(This is a simple poem I made and used to have as content in the "personal bio" part of my social network accounts.)
The boy, though with a knight’s heart, is a gunslinger
Beyond the laughter, not many can see the cold eyes
A six-shooter or a six-string, it does not matter
Both are weapons, as well as the pen of a writer
On knock downs, he'll hear invisible cheers then he'll rise
Never governed by the Laws of Odds, he rolls the dice
The boy, calm and cool as ice, patiently makes his stand
Life is Mexican stand-offs and showdowns and marvels
He aims well and true; a blur when he draws with his hand
Long adventures through the worlds of Oz and Wonderland
His destination is Home; with a smile, he travels
Should he be tempted by the diamonds and jewels?
The boy knows that guns are stronger than the world's magic
The blessing of always having an ace in his cards
The best combo is imagination and logic
Against the Dark - the theoretically tragic
Haunted by the ghosts brought by songs and tales of the bards
With silver bullets, he makes his stand in the graveyards
The boy only lifts his hat and bows down to Big Boss
And he has no fear even of his journeys at night
He’d been personally handpicked by the King for His Great Cause
There is no greater power he knows than of the Cross
Never can the Gates of Hell prevail over the Light
This world calls him a fool, but he'll soon reach that high height
My name is Bernel, of Legazpi, Son of Efren
Soon the day will come when I’ll ride towards the sunset
I will survive the stand-offs, oh, I am sure I can
At Home, I will see the fields of red roses by then
The Ultimate Joy and Pleasure shall be fully met
The music never stops; immortality, not death
Monday, November 29, 2010
Friday, November 05, 2010
Top 10 Fictional Detectives
Mystery is one of the earliest
genres of fiction that I grew to love (The first, aside from comic book or
cartoon themes, would be fantasy. Then
again, fantasy also has elements of mystery).
I would grow to love most genres, but the mystery genre is special. There is always something exciting and
thrilling from the suspense brought by the unknown.
The mystery genre heavily
romanticized the detective character.
Their observational, deductive, and analytical skills seemed to be
superhuman. They made the solution to a difficult problem that baffled us – the
audience – seemed so obvious and logical that it made us slap our foreheads and
say, “Why did I not think of that?”
Moreover, we envy them for the adventures and excitement they enjoyed on
their cases.
I have some favorites from these bunch of romanticized detectives. As I’ve said, I
love the mystery genre, thus, I am exposed to many of these characters in pop
culture. However, there are a lot of
them, thus, I am also unexposed to heaps more of them. Many say that Monk (from the TV show of the
same name) is one of the best, but I can’t tell since I wasn’t able to watch
him in action. Same goes with a boy
named Encyclopedia Brown. I was not able
to read his books.
Nevertheless, from the collection
of fictional detectives that I am familiar with, I pick a ten. Here you go:
10.) NANCY DREW
10.) NANCY DREW
Even if I have more “Hardy Boys”
books than “Nancy Drew” ones, even if I’m a boy, and even if I enjoyed the
stories about the Hardies than Nancy, I pick Nancy over the Hardy Boys. No, it’s not because this list is made up of
almost entirely of male characters and I have to add at least one female. No,
not that reason. Why then? Well, I find that the Hardy Boys have the
advantage of being able to work on a case together. And two heads are better than one. Still, Nancy had her successes with no
partner at all. So one way we can
interpret this is that Nancy’s smart enough for two Hardy Boys. It is also advantageous to face the danger
when there are two of you, and Nancy – a girl at most – faces it alone. Nothing against girls, but boys are
physically (and, often, psychologically) stronger and more durable. So it is impressive that even if she is
limited by her sex (physically), she boldly jumps at mystery and danger.
Not convinced? Well, okay, I admit. I added Nancy Drew because this list needs at
least one girl. The 10th spot
can go either way, to the Hardy Boys or to Nancy. But, I still think Nancy has an edge. By a hair (and a pretty reddish-blonde hair
at that).
9.) THE 3 INVESTIGATORS
9.) THE 3 INVESTIGATORS
Yes, I have read more “Nancy
Drew” and “Hardy Boys” books than “3 Investigators” books, but I think that the
3 Investigators – made up of Jupiter Jones, Pete Crenshaw, and Bob Andrews –
are better detectives than the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew… put together. Really.
