Empire's 50 Greatest Comic Book Characters: 1. Superman

#50 - SPAWN

[image=http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/50greatestcomiccharacters/main/50.jpg]

Overview: In 1992 a group of Marvel?s top artists, frustrated with having their work exploited, walked out to form Image Comics, a place where creators would retain the rights to the characters they created. Among their numerous launch titles, Spawn would prove to be by far the most popular. Created by Spider-Man legend Todd MacFarlane, Spawn was a murdered CIA operative who makes a deal with the demon Malebolgia, returning to Earth as an immortal Hellspawn. While he began as a traditional ? if unorthodox - vigilante hero, Spawn grew increasingly dark over time, slipping further into an anti-hero role as the theology-heavy storylines became increasingly twisted. His popularity has since waned, but Spawn remains an iconic crusader, both for the characters in his stories and creator-owned comic books.

First Appearance: Spawn #1 (1992)

Created By: Todd MacFarlane

Trademarks: A billowing, semi-sentient cape, trailing chains, glowing green eyes and hell-derived magical powers.

On Screen: An award-winning HBO animated series ran in the late nineties, as well as a markedly less successful live action movie starring Michael Jai White. A sequel is currently in development and has been since 1998.

Did You Know? The scope of Spawn?s hell magic is limited only by his imagination. The energy fuelling it, however, is not and if Spawn ever exhausts his reserves it?s a one-way ticket back to hell.

 

This list will be interesting.

Never was much of a Spawn fan nor was I fan of MacFarlane's art...however I give them credit for the turning point they both were for comics in general, and for what MacFarlane did for Spider-Man.

 

cool thread.


Don't know much about Spawn, pretty much all I've seen of it is the movie, and that was average at best... then again, John Leguizamo might have been the greatest clown in the history of cinema.

 

Spawn? Really?

 

I've never read any of the comics, but the character design is good. The premise sounds kind of cliched and similar to Ghost Rider.

 

^^I am coming in for a hug, look out =)

If you were doing a top 100 list, I could see it. If oversaturation of the market gets you points then 50 isnt doing him justice. If destroying the idea of the "brooding anti-hero" and making it absolute fodder is what we are after then sure thing.

Spawn : Batman what Union Jack : Captain America


....number 49 on the list.....Union Jack =P

 

Spawn's pretty decent. I haven't really read the comic, but the HBO animated series/films were awesome.

 

Meh, in hindsight i know SPAWNS doesn't seem to be that spectacular, but if you were there at the time......When IMAGE COMICS was first formed by a stable of rogue artists who had jumped ship from the BIG 2 to do something no one had really done before....

Spawn was iconic.. It was the spearhead of the IMAGE revolution.

I definitely understand why it's on this list.

 

I will give this. The issues written by Dave Sim where Spawn meets caged representatives of the Big 2 companies (Batman, Spider-Man) and than is told that he isn't like that because his creator hasn't sold him out and never will, is just hilarious in hindsight.

I mean you get Alan Moore, Grant Morrison, and Neil **** Gaiman to write for you and you still can't make the whole thing less stupid. That takes talent.

 

Spawn is a great idea, and a beautifully drawn character in the hands of his creator and other artists. However a character in idea is not a great character, and certainly not one of the 50 best comic book characters. You need for the idea behind the character to actually be executed well for that idea to turn into a great character, and that never happened with Spawn.

 

#49 - CAPTAIN HADDOCK

[image=http://www.empireonline.com/images/features/50greatestcomiccharacters/main/49.jpg]

Overview: Tintin?s most enduring sidekick turned up in the ninth of the young reporter?s adventures, and became more and more prominent thereafter ? eventually becoming practically the main character. The full-bearded alcoholic, rageaholic, commitment-phobic British sea captain lucked into a fortune (Red Rackham?s Treasure) and wound up drinking himself insensible in Marlinspike Hall, occasionally giving vent to amazingly picturesque salty language (often through a megaphone) when assailed by bashi-bazouks, troglodytes, prize purple jellyfish, Incan mummies and Signorina Bianca Castafiore, ?the Milanese nightingale?. Pursuit of whisky is his defining motive ? he even got drunk on a trip to the moon! One of the most human and perversely admirable characters in fiction.

First Appearance: The Crab With The Golden Claws (1941)

Created By: Hergé (Georges Remi)

Trademarks: Captain's hat, bushy beard, tumbler of whisky and a roll-neck pullover. Catchphrase: 'billions of blistering blue blistering barnacles!' ("Mille millions de mille milliards de mille sabor").

On Screen: Georges Wilson and Jean Blouise played him in 1960s French films (Tintin and the Golden Fleece, Tintin and the Blue Oranges), Paul Frees dubbed the voice in internationally-seen cartoons (providing definitive live readings of the 'blistering barnacles' business), and Andy Serkis is attached to the forthcoming Tintin film franchise.

Did You Know? The Captain's name was suggested by Hergé's wife, who explained that a haddock was 'a sad English fish'.

 

And his first name is Archibald!

I love the Captain, his verbal rants and unquenchable thirst are equally funny.

 

Well I can see that this will be a little more diverse than the usual superhero/vigilante/detective fair most people think of when they hear comic book characters.

 

Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis in the upcoming movie: [image=http://www.totalfilm.com/__data/assets/thumbnail/366164/andyserkismain1.jpg]

And in the strip: [image=http://www.nikithaonline.com/cartoons/CaptainHaddock.gif]

 

Andy as Haddock looks great!

BTW Zaz have you finished reading Explorers on the Moon.

 

Tintin was originally published as a newspaper strip, but was collected into comic form once each story was completed.

Tintin (along with Asterix) is one of the great European comics, and Haddock played a very big role in making the series enjoyable

 

Yeah, it's nice to see Tintin represented. Not sure about Andy doing him in the movie, but he'll work.

 

You have never heard of Tintin? What.

 

Isn't that pic of Serkis from King Kong?

 

Friggin' 49 indeed. This guy is one of the great literary creations of all time.

 

Sorry, Omega, I forgot about Explorers. I'll reserve it at the library.

 

He a Belgian reporter. With a dog named Snowy.