Random Characters You Love...

[Optikal]

Everyone loves the big franchise players and the A listers, but what about the smaller guys, the fringe players? I've been on a bit of a kick lately reading through books focused on the lesser loved characters. So yeah, are there any random/minor/periphery characters that you have a real affection for?

Here's a few of mine:

Robbie Baldwin/Penance - I've recently read the Penance: Redemption mini-series and I'll be honest, I wasn't expecting much. But it surprised me and I really really liked it. I like how such a light, cookie-cutter character like Speedball could be in such a tragedy as Stamford and be changed so drastically. I really really like penance and just hope that where-ever he's been hoed up, he stays this way. The tortured dude is so much more interesting than the happy-go-lucky sap.

Mark Richards/The Tattooed Man - Richards has always interested me, both as a hero and a villain. His recent mini-series 'Ink' is one of the better books I've read from DC. I don't know what it is exactly that draws me to the character, though I do love how a street-level hero/villain has the potentil power within him to be a real threat to a galactic hero like Green Lantern.

Kallark/Gladiator - Yeah, I know he's now the Emporer of the Shi-Ar. But prior to that, as Praetor of the Imperial Guard and a periphery X-Men character, I always looked forward to his appearances. The sense of honor he carried as well as the mighty power within him. Well he reminds me a lot of Marvels version of Superman. Some would argue that's the Sentrys role, but c'mon... the dude spends most of his time peeing his spandex. Gladiator for me, embodies the true virtues of a galactic superhero.

 

[Kitsune]

The one I used to like was Pre Benderization Machine Man

 

[Gilpesh]

The entire cast of characters in X-Factor.

 

[Vort]

Too many to really count. I love the b & c listers. I like A's too, but I tend to really like the old characters that never really "made it".

Here's a few:

Taskmaster, Tarantula, Sin Eater, Rhino, Major Ursa, Ufoes, Morpheus, Werewolf by Night, Blade, Hannibal King, Cyber, Mr. Hyde...man just alot.

If I see one of these characters show up in a comic, I'm sure to pick it up.

 

[SuperFerret]

Mr. Immortal.

 

[BLACKVULCAN]

Cool!
The shroud -i always dug every hero thought he was a bad guy and was after him. When secretly he was taking over the underword families to destroy them from within. that was cool!
Thunderbird ( john proudstar)- the 1st ever native american hero i was introduced too.Dude was cool! i am sure since he was the 1st troublemaker on the team.They killed him to make wolverine the troublemaker instead.Boo!
Jack of hearts- he's too cool. nuff said
the original Alpha Flight: Puck Shaman Northstar, Auora Sasquatch, Vindicator all except marrina ( she sucked) but yeah baby i would buy that for a dollar!!( actually 4 since thats how much they cost now)hehe

 

[topdog1]

Sasquatch- Ever since I first saw John Byrne draw him I just loved the look of the character.

Rhino- I guess I have a thing for large beast-like characters.

Whirlwind- Cool design, blades on the wrists, vintage Marvel villain. What's not to like?

Klaw- A lot of villains make my list.

Taskmaster- His first appearance in Avengers (solo with Yellowjacket/Wasp/Ant-Man) is still one of my favorite all-time comics. Brings back great memories.

Grey Gargoyle- Again, more great childhood memories.

 

[bored]

The Shocker: Some angry shlub who makes vibrating scary. And occasionally he's allowed to be a real character and not just one of Spidey's less fearsome enemies.

Triathlon/3-D Man: I've been reading Busiek's 90s Avengers run lately. Triathlon fit in a lot better than one of the basically forgotten Avengers should.

Cosmo: Sure,

Spoiler

he may be dead, at least for an issue or two

, but he's a psychic Russian labrador!

Captain Cold: Briefly jumping over to DC, a better and more fleshed out villain you shan't find.

 

[Manic]

I've loved the Daughters of the Dragon for a few years now. An old comic of theirs got republished in 2006, shortly before their updated miniseries that made a fan out of me. Misty Knight and Colleen Wing are just awesome.