Usually, I find that Nancy Drew
or the Hardy Boys solve their cases more by the help of lucky coincidences
rather than awesome detective skills.
Sure, Nancy and the Hardies are cool with all that sleuthing, but I see
them lacking in analytical skills. 3
Investigators, however, have the combination of energy for sleuthing and rad
analytical skills. Or at least Jupiter
Jones. Jupe is actually the one among the
three that has the admirable detective mental talents. He’s smart; has great stock knowledge and observational
and logical talents. The other two –
Pete and Bob – are more of “enablers” when Jupe is thinking, the muscles when
the going gets tough (mostly Pete), the cheerers, or data gatherers (Jupe, then,
would analyze the data). Nonetheless,
they are a great team and deserve my number nine spot in this list.
8.) DR. HALEDJIAN
8.) DR. HALEDJIAN
I was not able to read even at
least one of Donald J. Sobol’s award-winning “Encyclopedia Brown” books, but I
did read his “Two-Minute Mysteries” books, in which a case follows the same
format of an Encyclopedia Brown case but shorter (can be read in two minutes)
and are more for teens and grownups (as Encyclopedia Brown was for kids.) The hero of these two-minute mysteries is the
famous Dr. Haledjian, a brilliant criminologist. He is smart and sharp, who has an amazing
talent for noticing the details and has knowledge on many facts.
7.) SHAWN SPENCER
7.) SHAWN SPENCER
The main protagonist of Psych is a unique detective (at least, the first I encountered in fiction). As a child, his father – a cop – trained him extensively on observation, memory, and deduction. Thus, he grew up to have genius-level detective skills: great observation skills, an eidetic memory (which revealed later on as something he inherited from his mother, and not really from the exercises), and deductive skills. He is able to quickly logically interpret what the data he got from his observation mean (like being able to describe a person or past event accurately). With these skills present, he often made tips to the police hotline, until the police started being suspicious, thinking that the information he gave at one time is so clear that they presume he was an inside source. To avoid getting himself into police custody, he pretended that he was a psychic. This would ultimately lead Shawn – with his bestfriend Burton Guster – to form a psychic detective agency called “Psych” (for the kicks of the adventures it can bring). From then on, police regularly ask “Psych” as consultant in some of their cases.
Shawn is always wacky and joking
around, and seems to be solely motivated by the fun a case or activity can
bring. However, this actually helps him
think and helps get rid of the pressure (as shown in the first “Mr. Yin/Yang”
episode). Moreover, as one character
implied, Shawn is ashamed of the great intelligence he has and that’s why he
acts juvenile.
Intelligent but tinges of
childishness, irresponsibility, clumsiness and immaturity. This is the most interesting thing about
Shawn.
6.) SHINICHIRO KUDO a.k.a. CONAN EDOGAWA
Shinichi Kudo is a 17-year old high school student and a famous amateur detective. He was able to solve difficult cases that even professionals were not able to solve. Then at one time, while he was on an investigation, he was assaulted and was forced to swallow a pill that turned him back to a child. Being transformed into a child, he took the name Conan Edogawa (combination of two detective writers’ names) on himself. He now lives with Ran Mori (Kudo’s love interest and friend), who has a private detective as a father. Her father, Kogoru Mori, is greatly incompetent in deduction. However, as Conan tags along with his cases, Conan would solve the cases behind the scenes and then he would give the credit of the solved cases to Mori.
6.) SHINICHIRO KUDO a.k.a. CONAN EDOGAWA
Shinichi Kudo is a 17-year old high school student and a famous amateur detective. He was able to solve difficult cases that even professionals were not able to solve. Then at one time, while he was on an investigation, he was assaulted and was forced to swallow a pill that turned him back to a child. Being transformed into a child, he took the name Conan Edogawa (combination of two detective writers’ names) on himself. He now lives with Ran Mori (Kudo’s love interest and friend), who has a private detective as a father. Her father, Kogoru Mori, is greatly incompetent in deduction. However, as Conan tags along with his cases, Conan would solve the cases behind the scenes and then he would give the credit of the solved cases to Mori.
