Favorite run by decade

[shaxper]

If you had to appoint one single run as being your favorite for a particular decade, what would it be? It could be a small run of only a few issues, or a mammoth run spanning several years, but you can only choose one per decade and you must explain why.


1940s - C.C. Beck and Otto Binder on Captain Marvel. Those stories just became sillier and more endearing as the decade wore on. There's a lot more character coming through in those stories than I see in most other comics of the time period. The one other exception to this rule would be Barks' work on Donald Duck, but I didn't want to appoint two entire decades to one talent.

1950s - Carl Barks on Uncle Scrooge. Cute, endearing, laugh-out-loud funny, occasionally poignant and moving, and always making me feel like the world was full of adventures to be had. It's hard for me to pick up any Barks duck story from at least the first half of this decade and not see pure gold.

1960s - Stan Lee and Jack Kirby on The Fantastic Four. I'm not a huge Marvel fan, and I'll readily admit to not enjoying the beginnings of this run, but, by the late 1960s, the pages of the Fantastic Four were an amazing place to be. Watchers, Kree sentinels, Galactuses and Silver Surfers were constantly crossing their paths. The sense of cosmic wonder was so monumentally profound, and Kirby's artwork made it all thoroughly surreal and unforgettable.

1970s - Too many choices here. I'd love to pick Jack Kirby's Kamandi, Neal Adams and Denny O'Neil on Batman,and Fleischer and Aparo's Spectre, but my first love of the 1970s has got to be Chris Claremont on The X-Men. Never before and never since have I experienced such a human team of densely characterized heroes, fighting together in the face of such desperation (particularly during and after the Dark Phoenix saga). Both Dave Cockrum and John Byrne lent so much to this run in terms of vision and artistry (I'll never forget Cockrum's two page spread of the Shi'ar Empire in #107), but it was Claremont's words that really brought it all home for me. He had a way of narrating their thoughts that was beautiful and piercing in its insight. These were the first comic book superheroes to ever feel human to me.

1980s - It's hard for me to pass up Marv Wolfman and George Perez on the New Teen Titans, but I have to go with Alan Moore on V for Vendetta. This is still my favorite comic book story of all time, featuring a great character concept, an amazing back story, and some thoroughly revealing insights about the human soul. The riddles and mysteries (both in plot and character) are unraveled so beautifully. Evey's transformation in the end gets me every time. This is comic book crack to me.

1990s - Though the big two weren't turning out much quality in this decade, so much was happening on the sidelines. My first instincts were to go with Jim Shooter at Valiant (he created so many great runs there) and Warren Ellis at Wildstorm (three great runs there), but my absolute favorite has got to be Stan Sakai on Usagi Yojimbo. Stan had been producing Usagi monthly since the 1980s, but the comic attained a new level of brilliance in this decade, beginning with Grasscutter and continually getting better after. Usagi's became a world of both beautiful innocence and naivety and dark corruption and tragedy. The extremes were both painted so vividly and with great emotion. The characters, landscape, and general artistry were all so thoroughly unforgettable. Usagi truly became the one place in comics where even the dull issues felt priceless. I could step into an Usagi story and almost literally breathe the air, touch the grass, and fully immerse myself in the emotional and cultural landscape of an anthropomorphic feudal Japan. Stan is one of comics' greatest unsung heroes. The 1990s were truly when he came into his own.

2000s - So hard to tell at this point. It's often easier to see these things in hindsight. At this point, I suppose I would go with Frank Miller on All-Star Batman & Robin, The Boy Wonder. I know that everyone else in the world hates this run, but I think it's pure genius. This extreme version of Gotham City, in which everyone is either a predator or a monster shaped by predators fascinates me. Though the character in this story is definitely not Batman, he almost makes more sense in a world like Gotham City. His full-blown insanity constantly brings to mind the demons that the real Batman must constantly work to keep hidden within. This Batman constantly shows me what a hero the real Batman is in contrast. Perhaps what makes me different than every other person reading this comic is that I believe Miller is intentionally drawing this contrast. It's reflected in the first story, in which the only innocent left anywhere in Gotham (Dick Grayson) is quickly corrupted by its predators and (soon after) by Batman. The coloring in this book very consciously shows this, enveloping Dick in blaring whites at first, but only immersing him in bloody reds and shady blues (the colors of everyone else in Gotham) once his parents are murdered. Ultimately, once the predators have made you into a victim, the only sanity and empowerment to be had is gained in following this mad vision of The Goddamn Batman. Issues alternate between brilliant psychological explorations of characters driven mad by a corrupt city or crack-induced action adventures that revel in the mania of perverted desperation. Whether or not you agree with the vision, I'm savoring the ride, and what a ride it is.

