― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 16:47 (seventeen years ago) link
― DV (dirtyvicar), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 18:04 (seventeen years ago) link
xpost - you've got the wrong guy there, DV.
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 18:18 (seventeen years ago) link
Never read Tintin.
― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 18:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ray (Ray), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 19:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Tuesday, 21 November 2006 22:20 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ray (Ray), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 09:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― occasional mongrel (kit brash), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 09:27 (seventeen years ago) link
I don't follow you.
― DV (dirtyvicar), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 10:56 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ray (Ray), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 12:21 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 12:28 (seventeen years ago) link
(204 points)
http://static.flickr.com/24/54500175_c70dd357fa.jpg
IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE IT'S TRUE. Hate the comic is so great because its terrific laffs hide some pretty harsh stories (is there a more shocking comics death than…but some of you might not have read it yet). Similarly Buddy Bradley is a great character because unlike most 'comedy' comics figures - and even most TV sitcom ones - he ages and grows and makes familiar compromises, and while he still makes some really stupid decisions, over the course of the comic he gradually learns to be less of an asshole. The core readership who hit on the comic when it was basically a grunge-era Freak Brothers ( i.e. fucking hilarious) grumbled about this but there are golden Buddy scenes in almost every issue - the episode with the "U2 tickets" and the internet chatroom, for instance. I've not caught up on any of Bagge's stories since the main Hate comic ended, so I don't know how he's evolved Buddy further, but certainly in my 20s he was the most recognisable - and ultimately, sympathetic - character I'd ever read. (Tom)
greatest moment: Good God. If I had to pick one, possibly the time he attacks Val's dinner party. Either that or the 'date' issue. (Vic Fluro)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 12:30 (seventeen years ago) link
― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 12:53 (seventeen years ago) link
― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 13:13 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 15:12 (seventeen years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 16:11 (seventeen years ago) link
― Vic F (Vic Fluro), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 17:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― Douglas (Douglas), Wednesday, 22 November 2006 17:37 (seventeen years ago) link
Just as well too, since they're stripping the colour for the bok.
― occasional mongrel (kit brash), Thursday, 23 November 2006 08:32 (seventeen years ago) link
(276 points)
http://www.rabittooth.com/13_calvin/faces.jpg
All the characters in Peanuts had simple, well-definedpersonalities, which they were unlikely to stray from (except for Snoopy), but Bill Watterson's Calvin hassome of the weird contradictions of a real person:he's at once precocious and bratty, a complete cynicand a total innocent, a gleeful would-be scam artist and a solitary, sensitive kid who worries about globalwarming. (Justyn)
The only regularly funny strip cartoon (Pete)
Calvin ruined me. Rereading Watterson's oeuvre, I am constantly reminded that damn near each and every one of my character flaws and antisocial tendencies can be put down to me trying to cop Calvin's style. This goes from inventing superhero scenarios in my struggles not to shower as a kid to more current concerns such as grumpiness, flippancy and an obscene pride in forsaking any sort of social and/or physical activity in favour of vegetating in front of the TV. At this stage it's impossible to determine how much of it was personality overlap and how much conscious emulation, of course – either way, Calvin remains the most relatable kid character of all time to me. (Daniel Reifferscheid)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:05 (seventeen years ago) link
Worship MaggieAdore Captain HLove BuddyLike Calvinand the No.1 is a bit meh.
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:07 (seventeen years ago) link
http://wiw.org/~jess/weblog/marmaduke.jpg
I just changed my name, or I'd switch up to "Marmaduke is Being Cock-Blocked." (Austin Still)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:08 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:13 (seventeen years ago) link
1. Batman (Batman etc.)
(294 points)
http://www.readyourselfraw.com/recommended/rec_reading/essential_06mar/pope_batman100_small.jpg
Special extended "what were we thinking?" edition!
