Top 5 Superheroes

5) Green Lantern



Hal Jordan is the greatest of all the Green Lanterns. Or so the Guardians thought. After his mental breakdown following the destruction of his hometown of Coast City, Hal Jordan went nuts and took out most of the GL Corps, a few Guardians, and a villain or two along the way, becoming what he always fought against - a supervillain. This was the high point in GL's career as far as I'm concerned. It was such a shock to see such a prominent superhero turn on everyone he knows and everything he believes in. He exercised such brutality too, from incinerating comrade-in-arms Kilowag to snapping the neck of arch-nemesis Sinestro. I couldn't believe it when DC decided to resurrect Jordan in the Rebirth miniseries a couple of years ago. There was just no way I could see how they were going to give us a plausible reason for Jordan returning from the dead, not to mention explaining how he could have turned so evil in the first place. Leave it to good old Geoff Johns - arguably the best writer at DC right now - to plot such a great comeback. Seems old Hal was infected with a being of pure fear known as Parallex, causing him to go renegade on his old team. They didn't completely overrule the mental anguish he felt at the loss of his hometown leading to him being susceptible to Parallex's influence, of course. That would be cheating. Rather, it was the breaking point that led him down this dark path and subsequent downfall. You can skip all of DC's other titles, but pick up GL if you want to get your money's worth.

Must reads:

Emerald Twilight; Rebirth; The Sinestro Corps War, Rage of the Red Lanterns

4) Superman



Invulnerable, super strength, multiple vision powers (including heat and x-ray vision), super-speed, flight - Superman is the most powerful being in the DC universe. He's also the most boring. Without any flaws and his boy scout image, Superman is the hardest character to write well. Attempts to do a Superman story in film and television have resulted in mixed results, ranging from the very good - Superman 1, Superman: The Animated Series; the very bad - Superman 3 and 4, Smallville, Lois and Clark; and the mediocre - Superman Returns, Superman 2. His history in the comic strip hasn't been great either. Superman in the nineties was remarkable largely for the Death of Superman trade paperback becoming the best-selling graphic novel of all time, but as far as the writing and art work went, Dan Jurgens et al. weren't exactly the most exciting team in comics.

So why is he in my top 5? Two reasons: you can't have a superhero list without him. He's the most popular character in comic books, an archetype for all superheroes. His origin story is known by pretty much everyone, comic book fan and non-comic book fan alike. His mythology has been critiqued and studied by a variety of social thinkers and academics, from Umberto Eco to A.C. Grayling. But my favourite interpretation comes from the titular character of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill movies. According to Bill, while other characters dress in costume to become superheroes, Superman wears a costume to become normal. Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man when he suits up, but Superman has to put on glasses and a business suit to become Clark Kent. And Kent is weak, clumsy, somewhat oblivious - all the characteristics we humans possess. Clark Kent is Superman's critique of humanity. I thought this was a really interesting perspective and I think it's what makes Superman such an enduring figure in American popular culture. He's also with Lois Lane, a dime piece if there ever was one.

My second reason for liking Superman: he's the reason I read comics. If I hadn't picked up Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen as a kid, I wouldn't be reading comic books today.

Must Reads:

For The Man Who Has Everything; Birthright; Red Son

3) The Punisher



Not really a superhero, definitely not a supervillain, Frank Castle aka The Punisher falls somewhere in-between. He hunts and kills bad guys, from the mafia don all the way down to the street-corner pimp. He doesn't discriminate in his outright slaughter of criminals either. He executes them all with brute force. But he's not totally amoral. He'll help out the good guys on occasion, has a soft spot for women and children; he's hard to peg. But given his ruthless methods he's not really a good guy. Punisher is a fun character to read, particularly when he's written by Garth Ennis. The recent Punisher: War Zone film may not have been well-received by audiences or critics, but I think that's because most of them never read a Punisher comic in their life. They're supposed to be over-the-top and extreme. It's what makes the books so much fun. That's not to say that there isn't an underlying commentary about vigiliantism, urban decay, whatever theme you want to ascribe to it, but no one should lose sight of the fact that it's purely for entertainment. Of course if you're able to find some deeper meaning to Punisher feeding a gang member to a shark, you've got more insight into these things than I do.

Must Reads:

Welcome Back, Frank; Punisher Kills The Marvel Universe; The Slavers; Barracuda

2) Daredevil



I would put Daredevil at number one if it weren't for a certain cape and cowled individual. Daredevil is simply the best written character in comic books. He's had the extraordinary luck of attracting some of the best writers writing for him at the peak of their careers. Beginning with Frank Miller in the 1980's and continuing into this decade with Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker, Daredevil's origins and war on crime have been tailored to fit a more gritty, crime noir style. The artist's have complemented this style brilliantly, particularly Michael Lark in his current run with Brubaker. There's also the tragic figure behind the mask - Matt Murdock - and he is a tragic figure. Raised in Hell's Kitchen by a bum prizefighter, he's blinded as a child by a radioactive isotope that gives him "radar-vision." Constantly bullied at school, he also has the misfortune of losing his father to mobsters, rendering Matt an orphan. As Daredevil, Murdock's had to deal with the two loves of his life being murdered by Bullseye, his secret identity revealed twice, once to his arch-nemesis Kingpin by Karen Page for a drug fix, and once again to the media. He's been sent to jail, had his wife Milla Donovan suffer a complete mental breakdown, and otherwise been dealt a fairly shitty hand in life. I can't think of any other character that's been dealt such a raw deal as Daredevil, and yet he keeps on going, never crossing the line between heroism and vigilantism, sticking up for his home turf, and basically kicking ass the whole time.

Must reads:

Born Again; The Man Without Fear; Out; Hardcore; The Devil Inside and Out - Vol. 1

1) Batman




Who else? I've gone on at great length about the Dark Knight in previous blogs, so there's no need to rehash. I'll just say that Batman is the greatest superhero of all time for one simple reason - he has no powers. In a way, he's the best humanity has to offer because he has to rely on his intellect and strength to survive, skills we spend years growing in order to fulfill our own selfish interests. But for Batman, the mission is all that matters. He's also got the best rogues gallery of any superhero, and like Daredevil, great writers and artists to tell his stories. Finally, Batman is the best character adapted to film and television. 'Nuff said.

Must reads:

The Dark Knight Returns; Year One; The Killing Joke; A Death In The Family; No Man's Land