When it comes to cops in comics, you’re gonna find a lot more ‘name’ police officers in the DC side of things. Heck, DC even had one of the best books of the last 15 years, Gotham Central that was all about the GCPD and how they deal with Batman On the Marvel side of things, it’s a bit tougher to find a regular, plain clothes cop. And if you do, in most cases they end up as a superhero, corrupt or dead, like poor Captain George Stacy here. Outside of the big two, as Todd mentioned on the show this week, you’ll see a main super hero who is a police officer as his day job, like Savage Dragon. So this week, gentle listener, who is the best cop in comics? Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Deadpool 11/10/16...
posted by Joe
Deadpool aka Wade Wilson. Sounds familiar? Essentially a pallet lift from last week’s Best Blank, Deathstroke, was positioned as a mysterious X-villain with ties to Wolverine. As more and more was let out about his backstory and his acerbic wit, he didn’t become an overnight sensation, but almost Boba Fett level cult status. Then in the mid to late 90’s the humor was turned up and his populatiry exploded, and became the lead in his own book, written by Joe Kelly, a book I’ve spoken about at lenght. The book went through a variety of writers and about 10 years later, he was such a big deal, he started in FIVE ongoing series and a rotating minseries at once. More than Spider-Man or Wolverine at that time. Marvel has since calmed down on that front, showing some restraint, currently only stars in three ongoings and two miniseries. I wonder what could have resulted in this return in popularity? Oh yeah, THAT guy… So this week, gentle listener, what is the best iteration of Deadpool? A storyline? An arc? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Deathstroke 11/03/16...
posted by Joe
Slade Wilson, aka Deathstroke the Terminator, an Army vet turned mercenary, started out as a Teen Titans nemesis, before becoming a kinda sorta good guy (shades of grey, man!) and then a DC Universe villain. Why he never stuck as a good guy could have something to so with his, let’s say problematic, relationships. His May/December love affair with with Teen Titans mole Terra would never fly in today’s climate, and I certainly think that’s for the best. He did kinda fall out of favor in the mid to late 90’s when everyone was stealing his schtick, but more on that next week. One of my favorite things about Deathstroke, simply called Slade, was the main baddie for a kid’s cartoon for many, many years. He has been appearing on Arrow as both an ally and adversary there and is rumored to be the bad guy in the upcoming Batman solo film, so his stock is certainly on the rise. So this week, gentle listener, what is the best iteration of Deathstroke? A storyline? An arc? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Etrigan the Demon 10/27/16...
posted by Joe
I admittedly do not know tons about the origins of the Demon, other than he was created by Jack Kirby and is tied to Jason Blood for some reason. Who knew he was around during Camelot times and is related to Merlin. THAT Merlin?? My first exposure to him was in the Vertigo Sandman books, during that first arc where it was still almost kinda a super hero book. He was a rhyming demon at this time, thanks Alan Moore for making him exponentially more difficult to write. He was so popular, however, he has made it to the DC Animated universe and wouldn’t be surprised to see him show up on a CW show soon! So this week, gentle listener, what is the best iteration of Etrigan? A storyline? An arc? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Ghost Rider 10/20/16...
posted by Joe
When I think 90’s Marvel comics, I think not Wolverine (he’s more ubiquitous) I think Ghost Rider. He was everywhere! Need to pop the house, throw Danny Ketch on the cover! But he was not the first Rider. While there was an old Western Ghost Rider, he didn’t get the same publicity as the dude with his head on fire riding a motorcycle. What could be cooler than that? How’s about a dude with a flaming skull driving a hot rod? I know some would rather he be called Ghost Driver as opposed to Rider, but those would be people who are wrong. He even made his way to the small screen as the bulk of the current season of Agents of SHIELD is all about him! So this week, gentle listener, who is the best Ghost Rider? A storyline? An arc? That time he was in the Fantastic Four? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Spy 10/13/16...
