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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 21, 2014 8:39:07 GMT -5
I was an unbearably precocious six-year-old in the summer of 1964, already reading and writing and drawing. I would read any comic that crossed my path: Archies, Harveys, Classics Illustrated, Disney and Warner Brothers and Hanna-Barbera (Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear were more real to me than LBJ and Goldwater), Westerns and romance and GIs-versus-dinosaurs, religious tracts and union propaganda. I knew Superman from the George Reeves TV series and I'd read isolated issues of Fantastic Four (#3), Ant-Man (Tales to Astonish #38 and 41), and Thor (Journey into Mystery #86) but I didn't really *get* super-heroes, not like I got classical mythology or the Universal movie monsters. Then I read #4. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1  and it all became clear. 6-year-old Cei-U! got Peter Parker, teenage genius and bully bait, and how the lure of fame and fortune led him to make that one fatally selfish choice that cost him his beloved Uncle Ben. I got that with great power comes great responsibility. I got that the Sinister Six (still my favorite super-villain team) kidnapped Aunt May and Betty Brant to lure Spider-Man into a series of death traps, and that he met their challenge with courage, tenacity, and a flair for sarcastic quips not unlike those of a certain wascally wabbit. And I got that Spidey's adventures didn't occur in a vacuum, that he moved through a world filled with super-heroes, not only my old friends Thor and the FF but a host of new (to me, that is) characters. It was my first exposure to Iron Man, Captain America, Dr. Strange, Giant-Man (formerly Ant-Man, though I didn't know that then), The Wasp, and the original X-Men. In short, 6-year-old Cei-U! had just become Stan Lee's bitch. But none of that is what lands this annual near the top of my list. What does is a whimsical 3-page featurette in the back pages called "How Stan Lee and Steve Ditko Create Spider-Man." Until I read this story back in that summer of '64, it had never occurred to me that comics were the work of grown-ups, adults who got paid for it, that you could actually make a living creating comics. I had found a calling. In the end, it didn't work out the way I envisioned it at 6 or even at 16 but that's not the comic's fault. It remains a milestone in my life and the best introduction to the Marvel Universe I could ever ask for. Cei-U! I summon the instant addiction! |
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 21, 2014 12:34:17 GMT -5
#4: Legion of Super-heroes #1 (1989) Now, I know that I've bashed the 5YL Legion on many occasions, much to the chagrin of some others on this board  , but I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that the first 12 issues of the the relaunched Giffen series weren't something magical and boiling with potential. I generally loathe dark, dystopian settings for superhero comics, but Giffen made it work, perfectly capitalizing on the ambiguity of the end of Levit'z last storyline, the Magic Wars. This new Legion is scattered and dismantled, having not been together for 5 years. The United Planets had become corrupt and fallen into ruin. Giffen uses a nine panel grid page layout to tell his story, leaving a lot for the reader to discover and interpret from the story. We only get brief glimpses into what each Legionnaire has become in the intervening period. Sun Boy is now a government liaison. Shrinking Violet is now a jaded war veteran. Cosmic Boy, the central character of the story, is now powerless and living with his wife, Night Girl, on Braal. Giffen's new style, though somewhat hard on the eyes on times, fits the story he's trying to tell, showing grim and broken people and a torn society. The ending of the issue promises hope for the Legion to reform, stronger than ever, something that I wish could have happened by the end of the run. Though Giffen never followed up on this idea, this missed opportunity of the 5YL still puts this issue on the top of my list.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 21, 2014 13:08:41 GMT -5
