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Top 10 comics to read before you die

Started by RedL,

88 posts in this topic

Legion HQ

Legion HQ

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Some of my all-time faves that I would recommend to anyone, many if not most of which would be in my Top 10, in no particular order per publisher.....

 

MARVEL:

* Marvels - The series that put Alex Ross on the map. Absolutely gorgeous realistic art, which draws you in. Then the story blows you away.

* Alias - Perhaps my favorite Bendis work, even a step ahead of Ultimate Spider-Man (also highly recommended). The origin story arc in the later issues with Purple Man is horrifically gut-wrenching.

* Madrox (X-Factor): Multiple Choice - Peter David reinvents X-Factor with this surprisingly fun noir series. This is the mini-series that began the current run, thrusting Madrox the Multiple Man into the Marvel spotlight as a major character.

* Amazing Spider-Man - McFarlane's run - The art is a wonder to behold, revolutionizing the character. McFarlane started "the Age of the Artist", which led to the emergence of Image as a publishing powerhouse. Also, the stories in McFarlane's run are very under-rated imho. Plus, Venom was introduced at the start of the run. Beloved issues and character for an entire generation of new readers (and old).

 

DC:

* Superman: Secret Identity - THE. BEST. SUPERMAN. STORY. Kurt Busiek weaves the perfect story of What If Superman Existed in the Real World? I was floored by the perfection of this mini-series. Criminally under-rated.

* Action 775 - The perfect single issue of Superman. Introduced us to The Elite. Came out of nowhere to win acclaim across the industry. Should be on everyone's Top 10 list of best Superman issues ever.

* Batman: The Dark Knight Returns - Miller's Batman classic. Always found on Top 5 lists. Returned Batman to the dark gritty version we know today. Started "the Dark Age" of comics at Marvel and DC (along with Watchmen, which I recognize was great, but didn't do as much for me as for most others).

* Crisis On Infinite Earths - The original series that rebooted an entire comic universe. The story was shocking. The deaths were shocking. The concept was shocking. A pivotal storyline to not only the DC universe, but the entire industry. This series probably did more to cement my love for this hobby than any other.

 

OTHERS:

* Bone - Jeff Smith's magnum opus. Just a wonderfully fun tale from start to finish, and enjoyable for all ages. Instant classic.

* Strangers in Paradise - Terry Moore's magnum opus. I can't recommend this one enough, both for Terry's art and story. Writes women perhaps better than anyone else in the industry.

* Wandering Star - Teri S. Wood's engaging space opera. The art may not hook everyone, but I have yet to meet anyone who's read it and not fallen in love with the story.

* Elfquest - The Pini's elf classic. Put elves on the map for comics. Just a magically told story. Marvel recognized it enough to reprint the series under their own banner in the 80s.

* Negation - CrossGen's highly under-rated masterpiece. My god this book was so incredibly well written. Just sucked you in with each issue, and was kind of the hub series to the entire CrossGen universe. I was never more devasted by a company going under. I'm still bitter to this day that The Negation War mini-series was never finished. Tragic honestly.

* Miracleman - What more can be said about this brilliant, dark and frustratingly infamous series by Moore and Gaiman. Just settle the effing lawsuits already and get this thing back in print please!

* Cavewoman - The original series by Budd Root (along with the follow-up series Rain). Gorgeous art by Root. Can't say enough about his dinosaurs. Wow. Fun, touching, and no-holds-barred. Root definitely loves to put dinosaurs back at the top of the food chain. Well, other than Cavewoman herself. Perhaps my all-time favorite indy.

* Life With Archie - The current magazine size series with more mature themes than the regular Archie titles. This has been on my Top 3 list since it started a few years ago. Even if you know nothing of Archie and his pals, this series is just so shockingly well done, weaving two alternate universes together seamlessly in one book each month.

* Planetary - Warren Ellis took forever to finish this series out, but from start to finish, just an incredible read. A book I often give to people who've never read a comic in their life, but like sci-fi themes.

* Stormwatch / The Authority - Ellis again. His other masterpiece, along with Bryan Hitch. Ultra-violent large scale action. Can't say enough good things about this run. When Ellis left, Mark Millar took over. I thought the book would suffer. Nope. Millar took it to new heights and made his own name for himself during his brief run.

 

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Benjamin Grimm

Benjamin Grimm

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Let's see if i can come up with ten... none of them will be written by Frank Miller because I've never read anything he's written that I liked.

 

1.) Batman - Hush

2.) The Walking Dead (I hate the show, but the comics are awesome)

3.) Joss Whedon's Astonishing X-Men

4.) Ultimate Spider-Man (first series; I haven't read the second yet)

5.) Preacher

6.) Y The Last Man

7.) Marvels

8.) Kingdom Come

9.) Fatal Attractions

10.) Age Of Apocalypse

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chrisco37

chrisco37

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That was a really nice write-up, Dane. I enjoyed it.

 

You picked some great some arcs and series.

 

Marvels is definitely a "must read". Planetary is my favorite series of all-time. A comic book written for the true comic nerd. That it has some of the most sublime artwork ever (by John Cassady) is an added bonus.

 

I'd add Ultimate Spidey to the list of must reads. I thought the first 40+ issues were superb. It was always at the top of my reading list back then.

 

Preacher needs to be on any Top 10 list. It's the book that got me back into comics, and I've never met anyone that has read it that did not love it. Over the years, I've loaned out my trades to people (including non-comic nerds) and the response has been unanimous. They all love it..

 

Alan Moore is always a great bet. "V for Vendetta" is a must read, as are the "Swamp Thing" run. If you've got the money, "Miracleman" is probably my #2 of all time..

 

 

Someone else in the thread mentioned "Identity Crisis". I thought that was a great book/mini. Definitely a fun read. It had us on the edge of our seats back in the early days of the boards. Lovely artwork in the series too. Really dynamic artwork and very clean.

 

 

 

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