Source: writeups.com

7. Mirth

(Mage: The Hero Discovered, Image Comics)

Matt Wagner's Mage is finally finishing up after decades of silence, so now is a really great time to get caught up.

The series revolves around Kevin Matchstick, a guy who, down on his luck, discovered that he had secret mystical powers. He was trained in this matter by Mirth, a tricky mage with quite a bit of power to expend.

Mirth was also (HUGE SPOILERS FOR MAGE: THE HERO DISCOVERED, DON'T KEEP READING IF YOU DON'T WANT IT SPOILED, AND TRUST ME, YOU DON'T WANT IT SPOILED) the reincarnation of Merlin, the greatest wizard of all. This was because Kevin was actually The Pendragon, a modern rebirth of King Arthur.

Mage was a story about old heroes being reborn as new ones, and Mirth was the one who introduced us as readers to this very concept. Part of the reason Mirth was so great is that he was so likable. He accompanied Kevin for the duration of The Hero Discovered, and when he vanished, his absence was felt.

When he finally (SPOILERS) returned in Hero Defined, it was a real fist-pumping moment, just because of what a wonderful character he was.