I love some of the X-Men's current students. Armor, Surge, Prodigy, Elixir, Anole, Dust, Cipher.

 

[Ipodman]

Shocker...

 

[NightBeetle]

3-D Man

 

[Jennifer Walters]

Misty Knight

Colleen Wing

Photon

Hellcat

Firestar (I'm pretty sure she doesn't count as as A list or even B list despite Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.)

Multiple Man

Strong Guy

Rictor

The entire rest of the X-Factor Investigations team.

Blink

Saint Walker

I'm sure there's more, but these are the ones that came off the top of my head.

 

[Silvermoth]

Great suggestions guys. I love Freakshow, Wicked, the Spot, Tiger Shark, Hydro-man, Photon and Toxin (although I like Toxin a little less than Venom or Carnage)

 

[Optikal]

Tiger-Shark & Rhino are two of my more favorite villains too.

I like Alpha Flight in general too, though Puck always annoyed me more than anyone else.

The Zodiac - A new character introduced in a Dark Reign mini-series. Only a small time crook but the way in which he refuses to fall in line and totally messes with HAMMER is just brilliant. His rag ugly collection of goons is quite enjoyable too.

Blizzard - I always thought he was a very under-appreciated villain.

 

[Tron Bonne]

Screwball

 

[PaleRider]

Man-thing. I absolutely love Man-Thing, I sometimes just want to run through the streets screaming how much I love Man-Thing.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The Black Knight. I miss the days when he was an Avengers mainstay.

 

[Franklin Richards]

Eric Simon Payne


Devil-Slayer



Read about him and Sunshine sometime. Moving story. Even Wonder Man didn't look like a shallow waste of space in that one.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

Did you read the MAX revamp? Although, come to think of it, I believe the original showed up in Avengers: The Initiative or something a little while ago.

 

[Franklin Richards]

I haven't read any new Devil-Slayer stories since Defenders. I'll admit I was afraid they'd **** him up.


Max worth it?

 

[TheCorpulent1]

I don't know, I passed because it was about some dude called "Devil-Slayer" that I didn't care about. I think they took the basic formula, swapped the crazy mystical/sci fi weapons for conventional firearms, and dropped the cloak on a new character in Iraq or Afghanistan or somewhere topical like that. I want to say TMOB read it, but I'm not 100% sure. Hopefully he'll see this thread and be more informative if he did.

Oh, and re: the thread topic: I also obviously obsess about random Asgardians far more than the average comic reader. I still to this day wish Sif would be shown with her teleportation powers and Balder with his light/heat powers, for example, whereas most comic readers don't even know any Asgardians besides Thor had special powers.

 

[Franklin Richards]

It took Simonson forever to give Balder those light powers. But I bought it hook, line, and sinker. Loved the Balder mini he put out. Or was it a canceled ongoing? Anywho. Love Karnilla and can't wait until she shows up again. I hear someone has the Norn stones now. Good luck. She's a vengeful *****.


And do I really need to say who my favorite minor Asgardian is?

Oh and second place goes to the Guardian of Bifrost.

The Enchantress even wanted him.

 

[Visceral]

superboy prime, I know people think he is annoying but at the same time he is like this really great experiment by Johns. I tell issue 4 of infinite crisis when he says "you're making me like you" as he accidentally kills people was emotion is some weird way for me.

 

[TheCorpulent1]

The Hood has the Norn stones. Loki gave them to him after Dormammu abandoned him.

Valkyrie has that death sense, right? She hasn't actually appeared in Thor as far as I've read. She tended to stay almost exclusively with the Defenders, it seems.

The Balder mini was always just a mini, as far as I know. But it was damned good. Early Thor is good to Balder, too. He beat the Executioner by himself a couple issues ago.

Heimdall's upgraded powers post-Ragnarok are awesome. From super-senses to peering into the very core of a person's being. An upgrade fit for a god. Plus, he's Sif's bro.

 

[Jdeadevil]

The guy who welcomes Mr. Stark when he gets kidnapped, his micro-expressions make me laugh