#20- The Cowgirl Dorothy Gale- I struggled with whether it was right to put Dorothy from LEGEND OF OZ: THE WICKED WEST on this list, but ultimately, I think the way she is handled in that comic book rightly classifies her as a 'superhero' and indeed she is one of my favorite characters in all of comicdom. I started to collect this comic book a couple of years ago, right when it first came out. I loved it from the start. The pacing of the book, the off-beat storytelling and the unusual but convincing dialogue all come together to create an artistic and entertainment experience that is almost too good to be true. And at the center of it all stands Dorothy Gale. But this is not the Dorothy we know from the original books or movies. This is a larger-than-life rough and tumble cowgirl who doesn't take crap from anyone. Her status as a 'superheroine' has increased as she's apparently attained great power after replacing the Wicked Witch of the West. And while she's played a rather minor role on the more recent ongoing series, I'm sure she's soon to return full force and when she does I for one will be very happy.
#19- Captain America- Cap has been involved in almost every major storyline I've come to love, and always plays a role as leader and strategist. He's run operations that have actually taken out Thanos of Titan, the most terrible of all Marvel villains (in my humble opinion). What makes Cap so interesting is that he's not really 'super' in the traditional sense of the word, at least not in the comics. In the comics every one of his physical abilities has been pushed to the maximum human level they could possibly reach. So what makes captain truly 'super' is his heart and his mind. On that level he's very much like Batman. But unlike Batman, Captain has an optimism about him that makes him both vulnerable and inspiring in a way that truly moves you. In this sense he has the best character traits of both Batman and Superman all rolled into the same person. With the recent films pushing his stock even higher, Captain America is a character I truly love, though I've never collected massive numbers of his individual books.
#18- Thor- There was a time when I would've said that I loved Eric Masters' Thor or Beta Ray Bill even more than the original Thor. But the films have changed all that for me. When major films are made about characters, it can't help change the way you think about that character, and I think the THOR films, especially the most recent ones, are just some of the best comic book movies ever made. I have more Thor comics than, say, Captain America or Iron Man, but still there was a time when Thor would've been further down on this list. Like those other two, Thor has played an important role in almost every major story I have come to love (Thanos and Adam Warlock in the 70s, Secret Wars, The Infinity Trilogy, etc). But it is the old Asgardian stories, taking place wholly on another plane of existence, that I have really come to appreciate as something special. I think the films took great risks in being set primarily on those planes, but they paid off big time. And rightly so.
#17- Batman- Okay, I know I'm going to get some boos from the peanut gallery on this one, but this is just me being honest. Look, I love Batman, I LOVE Batman, but there are other characters I have come to love even more. Batman has a big role in most big DC story lines, and I have tons of comics with Batman in them, but like many of the individual Avengers, I don't have many Batman-only comic books. A couple of dozen at the most. However, I love many of the Batman films, and especially the animated series which I might list as the best animated television show of all time. Frank Miller's classic THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is not only one of the best graphic novels of all time, but one of the best novels of all time, period. Batman will always sit high on this list, but not as high as some would like. Batman fans can be brutal to those who don't agree with them that he is the best superhero of all time. He may be the best, but I'd be lying if I said he was my absolute favorite.
#16- Green Lantern- Hal Jordan- I know people who think that the Green Lantern is the dumbest character of all time. I am not one of those people. In fact, Green Lantern is one of my favorites. That is why there are four GLs on this list (John Stewart, Kyle Rayner, Hal Jordan and Alan Scott). I guess part of it has to do with the thought of what I could do with such a ring, which is powered by willpower and imagination, which I (perhaps egotistically), believe I have a lot of. Hal has been involved in some very important story lines including the groundbreaking GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW series in the 70s. But it was the Parallax storyline, when Hal went bad, that really cemented in my mind just how complex and interesting the man Hal Jordan actually is, beneath it all. And it doesn't hurt that green is my favorite color.
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