Popular and/or long-standing characters that you just couldn't get into.

[BLACKVULCAN]

Oh man. I'll love some FF til the day I die. They are the world's greatest comic! But i will agree with whoever said that Cable thing and put in Booster Gold and Deadpool.
Cable and anything that Rob Leifield ever had a hand in creating.Hell! Just put in almost anything from Image for me.
................ Oh and i ain't even going nowhere near that Hank Pym thing. Haha!

 

[Anubis]

Obviously you've never read Invincible or Walking Dead from Image to make that statement.

 

[BLACKVULCAN]

nope. i gave up on Image a long time ago.I know it was a bold statement and I hope it doesnt add to my suckitude, but I was more referring to Image when they had Youngblood, Wetworks, Cyber force.You know when characters would pop up, stay around a issue and you never saw them again. I assume they got better but back then, i couldn't hang

 

[Anubis]

Don't worry, I rag on CW because he deserves it, you on the other hand are entitled to your opinion, but I'm just saying, Image has come a long way since the 90's. Like, they are producing some of the best comics in the business right now. Even later versions of some of their early stuff was great. Alan Moore on Wildcats for instance and Joe Casey with Wildcats 3.0. (Course that was when Wildstorm went with DC, but still). You should give Image a chance and not judge the company based on how it started out. I mean, that's like swearing off Marvel based on the book Force Works or something.

My main point, and what I'm trying to get across with my b***hing about the pointlessness of this thread, there are no bad characters, just bad writers. Proof of this? Chuck Austin's Captain America Run and Gail Simone's revamp of Catman in the pages of Villains United.

Two extremes of the same thing. On the one hand, Cap is awesome, (And anybody that comes in and says otherwise is getting stabbed in the eyes while they sleep.) Along comes Chuck Austin and his Ice arc, and whatever else he did because I couldn't even go on with the book after the first four issues, and boom, the book sucks. Then comes along Ed Brubaker, Cap is great again.

Catman, on the other end, was a total Z-Lister. Crap character for decades. Along came a woman with a fresh take on him, took the last appearance by the loser and turned him into one of the best villain/anti-heroes in comics today. From Crap to awesome. You see? Bad characters don't exist. But there are plenty of bad writers.

 

[BLACKVULCAN]

that's like swearing off Marvel based on the book Force Works or something.

ooooooo man was that a bad one! haha!

My main point, and what I'm trying to get across with my b***hing about the pointlessness of this thread, there are no bad characters, just bad writers.

I totally agree a good writer can come along and instantly changed a character for the best. I also agree with the Catman example.I read that mini series and instantly thought he was a great character after years of languishing on the bottom rung of the Supervillain ladder.That's one of the reasons I like Morrison. He usually uses alot of Z-listers and use them because they are blank slates for him to use as he sees fit.Like Libra in Final crisis. I remembered that guy as a nothing villain long time ago.
Alot of my thinking is because I collect the books themselves instead of TPB(ole school habit) and at $3 a pop i have to bit more selected. Before I would read any and everything that was around.As you know we all have our favorite characters that we dig more than others, and we tend to go to those 1st before others.I totally agree that it comes down to the writers.If it's a good one writing it I'm more than willing to give it a chance.I was thinking I would pick up that "Walking dead" book, since I have heard you guys talk about it alot on here.

 

[Chris Wallace]

I never said that any of the characters on this thread are bad; only that they never really grabbed me-never captured my imagination. This can happen with anyone. They've been making superhero comics for almost 70 years now & I seriously doubt that any one of them has appealed to everybody. And to anyone who thinks this thread is pointless, what color is the gun being held to your head while you post on here against your will?

 

[Anubis]

Gun Metal grey.

What can I say, you're a walking black hole of suck...I'm drawn to it.

 

[fifthfiend]

My main point, and what I'm trying to get across with my b***hing about the pointlessness of this thread, there are no bad characters, just bad writers. Proof of this? Chuck Austin's Captain America Run and Gail Simone's revamp of Catman in the pages of Villains United.

Two extremes of the same thing. On the one hand, Cap is awesome, (And anybody that comes in and says otherwise is getting stabbed in the eyes while they sleep.) Along comes Chuck Austin and his Ice arc, and whatever else he did because I couldn't even go on with the book after the first four issues, and boom, the book sucks. Then comes along Ed Brubaker, Cap is great again.

I would say that the pinnacle of this is Alan Moore writing Supreme.

Alan Moore writing any Image character, really.

 

[fifthfiend]

Anyway for my part: Captain Marvel.

I want to like him but any time I try I just get irritated by how stupid it is that his comics are all called Shazam instead of Captain Marvel and say the hell with it.

 

[Chris Wallace]

There are still some characters who can't hold my interest no matter who's writing them. It just means that they don't appeal to me.
THE PENGUIN-I like absolutely nothing about this character; his look, his motif, nothing. He's a joke, IMO. When you look at the villains-and heroes, for that matter-who are named for and/or modeled after animals, it's because there is some attribute of that animal that is worthy of implementation. Sabretooth, Vulture, Tarantula, Cheetah, Scorpion, White Wolf-these are all animals that are on some level, dreaded and/or feared. They are all deadly in their own right. How menacing is a penguin? What does a penguin have that would give it an advantage in a fight? Then it's a poor match-up against Batman. In one corner, you've got a tall, lean fighting machine, master of numerous martial arts. And in the other corner, a fat, wobbly midget with a reperatory problem waving an umbrella. Ludicrous.
And before you defend Oswald with "They're trick umbrellas", let's touch on that.
One shoots bullets. But Batman's suit is bulletproof.
One shoots fire. Batman's cape is fireproof.
One has a blade. Did I mention Batman is a master of numerous martial arts?
How Penguin has lasted is a mystery to me.
TOAD-again, pretty much the same reason. Loved him in the movie, though.

