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Post by SJNeal on Aug 1, 2016 20:04:30 GMT -5
I'm a DC guy mostly, and there are very few characters on that side of the aisle that I don't like. On the other hand, most of my Marvel favorites have always been B-D listers.
Dr. Strange, Wonder Man, The Vision, Psylocke, Colossus, Archangel, Scarlet Witch, any member of Alpha Flight...
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Aug 1, 2016 20:52:43 GMT -5
I have irrational love for the 7 Soldiers of Victory and Falcon. Plenty of other candidates, but they are my top choices for the big two.
Wait, wait, ummm...and Thundra and Big Barda too...hmmm...Thundra...
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 1, 2016 20:57:09 GMT -5
I have irrational love for the 7 Soldiers of Victory and Falcon. Plenty of other candidates, but they are my top choices for the big two. Wait, wait, ummm...and Thundra and Big Barda too...hmmm...Thundra... Love those "Law's Legionnaires." |
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Post by Prince Hal on Aug 1, 2016 22:49:47 GMT -5
Hal, I would argue that's unnecessarily painful. Ouch ! Hey, comics ain't beanbag, soljer! |
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Post by brutalis on Aug 2, 2016 7:56:29 GMT -5
Considering that they were DC's Super Team Supreme, the Justice League sure did seem to have a lot of B list or lower villains for their combined might to defeat. Starro, Professor Ivo, Troll King, Kanjar Ro, Kromm, The Key, Doctor Destiny, Shaggy Man and the list goes on. I guess a great way to make yourself a household name in the annals of villainy is to have your butt handed to you by the League!
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 2, 2016 8:28:29 GMT -5
Since it seems, everyone has posted heroes or protagonist, is second stringer a applicable label for villains and antagonists too? I give you virtually any Blackhawk villain, for example... The Buzzard, the Eel, and the Owl. How could I have forgotten the Chameleon?  BTW, all of these "arch-foes" were making their first and only appearances. It always the animal themed villains. :-) Poor guys. If you are an animal themed villain you probably are a second stringer. If you are not Sabertooth or Killer Croc, but the Eel or Puma ... I have only one Blackhawk book, I picked up because the villain on the cover looked a lot like another villain from Marvel I had just read about and I was curious. Plus young me wrote off military pilots as not entertaining. Maybe I should rectify that at some point, but that's the case I am pleading. {Spoiler}   I'm a DC guy mostly, and there are very few characters on that side of the aisle that I don't like. On the other hand, most of my Marvel favorites have always been B-D listers. Dr. Strange, Wonder Man, The Vision, Psylocke, Colossus, Archangel, Scarlet Witch, any member of Alpha Flight... I too am a big fan of Wonder Man. His series was a lot of fun. I stumbled on it when I bought a packaged set of Galactic Storm at the comic shop I was going to then. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Aug 2, 2016 9:19:52 GMT -5
If we're talking about B-listers, rather than properly obscure characters, then I would definitely say that these second-string heroes/villains are among my favourite comic characters ever...
Dr. Strange
Jonah Hex
The Scorpion (Spider-Man villain)
The Confessor (from Astro City)
Dan Dare
The Spirit
Charley Bourne (from Charley's War)
Bigby Wolf (from Fables)
Herbie Popnecker
Rip Kirby
The Phantom Reporter (based entirely on his appearance in The Twelve)
Also, Dart from Atari Force, Jessica Jones of Alias/The Pulse fame and Cloak & Dagger. They're all probably more of like c-list characters though.
