Need some Classic Comic help

[mrc1214]

A friend of mine just gave me a copy of his Comic Book Buyers Guide and in it was a top 1600 comics you should have in your collection. I really just wanted to look at it to see what made the list but i didnt know some of them. So if anyone can just recommend some and if you could tell me a little about them that would be great. Concrete 1-10, Inferior Five 1-5, Miraclemen #1-16, Zot! 30-36
Astro city (vol.1) 0-6, (vol.2) 1-22, Camelot 3000 #1-12 (im pretty sure i know what this deals with but if anyone can tell me if its really good) Cerebus 1-50, Megaton Man 1-10. Thanks in advance for any help.

[Red Oak Kid]

I happen to love the Concrete series. IMO this is the pennacle of comic book creativity.

I don't know if any of these have been collected into a TPB. And I don't know what the current prices of the originals are.

If you can find a cheap copy of one of the original issues, check it out. If you like it, then go for the others.

I think Concrete is on par with Eisner's Spirit.

[Sir Tim Drake]

Here (http://www.comictreadmill.com/CTMBlogarchives/2004/2004_Individual/2004_11/000600.php) is a blog posting which includes the complete Top 1600 list. I have problems with both the list itself, and the poster's critical judgments as to what should have been on the list. Love & Rockets, Nexus, Howard the Duck, Starman, and the Fourth World are inexcusable omissions, especially when they included things like Alien vs. Predator and the Hush storyline from Batman.

As for the series that mrc asked about:

Concrete 1-10-- absolutely essential. Try to get a complete Concrete collection. Paul Chadwick is a true original and the series is like no other comic I know.

Inferior Five 1-5-- I know nothing about this.

Miracleman #1-16-- an extremely important work in terms of both Alan Moore's career and the superhero genre. Also very enjoyable. The trouble is that it's very expensive, and the last six issues especially are almost impossible to find.

Zot! 30-36-- another comic that should not be missed. The first 29 issues of Zot! are almost as good. Zot and Jenny are two truly great characters, and Scott displays the same creativity and formal mastery as in Understanding Comics.

Astro city (vol.1) 0-6 (vol.2) 1-22,-- the best superhero comic of the '90s. I didn't know there was a zero issue.

Camelot 3000 #1-12-- I wasn't too impressed by this, but I haven't read the whole thing and it's been a while since I've read any of it.

I haven't read Cerebus #1-50 (except for maybe one issue) or any of Megaton Man.

[Jesse Hamm]

The Inferior 5 was a wacky superhero parody. The self-titled issues (as opposed to the stories featured in Showcase) were drawn by Mike Sekowsky, and as a fan of his I find them really appealing. But it's hard to track down affordable issues. I'd recommend seeking out cheap Sekowsky-drawn JLA reprints instead.

Dave Sim is one of the greatest cartoonists on earth, IMO, but Cerebus is much better AFTER the first 50 issues. The graphic novel collections can be found in most large libraries; check one out and see if it appeals to you.

[dan bailey]

The Inferior 5 was a wacky superhero parody. The self-titled issues (as opposed to the stories featured in Showcase) were drawn by Mike Sekowsky, and as a fan of his I find them really appealing. But it's hard to track down affordable issues.

at 10 ishes (11-12, published a few years after later, were reprints) plus 3 showcase appearances, i'd say there's no way this series wangles a volume of showcase presents, which is unfortunate. maybe if dc & marvel somehow joined forces & added not brand ecch to the mix ...

as it happens, i just completed my inferior 5 run with a cheapish copy of #10 off ebay. i was fortunate enough a couple of years ago to get the 3 showcases plus 1-6 & 8-9 (along with 11-12) for maybe $40 via the same route.