 "Stories" Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #94 Story and Art by Michael T. Gilbert DC, 1997 This issue isn't here because it's the best Batman story ever written, or because it's historically important, or even because it's my favorite Batman comic...no, it's none of those things, however if I were to be told that I was going to be stuck on a desert island and could only bring one Batman comic then this would be it. Like I said, it's not the best story ever, though it is rather clever, but if you're like me and you absolutely love Batman in all his variations from through out his storied publication history then "Stories" is for you because in a single issue it plays homage to just about every era. The story goes like this: A man named Saul Fisher( a thinly veiled Salman Rushdie) has published a book that has deeply offended a group of fundamentalists. Because of this book this unnamed group levels a fatwa against Fisher, and one day as he is boarding the elevator to his apartment in Gotham city the group attacks his building, killing the power and leaving Fisher and several other of his fellow tenants stuck half way up the building. Not knowing what is going on or why Fisher seems so rattled the various people in the elevator begin to tell stories of how they've met Batman before and that he's sure to rescue them. And while each of these flashback stories is illustrated by Gilbert, he changes his style to immitate the style of past Batman artists: Chapter one is told by an old woman named Julie Madison (Batman's Golden age love interest) and her first kiss with batman which is retelling of Detective Comics #31(the mad monk!) in the style of Bob Kane.  And while the next two chapters don't homage any specific issues they do a great job of capturing the styles of both Dick Sprang and Neal Adams, with the latter even cribbing the distinctive look of Adams' panel layouts. And it doesn't stop there as the final story is told by a teenager and it serves as a salute to both Frank Miller through it's over the top violent dialog ala the "Dark Knight Returns" and the look of John Paul Valley's Batman suit from Chuck Dixon and Doug Moench's" Knightfall". And in the end when we actually "witness" Batman stopping the fundamentalists he remains heavily shadowed, showing few details so that all the members of the party can declare, "See, just like I said!" despite all of them describing very different Batmen. And it's that last part that makes me love this story, it honors the different eras of Batman while stating that they are all the "Real" Batman, which was an argument I often came up against while growing up. I grew up with my Father's collection and re-runs of the Adam West show, so I knew that there were not only huge differences in tone through the years but that each era had its good stories and its bad so I had a deep appreciation for them all. My peers didn't have that and would often deride my opinions with, "that's not the real Batman" but this issue was always my secret weapon as it was everything you'd need to combat that view in a single issue. Now-a-days I usually resort to this wonderful clip from Batman the Brave and the Bold: as it's faster but "Stories" still does it better. |
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Post by benday-dot on Dec 21, 2014 13:35:06 GMT -5
#4 New Gods #7 (DC Comics)A day later and this titan of a comic book returns. New God's #7, called "The Pact", is to me Jack Kirby's magnum opus. It is a history of the gods, a cosmology of beginnings and ends; it is Kirby's Iliad, and the telling came forth like a poem from Homer. Look at that cover. With a cobalt sky and the wreck of war, perhaps the cycles last clash about to sound, the ruin of the gods is in play. It is not a wonder Kirby never got to properly finish his tale. Here the goings on were never to be contained or understood in the context of a DC Universe which no doubt stared blankly at this tableau before it. It is a pity, but this apocalypse, this genesis will make their myths all the same. 
