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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 20, 2019 14:04:04 GMT -5
I had the Demon/Swamp thing team-up in the future but I’m switching up since it’s getting enough love.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2019 14:04:35 GMT -5
5. Batman/Captain America Wrestling is rigged? What?! This is a great choice, Cody. I like that it was set on a shared Earth. I've had conversations with JB at his forum over the years, I gather he prefers shared Earth to separate universes. Setting it in the 1940s was a GREAT idea - and I love the Joker/Red Skull confrontation. Even the Joker must be a patriot. Great, great story. |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 20, 2019 14:07:19 GMT -5
codystarbuck, you beat me to it! I'll still post it b/c it is every bit as good as you say it is. Well done!
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2019 16:07:54 GMT -5
On the eighth day of Christmas, Santa gave to me the Writer and the green... DC Comics Presents #85 (DC; 1985) by Alan Moore, Rick Veitch, and Al Williamson  Sorry Slam_Bradley, more Superman. Superman is dying because of the effects of a fungi from Krypton that arrived on earth on a meteorite, and only a chance encounter with the Swamp Thing saves him. Pretty basic concept, but the execution by Moore, Veitch and Williamson is masterful. You get the lovely Lovecraftian concept of Fungi from outer space, an examination of what happens if Superman with all his powers goes mad, Veitch inked by Williamson which at times has a Kubertesque vibe (especially in the panels with an unshaven Clark Kent pictured), and it's all wrapped up in a single issue story with a solid beginning, middle and end. It would also have seamlessy fit into Moore's run on Swamp Thing or into the then current run of Superman without missing a beat or standing out as something different, a testament to the level of craft Moore put into it and a hallmoark of the best team up stories in that they do not make any of the participants feel out of place or feel outside their milieu just to make the team up happen. And at the end, they both go off into the sunset without Superman ever the wiser unaware of Swamp Thing's role in the entire drama...  -M |
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Post by Prince Hal on Dec 20, 2019 16:23:43 GMT -5
5.The Brave and the Bold 84 (July 1969, DC Comics)
“The Angel, the Rock and the Cowl”
Bob Haney and Neal Adams
 As some others here apparently agree (I’m looking at you, slam!) the late 60s saw a mini-Renaissance at DC Comics, born more out of desperation than any desire on the parts of the well entrenched DC brass to upset the applecart they’d been peddling from for decades. But, desperate times call for desperate measures, and suddenly, dull-as-dishwater DC was making waves: new artists, writers, titles, genres that hadn’t been seen for years, all in the quest to do something to catch up with Marvel. Much of this happened on the fringes. The Weisinger satrapy was not going to be a place for experimentation, but with the freshness of the early Silver Age fast going stale, we saw the cancellation of Atom, Hawkman and Atom and Hawkman. Wonder Woman went all Emma Peel. Green Lantern was foundering and near cancellation. We saw the rise of Deadman, Anthro, the Creeper, and Bat Lash and the return of horror comics. Batman lucked out because another fringe title, The Brave and the Bold, became a playground for DC’s finest new find, Neal Adams under editor Murray Boltinoff. The B and B Batman had little to do with the one we saw in Batman and Detective at first, but Adams’ realistic take on Batman in B and B quickly became the default version. Suddenly B and B became a must-have book, for me anyway, and this issue, with full-page ads all over the DC line, broke the super-hero barrier, as Batman teamed with Sgt. Rock. Though it’s far from my favorite Adams cover – Rock’s figure looks too stiff, as if it’s suffering rigor mortis – the anguish on Batman’s face is so genuine that you have to go with it. (I don’t recall ever seeing Adams’ signature on any other cover; he was carrying his tribute to Kubert as far as he could, I guess.) I was annoyed to see the New Look Bat-symbol, but I realized once I started the story that the yellow oval was there so as not to confuse the casual fan. Soon enough (at least in my feeble brain), I believed it was the Earth-Two Batman and kind of pretended that for once Bob Haney at least nodded to the importance of a little continuity. (And in at least one panel, there was no circle around the Bat-symbol, so there was that.) Adams is near-perfect capturing Joe Kubert’s Rock, which he seems to know he can’t top and so does his best to follow in the footsteps of the master. His Batman is equally impressive; I think it was this issue that cemented in my mind the notion that the then-current Batman could be as forbidding and frightening a figure as he had looked in the early Golden Age reprints I had seen here and there.  The story is, at its best, classic Bob Haney: espionage, nerve gas, a cameo by Churchill, Bruce Wayne’s parachute caught on a church steeple; the Nazi villain returning decades later for revenge and his lost loot, etc., etc. At its worst, however, the story is classic Haney; his Sgt. Rock is really Sgt. Fury. Not only do Easy Company act as a commando unit, parachuting into occupied France with Bruce Wayne an OSS-type operative, but Rock is a carbon-copy of Fury when it comes to the dialogue. When Bulldozer and Wild Man briefly go missing, he calls them “those two apes,” and when he finds them, knocks their heads together and yells, “Knock it off, clowns! I oughtta court-martial ya!” As on-point as Adams is in capturing the look of Rock and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Co., that’s how off-model Haney is with his characterization. Ah, well. You take the good with the bad. And the Adams art, the freshness of the team-up, and the influence on DC of what Adams was doing were very, very good.
