Follow TV Tropes

Following

Awesome / Comic Books

Go To

"No. Not even in the face of Armageddon. Never compromise."
Rorschach, Watchmen

There are certain things you might see when reading a comic book that'll make you say, "Oh, shit! Did he just do that?"


    open/close all folders 

Subpages:

    Companies 

    Comic Books 


Other examples:

    The Shadow 
  • The climax of Hitler's Astrologist, where The Shadow lures a Nazi officer into a saber battle that culminates with The Shadow delivering a brutal karmic takedown, manipulating the man into suicide, and promptly stealing his identity to complete the mission.
    The Shadow: Though you handle a saber with confidence, you are no graduate of Heidelberg. This scar is not a dueling scar.
    Wolff: I will cut your tongue from your head!
    The Shadow: You may try, but you will fail! You and your plan will dissappear in fire...
    Wolff: What could you know of my plan?
    The Shadow: To hold Germany back from the borders of Russia-to cast England into the Nazi furnace-to manipulate Hitler through his weak-willed deputy hess to insure that Russia have enough time to arm herself to attack the widespread reich and devour the terror with a larger terror! Such is your plan!
    Wolff: What would you know of terror ?
    The Shadow: HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA. I know your terror Friedrich Wolff-or should I say Ivan Fedorovich Volko, for Russian you were born and Russian you are!. And it is from Russian your secret terror pursues you! Look long into this ring, Ivan Volko! This ring is your doom long postponed! It was a gift to me in my youth from the hand of Czar Nicholas!. Does that make you quail? Long ago I've sought you and many were the hounds I set on your scent-a foul corruption easily followed! Your trail of bodies, of slaughter and willful pain, ever seeking to cut the pain from yourself! I stand here now to address that pain.
    Wolff: What could you know...of my...pain ?
    The Shadow: There was a house in Russia, in Ekaterinburg. July 16, 1918!
    Wolff: You can't know this!
    The Shadow: There was a basement room...
    Wolff: No! The dream...The nightmare!
    The Shadow: The shots...
    Wolff: The screaming, the crying...
    The Shadow: The Czar Nicholas, his wife Alexandra, their children...
    Wolff: Yes...yes! The children.
    The Shadow: And the one...
    Wolff: The little grand duchess, yes, god forgive me!
    The Shadow: Anastasia.
    Wolff: Anastasia.
    The Shadow: She scratches your face as you use...
    Wolff: My bayonet, forgive me!
    The Shadow: Beg Satan for forgiveness, you'll not find it this side of hell!
    Wolff: KILL ME!
    The Shadow: Die by your own blood-stained hand.
    Wolff: A GUN, PLEASE!
    The Shadow: The sword. Skewer yourself, pig.
    (Wolff brings the sword to his throat as the words "SEDUCER, LIAR, CHEAT, TORTURER, MURDERER, DIE! DIE! DIE!" appear on panel)
    Wolff: EEAAAGH-AGHHHH
    The Shadow: HA HA HA HA HA HA

