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Post by coke & comics on Dec 25, 2014 1:45:05 GMT -5
On the first day of Christmas, the spinner racks brought to me....  Avengers 162... I've read this comic more times than any other comic, more times than I care to count. I've traced every single panel form it at least once, and quite a few of them (like the splash page) several times as a kid. It is the book that defines my love for the Avengers and my love for the super-hero story. The team devastated, facing the ultimate foe in Ultron, Wonder Man's doubts, Thor's gritty determination, Iron Man's resolve, and Black Panther's grace under pressure. I was hooked, I'd read it, put it down and an hour later pull it out to read again. The Avengers being carried into the ambulances as Thor arrived choked me up, the strange call for help from the ants intrigued me, the fight scenes floored me, and Perez's art blew me away. It was everything I wanted in a comic, and the standard by which I judged other comics for a looooong time. -M Great choice! And great to see you get all your entries in! |
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Post by wildfire2099 on Dec 25, 2014 9:12:57 GMT -5
1. New Teen Titans #43  I'm not sure I need to describe the plot, I can't imagine anyone here doesn't know about this story, which (correctly) is in the top 5 of the greatest stories all time every time CBR does a list. Besides the awesomeness of the issue itself, this comic (well, really the storyline) has always been my go to story to give to non-comic people to try to get them to understand that Superhero stories can be deep, engaging and emotional, and not just BIFF! POW! WHAM!. I've had no less than 5 people (including my wife) read the Judas Contract as an example of why I like comics, and every single one asked for more. I've since more often suggested Fables first as a 'gateway' to comics, but, clearly, that's not superheroes, so this is still, indeed the one to which all others are measured. 
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Post by Deleted on Dec 25, 2014 12:31:51 GMT -5
This is where the 12 days ends for me, and this is where it all began: not quite the first Marvel comic that I bought - that honour goes to the previous week's issue - but this was the one sunk the hooks deep into me and said "you belong to us now". Yes, it's another Spider-Man/Dr Strange team-up, but this for me was the first one - reprinting Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2, in amazing British Black & White and spot colour, printed on crappy paper that almost yellowed and fell apart as you read it, the love affair begins with this: Spider-Man Comics Weekly 23 Spider-Man & Dr Strange versurs unstopping minions in and out of this dimension! Weird mystic foes! Magical totems! Weird other-world dimensions in the unique Ditko manner. All this and Thor v the Cobra and Mr Hyde too! |
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Post by paulie on Dec 25, 2014 15:10:19 GMT -5
Fantastic Four #73; April, 1968
I received this issue as a hand-me-down from an older cousin. It was coverless and the splash and page 2 had been removed. No matter... the 18 pages that followed were simply sublime. While early comics were enjoyed as entertainments it was this issue, this one, that gave me the buzz, that made me a fan for life. Whenever I pick up an issue my expectation is that it has the same excitement for me as this single book.
The FF, Thor, Spidey, DD, Kirby. There's nothing better than this. There is nothing better than our hobby. Thanks again Cei-U and thanks to all of you.
I love this comic book.
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Post by Pharozonk on Dec 27, 2014 18:55:44 GMT -5
#1: Green Lantern #1(1990)  As I mentioned in one of my previous picks, Hal Jordan is my favorite comic book character. The character really struck a chord with me as a teenager because he represented everything I wanted to be: fearless, selfless, and able to do anything through his willpower. When I read Green Lantern stories, I felt like I was right there with Hal, exploring new worlds and meeting fantastic aliens. However, even beyond that, I loved that he was also just an average guy who I could relate to, but not in the Marvel sense of being flawed to the point of mental insanity. Gerard Jones' Green Lantern run in the early 90's really took Hal and developed him as a character. While previous writers had toyed with the idea of character development, none ever truly took the plunge and implemented any lasting changes to the character. Jones, however, showed an older Hal Jordan, one who was questioning who he was. He wondered if he truly connected to his humanity anymore after being in space so long. This was a refreshing development instead of the usual "should I hook up with Carol" drama that most writers used. This scene below is one of my favorite comic moments:   Getting this issue signed by Pat Broderick himself this summer was the icing on the cake and that's why this issue is my favorite single issue in my collection.
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Confessor
CCF Mod Squad
Not Bucky O'Hare!