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Post by Calamas on Dec 21, 2014 13:40:55 GMT -5
 Green Lantern #192 Sept 1985 “First Star I See Tonight” Steve Englehart Joe Staton Bruce D. Patterson This was Steve Englehart’s masterpiece. Maybe not in terms of quality (although I’d put it Top 5), but certainly in Degree of Difficulty. It was a difficulty he brought upon himself, and probably would gladly do so again. From the start of his career he was a character-first writer, always decided where he wanted to go with the hero before deciding who they’d fight. (Standard procedure today but unique in the day, except for the occasional “A very special issue.”) That’s why continuity and character history was such a huge component of his work. Here the task wasn’t so much Green Lantern as his love interest, Carol Farris, reconciling her conflicting personalities over the course of the title. Taking over in the middle of Len Wein’s run, his other task was identifying the Predator, a masked, particularly vicious villain. He combined the two to brilliant effect. In fact, the issue before, Green Lantern #191, Pharozonk’s choice yesterday, accomplishes this with one of the most shocking endings/cliffhangers ever. But it’s the next issue, the explanation, the flashbacks, all laid out like the final scene of a mystery, that stands out to me. If it had it been the work of a single writer, that alone would have been enough for it to be hailed as ingenious. Considering the building blocks were the work of different writers over the course of decades, it becomes an even bigger accomplishment. But not the greatest accomplishment of the issue. Allow me to introduce Joe Staton, a man whose work over the years has been on occasion labeled as too cartoony (Somewhat unfairly because his pencils varied greatly with each inker.). This was his tour de force. Englehart’s flashbacks allowed Staton to work in the style of previous greats. Already having ghosted Gil Kane--I believe on Spider-Man--he was an excellent mimic and up to the task. He also got to do Mike Grell, Alex Saviuk, and even his earlier self. (And maybe Dave Gibbons, my memory is spotty on that one.) A great script would have lost quite a lot in translation if illustrated by anyone else. And also of note, Englehart took over the letter column to explain--with justified pride--how this issue came to be. It’s a great compliment to the story. |
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shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Dec 21, 2014 14:37:50 GMT -5
4. Fantastic Four #48 (Marvel 1966) Beyond the amazing Kirby cover, heralding the arrival of something bigger and more ominous than anything previously seen in comicdom (check out our huddled protagonists, crammed into secondary focus and no greater than the countless hundreds beside and behind them, as well as the sheer terror on The Watcher's face), and this being the first appearance of both Silver Surfer and Galactus (well, barely Galactus), this issue is significant to me to this day because it's the most exciting comic book story I've ever read. I recall first receiving it in the mail back in 2006. The seller had packed it diagonally into a square box and, not having put any markings on the box, it had gotten badly crushed, and the book within was badly damaged as a result. I was furious when I saw this, and, as I stressed myself out deciding how I would phrase my e-mail to the seller and how he'd probably claim it was the post office's fault and do nothing, I decided that the best thing to do might be to calm down, take a deep breath, not even go in the same room as my computer yet and (why not?) sit down and read the story. I mean, it was here anyway. I opened the first page, not really planning to read the whole thing. I've never been a fan of Silver Age storytelling. I generally find it both too wordy and too simplistic, though I've since learned there are many exceptions to this. Anyway, I read the first page, then the second, and, at some point, found it interesting enough that I pulled up a chair at my dining room table and continued to read. Now I'm pretty particular about how I read my comics. I have a couch upstairs for that. Sitting upright at the dining room table is not my idea of comfort and, under normal circumstances, would have made immersing myself in the story impossible; and the stress I was feeling, the sheer worry about inevitably confrontation, should have made it equally impossible to focus on the story at hand, but it completely took over my consciousness, and I was in it deep. Page after page, the imminent cosmic threat of Galactus fascinated me and tugged at my heart and mind equally. This was a true no win situation for the Fantastic Four, and though I knew Silver Surfer was destined to come around, Lee and Kirby did their best to make me wonder how in the world they were going to make the Surfer SEE. The tone, the ideas, the enormity of it all -- breathtaking. I quickly ran upstairs when it was done, grabbed the next two issues (which had recently come in the mail as well) and finished off the Galactus Trilogy in one glorious sitting. Not a single moment of it disappointed. Even the Surfer's final stand against Galactus defied the expected cliches. By the time of the second installment, it became incredibly clear that this was not going to be a battle between villain and newly awakened hero. There was a deep and profound respect and connection between Galactus and the Surfer, a connection that later incarnations have downplayed for simplicity's sake. Their arrangement and bond to one another was something beautiful and meaningful; they were allies in the empty cosmos: The Surfer giving Galactus nourishment, and Galactus giving the Surfer the freedom of an interstellar god. Watching the Surfer sacrifice all of that for the sake of what he believed was right, and Galactus' reluctant reaction to this decision, floored me, as did the final realization that the Surfer's sacrifice had been for nothing; he wasn't the one who saved the day, though he gave up everything in his efforts to try. Comics just don't get bigger than that, and not just in term's of the Earth's destruction. It's the total helplessness of the heroes and their willingness to sacrifice everything in a futile attempt to stand for the just cause. I mean, wow. Granted, as I've pointed out earlier on this list (#9), I now prefer the Silver Surfer: The Ultimate Cosmic Experience story to this one in many respects, but nothing can ever one-up that first experience of encountering this story and having it utterly and completely ensnare my mind and heart, all at once. #48 was only the first part of a story that consistently built and grew better with each page, but it's the book that started me on that reading experience that day, and thus the one I associate with the memory.
