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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 16, 2022 6:08:55 GMT -5
One of my favorite tropes as a comics-loving kid was when a super-hero would take on another hero's villains, especially when they were so much more powerful—in theory, anyway—than the good guy. There were a lot of evildoer pairings that were contenders for this spot on my list but I finally settled on 9. Mr. Hyde and The Scorpion
Gerry Conway only wrote Captain America for four issues (#149-152) before he left the title to focus on his more important assignments Thor and Amazing Spider-Man, so he used his last two issues to tie up a loose end left over from his “Mr. Kline” storyline that appeared early in his Daredevil run. Kline, an android from the future with less-than-clear motives, had used androids of Hyde and Scorpion against the Man Without Fear but what had he done with the originals? It turnjed out that he'd put 'em in suspended animation and warehoused 'em. When they inevitably woke up, the villains assumed they'd been prisoners of SHIELD and set out on a campaign of vengeance on the hi-tech intellifence agency. This quickly brought them in conflict with Captain America and The Falcon, resulting in two issues of glorious mayhem illoed by Sal Buscema, Vince Colletta, and Frank Giacoia. As mentioned in other threads, I had not been a huge Cap fan to this point and, truthfully, a family friend had bought these issues and passed them on to me after he'd read them. He hadn't thought much of the story but I, as a longtime fan of both baddies, had eaten 'em up with the proverbial spoon. I was so impressed that I decided to begin following Captain America, a decision that paid off, as the following issue launched Steve Englehart's legendary run on the title. So I owe Gerry, Sal, Hyde, and Scorpy for sparking my interest in a book I'd previously bought solely for the art... and here, nearly fifty years later, is their reward. Cei-U! I summon the debt paid! |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 16, 2022 6:35:37 GMT -5
9. The Claremont-Era Brotherhood of Evil MutantsOccurred in Avengers Annual #10 (October 1981) and beyond (largely) by Chris Claremont As I regularly note when discussing comics, though it's usually difficult to do something new that has never been done before in the 90+ years of comics, one vastly under-explored source of new characterizations and interpersonal relationships lies with realistic depictions of female characters. There just haven't been enough of them in comics until recently. So when I discuss the Claremont-era Brotherhood, it's less about representation and more about the fact that it was a team of characters and relationships that was new: Not Blob, Pyro, and the like, but Mystique, Destiny, and Rogue -- three villains who profoundly RESPECTED and LOVED each other?! It's less that I particularly liked any of them (well, Rogue grew on me many years later after being totally revamped), and more that the relationships between them were just nothing like those of any villain team I'd ever experienced before. They were robust and complex. There was serious history there, and we were only skimming the surface.  Classic.
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 16, 2022 6:36:46 GMT -5
#9Thanos and MangogThor( 1998) 19-25 , Annual 2000Marvel Comics ( 1999)Writer: Dan JurgensArtist: Romita JR/ Jose LadronnInkers: Klaus Jansen/Dick Giordano This might be my guilty pleasure of the 12 entries this year. I finally read this for this Classic Christmas and , in concept , really liked the team up. I will admit to finding the story to be just okay but the art was big and action packed in the Kirby style. That’s the saving grace of this run, that Romita JR really knows how to convey power even utilizing many double page splashes throughout the 7 issues he drew. The Annual had amazing art by Jose Ladronn in a related 12 page story. A few points about the book:
Thanos tries to gather artifacts of power. This isn’t original for the character as , in his past, he had gathered the cosmic cube and the infinity Gems. It feels like they are going to the well one more time. Thanos has a flat personality and is nothing like the classic Starlin stories. Mangog joins him as an ally but is essentially the muscle and comes off as a lackey in spots. Thanos takes on the role of a spectator while Mangog does all the violence. This is too much like the boring Darkseid style of appearance where he stands around with his hands behind his back while everyone does his bidding and I didn’t like it. Romitra JR draws amazing action but he depicts Mangog in various sizes. I only `ever saw him as a giant in the other stories that he has been in. Maybe he is taking artistic license in order to make Thor his equal in some of the panels but it’s jarring in some spots. * Edit: I forgot to mention that Starlin disavowed this story as Thanos being a clone. I'm a bit surprised that the PTB allowed him to get away with that. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2022 6:44:46 GMT -5
