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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 14, 2014 16:56:55 GMT -5
You don't have to own a copy to pick it as one of your 12.
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Post by benday-dot on Dec 14, 2014 17:24:15 GMT -5
11. Blanketsby Craig Thompson July, 2003 (Top Shelf) Very nice Chris. I enjoyed that. And it is not at all lost on me that in extolling the virtues of great storytelling you told a pretty fine one yourself. |
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Post by benday-dot on Dec 14, 2014 17:58:36 GMT -5
#11 Jumbo Comics 99 (Fiction House May 1947)
Idling my way on the tropical strand, vast expanse of blue before me, one thing quickly becomes absolutely apparent... what about the dark, sticky impenetrable mass to my rear. What about the terror of the jungle! I would need company, a guide, and protector when it came to surviving the enfolding mysteries of the primeval tangle. Who better to perform the role than Sheena, Queen of the Jungle! Comely, lithesome, mistress of her domain, I would do well by Sheena the first dame of the jungle, rendered and dressed here by the skillful pencil of as the great but little recalled Robert Webb. I perhaps should apologize for my weakness for the genre of the jungle comic. Much more than the blanket of humidity, the jungle comic is soaked in some of the worst vices of our age... colonialism, racism and the general sins of the exploiter. And yet, perhaps starting with Tarzan I've long sought out the representatives of this scorned and exiled corner of our comics community. It is, in part, I think, the very remoteness, the anachronism of the jungle comic that has spoken to some contrarian part of my soul. I've amassed a smallish collection of vintage, and more modern, jungle comics and I would consider myself bereft if I hadn't a representative of the lode to remind me of distant shores. Jungle babes, gorillas, and with this issue too the lovely Ginger Maguire as Skygirl from the exquisite touch of Matt Baker recommends this issue to the task of memorializing. 
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metarog
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Waking up in an alternate universe
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Post by metarog on Dec 14, 2014 18:04:58 GMT -5
11. Legion of Super-Heroes Vol. 3 #5 DC
 Every once in a while I am surprised by what occurs in comics… most of the time it affects me for a few minutes and then I am off to the next thing. This comic made such an impact on me-I had to reread it just to make sure what I thought happened actually occurred. I even remember talking about this issue with some of my buds at the local comic shop after it came out. Projectra has always been a nice character but was never really a headliner as most writers had her more in the background and supporting other heroes… not in this issue however… not by a long shot. She is front and center and shows a resolve and scary determination that ultimately led to victory while avenging her beloved. This was a powerful and moving story that had me shaking my fists in approval. It is one of my favorites for showing me not to underestimate anyone especially if they have proper motivation. |
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 14, 2014 21:47:00 GMT -5
On the second day of Classic Comics Chistmas I gave unto thee...
 Written by Dan Barry and apparently Kurt Busiek!? Pencils by Dan Barry Inked by Frank Springer Colored by Gregory Wright Dark Horse Comics 1992 I mentioned in yesterday's entry that the Ninja Turtles were a huge part of my childhood, but if you were to ask anyone what was my biggest influence as a child and they would say Indiana Jones. In my young mind there wasn't anyone cooler than Indie, not even my dad and I idolized him. It was a part of my life every day, unavoidably every stray piece of rope, twine, string or even an errant piece of vine or long weed that came into my little hands would become a bullwhip and my little brother will forever be Shortround(even if he is taller than me now).