[Heraclevs]

1960s: Lee/Kirby FF

1970s: Tie: O'Neill/Adams Batman & Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter

1980s: Tie: Moench run on Batman/Detective & Simonson's Thor

1990s: Morrison's JLA, despite the fact he couldn't use the real Superman for very long during his tenure. The first 4-parter with the Hyperclan was great.

2000s: Tie: Power Company & JLA/Avengers

- Romans 9

[mrc1214]

1960s- Lee/Kirby FF

1970s- O'Neil Batman/ Tomb of Dracula-Wolfman

1980s- Amazing Spiderman- Stern

1990s- Hellboy started here so Ill choose that

2000s-Fablesjj

[Heraclevs]

I need to make the 1970s a 3-way tie by adding the Englehart/Rogers run in Detective.

- Romans 9

[shaxper]

You guys cheat :)

I wanted to know why you'd chosen these, especially since I'm planning to read anything posted here that I haven't tried yet.

[Heraclevs]

Sorry... I didn't mean to cheat... I had to make a quick entry before going to church. I'll give my reasons why later today.

- Romans 9

[rick]

1940’s: Will Eisner on the Spirit

1950’s: Harvey Kurtzman and the EC artists on Frontline Combat

1960’s: Lee & Kirby on the Fantastic Four

1970’s: Jim Starlin’s muti-series saga of the mad god Thanos

1980’s: The hardest decade considering that the likes of Watchmen and Dark Knight were from that era, but in the end the choice was easily, Dave Sim on Cerebus, High Society
1990’s: James Robinson’s Starman

2000’s Justin Gray, Jimmy Palmotti and Jordi Bernet on Jonah Hex

[Heraclevs]

1960's: Lee/Kirby FF These characters acted like a real family... they loved each other but they didn't always get along. This writing style, plus Kirby's dynamic artwork, just seems several cuts above what was going on in DC books at the same time. On another note, one thing in FF that's in error (in my humble opinion) is Ben's resentment toward Reed for his becoming the Thing. I believe it was Sue's "coward" reference in issue #1 that ultimately led to Ben being shamed into piloting the space craft.

1970's: 1) O'Neill/Adams Batman One of my earliest comics was a DC Limited Collectors' Edition containing several Batman reprints from various decades. The last story was "Paint a Portrait in Terror" by O'Neill & Adams. Similar to my reaction to the Lee/Kirby FF, this story and art was so superior to anything else I was getting from DC in the 70's. This run, combined with my love of the Adam West tv series, cemented Batman as my all-time favorite comic book character.

2) Goodwin/Simonson Manhunter My first issue of Detective was #440, which had some real cool reprints, a great Batman lead story drawn by Sal Amendola, and a chapter in the Manhunter saga. Just like the Adams Batman mentioned above, I noticed right away the uniqueness of Simonson's art. Manhunter has been my 2nd favorite character ever since.

3) Englehart/Rogers Batman run I had quit comic reading during the early 80's. When I got back into it, I discovered the Shadow of the Batman mini series that reprinted the stories from Detective. I thought the stories and art were great.


1980's: 1) Batman by Doug Moench I don't know much about the state of comics in the 80's. Batman related stuff pretty much dominates what little I have from that decade, and the Moench-written stories comprise a large part that. I liked the Nocturna/Nightslayer series, and Newton and Colan's artwork was appealing to me.

2) Simonson's Thor As stated above, I have appreciated Simonson's artwork since I was 6 years old. Plus, the mythology is cool, and a hammer-wielding, horse-headed guy is just too cool.

3) I should add that the Giffen/DeMatteis/Maguire Justice League is another favorite. The humor really works for me, plus Maguire's facial expressions really tell a story.


