I completely forgot that this was a thing, but seeing the art here I remember really enjoying it when it came out. I guess it's time to reread it...if I still have it.

#12 -- Elektra: Assassin (1986-87)

Spun off from Daredevil #168-181



As a kid, Elektra: Assassin was the first "weird", intended for mature audiences book I read. I read it long before Dark Knight Returns, Watchmen, Alan Moore's Swamp Thing, or Sandman, simply because I borrowed it off a friend's older brother, who was out of comics but still had a big collection that he kept at their house. I'm not really sure what I made of it at the time. I remember the art being as difficult for me to decipher as alien hieroglyphics. However, it must have sparked something inside me as I gravitated more and more towards this types of comics within a few short years.

Despite the fact that it drew a considerable amount of attention at the time, it hasn't really entered comics lore in the way that Watchmen and Dark Knight have, and feels like a product of its time, but in retrospect it's pretty cool that Epic gave Miller and Sienkiewicz the means to do something this far out at Marvel. 

I only read comics for a short time, 5-6 years in all, back when I was just a youngster, so my pool of characters and series and comics is a lot smaller than the rest of CCF's.  I must warn you all that the majority of my selections are nostalgia-based. 

But as a respite from all-nostalgia, I do have a few series that I came upon and read just a few years ago, when I became interested in comic book history/research and comic art collecting, that fit this topic.  I'll begin with one such series. Presenting:

First Day/Selection #12: Merry, the Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks

First appearance: Star Spangled Comics #81 (June 1948), in the Star-Spangled Kid story "The Human Fly!" by Otto Binder and Win Mortimer
Spin-Off: Merry's own feature beginning in Star Spangled Comics #87 (Dec. 1948)--Merry, the Girl of a Thousand Gimmicks (#87-#90)

You've heard of the Star-Spangled Kid from the Golden Age; among other things he was a teen hero who had an adult sidekick named Stripesy. In his civilian identity the SS Kid was a well-off young teen and Stripesy was his chauffeur. The SS Kid's years-long feature ran in DC's aptly named Star Spangled Comics starting from issue #1 (1941).  It was an anthology comic, containing features of other heroes such as Robin, the Newsboy Legion, Robotman, and others...so after a while SSKid didn't have the lead story slot or appear on the comic's cover. His eponymous series continued to chug along, until -- along came Merry! 

In SSC #81 (1948), the SS Kid's parents decide their son Syl Pemberton (SS Kid's civilian identity) needs to more spend time with kids his own age and would benefit from the companionship of a sibling. They adopt a young teenage girl, close in age to Syl. Of course Syl is worried having a sister will cramp his style. The smart-as-a-whip Merry quickly figures out that her new brother Syl is the SS Kid; she promises him she'll keep his secret. 

In #82 Merry dons a costume she's put together and armed with some makeshift weapons and her impressive knowledge of chemical reactions, she surreptiously aids SS Kid and Stripesy in a battle with some baddies. SS Kid wonders about the identity of his unseen helper/guardian angel, telling Merry that he'd really like to thank "him." 

In #83 Stripesy breaks his leg and can't join the Kid in battling crime, so Merry volunteers. SS Kid in no uncertain terms tells her that she can't join him in his fight (against arch enemy the Rope): "A girl? Don't be funny! This business is too tough for you!" Famous last words, as the Rope rather easily knocks the SS Kid unconscious. Merry appears on the scene and uses an array of weapons to defeat the Rope. "You were just plain lucky," grouses SS Kid. 

In #84, the SS Kid and his father go on a fishing trip, with Syl tells Merry she's not invited by helpfully stating "This trip's not for a girl, is it, Dad?"  Merry's okay with such inanity, though, since "I didn't want to go anyway! With crooks on the loose, there may be more excitement right here!" And sure enough, she's soon involved of a rematch with the dreaded Rope. With her athleticism, smarts and ingenuity she has no trouble defeating him. Note: in this story, the SS Kid appears in a total of 3 panels of his eponymous feature. That's right, 3 measly panels and only in his civilian identity. And poor Stripesy is nowhere to be seen, probably still laid up in the hospital recuperating. 

Some panels from Star Spangled Comics #81 (Merry's debut) and #83 



After #84 the die was cast. Merry progresses from a "featuring" credit (#85) to "starring" (#86) to--well, see for yourself: 

 


Yes, with #87 she took over the SS Kid's feature; it was retitled as shown above. Get that?  She started out as a supporting player and took over her (IMO) close-minded  brother's  feature!  Serves him right   He'd last been seen in #84, and just in a measly 3 panels as I already mentioned earlier. 