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 20, 2019 16:33:23 GMT -5
Man...I'm getting a lot of call-outs today. It's almost as if I'm a loudmouth or something.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 20, 2019 17:00:13 GMT -5
5. Batman/Captain America1996 This was so unexpectedly fun that nothing else compared and it made me want to see a long mini-series with these guys and other heroes, in WW2. Why we didn't get a JSA/Invaders crossover, I will never know (apart from Roy Thomas having left DC some time ago). And this would have been my #1 choice! For reasons codystarbuck stated so well. In fact this issue is my favorite team up ever. And I echo your last 2 sentences. I wish Thomas had done a JSA/Invaders crossover. And I wish Byrne could have expanded this into a mini series... |
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Post by rberman on Dec 20, 2019 17:38:37 GMT -5
#5: Nick Fury and the Micronauts (Micronauts #26-29, 1981, Bill Mantlo, Pat Broderick, and Danny Bulanadi): After a memorable first twelve issues recapitulating Star Wars, the Micronauts’ series went into “Crossover Hell,” with more C-list guest stars than Fantasy Island. The series found its footing by repeating itself, bringing back Darth Vader stand-in Baron Karza for another round in cahoots with Hydra. Nick Fury's presence made perfect sense in that context, with one issue setting up the conflict, two issues of combat at a Disney World stand-in, and a mournful wrap-up as the victors buried their dead. This was one of the first comics I read as a kid, and I still don’t know exactly what “buy the farm” has to do with dying, but I never forgot it. 
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Post by berkley on Dec 20, 2019 19:12:03 GMT -5
5. Ka-Zar & DaredevilStan Lee & John Romita (layouts by Jack Kirby) Daredevil #12, 13 (Marvel 1965, reprinted in Ka-Zar #2, 1970)  I was happy to see this one already make another list earlier: it's one of those comics that made a big impression on me as a young reader - I would have been 8 when I read the reprint in 1970 - and for some reason a much bigger impression than the Ka-Zar/X-Men cross-over that was also reprinted around this time in the first issue of this Ka-Zar solo series, probably because I was a much bigger fan of Daredevil than of the X-Men. And in fact, it would have been daredevil that was the main draw for me at the time, but I soon found myself fascinated not only by Ka-Zar but also his brother, the Plunderer, a modern day pirate, as his name would suggest. Forutunately this reprint omitted DD#14 in which the Plunderer is suddenly given a generic super-villain costume and immediately becomes around 100x less interesting. I lost this comic as a kid and for many years could not think who the artist must have been - I remembered pretty well what it looked like, many scenes and panels - e.g. the one above with the Swamp Men's fleet of ships "sailing down the river" (do you see any sails?) - having been burnt into my brain, and knew it wasn't Colan or Wood, whose styles I had come to know by then, but never thought of either Kirby or Spider-Man's Romita. It wasn't until the internet came along and you could look up info like this that the "mystery" was solved.
