Best. Panel. Evar.
Warren Ellis had this great thread recently over at The Engine.
He asked people for their nominations for the greatest single panel in comics and started things off with this one:
Some of the entries are serious - lots of Sandman, Preacher, Watchmen, panels from Batman: The Killing Joke.
But the best ones were just hilarious. Some of my favorites below (with some subtitles for people who aren’t comics geeks):
(This one, from a story about the Joker making various “boners” (era slang for “silly mistakes”), was floating around the net for a while a few years ago. A definite classic.)
(It’s almost like someone made this one up just to make us laugh. The Green Arrow was one of many archery-heroes who had trick arrows — always just the one he needed, seemingly. Here, in the middle of a crowd of people — including other Justice League members — he’s going to detonate a nuclear warhead on the hide of a giant starfish-shaped space monster.)
(Yeah — this one’s a lot funnier if you realize that every one of the heroes worries about having doomed their lover — and Batman references Robin.)
(This is a male and female version of The Thing — of the Fantastic Four — getting it on on top of what must be the strongest couch every concieved by man.)
(This is from Grant Morrison’s mind-bending and often hilarious “The Filth.” A porn magnate named “Tex Porneau” has transformed male sperm into giant, hideous monsters that murder human women.)
(This one is a satire of a very serious incident during DC’s big “Infinite Crisis” event — wherein Batman tells Superman he’s falling down on the job because he’s ceased to be an inspiration to all of humanity.)
(This one is supposed to be from an old issue of “Superman’s Girlfriend, Lois Lane.” As weird as that one was, I believe it.)
(This one, from “Marshall Law,” speaks for itself.)
(This one is from Ellis’ “Transmetropolitan.” Outlaw journalist Spider Jerusalem is explaining to a TV news audience what he did with Santa Claus)
(This one just makes me laugh because I am secretly twelve years old. Fluffer. Heh heh heh.)
(This is The Mighty Thor, one of the Marvel Universe’s most powerful beings, being KO’d by Elvis — or at least an Elvis impersonator.)
(Android member of The Avengers The Vision gets all emo. He also married a human woman. Sort of. And fathered her children. Sort of.)
(This is supposed to come from “Ninja Tales” — and it is just perfect.)
(This one is, apparently, from a story in which Doctor Doom hires Marvel’s 70s blaxploitation character Luke Cage, Hero for Hire, for something or another. Doom doesn’t pay Cage, leading him to borrow the Fantastic Four’s futuristic flying car in order to invade the sovereign nation Doom rules, beat up his entire army, crash his fortress and face him down in a potential battle to the death…over like $200. DYNO-MITE! Doom capitulates in the panel below…)
(The only thing more humiliating than being taken down a peg by Luke Cage, jive-talking silly headband-man-for hire? Being bested by a dozen or so squirrels…)
Jesus, do I love comics.
This last one…hey, it’s Mary Jane.
‘Nuff said.
