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Most important comics - not price, not age, not scarcity

Started by valiantman,

117 posts in this topic

Snake Eyes

Snake Eyes

Posted
Posted
Flash 123 is in the top 5 IMO.

 

This heralded the change of the target demographic for comics from kids to adults. Up to this point, continuity wasn't important. Just sell 'em in the store for a dime. With Flash 123, the editors finally acknowledged the people writing in asking why there were two Flashes, and made the mistake of trying to explain it.

 

Today, comics are sold in specialty stores with the expectation that they will have a storyline that continues across time and are sold to a buyer that is at least 10 years older than in 1945, and the mean is probably 20 or more years higher. That all stems (largely) from trying to maintain a storyline across issues.

 

 

 

 

Very cool thought on this...it will have my vote for one of the critical books (thumbs u

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MisterX

MisterX

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OK, for my top ten list I decided to go with American comic books that have affected popular American (and World) culture...

 

Here goes --

 

Action 1 (First Superman and Lois Lane -- Lois has gone hand-in-hand with Supes since the begining and is a major character)

 

Detective 27 (Yeah, we all know who first appears here...)

 

Detective 38 (love him or hate him, Robin is a nearly instantly recognizable character)

 

Pep 22 (First Archie, Betty and Jughead)

 

Pep 26 (First Veronica)

 

All-Star Comics 8 (First Wonder Woman)

 

Dell Four Color Comics 178 (First Uncle Scrooge, not so popular here anymore, a phenomenon in the rest of the world, instantly recognizable)

 

Amazing Fantasy 15 (First appearance of some spider-dude)

 

Incredible Hulk 1 (More recognizable than the FF by far)

 

Incredible Hulk 181 (First appearance of some guy with claws)

 

Honorable Mentions --

 

Detective 395 (Sorry guys, but it was O'Neill and Adams who are to thank for returning Batman to the grim and gritty, not Frank Miller)

 

Maus -- the first comic to win a Pulitzer Prize, a feat that may not be repeated for a long time and the real proof to the muggles that "comics aren't for kids anymore".

 

I also think the impact of Japanese manga in America cannot be overestimated, and some day future collectors will be arguing about the importance of early, translated reprints like Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira and (gasp) Sailor Moon!

 

And finally, if we were to open the list up to World Comics, it would be fair to say that certain characters like Asterix and Tintin are far, far more popular throughout the world than many of our American comic book characters.

 

 

 

 

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AGGIEZ

AGGIEZ

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Marvel Comics #1, while expensive, is also a very important comic from a historic perspective. It was the very first book released by Timely, who later became Marvel, and if I'm not mistaken hosted the first appearance of the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner and possibly another character I'm forgetting.

 

Very pricey, but no doubt an important book.

 

I would be really interested to know if any comics of actual importance are affordable. I can't think of any.

 

I agree that Pep #22 is still incredibly rare after all these years, Archie is an insanely popular character to kids today and the book is very important in the scheme of things.

 

 

Really? I could probably name 50 characters that todays kids would recognize before Archie. It is obviously an extremely rare book, but outside of Archie collectors and GA key chasers is it really that important? (shrug)

 

We gave away about 100+ comics last Halloween to kids.

 

The Archie comics were the most requested and went first. It was quite a surprise as to how quickly they went.

 

There wasn't a single GA collector among them.

 

lol

 

 

I see....I guess Candy Corn is an insanely popular candy to today's kids too then... (shrug)

 

I gave away baseball cards to kids last year and they went before the candy. Does that mean baseball cards are insanely popular? I could have had a bucket of pogs and the kids would have taken them.

 

I just don't see Archie being all that popular these days. I honestly believe I could name dozens of characters other than Archie that kids would recognize first.

 

2c

 

:ohnoez:

 

 

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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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I didn't think this was a popularity contest.... (shrug)

 

Does popular equate with important...

 

By the way where is Zap #1.....

 

It's WAY more important than 80% of the Super-Hero picks everyone insists on picking.

 

We are picking the "most important" not the "most popular".

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Posted
I didn't think this was a popularity contest.... (shrug)

 

Does popular equate with important...

 

By the way where is Zap #1.....

 

It's WAY more important than 80% of the Super-Hero picks everyone insists on picking.

 

We are picking the "most important" not the "most popular".

 

Isn't a character that has left a lasting impression on generations of readers important?

 

(shrug)

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VintageComics

VintageComics

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Marvel Comics #1, while expensive, is also a very important comic from a historic perspective. It was the very first book released by Timely, who later became Marvel, and if I'm not mistaken hosted the first appearance of the Human Torch, Sub-Mariner and possibly another character I'm forgetting.

