FIVE FOR FRIDAY: THE BEST ’80s CHARACTERS
If reading ‘Booster Gold’ #1 this week made you a little sentimental for the decade that brought us glam metal, Reaganomics and Phoebe Cates, moonwalk back in time as we call out our 5 favorite ’80s creations
By Brian Warmoth | Posted August 17, 2007 4:45 PM |
Picking out the 5 greatest characters from the 1980s is a bold proposition. This pack of characters represents everything we loved most about the Golden Age of Saturday morning cartoons and the best comics had to offer. We waded through a waiting line a mile long, and honorable mention definitely goes out to Optimus Prime, Tim Drake and Speedball—but the cut had to be made, and make it we did. So here are our top 5:
5. Dazzler (Uncanny X-Men)
1980 welcomed in a new era of excess and helped kick disco out the door. Luckily, a sexy, brand-new mutant with the power to change sound into light stepped out of the pages of Uncanny X-Men and kept the spirit of disco alive in one of the greatest costume designs ever conceived, complete with a disco ball and silver roller skates. Her boyfriend Longshot, who premiered several years later, also deserves an honorable mention.
1980 welcomed in a new era of excess and helped kick disco out the door. Luckily, a sexy, brand-new mutant with the power to change sound into light stepped out of the pages of Uncanny X-Men and kept the spirit of disco alive in one of the greatest costume designs ever conceived, complete with a disco ball and silver roller skates. Her boyfriend Longshot, who premiered several years later, also deserves an honorable mention.
4. Rorschach (Watchmen)
Alan Moore unleashed the ultimate psychotic noir detective in his seminal miniseries Watchmen. The man with the fluctuating face and deductive reasoning that could put Sherlock Holmes to shame defines his genre of hero to this day. When everyone else was selling out or succumbing to the madness of the 1980s, Rorschach asked the questions that mattered and earned a place in every comic lover’s heart for decades to come.
Alan Moore unleashed the ultimate psychotic noir detective in his seminal miniseries Watchmen. The man with the fluctuating face and deductive reasoning that could put Sherlock Holmes to shame defines his genre of hero to this day. When everyone else was selling out or succumbing to the madness of the 1980s, Rorschach asked the questions that mattered and earned a place in every comic lover’s heart for decades to come.
3. Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
In case you didn’t know, Michelangelo is a party dude, as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle most likely to start tossing out pizzas and spontaneously break dance on any occasion. For the five people who grew up reading or watching the Turtles and didn’t fantasize about being a nunchaku master, we pity you for your boring, boring life.
In case you didn’t know, Michelangelo is a party dude, as well as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle most likely to start tossing out pizzas and spontaneously break dance on any occasion. For the five people who grew up reading or watching the Turtles and didn’t fantasize about being a nunchaku master, we pity you for your boring, boring life.
2. Snake-Eyes (G.I. Joe)
Ninjas ruled the school in the 1980s, and none did so with such deadly force and a deadly cool demeanor as G.I. Joe’s resident ninja master. He’s the man in black, Bruce Lee with swords and the all-purpose Joe you would want on your side in any battle. We’re still puzzled as to why the Army doesn’t have an elite ninja division, but a deep corner of our hearts believes that under the red tape somewhere it just might—and they’re all just like Snake-Eyes.
Ninjas ruled the school in the 1980s, and none did so with such deadly force and a deadly cool demeanor as G.I. Joe’s resident ninja master. He’s the man in black, Bruce Lee with swords and the all-purpose Joe you would want on your side in any battle. We’re still puzzled as to why the Army doesn’t have an elite ninja division, but a deep corner of our hearts believes that under the red tape somewhere it just might—and they’re all just like Snake-Eyes.
1. Venom (Amazing Spider-Man)
Combining the greatest living costume with one of the biggest jerks ever to descend on Peter Parker’s life, the end of the ’80s produced a defining villain of the ’90s when Venom revealed himself. With teeth like a Spartan spear shower, a tongue that could probably snap your neck and the rage to exploit Spidey’s alien symbiote suit for everything he never gave into, Venom tops our list as the single biggest ’80s character to bust out of comics.
Combining the greatest living costume with one of the biggest jerks ever to descend on Peter Parker’s life, the end of the ’80s produced a defining villain of the ’90s when Venom revealed himself. With teeth like a Spartan spear shower, a tongue that could probably snap your neck and the rage to exploit Spidey’s alien symbiote suit for everything he never gave into, Venom tops our list as the single biggest ’80s character to bust out of comics.
What, no Starscream? Blasphemy.
This "Best Of" feature really should have been a list of ten...there are so many great and memorable characters from the 80s...and not all of them are from comics!
What about K.I.T.T. from Knight Rider? If you were a kid (or a teen, or heck, even a young working adult), I'm sure you'd wish you had a car like that. Or the A-Team's resident badass, B.A. Baracus? Classic characters.
Dazzler made the list though...yay Dazzler! Even though she was completely crap when being written by Chris Claremont in the Uncanny X-Men, she's still become some sort of an iconic fan favourite. I think I started enjoying the character after reading her expanded role in Marvel Zombies Vs Army of Darkness. Check out the top banner on this page to see her "posing" with Ash!
I think I'm going to buy the Essential Dazzler TPB sometime soon.
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