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Post by Confessor on Dec 27, 2014 19:28:08 GMT -5
1. E-Man #1 Charlton
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We finally get to our most favorite comics of all and mine has to be E-Man #1 hands down! There are many reasons but let’s start by how I first encountered this comic. I was on my way back from visiting relatives in Orlando with my aunt and uncle when we stopped at one of those rest plazas that are along the Florida Turnpike. I got some snacks and used up the rest of my money on a toy flashlight that looked like a ray gun. As I was returning to the car with my uncle I spied a nice looking comic on the newstand rack. Now, I was out of money but they will let you look at stuff briefly so I started to leaf through the E-Man comic. It immeditatly got my attention with the vibrant colors and neat art but as I was penniless I returned it. My uncle saw my disappointment and just grabbed it along with a few mags he was getting and bought it for me. I was elated and read the whole comic several times before we reached Miami. This comics has it all as it is a first issue (obviously), an origin story (sort of), full of action (battling a gigantic brain), chock fun of humor (sleeping inside a car battery) and has a pretty girl character to boot (Nova Kane an exotic dancer). The Staton art it perfect for character and it looks like he really put a lot of time and effort in order to get the right feel. I like the story too although it is nothing too special but I remember all of it clearly so it must have made quite an impact on me as an 11 year old and still today. It is my favorite for all the above! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to you all I only discovered the Charlton run of E-Man a year or so ago and quickly tracked down the whole run. I love this series for it's excellent artwork, whacky humour, parodical deconstruction of superhero comics and satirical references to early '70s pop-culture. But I can't imagine what kind of an impression this book would've made on me as a child (or any other child) reading it at the time. Great pick though! |
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Post by pinkfloydsound17 on Dec 27, 2014 20:13:28 GMT -5
On the twelfth day of Christmas, my collection gave to me...12 deadly dozen dying
Odd choice for number one? Maybe. But I want everyone to read this series and, in particular, this issue. I do not remember who it was (mrp perhaps?) but the old forums had a trade and in that trade a lovely member sent me this along with some other goodies. I was newer to the forums and it was several years back now and it pains me to not recall who sent me the books. But damn, this issue was in it and was I ever floored. First off, it had solid artwork which I am a sucker for. But the story was...well, it was one that just sticks with me to this day. I challenge anyone to name a better final issue of a comic series. This one had it all! An epic battle as the deadly dozen is slowly whittled down to just Combat Kelly standing. There is one particular scene where one of the team members jumps on a grenade to save his buddies. Now, I am sure death was shown before in war comics but for me this was the first time I had read it in such detail and I found it a little different coming from Marvel. I guess since I am such a sucker for art, I often find it difficult to think of my comics in terms of their stories. I mean, I know a good story when I read one but this one just had it from start to finish and prompted me to buy the entire run. It is a great run and this issue caps it off in fantastic fashion.
This book was my welcome to the classic comics community. It made me feel like I belonged. I am not sure if I am the youngest poster here (I am 25) but I often feel I am one of the lesser experiences. I am not a veteran collector who has been around for years and grew up on this stuff (although I wish I was!). And it is hard to connect with fellow superhero and comic enthusiasts because I find many people my age skip the old stuff and focus on the new. They know the history but its all about new comics for them, something I can still appreciate but as a believer in going in order, I have to start from the beginning. I want the old stuff now and hey, in 20-30 years I will probably want the stuff that I could have had as a kid. Classic comics will always be my hobby and my love and I thank my fellow collectors, young and old, male and female, mutie and alien for constantly introducing me to new and wonderful titles, characters, stories and artists. Merry Christmas and a happy near year!