Unfortunately her own series only lasted a short time, just four Star-Spangled Comics issues, #87-#90; it soon suffered the same fate of many other superhero features at that time (bye bye superheroes!). But it was fun while it lasted. Otto Binder knew how to write young teen heroines (Mary Marvel, anyone?--and later Supergirl) and I like that he and DC were trying to give women/girl superheroes the spotlight (fwiw looks like Merry debuted slightly ahead of Marvel/Timely's Venus and Sun Girl titles).  Yes, the Merry stories themselves are pretty formulaic (as were her predecessor's, the SS Kid's), but they are still enjoyable and action-filled and they play with role conventions. The sociological perspective appeals to me and I really like Binder's message and the fact that he gave young girl readers another character in addition to Mary M. with whom they could identify. Merry was their own age and was a heroic, brave, adventurous, smart, character who headlined her own series--this must have been a fun, engaging series back in the day. 



Postscript:
Yes, I know both Merry and SS Kid characters returned many years later--as did Stripesy--in some comics (Justice League, others). I haven't read a lot of those issues, and for this topic I'm just focusing on Merry's short-lived 1940s series.

12. Thanos
Thanos #1-12, 2003-04 by Jim Starlin, Keith Giffen, Ron Lim, and Al Milgrom




Thanos was created by Jim Starlin and worked as a villain into Iron Man #55 with Mike Friedrich and Mike Esposito. And then Jim Starlin kind of took the character along with him to other titles, to Captain Marvel and then Warlock, before finally killing him off over annual specials of The Avengers and Marvel Two-In-One.

Starlin found his way to work with DC and in independent comics, but eventually returned to Marvel and revived Thanos in Silver Surfer. Thanos finally got his first starring role in Thanos Quest. It was ineligble to spotlight here as it was only two issues, but it's a great story.

So we'll instead look to his 2003 series which did last 12 issues. The first 6 issues were by Jim Starlin, featuring Thanos in battle with Galactus.

I struggled with my #12 pick, having so many choices. I almost eliminated this one as (spoiler) Jim Starlin will show up at least two more times on this list. But including this series also gave me the chance to spotlight the work of Keith Giffen. Rest in peace.

In general, I never liked anyone but Starlin writing Thanos. I felt Jurgens didn't get the character in Thor and Waid didn't in Ka-Zar. The first non-Starlin writer able to get my seal of approval writing Thanos was Keith Giffen.

He gave us something new but that was true to the essence of Thanos. It was a revelation. The world-building of the series included a new take on Star-Lord and setting up the excellent Annihilation crossover, all of which would eventually inspire the Guardians of the Galaxy film.

12. Howard The Duck




For my Top 12, I've tried to rank my top favorite spin-offs in terms of how good they were at being spin-offs as opposed to just how much I liked them. Otherwise, Howard would likely place higher on this list.

Let's be clear, Man-Thing and Howard The Duck couldn't be further apart as properties. It feels exactly like Steve Gerber got bored writing the unthinking behemoth and so introduced a supporting character that was in every way his opposite.

Man-Thing: Grotesque.

Howard: Cuddly.

Man-Thing: Dire.

Howard: Funny.

Man-thing: Devoid of all reason.

Howard: A passionate thinker.

Man-Thing: Simple in its needs and desires. Pure.

Howard: Infinitely complex to the point that he has no idea what he wants. Impure.


I love both properties equally, but I never understood what Howard was doing in Man-Thing's feature. The character didn't really start to appeal to me until Howard was in his own series, cultivating his own path for a franchise.

^ Never heard of MEC it but now I'm curious.....

12. Bar Sinister #1-4 (1995)



This short-lived title was a spinoff from Mike Grell's Shaman's Tears. Bar Sinister was a team of laboratory bred human/animal crossbreeds developed by a evil corporation and rescued by the hero of that book. Originally known as 'The Blood', I can only assume that the name was changed for copyright/trademark reasons when they got their own. The book followed the exploits of the team after they move to a big city and take up residence in a burnt-out cathedral and act as street-level heroes while running from both the corporation they escaped from and the law.

Iron Mike did the writing and covers while Rick Hoberg did the interior art. The book ground to a halt after four issues, according to Mike, due to issues he and Rick were having with editorial and Windjammer (a division of Valiant), and the whole Windjammer line folded soon after.

I love this book because I loved these characters and really wanted to see more of them. And on a personal note, when I commissioned a sketch from Iron Mike at a con, I mentioned that I was tossing up between getting him to draw Dawnstar or Sigil (the bat-winged girl from Bar Sinister). Mike looked from the sketch he was working o and said "Sigil?"; his whole face lit up.  I decided then and there that I was getting Sigil. Mike said he had done maybe 500 Dawnstar pictures for every Sigil picture he had done. The extra effort and detail he put into the sketch showed how much he loved the character and appreciated someone asking for one his lesser known creations.