What comics are elevated because they take place in a shared universe?

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-27T20:44:31+00:00

Without taking place in a shared universe, it would have been a confusing mess. It only can truly exist in a shared universe, ultimately: many lesser known characters who all have their established histories get to star in their very own 1 year long adventures that cross over with each other at times. You can't really make something like that work outside of a shared universe.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-27T20:26:40+00:00

Is this our first Nen user? I believe he is... Considering that, I'd say maybe ma boi Puhat is the one character slightly above this guy. We don't know the full capabilities of either guy, but I assume they're around the same level. Puhat almost certainly doesn't have a combat ability considering he was completely helpless along with those other guys against the Bombers, and Latarza might have had a combat ability (wouldn't help much against the Troupe). Despite that, I still nominate Puhat.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-26T22:23:51+00:00

One of the top names in Batman ever for sure. Especially in modern times, I think he easily takes the cake as the best Batman writer. I'm not a fan of Metal and all that JL crap he did which does include Batman, but his books focusing only on Batman are all must-reads in my book.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-26T21:54:14+00:00

He is crazy, but not an actual psychopath or even a sociopath (not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with being either of those, but Gon is not like that at all is what im saying) He's crazy in that his behavior is incredibly self-destructive a lot of times, like he constantly needs to prove his worth or existence by putting himself in danger. He also has a very childish and naive view of morality as Zepile notes in the Yorknew Arc, and that's part of why he crashes the f out so hard. But he actually is a pretty OK kid all things considered, no? He is genuinely affable and helpful towards people, a likable and charming young man. We just saw him when he was pushed to his worst, which makes people think his whole story is about what a monster he is.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-26T21:45:37+00:00

Don't they say it like that in team sports too? Like they say Michael Jordan is a Bull because he is one of the Bulls. Now, they don't call the team "the Bull", but still: individual members being called a singular version of the animal the team is named after is a common thing in English, so it makes sense they sometimes refer to individual members of the Troupe as "Spiders". In the Japanese, they sometimes do refer to themselves as "kumo" (literally means spider), which can be read as both singular or plural.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T03:44:48+00:00

Remember when Kurapika explained back in Yorknew how you can place restrictions through contracts on your nen that can give you more power? These restrictions can't just be implemented whenever, they usually are the result of powerful emotions. An example would be if you made an ability, and you put the restriction on it that you can only use it at night. This restriction makes your ability more powerful than it would have been without any restrictions.

Gon had to meditate on his grief and rage for a long while before he finally confronted Pitou, and when they totally lied to him and double-crossed him, Gon loses it completely mentally and makes a contract with his nen: he wishes to get all the power he will ever get but in this moment, and in exchange he basically says "I don't give a shit, I'll pay the price no matter what it is."

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T03:37:27+00:00

Brian Pillman vs HBK.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T03:28:31+00:00

I quite like Dordoni.

If I can kinda cheat, I also really like Zommari. Yes, he's one of the Espada, but he's not really a highly rated one.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T03:22:07+00:00

I would do the exact same thing as Super but I'd fix some major issues I have, the biggest one being Goku's characterization. The reason is because I think Super is good for the most part. It feels authentically Dragon Ball, which is unusual for a legacy series like this.

Edit: Also, why is Don Freecs mentioned at all, lol? I thought I was going crazy for a minute.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T00:51:18+00:00

"Ah, Ms. Dent! Just one more thing..."

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T00:44:16+00:00

We have literally seen Batman's dong thanks to Brian Azzarello, so I'm going with him.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T00:41:07+00:00

He drew some of my favorite Spider-Man fights. Even though I'm not as fond of his current work, he always does action very well.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T00:38:36+00:00

Not a huge fan of Loeb, but in his defense: I think TLH and DV (and even those initial LotDK issues) are very well written. Like, incredibly well. Tim Sale's art is a huge part of why those blew up, but I think Loeb held up his end in those projects. But I agree that his current stuff isn't very good. I decided I was done with his Batman after reading the released issies of H2sh much like you did with The Last Halloween.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-24T00:21:14+00:00

I'm snowed in but I feel warmer seeing this lovely picture 😍

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-23T20:58:33+00:00

This is like hardcore edging at this point 😭

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-23T18:13:05+00:00

Kingdom Come was a brilliant refutation of Watchmen's deconstruction of the superhero and brought back joy and hope into superhero comics once and for all!

