College newspapers are just filled with comic book-related oddities today. In the Keene State College (New Hampshire) Equinox, writer Keith O’Neil, without caveats or criteria, offers up “the list of the top five comic stories of all time.”
Not his favorite comic stories; the top five comic stories of all time. “All time” apparently spans an entire decade, from 1985-86 to 1996. And “comic stories” apparently means “superhero stories.” From DC Comics.
O’Neil’s list runs the gamut from Batman: Year One and Superman: The Man of Steel to Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Dark Knight Returns. Kingdom Come gets the top spot.
Crisis on Infinite Earths and The Man of Steel? Really?
I don’t mean to slight the artists or, I guess, the works — both series loomed large in my formative comics-reading years — but those aren’t even (arguably) the best works by those creators. If I were itching to choose a Marv Wolfman-George Perez story, I’d pick “The Judas Contract” from New Teen Titans over Crisis, any day.
Curiously, though, Watchmen doesn’t make O’Neil’s cut. And I’m pretty sure it’s required by law to be on every best-of compilation.
So I’ll ask: What do you think are the “top five comic stories of all time”? You can even look outside of DC Comics and superheroes. I won’t hold you to 1985-86 to 1996, either.
April 26th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
In no particular order or ranking:
1. The Death of Gwen Stacy
2. Watchmen (of course!)
3. “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?” (finale’ to the Silver/Bronze Age Superman continuity)
4. James Robinson’s Starman series (I consider it one big story)
5. “Down Amongst the Dead Men” (Swamp Thing Annual #2)
April 26th, 2007 at 12:53 pm
Still staying in superheroes
(and adding, because, yeah, some of those are just the best)
The first Galactus appearance
Walt Simonson’s run on Thor (or Thor: Frog of Thunder if I had to limit it to one story)
DC 1,000,000 (or the entirety of Grant Morrison’s run on JLA)
That issue of the Brave & the Bold where Batman dies and the Atom reanimates his corpse to fight crime by kicking him in the brain.
All Star Superman is going to be. eventually.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons.
The post-war Spirit by Will Eisner. If I must pick one, the Gerhard Schnobble story or the Moon stories.
“The Galactus Trilogy” in Fantastic Four by Stan Lee and Jacket Kirby.
“The Death of Speedy” in Love & Rockets by Jaime Hernandex.
Asterix and Cleopatra by by René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo.
(Other greats–Jack Cole, Carl Barks, for example, I can’t narrow down to one story. And I’m not as well-informed as many others on Asian or European comics, but unless it’s narrowed down to American superhero comics (and a good journalist should indicate that), any journalist (not necessarily us here makin’ our own lists) should be looking beyond the four-color world to indies and foreign comics as well.)
April 26th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
Most embarassing typo of the day must be “Jacket Kirby.” (And I do know how to spell ‘Hernandez.”
Don’t eat lunch, listen to music, and type, Bully.
April 26th, 2007 at 1:59 pm
Since I’ve got the time just now, and since you asked,
– Marvel Two-in-One #91, featuring the origin of the Sphinx, Anatha Na-Mut.
– The Flash: Terminal Velocity.
– Asterix and the Roman Agent.
– Avengers: The Kree-Skrull War.
– And I enjoyed the whole storyline featuring Terra, who infiltrated the Teen Titans, from beginning to end.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
1. Flex Mentallo
2. Watchmen
Then it gets hazy, but I’d be inclined to acknowledge Dark Knight Returns, Walt Simonson’s Orion, aaaand I dunno.
Dammit, mine are all DC and superhero-y too, aren’t they? Bah.
April 26th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
You’re crazier than a sh*thouse rat, Avi Green.
April 26th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
1. Watchmen
2. Promethea
3. Batman: Year One
4. Maus
5. “The Preposterous Voyages of Ironhide Tom”
April 26th, 2007 at 4:29 pm
1. Watchmen
2. “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow?”
3. “To Have Loved and Lost” (Dr. Strange#55)
4. “The Nearness of You” (Astro City#1/2)
5. “Like a Bat Out of Hell” (Thor#352)
April 26th, 2007 at 4:50 pm
Watchmen is required by law? Moore is overrated. Mainly because he is the only writer worth any spit the average superhero zombie will ever read.
