30 Day Comic Challenge Day 02

Day 02: Your Favorite Character

This is really a tough one, with so many iconic or just plain fascinating characters in comics. I decided to go with a character that I've always liked, one whose adventures I read as a kid and a character who has had some really quality writing that I appreciate to this day.

This is what happened when the great Stan Lee wondered what you would get when the emphasis wasn't on the superhero's power, but on the character's defining weakness.

You get a blind man who's a superhero. You get Daredevil, the Man Without Fear.

I remember reading the Daredevil vs. Namor story that was reprinted in Marvel's Greatest Superhero Battles when I was around 10 years old, and even then appreciating the story of a guy who's pretty hopelessly outmatched in a fight and just refuses to quit. I went back an found the reprint of Daredevil's origin story and read some of the early adventures of the blind superhero.

Then in the 1980s, I rediscovered the character as scripted by Frank Miller in stories that are as intense as anything that's been done in comics.

Around the two Miller runs were great story arcs by Denny O'Neil and Anne Nocenti. Sure, it would occasionally degenerate into crossover silliness, but much like Batman, Daredevil is one of those characters where you can pick up a random issue and have an above-average chance that any story involving him will be good. And when it's at its best, it's among my favorite comics of all time.

From My Creations

Picking my favorite character in comics was a pretty tough choice. Picking my favorite of my own comic characters is even tougher.

It comes down to Donna Stone from Stone and Kaeli from Kaeli & Rebecca. I'm going to go with Kaeli because I've thought about her longer and because she's often the more challenging character to write.
















Kaeli is my flower-child. She's the character who (back when she had her beginnings as a roleplaying character) objected to a plan to torment a demon for information with a simple "You're not going to hurt it, are you?"

And she's my death-priestess. Kaeli understands exactly what she is doing, and she faces the dangers of being a pacifist in a hostile world with the kind of insane bravery usually relegated to warriors who charge in against impossible odds.

Kaeli is a character who thinks about the consequences of her actions because she has to. She doesn't have the option of grabbing a weapon and fighting her way out when things go against her.

The 30 Day Comic Challenge Page on Facebook is here. Here is the complete list of daily topics:

30 Day Comic Challenge
Day 01 - Your first comic book.
Day 02 - Your favorite character.
Day 03 - A comic that is underrated.
Day 04 - Your guilty pleasure comic or character.
Day 05 - Comic character you feel you are most like (or wish you were).
Day 06 - Most annoying character.
Day 07 - Favorite comic couple.
Day 08 - Best series being published right now.
Day 09 - Most touching comic book/comic book scene.
Day 10 - Dream versus match.
Day 11 - Favorite comic book cartoon series.
Day 12 - A comic everyone should read.
Day 13 - A book you’ve read more than five times.
Day 14 – Most awesome single comic book image
Day 15 - A Picture from the comic you’re reading right now.
Day 16 - Funniest comic book/comic book scene.
Day 17 - Most useless Villain.
Day 18 - Favorite B-list character.
Day 19 - Comic book city/universe you wish you lived in.
Day 20 - Favorite super power or skill.
Day 21 - Favorite writer.
Day 22 - A series that you liked but stopped reading
Day 23 - Your favorite artist.
Day 24 - Dream character team up.
Day 25 - A book you plan on reading.
Day 26 - A comic you wish they would make into a movie.
Day 27 - Favorite comic book movie.
Day 28 - Favorite comic publisher.
Day 29 - A comic you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.
Day 30 - Your favorite run or series of all time.