Top 10 Epic Comic Book Deaths

Any comic book reader knows that characters die at the drop of a hat. Featured below is a countdown of the 10 most epic comic book deaths. The list below is comprised of deaths that really count, the shockers, the deaths that haunt the reader. So without further ado…

10 Edsel: Mage

Edsel functioned as Kevin Matchstick’s squire in Matt Wagner’s epic comic book “Mage”. She was always ready to serve and protect her leader. Her great downfall came in the line of duty throwing herself on a mystical bullet of sorts to protect Kevin. Edsel’s sacrifice was not in vain however since it allowed Kevin to defeat the malicious Umber sprite.

9) The Joker: The Dark Knight Returns

I know that this is by far one of the most spoken about epic death moments ever, but it sits at the bottom of this list because it is a moment that is outside of standard continuity. The Joker, as all comic fans know, is the epitome of all evil. After being paralyzed by Batman in Frank Miller’s legendary comic, the clown prince of crime forces his broken neck just the few inches more it takes to sever his spinal cord and frame the Dark Knight for murder. Now that’s commitment!

Agent 355: Y: The Last ManIn the most heartbreaking moment in the entire series, Yorick Brown professes his love for protector 355. Everything is right in the world, the concern for saving mankind has been resolved and it is time for 355 to retire. Just as she and Yorick come to terms with their mutual feelings for each other she catches a snipers bullet in the “All Quiet on The Western Front Style” Leaving Yorick Holding the broken limp body of his one true love in his arms.

7) John Hartigan: Sin City: That Yellow Bastard
Hartigan is the hardest of all cops on the beat. After years of solitary and physical rehabilitation he finds himself protecting the one thing he has a soft spot for, Sin City’s own stripper with a heart of gold Nancy Callahan. After protecting Nancy from the evil Jr. Roark the only way that Hartigan can be sure she will be safe is blow his own brains all over the black and white page.

6) All Father D’Aronique: Preacher

We are talking Epic Death here and there are few that are more epic than the fate that befalls All Father D’Aronique. The all father meets his untimely demise at the hands of preacher villain Herr Starr. The massive D’Aronique is dropped from a helicopter to splatter satisfactorily on the cement below. It isn’t just his death though but the death of on a couple of soldiers and the last scion of Jesus Christ that he lands on in the process.

5) Morpheus: The Sandman
We all knew that it was coming. Even though he was one of the Endless, it was made clear on several occasions that they were not immune to death. Yet it is the quite dignified way that Morpheus is taken away that makes the whole thing so sad. As a reader it feels like losing an old friend or mentor and any reader just like the characters Morpheus is survived by would not be human if he or she did not feel the sting of the dream kings replacement by Daniel.

4) Mr. Hyde: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
In the second volume of League, Hyde really came into his own. Shown to be nothing more than a blood thirsty monster in the first arc, Alan Moore gives the reader greater insight into the workings of Hyde’s mind. Hyde sacrifices himself to buy the League time as they try to beat the Martians. The thing that is amazing is that the hulking murder makes note of the fact that he is not concerned with anything other than bloodshed and that he will be mistakenly seen as noble and noble he does appear.

3) Eben Oleamun: 30 Days of NightEben succumbs to a fate worse than death in Steve Nile’s and Ben Templesmith’s vampire story. In order to protect his town and family Eben must become what he is trying to fight. Knowing full well that he will become an out of control blood sucker, Eben chooses instead to watch the sun rise with wife Stella after a month of darkness, as they have so many years before. The chilling last page of Stella sitting alone on a hill after the disintegration of the vampiric Eben is the most shocking of all of the images contained within the comic.

2) Rorschach: Watchmen
His commitment to truth is his undoing. The true hero of Watchmen finds his end at the tip of Dr. Manhattan’s finger. I am almost incapable of saying anything other than heart wrenching. No one who has read this comic will forget the look on Rorschach’s face as he screams at Manhattan to “Do It!”.

1) Jason Todd: Batman: A death in the Family

Jason Todd was, by far, the most hated of Batman’s sidekicks and I know that many will disagree with this as the number one most epic comic book death but there is one thing that makes this death unique. After being beaten close to death with a crowbar by the Joker, Jason is left in a warehouse with a ticking bomb. Batman readers were left to choose the fate of the new Boy Wonder by calling one of two 800 numbers. After the calls were tabulated it was found that Jason was voted dead, the bomb exploded and The Dark Knight’s sidekick went up with it. This was not a murder by a random psychopath, as the comic world would have you believe, no this was a hate crime committed by Batman fans all over this land, and that is why it is the most epic comic book death of all time.