There are lots of factors to a comic being successful. They need an engaging plot, hooks to keep the reader interested in the story, great dialogue, fun action, humor that lands, art that brings the story to life, things of that nature. One thing that unites all of those are the characters. They make all of those other thing possible; a good character can inform the plot, hook the reader, connect with them on numerous levels, and give them the kind of action and humor that they want. A good character can take a lackluster story and make it worth reading. The main character is usually the one that fans connect with the most, but the supporting characters are just as important. They give readers fun B and C plots and a different point of view on the story’s conflict, letting readers look at it all from another perspective.
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The best stories have both awesome main characters as well as intriguing side characters, introducing readers to some of the best characters in the history of the medium. However, there’s some interesting stories out there that have been able to succeed without having an amazing main character. In fact, sometimes these classic stories actually have a boring main character, but are saved by just how engaging the side characters. These five comics have flawless side characters, making up for their rather blah main characters.
5) Strange Adventures
Tom King is one of DC’s most contentious writers, putting out works that engage fans in numerous ways (not all of them good). His 12-issue series’ have been some of the coolest in recent years, with Strange Adventures being a favorite of fans. King and artist Mitch Gerads bring back Adam Strange, one of Silver Age DC’s old school sci-fi heroes, returned to Earth after defeating the Pyttk in a way over Rann. However, there are some questions about the whole thing and his actions, which leads to Batman recruiting Mister Terrific to investigate Strange’s claims. While Adam is the main character, Terrific and Alanna Strange steal the book, each of them learning the terrible secrets of the hero. The Adam parts of the story are good, but he’s such a simple character throughout the book. You’re not really interested in him, you’re interested in what he did, what he’s hiding. Meanwhile, Terrific and Alanna are compelling characters, each of them trying to figure out the truth for different reasons. By the time you get to the end of the story, they’ve taken over the narrative, but one thing you’ll realize when you re-read it is that it was their story all along.
4) The Vision
Tom King is back on this list with one of his best works. The Vision starred the titular synthezoid, dealing with him creating a family, getting a house in the suburbs, and getting a government job. However, an attack by the Grim Reaper leads to a terrible secret that begins to eat the family from the inside out, changing their lives forever. It’s an amazing story, a 12-issue comic that is couched in the language and iconography of superheroes and used it to tell one of the coolest horror stories ever. The Vision is the focus of the book, but it’s his family that really keeps everything going. Virginia, Viv, and Vin are all basically babies that Vision made and thrust into a world that they are programmed to deal with but have no idea about the realities of life. They move the plot forward, they are the ones that get to grow and change as characters, while the Vision is the static figurehead at the center of it all.
3) The Sandman
The Sandman is one of the most important books in the history of the medium, even if writer Neil Gaiman has become persona non grata with the fanbase that he himself curated for decades. The story of Dream of the Endless unfolds over 76 issues, a few hardcovers, and a prequel miniseries, but there’s an interesting thing going on in the book – Dream is both the main character and also the least important character. Instead, most of the stories focus on others, humans and gods and angels and demons and dreams, with the personification of dreams entering the story at different times. He’s a character who was created to be boring – he’s meant to be a stodgy, rule-follower, which is diametrically opposed to his station in the universe. Dreams are wildly creative, yet Dream is all about rules and keeping the order of chaos. Throughout the his tale, we’re introduced to some of the greatest characters in the history of the comic medium and they are able to make the various chapters soar.
2) Preacher
Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, is one of the greatest Vertigo comics of all time. The series ran from 1995 to the year 2000 and starred Jesse Custer, a man forced to become a preacher, after he gains the power of Genesis, a half-angel/half-demon force that allowed him to make anyone do anything he said. The story is all about him learning that God abandoned Heaven and him hunting the Almighty down with his girlfriend Tulip and Irish vampire Cassidy, taking a twisted trip through the heart of the United States. The series is insane and while Jesse is a fine character, he’s honestly kind of boring. He’s a stereotypical older Gen X American; there are layers to his character but you can mostly predict everything he’s going to do. Meanwhile, Tulip and Cassidy are the best characters, moving the story forward in ways that Jesse often doesn’t. They are only the beginning, though; Preacher is full of amazing characters, each of them making the story that much better. Jesse is okay, but the rest of the characters make the story worth reading.
1) From Hell
Alan Moore is one of the greatest writers in the history of the medium (go and read some of his prose, like Jerusalem or Illuminations, if you want to be truly impressed) and is known for creating some amazing characters. One of his best stories is the indie comics masterpiece From Hell, a story that sees Moore and artist Eddie Campbell give readers the story of Jack the Ripper. It’s honestly kind of difficult to identify the main character of the story, because so many characters push the story forward. However, eventually, Inspector Frederick Abberline becomes the de facto main focus as he investigates the murders. As a character, Abberline is honestly kind of blah. He’s just a stereotypical Victorian man. Meanwhile, Sir William Gull, the book’s villain, is a brilliant character, Moore using him to show how those Whitechapel murders birthed the modern society we’re all living in. The Ripper’s victims are all great characters as well, their struggles and the terrible realities of poverty in the Victorian England making their pages quite interesting. This book soars because of its characters, just not the main one.
What comic do you think has the best supporting characters? Leave a comment in the comment section below and join the conversation on the ComicBook Forums!