It was a perfect storm of awesomeness for me then as not only did I have all three Indie movies on VHS to watch when ever I wanted but there was an Indiana Jones TV show to watch too! And better than that, just like in my favorite part of the Last Crusade Indie, was my age! To see my hero as a kid just like me made my own "adventures" feel all the more like Indie's own which was a blast. And on top of that a comic came out adapting the best bits of the show too so it was a regular Indie over load. I loved all the issues, but I picked this one because it was the first comic I bought with my own money. Okay, so I got said money for Christmas so it wasn't really any different than when my father would buy comics for me but it felt special as I chose to use that money on this book and I never regretted it as it adapted my favorite episode so I could essentially "watch" that episode when ever I wanted just by picking up this book. |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2014 23:20:39 GMT -5
#11 Jumbo Comics 99 (Fiction House May 1947)
Jungle babes, gorillas, and with this issue too the lovely Ginger Maguire as Skygirl from the exquisite touch of Matt Baker recommends this issue to the task of memorializing. Also a Tarzan fan, and I've read some Sheena. Your mention of Matt Baker piqued my interest, and I downloaded this issue. It was good stuff, and the Skygirl story was fun. I'm gonna have to find some more. Thanks! |
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Post by Deleted on Dec 14, 2014 23:29:23 GMT -5
Aquaman #54 "Crime Wave" DC, cover date Nov-Dec 1970 Writer - Steve Skeates Artist - Jim Aparo Okay, I mentioned that I'd started w/DC and then found Marvel. At one point, won over by the inclusive fan-friendly atmosphere Stan Lee fostered (and running out of money), I decided to give up DC and become a loyal Marvelite. When I explained that to my mother, she was underwhelmed, until I pointed out that Marvel published fewer titles than DC, and I'd be saving money. So for a while I was happy with the FF, Spidey, the X-Men, the occasional Avengers or Thor. But I saw the DCs sitting there on the shelf, and eventually I noticed that things were changing. The covers were more dynamic, the stories sounded different. And so I decided to pick up a couple of DCs to see if things were different. One of the books I picked to test the waters was Aquaman #54.  First, the artwork by Aparo was slick and smooth, figures in motion, tough looking detectives, a creepy haunted house, an old west town out of any B-movie, and a dynamic page layout for the climax. Exciting stuff. And the story? Loved it. There's a crime wave, w/model citizens acting like brainwashed zombies, saying Thanatos has killed them. Then Aquaman, who's been hanging w/some surface friends, is jumped in an alley and beaten. He wakes up outside the haunted house. Inside, a bulky, evil version of Aquaman comes out of a mirror and beats him up. He wakes up in Atlantis. He meets Thanatos (the big bad him) again and is beaten. He wakes up in Atlantis. He follows Thanatos to an old west town underwater, and Thanatos beats him. He wakes up in Atlantis. He decides this is getting ridiculous. Thanatos appears, and proceeds to beat him some more.  There's a happy ending, but never mind that. The point is this was not the DC I remembered. No Super-dickery, no Batman in space, no riding a seahorse. This Aquaman used his head, and didn't call on his fish buddies for help once. It was part crime drama, with the detective and the (non-costumed) crooks, part psychological thriller (the victims, once 'killed' by their Thanatos, become death-oriented and criminals). (Hey, I didn't say it was good psychology.) It felt mature, and experimental, and cool as hell. This book (and Phantom Stranger #10, which came out about the same time and really should be on my list) helped me decide that maybe there was more out there worth reading than just Marvel. Of course, Aquaman would be cancelled 2 issues later. That's the way my world works.
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Post by Deleted on Dec 15, 2014 1:11:19 GMT -5
#11: Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (DC, 1986)  Confession: I wasn't much into DC Comics as a kid. Very rarely I would pick up a Superman or Batman comic, but everything else was strictly Marvel. When I was around 10, a new kid moved into the neighborhood. I don't remember his name, so let's call him DC Kid. DC Kid's enthusiasm for DC superheroes was infectious. We became friends around the time that DC's big Crisis on Infinite Earths event hit the shelves. This Crisis thing rocked DC Kid's world. He would not shut up about this event. Eventually I gave in and read the first couple of issues he had bought. And I was wowed. That George Perez art. A plethora of classic DC heroes, combined with some new characters which I found interesting. DC Kid was right, this was pretty good. Issue #12 is my favorite of the series. At that point in the Crisis, it felt like there was no hope for mankind. The heroes had failed. To see the Psycho-Pirate insanely pulling on Barry's uniform through the rock, witnessed by a horrified Kid Flash. To see the heroes have to resort to asking Darkseid for help. Then to see Earth-2 Superman punching the Anti-Monitor fireball into obliteration. It was all mindblowing. A few years ago, well before CBR decided to reboot itself, I remember bringing up Crisis on Infinite Earths in our old Classics Forum. The majority of the responses showed a general disdain for the event at the time. Now, I do understand that this event forever changed DC Comics, and many fans that had grown up with certain books could no longer enjoy them the same way. But for me, THIS was the event that got me to care about DC. It got me to dive into that giant DC Comics backlog, and dip into the Hall of Justice fountain of JLA history. |