Dude, it's Batman. From the benevolent father-figure who foils Joker's boners and Adam West's paunch to Frank Miller's obsessive fascist and Kelley Jones's gothic demon, Batman is all bat-things to all bat-people. (Huk-L)
I think Batman is a character that no one creator or creative team has ever gotten completely right since the first few Bob Kane stories. (Until the Nolan movie, maybe.) Kane started introducing costumed villains almost immediately, and DC settled the character into a comfy routine of superheroics — a little goofier goofier in the 50s, more serious in the 70s. Even Miller's Dark Knight carried "angry dad" baggage that undercut the character's basis in guilt and terror as the ultimate motivators. Cumulatively, 65+ years of failed mentorships, failed friendships, failed romantic relationships and thousands of small victories against Joe-Chill-substitutes have created comics' greatest somewhat-heroic protagonist. (Rock Hardy)
WHY? HE'S BATMAN! (Leeeee)
Batman's a bit overplayed at the moment, let's face it. And the current iteration is one of the most boring, unloveable and pretentious characters to be found in comics. But there was a time when he was exciting and fun and he did manage to enslave the entire world with a TV show in the sixties so his current nauseating self is propped up somewhat. (Vic Fluro)
Greatest moments:
From DKR, where he reveals to the Mutant 'banger that he's not in any position to negotiate. (Leeeee)
"Criminals are a superstitious, cowardly lot" (David A Simpson)
Batman used to give whodunnit speeches – "Here's how I deduced the real culprit!" His first meeting with Ra's Al Ghul has perhaps the definitive one of these – Batman paces the floor of a himalayan hideout with a wonderfully smug irritation, hands gesticulating operatically as he delivers a bravura speech, belittling the assorted henchmen, chiding Ra's and shooting off the occasional dry quip. Finally, he says "I'm tired of talking! Ready, Robin?" And the two of them quickly mop the floor with the lot of them in a swashbuckling fight. Classic stuff from the days when Batman behaved a bit more like Sherlock Holmes crossed with Zorro and a bit less like Mr Furious with Asperger's. (Vic Fluro)
"Stephen Hawking!" (me)
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:16 (seventeen years ago) link
― Ray (Ray), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:23 (seventeen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:28 (seventeen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 13:31 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 23 November 2006 14:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 23 November 2006 14:25 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:14 (seventeen years ago) link
― chap who would dare to welcome our new stingray masters (chap), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:32 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:35 (seventeen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:36 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:37 (seventeen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:39 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tuomas (Tuomas), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:45 (seventeen years ago) link
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link
xxpost, have you never seen Adam West, Tuomas?
― Huk-L (Huk-L), Thursday, 23 November 2006 15:51 (seventeen years ago) link
― Joe Isuzu's Petals (Rock Hardy), Thursday, 23 November 2006 16:10 (seventeen years ago) link
― It's the lazy and immoral way to become super hip. (Austin, Still), Thursday, 23 November 2006 19:04 (seventeen years ago) link
― Daniel_Rf (Daniel_Rf), Thursday, 23 November 2006 19:06 (seventeen years ago) link
― Andrew Farrell (afarrell), Thursday, 4 January 2007 14:44 (seventeen years ago) link
― Tom (Groke), Thursday, 4 January 2007 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link
bump in case anyone wanted to know the winners
― chaki, Friday, 24 August 2007 04:56 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.empireonline.com/50greatestcomiccharacters/default.asp?c=50
― chap, Thursday, 10 July 2008 12:00 (fifteen years ago) link
Rather boring list. Japan is represented by one character, Europe (outside 2000AD) by two. And who the hell puts two characters from Preacher on a top 50 list, and neither of them is Cassidy?! Jesse Custer was like the most boring character in the whole comic, the Tintin of his own book.
― Tuomas, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:46 (fifteen years ago) link
Actually, Jesse and Cassidy are pretty much like Tintin and Haddock, right?
RIP Mona Lisa Ludatits ;_;
― HI DERE, Thursday, 10 July 2008 13:48 (fifteen years ago) link
The really striking thing about the list is its complete avoidance of kids' characters (obviously, yes, a lot of the ones featured weren't meant for adults originally).
― Groke, Thursday, 10 July 2008 15:22 (fifteen years ago) link