Personally, I find the show’s
theme of “hero being turned into a child” completely unnecessary. Why not just make an outright detective
anime? Something without ridiculous
“pills-that-can-make-one-a-child-again” elements. Make the hero either a
teenage detective or child detective and not a teenage detective turned
child. However, the Japanese anime
“Detective Conan” is one the most entertaining animes ever created since the
cases are interesting and it is fun to watch Conan in his investigations.
5.) C. AUGUSTE DUPIN
He would have ranked higher in this list if he appeared in more than just three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin is definitely one of the models from where Sherlock Holmes is conceptualized (by Conan Doyle) from. He is not a full-time detective, but rather just tackled cases that caught his fancy (i.e. why there are only three stories). Moreover, the word “detective” was not yet coined when Poe wrote about him.
5.) C. AUGUSTE DUPIN
He would have ranked higher in this list if he appeared in more than just three short stories by Edgar Allan Poe. Dupin is definitely one of the models from where Sherlock Holmes is conceptualized (by Conan Doyle) from. He is not a full-time detective, but rather just tackled cases that caught his fancy (i.e. why there are only three stories). Moreover, the word “detective” was not yet coined when Poe wrote about him.
He is extremely smart; can absorb and retain data extremely well and has
good analytical skills. In fact, he even
“read minds”, just by observing behavior (pretty much like Sherlock Holmes) to
the astonishment of the one being observed.
His detective method is by
logical science and creative imagination.
A sort of combination of the objective and the speculative type of
reasoning. An illustration of this
creative imagination is when he put himself in the mind of the criminal. Like Sherlock Holmes, Dupin is portrayed as
an ultimate logical and analytical thinking machine that is devoid of any
emotion.
4.) HERCULE POIROT
I have yet to read an Agatha Christie mystery that involved Miss Marple – the legendary elderly spinster turned amateur detective. All the Christie books I read involved the equally legendary Hercule Poirot. Poirot is smart and sharp (yeah, yeah, this description is getting clichéd since all of these detectives in this list are). He works efficiently with logic, piecing together all available information and turning it to a coherent solution. This would involve analyzing all the suspects and possibilities. Instead of directly accusing the culprit of the crime, he would, one by one, using a logical-type of reasoning, make the case for the suspects. He would enumerate the logical arguments that presume a suspect is guilty, and then make the counter-arguments against it. It was as if he is the affirmative and negative sides of a debate rolled into one. He would analyze the culprit for last.
4.) HERCULE POIROT
I have yet to read an Agatha Christie mystery that involved Miss Marple – the legendary elderly spinster turned amateur detective. All the Christie books I read involved the equally legendary Hercule Poirot. Poirot is smart and sharp (yeah, yeah, this description is getting clichéd since all of these detectives in this list are). He works efficiently with logic, piecing together all available information and turning it to a coherent solution. This would involve analyzing all the suspects and possibilities. Instead of directly accusing the culprit of the crime, he would, one by one, using a logical-type of reasoning, make the case for the suspects. He would enumerate the logical arguments that presume a suspect is guilty, and then make the counter-arguments against it. It was as if he is the affirmative and negative sides of a debate rolled into one. He would analyze the culprit for last.
Poirot establishes himself as a
psychological detective, as he deals more with the people – the suspects and
witnesses – rather than the hard evidences (i.e. crime scene). He is a master manipulator, and often would
find a way to make people talk. To get
himself underestimated or to gain these people’s confidences, he would resort
to different methods like portraying himself as a sympathetic confidant or telling
them lies. Aside from his detective
skills, this ability for grifting or fraud is his greatest asset.
3.) ELIJAH BALEY
3.) ELIJAH BALEY
Elijah Baley is the agoraphobic
hero of three of the four “Robot” novels (which, though it has several
underlying themes, at the core, is a mystery novel in a sci-fi setting) written
by Isaac Asimov. He is a plainclothesman
(homicide detective) and was paired with a “humaniform” robot (a robot with human appearance) named R. Daneel Olivaw (who was first of his kind) to solve a
murder. Being an Earthman, Baley is prejudiced
against robots. However, he had made a
strong lifelong friendship with Daneel.
