shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
|
Post by shaxper on Mar 5, 2017 13:03:45 GMT -5
Most Impressive First Appearances in Comicdom Less a question of which first appearances you'd like to own, or which are the most historically important or collectible, the matter here is which first appearances were done the best -- whether the writing, the artwork, the plot, some unexpected twist involved in the reveal, etc. -- which debut appearances left/leave the strongest impact upon you? A few nominations of my own -- not favorite characters in any real sense, but first impressions that LASTED: Eternity (Strange Tales #138)  The Watcher (Fantastic Four #13)  Both appearances felt startling when they occurred in the story. You were expecting something but weren't quite sure what, and the visual design, combined with the panel arrangement, the haunting characterization, and the elaborate explanation for what each of these cosmic beings was, all come together to astound me each time I re-read them. So what are your nominations? Reply below... |
|
|
|
Post by Mormel on Mar 5, 2017 13:54:58 GMT -5
Nice picks, shax! It reminds me of the time when Marvel could add a new cosmic character and instill that sense of awe in me as a reader.
A cool first appearance that springs out to me (literally) is James McDonald Hudson (Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian) in Uncanny X-Men #109. I just love his design and the little grudge he holds against Wolverine. And when he makes his tactical retreat at the end of the issue, he ominously announces that next time he'll bring Alpha Flight... which no one will know what it is until their introduction slightly over a year later.
|
|
shaxper
CCF Site Custodian
Posts: 22,874
|
Post by shaxper on Mar 5, 2017 14:01:11 GMT -5
Nice picks, shax! It reminds me of the time when Marvel could add a new cosmic character and instill that sense of awe in me as a reader. A cool first appearance that springs out to me (literally) is James McDonald Hudson (Weapon Alpha/Vindicator/Guardian) in Uncanny X-Men #109. I just love his design and the little grudge he holds against Wolverine. And when he makes his tactical retreat at the end of the issue, he ominously announces that next time he'll bring Alpha Flight... which no one will know what it is until their introduction slightly over a year later. Nice choice. Claremont tried to force a lot of new characters on us during his tenure on X-Men, but I agree that Vindictator made a better impression than most of the rest. I was genuinely curious to learn more about him, as well as about what he knew about Wolverine. |
|
|
|
Post by kirby101 on Mar 5, 2017 14:05:57 GMT -5
That would be this one;  |
|
|
|
Post by kirby101 on Mar 5, 2017 14:08:45 GMT -5
And this one is pretty memorable.  |
|
|
|
Post by kirby101 on Mar 5, 2017 14:13:06 GMT -5
It's still Jean Grey, but I think Phoenix counts; X-Men #101   |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Mar 5, 2017 14:36:23 GMT -5
Deathstroke, The Terminator (then called The Terminator, more than Deathstroke)  The cover has you curious, as the Ravager is front and center (and new), supposedly having killed some of the Titans; but, you are drawn to the partially-silhouetted figure in the background, also festooned with weapons. Inside, we get another look...  and he is still intriguing. We get a quick demo of his skills and he walks off, rejecting the HIVE's offer. He gets involved later and pretty much cleans everyone's clock...  At the end, we see his humanity, as he grieves for his lost son...  In one issue, starting with the cover, Marv Wolfman and George Perez introduced the single greatest villain of the 80s and one of the mainstays for current use in media properties (which is what counts now, right DC?) |
|
|
|
Post by kirby101 on Mar 5, 2017 15:03:26 GMT -5
This guy   |
|
|
|
Post by codystarbuck on Mar 5, 2017 16:06:38 GMT -5
This guy I preferred his debut here:  |
|
|
|
Post by Deleted on Mar 5, 2017 16:28:36 GMT -5
Amazing Fantasy #15-by far the best story of any origin/first appearance of any modern American super-hero. It has a clear beginning, middle and end, it has all the relevant material you need to know what is going on within that story itself-nothing else is needed, it has character interact with conflict resulting in character growth/change, i.e. all the essential elements of a good story (or just a story in general and not an episodic vignette that cannot stand on its own), all rendered visually in spectacular fashion by Steve Ditko.
It is a powerful story that stands on its own, ages well with the passage of time and/or multiple reads, and is done in a short number of pages that needs nothing else to make it work and introduces a character that is both visually striking and which became iconic. It's a good story whether you have never read a comic book before or never read another Spider-Man story ever again. You don't need to have read anything going in for it to have relevance, and you don't have to read anything else for it to have an impact or leave an impression.
The craft of the story, both in structure and appearance is what makes the story truly impressive to me.
-M
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Mar 5, 2017 16:35:34 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Prince Hal on Mar 5, 2017 16:43:52 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by Icctrombone on Mar 5, 2017 16:49:43 GMT -5
When your twin appears with an Afro, you know you're in trouble...  |
|
|
|
Post by Ish Kabbible on Mar 5, 2017 17:05:46 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by chadwilliam on Mar 5, 2017 17:10:53 GMT -5
Amazing Fantasy #15-by far the best story of any origin/first appearance of any modern American super-hero. It has a clear beginning, middle and end, it has all the relevant material you need to know what is going on within that story itself-nothing else is needed, it has character interact with conflict resulting in character growth/change, i.e. all the essential elements of a good story (or just a story in general and not an episodic vignette that cannot stand on its own), all rendered visually in spectacular fashion by Steve Ditko. It is a powerful story that stands on its own, ages well with the passage of time and/or multiple reads, and is done in a short number of pages that needs nothing else to make it work and introduces a character that is both visually striking and which became iconic. It's a good story whether you have never read a comic book before or never read another Spider-Man story ever again. You don't need to have read anything going in for it to have relevance, and you don't have to read anything else for it to have an impact or leave an impression. The craft of the story, both in structure and appearance is what makes the story truly impressive to me. -M
You know, it used to strike me as odd that Spider-Man made his debut in a title such as Amazing Fantasy. From what I've read of the series, it was essentially a title with brief, little morality plays with some sort of twist ending coming a split second before the lead character realizes that he's just made the most horrific mistake of his life. But... that's Spidey's first appearance in a nutshell. It's almost as if Lee had a story about a guy who stumbles into being granted the most fantastic powers he can imagine, becomes a big shot, and forgets about the average man in the street since "with great power comes great selfishness", until one of the two people he actually cares about dies due to his swelled head. Without the costume, it works perfectly as an entry for Amazing Fantasy, with a costume however, well... you get Spider-Man.
|
|