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Post by Pól Rua on Dec 28, 2014 14:00:45 GMT -5
CLASSIC COMICS CHRISTMAS #1
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #144
"THE ORIGIN OF THE JUSTICE LEAGUE--MINUS ONE!" Well, ain't this a co-inkydink? Because my #1 is none other than this:  'Super Adventure Album' #12 - July 1979 For many years, this was 'The One That Got Away'. As soon as I saw it, I HAD to own it. Not only was the Justice League my favourite comic, but there's no way I could see all those heroes I had NEVER seen before and pass up the chance to find out who they all were! I read and re-read, and re-re-read this sucker for months, poring over it. I took it EVERYWHERE. Unfortunately, what that means is that when I put it down and wandered off, distracted by something, I could have left it ANYWHERE. For decades, I could only remember bits and pieces. Plastic Man. Robin. The Vigilante on his motorcycle. Robotman. The Blackhawks. Green Arrow storming into a League meeting with his usual decorum and telling everyone that the origin he's heard about is a buncha crap and why are they all lying to everyone? There was awhile there that I wasn't sure if I hadn't dreamed it. It wouldn't be the first utterly, improbably awesome funnybook I'd dreamed into an imagined existence. Flash forward to the far flung future of the 21st Century and an seemingly magical international computer network and suddenly, there it is. It's real. It's been real the whole time. And by god, it's more beautiful than I remembered. Adam Strange? Rip Hunter? Roy Raymond, TV Detective? Congorilla? The Challengers of the Unknown? Rex the Wonderdog? For a weird DC kid like me who still has fond memories of B'Wana Beast, Captain Fear, Jason's Quest and the Newsboy Legion, who can't pass up a mystery for Roy Raymond, TV Detective, a chance to explore the unknown with Cave Carson, or do battle with intergalactic lawbreakers with Space Ranger, this is Indiana Jones-level craziness. Because of the fact that all I was reading was these reprints, and because of all the oddball random filler, I had no idea which characters were big names or not. Sure, yeah, Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman... the guys who had TV shows. The ones who'd show up in crowd scenes on Superfriends. But I had no idea whether Rose and the Thorn was a big deal? Or Kobra? or Nightwing and Flamebird? Or Silent Knight? So it's THOSE guys I love. The fifth and sixth stringers. And when I see them make it big... like B'Wana Beast in the 'Brave and the Bold' cartoon, or Captain Fear showing up in Simonson's 'The Judas Coin'... I get a real charge outta that. So yeah, this was a big one for me. |
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 28, 2014 18:00:51 GMT -5
I wonder what the odds were that Justice League of America #144 would get TWO #1 votes when this started?
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Post by Pól Rua on Dec 28, 2014 21:31:08 GMT -5
In its defense, it's pretty damn awesome.
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Post by Cei-U! on Dec 28, 2014 22:21:02 GMT -5
Actually, since its the physical artifact we're tallying and Pol used the Australian reprint, JLA #144 has *not* been named a #1 pick twice. I do, however, agree that story is pretty damn awesome.
Cei-U!
I summon the technicality!
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Post by Action Ace on Dec 28, 2014 23:30:07 GMT -5
Actually, since its the physical artifact we're tallying and Pol used the Australian reprint, JLA #144 has *not* been named a #1 pick twice. I do, however, agree that story is pretty damn awesome. Cei-U! I summon the technicality! Fine. Who would have thought that the story "The Origin of the Justice League--Minus One!" that originally appeared in Justice League of America #144 would appear in a comic at the top of two lists in this year's Classic Comics Christmas? |
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Post by berkley on Dec 29, 2014 3:22:53 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas #1
Avengers Annual #2
Roy Thomas
Don Heck
Werner roth
Vinnie Colletta
1968
 This is the one. When I read this book, I knew there was no turning back from the Avengers. My favorite iteration of the team has always been the Original Lineup of Thor, Iron man, The Hulk Wasp and Giantman. Here they are in a bizarre world as rulers and it’s up to the less powerful team led by Captain America to defeat them. The classic John Buscema cover depicting the New Avengers Vs the Old Avengers is my most favorite cover of All Time. This story opened my mind up to Parallel worlds for the first time and the action was just incredible. What a treat to not only see them all but also the rest of the Marvel heroes getting beat the Original 5. All the matchups were awesome but I always liked Giantman facing off against himself as Goliath. I barely knew the new heroes but wow , what an intro. If there is a more awesome splash page in the history of comics, I've yet to see it.  The Original 5 taking care of business  One of the greatest covers of all time, IMO. If anyone had asked me, I would have said that I read this comic when it came out, but none of those internal pages rings a bell with me, so I'm guessing that I probably just admired the cover from afar. |
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Post by berkley on Dec 29, 2014 3:35:42 GMT -5
