Welcome back to the StarCityGames.com Daily Series. Today’s list was inspired by my most recent comic book purchase. I don’t collect comics anymore – I quit when I got seriously into tournament Magic in high school, as I could afford only one hobby – but I still buy the occasional graphic novel or trade paperback if it features an interesting story or author. So, I recently bought Green Arrow: Sounds of Violence, although I had never heard of the Green Arrow, because the story was written by Kevin Smith; yes, that Kevin Smith.
In reading this, I realized that, in the same way Batman protects Gotham City, the Green Arrow is based out of … Star City! Well, that got my creative juices flowing, and I ended up with…
Tuesday’s List: Top 10 Superheroes Who Remind Me of Magic Players, or Vice Versa
10. Spider-Man = Tim Aten
This might not make much sense. However, Spidey was a revolutionary comic book character because of his angst; at a time when most super-heroes were goofy, stiff parodies of themselves (witness the 1960s Batman TV show), Peter Parker was a geeky teenager who had all of the worries and depression that implies. These days even Superman has angst (witness Smallville), but Spidey was first. The comparison with Tim now seems a lot more apt.
9. Captain America = Ted Knutson
Tall, blond, trained in various martial arts … this was really a no-brainer. Also, through his travels with the MagictheGathering.com coverage team, Ted is probably the face of American Magic in a lot of foreign countries, as much as any American Pro Player.
8. Green Lantern = Osyp Lebedowicz
Might seem strange, but the Lantern ring does give its wearer the ability to make stuff up out of thin air, and who does that better than Peppermint von Corduroy Dynamite Jackson Joe Black Osyp? Also, one of the current Green Lanterns is John Stewart, who like Osyp is… um… not Caucasian.
7. Plastic Man = Mark Young
The title Justice League of America has revolved around the “Magnificent Seven,” or the “Big Guns,” because while some JLA eras have had some real second-stringer heroes on the team, at least one of the seven big guns is always involved: Batman, Superman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, the Flash, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter.
Anyway, I recently read a couple of issues of JLA from renowned writer Mark Waid, in which he featured the entire Magnificent Seven, plus… Plastic Man? A guy you’ve never heard of, basically there for comic relief and to look goofy, whose powers just really don’t compare… seems like the right time to put myself on the list!
6. Wolverine = Rich Hoaen
This was a tough character to pick for. I thought about Kenji Tsumura (a nod to Wolvie’s samurai past, as well as his ‘do), or Morgan Douglass (Anyone who’s ever been insulted by Morgan knows: he’s the best there is at what he does, but what he does isn’t very nice), but in the end I went with Hoaen, because like Wolverine he is stocky and Canadian, and his win at Grand Prix Richmond should remove any doubt that he really is the best there is at what he does.
5. Professor X = Neil Reeves
Bald man who seems to know what you’re gonna do before you do it? That’s Neil all the way. Hell, Xavier probably wishes he could read people as well as Reeves does. Also gives BDM an excuse to tell the “Masashi Oiso was on a stone-cold bluff” story for the 500th time.
4. Green Arrow = Jamie Wakefield
As far as I can tell, the Green Arrow is an older guy, socially concerned, who left the game under dire circumstances, only to come back good as new. Seems to fit Wakefield perfectly in all but that last part … and reading the most recent posts on Jamie’s website gives me some hope in that area, too.
3. Iron Man = Darwin Kastle
One of the longest running Pro Tour players ever, Darwin competed in Pro Tour 1 and cashed at Pro Tour 2. Ten years later, he competed at Pro Tour Honolulu, and although he did not make Day 2 in Hawaii, that still makes him an Iron Man in my book. Even if he’s not a millionaire, or an industrialist, or an Avenger, or a recovering alcoholic, or a former U.S. Secretary of Defense … you get the idea.
(By the way, nothing broke my heart like discovering that Tony Stark had been U.S. Secretary of Defense in recent Marvel continuity. The Iron Man character was born as a response to the Vietnam conflict, with some horribly racist caricatures of the Chinese in the early issues that are the shame of comic history. Even a fictional Defense Department deserves better.)
2. Batman = Mike Flores
Mostly because of this UDE article, some of Mike’s best work. Plus, Mike is based out of Gotham (New York City was the model for Gotham in most respects) and has all of the hot tech; where does he get those wonderful toys? Plus, I’m told he’s got a real thing going with a Kat-woman. God, I lost all will to live just by making that pun. I’ve got to get this list over with.
1. Superman = Jon Finkel
Seriously… who else did you think I was gonna pick?
See you tomorrow for a more serious list, when we look at Standard.