COMICS: 100 Things I Love About Comics, Version 2.0

If it's Valentine's Day, it must be time for some love: 100 Comics-Related Things I Love!

I was ill-prepared for last year's Valentine's Day gift to the world of comics (in fact, it was posted a week after Valentine's Day, if you want to quibble). And I swear I actually made a certain amount of preparation for this year's list -- but apparently not nearly enough, as I'm still gathering links and images for the project. And trying to make sure I didn't duplicate any items -- I know some of the names from last year's list appear on this one, too, but they're all associated with different projects. (I think.)

But I'm not going to let that stop me! Here's the no-frills (or very few frills), but on-time, version. I'll keep adding more links and images, until it looks so super-keen you'll want to kill yourself. And thanks to Mike, who may not have been the one to originate this idea, but who inspired me to do mine (and who has probably been planning this year's list since last February 15). It's refreshing to concentrate on only positive things to say about comics. Does a body good!

1. The best %$#?!! bar in the multiverse!

2. Jim Aparo's Batman, my favorite version of the character.

3. Fred Hembeck's knee spirals. (In his art, not on his body!) (Presumably.)

4. Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim.

5. Ivan Brunetti's Schizo.

6. Kyle Baker's The Cowboy Wally Show.

7. The Flash on Justice League Unlimited (as voiced by Michael Rosenbaum).

8. Chris Ware's Building Stories.

9. Jeffrey Rowland's Overcompensating.

10. Mike Allred's Madman.

11. Matt Wagner's Mage.

12. Matt Wagner's Grendel.

13. DC's Showcase Presents library, especially the Jonah Hex volume.

14. Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Luke Ross' Jonah Hex.

15. Jonah Hex, period. (I'm going through kind of a phase right now.)

16. Looking forward to reading Los Bros. Hernandez's Love & Rockets. (I know, it's a crime that I haven't read any of it yet, but look at it this way: don't you envy me the experience of reading it for the first time?)

17. Rich Burlew's The Order of the Stick.

18. R. Crumb's cover art for Big Brother & the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills album.

19. Ham the Weather Wizard (from Mike Baron's Badger).

20. Bizarro.

21. Renensco P. Blue (from Evan Dorkin's Pirate Corp$/Hectic Planet).

22. Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead.

23. Robert Kirkman's Invincible.

24. Phoney Bone (from Jeff Smith's Bone).

25. Dan Slott & Ty Templeton's Spider-Man/Human Torch.

26. Big Time Attic.

27. More of Linda Medley's Castle Waiting coming soon!

28. Charles Schulz's Patricia Reichardt. (Don't tell me you didn't know that was Peppermint Patty's full name!)

29. Andy Weir's Casey & Andy.

30. PvP's Blamimations.

31. Peter David's Strong Guy.

32. Bill Willingham's Fables.

33. Brian K. Vaughan and Tony Harris' Ex Machina.

34. Molly's facial expressions, as drawn by Adrian Alphona in Runaways.

35. Garth Ennis' Kevin.

36. Knobby, Chuck, and Go-Go (from Root Nibot and Colleen Coover's Banana Sunday).

37. Greg Mannino and Mark Masterson's Dorothy.

38. Jeff Nicholson's Colonia.

39. Scrooge McDuck.

40. Carl Barks.

41. Don Rosa.

42. Ed Brubaker and Darwyn Cooke's Catwoman.

43. Darwyn Cooke's The New Frontier.

44. Joe Kubert.

45. The idea of Green Lantern (but very rarely the execution).

46. The main exception to the above: Giffen, DeMatteis, and Maguire's Guy Gardner.

47. Artie Simek and Sam Rosen, letterers extraordinaire.

48. Phil Foglio's Buck Godot.

49. Terence Stamp as the voice of Jor-El on Smallville.

50. Tom Beland's True Story, Swear to God.

51. EC Comics.

52. John Severin.

53. Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Les McClaine's The Middleman.

54. Art Adams.

55. Steve Rude.

56. Flint Henry.

57. The Death of Captain Marvel.

58. The Death of Jean DeWolff.

59. The Death of Kraven the Hunter.

60. "By the hoary hosts of Hoggoth!"

61. Mark Waid and Mike Wieringo's Fantastic Four.

62. Paul Chadwick's Concrete.

63. Brian Wood and Rob G's The Couriers.

64. Kerry Callen's Halo and Sprocket.

65. Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules.

66. Andrew Boyd and Ryan Yount's Scurvy Dogs.

67. Zodon (from Aaron Williams' PS238).

68. Ruthie (from Rick Detorie's One Big Happy).

69. That Paris Hilton has nothing to do with comics... yet.

70. Ruben Bolling's Tom the Dancing Bug.

71. The Complete Calvin and Hobbes (even if I can't afford it, I just like knowing it exists).

72. MODOK.

73. William Messner-Loebs.

74. Sam Keith.

75. Dale Keown.

76. Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith's Fell.

77. Warren Ellis and John Cassaday's Planetary.

78. The Incredible Hulk's classic brick logo.

79. Steve Gerber and Brian Hurtt's Hard Time.

80. Pretending I'm killing the industry by purchasing trades.

81. The Chainsaw Vigilante (especially Zander Cannon's short-lived spinoff series).

82. Patrick Warburton as the Tick.

83. Jarella's world in The Incredible Hulk, especially the original, Harlan Ellison-inspired story, "The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the Atom."

84. Dreadstar (more the Peter David version than the Jim Starlin -- blasphemy!).

85. Mike Baron and Kelley Jones' Deadman.

86. Getting a letter printed in a comic.

87. Ron Lim.

88. Marvel's nicknames for its creators, back in the day.

89. The bizarre, illogical, and often cruel nature of Superman, especially regarding his relationship to Lois Lane, back in the day.

90. Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All-Star Superman.

91. Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' "For the Man Who Has Everything."

92. The Batcave's giant penny.

93. The Fortress of Solitude's giant key.

94. Grant Morrison's Animal Man.

95. Dave McKean.

96. Reading comics in public and not giving a damn what people around you think about it.

97. Peter Bagge's The Adventures of Bat Boy.

98. The fact that Barry Allen and Wally West both got their Flash powers by being showered with chemicals that had been struck by lightning. (While holding a winning lottery ticket.)

99. Comic Book Guy's Book of Pop Culture.

100. "Excelsior!"