1. Avengers annual 7 "The Final Threat" by Jim Starlin and Joe Rubinstein 1977 (Marvel)  I feel like my favorite comics come in pairs. There's something from the '90s which was my first exposure to something. And then there's an original comic the '90s story draws from which is more original and often better in many ways. I love Ultimate Spider-Man and the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man. I loved Kevin Smith's Daredevil long before I read and loved Born Again. I loved the Harras/Epting Avengers before I loved the Thomas/Buscema Avengers. And I loved Infinity Gauntlet long before I ever read the original Thanos Saga, and this, its climactic chapter. I appreciate Starlin's Captain Marvel work but find it rough around the edges. He still seemed to be figuring a few things out. It's Warlock that I really think nailed it. The Magus Saga is just one of those great things, with a great ending, a bizarre cosmic suicide. And then there's this, in some sense the definitive superhero epic. Highest of stakes, toughest of villains. Earth's mightiest heroes united against Thanos, who has turned the soul/infinity gems into a weapon capable of destroying stars. From the dramatic foreboding of the opening pages to the epic cosmic battle, all finally punctuated by bringing Warlock's strange death full circle. As brilliant as the original death was, seeing it from the other side is a powerful experience. Is this my favorite single issue ever? Almost, but not quite. There's Amazing Fantasy #15 and Astro City #1/2 and Usagi Yojimbo #93. But none of those were eligible for this particular competition. So this wins. For those who want to read the original Thanos Saga, a guide: The main saga: Iron Man #55 Captain Marvel #25-34 Strange Tales #178-181 Warlock #9-15 Avengers annual 7 Marvel Two-In-One annual 2 Death of Captain Marvel Tie-ins of varying importance. Marvel Feature #12, Avengers #125 (tie-ins to Captain Marvel story) Daredevil #105-107 (origin of Moondragon, ties in to Captain Marvel story) Logan's Run #6 (Unimportant Drax/Thanos story, takes place between the Captain Marvel and Strange Tales bits) Marvel Team-Up #55 (fills in, somewhat stupidly, one plot gap between Warlock #15 and Avengers annual 7) Marvel Spotlight #1-2 (takes place prior to Death of Captain Marvel) This has never been put well into trade. Trades recently in print which collectively capture the saga, but with a lot of duplication, a bizarre order, and head-scratching omissions: Warlock by Jim Starlin Avengers vs. Thanos Death of Captain Marvel Merry Christmas all! I'd include all the issues from the Starlin Warlock series. Even though the earlier issues focus on the Magus, it makes Thanos's eventual (re)appearance more meaningful when you read it all as one big story. I still wish that Starlin had been allowed to finish that story in the pages of Warlock. Not that I think it was substantially changed, but I fear that being forced by the cancellation of that solo Warlock series to finish it in the pages of other series - Marvel Two-in-One and The Avengers - might have shifted more emphasis onto characters like Spider-Man than would have otherwise been the case. I'm also not a fan of Joe Rubenstein's inks. But those are quibbles, relatively speaking. I rank the entire Starlin Warlock/Thanos story, whatever issues you think it's comprised of, right up there with my favourite comics of all time. Great pick. |
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Post by berkley on Dec 29, 2014 3:51:18 GMT -5
On the first day of Christmas, the spinner racks brought to me.... Avengers 162... I've read this comic more times than any other comic, more times than I care to count. I've traced every single panel form it at least once, and quite a few of them (like the splash page) several times as a kid. It is the book that defines my love for the Avengers and my love for the super-hero story. The team devastated, facing the ultimate foe in Ultron, Wonder Man's doubts, Thor's gritty determination, Iron Man's resolve, and Black Panther's grace under pressure. I was hooked, I'd read it, put it down and an hour later pull it out to read again. The Avengers being carried into the ambulances as Thor arrived choked me up, the strange call for help from the ants intrigued me, the fight scenes floored me, and Perez's art blew me away. It was everything I wanted in a comic, and the standard by which I judged other comics for a looooong time. -M This is still my favourite era for Perez's artwork. I think the more simplified figure work in these earlier comics played to his strengths. As he tried to develop his style and add more detail to the faces and musculature of his figures it ended up becoming much more clumsy and stiff looking, to my eyes. I do like the extra detail in his backgrounds and panel layouts, though. Ideally, I'd like to see a combination of those intricate backgrounds with the simpler, more rounded figure work of his early style. And much as I disparage Jim Shooter for his later work, I too enjoyed these early Avengers stories of his at the time. He always had good storytelling skills. The way I see it, he's one of those writers who shouldn't try to think too much. From a few comments of his that I've read, I think it's when he was too self-consciously thnking things through that he came up with (as I see it) ill-conceived ideas like Henry Pym hitting Jan or the whole Moondragon as villain debacle. At his best, in those early Avengers issues, he was a very solid superhero writer, though I think perhaps better suited to DC than to Marvel characters. Regardless, this and several other of those early Perez/Shooter Avengers issues remain favourite comics of mine, and I'd probably agree with mrp that Averngers #162 might be the very best of them. |
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