Baley is an excellent detective. His methods are very much the same as Hercule
Poirot: the use of psychology and logic. He analyzes and discusses all the
points of the case – from different perspectives, presenting both arguments and
counter-arguments for the guilt of a suspect – in an efficient logical
manner.
Yes, he makes mistakes in his conclusions
sometimes. But the train of logic to
that conclusion never breaks. His
arguments are always valid – in a logical sense (since in logic, valid and true
does not need to be the same). In one
instance, Baley built a perfect argument against Daneel’s claim that he is a
robot. Since Daneel is the first of his
kind, Baley found it hard to believe that such human-like robot is a
robot. Based on a previous experience
and other facts as premises, Baley deduced, in a perfect logical context, that
Daneel is a human, and what the latter said about being robot was a lie. Baley was only convinced fully when Daneel
finally revealed his interior that proved that he is a machine.
2.) BATMAN
2.) BATMAN
Batman is more known as a badass
superhero/vigilante, but he operates in a detective manner. That’s why one of his comic books is named
“Detective Comics” and one of his nicknames is “The World’s Greatest
Detective”. As a detective, Batman has proven to be an outstanding observer,
proficient investigator and cold, logical thinking machine.
I already wrote about his
character in the previous top 10 list (on comicbook characters), where he was
also number two.
1.) SHERLOCK HOLMES
1.) SHERLOCK HOLMES
No surprise. Sherlock Holmes gets the first spot on this
list. A long time ago, he became my most
favorite fictional character as soon as I read his stories (written by Dr.
Watson/Conan Doyle). His powers of
logic, observation, and deduction amazed me.
Holmes considers himself a
“consulting detective”, the person Scotland Yard detectives ask for advice when
they are stumped by a case. And, usually, Holmes let the police detective
who asked him for advice to have the credit for the solving of the case if it
is too easy for his standards (though the detectives who consulted him find it
very difficult). These puzzling
mysteries are “elementary” to him. He also accepts cases from the public, as long as it's unusual and challenging enough to catch his interest.
Holmes is a better version of C.
Auguste Dupin as a dehumanized logical thinking machine. He strongly scorns emotion, since it can
cloud sound judgment. He gives more importance
to the deductive or analytical reasoning, since he claims that deduction is
more difficult than induction (but he’s great at both types). Holmes possesses great observational skills,
attention to details, and quick analytical skills to create a train of logical
reasoning which arrives at a solution or conclusion. His most famous analytical dictum is “When
you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must
be the truth”, which I find a very effective advise in elimination of factors.
Aside from his detective skills,
he is very versatile and multi-talented.
He is a skilled combatant; an expert in fencing, boxing and baritsu
(bartitsu). He’s a great actor and
master of disguise. He’s an expert in
forensic science and chemistry. He is
multi-lingual. He’s a competent
cryptanalyst. He has a wide scope of
interests and knowledge on different subjects.
He loves art and literature (particularly, of the sensational genre,
though he also referred to works like the Bible and Shakespeare). He loves music, and can play the violin. He also has authorship of several monographs
on different subjects.
His great intellect and
versatility makes him a very interesting character and, hands down, the best
detective in fiction.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Top 10 Comic Book Characters
I started loving literature
because of comic books. And comic books
have some of the most interesting characters in literature. Some of them even became global pop culture
icons. Who does not know Superman? Nobody.
We can’t deny the impact that these characters made.
Here are my top ten characters
from comic books – Western (American) comic books specifically. No manga characters here (I’ll probably make
one exclusively for manga characters in a future “top 10” list). So, here we go:
10.) SIMON ARCHARD
Archard is the hero of the comic book “Ruse” – published by Crossgen (which is now bankrupt). The elements of “Ruse” are very Sherlock Holmes-like; a brilliant detective (Archard), a Victorian setting, logic, mysteries, and all that… but with a touch of fantasy. Yes, Archibald deals with magic and the supernatural, but he doesn’t have any superpowers at all (He does have an assistant – Emma Bishop – who is a sorceress. Archibald is aware of this fact, even though Bishop conceals her powers to him). Aside from his “Sherlock Holmes”-esque intelligence and persona, he also makes use of a network of agents that works for him when on a case.
