If we can say one thing for certain about comic writers, it's that the normal rules of dying just don't bother them. You die, you get resurrected, everyone dances, you go home. Everyone's come back from the dead (except Uncle Ben) so many times it's become a running gag. So laugh it up, chumps, you're still gonna kick it eventually.
But there's the group of heroes and villains who are just plain dead and they're walking about like regular folks. That's their schtick, they bit the dust and didn't come back as perfectly good specimens of humanity. So to keep it straight when you run across one of these walking stiffs in the funny books, here's a quick guide to some of the more notable good-looking corpses. Nit-pickers note: demons, angels, and spirits don't count (sorry,
Ghost Rider fans). Vampires, zombies, and ghosts do. Now come on in -- this party is dead. In a good way.
15) I...Vampire (DC)
Lord Andrew Bennett had the stylish vampire look going for him in the '80s, doing everything a vampire does with style and grace. As far as undead go, he had nice threads and chicks a-plenty. The only baggage was the name his series got stuck with that follows him around to this day. No one calls him "Lord Andrew Bennett," they say, "Oh cool, I...Vampire's going to be back next issue." It's like your secret identity is "And the Sorcerer's Stone."
14) Hannibal King (Marvel)
Van Wilder's sexxxy character in
Blade: Trinity was actually based on an existing comic vampire. His namesake was more private eye who ate people rather than mercenary who didn't eat so many people, but creative license is what it is. In the comics, King teamed up with Blade and vampire hunter Frank Drake to form the Nightstalkers, a name that looks awesome carved into a desk.
13) The Spectre (DC)
Yes, no demons, no angels, but the Spectre is a special case. He repossesses the dead and lives inside them until something bad happens and he explodes out of their bodies and tortures someone to death. He's a good guy. So far we've seen the Spectre take over the corpses of policeman Jimmy Corrigan, pilot/Green Lantern Hal Jordan, and a second policeman, Crispus Allen. He's got a thing for cops, we think.
12) Kid Eternity (DC/Vertigo)
Imagine that you're out on a boat, getting molested by a sea captain, when a submarine sinks the boat and you die. But you don't go to Heaven or Hell, you get special permission to come back to life with the ability to summon the dead. Sounds pretty neat, huh? Except for the molesting, of course. This is the story with Kid Eternity, a lad formerly trapped in Hell who's now romping around with the Teen Titans. He looks pretty good for a dead boy, but make no mistake -- he's gone to the other side, and it had nothing to do with the molesting.
11) The Marvel Zombie Universe/Blackest Night folks (Marvel/DC)
Let's just lump them into one number, since they're so numerous and so similar. All the crunch of your favorite superheroes and villains who don't get soggy in milk. You name 'em, they've popped up with a zombie grin on their face in some issue, demanding brains (if they're Marvel Zombies) or hearts (if they're Black Lanterns). Eventually some geek will get wise and have the two universes crossover in their slobbery, rotting fan-fic, and God help us, we might feature it on
Topless Robot.
10) Cassidy (Vertigo)
One of the finest vampires in comics, Cassidy was the bastard we loved to hate throughout Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's
Preacher series. Hard drinkin' (both varieties), hard livin', and hard bonin', Cassidy would routinely get the shit kicked out of him then go on to get sloppy drunk that evening. Those
Twilight pussies could learn a thing or two from this Irish wake of a man-thing.
9) Gentleman Ghost (DC)
Live fast, die young, leave a dapperly dressed corpse behind. Gentleman Ghost may be long worm food, but he still has the all-too human desire to steal things. He could spend his nights peeping on the JLA girls in the shower, but he decides to fight them instead. Dying may preserve your fashion sense, but it sure makes you dumb. Dude! Maxine Hunkel is just this side of fuck-able! GO!
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