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Post by DubipR on Dec 18, 2022 8:32:03 GMT -5
I strongly considered having the Minutemen on my list, but went with my gut instead. Honestly I thought about combining the Trust and Minutemen together as one entry since they're so closely interconnected. But I felt like The Trust were the villainous of the two groups. If it's an organization, then so be it. It's staying on my list. I don't have time to dig around for another selection as I need to get ready for work and prep for Hannukah tonight. I'll have something new for Monday that will new I summon CROATOA |
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Post by commond on Dec 18, 2022 8:58:02 GMT -5
Wait, if the Trust doesn't count then why did the Aliens and Predators count?
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 18, 2022 9:49:46 GMT -5
Wait, if the Trust doesn't count then why did the Aliens and Predators count? Perhaps because I included two groups(both Aliens and Predators)? Or perhaps because it was a specific tribe of Predators that had crash landed on Earth, and their specific breed of Alien which they'd managed and kept captive under Earth's crust for millennia? Or perhaps our wizened leader didn't see my pick and it's also out of bounds?(if so I'll gladly go back and pick another) The world may never know...or it will soon  |
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Post by MWGallaher on Dec 18, 2022 9:55:36 GMT -5
7. The Terrible 5 The version of Captain Marvel presenting this troop of trademark transgressors was the star of the first superhero comic I ever remember reading and owning, so while it's largely the nostalgic call-back to my roots that earns them their spot here, this comic is fascinating in ways beyond any run-of-the-mill picking from 1966 would be. Myron Fass, of M.F. Enterprises, chose to start his superhero comics line by appropriating what he figured to be defunct trademarks, starting with a biggie, Captain Marvel, the body-splitting robot in a hideous magenta onesie. Riding the camp wave behind tv's Batman, Fass must have concluded that the colorful villains were as big a draw as the caped crusaders, so he quickly spun off this title from the ongoing CAPTAIN MARVEL, highlighting several of the villains already established along with a few new ones. It's really just another issue of CAPTAIN MARVEL, and it includes a recap of Marv's origin and powers for the new readers he hoped would be drawn in by this cringingly non-euphonious title. Fass had, apparently, already been put on warning from DC's lawyers, since the former "Plasticman" was redubbed "Elasticman" as of this issue. That didn't stop him from introducing his own "Dr. Fate", though. The "Dr. Doom" listed on the cover is "Prof. Doom" inside, but I wouldn't assume that Marvel Comics had come calling just yet; more likely, they didn't want two "doctors" in the book. "Tinyman" is Doll Man under a different name, "Atom-Jaw" is essentially Iron Jaw from BOY COMICS. While Prof. Doom only appears in a solo encounter against Marvel, the Terrible Four Out of Five do get together in the rest of the book, although Tinyman quickly bows out of the action, flirting with becoming a superhero himself, as will be seen in later issues. But the Terrible Three Out of Five finally get together. Of course, they're still outnumbered by the hero who can split into as many independent parts as there are joints in the human body, and as the big CCA stamp on the cover demands, all of them face justice in the end. The following (final) issue had a different "Terrible Five", apparently including the now-heroic Tinyman, or else Fass was confident that the readership of this stuff couldn't count that high. That time, the villains included the Ray (formerly the Bat, who had trampled on both Batman's trademark name and visual representation), the Destroyer (a better name for a villain than the then-defunct Marvel superhero, I must admit, Tarzac, who is not a jungle lord but instead a third-rate Sub-Mariner), and Big Max and his Ghost Patrol; apparently Fass had a nice collection of Golden Age comics from which to loot names! None of them teamed up this time around, so it may be pushing things to call "the Terrible 5" a true team, but hey, the logo counts for a lot with me, as I've already established! I'm not trying to convince anyone that these are gems that anyone else would love. I've got a soft spot for this Captain Marvel, and I get a kick out of the jaw-droppingly bad comics that littered the stands over the decades. So here they are!
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 18, 2022 10:03:11 GMT -5
Wait, if the Trust doesn't count then why did the Aliens and Predators count? Perhaps because I included two groups(both Aliens and Predators)? Or perhaps because it was a specific tribe of Predators that had crash landed on Earth, and their specific breed of Alien which they'd managed and kept captive under Earth's crust for millennia? Or perhaps our wizened leader didn't see my pick and it's also out of bounds?(if so I'll gladly go back and pick another) The world may never know...or it will soon You're right on two counts: I missed your entry and anonymous hordes of aliens aren't eligible as noted in the Advance Warning thread.
