From Top to Bottom: Comic Book Moms

by Matt

Welcome to the 2nd edition of the weekly "From Top to Bottom" column! Every week I will look at something within the comics industry and give you my opinion on what I think is the best and what I think ranks amongst the bottom-feeders.

Last week I took a look at the many armors of Iron Man. This week, in celebration of Mother's Day, I present my Top 3 Best Moms in comics along with those moms that probably shouldn't have children.


Top 3 Best Moms

3) Ma Kent
Who said raising a boy scout would be easy? Not only was she an older mom at the time but think how much a handful Clark must have been as a child. Sure, Clark was a good kid but she had to be on top of her game and set a proper example for Clark all the time! Clark could do anything he wanted and she really could have really abused her motherly influence but he did what was right because of the parents he had, especially his mom.



2) Aunt May
While technically she is not Peter's mom, she was definitely a better mom than most real moms out there. I chose the Ultimate version of Aunt May because of the influence she has on Peter and how real she was to me. During my teenage years, my parents were divorced and my mom raised me while she was working a full time job. A lot of May's parenting reminds me of my mom's. Now that I am older (but not as old as May!) and raising a family of my own, I would think that it would be fun to hang out with May and trade stories. The other Aunt May just seems like a creepy old grandma.
1) Sue Storm
Franklin's mom has got it going on
Sue is really the total package. Not only is she hot, she is smart, powerful and a good mom. She has stood toe-to-toe with the baddest villains on the planet, just to protect her family. She said it best when she stood up to Dr. Doom (whom she allowed to deliver her 2nd child!) and said "Have you Victor, ever considered how deadly my force field can be if I decided to fight by your rules?" All of the good mothers on this list would fight for their family but Sue has the leadership, moxie and power to back it up!

And here are some moms that shouldn't have any more children!

3) Madelyn Pryor
I admit that Maddie didn't have a great life being a clone of Jean Grey but that is no excuse for being a terrible mom. Maddie's decides to get revenge on her deadbeat hubby by sleeping with his brother, gets in with some demons and tries to sacrifice her son to bring hell on Earth.






2) Mystique
Mystique is one messed up mother! First she abandons her son Graydon Creed after birth when she figures out that he is not a mutant. And then later on, she kills him. Then she gets in with a demon (notice the trend here?) and gives birth to Nightcrawler but abandons Nightcrawler too! He was found and raised by Gypsy sorceress Margali Szardos (not a good mom herself). She did turn out to be a good step-mom for a little while (guess she can't be related to her own kids to be nice) and raises Rogue. She does raise her in a life of crime but she does try to rescue Rogue when she thought Xavier brainwashed her. Her motherly niceness didn't last however. When Mystique told Rogue of one of her devious plans, Rogue tried to help her but Mystique stabbed her and she nearly died. Later on, Mystique tried to help Rogue in her relationship with Gambit by posing as Foxx and trying to sleep with Gambit so Rogue and Gambit would break up. Like a 'good' mom, Mystique did have someone for Rogue. She gets the #2 spot because she cannot be trusted.

1) "Gran'ma" Marie L'Angelle
I had nightmares after I had read the 2nd volume of Preacher. Gran'ma was the grandmother to Jesse Custer in the Preacher series and she would prove she was meanest mom of them all. She would not let anyone leave Angelville and would viciously punish any child/grandchild of hers that didn't conform. She wanted Jesse to be a preacher and would punish him by sealing him in a coffin and sinking it into the local lake. Gran'ma also had her own daughter killed and told Jesse it was his fault. Even after Jesse escaped and became older, she has him tracked down and brought back to Angelville. There she killed Tulip in front of Jesse. She gets the top spot because this type of mom could actually exist in the world we live in!


I want to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all good mothers out there that encourage their kids to read comics and to the great moms here on this site. Sure glad my mom bought me comics!