 

Very pricey, but no doubt an important book.

 

I would be really interested to know if any comics of actual importance are affordable. I can't think of any.

 

I agree that Pep #22 is still incredibly rare after all these years, Archie is an insanely popular character to kids today and the book is very important in the scheme of things.

 

 

Really? I could probably name 50 characters that todays kids would recognize before Archie. It is obviously an extremely rare book, but outside of Archie collectors and GA key chasers is it really that important? (shrug)

 

We gave away about 100+ comics last Halloween to kids.

 

The Archie comics were the most requested and went first. It was quite a surprise as to how quickly they went.

 

There wasn't a single GA collector among them.

 

lol

 

 

I see....I guess Candy Corn is an insanely popular candy to today's kids too then... (shrug)

 

I gave away baseball cards to kids last year and they went before the candy. Does that mean baseball cards are insanely popular? I could have had a bucket of pogs and the kids would have taken them.

 

I just don't see Archie being all that popular these days. I honestly believe I could name dozens of characters other than Archie that kids would recognize first.

 

2c

 

:ohnoez:

 

 

Yeah, but we're not comparing comics to candy or baseball cards to candy.

 

We're comparing comics to comics. We gave away candy and comics and both were popular but of all the comics we gave away it was the Archies that were most requested.

 

I have 4 kids (now ages 10-16) and when they were buying comics Archies were most popular to them too.

 

I'm not saying that Archie as a character is more popular than Superman or Mickey Mouse, i am saying that Archie comics were (and are) insanely popular among kids and that those comics were an important part of the Golden Age during it's formative years

 

a) because they sold well back then

b) because they created spin-off characters

c) because they are still popular today

 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not an Archie fan but I can recognize when something works.

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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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I didn't think this was a popularity contest.... (shrug)

 

Does popular equate with important...

 

By the way where is Zap #1.....

 

It's WAY more important than 80% of the Super-Hero picks everyone insists on picking.

 

We are picking the "most important" not the "most popular".

 

Isn't a character that has left a lasting impression on generations of readers important?

 

(shrug)

 

Yes, it is. But not every single one. I don't think Walking Dead, or Hulk 181, or Avengers #1, or DD #1 etc.....are in the category of "most important".....they would be lucky to make the top 50 in the "importance" scale. Popularity....yes...maybe "importance"...no. :foryou:

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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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This is an example of what I would consider as a Top Ten most important not in any order of importance and it could change slightly daily.

 

Action 1

Famous Funnies 1

Amazing Fantasy 15

Fantastic Four 1

Zap 1

Pep 22

Tec 27

Marvel 1

New Fun 1

All Star 3

 

 

 

 

 

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Theagenes

Theagenes

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I didn't think this was a popularity contest.... (shrug)

 

Does popular equate with important...

 

By the way where is Zap #1.....

 

It's WAY more important than 80% of the Super-Hero picks everyone insists on picking.

 

We are picking the "most important" not the "most popular".

 

I had it on my list. :)

 

 

Famous Funnies 1

 

Walt Disney C &S 1

 

Zap 1

 

You can make the argument that Supes 1 was more important than Action 1 as it may have had more of an influence in triggering the superhero boom in the summer of 39.

 

DKR and Watchmen

 

 

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dupont2005

dupont2005

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Posted
I didn't think this was a popularity contest.... (shrug)

 

Does popular equate with important...

 

By the way where is Zap #1.....

 

It's WAY more important than 80% of the Super-Hero picks everyone insists on picking.

 

We are picking the "most important" not the "most popular".

 

Isn't a character that has left a lasting impression on generations of readers important?

 

(shrug)

 

Yes, it is. But not every single one. I don't think Walking Dead, or Hulk 181, or Avengers #1, or DD #1 etc.....are in the category of "most important".....they would be lucky to make the top 50 in the "importance" scale. Popularity....yes...maybe "importance"...no. :foryou:

Agreed. Just listing off first appearances is beside the point. Action #1 is important of course. It happens to be a first appearance, but what it really is is THE comic book that kicked off a new genre of comics, the genre that has dominated the American comic book market since. I don't think Tec 27 can claim that. I would say the FF#1 is important, since Marvel brought something new to comics with their shared universe unveiled with this comic, but I wouldn't consider the Timely's important in the big scheme of things. Sometimes the "first" comic in a genre or the first comic to do something is not the most important either. I think self published comics have a very long history, even successful ones like Cerebus, but TMNT #1 is the one that got people off the couch and off to the printers. I think that's significant, even if it flooded the market with garbage. One could argue Action #1 did that as well if they weren't fans of super hero comics :whistle:
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MisterX

MisterX

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I think popularity is important.

