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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 17, 2014 9:23:15 GMT -5
Most of my selections this go-round are books from my childhood, adolescence or young adulthood. Today's pick is a notable exception, as I first encountered it just within the last couple of years. It says a lot that it made its way onto the list alongside comics with so much nostalgia attached to them, and it says even more that it earned its spot on sheer merit. #8. Four-Color #1091 The creation of TV and motion picture screenwriter Jack Mendelsohn (whose credits include The Carol Burnett Show, Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In, and the animated Beatles feature Yellow Submarine), "Jacky's Diary" was a short-lived syndicated newspaper strip that purported to show a childs'-eye view of the adult world. Simultaneously smart, silly, and satiric, it was drawn in a deliberately crude, childish style and featured some of the cleverest wordplay this side of Walt Kelly. This one-shot from Dell gave Mendelsohn the opportunity to tell longer stories and he most definitely rose to the occasion. I've read it at least a dozen times and I'm still discovering new puns, new twists of logic (the kind only a child, or a master cartoonist who thinks like a child, could make), and new art details. It is simply one of the funniest comics I've ever read. Cei-U! I summon the new favorite! |
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 17, 2014 9:51:58 GMT -5
Jacky's Diary is new to me - it looks terrific. Will investigate!
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shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,860
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Post by shaxper on Dec 17, 2014 9:54:09 GMT -5
8. Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 (Marvel 1986) While this book has no great memory attached with it, it was the first book that came to mind when I realized the assignment for this year was to discuss actual issues we love and not just the stories within. I do recall that this book held a significance and excitement to me when I first found it in my LCS' back issue bin. This was probably 1990; trade paperbacks were just beginning to reprint some famous DC stories, but the classic Marvel stories were still out of reach. This issue was my unexpected opportunity to finally read the first appearance of Wolverine. It was also the first gatefold cover I'd ever seen, and man was it beautiful. But really, this is just an incredibly well put together book. It gives you the full two part story; an EXCELLENT story that I return to regularly, not for Wolverine, but for the powerful range of emotion and rich childish characterization Wein lends to the Hulk. That moment at the end, when he expresses empathy with the woman who's been trying to destroy him because he senses her sadness -- wow. It's also one heck of a slugfest, and the Wendigo is positively haunting here. Plus you've got that gorgeous gatefold cover, and some incredibly insightful information about the development of Wolverine from Chris Claremont. People generally don't ask Claremont about Wolverine anymore and, in the early days, Claremont didn't like to give much away about the character, so the write-up in this 1986 publication provides some pretty rare and incredibly fascinating insights that I find just as worthwhile to read as the story itself. It's just a perfect reading experience, from the front cover, to the story itself, to the supplemental content, to the back cover. I truly love this book, and it's largely the reason I didn't bat an eye when I sold my Hulk #181 a few years back to pay off some bills. I actually like owning this copy more.
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 17, 2014 10:04:44 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas # 8
Avengers #93
Roy Thomas/Neal Adams /Tom Palmer
1971 Everyone knows this book for various reasons; The Kree Skrull War kicks into overdrive , Neal Adams comes on board for a few issues, first 25 cent issue , stuff like that. This book is special to me because It was one of the first books I remember buying off the newstands. When I got it home I enjoyed all the Adams goodness and the fact that the Big three ( Thor, Cap and Shellhead )were back. But being relatively new to the comic world, I was confused by the ending. It had two endings. No, I don’t mean it had 2 epilogues , I meant the last 12 pages were printed twice in my copy. Not only did I get a giant sized issue , I had a extra -giant sized issue. I still have the actual book to this day. I believe this is the longest surviving comic book that I own from back in the day.
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 17, 2014 10:06:00 GMT -5
8. Love and Rockets #2 (1982)The shift in comic book distribution from supermarkets and drugstores to specialty comic book shops coincided with my teen years and the inevitable maturation of my worldview. There could have been no better comic book for me to read as I was making the transition from childhood to adulthood than this one by the Hernandez brothers. While I somehow missed the first issue, Love and Rockets #2 practically jumped off the shelf of my local comic book shop and into my hands when I first spied it. What better embodiment of the conflation of childhood and adulthood than the cover image of cute and sexy women and dinosaurs? The attendant story by Jaime with its mish-mash of sci-fi and punk rock tropes spoke 17 different languages to my heart. And that art! The Beto and Mario weirdness also contained in these pages heightened the magazine's feverish surrealism and I've dutifully and happily read everything Los Bros have produced ever since. Ootah! 
