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I have to say, I found the back 50 to be of equal interest to the front 50. In some ways, more so, as this group was far, far less predictable (not to suggest that there were not many surprises with the big guns).

Well, I wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the top 100 contains two characters that I have never, ever heard of.

I’m a bad fanboy.

And Batroc will have his rewengee!!!

Layla Miller?
Really?

I only read her appearances in “House of M” and the first arc or so of “X-Factor”…

I guess it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Peter David not only fleshed out her character since then, but made her popular as well.

It just caught me by surprise.

~P~
P-TOR

[…] You can read more here […]

I’m with P-TOR. How did Layla get such a following in two years?

Great choice of covers for Firestar. You can’t really go wrong with Barry Windsor-Smith. I always thought it was great that she started in teh 80’s cartoon “Spiderman anf His Amazing Friends” and THEN moved into comics. She even graduated through the New Warriors into the Avengers. Pretty cool.

Who in the world is Sister Grimm? I’ve never heard if her.

“Who in the world is Sister Grimm? I’ve never heard if her.”

Pick up the Runaways.

Meanwhile…

Layla Miller??? WTF! Where’s Dakota North?

Is Firestar the first character on either list who first debuted outside of comic books, and was imported?

Theno

Theno - Harley Quinn was on the DC list. She debuted on Batman: The Animated Series.

Runaways is just an awesome, awesome book. One of the only wholeheartedly original and well done concepts introduced at Marvel in the last 15 years. Glad to see two characters in the Top 100 (though I’d have rather seen Gert than Nico).

Glad to see Kang finally pop up-he was on my list. He personifies one of the things I love most about comics: time travel that makes your head hurt when you think about it too much.

Layla Miller has come a long way in PAD’s X-Factor; a quirky, fun, original character. He’s really built her up from the one-off plot device she was in House of M.

Firestar??? Where’s Ms. Lion?!

Well there you go, Layla Miller is officially the newest character on either list.

No slight to the character, but if just 11 people put her in fifth place, thats 55 points right there.

nobody else is going to register a lick of surprise that Mystique, one of the most prominent villains from the most prominent Marvel franchise, with a popular movie counterpart is tied for 98th? Not that I’m a huge Mystique supporter or anything (though she hasn’t been written particularly well since the late 90’s) but 98 seems really, really, really low.

Did I just type that something was written well in the late 90’s?

Besides Firestar and Harley Quinn, there are definitely others on the list who first showed up in other media:

Jimmy Olsen was created for the Superman radio show, which also gave us Kryptonite.

Batgirl Barbara Gordon debuted on the Adam West TV series and in the comics at the same time, but it was the TV producers who initially requested a new ongoing female character.

And then of course there’s Hercules and Thor, but that’s another story.

Interesting. I had 4 Marvel Characters on my list that didn’t make the top 50 and not a single one was in the 51 - 100 range.

“I’m with P-TOR. How did Layla get such a following in two years?”

Peter David is the answer.

And no Valkyrie,Loki,or Union Jack in sight.Darn.Quality wise,they,especially Val,deserve it.

Lack of recent book time and not having a higher profile group connection seems to factor.

I’m still waiting for Ka-Zar…..

Wow! Layla Miller made the list! I’m so happy about that!

Yes, I voted for her.

Had Ka-Zar been on the list, he’d also have been on my list of characters who didn’t start out in comics. He was a ’30s pulp novel character.

[…] Top 100 Lists Should Be Good CBR blog Comics Should Be Good has revealed the final 5 in their Top 100 Marvel Characters list. A few New Warriors have made the list. Links go to batches of 5. 27. Nova (222 points/6 first place votes) (tied w/Namor the Sub-Mariner) 63. Robbie Baldwin (73 votes for Speedball & 21 votes for Penance - 103 votes/2 first place votes) 77. Jubilee (74 points/3 first place votes) 96. Firestar (57 points) […]

TOP 500!!!

Just kidding. Thanks for all your work, Brian.

Hasn’t Layla Miller been around for a while, just not used much until the last few years? Isn’t she the one that Strong Guy used to be a bodyguard for? If so, then the Runaways characters and Young Avengers are newer characters than her.

Well, a little research and I answered my own question. I was thinking of Lila Cheney, not Layla Miller. I guess that’s one of the things I missed by not reading any of the House of M books. And I’m prefectly fine with that.

I didn’t realize anybody cared about Firestar.

Finally! Layla makes the list. And yes, like others have said, my enjoyment of her character comes directly from how well Peter David writes her. She is likable and devious and all sorts of awesome in how she pretty much saves the rest of the X-Factor team’s butts on numerous occasions. Sometimes without them even realizing it. And her prank on Siryn and Monet, where she tricked them into standing on a street corner and getting hit on like hookers, was just hysterical.

Firestar just barely missed my list, but didn’t make the cut because I haven’t really read too many of her comic appearances. My appreciation of her stems from my nostalgia for the Amazing Friends.

Good to see Sister Grimm too, as she is probably my second favorite Runaway behind Molly, though I’ve liked Chase more recently too.

Kang is a bit of a surprise…

Still waiting on Dazzler! C’mon, on this Blog of all websites for her to still not be on the list!

Kang is a bit of a surprise…

Don’t blame me. I voted for Kodos.