The 3 Supermen From Krypton"Three criminals on Krypton are deemed guilty by Krypton’s ruling council, and set adrift in space. Only to make their way through space for years and eventually land on Earth, where they now become free and superpowered. And then proceed to make trouble for Superman."  Sure sounds like a movie I saw as a little kid! Except it isn't. No, this isn't Zod, Ursa, and Non. Or from the comic books Faora, Jax-Ur, etc. No, meet Mala, Kizo, and U-Ban. And not only are they the original Kryptonian villains (brothers sentenced for their crimes on Krypton, then put into suspended animation in space in a rocket that crashes years later on Earth), they are actually the first reference of other Kryptonian survivors besides Superman with their landmark appearance in Superman #65 in 1950. Besides the historical significance, I also love the visual of their costumes, I feel like right out of the gate they had some great looking bad guys who sadly only appeared one more time in Action #194 in 1954 before disappearing forever and eventually being supplanted by other Kryptonian villains. Also in the story itself in Superman #65, it's a rather cool knock down drag out fight with Superman, that carries on for quite awhile, and I remember being amazed at things like Superman really taking some damage, and even his costume being torn up during the brawl (his "invulnerable costume" would technically come later, but I just hadn't read an early story before where this happened). So today's choice celebrates the long lost original Kryptonian trio of terror!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2022 7:15:08 GMT -5
9. The Mutants from Thundercats (Star Comics and Marvel UK, 1980s-1991)The Mutants, led by reptilian Slithe, consists mainly of Jackalman, Monkian and Vultureman, although there are others. From a planet called Plun-Darr, the Mutants pursued the Thundercats to Third Earth after Thundera was destroyed; they formed an alliance with undead sorcerer Mum-Ra (although he no doubt thought of them as underlings). The Mutants began in the cartoon, which was followed by a toyline. However, as enjoyable as they are, for the purpose of this topic, the Mutants also had a “good run” in the Star Comics imprint, lasting 24 issues; however, Marvel UK did a Thundercats comic from 1987 to 1991, which ran for 129 issues. The Mutants featured heavily in that, always plotting, always planning something new, forever regrouping. Such a disparate band of evildoers somehow kept it together at times, hence their inclusion on my list. 
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Post by foxley on Dec 16, 2022 7:39:29 GMT -5
Because we're all mad here... #9 The Wonderland Gang (first appearance Detective Comics #841) 2008(The Mad Hatter, Tweedledee & Tweedledum, March Harriet, the Lion, the Unicorn, the Walrus, the Carpenter) The Wonderland Gang, first appearing in Detective Comics #841, is made up of entirely Lewis Caroll themed villains. Originally believed by the public to be run by the Mad Hatter, it was revealed that Tweedledee and Tweedledum really ran the gang using one of Tetch's own mind control devices on him in order to cash in on his notoriety. They filled the Wonderland Gang with other pairs based on Alice in Wonderland (such as the Lion and the Unicorn and the Walrus and the Carpenter). The Mad Hatter eventually got back at them by sticking mind control chips on the two and turning them on each other. After some imprisonment, the Tweeds reformed the Wonderland Gang with the Walrus and the Carpenter. This is such an obvious grouping of Bat-villains that I am amazed that it took till 2008 for it to appear in comics. I had thought of a team-up of Caroll themed villains decades ago, and I'm sure I can't have been the only reader to do so. But there is more to my liking of the Wonderland Gang than the fulfillment of one my childhood comic ideas. The Gang is a refreshing mix of existing (The Tweeds and the Hatter) and new characters, and while the Lion, the Unicorn and the Walrus haven't exactly set the Gotham underworld on fire, March Harriet and the Carpenter have become solid recurring characters, with Harriet being an ongoing henchwomen to the Hatter, and the Carpenter being the character who frequently remodels hideouts for Gotham's villains. Adding to my enjoyment is that Paul Dini returned Tweedledee and Tweedledum to their original characterisation as criminal masterminds after way too many years of being treated as either comic relief or dumb muscle. Yet another reason for me to love Dini. I am a little disappointed that neither White Rabbit nor Humpty Dumpty have been recruited into the Gang. Yet. Who knows? (Are you reading this Mr. Dini?) |
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 16, 2022 8:00:37 GMT -5
A request from your humble host, folks (especially Myke Gee and supercat): Please stop using entire paragraphs of italics in your posts.One of the side effects of the prostate medication I'm taking is blurred vision, and trying to read big blocks of italicized text is giving me a raging headache. You don't need to change your existing posts but I'd be geateful if you'd forego this stylistic quirk in future installments.