Watchmen wouldn’t even make my top 20.
So much better out there.
Akira, Preacher or Eightball would top my list, probably.
April 26th, 2007 at 5:43 pm
“You’re crazier than a sh*thouse rat, Avi Green.”
You have no idea, man.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:06 pm
1. bone (the whole damn thing)
2. kingdom come
3. superman: birthright
4. marvels
5. dc: the new frontier
not in that order
April 26th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Today’s Five Favorite Stories:
High Society (Cerebus #26-50)
Year of the Bastard (Transmetropolitan #13-18)
The Golden Age
The Maxx (#1-20)
Marvels
Tomorrow’s choices will probably be quite different.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:49 pm
As long as I have read comics, I have never made a list of favorites. And I ain’t startin’ now.
Avi Green’s okay in my book. You guys leave him alone.
April 26th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
1. Road to Perdition
2. Planetary # 13
3. Superman for all Seasons
4. The Flash # 0
5. WE3
April 26th, 2007 at 7:07 pm
In no particular order, and just off the top of my head:
Amazing Fantasy #15
Fantastic Four #51
Action Comics #1
Detective Comics #27
At least one Spirit story, probably the one about the gun or the guy who can fly.
Yeah, all superheroes, but I’m a dullard.
April 26th, 2007 at 7:54 pm
Wow, what a tough one. Here’s a few, but my favorites change on a regular basis.
- Watchmen
- Transmetropolitan
- Morrison’s Doom Patrol
- Maus
- Bone
Fables and Ennis’ Hellblazer run are also up there right now.
April 26th, 2007 at 8:47 pm
Bottom Comics Stories of All Time
5- Gwen Stacy has sex with Norman Osbourne.
4- Hank Pym beats his wife.
3- Superman marries Lois Lane.
4- Spider-Man is really a clone! No, wait, nevermind. Just buy the mini-series, specials etc. while we figure this out.
1-Dr. Light sodomizes the Elongated Man’s wife.
April 26th, 2007 at 9:15 pm
5. Watchmen
4. Saga of the Swamp Thing (by Moore)
3. Miracleman (by Moore)
2. Grimjack #1-81
1. PREACHER
April 26th, 2007 at 10:44 pm
1. From Hell by Moore and Campbell
2. The Invisibles by Grant Morrison & various
3. Flex Mentallo by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely
4. Cerebus by Dave Sim & Gerhard
5. Doom Patrol by Grant Morrison, Richard Case & various
Kingdom Come being the best comics story of all time is laughable. Aside from being a shitty story completely up its own arse, too much of it reads like a bowlderized version of Moore’s Twilight.
April 26th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
1. Master Race by Feldstein & Krigstein
2. From Hell by Moore & Campbell
3. Any War comic written & drawn by Kurtzman
4. Saga of the Swamp Thing by Moore (the real beginning of sophistication in American comics)
5. Daredevil 181 by Miller & Janson
I’ll probably change my mind in a week or so except for Master Race.
April 27th, 2007 at 1:14 am
only 5 huh?
5. FF 38-43 The whole Frightful Four attack, FF lose their powers, team with Daredevil, fight Dr. doom & get their powers back saga.
4. The Walt Simonson-Archie Goodwin Manhunter saga from the back of those 1970s Detective Comics.
3. Uncle Scrooge 1 (Four Color 386) ‘Only A Poor Old Man’.
2. Superman 162 ‘The Amazing Story of Superman-Red and Suerman-Blue’
1. Justice League of America 140-146,149-150. Steve Englehart’s run on JLA still hasn’t been equaled IMHO.
Honorable mention to Daredevil 181. Damn, all Marvel/DC stuff. Maybe I’ll make another list…
April 27th, 2007 at 4:04 am
“Not everyone shares Thurdlow’s confidence. “Crisis on Infinite Earths was a hackjob, pure and simple. Wolfman and Perez did much better work back in the third run of New Teen Titans in ’82, ’83,” said Toronto’s Ed Fruem.”