Cei-U! Needs to go back and double check the Fifth Day thread!
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
Posts: 10,199 
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Post by Confessor on Dec 18, 2022 10:11:07 GMT -5
You and I agree on so many things , how did you get it wrong on that green rabbit?😳 Yeah...and a-right back back at ya, pal! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 18, 2022 10:15:47 GMT -5
Well, either way my pick for today is... Darth Vader and Boba Fett Boba Fett: Enemy of the Empire 1999, Dark Horse Comics Star Wars Tales #11 2002, Dark Horse My Star Wars bad guy pick isn't nearly as cerebral as Confessor or Roquefort Raider 's picks of House Tagge...but in my humblest of opinions is the much more entertaining choice. Sure, these two masked menaces may have only shared a few seconds of screen time(and even in the comics they strangely don't interact all that much) but their encounters in these two stories were some of my favorites. In the first tale(Enemy of the Empire) the relationship begins straightforward enough: In his secret rivalry with his own Master, Vader tasks a bounty hunter(Fett) to covertly acquire an artifact for him that he hopes will alter his destiny. Of course, as it so often happens when notable villains team up, it does not end with Vader just paying the man for his hard day's work...oh no, treachery must come in to play! And so the Dark Lord of the Sith and the meanest desperado this side of Mandalore come to blows over the artifact. It's a quick, though obviously lop sided battle that none the less ends with both combatants having reasonable excuses for walking away alive but for all that it's fun none the less as you get Fett being wiley as he knows Vader is going to double cross him from the start( he must know the parable of the scorpion and the frog) and you get some great character development from Vader as he hides his treachery from his master. In the second encounter however, the combat is far more bonkers than what we saw here:  Yeah, in this story they gave Boba Fett a light saber, and although it's definite Saturday morning cartoon level zany that he'd hold his own against a former Jedi Knight, the reasoning for why Fett has a light saber to begin with(other than the obvious rule of cool) works for me even if the task given to them both by Admiral Tarkin does not( they're both tasked with bringing in an Imperial defector who turns out to be Han Solo) still and all it's a fun team up as per the usual trope the pair just can't get along long enough to actually accomplish their goal. That's gotta be the way most of these teams end right? Evil egos getting in the way of getting the job done. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 18, 2022 10:28:40 GMT -5
My understanding is that any group that is without specific members with a distinct personality is no good , like the group AIM. But someone like Modok , who’s a member of AIM is eligible because he’s a fully realized person with separate agency as the rest of the group.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 18, 2022 10:31:01 GMT -5
Perhaps because I included two groups(both Aliens and Predators)? Or perhaps because it was a specific tribe of Predators that had crash landed on Earth, and their specific breed of Alien which they'd managed and kept captive under Earth's crust for millennia? Or perhaps our wizened leader didn't see my pick and it's also out of bounds?(if so I'll gladly go back and pick another) The world may never know...or it will soon You're right on two counts: I missed your entry and anonymous hordes of aliens aren't eligible as noted in the Advance Warning thread.
Cei-U! Needs to go back and double check the Fifth Day thread!
