Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Wish List - Part 2: Legacy

Stuck at home sick today, so I've got some time to think and write a little; this wish list is a little more esoteric. A "think piece" if you will, about how some iconic, but less traditional, comic characters may interact with the big names I already have. 

1. The Crow 

I've both seen the Brandon Lee film and read the original Graphic Novel and whilst I see how it became a cult classic, to be fair; it has dated. That said, an undead (more so in the film) vigilante driven by love and revenge is an extremely evocative and primal image. For those of a certain generation Eric Draven is more important and iconic than The Avengers and Batman and I can imagine he'd play in a unique fashion, only being stunned or slowed by attacks that would kill many other characters. I also imagine that he'd be fun to team up with Ghost Rider and Deadman. 

2. Magnus, Robot Fighter 
I stumbled across Magnus through some 90s Valiant comics that I won at an arcade. It was the first time I had read an indy comic that featured a genuine superhuman, having been exposed only to The Phantom outside of Marvel/DC at that stage. At that stage, Magnus was fighting other superhumans more than robots, but the character stuck in my head despite the poor quality of the comics. Given that the license for Magnus has been picked up again in the last couple of years, I wouldn't be surprised if a film studio starts up a Magnus project to cash in on the success of Marvel Studios. A super-powered man from the future who fights evil robots is a pretty easy sell to Middle America. 

3. The Maxx 
Ok, let's face it, the Maxx is weird. Between the multiple universes, the flat-out crazy and the antagonist being a straight-up rapist, it's hardly a comic that most would find enjoyable. That said, I have a remarkably high tolerance for weird and crazy in my comics; bring on the Man-Thing/Maxx/Ducktor Strange crossover I say! Can't be any worse than the time the Maxx met Sonic the Hedgehog right? Yeah, that happened: http://thatguywiththeglasses.com/videolinks/linkara/at4w/44730-sonic-super-special-7 . Come to think of it, I watched the Maxx animated show at about the same age I got really into comics, and almost all of my homebrew heroes have some kind of complex or emotional issue in their personality makeup. Perhaps it's time for a good, hard, psychological look at my Equalisers setting... 

4.The Spirit 
Few things say "Legacy of Comics" more than The Spirit. I am, of course, talking about the original, Will Eisner creation, not the abortive, nonsensical Frank Miller effort.The prototypical costumed hero, The Spirit is the direct ancestor of characters like Batman, The Question, The Angel, The Green Hornet and so many more, so I feel he deserves more respect than he tends to get. As well as a fun and iconic superhero, The Spirit would be great for Pulp, Weird World War Two and even Interwar gaming, as he is essentially just a man in a mask. Great iconic look too. 

5. Spawn 
I hate Spawn. I have never read anything with him in it that I enjoyed and I find the character a good example of everything wrong with 90s comics. That said, Spawn, and Image Comics in general, have an important place in the history of comics that tie into major events like the Speculator Boom and the rise of creator-owned content. Essentially I feel that I should have an Image Tentpole in my collection, and as I don't care for any Image character, Spawn is the obvious choice.

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