Cei-U!
I summon the Visine!
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Post by commond on Dec 16, 2022 8:04:01 GMT -5
9. Injustice League  Continuing the trend of thumbing my nose at the jacked up supervillain teams of the 00s, I give you Keith Giffen and J.M. DeMatteis' Injustice League... Major Disaster! Big Sir! Cluemaster! Clock King! Multi-Man! Some guy named Mighty Bruce! Wait, you didn't think the counterparts to Giffen and DeMatteis' JLI would feature A-list villains, did you!? Not this lovable bunch of losers. I was predominantly a Marvel guy when I started reading comics. I immediately latched onto Uncanny X-Men as my favorite comic and branched out from there. The first DC book that really caught my attention on the newsstands was Giffen and DeMatteis' Justice League America, specifically the storyline where Beetle and Booster open a casino resort on the island of Kooey Kooey Kooey, and Giffen and DeMatteis do a Rain Man parody where a broke Major Disaster discovers that Big Sir is a genius at counting cards. I hadn't read any parody books up to that point, and I remember being immensely proud of myself for getting the humour. A lot of people point to the Kooey Kooey Kooey storyline as the point where the book became too silly, but I think those people are missing a funny bone. Plus the Adam Hughes art is gorgeous. Maxwell Lord ended up turning the Injustice League into Justice League Antarctica and forced G'Nort on them. The team fought one battle against killer penguins and was disbanded.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2022 8:24:21 GMT -5
A request from your humble host, folks (especially Myke Gee and supercat): Please stop using entire paragraphs of italics in your posts.One of the side effects of the prostate medication I'm taking is blurred vision, and trying to read big blocks of italicized text is giving me a raging headache. You don't need to change your existing posts but I'd be geateful if you'd forego this stylistic quirk in future installments. Cei-U! I summon the Visine! Of course! Truly the quickest of edits (my posts are cleaned up) even though you said it wasn't needed, thank you for making me aware. |
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Post by DubipR on Dec 16, 2022 8:32:55 GMT -5
#9- The Beagle Boys Faces only Ma Beagle could love. Duckburg's most wanted criminals make my list because they're just silly and fun. What started off as a Carl Barks gag as a foil for Scrooge McDuck turned these.... oh god, how many Beagles are there now, let's say a million, criminals into a longstanding foil for Scrooge's bank vault. Five identical brothers with revolving prison numbers that created mayhem and chaos. While they look like simpleton burglars, their knowledge of sciences is astounding in what they use to break into the vault. The contraptions they make take skills; that involves metallurgy, physics, and chemistry. And the numerous times the jail has let these clowns out... that's a study in psychology! Their proud of their criminal enterprising as they wear their prison numbers with pride. They're silly and fun and ruffle the feathers of the richest duck in the world. 167–671. 761-176. 716-167. 617–716. 671-167. 671–761. 176-167. Bigtime. Burger. Bouncer. Baggy. Bankjob. Bugle. Babyface.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Dec 16, 2022 8:39:59 GMT -5
#9 – The House of TaggeAs seen in Star Wars #31–37 (1979–1980) From left to right: Baron Orman Tagge, Silas Tagge, Ulric Tagge and Sister Domina Tagge...  Roquefort Raider did such a good job of outlining the House of Tagge's history yesterday, that I don't really feel the need to go over it again. The run that I'm specifically picking for today's entry is from Star Wars #31 through to #37. In this run, Baron Orman Tagge (who had been introduced in SW #25) joins forces with his brothers Ulric and Silas – an Imperial officer and the House of Tagge's chief scientist, respectively – and his sister, the pious, but deviously evil Domina Tagge of the religious group The Order of the Sacred Circle. Orman Tagge was created by Archie Goodwin, ostensibly as a lightsaber wielding antagonist to replace Darth Vader in the comics, since the Dark Lord of the Sith couldn't be used too much for fear of contradicting elements yet to be seen in the then-forthcoming sequel The Empire Strikes Back. As the head of the family, Orman was determined to destroy our Rebel heroes in order to supplant Vader (who he despised) as the Emperor's right hand man. In SW #31–37, the House of Tagge laid siege to the Rebel base by blockading the 4th moon of Yavin, developed the Omega Frost superweapon in an attempt to destroy the Rebel fleet, and Orman himself personally attempted to murder both Princess Leia and Luke. Following the apparent death of Orman and Silas in issue #34 (in reality, Vader had both brothers in suspended animation), Domina hatched a dastardly plan to kill both Luke and Vader, who she considered responsible for the death of her brothers. All in all, the House of Tagge made for a great set of villains in the pre-ESB Marvel Star Wars comics, each with a very distinctive look and character. The Tagge family were excellent substitute bad guys for us young SW fans to boo and hiss at, while we waited for the next cinematic instalment of the Star Wars saga.
