For me, I would say the fifth on this list would be any one of the noir styled books that launched the new wave of stars into comics i.e. Azzalrello, Rucka, Bendis, and Aaron. It also forced the big companies to start thinking outside the box a little. So in honor of the movie coming out let me say Whiteout #1.

Excellent work, folks. Lots of great suggestions. I especially like all the suggestions for JLA #1. That would’ve been my fifth pick, since it pretty much kicked off Grant Morrison’s movement to reinvent the way superhero comics are written.

Spider-Man #1, X-Force #1 and X-Men #1 predated Bloodshot #1.

I can see the point behind naming Youngblood, but I kind of always thought the creation of Image led to the bursting of the bubble in the mid-90s, which was obviously something that changed the landscape of the industry, but not as positively as the write-up here suggests.

I also think that titles such as Persepolis have had an impact – when West Point makes it one of their required reading titles, that means something.

Number one, with a bullet, has to be SAILOR MOON.

So for the other three… I’m with Ben that you need to acknowledge the influence of books like Jimmy Corrigan and Persepolis. Comics are gaining a foothold in academia now, and the Graphic Novel shelves at stores like Borders are slowly but surely expanding. These kinds of books definitely played a role in that development. I’m very partial to Corrigan, I think Ware’s narrative style uses the medium brilliantly… so it’s tempting to put that on the list. On the other hand the relevance and importance of a book like Persepolis makes Ware’s history of failed fathers seem kind of banal. But in terms of influence, Persepolis stands on the shoulders of Maus, which, now that I think of it was actually published in its most recognizable form in 1992. So, Maus should definitely be on the list.

Given talks about the future of comics being digital, I would definitely say that Perry Bible Fellowship belongs on the list.

Finally, Understanding Comics has to be on there. McCloud’s theories are intuitive and may not actually stand up to empirical tests, but regardless, he has defined our understanding of the medium for the past two decades.

Ditto for Ultimate Spider-Man, but not because it made BMB popular. The Ultimate line, when it started, was really a renaissance for Marvel Comics, who at the time was more focused on art than story. Ultimate Spidey changed the Marvel landscape and taught them that a strong story and reliable art was more important than a big name Artist drawing generic battles with no context. As a result, the main Marvel books became so accessible and interesting, that the Ultimate line became obsolete.ic battles with no context. As a result, the main Marvel books became so accessible and interesting, that the Ultimate line became obsolete.

What a solid list, Corey! I’d give a nod to JLA #1 as well. Team books were creatively stagnant at the time, and Morrison & Co. really made the concept matter agin in a way that sticks to this day.

Then why don’t you tell us about your list? As it is, your post comes off as a drive-by rather than participation. In your estimation, how is Bone not one of the most influential books of the past twenty years? As someone that’s worked for IDW and 2000AD, do you think something over there fits more appropriately? Why not engage the topic on that level?

I questioned this selection at first, too, but the more I thought about it, I’d say that Starman kicked off the beginning of what we now see as the DC Universe. James Robinson set the tone in that series that several other series would follow with.

This basically kicked off the speculator / variant crazed 90′s.

But hey, whatever… Lists like these are sort of meaningless.

Cheers,

B