I thought Mystique had a larger fan club…

Steve T. good call on Loki so many Thor votes but no Loki.

And when I/Marvel figures out what the hell they are doing with Mystique she will be more popular. I read her wiki the other day and it made my head hurt. Her powers have givin rise to numerous lazy retcons.

p.s. I *HearT* Rebecca Romijn

Now when you say finishing up… you will at least tell us everybody else’s placement, right?

Even if we don’t get pictures etc.

Why no love for Miguel O’Hara? Spider-Man 2099?

Likewise, where’s my Squirrel Girl? Man, I was disappointed to see her bite it in UXM.

Where are Morph and Blink? What, was I the ONLY one who voted for them?

Sorry, folks, but sometimes a good character is in the CONCEPT, not the EXECUTION.

And come on, no honorable mention for Dark Claw? Or Spider-Boy? Heh.

Squirrel Girl was in the Top 60.

So, no Moira MacTaggert?

Damn.

Yay Layla Miller! As others have said, Peter David made a character who had so much potential to be a flat mary sue, and he just ran with it and made one of the most unique and interesting characters at Marvel right now (yes, yes, IMO).

I would have voted for Volstagg and Baldar before I’d vote for Loki.

I’d vote for Neil Gaiman’s DC Loki long before Marvel’s.

Sorry, folks, but sometimes a good character is in the CONCEPT, not the EXECUTION.

No, that’d be a good idea. A good character comes about from development and depth. That’s all execution.

Acespot:

Likewise, where’s my Squirrel Girl? Man, I was disappointed to see her bite it in UXM.

WHA?!?!?!??!!!?!?!

Trying to close.

That’d be my fault. Sorry, folks.

Layla Miller in the top 100…? Wha…?

I can’t be the only person who voted for the Fabulous Frog-Man!

I enjoyed the interaction or mindset between Marvel’s Thor and Loki.And,less commonly,Odin and Loki.

Lee usually portrayed it pretty decently.If simply,given the era.Walt Simonson did a nice job with it.As did Mike Oeming,in a shorter run.There was the Loki mini series by Robert Rodi which was very good.Even Doug Mench touched on it briefly with a tale centering around Tyr(War God.)Son of Asgard touched Thor’s younger years.With Loki involved,of course.Good stuff.

Balder is a strong character in his own right,I agree.

Great job compiling these lists,Brian.Praise is deserved.

Hmm, I placed fewer of my Marvel list than my DC list- (3 DC missed, 4 Marvel characters)
Did I miss seeing Scorpion (Mac Gargan), Aunt May, Ka-Zar, or Sandman?

WHAAAAA!! Squirrel Girl…gone!!!!

PAH! HULK WILL SMASH PUNY HUMANS!

(What do you think the chances are of getting a stoat girl or a gerbil gal in ways of a replacement…foxy!)

Sorry, people, but Firestar debuted in comics. She was created by Roy Thomas for his ’70s series, THE INVADERS. Those Spider–Man cartoons updated her from WWII to modern times—sort of a retcon thing—but it was essentially the same character.

I think I know what T.W.’s thinking here.

He’s wrong, but it’s a fairly easy mistake to make.

(Unless Thomas created Firestar for the Invaders and never used her.)

I’m just curious as to how, when the mistake is pointed out to him, he’s going to rationalize his error so that i’s someone else’s fault for misleading him.

96, 3 97’s, and 100. Where’s 98 and 99?

Ted’s confusing Firestar with Spitfire:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spitfire_%28comics%29

While the two characters are somewhat similar visually, they’re different in pretty much all other ways (Spitfire’s powers were enhanced speed and strength, and had no actual “fire” component, for instance.)

“I’m just curious as to how, when the mistake is pointed out to him, he’s going to rationalize his error so that i’s someone else’s fault for misleading him.”

NO KIDDIN! I haven’t seen anyone who so completely refuses to be wrong. I didn’t think anyone could be more obstinant with this than my ex-wife, but I was wrong.

I think Firestar’s costume design was based somewhat on Spitfire’s, though of course they’re very different characters. But yeah, Firestar’s definitely from the TV cartoon originally.

Personally I don’t mind admitting that I can be wrong at times.

Firestar, what a tremendous and underused character, she should get her own title back on the shelves now!….Whoops, there I go…wrong again!

See?

What I meant by “WHA?!?!?!??!!!?!?!” was, “When did that happen?” SG getting offed, that is.

No Warlock from New Mutants?

Self is disappointed.

(actually, reading that sentence, and how annoying that speech-mannerism must become over time to a lot of people, I’m not surprised).

But I still thought he was a cool, unique character, especially drawn by Art Adams or Bill Sienciewicz (sp?).

Did Cannonball make it? I thought he was a good character, too.

Yeah, Cannonball showed up somewhere in the 70’s.

Emilia: since Kang, Lyla & Mistique all got the same amount of points, they tied for #97. Since there were in effect three #97s, there were no #s 98 & 99. It has come up in these lists before, I’m confused by why you’re confused.

I’m confused why you’re confused that she’s confused.

These lists have been great, Brian! Thank you!

But boy do they make me curious who placed #101-200.

I want to get to people with 9 points like Human Fly!

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