Favourite Non-Marvel or DC American Comics Character

Just to complete the set: who are your favourite American comics characters from publishers (past or present) other than the 'big two', and what makes them special? For me...well, I'm a fan of a lot of characters and a lot of genres, from the Charlton superheroes to Francine & Katchoo from Terry Moore's Strangers in Paradise, but I'm going with Phantom Lady. Just because...

As usual, there's a poll, but feel free to go for characters of your own choice instead of those few represented here.

Chaykin's 'Flagg' was good...

GBF wrote:Chaykin's 'Flagg' was good...

I agree, from what I remember. though I never read a lot of Flagg, oddly enough. American Flagg, Grimjack and various others from that stable were around at a time when I was buying an awful lot of comics-Marvel, DC, Eclipse and Fantagraphics among them-and for some reason the others were always a higher priority. I'll have to revisit the series sometime. I love Chaykin's work on characters like Dominic Fortune and Blackhawk...

I met Chaykin in 1984 - he was a bit pompous, arrogant...but he's good!!

GBF wrote:I met Chaykin in 1984 - he was a bit pompous, arrogant...but he's good!!

How long has he been around, now? He must have started in comics about 1971 or '72...

Yes - easily. He just turned 60!

I'm torn between Cerebus, Fone Bone, and The Savage Dragon. Then again, isn't Cerebus Canadian? Ah, then I guess it's down to Fone and Dragon. . .decisions, decisions. . . .

Wait, no, screw that. Scrooge McDuck is my answer. I must not have been thinking.

Well, I think here it comes down to how you define "American". I suspect that to a lot of Europeans, an American comics character is any character published on the North American continent!

Oh! Well, in that case. . .no, it's still Scrooge. But Cerebus is SO close.

The Spirit

tony ingram wrote:

GBF wrote:I met Chaykin in 1984 - he was a bit pompous, arrogant...but he's good!!

How long has he been around, now? He must have started in comics about 1971 or '72...

I read some of Chaykin's American Flagg, but I would take Ostrander's Grimjack over Flagg any day of the week! (And if you've ever met him, John's a really nice guy.    )

As for the options to choose from . . . too many to narrow it down. Just from the poll, I could easily vote for Captain Marvel (Fawcett) or Phantom Lady (Fox or Quality) or Airboy (Hillman or Eclipse) or Plastic Man (Quality) or Blackhawk (Quality) or The Spirit . . . and going beyond that, Mandrake the Magician, Dick Tracy, Dave Steven's Rocketeer, The Justice Machine, The Mighty Crusaders, FemForce, . . .

Sorry, can't choose just one.

Good grief, somebody else read Fem Force! I'm glad I wasn't alone! (I rather liked Justice Machine, too. Though I preferred Mark Evanier's DNAgents)

tony ingram wrote:Good grief, somebody else read Fem Force! I'm glad I wasn't alone! (I rather liked Justice Machine, too. Though I preferred Mark Evanier's DNAgents)

Crossfire over DNAgents for me.

Then there was also The Champions / League of Champions with Flare . . . and anybody remember Roachmill?

Roachmill is a new one on me. I've heard the name, but I'm sure I'd remember if I'd ever seen that...  

tony ingram wrote:Roachmill is a new one on me. I've heard the name, but I'm sure I'd remember if I'd ever seen that...  

After Blackthorne, I believe Dark Horse picked up the character, but it was in the days when there were plenty of b&w comic books from independents here in the U.S.

Another one I liked:


The Protectors from Malibu, using many Golden Age, public domain characters (many, many years before Dynamite's Project Superpowers).

Ah, now that one I remember!
Did you ever read the Americomics revival of the Sentinels of Justice?

I also liked the original Peter Cannon although, as with all things Charlton, I didn't like lettering which always bothered me as I read the stories. I also liked Dynamo by Wally Wood.As a kid, I liked this guy once I got over the nausea of seeing this for the first time (and realizing that he was not human - not surprisingly, this Captain Marvel was created by Burgos, the creator of the original Human Torch, also an android)

I actually have that first issue of the MF Enterprises Captain Marvel! It also features a villainous, green clad character called Plastic Man!  

Getting back to Charlton, I rather liked the little in joke "lettered by A. Machine"...

tony ingram wrote:Ah, now that one I remember!
Did you ever read the Americomics revival of the Sentinels of Justice?

I bought that (as a back issue) when I was getting a lot into a lot of AC Comics.  
Also liked


and

then there's this

Was his strength as the strength of ten?