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 17, 2014 10:54:35 GMT -5
Jacky's Diary is new to me - it looks terrific. Will investigate! There's a new TPB collecting the syndicated strip that's at the tippy-top of my want list. Cei-U! I summon the hot tip! |
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 17, 2014 11:01:01 GMT -5
This was #13 on my short list. Awesome comic. Cei-U! Three cows shot me down! |
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Post by paulie on Dec 17, 2014 11:20:24 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas # 8
Avengers #93
Roy Thomas/Neal Adams /Tom Palmer
1971 Everyone knows this book for various reasons; The Kree Skrull War kicks into overdrive , Neal Adams comes on board for a few issues, first 25 cent issue , stuff like that. This book is special to me because It was one of the first books I remember buying off the newstands. When I got it home I enjoyed all the Adams goodness and the fact that the Big three ( Thor, Cap and Shellhead )were back. But being relatively new to the comic world, I was confused by the ending. It had two endings. No, I don’t mean it had 2 epilogues , I meant the last 12 pages were printed twice in my copy. Not only did I get a giant sized issue , I had a extra -giant sized issue. I still have the actual book to this day. I believe this is the longest surviving comic book that I own from back in the day.  * Authentic book. Accept no substitutes.* Since I misunderstood the rules and created a list based on books I actually still own this did not make the cut. But let me make it clear for all my fellow forum members... Avengers 93 is one of my four or five favorite comics of all-time. Ant-Man's finest hour! A great choice and nice to see here. |
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Post by badwolf on Dec 17, 2014 11:26:11 GMT -5
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #14 by Denny O'Neil and Frank Miller  Doctor Doom and Dormammu have joined forces to bring about something called the "Bend Sinister" on Earth. Doctor Strange is attacked by their pawn's conjuration, and he in turn solicits the aid of Spider-Man. The art is fantastic (best depiction of the Dark Dimension I've seen) and the story drips with atmosphere. Creepy and weird, but not devoid of humor. We never do find out what the Bend Sinister really is, and neither does Spidey, but I think that is to the story's benefit. I think the lingering mystery is what's held my interest in this book all these years. It's also cool to see two of Marvel's big baddies working together. I wonder if their association ever continued...? |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 17, 2014 12:05:27 GMT -5
8. Incredible Hulk and Wolverine #1 (Marvel 1986)While this book has no great memory attached with it, it was the first book that came to mind when I realized the assignment for this year was to discuss actual issues we love and not just the stories within. I do recall that this book held a significance and excitement to me when I first found it in my LCS' back issue bin. This was probably 1990; trade paperbacks were just beginning to reprint some famous DC stories, but the classic Marvel stories were still out of reach. This issue was my unexpected opportunity to finally read the first appearance of Wolverine. It was also the first gatefold cover I'd ever seen, and man was it beautiful. But really, this is just an incredibly well put together book. It gives you the full two part story; an EXCELLENT story that I return to regularly, not for Wolverine, but for the powerful range of emotion and rich childish characterization Wein lends to the Hulk. That moment at the end, when he expresses empathy with the woman who's been trying to destroy him because he senses her sadness -- wow. It's also one heck of a slugfest, and the Wendigo is positively haunting here. Plus you've got that gorgeous gatefold cover, and some incredibly insightful information about the development of Wolverine from Chris Claremont. People generally don't ask Claremont about Wolverine anymore and, in the early days, Claremont didn't like to give much away about the character, so the write-up in this 1986 publication provides some pretty rare and incredibly fascinating insights that I find just as worthwhile to read as the story itself. It's just a perfect reading experience, from the front cover, to the story itself, to the supplemental content, to the back cover. I truly love this book, and it's largely the reason I didn't bat an eye when I sold my Hulk #181 a few years back to pay off some bills. I actually like owning this copy more. I had this one too. I'll never forget the day I got it. My parents went out to dinner in a small town called Occidental, CA. I was twelve years old, and it was real boring to drive a long ways only to sit at a table and watch your parents talk, talk, talk to their friends. Anyways, I made my way outside, and next door was a bookstore. They had this on the shelf. Thanks to my parents for deciding to drive way out to that small forest town. |
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 17, 2014 12:32:56 GMT -5
#8: Detective Comics #622 This was the first Batman comic I ever read. I stumbled upon it at in a quarter bin at my first comic convention, Comicpalooza in Houston,TX. The flashy cover by the legendary Dick Sprang caught my eye immediately and made me want to read it. The story involves a serial killer who is using the guise of Batman to commit his murders. At the same time, a comic is being published about Batman that inspires the killer. The story is very meta and has a story within a story, which was really cool. Batman actually does detective work in this, an aspect of the character that I feel is often forgotten.
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Post by The Captain on Dec 17, 2014 12:59:24 GMT -5
Amazing Spider-Man #230
Why this one? Because Spidey beats the Juggernaut. If I'm going to be stuck on a deserted island and I have the first part of this story to read (as detailed on Day Four), I absolutely have to have the second part, which sees Peter continue his battle with the Juggernaut. In the end, Spider-Man prevails, not through brute strength (like he had any chance of that) but rather through using his brains. Juggernaut would eventually be back to torment the X-Men, but the end of their battle was well-thought-out and showed that Peter was and always would be a brain first, superhero second.
