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Wow. It’s arguably Vertigo’s most popular book and not a single Fable made the top 50. I guess that’s on account of them splitting the vote. I can’t even imagine which one I’d pick (Bigby? Prince Charming? Boy Blue?).

So, who’s going to go through them all and record how many times the word “everyman” was used in the #1 defenses?

I’ll put the over-under at 62.

when i talk to non comic book people and they ask who my favorite character is i always say batman, as it is someone they know of. i could see that answer easily being superman, spiderman, wonder woman, captain america, etc…

but when i talk to comic book people they never enter into the picture. they are far more iconic than characters.

it amazes me that on such a comic-centric site that they still hold such reverence. i mean i hate gnort, but can easily see why he could be someone’s favorite. i am just mystified that convention was so upheld on this list.

and to keep off merv pumpkinhead, damn you all.

I’m assuming the same thing for second-string (meaning, not Avengers, FF, or JLA) team books like the Legion, Titans, New Mutants, etc. Langhorne: that votes split carrying the entire category of characters down off the list.

I do notice, however, that of the Vertigo characters who made the list, only 3 of them (Spider, Death, and Dream) were not previously part of the regular DCU. Maybe that is why no Marvel characters from outside the regular MU made the list? Do we somehow think of books like Fables, Books of Magic, DP7, Psi Force, etc. as indi books that just happen to be published by DC and Marvel?

And, if so, what does that say about the quality / popularity of Transmetropolitain and Watchmen that they had representaion on the list while books like Squadron Supreme (not to dis it, I like it better than Watchmen for its social commentary) did not?

Theno

Actually 2 marvel characters from outside the regular MU did make the list (Ultimate Spiderman and Ultimate Captain America).

Personally, I voted for characters outside the normal “world” (including Merc from the New U), members of second rank teams (ie Ilyana Rasputin and Deadshot), and extreme longshots (Chamber and Katana). I think it was part of the fun to pick people that you liked but knew had no chance.

I also put down at the bottom of my lists an “iconic” character that I always loved (spiderman and batman) because even if I can’t afford to buy all 58 Bat-titles, they deserved to be here. Just wondering how many other people included a single “icon” on their list.

I do notice, however, that of the Vertigo characters who made the list, only 3 of them (Spider, Death, and Dream) were not previously part of the regular DCU.

Actually, Dream and Death were part of the DCU in the early issues of “Sandman”.

Will you be posting the rest. Ie all other votes cast?

Curious to see some of the people who made the list, and who received multiple vote

Rene stole my thunder but Dream actually met with the JLA in an early issue.

Yorick, Jesse Custer and Rorschach are all outside the DCU as well. I guess maybe if you think of Rorschach as a Question substitute you could say he’s in the DCU, but not the other two.

@ Thenodrin

I think that’s why my #1, Cannonball, didn’t qualify. Fans of the New Muties aren’t all huge fans of Sam Guthrie, and we’re few enough to not have multiple team members elected to the top 50.

Though Having my favorite lose out to Howard the Duck and MJ Watson hurts a little.

[…] Comics Should Be Good’s Top 50 DC and Top 50 Marvel characters list is up at last, the summation of over 500 entrant’s top 10 lists among each publisher. My man Green Arrow made it in at #7, and The Question made it in at #13. And as is no surprise, my #1 Marvel character matched the #1 on that list. […]

My theory on the Vertigo votes (and their clustering) is that there’s a minority of DC readers who pretty much ONLY read Vertigo titles. So their ballots might be heavily concentrated. Whereas fans of, say, the New Mutants or the Legion are very likely to read a whole bunch of other Marvel or DC titles too, so their lists would be more diffuse. I suspect there weren’t all that many ballots made up of, say, 10 Legionnaires, but I wouldn’t be surprised if there were some made up of 10 Vertigo characters.