So, why did he make the
list? (People who know my preferences
will easily understand why) Simple. Sherlock Holmes-like.
9.) JUGHEAD
Forysthe Pendleton “Jughead” Jones III is the bestfriend of Archie Andrews – who is Archie Comics’ flagship character (obviously). Jughead is the deepest and most interesting character among Archie’s gang, thus, he is my most favorite character in Archie Comics (in fact, I have more Jughead books than Archie ones).
Jughead has several hobbies and
interests, in which girls are not part of them.
But above all of these is his love for food and eating. The amazing thing about him is that no matter
how much food he eats, he remains skinny.
And even if he consumes large amounts of food, he always have room in
his belly to eat some more. More amazing
still is, since he’s a lazy and easy-going person, it makes you wonder why he
isn’t fat since (the lack of) physical activity does not explain the burning of
the food he eats. A very rapid
metabolism might explain it.
It’s not that Jughead is lazy and
inactive all the time. He is sometimes
portrayed as someone that is into sports and even part a varsity sports team,
particularly basketball. It is also shown
the he is an adept skateboarder. Indeed,
Jughead does venture into physical activities when motivated or if he thinks
it's going to be fun.
He is probably the most versatile
character in the gang. He can play the
drums. He is a skilled food critique and
cook (obviously, because of his love for food).
And he has an above-average intelligence and has vast knowledge on
different subjects and topics, which surprises friends and teachers, even if
he’s not the studious-type (his I.Q. is just behind Dilton Doiley’s and equal
with or probably even higher than Betty Cooper’s). My favorite thing about Jughead, though, is
his wry and sarcastic type of humor and his ability to psyche out opponents
with this.
8.) JOKER
The greatest comic book villain ever is the Joker. I think a large amount of comic book fans will agree with me. Joker’s characterization and creation is so well done. The Batman mythos is made more enjoyable because of the Joker, as Joker’s twisted sense of chaos is a perfect antithesis to Batman’s gritty sense of justice. He is batshit (no pun intended) insane but a highly intelligent criminal mastermind. His madness is an advantage to him since it enables him to make lots of risky decisions without second thought. He is definitely one of the most dangerous and evil villains in comic books, even if he does not have immense powers like Darkseid or Thanos (imagine if Joker has that kind of power... yikes!)
Why is he so popular and
fascinating? Because we can easily see
the evil he personifies. Joker is the
greatest supervillain in comics because he is the perfect evil ever epitomized
in comic books.
7.) VENOM
Venom is an alien symbiote that possesses several powers including shapeshifting, regeneration, and augmentation of its host strength and speed. Its weakness includes fire, loud sounds, and electricity. First worn by Spider-Man (in Secret Wars), it initially helped Spider-Man and allowed him to become stronger and provided him with new abilities. However, when Spidy learned that it was a murderous sentient being that wants to permanently bind with him, he got rid of it. Then, the symbiote merged with Eddie Brock, which allowed him to physically manifest his hatred on Spidy (Brock is driven by his desire for revenge on Spidy, who he blames for the demise of his life, marriage, and career). The symbiote is currently with Marc Gargan (the former Scorpion), but Brock is the most popular Venom. The Brock Venom, aside from being a major Spidy supervillain, also served as a vigilante, though the murderous desires were still present.
Venom is very popular because it
is a rich and charismatic character, and because of these, it earns a place in
this list. However, I am not a fan of
Marvel’s decision of making the Scorpion as the new Venom (and Eddie Brock as
the Anti-Venom antihero/superhero).
Nonetheless, Venom is one of the best supervillain/antihero ever
created.
6.) GAMBIT (Remy LeBeau)
Gambit is an early favorite of mine. The X-Men animated series of the 90’s and the “Marvel vs. Capcom” game made me grow fond of Gambit. His graceful bo-staff fighting skills and ability to throw explosive cards (due to his mutant powers) easily won me over. Or maybe I grow to like Gambit because he used his “hypnotic charm”, another mutant power of his, on me. His character is just oozing with charisma and suaveness.
