|
|
Post by Cei-U! on Dec 24, 2022 5:38:29 GMT -5
Hard to believe it's been twelve days already, but here we are! So let's get right to the big reveal, shall we?
1. The Sinister Six
If you've participated in past TDCCCs, you know how much I love The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1. It was my introduction not only to Spidey and his supporting cast but also to the larger Marvel Universe, being my first exposure to Captain America, Iron Man, Giant-Man (I knew Ant-Man but not that they were the same character), The Wasp, Dr. Strange, The Avengers, and The X-Men. And, of course, it was my first look at the ol' webspinner's rogues gallery, both in the main story and in the pin-up pages further back in the book. There's no question in my mind, then or now, that Lee and Ditko chose the curdled cream of the crop to populate the title team. Dr. Octopus, Electro, Sandman, Mtsterio, Kraven, and Vulture remain to this day my favorites of the super-villains debuting during Stan and Steve's run and they were shown to their best advantage here despite the brevity of their individual scenes. And, man, those full-page panels are still mind-blowing! As we've seen in the course of this year's event, there have been tons of memorable teams and pairings of super-villains, but none will ever rank higher in my esteem than the Sinister Six. You know what they say: you never forget your first! Cei-U! Stan Lee's bitch since 1964! |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2022 5:40:32 GMT -5
Legion of Doom“Banded together from remote galaxies are thirteen of the most sinister villains of all time, the Legion of Doom — dedicated to a single objective: the conquest of the universe! Only one group dares to challenge this intergalactic threat: The Super Friends! The Justice League of America versus the Legion of Doom! This is the Challenge of the Super Friends!”  For this Bronze Age lad, the greatest team of villains ever assembled was in 1978. Problem is, it didn't happen in the comic books. The Challenge of the Super Friends episodes finally brought the comic book villains into the main fray of the Super Friends series, and there was nothing cooler, including the Hall of Doom headquarters. And what a line-up, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, Black Manta (best villain voice ever), Brainiac, Captain Cold, Cheetah, Giganta, Gorilla Grodd, Riddler, Scarecrow, Sinestro, Solomon Grundy, and Toyman. Sure, you could team up the DC villains however you wanted in the “real” comic books from that point on, and wasn't the Super Friends just a silly young viewer Justice League? But let's be honest, nothing sounded cooler than “Legion of Doom”, nothing was cooler than that headquarters. This is what I wanted to see in DC's actual comics, not a “Crisis”, not endless Batman titles slugging it out with Marvel mutant titles, nor endless “grim and gritty” nonsense. These were the true titans of evil, let them just be epic. Because they are. Fortunately Alex Ross isn't just a massively talented artist, he's a classic comics fan of the highest order. He has often used his clout from his successes to champion the projects he's wanted to do, and being a Super Friends fan, realized my dream and likely that of many others of a proper (heck, amazing for that matter) Legion of Doom portrayal in his 2006 Justice series. The roster is expanded from the original cartoon, but the additions all make sense and just add to the magic that make this my number one choice overall. 
|
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Dec 24, 2022 5:45:38 GMT -5
#1. Justin hammer, Stiletto, Discus, Whiplash, Blizzard, The Melter, the beetle, Leap frog, Man killer, The Porcupine
Iron Man #127
Marvel Comics (1979)
Writer: David Michelinie/ Bob Layton
Artist: John Romita Jr.
Inker: Bob Layton Every time Superman enters a scene , he’s the person to beat. He’s the favorite and everyone knows he has the advantage. It wasn’t until this great Michelinie/ Layton/ Romita jr run that Marvel had its version of that type of character. Iron Man was never better written or more powerful than this great run, But when you rise to this level ,one opponent isn’t enough. After being run around and having his armor manipulated, Stark is mad and he finds the source of his problems. It seems that competitor, Justin Hammer has had a device built that can invade Stark's refractory coating in his armor and control it. He’s even had an innocent person killed with that technology. Stark tracks down the where and who and goes to town on a gauntlet of bad guys that Hammer has on his private island. What follows is a display of top tech with an angry Iron man behind it. With this issue , he becomes the Superman the Marvel universe was waiting for.  A few points about the bookHammer supplies the villains with weapons and tech to commit crimes at his beck and call. They are on his island and are all fetched on shell head. Hammer is drawn as a dead ringer for Peter Cushing Stark disables the device that was controlling his armor. It doesn’t get mentioned if the device is recreated or that he finds a way to protect against it. In this run Stark is always updating his armor. Tha army of bad guys are used to commit crimes and they are funded by Hammer for a cut of the money.
