Round 2, Part 14: Which one of these is not like the other one?

[AlexH]

Hello and welcome to part 2, round 14. Here you will see all the winners of the previous rounds face off against each other to go into the next round. There will be one slight difference with this round; you the reader will have to convince me as to which one I should vote for. Just pretend I am an alien and you are trying to tell me which book is better and for what reason.

 

Prior to the voting deadline, I will determine which book had the stronger arguments and vote for that book. We will once again decide the winner by using the poll system.

 

And for today's match-up, we have a 3-way dance featuring Spawn #1 vs Avengers Annual #10 vs Iron Fist #14.

 

Spawn #1. Published by Image 1992. Written and drawn by Todd McFarlane. Flagship title for Image Comics.

 

Avengers Annual #10. Published by Marvel 1981. Written by Chris Claremont with art by Michael Golden. 1st appearance of Rogue.

 

Iron Fist #14. Published by Marvel 1977. Written by Chris Claremont with art by John Byrne. 1st appearance by Sabertooth.

 

Good luck to all...

[Norrin_Radd]

Well, let me be the first to say "These three made it to the 2nd round and Miracleman didn't?!?!?!?! "

 

 

Off hand, I would say Spawn #1 (and not just because I own 40 copies ). Great cover and interesting character!

 

 

However, I will probably end up voting for IF #14 (first app. of Wolverine's mortal enemy).

[Tango 'n Cash]

Although none of these comics are of the quality necessary to still be here, I am forced to vote for Iron Fist 14, the most important of the three.

[awe4one]

Out of a very weak group, and against my best judgement, I picked Iron Fist #14.

 

Sabretooth is still Wolverine's arch villain. Probably the most weak arch villain of the Marvel mainstays but being one still deserves some props no matter how small. And that also brings up the question on whether there's another prominent Marvel hero with as weak a Rogues Gallery as Wolverine? The conventional wisdom has been all great heroes have great villains but Wolverine seems to buck that thought...

 

As far as the others...Rogue's first appearance? A snooze fest...

 

And don't get me started on the overhyped and oh so collectible Spawn #1...good thing for Todd that Liefeld and his Youngblood was released to deflect the crapola flack away from his title...

 

Jim

[jordanscott]

well i went with Avengers....

 

Iron Fist never did much for me and i've always felt that Image was a bane on the 90s in particular and comics in general...

[tilleycs]

Iron Fist #14

[Sal]

this is like voting for the method you'd prefer to have your mansack shaved...dry razor, duct tape or burnt off?

 

that being said, i picked IF 14...the dry razor method

[AlexH]

this is like voting for the method you'd prefer to have your mansack shaved...dry razor, duct tape or burnt off?

 

that being said, i picked IF 14...the dry razor method

 

 

I'm not sure that is a for or against argument.

[Ajax]

had to go with Iron Fist

[rob_react]

I can't even vote in this round.

[awe4one]

I can't even vote in this round.

 

Come-on! You can do it!

[Norrin_Radd]

I can't even vote in this round.

 

Come-on! You can do it!

[rob_react]

I can't even vote in this round.

 

Come-on! You can do it!

 

But... every path is fraught with danger.

[awe4one]

But... every path is fraught with danger.

 

DKR vs Watchmen is fraught with danger.

 

Picking out of these three is like having the last pick on the schoolyard and two girls with their Barbies and your snot-nosed younger brother are the only ones left. You just don't have the heart to not pick him...

 

Jim

[rob_react]

But... every path is fraught with danger.

 

DKR vs Watchmen is fraught with danger.

 

But that's fun danger. This is like "danger" danger.

 

Picking out of these three is like having the last pick on the schoolyard and two girls with their Barbies and your snot-nosed younger brother are the only ones left. You just don't have the heart to not pick him...

 

Jim

 

[FFB]

I voted for Spawn #1. Not because it's the best story, first appearance of the most interesting or important character, best artwork, or any of that.

 

I chose Spawn #1 because at the time, it was far and away the highest selling independent comic book in history and it outsold everything else on the shelves. Whereas prior independent titles like TMNT showed that indie publishers could "make it" without the big two, Spawn showed that a popular creator could not only make it, but could actually steal away a huge chunk of market share and compete within the same distribution channels. Spawn #1 did more to change the way that Marvel and DC treated its creators (to keep them from leaving, for example) than any other single book that I am aware of.

 

Many of the consequences flowing from Spawn #1 were not "good" for the industry. Unfettered control by creators is often not a good thing, especially when a creator does not have respect for an existing character's prior history and continuity. The release of Spawn #1 and the "brain drain" that Marvel experienced thereafter when others left for Image put tremendous pressure on Marvel to give too much control to artists who were not yet ready for it. Marvel's entire line suffered as an indirect but undeniable result of Spawn #1's success. The "dollar signs" in the eyes of the other creators who fled Marvel to make their millions on their own cookie-cutter mercenary paramilitary team clones on the one hand, and the unfettered control exercised by the creators who stayed with Marvel on the other hand, served as a double-whammy that brought down an entire line of comics published by the biggest dog in the industry.

 

Another bad effect that Spawn had was that the creators who followed with Image titles, like Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefeld, and the other Image guys, did not have the work ethic or resources that McFarlane did to get their books completed and out the door on time. When nine out of ten of the most anticipated titles each month are shipping late, readers get frustrated and find other places to put their cash -- especially when the remaining dreck on the shelves isn't worth reading, because all of the top talent went to the company that can't get its books out on time.

