C-Level Comic Book Stars You Were Obsessed With

[sprytel]

I always enjoyed reading those, too. I also liked the Western characters and books from both Marvel and DC. The barber shop I went to as a kid kept a lot of War and Western books and they all kept me pretty entertained while waiting for the chair to open up.

Same! I thought about putting Jonah Hex on the list, actually... but given that he had a movie and shows up on places like Legends of Tomorrow, he seemed less obscure.

[Sideshow Spock]

As a middle school kid in 1982 I was super into the Firestorm revival book, so much so that I took a cartoon character I was drawing at the time for my friends and turned him into a nuclear version

Firestorm may have gone on to bigger and better things (I haven't followed too closely), but if you stopped 10 people on the street I'm still not sure how many would have heard of him..

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[Makernaut]

As a kid, I was really into war comics like GI Combat/Phantom Tank, Sgt. Rock, and Blackhawk. Those were big titles in their day, but all of those war comics seem to have been largely forgotten now.

I always enjoyed reading those, too. I also liked the Western characters and books from both Marvel and DC. The barber shop I went to as a kid kept a lot of War and Western books and they all kept me pretty entertained while waiting for the chair to open up.

[Scott777]

There's 2 characters i've been BEGGING for action figures of, and they are C-List, for sure...or lower:
Stingray
Jack of Hearts
both from Marvel

[Wee67]

I was thinking about how most of my C-level love was for DC characters when I'm more of a Marvel guy. The I realized that's because I had more trouble thinking of characters like the Vision, whom I love, as a C-lister when he definitely was in the 70s and 80S.

Another 70s C-list love was Luke Cage, back in his yellow shirt open to the waist days!

[Wee67]

I think there was a storyline where Pym even had a nervous breakdown and DID from his status.

[PNGwynne]

How about an E-Level character: E-Man comics.

Never read him but such a great design.

[PNGwynne]

It's a thoughtful list. IMO Black Widow falls into a bit of a gray area, but I guess if you've been the sidekick of a (at times barely) B-lister, you're a C.

It's interesting trying to categorize Marvel heroines.

[Scott777]

How about an E-Level character: E-Man comics.

[MRP]

With Marvel, aside from Bloodstone, Shang Chi, Vision and those I mentioned earlier, and with the line between B/C listers a little blurry (especially in a world after the MCU where the GotG are A-listers now), favorites include...

pre-MCU I would have considered Black Panther c-list and he has always been one of my favorites since his Avengers days, his run in Jungle Action and Christopher Priest's run as part of the Marvel Knights line, today he is an A-lister though.


most of the Midnight Sons branch of the MU
Ghost Rider (another character with stronger visuals than stories) both Johnny Blaze and Daniel Ketch
Brother Voodoo
Blade
Daimon Hellstrom

some of the Defenders including
Valkyrie
Nighthawk

Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Luke Cage (Power Man)
Iron Fist
Ka-Zar and Shanna the She-Devil
Wonder Man
Beast (Hank McCoy)
Hawkeye
Black Widow
the original Guardians of the Galaxy (Vance Astro, Charlie, Nikki, Yondu, Starhawk, Martinex)
Howard the Duck
Jack Russell (Werewolf by Night)
Elektra
Black Knight
Ikarus
Sersi
Blackbolt
Crystal
Captain Mar-Vell

but Marvel gave fewer solo series to C-listers than DC, they were more featured in team books or try out books like Marvel Premiere, Marvel Spotlight, Astonishing Tales, Strange Tales, Marvel Comics Presents, etc.

-M

[PNGwynne]

You all are bringing up some great characters and jogging my memory. I can't believe I didn't consider Kamandi, because I'm almost as much a fan of him as Doom Patrol and have a lot of of Kamandi reprints.

Judging from the posts, mostly DC fans here? I like Marvel's Ant-Man, and I guess he's a C-lister--potentially eclipsed by the Wasp. I think there was a storyline where Pym even had a nervous breakdown and DID from his status.

[YoungOnce]

Kamandi had a good run in his own title, but so did some of the others mentioned, so I’ll throw his name out there. It was such a fun book with its own contained mythology (mostly). Loved that run.

Devil Dinosaur would be considered more obscure, but that was a good read.

Manhunter, the back-up story arc in Detective comics through the 70’s is a great character!

The Spectre run in Adventure Comics by Aparo is in my top 5 runs of all times. I reread those stories every few years.

Most of my faves were concoctions in the Bronze Age I guess…

I just didn’t like the sterile art from DC on a lot of silver age stuff like Hawkman, Adam Strange, etc… loved the characters but couldn’t get into the wordy house style in that time. Just didn’t seem dynamic to me as a kid. I might have been one of the few who liked the “Diana Rigg” version of Wonder Woman when that was happening… I know she’s an A-lister, but that version of her was definitely a C-grade more obscure version.

[PNGwynne]

I enjoyed that show, I can see what you mean. I think Team-Up was my first exposure to the character.

[powersthatbe]

I love Adam Warlock. In another thread about 70s and 80s movies, there was a show, The Phoenix starring Judson Scott, who I envisioned to play Adam Warlock.(this was also the time that issue of Marvel Team Up featuring Spidey and Adam, and the Two In One annual.)

[PNGwynne]

Adam Warlock! I have his Masterworks volumes. I've always wanted a Mego of him.