The “this man gets paid for this kind of stuff” list.
By J. Bone
10. The Authority
Strictly the Warren Ellis/Bryan Hitch run (including the end of the Stormwatch run which became the Authority). Those first few stories excited me like no comic had in a long time. I loved the scale of the battles and Ellis’ ability to give everyone something creative to do with their powers. He also had a knack for supplying character moments without killing the momentum of his story or making them seem false. The Authority may have started out as a parody of the Justice League but Ellis’ stories made the team into so much more. [ComicsEditor's note: J. Bone is aware that The Authority are not actually DCU characters, but wanted to include them regardless. I made an exception because...hey, he's J. Bone and he's giving us a Top 10 list! How cool is that?]
9. Kalibak
I had the Super Powers action figure of Kalibak and loved it. Just a big chunk of plastic with side-swatting action. Later, when I’d read the Kirby stories, I grew to love Kalibak for almost the same reasons. He’s a big chunk of lunkhead with side-swatting action.
8. Batgirl (Barbara Gordon)
First of all, the best Batgirl in my little world is Yvonne Craig in that shimmering disco outfit from the tv series. Great costume, great motorcycle, great kicks and great legs. What more can I say?
7. Hawkman (Carter Hall, among other names)
Not until recently did I learn of Hawkman’s complicated, constantly reincarnated past. My love for Hawkman started with the Super Powers toy with super cool flapping wing action. Hawkman is the barbarian of the Justice League and I, personally, would love to see him in a comic book in a Conan-like setting.
6. Plastic Man (Patrick “Eel” O’Brian)
My first exposure to Plastic Man was the old cartoon series, which led to me hunting down copies of his comic at the used book store. I always wanted to have Plas’ shape changing ability, although I never wanted to wear his ridiculous costume.
5. Aquaman (Arthur Curry)
I’m proud to be a fan of Aquaman! I said it and I mean it. First of all, he was drawn by Ramona Fradon (who also drew one of my other all time favourite characters). Secondly, I love the orange and green costume. In his most recent incarnation, for a few issues anyway, he was also kind of a barbarian character, which was pretty darn cool (see Hawkman).
4. Wonder Woman (Diana Prince)
I would have to say that my love of Wonder Woman is 90% Lynda Carter. I absolutely loved the old show and Lynda will forever be Wonder Woman to me. In fact, I dread the much-talked-about movie because I just know they’ll get it all wrong. The other 10% is Wonder Woman’s costume, which is just awesome! I like to draw her with the eagle crest because the wings always wrap much cooler than the double “W”. Surprisingly, I never read the comic book as a kid.
3. The Metal Men
Oh, the Metal Men. How do I love thee? They change shape (one of my favourite powers), they’re almost robots, their creator treats them like crap and yet they love him, and in saving the day they usually end up sacrificing themselves. Such wonderful and noble heroes, and yet they’re nothing but animated hunks of metal. They could teach today’s heroes a thing or two about heroing.
2. Metamorpho
What is it about the Element Man that draws me to him? In a word, it’s Ramona Fradon (again). With a corpse like face and multi-textured body, I loved the way she drew him. His comic book adventures were always silly with a great cast of characters, but it was Metamoprho’s himself and his shape changing power that made me love him.
1. Doom Patrol
Outcasts, self sacrificing, and really well drawn, my top favourite DCU characters have to be the Doom Patrol. I’m talking about the original Doom Patrol with Robotman, Elasti-Girl, Negative Man and the Chief as gorgeously drawn by Bruno Premiani. I love the interaction between these heroes. They really cared about each other in a way I don’t see characters act today. The Doom Patrol are one group of characters I would love the chance to draw in a comic book one day.
