shaxper
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Post by shaxper on Jun 13, 2016 16:43:59 GMT -5
Believe it or not, this thread has been in the works for well over a year now. More precisely, I'd keep seeing the title in my head, not really having an idea attached to it. I guess, in a community in which we accept that few things in the world of comics are objectively good or objectively worthwhile, it seemed audacious and exciting to try to agree upon a list like this one. But, you'll notice, this isn't a contest, an event, nor even a list with a limit (it's not the 10, 25, 50, or 100 Greatest Moments; it's unlimited), so I thought this would make for a fun discussion instead, especially as I tried to drill down and determine what exactly my subconscious meant by "The GREATEST MOMENTS in COMIC BOOK HISTORY." I've literally spent over a year working on the following criteria, so please try to adhere to it  What I mean by... "The Greatest:" Having significant long term historical importance. A "great" moment does not necessarily mean postive/likable. Some truly negative moments in comicdom ultimately had positive impacts upon the comic book industry. "Moments": A brief occurrence lasting maybe a minute or less. Superman fighting Muhammad Ali is not a "moment," but that moment where they are first seen together in the ring is. The Kree Skrull War is not a moment, but Vision bursting into Avengers Mansion and then dropping to the floor, seemingly dead, is (HEY, those were both Neal Adams examples!). Does a cover count as a moment? Now that's an interesting question. I guess it's up for debate. "in Comic Book History":. Ah, here's the fun one. Comic book history occurs both within the pages of a comic book and without. Thus, this list can include both panels/pages/sequences from actual comics AND moments that occurred in real life, behind the scenes, that affected the future of comic books. Jack Kirby making the decision to leave Marvel? Sure. FDR declaring that the United States had entered World War II? Sure. So this is a big, messy, broad topic, and I hope that will also make it a lot of fun Over a year in the making, and I second guessed myself twice before deciding to actually start the discussion today -- let's hope this ends up being a success. So, here we go: start listing, discussing, and debating some GREAT moments in comic book history! |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Jun 13, 2016 18:13:57 GMT -5
If we're solely talking about US comics, as of great moments, I'd say Maus wnning the Pulitzer, the birth of Image comics, Neil Gaiman winning the Hugo award for an issue of Sandman. The reveal in the recent DC rebirth probably stands as one of those as well.
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,392
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Post by shaxper on Jun 13, 2016 18:20:06 GMT -5
If we're solely talking about US comics No, but we are talking about moments that had a significant impact upon US comics. How can we not talk about the British invasion of the 1980s, as well as the moments that defined those creators and their works back in the UK? That's part of the fun of this thread, as I see it -- was the critical moment Neil Gaiman winning the Hugo, DC offering Gaiman the Sandman project, or Black Orchid before it, or was it when he began work on Marvelman back in the UK? Gaiman couldn't have had the impact upon the industry that he did without each of these moments occurring, so which is the moment of most critical import in regard to Gaiman's contribution to comicdom? |
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Jun 13, 2016 19:38:19 GMT -5
Ah but the British invasion isn't a moment though, it took place under several years, mostly US editors such as Karen Berger, Lou Stathis scouting british conventions. But first came the artists, then Moore, then the new ones after Moore's falling out with DC.
Moore's falling out with DC may be a defining moment though...
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Post by Arthur Gordon Scratch on Jun 13, 2016 19:38:56 GMT -5
The publication of Akira in Europe and the US probably also is one of those moments. Also its colloring by Steve Oliff that completly revolutonized comic book coloring.
The Edgar Church collection discovery by Chuck Rozanski maybe as well?
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Post by hondobrode on Jun 13, 2016 19:50:20 GMT -5
The moment that came after Stan told his wife Joan that Atlas was going under. She said he had nothing left to lose, so why not write the last few how you've always wanted ? That was the spark, the moment, when the Marvel Age started.  The moment editor Vin Sullivan decided to buy the Superman story that Siegel & Shuster had been shopping around for years unsuccessfully as a comic strip.  |
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shaxper
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Posts: 22,392
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Post by shaxper on Jun 13, 2016 20:07:32 GMT -5
The moment that came after Stan told his wife Joan that Atlas was going under. She said he had nothing left to lose, so why not write the last few how you've always wanted ? That was the spark, the moment, when the Marvel Age started. Now THAT'S a Great Moment in Comic Book History! Ah, but was it that moment, or was it the moment when Siegel decided to revise his Reign of the Super Man concept/vilain into a hero? Or maybe the moment DC decided to have the newly acquired Superman story headline their Action Comics title? |
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Post by Icctrombone on Jun 13, 2016 20:28:38 GMT -5
I'm partial to the fictional moment when the Avengers, on the way back from fighting Namor and the Hulk, discovered a body encased in ice and took it aboard their sub to discover that it was the Original Captain America. It changed the dynamic of the Assemblers forever.
