Martinex1: Comic book history is littered with numerous sidekicks who have disappeared over time, but there are a few significant success stories. DC Comics has perhaps the largest stable of sidekick tag-a-longs and legacy heroes, but what makes them great?
Frequent commenter, david_b, queried recently about sidekicks and how they have evolved, what has made a few successful, and how has their design affected that success. In particular, he wondered about the Boy Wonder. How did a character that was designed as the polar opposite to his partner become an icon? Is Robin great because he is the light to Batman's dark - or in spite of that opposing appearance has he somehow found greatness? Robin is different than the "me-toos" of his generation; does that make him better or worse?
Marvel seemed, for the most part, to steer away from sidekicks. They carried over a few from the Golden Age of comics, including Bucky and Toro. And they developed the "universal" sidekick in Rick Jones who had partnerships with the Hulk, Captain America, Captain Marvel, and ROM. I actually find Rick to be relatively compelling as the everyman in the Marvel Universe, despite having a rather whiny Silver Age existence. DC had Snapper Carr in a similar mold; why doesn't he have the same type of legacy?
And what about the odd Stripesy as partner to the Star-Spangled Kid from the earlier era, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Speedy and the rest? You might also get a laugh out of the villainous DC sidekicks from the late 70s - take a gander below at Chick, Sardine, Honeysuckle and the gang!
Who was the best sidekick and why? Who had the best design (and the worst look)? Who should have never been created? And specifically, to david_b's question what makes Robin such a superstar?
It's another great day at BitBA, so let's indulge in a compare and contrast discussion with a side of "kick"!
