infinite Crisis and the Danny Bilson mess, that is. Guggenheim tried valiantly to salvage the character, but he had an editorial mandate from DC which tied his hands to an extent. And now... now Flash is all kinds of fracked up.
But, if you haven't done so already, pick up Legion of Three Worlds. It's got absolutely nothing to do with Final Crisis, and so far, makes this one Flash fan very happy indeed.
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Well, it has very, very little to do with Final Crisis, anyway, except for explaining where Superman was part of the time (when he wasn't cruising around in a Yellow Submarine with Dr. Manhattan-lite and the Big Red Cheese, fighting metacosmic ubervampires) and presumably leading in to Brainiac 5 giving him a look at the Miracle Machine.
I'm holding out hope that Johns will fill in the gap there, explaining how the Legion has a Miracle Machine stowed away in a tesseract when Matter-Eater Lad actually ate the damn thing years ago.
Or years from now.
Or something.
But yeah, it is definitely well worth reading, for Flash fans and Legion fans and probably Green Lantern fans, too.
--g
I haven't read enough Teen Titans to really tell what happened to Bart before his becoming Flash, but I'm mostly mad that Johns gave him the name Kid Flash. Bart hated the name, and rightfully so, because it was the former superhero name of a man who abandoned him and sent him to the sticks to live with an obscure, aging speedster. Bart willingly taking on the name felt completely wrong.