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 16, 2022 8:40:38 GMT -5
Narrowly missed making my own list. Great choice and writeup! |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 16, 2022 8:45:00 GMT -5
Them again! 9. The Marauders. I dislike them tremendously! I really do! And so they make this list, because we really should hate "good" villains! But their main claim to fame, and the reason they're here, is the Marauders' efficiency. When they were introduced during the Mutant Massacre story line, they didn't strut around explaining their plans and eventually slipping off a banana peel of their own making; no, they went after the Morlocks and killed most of them, went after the X-Men and crippled most of them, went after X-Factor and crucified one of them, and made life difficult for everyone without being beaten at the end of the story. Heck, they were so nasty that they even pushed pure-hearted Colossus to kill one of them! (And not accidentally, either, nor in self-defense; just out of sheer anger). The X-men took years to recover from the beating they received, and I'd argue that they never actually did. What other villains can brag of such a feat? I didn't much care for the Marauders individually, and their mix of bad '80s clothes or unoriginal powers didn't flatter them (they have an Inuit mutant who throws energized harpoons, for crying out loud... and his name is "Harpoon"). But when it came to deliver the goods (or rather the evils), the Marauders ruled. Unfortunately, they became irrelevant extremely fast. Perhaps to remove the stigma of murder from the X-Men's shoulders, the slain Marauders came back to life with no explanation (although since they turned out to be the henchmen of Mr. Sinister, they might all have been clones from the beginning, or LMDs or what have you. Because in fantasy universes, murdering sentient beings is apparently fine if they came from a lab). It's as if Marvel decided that things had gone too far. |
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Post by commond on Dec 16, 2022 8:59:31 GMT -5
Even though the X-Men was my favorite book growing up, I couldn't bring myself to vote for any of the supervillain teams. However, that('s a great point about how ruthlessly efficient the Marauders were. This is something I'm going to touch on in tomorrow's choice, but the late 80s was such a weird period for Marvel. I'm not sure if the writers were influenced by what was going on in the direct market, or the push toward making everything grim and gritty, but the books became awfully mature. It's not a surprise nowadays since it's all direct market, but the level of violence in newsstands comics in the late 80s was something else.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 16, 2022 9:44:10 GMT -5
On the Fourth Day of Christmas the Ghost of Christmas Villainy brought to me another burst of nostalgia in the form of... Count Nefaria's Lethal Legion (as seen in Avengers #164)   Power Man, Whirlwind, the Living Laser, all augmented by Count Nefaria (he has a thing for doing that it seems) and sent to face the Avengers in the middle of one of my favorite runs of Avengers and the one book I managed to buy almost every issue of that came out so I could follow along as a kid. And it contains one of may favorite scenes of that era, The Beast (Henry McCoy) grappling Whirlwind while he does his thing and managing to hang on and deliver a classic one liner about the ride being better than an attraction on Coney Island (I'm too lazy to go look up the exact quote) before Power Man realizes he's too dizzy to do much and pulls him off and smashes him. I laughed and loved that bit as a kid and still have fond memories of it, and the Lethal Legion (with its cool alliterative name) to this day. -M |
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