posted by Joe
How and why do spies fit into the world of super heroes? Well, you don’t send the Hulk to steal important secrets from the enemy in the Marvel Universe, you send someone like Black Widow or Nick Fury. DC is a bit light on the espionage game, with more recently Nightwing foregoing his Bat-ties to infiltrate the bit on the nose group, Spyral. Now the indies is another story. A book we’ve discussed at length on Longbox Heroes, even on this week’s episode, the Brubaker/Epting yarn, Velvet. While Velvet is a bit of a James Bond pastiche, ol’ Jimmy himself is currently in comics as well written by the great Warren Ellis. So this week, gentle listener, who or what is the best representation of spies and espionage in comics. A character? A book? A storyline? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Vertigo Supporting Character 10/06/16...
posted by Joe
What makes a supporting character? For our purposes, you’d have to elimiate the main male and female leads, if applicable and the main antagonist. Like with Swamp Thing, Alec himself, Abby and Arcane are out. John Constantine was a supporting character there, but then graduted to his own book, so how about Matthew Cable, who was also a supporting character in Sandman. Speaking of Sandman, things get a bit fuzzier. One would say that members of the Endless are all ‘main’ characters, but the argument could be made for any one them outside of Dream, Death and Desire could be supporting characters. But say the Corinthian, while not the ‘main’ villain, defintely a supporting character. How about Preacher? Jesse, Cassiday and Tulip are the big three? Herr Starr is the big baddie, what about Saint of Killers? I could argue either way, but this guy certainly is a supporting character. So this week, gentle listener, we ask who is the best supporting character in Vertigo? Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Marvel Magician 09/29/16...
posted by Joe
So, we’re nearing the end of the year and the ideas for Best ‘Blank’ are getting thin. Instead of one person, we’re throwing a blanket statement out. So, here we are looking for the best magic user in the Marvel Universe. Now, there are magical characters, folks who got their powers magically, but we’re looking for people who actively use magic, like Baron Modro, who I learned has the first name ‘Carl’ Or sister of X-Man Colossus, Illyana Rasputin, who started out as ‘just’ a teleporter, before becoming the Soulsword wielding Magik. And what about Nico Minoru who has unlimited magical abilities with the caveat that she can never use the same spell twice. So this week, gentle listener, we ask who is the best magic user in the Marvel Universe? Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Theme Song 09/22/16...
posted by Joe
Certain songs are synonymous with certain heroes or groups. Sometimes a hero with get multiple songs before one sticks, but once it does, it’s iconic. Like this one: Fun fact, my son thinks this song and the Universal films theme are one in the same. Now, there had been Superman themes before, but this is the one. Others, like the X-Men, got it on the first try: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kRmoy6bHUX4 I’m surprised this hasn’t been worked into the films due to the notoriety of this. Now, this isn’t just limited to the super heroes, this isn’t my pick, but an under rated pick for best comic book theme song: So this week, gentle listener, we ask what is the best comic book theme song? Movies, TV, cartoons, old radio serials? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best New God 09/15/16...
posted by Joe
DC’s New Gods, created by Jack Kirby, are a tough nut to crack. The closest analog to Asgardians in the Marvel universe, but an opinion I share with many, a group that works the best alone. And by that I mean, there are tons and tons of good guy and bad guy New Gods so there ya go, let’s fight. However, once they start mixing with the main DCU, the good guy New Gods get shuffled to the side. Most folks who have a cursory knowledge of comics think of Darkseid as a Superman villain first and a New God second. There have been times where members of the New Gods have joined the Justice League, with varying levels of success, but they are rarely ever the featured players. So this week, gentle listener, we ask who is the best New God? Individual? Story? Concept? Whatever! Tell me I’m wrong! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Loki 09/08/16...
posted by Joe
Loki Laufeyson (who knew he had a last name?), the Trickster God, half brother of Thor, the very first villain of the Avengers. A character who has always been on the fringes but I think never got a fair look or shake until recent years. It was around Dark Reign time where Loki was reborn in a female form, aligning herself with Norman Osborn when he took over SHIELD. Lots of trickery and deception was had by all. He was then reborn as a child, and a good guy. Kinda sorta. As much of a good guy as the God of Lies can be. But any popularity Loki has gained in recent years can be attributed to Tom Hiddleston’s portrayal of him in the Cinematic Universe. So this week, gentle listener, we ask what is the best iteration origin of Loki? Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Origin 09/01/16...