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Post by The Captain on Dec 21, 2014 14:41:33 GMT -5
Doctor Strange & Doctor Doom: Triumph & Torment
Why this one? Because it may be the defining Doom story.
Doctor Doom is always in the discussion of "who is Marvel's greatest villain", but this story shows that there is so much more to him than an overabounding ego and an evil heart. His love for his mother and desire to rescue her soul from Mephisto's clutches drives him to seek out the one man on Earth who may be able to finally accomplish the task, that being Doctor Stephen Strange. They enter Hell to face Mephisto, with the ensuing pages showing a man willing to do whatever it takes to release his mother's soul from captivity and the price he must pay to do so.
The story, from Roger Stern and Mike Mignola, is brilliantly written and beautifully drawn, and it reminds me that in every heart there is the capacity for both good and evil. |
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Post by coke & comics on Dec 21, 2014 15:27:35 GMT -5
4. Infinity Gauntlet #4 "Cosmic Battle at the Edge of the Universe" by Jim Starlin, George Perez, Ron Lim, and Joe Rubinstein October, 1991  "The heavens will run red with blood, but in the end, as always, Thanos will be triumphant." This will be the last of my purely nostalgic choices, with the top 3 entries being reserved for "objectively good" comics. But this is my most nostalgic of nostalgic choices. More than anything, this is the series that made me fall in love with comics and superheroes. It was over a year into my comic reading and my introduction to a great many characters. As I'd expressed in a previous entry, the most fascinating thing about my first comic, Avengers #309, was the whole tapestry waiting to be discovered. And here I met so many new superheroes: Moon Knight, Cloak & Dagger, etc. and in particular the cosmic beings, who fascinated me so. There are so many great issues of this series, and its prelude in Thanos Quest. Issue 1 is filled with cool melodramatic dialogue and gives us the iconic moment where Thanos snaps his fingers and half the universe dies. Issue 3 introduces us to the superheroes who will confront Thanos. Despite the large cast, each hero gets their own voice and a part to play, in contrast to most later crossovers which treat most of their large cast like wallpaper. Issue 5 is a favorite, where Thanos battles the gods themselves, from Love & Hate to Chaos & Order to the Celestials to Galactus to Eternity himself. How awesome is Eternity? But issue 4 was the choice for today. This is the issue where the superheroes battle Thanos. And lose. They fight bravely, but one by one fall, until only Captain America is left standing. One of my favorite scenes in comics and something I hope makes its way into the movie. I'll just link you to Brian's Year of Cool Comic Moments entry to experience the awesomeness of Captain America's final confrontation with Thanos yourself: goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/07/04/a-year-of-cool-comic-book-moments-day-185/ |
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 21, 2014 15:38:42 GMT -5
#4. Captain America 156Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema The concluding episode to my favourite story in comics, period.  Set in a time when needing help from a girl AND a black(sorry, their terms man) needed comment on, I love that Sharon has always been one of the more capable females in the Marvel U, and Falcon was a fave from the moment I read him.  Sal has always been one of my top Cap artists, the right inker and you were guarunteed a good ride. I like how he differentiated between 2 men who looked exactly the same purely with facial expression. My 12 year old self hated the false Cap, he was an ugly man.  I think its a cool shot, and dig the (not so subtle) symbolism at the end, and think it just finishes well as Cap leaves, saddened by what has happened with these two ex-heroes...in his name, taking the burden of responsibility even in victory. I read these at a friends, as a 12 year old(or 13) when he received boxes of comics from an uncle. Amongst all the FF, Spidey, Sgt. Fury, and Rawhide Kid books we devoured rabidly, these were my favourites, the ones that spoke to me on a level I still dont understand. Why after nearly 40 years do these 4 books mean more to me than almost anything else Ive read? My father was killed in a car accident when I was a baby, and I've wondered whether he was really dead(I have no memories of him)if he was maybe in jail and my family was protecting me. Obviously it was never like that, real life happened, but maybe these spoke to that hope, he could be out there, not thinking right, needing someone to set him straight, help him, help me...