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Post by Icctrombone on Dec 15, 2014 7:38:10 GMT -5
#11: Crisis on Infinite Earths #12 (DC, 1986) Confession: I wasn't much into DC Comics as a kid. Very rarely I would pick up a Superman or Batman comic, but everything else was strictly Marvel. When I was around 10, a new kid moved into the neighborhood. I don't remember his name, so let's call him DC Kid. DC Kid's enthusiasm for DC superheroes was infectious. We became friends around the time that DC's big Crisis on Infinite Earths event hit the shelves. This Crisis thing rocked DC Kid's world. He would not shut up about this event. Eventually I gave in and read the first couple of issues he had bought. And I was wowed. That George Perez art. A plethora of classic DC heroes, combined with some new characters which I found interesting. DC Kid was right, this was pretty good. Issue #12 is my favorite of the series. At that point in the Crisis, it felt like there was no hope for mankind. The heroes had failed. To see the Psycho-Pirate insanely pulling on Barry's uniform through the rock, witnessed by a horrified Kid Flash. To see the heroes have to resort to asking Darkseid for help. Then to see Earth-2 Superman punching the Anti-Monitor fireball into obliteration. It was all mindblowing. A few years ago, well before CBR decided to reboot itself, I remember bringing up Crisis on Infinite Earths in our old Classics Forum. The majority of the responses showed a general disdain for the event at the time. Now, I do understand that this event forever changed DC Comics, and many fans that had grown up with certain books could no longer enjoy them the same way. But for me, THIS was the event that got me to care about DC. It got me to dive into that giant DC Comics backlog, and dip into the Hall of Justice fountain of JLA history. This was a great book. |
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Dec 15, 2014 12:06:05 GMT -5
11. Batman 251: Denny O'Neil and Neal AdamsI would have read this originally in a B&W reprint, as a pre-teen in the early to mid 70s, but cant find a cover scan for anything around that time. Fortunately for me(in terms of this thread) I own it digitally on Comixology, so I can claim it after all. This story very nearly made my top 12 too. Like you, I first read The Joker's Five Way Revenge in a late '70s B&W magazine (a UK publication called The Superheroes and it was issue #3, if memory serves). I've since acquired the story in it's original U.S. comic form in Batman #251. |
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Post by Slam_Bradley on Dec 15, 2014 12:57:00 GMT -5
Limited Collectors Edition C-52 (DC Oct. '77)  I remember seeing quite a few DC tabloids for sale (and damn few Marvel ones) but I didn't buy many because the price was prohibitive. But I bought this one and loved every single page. And it's pretty odd that I bought it with that big goofy Superman on the cover (yeah...I always hated him). But the Supes story, though it was by far the worst in the book, was actually fairly decent. This is just one of those books that expanded my view of the comics world. I didn't buy mystery or western books prior to this one. I didn't buy a lot after, but was certainly more likely too.
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Confessor
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Post by Confessor on Dec 15, 2014 13:07:41 GMT -5
#11 - Blade Runner Annual (late 1982)  I absolutely love Al Wiliamson's artwork, let me just say that first off. So, I knew that I had to have something drawn by Williamson on my list for this year's Classic Comics Xmas. The excellent comic adaptation that he and Archie Goodwin did of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner first appeared in the U.S. in Marvel Super Special #22, but here in the UK, it was first published in late 1982 as a hardcover, magazine-sized Annual. I've picked this comic adaptation for Williamson artwork, obviously, but also because it was my very first encounter with the entire world of Blade Runner. Of course, I had heard of the film when it came out and I really wanted to see it. A new science fiction film starring Harrison "Han Solo" Ford? You bet I wanted to see it! However, I was only 9-years-old when it was released and here in the UK it had a 15 certificate rating (or AA as it was back in then) and as a result, there was no way I could get into a cinema to see it. At the time, the annual pictured above passed me by completely, but in late 1983, the adaptation was serialised in Marvel UK's Return of the Jedi Weekly comic, as a backup strip. It was printed in a particularly horrible, red and black, duo-tone colour scheme, but that didn't matter a jot to me. I absolutely loved it anyway. It wasn't until the early 1990s that I finally picked up this hardcover Blade Runner Annual, which reprints the adaptation in its entirety in full colour (rather than in the horrible red and black colour scheme that appeared in ROTJ Weekly). For me, Rick Deckard, Replicants, the "Voight-Kampff" test, the Tyrell Corporation, Roy Batty's moving "tears in the rain" speech and the big questions about mortality and the very nature of what it is to be human that Blade Runner asks, were all first encountered via this comic. Is the comic as powerful and as moving as the film itself, no, of course not...not by a long chalk. But since it wasn't until 1987 or thereabouts that I actually managed to see the film itself, this comic adaptation was the film for me, at least between the ages of 11 and 15. Today, it is one of the most re-read comics that I own.