posted by Joe
While we all love super heroes, many times the origin, how they came to be be is what really motivates them. Sometimes, it’s loss, like young Bruce up there. Or sometimes, it’s an accident, being in the right (wrong?) place at the wrong (right?) time, like Pete there. Or sometimes, it’s a parody of other heroes that came before them, like those turtles there. So this week, gentle listener, we ask what is the best origin in comics? Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Joker 08/25/16...
posted by Joe
The Clown Prince of Crime, the greatest nemesis of the Caped Crusader, maybe the most malleable villain in all of comics, The Joker! Since he is crazy, he can really fit into any story you need him to. Do you need a braying prankster just causing mischief? Joker’s the man for the job! Do you need pure chaos and anarchy? The Joker’s your huckleberry! What about widespread death and destruction? Joker’s got a couple of those as well! So this week, gentle listen, we ask who is the best Joker? Film, TV, comics, video games? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Goblin 08/18/16...
posted by Joe
Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, was never intended to be Spider-Man’s top arch nemesis, but these things just have a way or working themselves out that way. The mantle of the Green Goblin has gone from father to son (Harry) to son’s psychiatrist to son of a newspaper man (more on that later) as a good guy and back to Norman. That’s pretty straight forward, right? Well, let’s get into the Hobgoblin A wealthy industrialist (Roderick Kingsley) found a secret stash of Norman’s goblin get up and became the Hobgoblin, but we wouldn’t find out it was him for nearly 30 years from his debut. The guise of the Hobgoblin was stolen by other villains (Jack O’Lantern) used to frame people getting too close to the story (Ned Leeds), random thugs and even becoming an actual full fledged demon! Remember I mentioned the Green Goblin was a good guy? One of the remnants of the Clone Saga days, Ben Urich’s son (say it with me) found a secret stash of Norman’s goblin get up but decided to fight crime! Don’t worry, that career was short lived as he became the head thug of the Kingpin after that as yet another Hobgoblin And people say trying to keep up with the Hawks in DC is a head ache! So this week, gentle listen, we ask who is the best Goblin in comics? Green? Hob? Demon? Whomever and whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Business 08/11/16...
posted by Joe
When you think business, especially big business, you think bad. But with all the fake businesses in comics, the most of them are associated with the good guys. Just like in real life, it’s more the bad guys who get all the press. Look at all these businesses in the Marvel Universe! Things are a bit different on the DC side of things. Lex Corp is the big baddie business with tons of little guys trying to take a piece of the proverbial pie. If this chart is to be believed, who knew Wayne Enterprises was so low on the totem pole. So our question to you, dear listener, what is the best business in comics? This one is about a loose as it gets, so whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Alfred 08/04/16...
posted by Joe
Off all the members of the Bat-family, many have come and gone, but only one has been portayed in eveyer version or iteration of the Bat-mythos and that would be Bruce’s loyal butler, Alfred Pennyworth. I really enjoyed the snootinest and helpfulness in the 90’s animated series, the look that has defined Alfred ever since. Speaking of coming and going, whether it was Keeaton, Clooney or Kilmer, Michael Gough did an admirable job as Alfred in the first four Bat films. However, the most notable actor to play Alfred was Jaws 4: the Revenge star Michael Kaine, who played the faithful manservant in all three Christopher Nolan films. I guess the weather was nice in those locations. Now, in closing, I hate memes as much as anyone, but why no one has turned this image into some sort of meme is beyond me. So our question to you, dear listener, what is the best Alfred? Favorite version? Favorite story? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
Weekly Question – Best Daredevil 07/28/16...
