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What was the Greatest Single Comic of the Bronze Age?

Started by TupennyConan,

161 posts in this topic

Paul_Maul

Paul_Maul

Posted
Posted

I'm going with Supes 233....classic Adams cover, great Swan art, nifty O'Neil storyline.

Not that influential long term, but it certainly set the stage for nearly 15 years of Superman

stories to come. Probably my favorite book of all time.

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Zonker

Zonker

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Posted
Conan 24 - Solid story, great art, and Red Sonja :cloud9:

 

 

That's my pick. Probably the best single issue of a comic I've ever read.

 

I'm applauding this choice as well. Leave aside collectibility, nostalgia, cover-appeal, and trend-setting "importance," this is a fine time-capsule choice. By that, I mean, how about picking the best Bronze Age comic you'd show your grandchildren 50 years from now to demonstrate that, yeah, this is why I liked comics when I was a kid. :preach:

 

Kind of like there is (I think) a general board consensus that one of the greatest Silver Age comics would be FF #51. Not particularly collectible compared to surrounding issues, but just about as good as Stan & Jack got.

 

So next to Conan 24, I'd put:

 

- Detective 443 (Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter-Batman crossover)

- Avengers 96 (Adams' last contribution to Kree-Skrull war)

- New Gods 7 (reportedly Kirby's personal favorite, and yes, I know it won't be a popular choice on the boards :P )

- Swamp Thing 2 (Wein/Wrightson hit their stride after getting the origin out of the way)

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AGGIEZ

AGGIEZ

Posted
Posted
Isnt anything Rob Liefeld done the greatest across all comic book eras? Platinum, Golden, Silver, Bronze, Modern drek ??????

 

YES! He's the GREATEST no talent arse-clown every to become a millionaire drawing horrible funny books...

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jjonahjameson1

jjonahjameson1

Posted
Posted
i don't think anyone who's actually read it will look at Hulk 181 and think immediately upon finishing it it "wow, what a great book that was."

 

is the fact that Wolverine makes his first full appearance in it important? absolutely, yes.

 

 

but i think, personally, when you say "the greatest book of the blank age" that you have to consider all the factors in actually READING the thing. the story should move you, the art should move you, the implications of the story/character development should move you, all in some measure.

 

 

the reason i put ASM 121 in the mixture wasn't because it prompted ridiculous sales, introduced any major character whose popularity exploded half a decade later, or even was the first issue an artist/writer worked on. i chose it because, while not exceptional, the art is very good, the story itself something of a revelation in terms of its impact on the character, and it looks pretty good in a mylar.

 

Gwen Stacy and the Green Goblin dying set the tone for Spidey for the next twenty years. the impact of the book on the character was still being felt thirty years later. i mean, before this, when was there an example of a character's major archenemy and girlfriend dying?

 

:golfclap:

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BlowUpTheMoon

BlowUpTheMoon

Posted
Posted

ev96jd.jpg

 

- 'Death' of a major character, Jean Grey

- A chance to win $2,500

- Classic cover

- Byrne, Austin, Claremont

- The end of a fantastic storyline

- Double sized issue

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Doctor Svord

Doctor Svord

Posted
Posted
Conan 24 - Solid story, great art, and Red Sonja :cloud9:

 

 

That's my pick. Probably the best single issue of a comic I've ever read.

 

I'm applauding this choice as well. Leave aside collectibility, nostalgia, cover-appeal, and trend-setting "importance," this is a fine time-capsule choice. By that, I mean, how about picking the best Bronze Age comic you'd show your grandchildren 50 years from now to demonstrate that, yeah, this is why I liked comics when I was a kid. :preach:

 

Kind of like there is (I think) a general board consensus that one of the greatest Silver Age comics would be FF #51. Not particularly collectible compared to surrounding issues, but just about as good as Stan & Jack got.

 

So next to Conan 24, I'd put:

 

- Detective 443 (Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter-Batman crossover)

- Avengers 96 (Adams' last contribution to Kree-Skrull war)

- New Gods 7 (reportedly Kirby's personal favorite, and yes, I know it won't be a popular choice on the boards :P )

- Swamp Thing 2 (Wein/Wrightson hit their stride after getting the origin out of the way)

 

Cheers guys.

 

Avengers 96 :frustrated:

 

Love that book but it drove me nuts. I couldn't find a copy of 97 for the longest time. Gaah!

 

Doctor Strange 5 might fit in that capsule. (Brunner plot/art, origin of the Silver Dagger, and the finale to a story arc the likes of which Marvel won't have the intestinal fortitude to attempt again for a very long time.)

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NightGallery1

NightGallery1

Posted
Posted

Never was a DC guy, so -

 

Conan 24 - I still have my copy of #1 that Smith signed for me in the 70s. With every issue the art just got better and better - a poor Kirby clone at the start to a masterpiece exit with issue 24... I've never before or since witnessed an artist improve so much over the course of 20+ issues of any title. What I wouldn't give to own just one page of art from that last book.

 

I've also got a real soft spot for Captain Marvel 33 - the finale of a great story and my favorite Starlin cover.

 

I'm not going to downplay the significance of GSXM 1 or X-Men 94, although I distinctly recall my reaction after reading both of them - I was entertained, but at the same time wondered if the title would make it (and wasn't really sure if I cared - boy was I wrong).

 

Hulk 181 did absolutely nothing for me. Trimpe. The introduction of a new character whose main offensive weapon was one that the comics code authority would probably never allow to draw a single drop of blood. Trimpe. The point was moot anyway because he was battling a foe with impenetrable skin. Trimpe. The story was nothing to write home about either. Yeah, if I knew anything about comics that Wolverine character wasn't going anywhere. :)

 

ASM 121 - In a state of shock after reading that one (although having gotten back into comics again after many years, I was really disappointed to find that Gwen had been turned into a big slutbomb. Hey, at least she's still dead (and not Bucky Barnes dead.... maybe).

 

Just my 2 cents...

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RockMyAmadeus

RockMyAmadeus

Posted
Posted

Rom #1.

 

Duh.

 

 

 

.....

 

 

 

But seriously, the most important bronze age book, far and away, is GSXM #1. It is head and shoulders above everything else in importance, even of Hulk #181.

 

If there was no GSXM #1, Hulk #181 would be worth the same as #183...or #179. If there was no Hulk #181, GSXM #1 would still be worth what it is.

 

Wein and Cockrum created a masterpiece (in concept, if not necessarily in plot), then Claremont, Cockrum, and Byrne made it stick. It wasn't Wolvie that drove the X-Men into screaming heights of popularity by 1978 and beyond...it was Storm, Colossus, Nightcrawler, and Wolvie. Yeah, ok, and Cyclops too. ;)

 

But the greatest is still Rom #1.

 

So there.

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