A former thief and revealed to
have had connections with Mr. Sinister, Gambit was accepted by the X-Men. And he has proven himself a loyal and
invaluable member, though there are a few times that he had made wrong decisions to alienate himself from
the team. But no matter what the flaws
of Gambit are, he sincerely loves the X-Men and feels that they are family to him
and does his best to redeem himself.
Gambit is one of the coolest comic book heroes ever. Ironically, he is also one of the most underrated.
5.) SUPERMAN (Clark Kent)
The Man of Steel. The Man of Tomorrow. The Last Son of Krypton. “It’s a bird. No, it’s a plane. No, it’s Superman.”
As I’ve said, who does not know
Superman? We all know him as, probably,
the most powerful superhero – only rivaled by Thor – there is. He has several powers like flight, super
speed, super strength, super hearing, X-ray vision, heat vision, and freeze
breathe. But – non-comic book fans does
not know this – he often “holds back” and would only go “all out” when his
opponents are the most powerful kind like Darkseid or Doomsday. This is to avoid killing or making too much
(collateral) damage. Thus, he’s actually
not operating at full power most of the time!
Non-comic book fans found it
ridiculous that people around Clark Kent can’t determine that he’s
Superman in disguise. But actually, the glasses are
not the only thing that separates Superman and Clark Kent. As Clark Kent, he has a different hairstyle,
voice, mannerisms, posture (Clark Kent is shorter), psyche, and other minor but
accumulated details that greatly distinguishes the alter egos from each other.
What I like most about Superman
is his character. Power corrupts. And Superman has too much power. But he never
abused it. Remember, that he often
“holds back” with his powers. And this
is really admirable about him. He
adheres to a strict moral code because of his Midwestern (i.e. Bible belt)
upbringing (by foster parents Jonathan and Martha Kent). And because of this, he is called a “Boy
Scout”, either in insult or good humored teasing. He is, in my opinion, the superhero with the
highest E.Q. He seldom loses his cool, always patient, always having self-control, and having a healthy
mental/emotional equilibrium.
4.) WOLVERINE (Logan, James
Howlett)
In anyone’s “best comic book characters” lists, Wolverine will always rank high. In fact, he ranked as the number one comic book character of Wizard Magazine. He’s only number four in my list since I have three more characters who I think are cooler than Wolverine. Even so, this should not discount Wolverine’s greatness as a comic book character. He’s one of the best.
Wolverine is badassery
personified. If you look up the word
“badass” in the dictionary, there would be a picture of Wolverine on it (I
know… I know… this wordplay is old already).
If Gambit is oozing with charisma, Wolverine is just overflowing with
badassery… the claws and the sound of “Snikt!” when he extends them… his
unbreakable adamantium skeleton…. his “devil may care” act first, ask
questions later, anti-authority attitude… his toughness and durability, which
are enforced by his healing powers… his “berserker”-mode… we love him because
of these… for being the perfect down-to-earth, tough, antihero.
Moreover, because Wolverine is
rough and savage in nature, he is mistaken as the “all-brawns, no-brains”-type
by non-comic book fans. Wolverine is
actually very intelligent. Though he overcomes opponents with brute, he is
actually a very cerebral fighter and a proficient strategist. He has a wide range of knowledge and skills,
like flying planes and being able to speak several languages. Wolverine is both
brains and brawns.
3.) RORSCHACH (Walter Joseph
Kovaks)
Definitely, Rorschach is the most favorite character in Watchmen by comic book fans. He is a crazier, grittier, extremer version of the Question (who is a major inspiration for the former’s creation) and Batman (another inspiration). Unlike his fellow costumed crime fighters, he did not quit adventuring (crime fighting) when it was outlawed. He, instead, started a one-man crusade against crime. He brutally hunted and punished criminals and he would even kill them without hesitation if he thought they deserved it. He’s an extreme right wing vigilante. His intense cynicism and methods are attributed to him being mentally ill. However, this does not prevent him from thinking analytically and deductively. Rorschach showed some merit as a detective.