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Post by DubipR on Dec 21, 2014 15:54:32 GMT -5
Going back in time to 1988 for comic that came out in 1980.. sound weird but that's okay. Aren't we all weird? Number 4MARVEL PREMIERE #56 Year of Release: October 1980 Written by: David Michelinie, Len Wein and Howard Chaykin Drawn by: Howard Chaykin Synopsis: 1938, Adventurer For Hire Dominic Fortune met circus owner Timothy “Dum Dum” Dugan. Having been pressed to sell his circus by thugs hired by the wealthy Spencer Keene, Dugan had deliberately taunted them by using the show as collateral in a game of chance aboard the Mississippi Queen, only to lose it to the house. Keene offered to buy it from Sabbath, but she refused. Keene wanted the circus mentalist, Cephallo, to mentally open a booby-trapped safe left to him by his father; unable to simply buy the circus, Keene stole Cephallo’s trailer, believing Cephallo to be inside. Instead he kidnapped Cephallo’s assistant, Glory, who turned out to be the real mentalist; however, before she could open the safe, Dugan and Dominic arrived to rescue her. Keene fled, but was swiftly apprehended by Dominic. A few months later Dominic was hired by Carol Einhorn to break into her husband’s coastal estate, Skycliff, and kidnap her ex-husband Jacob, so that she could retrieve the $250,000 he owed her in back alimony. Dominic penetrated Skycliff’s defenses to find Einhorn selling the U.S. out to the Japanese military in return for ruling Texas and Mexico after they invaded. Dominic blew Skycliff and the Japanese plotters to kingdom come, though not before stealing enough gemstones to cover Carol’s alimony. Towards the end of the year former silent movie star Noble Flagg began a crusade against sin; hired by Apex Pictures to find evidence to discredit Flagg, Dominic noted that Olga Cimaglia was Flagg’s partner. He learned Flagg had a weapon for creating earthquakes, which he intended to use to attack casinos, bordellos, opium dens and burlesque theaters, gathering followers to his crusade, but also bringing control of the L.A. underworld into Olga’s East Coast hands. As Flagg, who had double-crossed Olga, attempted to flee town, Dominic confronted him; Olga interrupted their brawl, but Flagg shot her dead then attempted to escape in a mini-helicopter. In his haste to evade Dominic, he forgot to open the building’s skylight first, and crashed into it explosively. Whew! Why This Is A Classic: Back in 1988, as a 13 year old DubipR, I dreamed of being an Indiana Jones type person in real life. My love of ancient art and artifacts remains with me to this day. After seeing Raiders of the Lost Arc and the Temple of Doom and also reading pulps like Doc Savage and getting the occasional Indiana Jones comic, I stumbled on Dominic Fortune. I knew the name from several readings of the OHOTMU, but never looked for issues of this character. Then one day, look at back issues boxes, I found this prize. Two-Fisted adventures set in the WWII era..this was right up my alley. Also the reason why this is a classic to me is because this is where I really looked at the artwork of Howard Chaykin, who is one of my all time favorite artists. I knew he did American Flagg! but didn't want to veer too much from the Big 2; I'd buy some small press stuff, like my Number 3 and Number 1 picks, but didn't read Flagg until I was 15 or so. I loved everything about Chaykin's line work. It was a sleek-like, and his writing on the book (with Len and David) was slam-bang fun. Also, he was a Jewish character! Aside from Sabra at the time, I was happy to see some Jewish representation. Ignorant me back then, I didn't know that half the creators were Jews themselves..lol. I didn't know this was his second or third appearance, as I wasn't too hip on the knowing of the Marvel magazines well into my 20s. But I loved his look.those pirate bucket shoes, the fencing jacket and the awesome mauser. From there, I scoured to find as much Chaykin works... Heavy Metal, Star*Reach (but couldn't get those as i was under age and didn't know about them until later), Star Wars, Robin Hood, etc. I'm not calling myself a Chaykin completist, but I love pulling out this book every now and then. I've got to know Howard well enough to talk not just comics and television but just have real life conversations (If you're a jazz fan, talk to Howard..he'll school you in what to listen to). I will pull out super old stuff of his to get signed and he looks at me and laughs, knowing I've become a fan of his to find some of his undergrounds and other nonsense. Also, the two of us being lansman doesn't hurt...  |