Back to the drawing board, I'll replace it later today. |
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 18, 2022 11:11:52 GMT -5
7. The Triumvirate of Terror7. The Masters of Evil II - The Jarvis Masters of EvilRoy Thomas and John Buscema bring us a classic story. The new Masters of Evil are formed by a mysterious villain called the Crimson Cowl. Then there's a surprise twist: the Crimson Cowl is a robot! And then there's a surprise twist: nope, he's actually Jarvis! And then there there's a surprise twist: just kidding, he is a robot after all! This one gives us the first appearance of Ultron. But it also has a great story where the Masters of Evil recruit the new Black Knight, not realizing he's actually a good guy. He helps free the Avengers, and all heck breaks loose. Plus, there's a great cover. The Jarvis thing was a joke about a similar reveal over at DC that Alfred was a criminal mastermind. It's maybe the first time Jarvis has any kind of larger role in a story. And overall, this run is one of the great runs in superhero comics. Everything about it is top drawer.  |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 18, 2022 11:20:02 GMT -5
On the Sixth day of Christmas, the Ghost of Christmas Villainy brought to me the titanic team up of Attuma and Dr. Doom (and threw in Tyrak the Treacherous for good measure). It was the first time I experienced a crossover between titles as the epic conflict between the Avengers, Attuma, and Doctor Doom (with Tyrak used as a pawn) taking place in Avengers #154-156 spilled over into Super-Villain Team Up #9 and featuring their two-pronged conflict against the Avengers. As a kid I had 156 and SVTU 9 and it was really the first time the idea of the shared Marvel Universe hit home for me. I later picked up the first two parts as a back issue when I first started collecting seriously and it was one of the first storylines I went back and read in full. And it had one of my favorite scenes with one of my favorite characters at the time-Vision. In one of the earlier issues, Attuma had beat him and stolen his cape as a trophy. In 156 Vision beats him one on one and takes his cape back. That scene, when I first read it as a 7-8 year old, cemented Vision's place as my favorite Avenger.   -M |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 18, 2022 11:30:48 GMT -5
7. The Triumvirate of Terror7. The Masters of Evil II - The Jarvis Masters of EvilRoy Thomas and John Buscema I think this story was retconed that Jarvis was mind controlled the entire time. |
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Post by Myke Gee on Dec 18, 2022 11:46:13 GMT -5
7. THE SUICIDE SQUAD Superheroes aren't the answer to every problem. Sometimes, extreme situations require extreme measures…or extreme individuals. The sort of individuals who call the infamous Belle Reve Prison home. Super-villains. Of course, no one will officially admit to any of this. That's the charm of Task Force X, perhaps better known by its nickname: the Suicide Squad. This team of super-villains, assembled by their director Amanda “The Wall” Waller, undertakes high-risk covert operations and in exchange receive commuted prison sentences. And we do mean high-risk. Regardless of abilities and talent, every member of the Squad is expendable—it’s expected that many will not return. As expendable assets, all members are fitted with an explosive device in their neck to assure obedience. If Squad members try to escape while on a mission...well, escape isn't an option. Run away and it’s BOOM! Given the rigorous requirements of the job, the Suicide Squad lineup is always in flux. The roster has included Deadshot, a precise marksman and assassin; Harley Quinn, a peppy but psychotic villain; Captain Boomerang, the man who turns boomerangs into lethal weapons; Enchantress, a powerful sorceress who can wield magical energy; and their sometimes field leader Rick Flag, an elite soldier who is one of the only members who isn’t a super-villain. A group of super-villains who have license to take drastic action in the name of serving a mission? There's no way that can end badly. Members: Acero, Aerie, Afterthought, Amanda Waller, Ambush Bug, Battle-Taur, Behemoth, Black Hand, Black Manta, Black Mask, Black Siren, Black Spider, Bloodletter, Bloodsport, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, Captain Cold, Chaos Kitten, Chemo, Cheetah, Cluemaster, Coldsnap, Copperhead, Crow Jane, Culebra, Deadly Six, Deathstroke, Defacer, Doctor Polaris, Duchess, Dulce, El Diablo, El Dorado, Emerald Empress, Enchantress/June Moone, Etrigan the Brainiac 666, Fin, Fisherman, General Zod, Giganta, Gunbunny, Gunhawk, Harley Quinn, Heatstroke, Heat Wave, Henry Bendix, Iceberg, James Gordon, Jr., Jog, Johnny Sorrow, Joker's Daughter, Juan Soria, Karin Grace, Katana, Killer Croc, Killer Frost, King Faraday, King Shark, Lamplight, Leviathan, Lobo, Lor-Zod, Lord Satanis, Madame Crow, Man-Bat Commandos, Manhunter, Match, Merlyn, Mirror Master, Monstruo, Mudslide, New Wave, Nightmare Nurse, Nightshade, Nocturna, Osita, Parademon, Parasite (Joshua Allen), Peacemaker, Power Girl, Question, Rick Flag, Rustam, Savant, Silbón, Solomon Grundy, Steel, Thylacine, Unknown Soldier, Victor Zsasz, Warp, Wink, Zachary Zatara, Zebra Man, Zizz. Creators: Robert Kanigher and Ross Andru. (Original Team)/John Ostrander and Luke McDonnell (Super-Villain Team) First Appearance: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #25 (1959)/ SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1, #1 (1987). ***** In the mid-80s after the CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS, I decided to try to get into more DC Comics. I never even heard of the Suicide Squad in 1988 when some guys at the local comics shop suggested that I give this series a try. So, I added this and a couple of other DC titles to my pull list and I was pleasantly surprised. I loved the whole concept because that meant an ever-rotating cast of characters depending on the mission. Of course, there were corp members, but there was always the possibility that a villain could die on a mission. I sometimes think of this series as DC's answer to Marvel's "Scourge of the Underworld" story. This was a way to weed out the minor villains that haven't been used in quite a while. This was a great super-villain team. |
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Dec 18, 2022 11:47:32 GMT -5
My pick for #7 fell through when I re-read the Spirou comic it was taken from... the bad guys were actually pretty decent, and simply acting to protect a secret! But going through those old books I remembered a good alternative from the same era. 7. The Dobbs brothers gang Back in the early '70s, there were several excellent French/Belgian comic series that featured the American west. Goscinny and Morris's Lucky Luke, Jijé's Jerry Spring, Lecureux and Forton's Teddy Ted, and two that were especially close to my heart: the famous Lt. Blueberry series by Charlier and Giraud, and the somewhat less famous (unfairly so, too!) Comanche by Greg and Hermann.