 

[Chris Wallace]

Anyway for my part: Captain Marvel.

I want to like him but any time I try I just get irritated by how stupid it is that his comics are all called Shazam instead of Captain Marvel and say the hell with it.

I think there was a legal dispute w/Marvel over the name, so it was agreed that the name "Captain Marvel" would never appear on the cover of any comic.
I never got into him b/c all I see is a knock-off of Superman, which is what DC saw 60 years ago.

 

[The Joker]

THE PENGUIN-I like absolutely nothing about this character; his look, his motif, nothing. He's a joke, IMO. When you look at the villains-and heroes, for that matter-who are named for and/or modeled after animals, it's because there is some attribute of that animal that is worthy of implementation. Sabretooth, Vulture, Tarantula, Cheetah, Scorpion, White Wolf-these are all animals that are on some level, dreaded and/or feared. They are all deadly in their own right. How menacing is a penguin? What does a penguin have that would give it an advantage in a fight? Then it's a poor match-up against Batman. In one corner, you've got a tall, lean fighting machine, master of numerous martial arts. And in the other corner, a fat, wobbly midget with a reperatory problem waving an umbrella. Ludicrous.
And before you defend Oswald with "They're trick umbrellas", let's touch on that.
One shoots bullets. But Batman's suit is bulletproof.
One shoots fire. Batman's cape is fireproof.
One has a blade. Did I mention Batman is a master of numerous martial arts?
How Penguin has lasted is a mystery to me.

You could apply that arguement to 90% of Batman's villains. It's not just limited to The Penguin. Most of them are no physical threat to Batman at all, and rely on their intelligence and gimmicks to defeat him.

Joker uses guns and lethal toys like his acid squirting flower, Two Face just uses guns, Poison Ivy uses lethal plants and toxins, The Riddler uses guns as well I guess, and The Penguin uses umbrella weapons and trained killer birds, too.

The Penguin is extremely intelligent. He's avoided prison for years in the comics under the front of his Iceberg Lounge. Batman can never pin the crimes Penguin committs on him.

Cobblepot was named Penguin because of his physical appearance. It was an insulting name inflicted on him by bullies as a kid. It's the whole premise of the character. He looks harmless, but is in fact a deadly menace.

Look at Lex Luthor. Superman's greatest enemy, but he has not got one super power to his name. He's a normal human being. You don't have to be a physical threat to be dangerous.

 

[Chris Wallace]

It's not just his lack of physical imposition. I don't care for his lame motif. Joker, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, et al. are psychologically compelling characters. Penguin, to me, is not. They have visual appeal.

Penguin doesn't.

I know Joker, Riddler & Lex can't fight-they have women protecting them!-but they're interesting apart from that. Far more interesting than a guy who just feels like a throw-away character.

 

[IRON_Lad]

Yeah Penguin stories are usually boring

 

[GNR]

Spider Man

 

[iamlegend]

The O5 X-Men.

Batman (his comic books, that is)

 

[The Question]

THE PENGUIN-I like absolutely nothing about this character; his look, his motif, nothing. He's a joke, IMO. When you look at the villains-and heroes, for that matter-who are named for and/or modeled after animals, it's because there is some attribute of that animal that is worthy of implementation. Sabretooth, Vulture, Tarantula, Cheetah, Scorpion, White Wolf-these are all animals that are on some level, dreaded and/or feared. They are all deadly in their own right. How menacing is a penguin? What does a penguin have that would give it an advantage in a fight? Then it's a poor match-up against Batman. In one corner, you've got a tall, lean fighting machine, master of numerous martial arts. And in the other corner, a fat, wobbly midget with a reperatory problem waving an umbrella. Ludicrous.
And before you defend Oswald with "They're trick umbrellas", let's touch on that.
One shoots bullets. But Batman's suit is bulletproof.
One shoots fire. Batman's cape is fireproof.
One has a blade. Did I mention Batman is a master of numerous martial arts?
How Penguin has lasted is a mystery to me.

That's why Cobblepot works best as a thief-turned-gangster. He's a purely intellectual threat for Batman.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I would say that the pinnacle of this is Alan Moore writing Supreme.

Alan Moore writing any Image character, really.

He certainly improved the Wildcats. Man, that series was bad before he came onboard.

 

[BLACKVULCAN]

yeah i like penguin too.He's is one the few foes Batman has that's not incurable insane, plus I do dig the fact that he's named for a flightless, non threatening water fowl. Its a misnomer. He's ruthless and cunning, not something you would think from someone named penguin.

 

[Chris Wallace]

He's laughable & someone like Batman should have been able to shut him down a long time ago. Plus, I think if I were a thug, Cobblepot is the one villain I'd be least likely to take orders from.

 

[Anubis]

And you'd likely end up sleeping with the fishes.

 

[Obi-Ron]

I used to like Batman.

Then I got turned 6 and moved on.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Yeah, he's a mob boss with a great mind that specializes in business and cruelty. He's as much a great villain as Marvel's Kingpin, as far as I'm concerned. No, actually, he's better since his antagonist is the world's greatest detective, not some blind dude who just breaks people's faces once in a while.

 

[Obi-Ron]

I used to like Batman...

Then I turned 6 and moved on...

 

[Anubis]

And when your testicles finally drop, maybe you'll start liking him again.