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Post by Paste Pot Paul on Dec 17, 2014 16:27:04 GMT -5
#8 : Daredevil 163
Roger McKenzie and Frank Miller I had been with Daredevil for 5 months and was loving it. This new artist guy Miller was killing it and he really suited being with Klaus Janson. I had a few older DD issues by Colan and Brown, they were alright but you could see why the book was headed to oblivio, but this Miller guy wouldnt quit on you. I read the hell outa those Bullseye stories, and then they dumped that Ditko issue on us. Now I dont mind Steve at times, I'm no uberfan like a lot here, but hes alright. But following Miller ? Nuh uh !!! Anyhoo...163, Franks back and so is old Jade Jaws. Why wouldnt you just walk away ? Why not leave it for a heavy hitter ? Its the frickin Hulk right. No shame, no one could expect you to do anything right ? Wrong man. This is another book that just resonated on some deep level with me. Never give up. Never retreat. Never surrender. JUST. KEEP. GETTING. UP. All in the service of faceless others, like every great cop or fireman or soldier out there. Like I love all Franks work on DD over the years, defining, moving, visceral, etc etc but this is hands down my #1 Daredevil story. Its Matt in a nutshell, and its just the sort of person every kid should aspire to being.
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Crimebuster
CCF Podcast Guru
Making comics!
Posts: 3,958 
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Post by Crimebuster on Dec 17, 2014 17:05:55 GMT -5
So far, I've featured picks that represented romance, indie, western and war. Today? Crime. I think you probably know where this is going.  Just as I discovered the joys of romance as a result of a random ebay purchase, so too did I discover today's pick. I wasn't looking for crime comics, though. Instead, I just wanted to finally experience that mythical holy land for all comic collectors: The Golden Age. Sure, I had read a few golden age reprints here and there. And since I had gotten Ron Goulart's Great History of Comicbooks when I was a kid, I had a strangely thorough knowledge of all sorts of Z-list golden age characters otherwise forgotten to the sands of time. But I had never had a chance to really read - or own - an honest to gosh golden age comic book. They were just too expensive, too hard to find and too... legendary. They were pretty much unapproachable, I thought. Then, a few years ago, I was on ebay and decided to look at golden age books, sorted by price. To my shock, there were a whole bunch of them that were affordable! And they weren't all just funny animal comics, or Dell TV adaptations: Some of them seemed to actually feature superheroes! I quickly entered some lowball bids on a bunch of books being sold by the same dealer (you know, to combine the shipping costs) and to my surprise, I won them! 6 honest to gosh Golden Age comic books, shipped for the low price of just $36! As soon as they arrived, I dug right in to the first one, not knowing what i was going to get, but assuming it was going to be crude. Instead, I found something that would become one of my favorite series and characters of all time: 8. Boy Comics #36 In retrospect, I lucked out here. Having read the entire series now, I know that issues #30-43 or so are definitely the high point of the title, and all six issues I bought were in this era. Right form the first page, I was hooked. How can you not be with stuff like this?  What's kind of amazing about the two Crimebuster stories in this issue is that he's pretty much not even in them. In the first, CB is just telling a story to a friend; it wasn't even a case he was involved in, so he's only there as a framing device. But it's a great framing device, as it gives us awesome details like this, straight out of 1947:  The first tale revolves around an up and coming Hollywood starlet who treats everyone like crap because, you know, she's kind of a big deal. Which works out okay for her right up until she gets tuberculosis and her fiance calls off the wedding:  She then spends the next four years in a sanitarium in the desert. When she finally is (mostly) recovered, she goes back to the city, only to find that everyone has moved on without her. Humbled and alone, her health broken and her looks gone, she turns to a matchmaking service to find a husband. Instead, she gets engaged to a con artist who steals all her money! Except... well, joke's on him:  In the second story... well, it's too complicated to really explain without reading it. Suffice it to say, there's love gone awry, two failed sucide attempts, another con artist, a double homicide and yet another episode that shows there is no honor among thieves:  The art is good, clean, and really underrated. The writing is excellent, full of insight into the human condition. All this, plus a monkey in a fez? Sign me up! |
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 17, 2014 17:52:42 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #8
LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES ANNUAL #1
"MONSTER IN A LITTLE GIRL'S MIND"
On Sale May 13, 1982 Written by Paul Levitz Penciled by Keith Giffen Inked by Bruce Patterson Cover by Keith Giffen Edited by Laurie Sutton This is my favorite single issue of my third favorite super hero team. In it, Brainiac 5 takes a reckless gamble to save the life of a girl and it all goes horribly wrong. Due to his actions, one of Legion's deadliest villains of all time returns and nearly kills the entire team inside it's own HQ. While the rest of the Legion shows it's courage in fighting off the villain's actions, the child's brother takes an enormous risk to save her life and defeat the villain. At the end of the day, the girl is still alive and her brother is the newest member of the Legion. About a decade later, the girl would also wind up joining the Legion. When people tell me online that they just don't "get" the Legion of Super-Heroes I just want to smack them upside the head with this issue. The Great Darkness Saga immediately follows the events of this issue, but I still think this is their finest hour. Everyone gets a little screen time, the few panels with the retired Duo Damsel are especially gut wrenching. It's an amazing debut for a new hero that shows you everything about what the Legion and super heroes are all about. It's also the best artwork of Keith Giffen's career. The next time I read a Legion story was after Superman supposedly blew up the moon in 1991. There had been a "few" changes in the meantime.  up next...back to the Silver Age for my favorite Mort Weisinger Era Superman story.
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