Top Ten Current Villains In Comics

Villains are one of the most fascinating things about modern comics. They challenge what heroes are supposed to stand for and can provide an interesting counterpoint to their ideals. Some may be sympathetic while others are the ones that you just love to hate. It has been a huge year for comics in terms of crossover events. With all the new story arcs running, many villains have received major updates and improvements. In light of this, I bring you what I consider to be the best villains currently featured in comics.

10. Captain Cold

This guy almost didn't make list, but after Final Crisis: Rogues Revenge how could he be denied? Sure the parka and the glasses are goofy, but how tough do you have to be to go around in a getup like that and take it seriously? The character is about more than just cold gimmicks, underneath the flamboyant outfit lies one of the few redeemable villains in existence. Cold's morality is what sets him apart, he doesn't act out of a need to do evil. He is simply a guy from the streets who is desperate for cash. He will kill if he has to, but he's not going to go out of his way to hurt anyone.

9. Brainiac

Before Geoff Johns started writing him, Brainiac, like many of Superman's rogues, was considered a joke. The character was so mired in a convoluted and unnecessary history that many writers were hesitant to use the character, and when he was used the stories were lackluster at best. With his origin completely revamped, the character has been bumped up from footnote to galactic level threat. He is now essentially a sentient Wikipedia, constantly gathering information and destroying biological organisms so that new information cannot be created. The horror of that idea speaks for itself.

8. The Red Skull

The Red skull has been quite busy lately. Orchestrating the assassination of Captain America while also planning to destroy the American economy, makes for quite a resume. The great thing about the Skull is that he is unquestionably evil, a member of the Nazi party who actually served under Hitler. Thankfully things get progressively worse for him as his story continues, but watching how deviously cunning his plans are makes the reader realize why the Nazis are still considered the greatest threat in human history.

7. Darkseid

For years Darkseid has been considered one of the most formidable villains ever created. He has all the power of a mythical god and can go toe to toe with any of DC's heavy hitters. Final Crisis, DC's 2008 crossover event, is centered around the idea that Darkseid's victory will mean the final triumph of evil over good, so right now he's one bad dude. On top of that, he has a mathematical equation that proves all life is worthless and that he is the rightful master of the universe.

6. Norman Osborn

Old Norman has had a long a distinguished career in super villainy as the Green Goblin. But how does someone top killing Spider-Man's true love by tossing her off a bridge? How about by worming their way into a high position of the U.S. government and taking over a UN sanctioned team of super villains? As he gains more and more political power he is evolving into more than just a Spider-Man villain, he's becoming a threat to the rest of the marvel universe. The fact he is as psychotic as ever is also a bit unsettling. He is essentially becoming an evil Nick Fury. What's worse is that beneath the aura of Machiavellian confidence it is still easy to see the green and purple clad maniac lurking just beneath the surface.

5. The Skrull Empire

In the Annihilation crossover event the Skrulls were almost completely devastated, but it these treacherous aliens don't die easily. They have returned with vengeance in Marvel's Secret Invasion, and by infiltrating almost every level of the world's infrastructure it appears they've already won, and if their story is to be believed then they have been winning for years. They have been inside the world's major governments and manipulating them for an unknown period of time. How man the marvel heroes fight a battle that they've already lost? How can they trust anyone when these crafty critters can look like anyone on the planet? The answers in the actual series are few and far between, and so far it looks like these tricksters may be successful in their mission to dominate earth.

4. The Viltrumites

Alien threats are also present in Image's Invincible ongoing series. These humanoids aren't quite as subtle as the Skrulls though, they're far more brutal. They're a species that is the equivalent of an evil race of Kryptonians that can live for up to 1000 years. They kill each other on a regular basis in order to weed out weakness, and now they have set their sights on bringing order to the rest of the galaxy. So far no hero has been able to close to besting one of these baddies in combat, not even the half-viltrumite protagonist of the series. How the heroes of the image universe will defeat this seemingly unstoppable threat is something that will have to answered in the coming months.

3. Atrocitus

Geoff Johns' original characters are some of the most interesting in recent memory. Atrocitus was first featured in his "Secret Origin" arc of Green Lantern, and he's been one of the most fascinating villains of the year ever since. He's one of the sole survivors of a space sector that was massacred by rogue space cops, so it's pretty fair to say that this guy is resilient. He is also the founder a group of villains that rip enemies apart with nothing but physical strength, vomit blood, and burn their victims into nonexistence with the power of their hatred. He's one the most barbarous characters to appear in recent years, which is what makes him such a joy to watch.

2. Superboy-Prime

Most comic fans like to joke about how powerful Superman was before the 80s. He could move entire planets and was pretty much indestructible. Luckily they've depowered him over the years in an effort to make him a more interesting character. Unfortunately, there is a Superboy from an alternate earth with all these abilities and more. He's also a psychopath who hates everything. In his first appearance he killed the real Superboy and tried to destroy the fabric of reality. He's a ridiculously overpowered child with no emotional maturity who is dead set on killing everyone he blames for losing his world. Kryptonite doesn't even work on this whiny punk. Superman had to push him through a red sun to beat him last time. Now that he's recovered from that, who is going to be able to stop someone with the powers of a god?

