LogFAQs > #903938227

trdl23 posted...

Best comic book villain? (Including graphic novels)

The singularly greatest villain in the history of comic books (and it's not even close), is the Shade. Anyone who has read Starman will likely rank the Shade as a top-tier villain, but for me, there's nothing better than a villain that has absolutely no reason to be a villain and yet continues to do it. The Shade is about as heroic as a villain can get without actually being a hero, and that's why I love to read and dissect the character. His career as a criminal exists primarily to alleviate his boredom and keep his skills honed. When he's not on the job as a super-villain, however, he putters around his rose garden and keeps a journal. He's beloved in Opal City and vilified everywhere else.

You also have a lot of great adventures from his time as a more neutral observer of the world, such as the Ludlow family feud, his short career as an employee of Howard Hughes, his work as British resistance leader... there's just a lot of variety spread across the Shade's career.

Add in his trademark superbly acerbic wit, and you have a really enjoyable character, totally unique from most of the ilk and rabble that claims to be a villain.
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"Reading would be your friend." ~Dave Meltzer