Lucy McGough wrote:Was his strength as the strength of ten?

Ten what?

MajorHoy wrote:

Lucy McGough wrote:Was his strength as the strength of ten?

Ten what?

No, ten watts isn't very strong at all.

"My good blade carves the casques of men,
My tough lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of ten
Because my heart is pure."

Sir Galahad, Tennyson.

Lucy McGough wrote:"My good blade carves the casques of men,
My tough lance thrusteth sure,
My strength is as the strength of ten
Because my heart is pure."

Sir Galahad, Tennyson.

Oh, him. Sir Galahad's no superhero. He's not even as strong as Captain Ultra.

(a) How strong is Captain Ultra?
(b) Has Captain Ultra ever found the Holy Grail?

a) Very. He has ultra strength.
b) No, but then, nobody's ever asked him to.

It can only be found by the pure in heart. I bet his heart isn't pure.

How strong is ultra strength?

Lucy McGough wrote:It can only be found by the pure in heart. I bet his heart isn't pure.

How strong is ultra strength?

I believe it's less strong than super strength, but better then compu-puncture hyperpower.

So ultra strength is not the ne plus ultra. Humph. They need to think of a better name.

Lucy McGough wrote:So ultra strength is not the ne plus ultra. Humph. They need to think of a better name.

Maybe All-New über-strength?

I'd be happy with that.

tony ingram wrote: . . . Getting back to Charlton, I rather liked the little in joke "lettered by A. Machine"...

Speaking of Charlton, . . .



and


(you can read that issue here)

Whatever happened to E-Man and the lovely Nova Kane?

tony ingram wrote:Whatever happened to E-Man and the lovely Nova Kane?

Dick Tracy?

Actually, I know after Charlton they wound up at First Comics


Then Comico


After that it looks like Alpha Productions was next


and something called Digital Webbing more recently?

But since Joe Staton is currently doing the Dick Tracy comic strip, who knows if E-Man will ever get revived again in the foreseeable future?

Nova Kane???

Lucy McGough wrote:Nova Kane???

It wasn't her fault, poor love.

I remember the First Comics series very fondly. Never read the later ones.

Harvey Comics: Jigsaw Man of a Thousand Parts.

I only ever saw one or two issues of this in the mid 1960s.

karatattoo wrote:Harvey Comics: Jigsaw Man of a Thousand Parts.

I only ever saw one or two issues of this in the mid 1960s.

I have never even heard of him...

tony ingram wrote:

karatattoo wrote:Harvey Comics: Jigsaw Man of a Thousand Parts.

I only ever saw one or two issues of this in the mid 1960s.

I have never even heard of him...

The Harvey Comics superhero line in the mid-1960s didn't last much longer than a few issues.













and there were others, I think.

Unbelievable! An entire line of superhero titles I knew nothing about! I want them!!  

tony ingram wrote:Unbelievable! An entire line of superhero titles I knew nothing about! I want them!!  

WHAT??? An entire line of superhero titles you knew nothing about! 

Tony, I'm shocked(And I think it's kinda cool that I first brought them to your attention)!!!

You owe me, my friend.

tony ingram wrote:Unbelievable! An entire line of superhero titles I knew nothing about! I want them!!  

I'm assuming you're at least familiar with the Atlas line of comic books from the 1970s?













and there were others . . .

Very much so, I still have a box of them somewhere. The Scorpion and Demon Hunter, of course, ended up reappearing at Marvel as Dominic Fortune and Devil Slayer. The Atlas line also had the book with possibly my favourite comic title ever (though admittedly, the title was the only memorable thing about it, aside from some nice cover art): Planet of Vampires.

"Born of fury! Sworn to vengeance!"

Looks like Nick Fury has a son.

Lucy McGough wrote:"Born of fury! Sworn to vengeance!"

Looks like Nick Fury has a son.

Nick actually has...or had...two sons, Nick Fury Jnr (who is bald, bearded and black) and the late Mikel Fury. Neither of them ever wore an outfit like that, though.

"To be bald, bearded and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream..."

Lucy McGough wrote:"To be bald, bearded and black,
Oh what a lovely precious dream..."

He's probably not fully bald . . . probably shaves his head to hide a receding hairline . . .

My friend's got a receding hairline and he's younger than I am.

Lucy McGough wrote:My friend's got a receding hairline and he's younger than I am.

I remember when I went to my 10th high school reunion and some guys had noticeable balding . . . I've still got a decent head of my own hair 25 years after that.