Cape Optional

James’ Top 5…

Teenage Superheroes!



Hey guys, you know the drill. I’ll riff off a list of my top 5’s for any given topic whilst providing some mildly witty annotation and sweet ass pictures to top it off. Deal? 
Enjoy!

 
5) Kick-ass

Ahhh Kick-ass. You funny-little-comic you. Kick-ass tells the tale of a teenager much like me or you. A teenager without powers, a quest for vengeance or cosmically granted powers who decides to put on a costume and fight evil. As you may have guessed, this doesn’t end too well for young Dave Lizewski as his body undergoes the extreme punishment of a car running him over, being stabbed, punched to a bloody pulp and having his testicles electrocuted (yeah you read that right). With plenty of foul language and gratuitous gore, this is the Tarantino movie of the comic world.

 

4) Firebreather

From Image comics, Firebreather is about a young boy called Duncan Rosenblatt who is half man/half dragon. Now as ridiculous as that concept may seem on face-value this is actually a wonderful little comic book. Duncan is Peter Parker with all of his insecurities externalized in a mutated form that he is constantly mocked for. Its surprising how easy it is to relate to this little guy, his endearing attitude and his struggle to find his place in a world that grows ever more complicated for him.  

3) Robin

‘The Boy Wonder’ Robin has long been the sidekick of the Dark Knight himself and has more than proved himself as a force to be reckoned with. With his trusty bow-staff and plethora of bird-themed weaponry Robin has held his own against some of the scariest criminals the world has to offer as well as being a full-time member of The Teen Titans! Easily the coolest sidekick in comics: ‘nuff said. 

2) Invincible

Mark Grayson may have only been around for 10 years but he has easily been through more crap than almost everyone on this list. He was responsible for the death of thousands in a fight that shook him to his core, he’s had multiple compound bone fractures, been beaten to near death, thrown through a multitude of dimensions, had his family savagely attacked in front of him and destroyed an evil galactic empire by flying THROUGH the planet itself (In under 100 issues). This comic is an unrelenting, heart-wrenching, adrenaline-pumping thrill-ride that takes the time to make you sincerely care about its characters. Probably the best superhero comic in the universe.. And a very close second..

Annnnnnnnnd number 1 is… (I lied to you Greg)

1) SPIDER-MAN

Peter Parker is the eternal teenager of comic books and easily the closest hero to my heart and many others across the world. Peter wasn’t sent from another planet, he didn’t train for years travelling the world or was bombarded by cosmic rays on a space expedition. He was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time and its not as if Peter had an instant burst of nobility when he got his powers. In fact he was actually a bit of a douch; instead opting to make some money out of his new-found powers. His arrogance and greed lead to his Uncle being shot dead and Peter was forever changed by his ignorance. Vowing to never let his uncle down again he took up the mantle of Spider-man and lived by the immortalized words of his Uncle Ben: 

“With great power comes great responsibility.”