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| Down But Not Out |
by Drew Clements westofmiskatonic@gmail.com |
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Okay, so I'm going to be doing something a bit different for this week's column. A departure from the norm of the ol' DBNO! A piece of epic creativity... okay, not really. But hey, this column needs things mixed up a bit anyway, so this week is the first of yet another two-part column where I'll be counting down my... err... Down But Not Out's Top 10 Favorite Underappreciated Characters. Faithful readers of this column know very well that I'm quite obsessed with the second-stringers of the comic book world, particularly Marvel Comics, so this topic should come as no surprise. Actually, it's a nice foray into the world of Down But Not Out, because, for you new people, I'll be linking to some of my older columns! Anyway... on to the column... Down But Not Out's Top 10 Favorite Underappreciated Characters (or "The Longest Title Ever!")  #10.
Moon Knight (created by Doug Moench and Don Perlin)So, Moon Knight is Marc Spector, a former mercenary. MK is also Jake Lockley, New York cabbie, as well as Steven Grant, millionaire playboy. The fact that the character has technically four personalities (Moon Knight himself included), which are all pretty different, made for some fantastic and unique stories from Doug Moench. Another thing about MK during Moench's original run is that he fought more than just your average super-powered villain. Moonie's rogue’s gallery included just ordinary, everyday guys turned psycho, which was (and is) and nice change of pace. Moon Knight's second series, The Fist of Khonshu was some good stuff, but the thing only last six issues. The next volume was Marc Spector: Moon Knight, which fell mostly into mediocre territory. The first fifteen to twenty issues were damn good, but after that we got into the 90's excess and it went downhill from there... So yeah, of course MK made the list. He's underappreciated, but unlike many of the others in this list, has had multiple chances to change that; hell, there's a new MK mini coming out in the next couple of months. Will it change his status? We'll see. For a detailed bit of background info, check out my article on the first issue of the fantastic Moon Knight: The Fist of Khonshu here.  #9.
Darkhawk (created by Tom DeFalco and Mike Manley)Darkhawk was one of Marvel's more interesting characters from the 1990's. First appearing in Darkhawk #1, DH was really Chris Powell, a normal teenager with family problems. One night, while trailing his little brothers to an amusement park, stumbles upon a crime taking place, involving his police officer father and some mob goons. Fleeing from the goons, Chris finds an amulet that transforms him into the super hero Darkhawk! I always liked DH, not only because he was a cool-looking character, but because Chris' experiences were instantly relatable. The stories told, involving Chris' family, could easily hit home with someone like me from a single parent family. Remember, for me and many others, relatable = good. Unfortunately, DH fell victim to the excess of the 90's boom and the title found itself on the cancelled list. But don't be fooled, DH may have risen in the 90's during that pretty strange time for comics, but the title shouldn't be lumped in with just any ol' comic from that era, because it was actually really good. You can check out my article on the first issue of Darkhawk right here.  #8.
Werewolf
(created by Roy & Jean Thomas)Marvel Spotlight brought about quite a few great characters and Werewolf by Night is no exception. Tomb of Dracula had started this whole horror comic book in the 1970's and it was followed by Monster of Frankenstein, Man-Thing, Ghost Rider, and this book. Werewolf is actually Jack Russell (insert terrier jokes here), a fairly normal guy, at least, until he hit the age of 18. That's when he inherited his old man's curse... that of the werewolf! At first he was the typical full-moon-mindless werewolf, but eventually "The Three Who Are All" (don't ask... not yet) granted Jack the ability to transform at will and still have his normal mind working the whole thing. Werewolf by Night is one of those titles that found a bit of popularity during the darker comics of the 90's Midnight Sons banner. It was pretty good stuff, but it didn't receive the attention I think it truly deserved. Ghost Rider was a lot more successful at this move than Werewolf. But still, volume II of this book was nowhere near as good as volume I at the hands of Doug Moench.  #7. Firestorm The Nuclear Man (created by Gerry Conway
and Al Milgrom) Yup, I'm talking about the first Firestorm, which featured Ronnie Raymond and Martin Stein. This guy(s?), like Moon Knight, has had an umpteen amount of times to be noticed in the funny books, yet he still falls flat. This has never been due to the writing; it's just what seems to be a lack of interest by readers in the characters. Firestorm has had some great stories written by the legendary Gerry Conway and the equally awesome John Ostrander and still... nothing. I suppose, in the end, this entry is kind of moot since this version of the character is gone and has been replaced by a new one with a new series. But hell, according to sales figures, you might as well add that new Firestorm to this entry! Yes, I do have an article on Firestorm (imagine that!)! You can find it right here!
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#6. Firestar (created by Chris