1. Sinestro

When most people thought of Sinestro before last year, they likely thought of his laughably misshapen head. Well the days of laughing at this purple skinned freak are over. Appearing naked at the beginning of The Sinestro Corp War was his last moment of hilarity. Now he is undeniably the greatest villain in the world of comics. Founding a group dedicated to the enslavement the universe and destroying the Green Lantern Corp should be enough for any would-be conqueror. What makes Sinestro such a fantastic villain is that he never truly loses. He always manages to snatch away some victory, even if he appears beaten. He didn't even care about ruling the galaxy. He created a space terrorist organization for the sole purpose of driving the Green Lantern Corp to use lethal force, so they would be stronger for a threat that only he seems to know about. What other forbidden knowledge that lurks behind those yellow eyes remains a mystery. One thing is clear, this is one alien who is not to be taken lightly.

Punisher Warzone Trailer 2

This is the first I've really seen of this movie, and it leaves me with very low expectations for the final release. I can't gather much from the trailer, mostly because it's all over the place. The only thing I was able to discern is that Jigsaw, the Punisher's only recurring villain, will have some role in the film. Whether or not this will improve the film is unclear, but Thomas Jane's rejection of the initial script leads me to believe the film will be garbage.

Kirsten Dunst Returns as Mary Jane

The Spider-Man film franchise has made numerous missteps over the years, but most fans will agree that their biggest mistake was casting Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane. Kirsten Dunst is not a terrible actress and there are certain moments when she displays genuine talent. The role simply isn't right for her; the emphasis placed on her character and acting career in Spider-Man 3 was one of the major flaws in the movie. Many fans held out hope that she would not be returning for the next two films, but in a recent interview she confirmed she would be reprising her role in future installments of the franchise. Whether or not this affects the quality of the films is something only time will tell.

Train-wreck In The Making: The Spirit

Frank Miller's greatness is a passionate topic of debate among comic and movie fans. Many credit him with the major moves foreword in the comics industry within the last twenty years. No one will ever deny the greatness of Sin City and 300, and his contributions to the Batman mythology will always be fondly remembered. That being said, his latest film project, The Spirit, looks to be one of the biggest failures of 2008.

Many will argue that Miller has a good degree of experience adapting comics to film with his work on the set of Sin City. What most people fail to realize is that he only served as a consultant, meaning that he sat next to the director, Robert Rodriguez, and offered him advice on certain scenes. This by no means qualifies him to act as director on The Spirit; early trailers seem to indicate his endeavor to bring his style to the big screen will only end in disaster.

Miller is also attempting to center his gritty story around a character that has always been the furthest thing from dark. The Spirit was a detective who dressed in blue and solved mysteries with the colorful cast of friends and family he had gained over the years; he was a pulp hero that often bordered on campy. Frank Miller is trying to make the character more reminiscent of his Sin City characters: mentally unsound and motivated by a twisted since of morality. I believe if the great Will Eisner were still alive he would be appalled by what is being done to his character. The movie is most likely doomed to fail at the box office; the nature of the film will probably alienate both enthusiasts and the mainstream audience. If the film succeeds in any way, it will only be because some people can't look away from a disaster of a movie.

Marvel Teams Spider-Man with Colbert

Comic book history is filled with bizarre character team-ups, but none have ever reached this level of absurdity. That's right, Spider-Man and Stephen Colbert will be partnering up in Amazing Spider-Man #573. The 8 page story will be set entirely in continuity, marking Colbert's formal introduction into the Marvel Universe. Despite the peculiarity of the premise, no one can deny that this is huge move forward for the comic book industry. It opens the door for future stories involving television personalities, which help in gaining a more mainstream audience. This historic team-up will be hitting the shelves on October 15th.

Talking Comics

The comics industry can be one of the most difficult to succeed in. The target audience isn't as large as other forms of entertainment and monthly sales reflect this. Specialty shops are becoming more and more scarce. Albany is lucky enough to have at least one of these classic stores, J.J.'s Comics & Cards. I recently interviewed one of the store managers to get a better idea of the many processes involved in running their business.

The amount of work required to manage the store can be dizzying, especially with only three employees on staff. Orders for books must be placed at least two months advance, which means meticulously reading through previews for every book ahead of time. Even the best laid plans can go awry though. Scheduling issues can prevent orders from reaching the store on time and as a smaller business J.J.'s may be shorted, receiving less than the specified amount, on their orders if a larger establishment requires more of the product. 

Owning a business also means making hard decisions. No store can carry every book that comes out, sometimes they are required to favor some books over others. J.J.'s chooses to keep their audience broad, avoiding the extremely mature or childish titles in favor of more marketable choices that anyone can enjoy. It is a difficult balance to strike, but choices have to be made. In spite of the hardships their business may face the employees remain optimistic about the future of the industry.

"Every business moves in an arc. We started at the top and we've ridden it to the bottom. Pretty soon the arc will start moving up again."- Store Manger

David Boreanaz as Green Lantern?

This summer was overflowing with movies. The most successful, both critically and financially, were the superhero movies. Rumors have been circulating about a Green Lantern movie for quite awhile. While the movie has been confirmed, very little has been revealed about it. However, concept art from the film was recently leaked and the sketches seem to indicate David Boreanaz as the lead.

This news comes as a delight to many comic and movie fans. Boreanaz has great deal of acting experience with his roles on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Bones. He also has a decent amount of experience working with the Green Lantern he character, he provided the voice of Hal Jordan/Green Lantern in the animated movie Justice League: The New Frontier. The news is very promising, Boreanaz's talents will hopefully bring the Hal Jordan character the depth it deserves on the big screen.