Thefolks over at The Great Curve have made a list of the 52 best DC comics characters, complied from the votes of 89 comic bloggists. Things like this often turn out to be so wildly idiosyncratic as to be useless, but this one actually came out close to how I’d make it (number in paranthesis is how many first place votes it got):
Deathstroke the Terminator, Slade Wilson
Cyborg, Victor Stone
Doctor Fate, Kent Nelson
Mister Terrific, Michael Holt
The Phantom Stranger
Animal Man, Buddy Baker (1)
The Green Lantern, Alan Scott
Black Adam, Teth-Adam
The Sandman, Dream/Morpheus/Oneiros/etc.
The Atom, Ray Palmer
Bizarro
Adam Strange
Jonah Hex (1)
The Elongated Man, Ralph Dibny
John Constantine (1)
Swamp Thing, Alec Holland (1)
Hawkman, Carter Hall/Katar Hol
Booster Gold, Michael Jon Carter
The Spectre, Jim Corrigan
Green Lantern/Warrior, Guy Gardner (1)
James W. Gordon
Mister Miracle, Scott Free
Alfred Pennyworth
The Flash, Jay Garrick
Impulse/Kid Flash, Bart Allen (1)
Power Girl, Kara Zor-L/Karen Starr (1)
The Question, Vic Sage/Victor Szazs
The Flash, Barry Allen (3)
Plastic Man, “Eel” O’Brian
Darkseid
Blue Beetle, Ted Kord (1)
Two-Face, Harvey Dent
Zatanna, Zatanna Zatara
Robin, Tim Drake
Space Cabby (1)
Aquaman, Arthur Curry/Orin (1)
Catwoman, Selina Kyle (2)
Black Canary, Dinah Drake Lance/Dinah Laurel Lance
Green Lantern/Parallax/The Spectre, Hal Jordan
Starman, Jack Knight (2)
Martian Manhunter, J’onn J’onzz (2)
Lois Lane (1)
Green Arrow, Ollie Queen (1)
Captain Marvel, Billy Batson (3)
Kid Flash/The Flash, Wally West (4)
Batgirl/Oracle, Barbara Gordon
Wonder Woman, Diana Prince/Diana of Themyscira
Lex Luthor
Robin/Nightwing, Richard John “Dick” Grayson (4)
The Joker (1)
Superman, Kal-L/Kal-El/Clark Kent (15)
Batman, Bruce Wayne (27)
Some surprises:
No Legionaires at all. I suppose that Legion fans love the group more than any individual members.
No Supergirl. I know some (like me) find the current version underwhelming, but you’d think Klassik Kara would have a strong showing.
No Suicide Squad. I didn’t expect Deadshot or Amanda Waller to make the top ten, but I know they have their fans.
Come to think of it, not many villains. Yeah, they’ve got some showing, but where’s Gorilla Grodd? Where’s Ra’s Al Ghul? A good villain is just as essential to a successful story as the hero. You’d think some of the more memorable omnes would make the list.
Looks like Hal wins. Alan and Guy both got nods, but no love for old Crab-Face.
Dammit, I tried to push Ambush Bug onto that list… I tried… but Noooooo. And yet, Space Cabby. And I take some solace in that my vote for the Phantom Stranger probably got him into the top 52.
Yeah, these guys think they’re so clever. I say that no list of DC characters without at least Cryll, Zook, Nameless, and Scooter in the Top 10, and Super-Hip/Tadwallader Jutefruce at #1, is worth reading.
Is the list restricted to characters in the current continuity? (post-Crisis, post-Zero Hour, post-Infinite, post-I’ve lost track) That might explain the absence of Supergirl, and even more importantly, Superboy. Yes, I know, Superboy can be considered included under Superman. But consider that even pre-Crisis there were hints that he was effectively a separate character, he had his own title for decades, and was responsibile for the semi-iconic character Krypto. I’d say Superboy deserves a place on the list.
Where’s Jimmy Olsen? His old title featured some of the funniest comic stories ever written!
No Robby Reed? Dial “H” for HOGWASH!
Bizarro deserves a much higher ranking. Who wouldn’t rather read a Bizarro story (both the classics from the 1960s and the excellent recent stories in the Superman/Batman series) than a story starring Zatanna, Booster Gold, or even Aquaman? Me so angry at this list, me laugh and laugh!
No. Reboots were smushed together for voting purposes, unless they are very different (so Pre-Crisis and current Kara count as one vote, but Peter David’s Linda Danvers Supergirl wouldn’t).
Also, characters were tallied by civillian name, not costume. Thus, Clark Kent is both Superman and pre-Crisis Superboy, just as Dick Grayson is both Robin and Nightwing.
Most of my favorites made the list (Blue Beetle, Question, Jack Knight, Booster Gold, Animal Man, Mister Miracle, John Constantine, Elongated Man, Swamp Thing), but I would have voted for Deadshot, Catman, and the Golden Age Sandman, Wesley Dodds, as well.
I’m slightly miffed that most of my favourites made it to the bottom half, but considering how DC has a frillion million characters I suppose I should be grateful.
I appreciate Space Cabby for the “weird” factor, heck, I own all of his appearances, but to imagine that in an open vote he was the 18th favorite character is beyond me. Good grief, if he’s that good a character, how come he hasn’t appeared in more than 30 books over a period of 50 years??
Space Cabby? If any of DC’s futuristic characters deserved a nod, it should have been a Legionnaire, the Atomic Knight, Tommy Tomorrow/Kamandi. Heck, even Star Hawkins and Ilda. (Can you tell I’m a fan of Chaykin/Garcia-Lopez’s TWILIGHT?)
Swamp Thing and John Constantine made it, but none of DC’s other pre-Vertigo horror anthology characters made it? Destiny, Cain of the House of Mysteries, Abel of the House of Secrets, Eve of, well, Plop!, The Witching Hour witches, Lucien, Gregory the Gargoyle, I… Vampire!
For God’s sake, Etrigan the Demon didn’t make the list? Shade the Changing Man? Black Orchid? ANIMAL MAN?
F’crissakes, Kobra didn’t make the list. That’s just wrong.
These lists are always a mistake. Even if split into three lists (hero / villian / supporting cast), it still would not begin to cover the depth of the DC (or Marvel) universe.
Also, who the bloody blue blazes is Space Cabby? I have been reading comics off and on for nearly 30 years, and that one totally eludes me.
Checking the list again, I see Animal Man did make the list, so I’m slightly mollified.
The Phantom Stranger is more of a mystic hero than a horror one, similar to the Spectre in most of his incarnations. Both made the list.
D_Odds made a good point about non-powered supporting casts. Alfred Pennyworth and James W. Gordon made the list from Batman titles. Lois Lane and Lex Luthor represent Superman. But no Perry White, Steve Lombard, Cat Grant or Jimmy Olsen, no Ma and Pa Kent. No Amazons for Wonder Woman.