|
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 24, 2022 6:00:50 GMT -5
1. Hellfire Clubfirst appearance: X-men #129 (more or less) (my preferred) line-up: Sebastian Shaw, Harry Leland, Donald Pierce, Jason Wyngarde (Mastermind) and Emma Frost (White Queen)  The Hellfire Club, or specifically, its diabolical Inner Circle, ended up being among the most challenging adversaries ever faced by the X-men – and they’re perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of the legendary Claremont/Byrne/Austin run on that title. The way they were introduced was also probably one of the best slow burn sub-plots ever: Jean Grey first encountered the seductively handsome yet mysterious Jason Wyngarde in X-men #122, but we only learned that he was carrying out a scheme by the Hellfire Club in X-men #129, whose other members, except for the White Queen, were still obscured in shadows – they were only fully revealed in X-men #132, when we also learned that Wyngarde was none other than one of the X-men’s oldest – and arguably least-threatening – foes, Mastermind. When I was first reading these issues, at ages 11 and 12, the whole idea of a cabal of apparently respectable wealthy men (mainly) who were in fact conspiring behind the scenes (which involved manipulating politicians among other things) to further their ends was quite novel to me. Of course, it was also intriguing that most of them were powerful mutants as well (except for Pierce, who was in turn a cyborg). To me, this is still one of the best and most memorable villainous groups in comics, who put our heroes through the wringer, and – thanks to Mastermind’s telepathically administered psychological manipulations – spurred Jean’s transformation into Dark Phoenix, which became a next-level catastrophe that threatened not only the entire planet but the entire universe as well. Otherwise, in every preceding 12 Days I'd always been able to include some of my favorite Croatian comics creators, but this year's particularly nostalgia-heavy (for me) theme made that impossible. So I'll just include a recent illustration of Mastermind done by Robert Solanović for this year's Inktober challenge (more details at the end of this post in another thread): 
|
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Dec 24, 2022 6:15:20 GMT -5
1. The Sinister Six (original incarnation, The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1) The first time is always the charm. WWE’s Rock/Cena II was never gonna be as special or as good as Rock/Cena I. Very few sequels are as good as the original, in my view. A second date with a woman is nice, and you hope it can lead to a lifelong relationship, but can it ever match the magic of the first date? There have been many incarnations of the Sinister Six, but the first will be the best. Spidey’s rogues gallery is top-notch, so bringing them all together is colourful. Those are Spidey’s best villains. True, I think the Sinister Six would have been no less if we’d seen, say, Scorpion or Green Goblin, but I think the mix of personalities is a good one. It’s hard to believe that a period of 26 years occurred between the publication of the first Sinister Six tale and Larsen’s Sinister Six revival. The fanboy in me feels the Sinister Six could have returned time and time again, including to battle other heroes like the Hulk and Iron Man. But be careful what you wish for. The original Sinister Six is special *because* they were a one-hit wonder. They fully deserve inclusion on my list in the number one spot.