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Post by thwhtguardian on Dec 15, 2014 13:27:58 GMT -5
#11. Blade Runner Annual (late 1982) I absolutely love Al Wiliamson's artwork, let me just say that first off. So, I knew that I had to have something drawn by Williamson on my list for this year's Classic Comics Xmas. The excellent comic adaptation that he and Archie Goodwin did of Ridley Scott's Blade Runner first appeared in the U.S. in Marvel Super Special #22, but here in the UK, it was first published in late 1982 as a hardcover, magazine-sized Annual. I've picked this comic adaptation for Williamson artwork, obviously, but also because it was my very first encounter with the entire world of Blade Runner. Of course, I had heard of the film when it came out and I really wanted to see it. A new science fiction film starring Harrison "Han Solo" Ford? You bet I wanted to see it! However, I was only 9-years-old when it was released and here in the UK it had a 15 certificate rating (or AA as it was back in then) and as a result, there was no way I could get into a cinema to see it. At the time, the annual pictured above passed me by completely, but in late 1983, the adaptation was serialised in Marvel UK's Return of the Jedi Weekly comic, as a backup strip. It was printed in a particularly horrible, red and black, duo-tone colour scheme, but that didn't matter a jot to me. I absolutely loved it anyway. It wasn't until the early 1990s that I finally picked up this hardcover Blade Runner Annual, which reprints the adaptation in its entirety in full colour (rather than in the horrible red and black colour scheme that appeared in ROTJ Weekly). For me, Rick Deckard, Replicants, the "Voight-Kampff" test, the Tyrell Corporation, Roy Batty's moving "tears in the rain" speech and the big questions about mortality and the very nature of what it is to be human that Blade Runner asks, were all first encountered via this comic. Is the comic as powerful and as moving as the film itself, no, of course not...not by a long chalk. But since it wasn't until 1987 or thereabouts that I actually managed to see the film itself, this comic adaptation was the film for me, at least between the ages of 11 and 15. Today, it is one of the most re-read comics that I own. Wow...how have I never heard of this??? I need this in my life. |
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Post by BigPapaJoe on Dec 15, 2014 13:41:24 GMT -5
12 days of Classic Christmas #11
Flash #1 (1987)
Mike Baron/ Jackson Juice/Larry Mahlstedt
 I have always liked the concept of the Flash, but always thought the Barry Allen version to really be bland and boring. When they started a new Flash series using Wally West I thought it might be a little better. Boy was I wrong, It was a Lot better. Flash #1-18 is my favorite run of the any series involving a Flash Character. A real transition from his Kid Flash status is made in the very first pages when he is celebrating his 20th birthday with the Teen Titans and the book takes off from there. During the run, Wally has real world situations and an active sex life , which made it all a nice read. He was a young guy with hermones raging and it showed in his behavior. Great dialogue from Baron really makes this comic stand out for me. I know many are fond of the Later Mark Waid and Geoff Johns runs but for me, this will always stand out as THE Flash. He is handed the mantle of the Flash because of the COIE events. This is one of the good side effects of that series , among the bad. Other reasons This issue stands out for me : He is only able to run at 700 Mph, tops. He has to eat incredible amounts of calories in order to maintain his strength. He shows real world sensibilities by negotiating with a hospital for free health insurance in exchange for transporting a heart. And , Oh yeah, he hits the Lotto. He establishes Vandal Savage as his first rogue.      I don't have much experience with The Flash, although I'm trying to get into the character. Over the years I've heard a lot of people prefer Wally compared to Barry. I wasn't sure why. I just finished reading The Flash Rebirth, by Geoff Johns and it was "meh" to me for the most part. I just wanted to start with something Barry related for some reason. Although I've been thinking about reading up on Wally's stories since again, as I've heard, everyone seems to prefer him. That issue right there looks like a good start. Thanks for the insight. |
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Post by Mister Spaceman on Dec 15, 2014 14:19:54 GMT -5
#11. Amazing Spider-Man #106 (March 1972)This pick is mostly informed by pure nostalgia, as this is the first superhero comic book I can recall buying, at the tender age of 5 (I had some 'funny animal' comics and some issues of Gold Key's Boris Karloff, Mod Wheels, and Turok, Son of Stone before this one). As such, it represents the seed of what would become a virtual lifelong interest in Spandex-clad do-gooders. What I recall most vividly about this issue is, of course, the cover. More specifically, I was fascinated by the dramatic shock of the superhero's secret identity being revealed. That was more startling to me than anything else going on in the story line, of which I recall virtually nothing, as I've not seen or read this issue since 1972. Perhaps it's time to hunt down a copy and get in closer touch with that younger self who was so mesmerized by the ongoing trials and tribulations of Peter Parker. 
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