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Post by foxley on Dec 20, 2019 19:30:55 GMT -5
5. Sandman/Sandman, Sandman Midnight Theatre, (Vertigo, 1995) 1939. England stands at the brink of war. Following a trail of blackmail, murder and suicide, Wesley Dodds - the mysterious crimefighter known only as the Sandman - travels from New York to London and discovers a circle of socialites obsessed with the occult. His dangerous quest takes him on a mission in the rough East End to a strange party at the Sussex manor house that is home to the Order of Ancient Mysteries. Deep in the sprawling guts of "Fawnex Rig", the Sandman uncovers black schemes, hidden identities and the mystic sphere that imprisons Dream of Endless. I have been a fan of the Golden Age Sandman ever since my parents gave me a copy of Famous First Edition #7 (reprinting the first appearance of the JSA) for my birthday when I was six or seven. Something about the business suit, fedora, cape and gas mask look just hooked me (along with the creepiness of the tale he tells in that issue, but that's probably a story for another time). I would later be disappointed to learn that kids in the 40s were so undiscerning that they couldn't appreciate the uniqueness of Wesley's look and demanded he be dressed in the most generic superhero costume ever: a yellow and purple union suit that had no connection to sleep, sand or anything connected with Wesley's crimefighting motif. It also didn't have a gas mask, so logically he should have been vulnerable to his own sleep gas. Fortunately, writers of my era agreed with me and all of Wesley's appearances from the 70s onwards had him in his 'proper' outfit (apart from All-Star Squadron where Roy Thomas was hamstrung by his need to hew closely to Earth-2 continuity, and even then he at least gave us a tale of why Wesley changed outfits). Anyway, my point here (in my usual rambling fashion), is that I have been a Wesley Dodds fan as long as I've been a fan of superheroes (which is more years now than I care to contemplate). So I was delighted when, in a effort to cash in on the success of The Sandman, DC (under its Vertigo imprint) launched Sandman Mystery Theatre. I was even more delighted that the stories were in the style of the 'weird mystery' pulps, as were many of Wesley's early comics. To my chagrin, I was late to the phenomenon that was The Sandman, that established that comics could be 'serious literature'. However, once I was introduced to it, I fell in love with it. (As a side note, the biggest price I have ever paid for an individual issue of a comic is for The Sandman #1 I needed to complete my run. That #1 has now been signed by Neil Gaiman.) Despite being a spin-off of The Sandman, the actual overlap between the two titles was minimal. This one-shot is where they intersect properly. In The Sandman #1, there is a single panel where its says that while Morpheus was trapped, Wesley Dodds started experiencing dreams where he was haunted by a masked figure with the power to put people to sleep. He was driven to adopt the identity of the Sandman and fight crime, and the dreams faded. This story builds on that single panel. Make no no mistake, this is a Sandman Mystery Theatre spin-off, not a Sandman one. Morpheus' role, while crucial, is comparatively small. This tale is integral to the ongoing story in Mystery Theatre, marking a major turning point in the relationship of Wesley and Dian. However, the story does fill some details on the lost years of Morpheus' imprisonment. But, if you have read The Sandman, then you already know that Morpheus' fate is a foregone conclusion, and that he will not escape his confinement in this story. The writing by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner is as brilliant as you'd hope a story by Gaiman and Wagner would be. The art by Danish artist Teddy Kristiansen is haunting and dreamlike, and perfectly fits the nature of the story.  Apologies for the rambling nature of this entry. I started not knowing exactly what I was going to write, and it just kinda spilled out. I guess this book affected more that I initially realised. So and haunting tale that adds to the mythos of two separate titles earns my #5 slot.