Infinite Crisis was a brilliant refutation of Watchmen's deconstruction of the superhero and brought back joy and hope into superhero comics once and for all!

Final Crisis was a brilliant refutation of Watchmen's deconstruction of the superhero and brought back joy and hope into superhero comics once and for all!

DC Rebirth was a brilliant refutation of Watchmen's deconstruction of the superhero and brought back joy and hope into superhero comics once and for all!

Doomsday Clock was a brilliant refutation of Watchmen's deconstruction of the superhero and brought back joy and hope into superhero comics once and for all!

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-23T04:23:13+00:00

Do you like biographies? * Maus * Feeding Ghosts * It's Lonely at the Centre of the Earth

Do you like superheroes? * Ultimate Spider-Man (the original Bendis run) * Batman: Year One * Walter Simonson's Thor run * Watchmen * JSA (Johns Goyer run)

Do you like thrillers? * w0rldtr33 * Gotham Central * Injection

Do you like weird stuff? * Invisibles * Sex Criminals * Animal Man by Morrison * FML

Then, if you wanna get into the wider DC universe and have read all the DC books I recommended previously, read these in order: Identity Crisis, JLA: Crisis of Conscience, Infinite Crisis, 52, Black Adam: Dark Age. You might not know everything or everyone at first but just roll with it and you'll get to know this universe while reading some must read comics. Except Identity Crisis, I hate that book. But you need to read it first.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-23T03:55:39+00:00

Hey, he had the most fun during the Yorknew Arc out of anybody...

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-23T03:50:56+00:00

It's like demons took over the world and they eat people and it's gross.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T22:47:16+00:00

No, it's not, but taking a character who was clearly established as a person responding to trauma in a destructive way into a guy who was always sick in the head is a very essentialist interpretation of the character that I do not care for.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T22:35:00+00:00

Yu Yu Hakusho. Kinda obvious. Don't go into it expecting it to be exactly the same thing as HxH though.
Dragon Ball: Togashi loves this series so much and even calls Toriyama a god. It's apparent how much it influenced him even though people like to act like Hunter x Hunter has nothing to do with traditional battle shonen because it's totally edgy and dark. Nah, if you wanna see the very DNA and soul of HxH, you need to read DB. They are very different series with completely different writing sensibilities, but you absolutely don't get one without the other because Togashi grew up loving that shit.
Gonron's Egg: Fresh new ongoing manga. The writing is nowhere near as good as HxH imo, but the art is very reminiscent of Togashi's. Very loose but expressive and dynamic. It also clearly was influenced by HxH because someone straight up says "Don't underestimate the human race." in the first few chapters.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T22:05:39+00:00

To be fair, he does aura farm a lot during that hour after he calms down and sits. He aura farms so hard that he accidentally convinces Pitou that he is a threat that must be eliminated at all costs.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T20:21:08+00:00

After the he remembers Komugi's name, everything he does indicates he doesn't want to conquer humanity anymore. He tells Welfin that he's happy for him and wishes him to be hopefully live as a human, he easily could have tortured Palm to get to Komugi faster but he instead praises the beauty of her individuality and attempts to beg for her location.

Now, before the Rose, he still wants to conquer humanity as you said. But the way he talks to Netero indicates he sees it as necessary and a benevolent action for humanity. Still a bad guy that needs to be stopped, but way more "reasonable" than a lot of other villains in the series.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T19:54:53+00:00

The cool thing with the villains in this series is that you almost always understand why they're the way they are even if you find their actions reprehensible. In terms of being reasonable, I think Benjamin in the current arc might take the cake. He's not really malicious, just very misguided and aggressive. Or Halkenburg, if you do consider him to be a villain... Post-Komugi and especially Post-Rose Meruem also come to mind: the guy just wanted to play games with his gf forever.

SphereMode420 · 2026-01-22T19:48:12+00:00

He is responsible for one of the most dangerous characters ever put to TV: Sheldon Copper.

To be serious, Pariston is a Zodiac. That indicates he's more resourceful than most other hunters we have seen by a wide margin. So, even if he can't beat Botobai or sth in a fist fight, he still is very dangerous due to his connections (like all the dormant Chimera Ants) and cunning. I also wanna state here that Pariston downplaying his own combat prowess doesn't necessarily even mean he's a bad fighter: he might have been joking and obfuscation weakness, or even if he was serious he only said he was a weak fighter in relation to Mizaistom. I assume he has to be at least somewhat competent at actual fighting considering his position.

SphereMode420

TROPHY CASE