|
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Dec 24, 2022 6:36:05 GMT -5
#1. Justin hammer, Stiletto, Discus, Whiplash, Blizzard, The Melter, the beetle, Leap frog, Man killer, The Porcupine
The Michelinie/Layton IM is one my all-time favorite superhero comics runs, but I have to say these guys never really occurred to me. Justin Hammer did indeed create quite a bit of aggravation for Tony/IM, but those bad guys he assembled usually just ended up getting their butts unceremoniously kicked by ol' Shellhead. |
|
|
|
Post by Jeddak on Dec 24, 2022 7:07:28 GMT -5
#1 - The Frightful Four Fantastic Four 36, 38, 41-43  It had to end here. As I read this year's theme, I knew there was only one choice for my #1 slot. No other team of baddies caught my imagination like the evil FF. And no other team was as important to me as a comic fan. First, they were cool. Sandman, the hardened street tough, too badass to wear a costume. The Wizard, brilliant and ruthless, gliding gracefully through the air. Paste-Pot Pete, who . . . well, at least he changed his name to the Trapster in their 2nd appearance. And best of all, the mysterious Madam Medusa.  This was her introduction to the Marvel Universe, and there were no Inhumans yet. This Medusa was a serious threat, merciless in combat, manipulating her teammates; the Wizard correctly feared she might depose him as leader of the group. They later explained that Medusa was suffering from amnesia during this period, but I think turning her into a heroine as an Inhuman and even a member of the Fantastic Four robbed the Marvel Universe of one of its strongest, most menacing villainesses. The Frightful Four, while not direct analogs of the FF, were put together as a direct answer to the good guys. And they were good at it. In their first appearance, they successfully invaded the Baxter Building and nearly took 3 out of the 4 out. Only the unexpected presence of Alicia saved the heroes. In their second go-around, they stranded the FF on a little island and then just blew it up. The FF weren't killed, but they did lose their powers. And the Frightful Four got away with it. Reed and the others didn't go after them, there were no consequences. Like Luthor and Brainiac yesterday, the bad guys won! But their most important appearance (for me, at least) was the terrific 3-parter in issues 41-43. This is the one where the Wizard turns the Thing against his teammates, and they damned near took the FF down again. This was the story that really ignited my love for comics. I'd been buying the FF and a few other Marvels off and on. But this is the one that made me want to have every issue. This is the one that made me eager for the next issue. This is the one that, since I'd missed the first part, sent me on my first back issue hunt. I am a comic book fan because of the Frightful Four. Talk about evil. |
|
|
|
Post by commond on Dec 24, 2022 7:19:30 GMT -5
When I first moved to Japan, I lived in a pretty crappy share house. I didn't have a computer or internet access, so my only means of entertainment were renting old VHS tapes or reading books. I became interested in Japanese novelists and began reading the works of Haruki Murakami. Norwegian Wood was a real page turner. I couldn't reading it, but it messed me up, and I was depressed for about two weeks after I finished reading it. My final pick had a similar effect. It's not for the faint of heart, and puts the "dark" in dark fantasy -- Kentaro Miura's Berserk. Berserk is probably the greatest comic book series of all-time. At least up until Miura died. It's currently being finished by his assistants and his best friend, but it's more of "so that's what would have happened if Miura hadn't died" experience than the soul-crushing experience of Miura's original work. Fans of Berserk are fanatics in the very sense of the word. They get tattoos inked on their body and all sorts of shit. I'm not at that level, but I was profoundly effected by the series. Berserk tells the story of Guts, a former mercenary, who is branded for sacrifice to demons, but through sheer perseverance and resilience, fights against the flow of causality and insurmountable odds.  Today's villains are:
1. God Hand
  The God Hand are demon sovereigns who orchestrate events that affect the course of humanity, as well as the state of the universe. They oversee a ceremony known as the Eclipse, where a new member of the God Hand is born. The Eclipse that occurred within Berserk was cataclysmic. It turned the manga on its head and upset plenty of long term fans, many of whom stopped reading the series as a result. Other fans, such as myself, consider it one of the most haunting storylines in the history of comics. I don't know if I can do Berserk justice without giving away spoilers, but believe me, it is gut-wrenching. As Johnny Marr once said before covering a Smiths song, "If you're not depressed now, you soon will be." |
|
|
|
Post by foxley on Dec 24, 2022 7:32:55 GMT -5