- “Comic-Book Store Employee Slated To Talk To Girl” from The Onion
Just a funny little bit of synchonicity there.
April 27th, 2007 at 4:21 am
1.Watchmen
2.Miller & Janson’s Daredevil
3.Batman #1
4.Uncanny X-men: Dark Phoenix
5.Matt Wagner’s Grendel series
I’m also a huge fan of Dr. Strange #55, Simonson’s Thor, Grimjack, the Moore/Bolland “For the Man Who Has Everything” Superman Annual, Elementals vol. 1, and the Levitz/Giffen Legion run, Garth Ennis’ Hellblazer, and Ellis’ Stormwatch and the Authority, and the Starlin Warlock vs. Thanos storyline.
April 27th, 2007 at 5:42 am
In no particular order…
V for Vendetta (Better than Watchmen)
Planetary (For the moments of beauty)
Authority #1-#12 (Likewise)
Transmetropolitan #8 (The Revivals story)
Sandman: A Season of Mists (Opened my eyes to other things than superheroes in comics)
I’m a bit of an Ellis fan, of course…
April 27th, 2007 at 6:18 am
Damn… only 5? ….. ok
no particular order
The Watchmen
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Batman: The Long Halloween
The Spectre (Ostrander/Mandrake run)
Sin City (now Known as The Hard Goodbye)
sh*t…. I need to do others… I really can’t just list 5 I liked
The Death of Captain Marvel, Hellblazer: Dangerous Habits, X-Men: God Loves, Man Kills, Justice (pending its conclusion), Iron Man: The Armor Wars, Iron Man: The Justin Hammer/Obadiah Stane/alcoholism era,
The Incredible Hulk (Peter David totally defined this character), Astro City: Confession, Batman: Child of Dreams
The Authortiy: Relentless, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Legion of Super Heroes: The Great Darkness Saga, X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga, Superman: The Man of Steel, The Nam, Sanctuary, Mai The Psychic Girl, Swamp Thing: The Anatomy Lesson, The Infinity Gauntlet, The Sandman: Season of Mists
April 27th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
5. Generation Next #1-4…from Age of Apocalypse. The ending breaks your heart.
4. Stormwatch: Change or Die
3. The Alan Moore WildC.A.T.s story where they go to Khera
2. Daredevil: Born Again
1. Miracleman…I really wish we were all allowed to read this story again.
I suspect the Avengers’ Korvac Saga would make this list, but I’ve only ever been able to read part of it.
April 27th, 2007 at 12:40 pm
Maus and Sandman #19, for their awards outside the comics industry.
Action Comics #1 and Fantastic Four #1, for their introduction of the DC and Marvel universes.
And Watchmen, because it’s on every “Top x” list
April 28th, 2007 at 12:09 am
The standard by which I judge is that of readability. Does the story provide enjoyment beyond the initial reading? Are the layers revealed only upon additional readings?
Here’s my list:
5. Avengers: The Korvac Saga
4. Dark Knight Returns
3. Hellboy: Seed of Destruction
2. Watchmen
1. Maus
May 8th, 2007 at 9:17 pm
5. Blankets
4. Transmetropolitan: Lust for Life
3. Sandman: Brief Lives
2. Watchmen
1. Preacher: Until the end of the world
May 16th, 2007 at 7:09 am
In no particular order
1. Sandman-1-75
2. The Watchmen 1-12
3. Batman: Long Halloween 1-13
4. Emerald Twilight- Green Lantern 48-50
5. Sin City
July 28th, 2010 at 6:56 am
1.Amazing Spider-Man 1-38 (I like to consider it a 38 part story)
2.From Hell
3.Spider-Man: Kravens Last Hunt
4.Batman: The Long Halloween
5.Marvels 1-4
January 24th, 2011 at 10:45 pm
1. THUNDER Agents by Wally Wood
2. Green Lantern/Green Arrow O’Neil and Adams
3. “Watchmen” Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
4. “The Song of Red Sonya” Roy Thomas and Barry Smith
5. “Jenifer” Bruce Jones and Berni Wrightson