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Post by foxley on Dec 21, 2014 16:00:10 GMT -5
#4. The Maze Agency #9
Synopsis: Gabe, Jennifer and famous sleuth Ellery Queen stalk a killer who moves through sand without a clue...and who has been dead for 10,000 years. Why I chose it: Veterans of past 12 Days lists will know of my love for The Maze Agency and of my ability to shoehorn it into a 12 Days topic. This year is no exception. I always knew that an issue of MA would make it on to my list; it was just a matter of deciding which one. I could have gone with the first issue, but - as is often the case with first issues - it is still a little rough-hewn. I could have gone with the first issue I ever read (#6), but - while that issue is a significant milestone in the relationship between Gabe and Jen - I always thought the solution to the mystery was a trifle contrived. So instead I have picked what I consider to be the best issue. In honour of Ellery Queen's 60th anniversary, Mike W. Barr obtained permission to write the first new authorised Ellery Queen story in 14 years. Everyone is on the top of their game in this issue. Working with his favourite detective seems to have inspired Barr and he crafts an 'impossible crime' tale worthy of the Maestro himself. Adam Hughes art has never looked better, and - as always - Rick Magyar's inks bring out the best in Hughes' pencils. So if I'm stuck on a desert island with only one issue of The Maze Agency, it may as well be this fair play whodunnit's finest hour.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 21, 2014 16:33:17 GMT -5
When I was a kid, I didn't really know anyone else who collected comics. Yeah, some of my friends read them, but they didn't really care, you know? They didn't get it, it was just stuff for them. But it turned out I did know someone who collected comics. His name was Jason, and his parents were friends of my parents. Jason lived in Michigan, but every summer, Jason and his parents would come to New England for a couple weeks to visit relatives. And one summer, we discovered that we each had coincidentally become completely obsessed with comic books. From that point on, every week Jason and I would talk on the phone. It was a weekly ritual. The new comics came out on Fridays at the tie, so every Friday night, after we'd read the new boks, we'd calle ach other and talk for hours about the astonishing developments in that week's batch of funnybooks. It's one of my favorite memories form my youth. As it turned out, we discovered that it wasn't just a love for comics in general that we shared. Through another coincidence, we had both picked the same comic as our favorite, and had both begun trying to put together a complete run. A tall order for a couple of kids, but we plugged away at it, him in Michigan, me in Massachusetts, one allowance at a time. Finally, as we entered high school, we arrived at the same point in our collecting experience. Though we were still missing a lot of the really old, expensive issues, we had both put together almost complete runs of the past 10+ years of the title. Except... We were both missing just one issue. And it was the same issue! And it wasn't just some random issue - it was the final issue of the greatest storyline in the title's history. This was pre-internet. Pre-everything. Not having that issue meant that we didn't know how the story ended, and we seemingly had no way of finding out. We had both read all the issues leading up to it, and they were amazing. But for some insane reason, none of the issues that followed made any mention of the events in the finale! We couldn't even figure out the ending from context clues, and since we were both missing that same exact comic, we couldn't even ask the other person what happened in it. It was maddening! We had to know how the story ended! So we searched. He searched the comic stores in Michigan, I searched the comic stores in Massachusetts. Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Over an entire year passed, with both of searching the whole time for this one comic. Nothing, Nada. Apparently everyone who ever read it refused to give up their copy, which just jacked up the anticipation even more. What was so awesome that nobody would sell their copy?! Finally, he came to visit again for his yearly trip. We set out on our rounds of the comic books shops. And, oh my god, we found it. It was like a bomb going off in our brains. We finally found it!!! I don't remember how we decided which one of us would get to actually own it, but who cared. We could both finally read it! So was it worth the wait? 4. Avengers #177 Damn right it was worth the wait! |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 21, 2014 16:39:35 GMT -5