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 20, 2019 20:24:37 GMT -5
#5
Crossover- Nexus/ Badger
Issues- Nexus 5-8
Writer- Mike Baron
Artist- Steve Rude
Inker- Issue # 8 only- Eric Shanower
Publisher- Capital/ First
Year- 1983
 In one of my other picks I sang the praises of First Comics and their stable of creators , but The Nexus series started out being published by Capital Comics. After they went out of business, First took over the Character starting in 1985. I can’t say enough good things about Mike Baron. When he burst upon the scene I considered him the next Stan Lee in creating brand new original Characters like Nexus and the Badger. Maybe he would build his own universe starting with these two? Anyway, Nexus is a Superhero/Sci fi type set 500 years in the future in a different Galaxy and the Badger is set in Modern day earth. The crossover is possible because Badger is mystically sent away by his employer , a modern day druid. The Story- Nexus and his best pal Judah Maccabee go on an adventure bar hopping at Judah’s suggestion and they run into a black hole which transports them to a bowl shaped world. The ship loses power and Nexus’ powers also vanish. After they survive a rough weeks long decent, they meet the Badger and also run into a creature that tells them they are trapped in the bowl shaped world. To get out, they have to go through three rings. The first requires a master of weapons to survive, the second a master of unarmed combat and the third has to be passed by a person who can use philosophy to pass. What follows is various tests on the three and all the while , Nexus and Judah have to try to control the Badger , who is quite insane. There is lots of action and the artwork by Rude is superb. I’m not sure if this has ever been collected but it’s a good read. The Badger displays his martial skills  And also shows he's bat$%^ crazy {See ?} 
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Post by beccabear67 on Dec 20, 2019 21:35:29 GMT -5
 5. The Atom & HawkmanThe Atom #7 Gardner Fox, Gil Kane & Murphy Anderson Later this title would become The Atom & Hawkman, but here it's The Atom teaming with Hawkman (Hawkgirl is away) for the first time to solve the riddle of strange earthquakes effecting birds. Aliens are behind it, they have a scale model that whatever they do to it effects the life-sized Earth. A fast moving story with some gorgeous scenes. Does it get any better in '60s DC comics than Kane inked by Anderson? |
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Post by foxley on Dec 21, 2019 1:20:11 GMT -5
5.The Brave and the Bold 84 (July 1969, DC Comics)
“The Angel, the Rock and the Cowl”
Bob Haney and Neal AdamsThe story is, at its best, classic Bob Haney: espionage, nerve gas, a cameo by Churchill, Bruce Wayne’s parachute caught on a church steeple; the Nazi villain returning decades later for revenge and his lost loot, etc., etc. At its worst, however, the story is classic Haney; his Sgt. Rock is really Sgt. Fury. Not only do Easy Company act as a commando unit, parachuting into occupied France with Bruce Wayne an OSS-type operative, but Rock is a carbon-copy of Fury when it comes to the dialogue. When Bulldozer and Wild Man briefly go missing, he calls them “those two apes,” and when he finds them, knocks their heads together and yells, “Knock it off, clowns! I oughtta court-martial ya!” As on-point as Adams is in capturing the look of Rock and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Co., that’s how off-model Haney is with his characterization. Rock actually refers to this TB&TB #124 (my Day 2 pick) where Rock recognises Bruce Wayne as a soldier who served temporarily with Easy Co. in WWII, making that story a sequel to this one.
Of course, Rock has aged 30+ years, and Wayne hasn't aged a day, and Rock doesn't find this the least bit strange. Haney insanity at its finest!
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Post by Reptisaurus! on Dec 21, 2019 5:59:22 GMT -5
5.The Brave and the Bold 84 (July 1969, DC Comics)
“The Angel, the Rock and the Cowl”
Bob Haney and Neal AdamsThe story is, at its best, classic Bob Haney: espionage, nerve gas, a cameo by Churchill, Bruce Wayne’s parachute caught on a church steeple; the Nazi villain returning decades later for revenge and his lost loot, etc., etc. At its worst, however, the story is classic Haney; his Sgt. Rock is really Sgt. Fury. Not only do Easy Company act as a commando unit, parachuting into occupied France with Bruce Wayne an OSS-type operative, but Rock is a carbon-copy of Fury when it comes to the dialogue. When Bulldozer and Wild Man briefly go missing, he calls them “those two apes,” and when he finds them, knocks their heads together and yells, “Knock it off, clowns! I oughtta court-martial ya!” As on-point as Adams is in capturing the look of Rock and the combat-happy Joes of Easy Co., that’s how off-model Haney is with his characterization. Rock actually refers to this TB&TB #124 (my Day 2 pick) where Rock recognises Bruce Wayne as a soldier who served temporarily with Easy Co. in WWII, making that story a sequel to this one.
Of course, Rock has aged 30+ years, and Wayne hasn't aged a day, and Rock doesn't find this the least bit strange. Haney insanity at its finest!
They explicitly talk about this in one of the letter pages. I'll see if I can dig it up. |
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Post by Farrar on Dec 21, 2019 13:28:35 GMT -5
...Does it get any better in '60s DC comics than Kane inked by Anderson?I know that's rhetorical but the answer is a solid no, it doesn't get any better. |
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