That was Dream II, Daniel Hall, who met with the JLA.
However, the Sandman universe has ALWAYS been considered as one with the rest of the DCU. As opposed to most of the other current Vertigo books such as Fables, Jack, Deadman, Y…
Most older Vertigo books actually DID have some connection to the greater DCU.

I’d like to see a breakdown of the lower 50 characters, #s 100-52.

The JLI appeared in the 5th issue of Sandman.

I’d be interested to find out if anyone who voted for Mary Jane Watson didn’t also have Spidey as their number 1.

Also there was Dream and Constantine’s meeting with J’onn J’onnz in the very first arc, also featuring Doctor Destiny, with his Materioptikon being Dream’s ruby. And Death helping Element Girl to finally die in a later issue.

Hey Danar, I voted for Chamber too! But not enough love

Sandman, the WWII hero was in like the first issue of Sandman. Also, a lot of the characters were taken from the old anthology series of the 50s.

If folks like Spider-Man, Batman, etc were not heralded by hard core comic fans they wouldn’t be iconic.

Don’t blame the average fan for loving an icon as it was the hardcore fans who made them this way.

Glad to see Wally in @ #3!!

Dream met the Martian Manhunter and Scott Free, both on the list in his search for the Ruby, not Dream/Daniel. I am disappointed to see that Lucifer didn’t make the list, out of the whole Sandman series, he seemed to me at least as the second most interesting character.
On a side note, whoever said the Vertigo people only read Vertigo is absolutly right, and I applaud him for his foresight.

The vote was rigged I say. Here are the real #1’s:

1. Brother Power, the Geek (DC)
1. Prez (DC) (tie)

1. Paste-Pot-Pete (Marvel)

Dream did meet the JL (Manhunter and Scott Free) as well as Etrigan in the first story arc, but that was before Vertigo splintered away from the DCU. I always considered those meetings to be establishing the new title in the Universe, and forgettable once Vertigo was deemed separate.

That’s just me, though.

Theno

Superman and Batman also went to Dream’s funeral at the very end of Sandman, so it wasn’t just a pre-Vertigo thing. (There was also Death’s appearance in Captain Atom, about which the less said the better.)

Where is the Green Goblin for the Marvel list? The Joker is #5 on the DC list, but the truth is that the Joker is a follower and a disciple to the Green Goblin as far as evil is concerned. The Goblin killed Gwen Stacy, Peter Parker’s first love, way back in 1973 and changed the depraved embodiment of the comic book supervillain into a whole new level of the personification of a psychopath. Sure, the Joker crippled Batgirl (in 1988) and killed the Jason Todd version of Robin (also in 1988), but the Green Goblin forever changed comic book storytelling fifteen years earlier by killing Gwen and should be acknowledged as the awesomely wicked and malevolent character that he is. Plus, the Goblin would easily slay the Joker and impale his head on the front of his Goblin Glider for all to see.

“13.Vincent Paul Bartilucci said …

I’d be interested to find out if anyone who voted for Mary Jane Watson didn’t also have Spidey as their number 1. ”

Yep. I had MJ on the list but Spidey absent, thanks to recent times.

>>Here’s another vote to see the next 100.

I’m sure Brian is planning to post the next 50 characters any day now.

He just likes keeping us in suspense.

[…] En este link, aparecen LOS 50 MEJORES PERSONAJES DE LA DC Y LOS 50 MEJORES DE LA MARVEL, según muchos fans del norte. Los que encabezan los primerísimos puestos de la DC, no van a sorprender a nadie, creo. La lista Marvel si me llamo un poco la atención, no el primer puesto, que como dijo alguien que sabe mucho de comics es EL personaje que sintetiza la esencia marveliana, pero los mutantes “clásicos” (por llamarlos de algún modo) no asoman ni en el Top 5. Cosa rara. En fin, cada uno comenzara a crear su listadillo personal. ¡Y aguante Wally West, el mejor Flash de la historia! […]

Superman and Batman also went to Dream’s funeral at the very end of Sandman, so it wasn’t just a pre-Vertigo thing. (There was also Death’s appearance in Captain Atom, about which the less said the better.)