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Post by foxley on Aug 2, 2016 19:04:40 GMT -5
Since it seems, everyone has posted heroes or protagonist, is second stringer a applicable label for villains and antagonists too? It is probably harder to say who is a second-stringer among villains (especially given that we can't even agree who is a second-stringer among the heroes  ). Having said that, I am really fond of the Gentleman Ghost as a villain. Visually he is one of the most striking villains. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 2, 2016 23:32:00 GMT -5
I'm also very surprised to see Doctor Strange being listed here as a 2nd Stringer? ... I'm shocked too.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Aug 3, 2016 5:58:52 GMT -5
I'm also very surprised to see Doctor Strange being listed here as a 2nd Stringer? ... I'm shocked too. I think Doctor Strange is definitely a second tier Marvel character. I mean, I love him as a character, but there's no way he has the instant recognition with the general public that the likes of Spider-Man, The Hulk, Wolverine and Captain America have. His books have also never had comparable sales to those bigger heroes. No doubt the forthcoming movie will raise Strange's profile and you may see him move from being a 2nd tier character to being in the big leagues. But at the moment I think he's definitely a B-list character. |
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2016 7:49:51 GMT -5
I'm also very surprised to see Doctor Strange being listed here as a 2nd Stringer? ... I'm shocked too. I think Doctor Strange is definitely a second tier Marvel character. I mean, I love him as a character, but there's no way he has the instant recognition with the general public that the likes of Spider-Man, The Hulk, Wolverine and Captain America have. His books have also never had comparable sales to those bigger heroes. No doubt the forthcoming movie will raise Strange's profile and you may see him move from being a 2nd tier character to being in the big leagues. But at the moment I think he's definitely a B-list character. I see your point here and you made it very clearly too. I guess that Doctor Strange is a 2nd tier/stringer Marvel Character. |
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Post by adamwarlock2099 on Aug 3, 2016 8:01:17 GMT -5
Since it seems, everyone has posted heroes or protagonist, is second stringer a applicable label for villains and antagonists too? It is probably harder to say who is a second-stringer among villains (especially given that we can't even agree who is a second-stringer among the heroes ). Having said that, I am really fond of the Gentleman Ghost as a villain. Visually he is one of the most striking villains. Yeah it seems the terminology is different for people so it's hard to pin down who is who. I seem to remember him in a TV episode. Maybe it was Batman BatB. I want to say it was an episode Batman teamed up with Deadman. I liked his visual design and his gentleman demeanor. A sophisticated criminal. Something The Batman didn't get with Penguin. |
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Post by brutalis on Aug 3, 2016 9:04:45 GMT -5
I consider the A-List being the top drawer high selling instantly recognizable to many people that were always being seen and used regularly. Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, Joker, Lex Luthor, Green Goblin, Doctor Octopus, Bizarro, Wonder Woman, Fantastic Four, Doctor Doom, Silver Surfer and their like. The B-List are those who may have had their own series but sold less and recurring hero's or villain's who appeared with less regularity.
Spidey was always fighting Octupus, Goblin, Kingpin and Bats every few months had Joker, Penguimn, Catwoman, Riddler appearing. It were the lesser seen and known i found more interesting. Gentleman Ghost a few appearances in Hawkman then not seen forever and becomes a Batman villain. Daredevil and Doctor Strange whose series lived on the verge of cancellation. The new hero's/series that came and went quickly lasting a year or two: Metamorpho, Black Goliath, Nova, Son of Satan, Creeper, Hawk and Dove and those others which would disappear and reappear in some other series later on.
The background hero and villain not having their story told monthly on a larger canvas allowed some greater creativity or excitement whenever they appeared. And for the most part some of them always had a much sharper or cooler visual appearance to me.
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simayl
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Post by simayl on Aug 21, 2016 8:10:39 GMT -5
When I started reading in the early seventies I became obsessed with the following second stringers:
Marvel:
Killraven
Captain Mar-Vell
Iron Fist
Deathlok
Moon Knight
Doctor Strange - he was certainly second string at the time
Valkyrie
Nighthawk
Beast - post original X-Men, early blue furry phase as encountered in the Incredible Hulk
Doc Samson
DC:
The Legion of Super-Heroes - they were back up stories in Action Comics when I saw them before they began their run in Superboy!
Doom Patrol
Metal Men
Elongated Man
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Post by coinilius on Aug 21, 2016 9:16:03 GMT -5
Since it seems, everyone has posted heroes or protagonist, is second stringer a applicable label for villains and antagonists too? It is probably harder to say who is a second-stringer among villains (especially given that we can't even agree who is a second-stringer among the heroes ). Having said that, I am really fond of the Gentleman Ghost as a villain. Visually he is one of the most striking villains. I really liked the Gentleman Ghost's turn in the Tony Isabella initiated Hawkman series from the 80's - he was a great supporting character from a great short-run series. |
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