Comanche is the story of a young woman managing a ranch in Wyoming, with the help of the traditional mysterious stranger who's ruggedly handsome and good with a sixgun. His name is Red Dust, and he will quickly take over the series (although it retained its title).
In Les Loups du Wyoming ("Wyoming's wolves") we are introduced to the meanest, cruelest, nastiest and foulest-smelling gang of brutes you can imagine: the Dobbs brothers and their partners. No mention of rape is made because Comanche was a series meant for kids, but every other crime we can think of, the Dobbs committed. And not only did they kill people for their meager belongings, they'd also take an evil pleasure in humiliating them first.
Their introduction caused a shift in the tone of the series. Up to then, it had been one closer to a Saturday matinee western; there would be an Indian uprising, and cooler heads would prevail by the end and peace be restored; some bandit would show up and cause trouble, and end up in jail. Here, the nastiness of the Dobbs is such that it causes Red Dust to chase down the remaining members of the gang after they are decimated by determined citizens fed up with their cruelty. He intends to make sure they can't hurt anyone ever again. Usually that happens when the cow-boy's wife, or niece, or brother, or best friend, or the pretty scoolteacher is hurt by the villains; but here, no. It's not actually revenge that motivates Dust: it's a sense of responsibility; the realization that he can't in conscience let such an evil roam free. And so when he finally catches up to his nemeses (in Le ciel est rouge sur Laramie, "Red Skies over Laramie") he ends up gunning down the last Dobbs brother even after the latter surrenders. I mean, in absolute cold blood (with five bullets, too).
 That was quite a shock to young Me: a hero acting unchivalrously to an opponent! But gosh darn it, those Dobbs creeps deserved it! They had pushed even a good man over the edge! It's interesting that this had consequences: Dust was sentenced to jail, and the next books dealt with his stay in a penitentiary and his difficult return to society after a parole. |
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Post by Jeddak on Dec 18, 2022 15:42:07 GMT -5
#7 The Secret Six  My favorite line-up - Catman, Scandal Savage, Deadshot, Knockout, Rag Doll and the Mad Hatter Other members included Cheshire, Parademon, Bane, Harley Quinn and a bunch of others A group of super-villains banded together to make a living as mercenaries. We already had the Secret Society and the Suicide Squad when this group appeared. What made this book stand out for me was the relationships between the characters. The small, relatively stable membership let the characters interact and develop as a group. Scandal and Knockout were lovers. Catman and Deadshot became friends; maybe not sunshine and unicorn friends, but more the tell each other the hard truths, rely on each other knowing you'll probably have to kill each other someday kind of friends. Sure, there was tension, and conflict, and betrayal; all the usual interactions in a group of baddies. But under it all, this bunch of people actually cared for each other, and acted like it. Hell, with everybody else against them, all they had were each other. Every super-group out there wants us to think they're a family; with the Secret Six, I believed it. I mean, dysfunctional, sure. But still. Plus, this is easily my favorite version of Catman, competent and able to go toe-to-toe with Batman. This Mad Hatter is the most insane I've seen; I don't think he'd even work as a Batman villain, but he fits in here. Scandal is tough, Rag Doll is twisted in more ways than one. When Bane joins, he's stopped using Venom, so you get the intelligent, urbane version. Just a cool bunch of characters. An example of the group coming together - at one point, Scandal walked in on Knockout and Deadshot in bed together. (That's just how you celebrate a victory on Apokolips.) Acting shocked and betrayed, she left the group. Catman tried to explain her reaction to Knockout, but then it turned out there was more to Scandal's leaving. And when they learn the truth, there's no hesitation.  |
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