Because sometimes the best good guy is a bad guy... #1. The Suicide Squad (1987 series)(Only listing the villains: Blockbuster I, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Chronos, Count Vertigo, Deadshot, Doctor Light, Duchess, Enchantress, Javelin, Killer Frost, Mindboggler, Mirror Master, Mr. 104, Multiplex, Outlaw, Parasite, Penguin, Plastique, Poison Ivy, Privateer, Psi, Punch & Jewelee, Ravan, Reactron, Shrike, Slipknot, Thinker I, Thinker II, Weasel) A series about morally reprehensible individuals being forced into doing missions, ostensibly for the greater good but sometimes themselves morally reprehensible, being controlled by a small group of deeply flawed heroes. I've said it before but this is a criminally underrated book. John Ostrander, and later Kim Yale, demonstrate that in the right hands even the most unlikely characters have a story to tell. They took C and D-list villains that no one else wanted and turned them into compelling characters. Everything you know about Deadshot was essentially created by this series. And this was the book that rescued Barbara Gordon post- The Killing Joke and turned her into Oracle; arguably a more interesting character than she ever was as Batgirl. Just so many great moments, like Deadshot preventing Rick Flag from assassinating Senator Cray by killing the senator himself, and then quoting Waller's orders back to her; "You said stop him by whatever means necessary". Or Count Vertigo being stabbed by the New God assassin Kanto and left for dead, and being so offended by Kanto turning his back on him that he got to his feet, yanked out the knife stuck in him and stabbed Kanto in the back with his own blade! |
|
|
|
Post by DubipR on Dec 24, 2022 7:42:11 GMT -5
#1- Milk & Cheese The Carton of Hate. The Wedge of Spite. Dairy products gone bad. Evan Dorkin gave to the comic world two little hard drinking, TV watching, and riot inducing characters that reap havoc on everything and everyone. What makes these two my number one? It's simple; these two destroy every city, comic convention, and person in the name of, well nothing! They just like to destroy everything. Dorkin's brilliant satire on the state of everything under the sun is so funny. While is might look vicious (and it is!), he's a huge fan of what he mocks, today's pop culture. In letting out his 90s angst and humor, two dairy comestibles hack and slash into what we love about what we like. Even taking on serious subjects like getting old, letting go of your old stuff and Merv Griffin. Gin makes the man mean! So booze up and riot! 
|
|
|
|
Post by MWGallaher on Dec 24, 2022 8:07:47 GMT -5
1. The Suicide Squad
 DC and Marvel had tried to use some of their popular, colorful, well-established villains as leads—Joker, Dr. Doom. They’d tried to make teams of them into successful series—Super-Villain Team-Up, Secret Society of Super-Villains. It took John Ostrander to crack the code and make an ongoing work. While the core concept is not completely novel—it is, after all, a super-hero version of the Dirty Dozen—once you have that premise, so many problems associated with making a super-villain book work resolve themselves and open up fascinating new avenues. Coercion, blackmail, bribery, whatever it takes to force a super-villain to do (ostensibly) the right thing, on threat of the ultimate punishment! And for once, the deep library of expendables made paying off on that threat feasible! I expect we’ll see both the Suicide Squad and the Thunderbolts hit some number one slots today (foxley has already made the same choice!). I could certainly have included the T-Bolts in my top tier, but I left those praises to others. But even knowing others would offer up the Squad, I loved this series too much not to give it my top ranking. Comparing it to the Thunderbolts, not to denigrate Kurt Busiek’s take but to spotlight some of the aspects that make Suicide Squad appeal to me: Suicide Squad had better potential for longevity, since Ostrander could rotate the core cast in and out as need be, while Thunderbolts couldn’t pull their gimmick off with an endless supply of new members. Thunderbolts could really head only toward the redemption or reversion of their roster, the Squad could become—and did become—a fixture of the DC superhero universe. The Suicide Squad could use the costumes, characters, codenames of the villains we’d come to know, where T-Bolts relied on their new personas. Even after the jig was up, and the heroic community knew what was going on at Belle Reve, the Squad could continue. The Squad had a conceptual viability apart from the superhero community, as demonstrated by two films that didn’t much rely on establishing the villains in context with the heroes. Yes, Marvel’s going to bring Thunderbolts to the screen, but they won’t be able to stay true to its powerful original premise, and will be relying mostly on previously established villains. And what a name! Plucking a memorable moniker Robert Kanigher gave to a nonpowered team that bombed out of Brave & Bold as well as to the G.I.’s unfortunate enough to be recruited to fight the War That Time Forgot, Ostrander found exactly the premise for a team called the “suicide squad”, a team where the danger was real, the worst could and did happen! Thunderbolts was, intentionally, a generic enough team name that didn’t give away its critical secret. And sure, depending on your tastes, those might have been to the advantage or disadvantage of either team, and since they were both executed well, Ostrander and Busiek both capitalized on those and other differences between their approaches to create outstanding series. But the Suicide Squad, with their legacy connection to one of the most obscure of DC’s Silver Age teams, they’ve got my undying affection. They made Captain Boomerang into an endearing, rich character, established Deadshot as an unforgettable personality, brought the obscure Enchantress from Forgotten Villain to big-screen menace, elevated the Bronze Tiger from abandoned Kung Fu Fighter supporting cast member to prominence, and brought a depth and humanity to a large cast, including villains, support personnel, and Amanda Waller, a powerhouse of a character unlike anyone we’d ever seen in comics. I don’t think you can do a super-villain team any better than this.