1990's: Morrison's JLA Morrison was the only guy to make the mullet-Superman/Electric Blue Superman character work for me. Morrison came up with cool uses for Kyle's ring, and his rendition of Batman seemed to work in ateam setting, unlike Batman in the 1970's JLA, who was nothing like his Gotham loner self. This run seemed so bright , especially compared to the grim 'n' gritty 90's comics.

2000's: 1) Power Company See my 1970's entry on Manhunter. I liked Kirk dePaul. Too bad DC decided to have him killed off (just like Ted Kord). Also, I'm a fan of Tom Grummett's art going back to the New Titans.

2) JLA/Avengers My favorite artist drawing nearly all my favorite characters from both companies... sweet! Plus, I asked George Perez to somehow include Doctor Forklift into the story, which he did in issue 4. What's not to love?


- Romans 9

[benday-dot]

I'll list favourites, as you do, rather than be so bold and categorical in picking the best. Sometimes they would be one and the same... other times no.

I can only go with what I've read, which before the 60's isn't a lot...

But:

1940's: Man, I love Jack Cole's Plastic Man but for the sake of something dear to my heart I'll go with Newsboy Legion. An early Simon and Kirby masterpiece. The fun of big hearted misfits pitched against that WW2 style wacko villainy of the homefront. A huge success for National in the 1940's, the Newsboy (and Boy Commandos) supplanted some of the company's own charter superhero characters in sales. Nice inventive panel work, and an investment in a real characterization rare for early comic books. I think Caniff achieved a similar degree of storytelling success in Terry and the Pirates, and later Steve Canyon. But the follies, pluck and heroism of Gabby, Big Words, Scrapper asnd the rest growing up in Suicide Slum/Brookyn are tales still full of charm and energy. Obviously dear to Kirby's heart... a lifelong attachment to these personality types would manifest itself again and again in Kirby's enduring attachment to his world of the comic book.

1950's: Harvey Kurtzman work in EC. Though Wally Wood and Johnny Craig are my preferred artists of the EC stable I have to give the nod to Kurtzman and his Frontline Combat. Matchless humanistic war stories such as the medium had seldom seen. Others on here will agree Kurtzman was a storytelling genius.

1960's: Fantastic Four. Obviuosly you know why Shaxper. The pioneering elements that made the Newsboy Legion great are hear amplified into a serial tale, majestic and moving. A space opera both grand and brimmimg with humanity. The commonplace and the ineffable both vie to create a classic for all times.

1970's: Fourth World: I refrained from picking Boy's Ranch in the 50's, because I didn't want to go too overboard with Kirbyphilia. But I have to go with Fourth World in the 70's. Not only did it shape much of the future DC universe, but it helped change the way comic book stories are told. A sprawling if sometimes nearly uncrontollable tale about end times and beginning times and all the times full of courage, tendernerss, comedy and tears that lay in between. Its got an affair with counter-culture idealism and unspeakable technology of the future. Of absolute and pure-hearted good. Of old fashioned dering-do escapism and quixotic flights of fancy. Its an instinctive, kinetic, boldy told tale that never for a minute sought to put a limit on the dreams and nightmares we have. This high risk venture was the magnum opus of comics' master.

1980's: I should go for Watchmen here, but instead I'll go for Frank Miller's Daredevil. This was my last great hurrah with comic books. After Miller quit DD so would I leave the hobby for a great many years. I tell you I was moved by Miller's long saga that was really a lovestory and a test of a man. Miller brought Murdock to his limits and seered the reader with emotions. And the art... I love this period of Miller creativity. It was a blend of old time noir with an original auteur like virtuosity that truly set it apart from its peers. I revisited this stuff not long ago, and found it still has its power over me.

1990's: This was when Chris Ware's ACME Novelty library began and to this day that eclectic work of uttermost originality, a literary masterpiece, Proustian in conception, remains one of finest things I've ever read. Period. It's just mind-blowing. It makes you feel so extraordinarly sad and so truly exultant all at once. It's gut bustingly funny and so layered with memory and meaning, and such an intesnsly aesthetic experience that it is special thing indeed. An objet d'art and comic book to hold forever... or at least until time sweeps us away, like it so bittersweetly always does in the pages of Ware's uncategorizable cabinet of wonders.