When I was a kid, I didn't really know anyone else who collected comics. Yeah, some of my friends read them, but they didn't really care, you know? They didn't get it, it was just stuff for them. But it turned out I did know someone who collected comics. His name was Jason, and his parents were friends of my parents. Jason lived in Michigan, but every summer, Jason and his parents would come to New England for a couple weeks to visit relatives. And one summer, we discovered that we each had coincidentally become completely obsessed with comic books. From that point on, every week Jason and I would talk on the phone. It was a weekly ritual. The new comics came out on Fridays at the tie, so every Friday night, after we'd read the new boks, we'd calle ach other and talk for hours about the astonishing developments in that week's batch of funnybooks. It's one of my favorite memories form my youth. As it turned out, we discovered that it wasn't just a love for comics in general that we shared. Through another coincidence, we had both picked the same comic as our favorite, and had both begun trying to put together a complete run. A tall order for a couple of kids, but we plugged away at it, him in Michigan, me in Massachusetts, one allowance at a time. Finally, as we entered high school, we arrived at the same point in our collecting experience. Though we were still missing a lot of the really old, expensive issues, we had both put together almost complete runs of the past 10+ years of the title. Except... We were both missing just one issue. And it was the same issue! And it wasn't just some random issue - it was the final issue of the greatest storyline in the title's history. This was pre-internet. Pre-everything. Not having that issue meant that we didn't know how the story ended, and we seemingly had no way of finding out. We had both read all the issues leading up to it, and they were amazing. But for some insane reason, none of the issues that followed made any mention of the events in the finale! We couldn't even figure out the ending from context clues, and since we were both missing that same exact comic, we couldn't even ask the other person what happened in it. It was maddening! We had to know how the story ended! So we searched. He searched the comic stores in Michigan, I searched the comic stores in Massachusetts. Days passed. Weeks passed. Months passed. Over an entire year passed, with both of searching the whole time for this one comic. Nothing, Nada. Apparently everyone who ever read it refused to give up their copy, which just jacked up the anticipation even more. What was so awesome that nobody would sell their copy?! Finally, he came to visit again for his yearly trip. We set out on our rounds of the comic books shops. And, oh my god, we found it. It was like a bomb going off in our brains. We finally found it!!! I don't remember how we decided which one of us would get to actually own it, but who cared. We could both finally read it! So was it worth the wait? 4. Avengers #177Damn right it was worth the wait! So how did it end!? |
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 21, 2014 17:22:31 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #4
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11
"For the Man Who Has Everything"
On Sale June 20, 1985 Written by Alan Moore Penciled/ Inked/ Lettered and Cover provided by Dave Gibbons (he probably sold popcorn too) Colored by Tom Ziuko Edited by Julius Schwartz This was my first Alan Moore comic. I was out of comics for over a year when this came out and bought it at as a back issue. It was 1991 and I was in college and had cleaned out the local shops of the interesting comics available at a reasonable price. So that summer I drove halfway across the state for my first comic convention. It was a small one, just dealers selling their back issues. It was the age of speculation though and prices for a lot of stuff was through the roof. I came across this one in a box priced at $2. I had seen it priced much higher before so I grabbed it and a few other "quarter specials." The