Also the Kryptonian god Rao appeared in Sandman: Endless Nights

I’d be interested to see how the choices change over time, how about a nice bar graph? I was surprised by Captain Americas popularity and Wolverines relatively low ranking (I’m ambivalent about both), seems like ten years ago he would of been top of the list. I’m sure movies and quality of current story arcs affects peoples opinions more than they think.

For me my favorite Sandman characters in order were
Barnabas (my #1 DC overall)
Morpheus (my #2)
Delirium (I think around #7 or

Death and Matthew the Raven were both up there too, in my top fifteen or so.
I know Barnabas was a bit of a sentimental pick, but what can I say? I REALLY REALLY want a talking dog, and he was very kind with Delirium.

It really was a glorious book.

OK how the hell did that smiley with shades get in there?? I know I didn’t do that.

Hob Gadling and Death made my list. Dream and Delirium were strongly considered.

I love Hob. Death’s a mug’s game.

So cool that Nightcrawler was the 2nd favorite X-Men. Too bad he got pushed out of the 3rd X-men movie. He should have a part in Wolverine (they are best buds). To bad his own comic wasn’t so good either (art was great though).

OK how the hell did that smiley with shades get in there?? I know I didn’t do that.

I’m guessing it happens automatically to an 8 followed by a )

Lets try:

Personally I’ve always used a B instead of an 8, so lets try that: B)

Well that’s just wrong

oh you kids and your infernal gadgetry.

Wow Cyclops is in the top ten!!!

Go Cyclops Go!!! You are the best X-man!!!

I hope Cyclops returns in X4 and lead the team once again!!!

X-men 4 Cyclops Returns

[…] So there ya go, Jeff! We almost missed out on Wally West as the Flash! Which would be a shame, as he ended up finishing in 3rd place in our recent Top 100 DC and Marvel Characters Poll, which, as you all know, is a scientific fact - Flash is definitively the third most popular DC character ever (I kid, ComicBloc! I kid!). […]

[…] Okay, so we had the Top 100 Marvel and DC Characters List. I even went a little further, and showed you the NEXT hundred on the list. But what about those characters that were less supported? THEY have their fans, too, right? So this week, each day I’m going to take a look at some characters who made only ONE ballot - but were chosen FIRST on that ballot. […]

[…] Okay, so we had the Top 100 Marvel and DC Characters List. I even went a little further, and showed you the NEXT hundred on the list. But what about those characters that were less supported? THEY have their fans, too, right? So this week, each day I’m going to take a look at some characters who made only ONE ballot - but were chosen FIRST on that ballot. […]

[…] Okay, so we had the Top 100 Marvel and DC Characters List. I even went a little further, and showed you the NEXT hundred on the list. But what about those characters that were less supported? THEY have their fans, too, right? So this week, each day I’m going to take a look at some characters who made only ONE ballot - but were chosen FIRST on that ballot. […]

[…] Okay, so we had the Top 100 Marvel and DC Characters List. I even went a little further, and showed you the NEXT hundred on the list. But what about those characters that were less supported? THEY have their fans, too, right? So this week, each day I’m going to take a look at some characters who made only ONE ballot - but were chosen FIRST on that ballot. […]

oh hell with it I am just going to say tgis n live with it, ther r twice as meny sad geeky DC readers as there r marvel readers or this pole would be a no contest.
Dc evolves around peeps who like being great, power far beyond character, leaving lil room for intresting villains n character story telling always looking for the next giant enermy to swat. I mean marvel have the whole issue where the cant change sticking with there same old things since the early when evers but aleast they did it, OK vertigo I like but only cause Neil Gaimen was is anchor head n Didi was fit, I cant forgive Dc for they over muscle bound idoits with no character.

On a last note a friend of mine argues that supman could kick the holy hell out of the marvel uni but I dont care, supman is twice as dull a cyclops n I hate that stupid boyscout, so there.