    Other 
  • Used and deconstructed in issue #10 of Scott McCloud's Zot!: Zot is punched through a wall as the Big Bad attacks Jenny. Suddenly, Zot reappears from the smoking rubble, shouts ''Sneed, YOU... Villain, you!" then... KAPPOW!!! YEAH! Then... it's revealed that cameras across the globe have seen this Crowning Moment, and people have started worshipping Zot as not just a hero, but a savior... something Zot is not at all comfortable with. He turns to the camera and immediately downplays his role in the world's salvation, asking "Isn't justice more than a punch in the mouth?" and saying while he might be able to win a fight in an awesome way, it really has to be up to the people of the planet if anything is truly going to be solved.
  • Shaolin Cowboy consists of these. The best ones are the main character turning just enough to reveal that the panel-wide pole he's carrying has chainsaws at both ends, which he then uses to cut a shark in half down the middle as he leaps out at him; the same character taking out a seemingly endless army in its entirety by punching a crab... one time; and Geof Darrow's Moment of Awesome, the epically massive World Turtle that has to be the single most detailed two-page spread in comics history.
  • Tales from the Bully Pulpit is all awesome, but a special mention goes to Lincoln answering Hitler's great-great-great-grandson's "You're mine" with "Bring it, boy. I'm gonna emancipate your teeth."
  • The Spirit: in one of Will Eisner's greatest artistic triumphs, he illustrated the climactic battle between the Spirit and his archnemesis the Octopus as a fight in a darkened room, showing only what was illuminated by a dropped flashlight rolling around the floor.
  • In the Serenity: Better Days, Shepherd Book gets his very own moment of awesome when he beheads a killer death robot with a sword he pulls from nowhere. In his own words, "There's no hell for these things."
  • Katchoo facing down Veronica in her summer house in Strangers in Paradise.
    • Tambi has several, but the crowningest of them might be when she saves Katchoo from the FBI, by offering to join their side.
      (Agent Bryan is jubilating after finally capturing Katchoo when the phone rings)
      Tambi: Not supposed to keep the little fish, Sara. I'm the one you want.
      Bryan: Who is this?
      Tambi: Tambi Baker! (Bryan's eyes go wide) I want to come in!
  • Loaded Bible, set in a post-apocalyptic future, Jesus Christ returns to earth to kill vampires. During one fight, he spits in a vampire's face, and its head explodes.
  • The end of the fifth issue of Johnny the Homicidal Maniac is a moment of awesomeness for Johnny, our sympathetic sociopath. As he's being confronted yet again by his two styrofoam Pilsbury Doughboys on whether he should just end it all or just kill some more people to paint the ever-drying wall, Johnny decides to stab the both of them and go on a psychotic yelling spree, shouting, "I'M NOT GOING TO PAINT THE WALL! THINGS WILLS CHANGE! I WON'T BE A SERVANT TO ANY OF YOU EVER AGAIN!" However, he dies at the end, only to come back to life a little later on.
    • The price of the whole comic is worth it for the chapter called "Goblins". Edgar Vargas displays confidence and fearlessness in facing Johnny. He doesn't want to die, but when it comes down to it, "A heaven for me, and a hell for you. So fuck fear." BAD. ASS. AWESOME.
  • In normalman, norm drinking a Gallic potion and easily trouncing tigers in the Colosseum.
    • Or, Hell, when he charmed Sophisticated Lady without even knowing it when they first met.
    • Captain Everything's entire deal is huge fight scenes where he punches people a lot, but the most spectacular was the fight between him, Megaton Man, and many other independant comics figures (like Zot, Fone Bone, etc) that he started because he was bored.
      • Speaking of, norm punching out Scott McCloud (who was talking about Understanding Fight Scenes) for stealing his look.
    • The fact that the series takes on sacred cows like Grant Morrison is awesome in itself.
  • A somewhat unusual but still awesome scene from the French comic Le dernier Chant des Malaterre comes when the (extremely cowardly and generally dislikeable) squire of one of the main characters tries to escape but loses control of his horse and heads back towards the place where his master is to be burnt at the stake. His last thoughts/words are "Fuck this." followed by "I'M COMING MY LORD!" It doesen't end well but damn, it's kind of awesome...
  • In the Archie Comics Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures, the Turtles go back in time to World War II. Eventually they run into Hitler, who thinks they are demons from Hell who have come for his soul. Playing along, Leonardo tells Hitler that they already own his soul and have come for his brain instead. So, to keep them from getting his brain, Hitler kills himself with a bullet to the brain. That's right, the Turtles are responsible for the death of Hitler! And they did it on purpose!
  • ElfQuest has a few, although they can be hard to pick out from the general awesome that is the whole series.
    • Skot and Zhantee during the war for the palace shards. Anyone who's read it will know about the events to which I am referring.
    • Redlance protecting the children alone after trolls attacked the Go-Backs' lodge, even though he hates fighting.
    • Rayek learning not to be such a selfish brat.
      • Rayek's coolest moment was during the fistfight between him and Cutter. They aren't allowed to kill one another, but the fight isn't considered over until one of them calls for healing. After a pretty even start, Cutter gets the advantage and delivers a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown unto Rayek, telling him to "CALL!" Rayek, near death but still fighting back, refuses, "because you haven't had enough". It eventually dawns on our hero that this is Rayek's way of apologising for everything he's done - so he calls for him to be healed.
    • Cutter forcing Door to open, even though before that only Strongbow was able to, out of sheer loyalty to Skywise.
    • Vaya taking a third option between betraying her comrades and being slowly tortured by the troll King Guttlekraw. She grabs a mook's knife and goes for Guttlekraw's throat. The guards kill her before she can get him, but she still gets a much better and much easier death than she could otherwise have hoped for. It is Awesome.
  • In Usagi Yojimbo:
    • Chizu fighting more or less all of her own Neko Ninja after her Number One framed her as a traitor - and winning.
    • Noriko making her way out of the collapsed mine, surviving - by the skin of her teeth - thanks to sheer stubbornness and pride.
  • Lobster Johnson, of the Hellboy universe, has oodles of these, but two that stand out particularly are:
    • Upon discovering the location of the enemy fortress, what does The Lobster do? Sneak in quietly? Try not alert any of the guards? Fuck that, he blows the front door off and mows every henchman down with a Tommy gun!
    • His mere existance in the current day of the Hellboy world. The most powerful ghost in the whole of the 'verse through sheer willpower and commitment to justice.
  • Cute little Liana, of A Distant Soil, smacks her beloved brother, Jason, in the face after he screams at Seren and calls him a faggot.
    Liana: WATCH YOUR MOUTH!
  • Any time a writer can manage doing three or more successful comics at a time, while staying (at least mostly) on schedule should be celebrated. Notable examples are:
  • Iznogoud: Iznogoud, of all people, gets one in Iznogoud Finally Caliph, where he is put on trial in what he pretty much knows is going to be a Kangaroo Court, since an entire conspiracy is behind it. He convinces the Caliph to act on his behalf, but the conspiracy has the trial take place right as the Caliph is sleeping, so they can sentence him to death without any interruption. Iznogoud answers by pretending he didn't hear the sentence, until the court is screaming it loud enough to awaken the Caliph. Since awakening the Caliph without a good reason is a major crime, and announcing a sentence isn't a good reason, the court is forced to justify themselves by saying they awakened him so he would help Iznogoud as promised.

Top