 

But whether the consequences were good or bad, it is undeniable that Spawn #1 taught us all more about what does and does not work within the industry than IF#14 or Av. Annual #10 did. And this discussion leaves aside entirely the additional factor of licensed goods and products. Spawn sold millions of dollars worth of toys, Pogz, cards, T-Shirts, etc., and even had his own (bad) major motion picture. Neither Sabretooth nor Rogue can claim that.

 

In my mind, it's no contest. Spawn #1 wins by a landslide -- and this is coming from someone who hated the book.

[rob_react]

I voted for Spawn #1. Not because it's the best story, first appearance of the most interesting or important character, best artwork, or any of that.

 

I chose Spawn #1 because at the time, it was far and away the highest selling independent comic book in history and it outsold everything else on the shelves. Whereas prior independent titles like TMNT showed that indie publishers could "make it" without the big two, Spawn showed that a popular creator could not only make it, but could actually steal away a huge chunk of market share and compete within the same distribution channels. Spawn #1 did more to change the way that Marvel and DC treated its creators (to keep them from leaving, for example) than any other single book that I am aware of.

 

Many of the consequences flowing from Spawn #1 were not "good" for the industry. Unfettered control by creators is often not a good thing, especially when a creator does not have respect for an existing character's prior history and continuity. The release of Spawn #1 and the "brain drain" that Marvel experienced thereafter when others left for Image put tremendous pressure on Marvel to give too much control to artists who were not yet ready for it. Marvel's entire line suffered as an indirect but undeniable result of Spawn #1's success. The "dollar signs" in the eyes of the other creators who fled Marvel to make their millions on their own cookie-cutter mercenary paramilitary team clones on the one hand, and the unfettered control exercised by the creators who stayed with Marvel on the other hand, served as a double-whammy that brought down an entire line of comics published by the biggest dog in the industry.

 

Another bad effect that Spawn had was that the creators who followed with Image titles, like Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefeld, and the other Image guys, did not have the work ethic or resources that McFarlane did to get their books completed and out the door on time. When nine out of ten of the most anticipated titles each month are shipping late, readers get frustrated and find other places to put their cash -- especially when the remaining dreck on the shelves isn't worth reading, because all of the top talent went to the company that can't get its books out on time.

 

But whether the consequences were good or bad, it is undeniable that Spawn #1 taught us all more about what does and does not work within the industry than IF#14 or Av. Annual #10 did. And this discussion leaves aside entirely the additional factor of licensed goods and products. Spawn sold millions of dollars worth of toys, Pogz, cards, T-Shirts, etc., and even had his own (bad) major motion picture. Neither Sabretooth nor Rogue can claim that.

 

In my mind, it's no contest. Spawn #1 wins by a landslide -- and this is coming from someone who hated the book.

 

Nice case mr. lawyerman. It's so good....Hell, I'll vote for Spawn (pun intended)!

[jordanscott]

But... every path is fraught with danger.

 

DKR vs Watchmen is fraught with danger.

 

Picking out of these three is like having the last pick on the schoolyard and two girls with their Barbies and your snot-nosed younger brother are the only ones left. You just don't have the heart to not pick him...

 

Jim

 

 

you've apparently never met my older brother!

[AlexH]

I voted for Spawn #1. Not because it's the best story, first appearance of the most interesting or important character, best artwork, or any of that.

 

I chose Spawn #1 because at the time, it was far and away the highest selling independent comic book in history and it outsold everything else on the shelves. Whereas prior independent titles like TMNT showed that indie publishers could "make it" without the big two, Spawn showed that a popular creator could not only make it, but could actually steal away a huge chunk of market share and compete within the same distribution channels. Spawn #1 did more to change the way that Marvel and DC treated its creators (to keep them from leaving, for example) than any other single book that I am aware of.

 

Many of the consequences flowing from Spawn #1 were not "good" for the industry. Unfettered control by creators is often not a good thing, especially when a creator does not have respect for an existing character's prior history and continuity. The release of Spawn #1 and the "brain drain" that Marvel experienced thereafter when others left for Image put tremendous pressure on Marvel to give too much control to artists who were not yet ready for it. Marvel's entire line suffered as an indirect but undeniable result of Spawn #1's success. The "dollar signs" in the eyes of the other creators who fled Marvel to make their millions on their own cookie-cutter mercenary paramilitary team clones on the one hand, and the unfettered control exercised by the creators who stayed with Marvel on the other hand, served as a double-whammy that brought down an entire line of comics published by the biggest dog in the industry.

 

Another bad effect that Spawn had was that the creators who followed with Image titles, like Whilce Portacio, Rob Liefeld, and the other Image guys, did not have the work ethic or resources that McFarlane did to get their books completed and out the door on time. When nine out of ten of the most anticipated titles each month are shipping late, readers get frustrated and find other places to put their cash -- especially when the remaining dreck on the shelves isn't worth reading, because all of the top talent went to the company that can't get its books out on time.

 

But whether the consequences were good or bad, it is undeniable that Spawn #1 taught us all more about what does and does not work within the industry than IF#14 or Av. Annual #10 did. And this discussion leaves aside entirely the additional factor of licensed goods and products. Spawn sold millions of dollars worth of toys, Pogz, cards, T-Shirts, etc., and even had his own (bad) major motion picture. Neither Sabretooth nor Rogue can claim that.

 

In my mind, it's no contest. Spawn #1 wins by a landslide -- and this is coming from someone who hated the book.

 

Very nice analysis.

[uclapeterg]

That's why I voted for it.