As a combatant, Rorschach –
similar with the other non-Dr. Manhattan characters in Watchmen – has no super
powers. But he is highly proficient in
close-quarters street fighting. He uses
any available weapon or potential weapon – e.g. pepper, toilet bowl, cooking
fat, etc. – to aid him. He also
possesses high tolerability to discomfort or pain.
2.) BATMAN (Bruce Wayne)
Aside from being referred to as “The Dark Knight” and “The Caped Crusader”, he has also been called “The World’s Greatest Detective.” And rightfully so. Since he has no super powers, Batman’s main weapon is his intelligence. He has brilliant analytical and deductive skills and he is an excellent strategist, always thinking one step ahead. This plus the support of his (Bruce Wayne’s) wealth – arming himself with high-tech gadgets, equipment and vehicles – allow him to function and survive in the world of superheroes.
He’s the model for the grittier,
darker side of the superhero character (in which Superman is the “sunny”-model of the superhero character). He believes that the ends
justify the means. That sometimes, to
obtain justice and to make things right, he has to break the rules. This is probably because he is
vengeance-motivated; wanting to avenge the murder of his parents by fighting
crime. He makes use of this grim and
cynical nature of his to his advantage.
The trait of Batman that I like
the most is his focus and work ethic. He
trained – and continues to train – himself hard; toughening himself both
mentally and physically. Thus, he is a brilliant
scientist and logician, an expert in psychological warfare, adept in several
forms of fighting styles, an above-average Olympic-type athlete, and a
multi-skilled artist. He continually
makes himself better, in the best ways he can.
1.) SPIDER-MAN (Peter Parker)
Spidey is my most favorite comic book character (and fictional character, before I encountered Sherlock Holmes) since I first picked up a comic book. His greatest charm is of him being, probably, the most “human” among superheroes. Yes, he has superpowers and all that, but, like the rest of us, he has human problems that we can relate to. Girl problems, school problems, how to pay the bills, etc. These he has to juggle with along with the hustles of being a superhero. As a superhero, he is sometimes (or often?) underappreciated by the populace and even thought of as a menace – thanks to the anti-Spidey media campaigns of the number one Spidey hater, J. Jonah Jameson (ironically, the employer of Peter Parker). But no matter what, appreciated or unappreciated by the people he saves, with or without the pressure brought by his personal problems, he continues to do the right thing. He saves people. He fights crime. He battles supervillains (even those more powerful than him). He indeed lives by his “with great power comes great responsibility” motto, that God gave him a gift, thus, he must use it for good, no matter what (this he learned the hard way when his Uncle Ben got killed by a robber he did not capture when he had the chance). Heavy stuff, right? More admirable still is that Spidey started being a superhero when he was fifteen! A mere fifteen-year older already having a high sense of duty and morals amidst the heavy emotional burdens of being a teenager and a superhero? Totally inspiring.
Spidey possesses a genius level of
intellect. He is a science wiz as he invented
the formula for his “webs” and the web shooters to shoot from. When he goes against opponents, especially those that have
more resources or are more powerful than him, he regularly makes use of his
intelligence to aid him. Aside from
intelligence, Spidey also possesses a high-level of wit. This he uses by frequently making jokes or
clever statements, even when he is fighting.
In fact, he even uses his wit to “psyche out” opponents, to his
advantage.
His powers are cool and
unique. Besides superhuman levels of strength
(spider-strength), balance, reflexes, stamina, durability, speed, and agility,
he also has the ability to cling to walls like a spider and an early warning
ESP device called “spider-sense” that tells him of a danger approaching. Because
of gaining spider abilities, he moves in a graceful arachnid motion and
mannerism (thanks mostly to Todd McFarlane’s interpretation of the character)
which is very appealing to see.
And because of these – cool
powers, cool and fashionable mannerisms, intelligence, charisma, high entertainment-value,
and rapport – (even if he has undergone some of the worst storylines in comic
book history) he remains one of the most enduring and iconic comic book
favorites of all time.
Spider-Man is number one. The greatest comic book character ever.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)