The Phantom Stranger
Jun. 24th, 2006 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shankieI love this guy.
I have the bulk of his big series from '69 to '76, the Mignola-cover 4 issue series from the 80's, his Vertigo one shot, in which we meet his lover and his love child; both demons living in Hell. Then there's Batman & The Phantom Stranger, another one-shot I just love because those two are awesome together.
As a mouse in Day of Vengeance, he was incredibly cool. Even just hanging out in Detective Chimp's pocket for the bulk of the story, only to reappear near the end.
Who is The Stranger? Nobody really knows. And that's awesome. No detailed origin, no elaborate drawn-out back story. He's one of the most powerful beings in the universe, ominpotent but unable to process everything he knows within its context; when made human, simple pleasures totally floored him, and he consistently struggles with relating to humanity; when his story even gets that deep. Which it almost never does.
And I like that. I'm also a little obsessed with drawing and painting him, heh.
In a strange way (heh) I really identify with The Stranger; he's a cosmic anthropologist of sorts, sometimes drawn to aid those he's watching, but usually, doesn't. He's bigger than humanity by spades, but he still cares about its fate. Not so much going out to do good like other comic characters, but to maintain balance.
![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
merfilly asked me a bit back about my faith; balance is a big part of it. It's not all about good triumphing over evil; it's about having both keep each other in check. That's what The Stranger represents, and that's why I love him.
Edited to add this quote from The Phantom Stranger #17, 1972: Some call me The Phantom Stranger-- and it is said I walk a shadowed path, touching the lives of others-- yet never touched in return! They say I am cold, emotionless-- with eyes that hold secrets and nothing more! Perhaps they are wrong!
The whole issue that this is from posted infullscans_daily, Gotham Adventures #33: World Without Batman.
I have the bulk of his big series from '69 to '76, the Mignola-cover 4 issue series from the 80's, his Vertigo one shot, in which we meet his lover and his love child; both demons living in Hell. Then there's Batman & The Phantom Stranger, another one-shot I just love because those two are awesome together.
As a mouse in Day of Vengeance, he was incredibly cool. Even just hanging out in Detective Chimp's pocket for the bulk of the story, only to reappear near the end.
Who is The Stranger? Nobody really knows. And that's awesome. No detailed origin, no elaborate drawn-out back story. He's one of the most powerful beings in the universe, ominpotent but unable to process everything he knows within its context; when made human, simple pleasures totally floored him, and he consistently struggles with relating to humanity; when his story even gets that deep. Which it almost never does.
And I like that. I'm also a little obsessed with drawing and painting him, heh.
In a strange way (heh) I really identify with The Stranger; he's a cosmic anthropologist of sorts, sometimes drawn to aid those he's watching, but usually, doesn't. He's bigger than humanity by spades, but he still cares about its fate. Not so much going out to do good like other comic characters, but to maintain balance.
merfilly asked me a bit back about my faith; balance is a big part of it. It's not all about good triumphing over evil; it's about having both keep each other in check. That's what The Stranger represents, and that's why I love him.Edited to add this quote from The Phantom Stranger #17, 1972: Some call me The Phantom Stranger-- and it is said I walk a shadowed path, touching the lives of others-- yet never touched in return! They say I am cold, emotionless-- with eyes that hold secrets and nothing more! Perhaps they are wrong!
The whole issue that this is from posted in
fullscans_daily, Gotham Adventures #33: World Without Batman.
no subject
on 2006-06-24 11:41 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-24 11:48 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-25 12:06 am (UTC)no subject
on 2006-06-25 12:11 am (UTC)Now I must seek them out.
no subject
on 2006-06-25 05:43 am (UTC)I love how Batman's all SWOOP and SWISH in that panel. XD
no subject
on 2006-06-25 05:49 am (UTC)His Wiki entry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Phantom_Stranger) has a ton of stuff, including a summary of the four possible origins stories written for Secret Origins; I've read the one Alan Moore wrote, it's great.