Fifty Things and a Link

First, I really enjoyed this blog post. Mark Engblom looks at Superhero Fashion Disasters. I didn't know all of them, but I sure agree that the Black Canary turtleneck look was atrocious. I never got those things sticking out of her tunic. What the hell were they supposed to be?

Lots of people are doing the 50 Things I Love About Superhero Comics meme, including Amy Reads. I assume this is supposed to be current things and I suppose I should do it, too. So, here's my attempt at listing my favorite things about the current superhero experience. And it isn't easy. And my answers mostly revolve around the DCU because DC publishes pretty much all of the superhero books I read.

1. Still the cheapest way for me to get reading thrills.
2. They're illustrated!
3. Roy Harper under any name: Speedy, Arsenal, Red Arrow.
4. Dick Grayson under any name: Robin, Nightwing.
5. Birds of Prey
6. Justice Society of America
7. Justice League of America
8. The multiverse is back!
9. The old Legion of Super-Heroes may be back!
10. Geoff Johns.
11. Gail Simone.
12. Weekly comics. First 52, now Countdown.
13. New approaches to the superhero field, especially Welcome to Tranquility.
14. Something for everyone.
15. Fun titles: All New Adventures of Atom, Blue Beetle
16. Action figures for my favorite characters.
17. They're still here.
18. Ralph and Sue Dibny, united in eternity.
19. Kate Spencer, Manhunter
20. Roy Harper in the JLA, finally.
21. Cool, scary villains. The Joker!
22. Catwoman. Selina Kyle, doer of good but not a do-gooder.
23. Darwyn Cooke's resurrection of The Spirit.
24. Colorful costumes.
25. So many well-rounded characters, including many more females than when I was growing up.
26. Lois Lane and Superman marry, on 2 Earths.
27. The current version of the Huntress became a character I could like. (Thanks, Gail Simone!)
28. Role models. Barbara Gordon as Oracle is one of a very select group of disabled heroes who prove that anything can be possible. And she's also a strong female role model because she isn't a meta, but she sure is "super."
    
29. Kid-friendly titles like Blue Beetle.
30. More minority characters than ever: Hispanic (Blue Beetle), Asian (Grace/Outsiders, Katana, the new Atom), Jewish (the new Batwoman, Ragman), black (Steel and his niece, Natasha, Black Lightning and his daughter Anisa), along with lesbians and gays.
31. Flash's Rogues Gallery, an ornery, complex group of baddies.
32. The Secret Six, baddies who do good in spite of themselves.
33. Sexy heroes and anti-heroes: Animal Man, Catman.
34. Loony characters, like Ragdoll and the Mad Hatter.
35. The long history of the DCU with second generation characters I grew up with.
36. The way stories connect, especially with titles like Countdown and Amazons Attack.
37. JLA/JSA Crossovers.
38. Magical heroes.
39. Talking chimps and gorillas.
40. Dead isn't always dead, death isn't always permanent.
41. Ollie Queen, the hero you love to hate and hate to love.
42. Characters who are parents: Roy Harper, Selina Kyle, Jefferson Pierce, Kate Spencer...
43. Really nasty female villains: Cheshire at the top of the list.
44. Hal Jordan back as his old, good guy self and the return of the Guardians of the Universe.
45. The fact that the Guardians aren't the ultimate overseers/protectors of the universe and must share with Monitors and others.
46. No one group of deities. There's the Marvel Gods, the New Gods, the Greek gods, etc.
47. Time travel and Rip Hunter.
48. Soap Opera type storytelling with continued stories, the whole slice-of-life feel that these are "real" characters living their lives and saving the world/universe many times a day.
49. The return of Kara Zor-El, even if she still isn't being written well or with full respect as a teen character and role model.
50. And finally, because they're simply FUN.