2000's: I'll hold judgement on some series that are still ongoing that I love (All-Star Superman and Brubaker's Daredvil, Iron Fist and Captain America. Like the Golden Age I haven't read a whole lot from these here times of ours. But I will pick the most enjoyable thing I've read so far.

I don't know if others have had as much fun as I have in reading Grant Morrison's epic Seven Soldier's of Victory, but I really well-enjoyed this great tale bringing together so many fun and obscure elements of the DC universe together with a very contemporary sensibilty. In an era when superhero storytelling seems a tenuos and often unsustainable enterprise Grant Morrison managed to weave together a story of such excitement and propulsion that I found I couldn't put it down. I found myself saying Wow!! after each chapter. And now I can only wish for more of its kind.

[MWGallaher]

1940s Robotman by Jimmy Thompson. This was DC's answer to Fawcett's Captain Marvel: a whimsical, fun hero, drawn in a lovely, rich style. Thompson's work here is an overlooked treasure, far more deserving of an Archive treatment than much of what has been collected.
1950s Venus by Bill Everett. Suffering Shad, what a series this was! Everett had honed his artistic skills in the previous decade to a magnificent level, and Venus's stories ran an astonishing gamut from romance to SF to horror. Absolutely beautiful work, with tons of imagination. Please collect this, Marvel!
1960s Hawkman by Fox and Anderson is my favorite from this decade, attributable primarily to its pure charm. I love Lee & Kirby's FF, but there are plenty of pages of that run that I'll skim. Every page Anderson did on Hawkman is a page I wallow in.
1970s The Brave and the Bold by Haney and Aparo. B&B was the place to grasp the depth of DC's superheroic universe in the 70's. Almost any superheroic character from DC's catalogue was likely to show up: dormant features like Metamorpho and Adam Strange and Metal Men, Golden Age features like Wildcat and Dr. Fate...wow, what a stream of spectacular, fascinating co-stars! And most of the issues were done-in-one!
1980s Swamp Thing by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, and John Totleben gets the nod from me for this decade. Today, radical reinterpretation of characters is commonplace. When Moore redefined Swamp Thing, it was mindblowing stuff! It may not be Moore's best, but it was the work that made readers notice that he was truly several notches above any other comics writer then working. And every issue had at least one deliciously chilling moment: I'll never forget Jason Blood's synopsis of his "deal" with Etrigan, or the little kid's visualization of cancer, or the death by swordfish...
1990s Ugh...this, in retrospect, is definitely my least favorite decade of comics. I bought a lot, out of habit. One book stands out as a personal favorite, though: Sandman Mystery Theatre. I really loved learning that I wasn't alone in finding the gas-masked Wesley Dodds the most compelling of the JSA, and I can't think of any superhero that received such a thoughtful, respectful, and creative interpretation in that decade. SMT was truly one of the few "don't-miss" series in those 10 years.
2000s I'm with benday-dot: Seven Soldiers has been the one that stirred my enthusiasm the most this decade. Audacious, occasionally iscrutable, invested with more riches than Morrison could fully harvest in his odd mega-series, every new installment had me flipping back through the previous ones, making connections, interpreting references, predicting outcomes. I still don't feel that I've come close to plumbing its depths, and I haven't tired of rereading any installments yet!

[shaxper]

1940’s:
1980’s: The hardest decade considering that the likes of Watchmen and Dark Knight were from that era, but in the end the choice was easily, Dave Sim on Cerebus, High Society


Excellent choice. I neglected to mention High Society on my list. For me, it was the best of what Sim had to offer, though there were certainly many great moments to follow.

I'll list favourites, as you do, rather than be so bold and categorical in picking the best. Sometimes they would be one and the same... other times no.

Of course. Check out the title of the thread. "best" would be practically impossible to determine.