|
|
|
|
Post by commond on Dec 24, 2022 8:24:09 GMT -5
Someone made a music video for my final choice.
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Dec 24, 2022 8:30:05 GMT -5
Notice to all who have yet to post:
Damn, but the pressure is on to produce an excellent write/up for our finales! Forget the choices; it’s the impassioned, enlightening way you all wrote about your top choices that is so invigorating.
Well done, previous posters, and thanks!
|
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Dec 24, 2022 8:30:48 GMT -5
#1. Justin hammer, Stiletto, Discus, Whiplash, Blizzard, The Melter, the beetle, Leap frog, Man killer, The Porcupine
The Michelinie/Layton IM is one my all-time favorite superhero comics runs, but I have to say these guys never really occurred to me. Justin Hammer did indeed create quite a bit of aggravation for Tony/IM, but those bad guys he assembled usually just ended up getting their butts unceremoniously kicked by ol' Shellhead. The sheer amount of numbers should have been a challenge. That’s what beat Hercules ,the assembled Masters of evil. |
|
Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,197 
|
Post by Confessor on Dec 24, 2022 8:33:48 GMT -5
#1 – The Circus of Crime: The Ringmaster, the Clown, Princess Python, the Great Gambonnos, Cannonball and assorted othersAs seen in The Incredible Hulk #3 (1962), Amazing Spider-Man #16 (1964), Amazing Spider-Man #22 (1965), The Avengers #22 (1965), and The Avengers #60 (1969).  To be honest, I'm not really sure that the Circus of Crime are actually my #1 all-time favourite gathering of villains. But I do have a really big soft spot in my heart for them. I think my affection for the gang is firmly rooted in nostalgia and stems from a copy of Marvel Tales #160 (which reprinted Amazing Spider-Man #22) that my brother bought back in 1984, and which we both really loved reading. For the uninitiated, the Circus of Crime were, as the name suggests, a group of circus performers who had turned to crime. Their usual modus operandi was to roll into town, set up their big top, and perform in front of a large audience. Then, at some point during the show, the Ringmaster would use the powerful, hypnotic mind-control device in his top-hat to put the audience into a trance and the members of the Circus would then rob the unsuspecting crowd. I guess that circuses were a place that kids in the '60s visited a lot more frequently than kids in later decades did, so it kinda makes sense that Marvel would have a group of circus-themed villains at this point (is there a DC equivalent??). I'm only familiar with the Circus of Crime's early Silver Age appearances, as seen in the pages of The Incredible Hulk, Amazing Spider-Man, and The Avengers. But even over that relatively short period, the exact membership of the Circus varied rather a lot – and sometimes the Ringmaster wasn't even in the gang, either because he was in jail or because the other members had become dissatisfied with his leadership. At one point (in ASM #22), the gang even changed their name to the Masters of Menace! Those classic Silver Age stories featuring the Circus of Crime left a deep impression on me as a kid and young adult, and they still loom large in my mind (probably larger than they deserve to, in all honesty) when I think of Silver Age Marvel. And I think that's the reason why they've found themselves in the #1 spot of my list this year. There's just something wonderfully colourful and memorable about those guys (and that gal).
|
|