posted by Joe
I love Daredevil. He’s arguably one of my favorite characters. Definitely top five, possible top two from Marvel (Spidey will always be number one). I did read that definitive Frank Miller run well after the fact, I came in around 1996 the Karl Kesel run, I even wrote about my favorite single issue on this site a million years ago. Since then, whether it was Kevin Smith, Brian Bendis, Ed Brubaker or Mark Waid, Daredevil has been consistently the best written comic in the last 20 years. He even spawned a feature film, a very divisive one, in the Ben Affleck led Daredevil in 2003. I will defend this movie (aside from one scene) with my last breath. I will say that my (not so secret) shame is that I have yet to finish season one of the Netflix Daredevil show, let alone dip my tow into season two. I’m as ashamed as you are. So our question to you, dear listener, what is the best Daredevil? Favorite run? Favorite arc? Favorite costume? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
the Pull Post – 07/27/16...
posted by Joe
My biggest single week since November of last year. I need a tow truck for all these books. Or something. Todd’s Pull DETECTIVE COMICS #937 THE FLASH #3 FUTURE QUEST #3 HAL JORDAN & THE GL CORPS #1 NIGHTWING #1 WONDER WOMAN #3 ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #12 INTERNATIONAL IRON-MAN #5 THE MIGHTY THOR #9 OLD MAN LOGAN #9 STEVE ROGERS: CAPTAIN AMERICA #3 TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #9 ARCHIE #10 JUPITER’S LEGACY 2 #2 OUTCAST #19 LFC’s Pull DETECTIVE COMICS #937 FLASH #3 FUTURE QUEST #3 HARLEY QUINN #30 NIGHTWING #1 TITANS #1 WONDER WOMAN #3 OUTCAST #19 ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #12 CAPTAIN AMERICA STEVE ROGERS #3 CIVIL WAR II #4 MIGHTY THOR #9 OLD MAN LOGAN #9 SPIDER-GWEN #10 TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #9 ARCHIE #10 CAPTAIN KID #1 Here’s the full list of what’s on hopefully should be on sale for July 27th, thanks Dave, Matt & the rest at Comics on the Green. What are you picking up this week? What are you most looking forward...
Weekly Question – Best Giveaway 07/21/16...
posted by Joe
Another ambiguous one. Not a comic you get as a giveaway, but something extra that comes with the comic at no additional cost. OK, maybe shipping and handling like the number of Wizard giveaways out there. But as far as I could find (thanks, bing!) was the ‘Lakeside Skin Tattoos’ given away with Marvel comics back in 1983. That’s why it’s so hard to find the Hobgoblin’s first appearance in true mint condition. The 90’s would change all that as it seemed as every third comic was polybagged with a ‘collectors’ something or other. The real first comic to take advantage of this was the fabled X-Force #1 which came with one of FIVE different cards! While more of a cover gimmick. you didn’t need to use these Colorforms to make your own cover or Superman battling the Main Man Lobo, you could intermingle them with other Colorforms sets like I had lying around! So our question to you, dear listener, what is the best comic giveaway? Something in a polybag? Something bound in? Something from a mailaway? Whatever! Just tweet us with your answer using the hash tag #LBHQuery. Don’t like or have Twitter? Need more room to explain your choice? Just leave a comment on this post! We’ll compile up all the answers and talk about them on next week’s...
the Pull Post – 07/20/16...
posted by Joe
My most anticipated is blown out of the water for doing a preview book two weeks ago and this week as well. Oh well. Todd’s Pull AQUAMAN #3 BATMAN #3 HELLBLAZER: REBIRTH#1 LUCIFER #8 ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #10 BLACK WIDOW #5 DARTH VADER #23 STAR WARS #21 BETTY & VERONICA #1 VELVET #15 LFC’s Pull BLACK HAMMER #1 BATMAN #3 CLEAN ROOM #10 GREEN ARROW #3 I HATE FAIRYLAND #7 VELVET #15 ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #10 BLACK WIDOW #5 DARTH VADER #23 GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #10 SPIDER-MAN #6 SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #7 STAR WARS #21 BETTY & VERONICA #1 Here’s the full list of what’s on hopefully should be on sale for July 20th, thanks Dave, Matt & the rest at Comics on the Green. What are you picking up this week? What are you most looking forward...