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Post by lobsterjohnson on Jun 13, 2016 21:10:51 GMT -5
I'd say the Frank Miller splash page when the Dark Knight returned in DKR #1 had quite an impact on comics going forward. Batman would never be the same.
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Post by hondobrode on Jun 13, 2016 21:27:28 GMT -5
The moment that came after Stan told his wife Joan that Atlas was going under. She said he had nothing left to lose, so why not write the last few how you've always wanted ? That was the spark, the moment, when the Marvel Age started. Now THAT'S a Great Moment in Comic Book History! Ah, but was it that moment, or was it the moment when Siegel decided to revise his Reign of the Super Man concept/vilain into a hero? Or maybe the moment DC decided to have the newly acquired Superman story headline their Action Comics title? That's true; it could've been one of those other moments. Siegel & Shuster could've changed the formula, or if Superman hadn't headlined in the new Action Comics, things would've been different. Maybe because I actually had the privilege of meeting and talking with Vin Sullivan that I'm a bit biased. Another great moment, when Barry Allen accidently discover Jay Garrick and Earth-2 and the birth of the DC multiverse starts to unfold.  |
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Jun 14, 2016 7:34:59 GMT -5
Everyone knows Spidey and MJ are one of the ultimate couples in the superhero world but it never would have happened without this.    I read the story for the first time 2 years ago and even though I was not alive when it came out, it still held shock value. Seeing a superhero fail like that is something I feel I have not found in any other comic/story. One has to wonder what would have happened if Stan Lee wasn't so preoccupied at the time (I think the story goes he was heading on a business trip when he was asked if it was okay to kill her off, to which he agreed) what Spidey would be like today. Without this moment, maybe Spider-Man would have fallen into a world of predictability where in the hero has it easy and usually wins (he likely would have married Gwen). This huge tragedy still haunts him to the day and is an engraved reminder that sometimes the hero cannot save everyone. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2016 8:07:06 GMT -5
I took a class at a local college on the history of comic books back in 1999. It was taught by the owner of my LCS. He is a teacher. He still teaches part time. He still goes to every local high school & teaches a class on the art of comic books. My daughters said his classes were the best part of their art course. For me his college class was the...Best. Class. Ever. I think he nailed the 100 most important moments in comics. I think everyone here would have loved the class.
For me the Comics Code Authority would be a pivotal moment. It caused a shift in how comics were written that affected them for almost 50 yrs.
My favorite moments would be DC "discovering" Earth 2 when Barry met Jay & when the Avengers found Capt America. |
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Post by Deleted on Jun 14, 2016 8:14:51 GMT -5
Justice League of America #200
Is considered a great issue but not a great moment and I wasn't thinking very good in the first place ... so back to the drawing board for me.
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Post by tingramretro on Jun 14, 2016 8:15:12 GMT -5
If we're solely talking about US comics No, but we are talking about moments that had a significant impact upon US comics. How can we not talk about the British invasion of the 1980s, as well as the moments that defined those creators and their works back in the UK? That's part of the fun of this thread, as I see it -- was the critical moment Neil Gaiman winning the Hugo, DC offering Gaiman the Sandman project, or Black Orchid before it, or was it when he began work on Marvelman back in the UK? Gaiman couldn't have had the impact upon the industry that he did without each of these moments occurring, so which is the moment of most critical import in regard to Gaiman's contribution to comicdom? Gaiman never worked on Marvelman in the UK. He took over the strip in 1990 when it was being published in the US by Eclipse as Miracleman (though he did handle the character in a short story in Total Eclipse in 1988). |
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Post by tingramretro on Jun 14, 2016 8:18:32 GMT -5
The death of Barry Allen, without question. Tat scene and its aftermath was a defining moment in the history of the DC Universe.
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