 

And I'm not a superhero guy. But, the fact is that superheroes are what people think of when they think comic books, and superhero characters are the ones that have launched into other media other than comic books, where their impact is arguably greater.

 

Decade after decade, the most popular superheroes have stood the test of time. (Along with Archie and Uncle Scrooge).

 

Sure Zap 1 is important to the medium, and yeah, there were "Keep On Truckin'" shirts in the 70s, but how many folks inside and outside of America will recognize what it is, or that it even came from comics?

 

Characters that are instantly recognized are like corporate logos. There's all kinds of symbolic power in a logo. So, the comics that birthed the most popular logos that are recognized world-over are important, and they just happen to be first appearances.

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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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First book of each genre; Horror, Romance, War etc...

Name them!

 

I don't think the first book of each genre is always listed first in Overstreet Top 10 for those genres.

 

The Overstreet lists:

Crime - Crime Does Not Pay #22

Horror - Vault of Horror #12

Romance - Giant Comics Edition #12

Sci-Fi - Mystery In Space #1

Western - Gene Autry Comics #1

 

What are the firsts?

 

Sci-Fi.....should be Planet #1....

Detective....Detective Picture Stories

Western...Star Ranger #1 tied with Western Picture Stories

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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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I think popularity is important.

 

And I'm not a superhero guy. But, the fact is that superheroes are what people think of when they think comic books, and superhero characters are the ones that have launched into other media other than comic books, where their impact is arguably greater.

 

Decade after decade, the most popular superheroes have stood the test of time. (Along with Archie and Uncle Scrooge).

 

Sure Zap 1 is important to the medium, and yeah, there were "Keep On Truckin'" shirts in the 70s, but how many folks inside and outside of America will recognize what it is, or that it even came from comics?

 

Characters that are instantly recognized are like corporate logos. There's all kinds of symbolic power in a logo. So, the comics that birthed the most popular logos that are recognized world-over are important, and they just happen to be first appearances.

 

I agree popularity is important too....but is a popular 2nd tier 1st app. more important than the 1st comic book, even though that comic did not have one super-hero in it... (shrug)

 

Whats more important the chicken or the egg...???

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Zombikaze

Zombikaze

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Detective 395 (Sorry guys, but it was O'Neill and Adams who are to thank for returning Batman to the grim and gritty, not Frank Miller)

 

Maus -- the first comic to win a Pulitzer Prize, a feat that may not be repeated for a long time and the real proof to the muggles that "comics aren't for kids anymore".

 

I also think the impact of Japanese manga in America cannot be overestimated, and some day future collectors will be arguing about the importance of early, translated reprints like Lone Wolf and Cub, Akira and (gasp) Sailor Moon!

 

Detective 395 with O'Neill And Adams was cool stuff art wise but would Batman use a gun? No he was still the same old goody Batman who played by the rules. How far can you push the envelope and still carry the "approved by the comic authority" seal?

 

I agree with you 100% about Maus. Maus revolutionized the industry when it came to adult comic books, but keep in mind, it came out the exact same year as The Dark Knight.

 

Japanese Manga in America - Lone Wolf and Cub in 1987 and Akira in 1988 were great series, but this thread is about most important comics, and if you're going to talk about important books in the Manga category, don't you think these are better examples?

 

IMG_0878.jpg

Even Oversteet lists this as Early manga 1984

 

IMG_1312.jpg

This is almost pre-manga before the comic industry brought them over from Japan we just made our own comics using Japanese characters in 1979.

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dupont2005

dupont2005

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I agree with you 100% about Maus. Maus revolutionized the industry when it came to adult comic books, but keep in mind, it came out the exact same year as The Dark Knight.

The collected edition maybe. It was being serialized several years before
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Blind Owl

Blind Owl

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Here are a few reasons why Zap was important.

 

1) Censorship issues....were now invalid. Total Artistic freedom.

2) Probably the most important of the "Self-Published" comic, and one of the first.

3) Right of Ownership in comics. It took Marvel & DC a decade later to achieve this.

4) Direct sales....Zap was one the first...and the most influential. 10 years before all the others.

5) Major effect on "popular culture" at the time. "Keep On Truckin' ", Mr. Natural. Brought the counterculture to the mainstream. This is huge.

6) Most of all this influenced indirectly everything that came later. Gaiman, Gibbons, Miller. Yeah, ask them if Zap (Crumb) influenced their work.

 

There is much more, but ALL of the above is important. I thought this thread was about"most important" comics.

 

Again not popular now...but all it achieved effects everything now.

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