person wrote down what I bought and how much I paid, and I was off to the next dealer. A few minutes later I could hear the person who sold me the comic being sternly reprimanded by someone else for selling me this issue for only $2. In the same room a few years later a different dealer sold me every issue of Watchmen for a quarter a piece. Needless to say, the comic book is a masterpiece. Just like nearly everything else I've read by "Affable Al" since 1991. Watchmen is technically better due to the unmatched techniques employed, but this list is about favorites. It's rare to see Superman genuinely angry and it's a bit scary. Alan also gets it right on Batman and Wonder Woman. This is also Jason Todd's finest hour. This comic was reworked into an episode of the Justice League cartoon. There were a few changes made, but since Bruce Timm got Alan Moore's permission for the changes he kept his name in the credits. (miracles DO happen  ) up next... an issue from my all time favorite comic book series
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 21, 2014 17:29:50 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #4
SUPERMAN ANNUAL #11
"For the Man Who Has Everything"
On Sale June 20, 1985 Written by Alan Moore Penciled/ Inked/ Lettered and Cover provided by Dave Gibbons (he probably sold popcorn too) Colored by Tom Ziuko Edited by Julius Schwartz This was my first Alan Moore comic. I was out of comics for over a year when this came out and bought it at as a back issue. It was 1991 and I was in college and had cleaned out the local shops of the interesting comics available at a reasonable price. So that summer I drove halfway across the state for my first comic convention. It was a small one, just dealers selling their back issues. It was the age of speculation though and prices for a lot of stuff was through the roof. I came across this one in a box priced at $2. I had seen it priced much higher before so I grabbed it and a few other "quarter specials." The person wrote down what I bought and how much I paid, and I was off to the next dealer. A few minutes later I could hear the person who sold me the comic being sternly reprimanded by someone else for selling me this issue for only $2. In the same room a few years later a different dealer sold me every issue of Watchmen for a quarter a piece. Needless to say, the comic book is a masterpiece. Just like nearly everything else I've read by "Affable Al" since 1991. Watchmen is technically better due to the unmatched techniques employed, but this list is about favorites. It's rare to see Superman genuinely angry and it's a bit scary. Alan also gets it right on Batman and Wonder Woman. This is also Jason Todd's finest hour. This comic was reworked into an episode of the Justice League cartoon. There were a few changes made, but since Bruce Timm got Alan Moore's permission for the changes he kept his name in the credits. (miracles DO happen ) up next... an issue from my all time favorite comic book series A very appropriate choice for the Christmas countdown |
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, but I would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that the first 12 issues of the the relaunched Giffen series weren't something magical and boiling with potential. I generally loathe dark, dystopian settings for superhero comics, but Giffen made it work, perfectly capitalizing on the ambiguity of the end of Levit'z last storyline, the Magic Wars. This new Legion is scattered and dismantled, having not been together for 5 years. The United Planets had become corrupt and fallen into ruin. Giffen uses a nine panel grid page layout to tell his story, leaving a lot for the reader to discover and interpret from the story. We only get brief glimpses into what each Legionnaire has become in the intervening period. Sun Boy is now a government liaison. Shrinking Violet is now a jaded war veteran. Cosmic Boy, the central character of the story, is now powerless and living with his wife, Night Girl, on Braal. Giffen's new style, though somewhat hard on the eyes on times, fits the story he's trying to tell, showing grim and broken people and a torn society. The ending of the issue promises hope for the Legion to reform, stronger than ever, something that I wish could have happened by the end of the run. Though Giffen never followed up on this idea, this missed opportunity of the 5YL still puts this issue on the top of my list. 
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