1970's: Fourth World: I refrained from picking Boy's Ranch in the 50's, because I didn't want to go too overboard with Kirbyphilia. But I have to go with Fourth World in the 70's. Not only did it shape much of the future DC universe, but it helped change the way comic book stories are told. A sprawling if sometimes nearly uncrontollable tale about end times and beginning times and all the times full of courage, tendernerss, comedy and tears that lay in between. Its got an affair with counter-culture idealism and unspeakable technology of the future. Of absolute and pure-hearted good. Of old fashioned dering-do escapism and quixotic flights of fancy. Its an instinctive, kinetic, boldy told tale that never for a minute sought to put a limit on the dreams and nightmares we have. This high risk venture was the magnum opus of comics' master.

Beautifully stated. Fourth World definitely gets an honorable mention from me.

I don't know if others have had as much fun as I have in reading Grant Morrison's epic Seven Soldier's of Victory, but I really well-enjoyed this great tale bringing together so many fun and obscure elements of the DC universe together with a very contemporary sensibilty. In an era when superhero storytelling seems a tenuos and often unsustainable enterprise Grant Morrison managed to weave together a story of such excitement and propulsion that I found I couldn't put it down. I found myself saying Wow!! after each chapter. And now I can only wish for more of its kind.

I would have been there with you if Seven Soldiers had ended as strongly as it began. I felt the focus really got lost (or at least changed for the worse) as the first set of titles ended and the second set began. The ending felt thrown together for me, and too many questions and plot-holes were left lying around in the end. Part of what I loved about Seven Soldiers was how meticulously everything worked together. I was re-reading each issue several times and actually making word documents full of notes for the sake of keeping up with every clue that was thrown at me. None of it seemed to add up well in the end. I also really didn't like the Mister Miracle installments.

1970s The Brave and the Bold by Haney and Aparo. B&B was the place to grasp the depth of DC's superheroic universe in the 70's. Almost any superheroic character from DC's catalogue was likely to show up: dormant features like Metamorpho and Adam Strange and Metal Men, Golden Age features like Wildcat and Dr. Fate...wow, what a stream of spectacular, fascinating co-stars! And most of the issues were done-in-one!

Fascinating choice. I've never given B&B much of a chance. I'll have to revisit some of those issues.

[Cei-U!]

1940s What else would it be but the Justice Society of America series running in All-Star Comics #3-57. Far from the best series in terms of either writing or art, it nonetheless epitomizes everything I love about the super-hero genre in its formative years.

1950s A toss-up between Frontline Combat and Two-Fisted Tales, Harvey Kurtzman's twin adventure titles for EC. The combination of Kurtzman's meticulous reasearch and dynamic storytelling with beautiful art by some of the medium's best make these books stand head and shoulders above their contemporaries.

1960s Lee and Ditko's run on Amazing Spider-Man #1-39 and Annuals #1-2, which revolutionized the super-hero genre while delivering some of the most visually exciting action sequences ever.

1970s The Brave and the Bold #79-131 by editor Murray Boltinoff, scripter Bob Haney and art by Neal Adams, Nick Cardy and the incomparable Jim Aparo. Simply my favorite comics of all time.

1980s Nexus by Baron and Rude, which combines a modern sophistication in plot and characterization with the anything-goes fantasy and exuberant energy of Golden Age comics.

1990s The pickin's are slim in this decade but I'll go with Astro City by Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson and Alex Ross. Busiek achieves a delicate balance between embracing the classic tropes of the super-hero genre and grounding them in a mature emotional reality (as opposed to the arrested adolescence that too many contemporary creators give us).

2000s I really haven't read enough from this era to have what I'd consider an informed opinion but I really dug Darwyn Cooke's DC: The New Frontier.

Cei-U!
I summon the great topic!

[Heraclevs]

The Brave and the Bold[/i] #79-131 by editor Murray Boltinoff, scripter Bob Haney and art by Neal Adams, Nick Cardy and the incomparable Jim Aparo. Simply my favorite comics of all time.

That's a sweet ride... it seems like just after that particular run, Jim Aparo's art style began to change, get less detailed and more rigid. I never really liked his later run on Batman in the late 80's to mid-90's, but those early B&B's in the run you mention are golden!


- Romans 9

[Reptisaurus!]

1940’s:

Not particularly up on forties comics, given how few of 'em are easily available. But the Plastic Man archives are some of my favorite comics ever.

So I bet that the Police Comics stories that featured both Plas and the Spirit are among the best of the best.

1950’s: Since everybody's going Kurtzman EC, I'll say Little Lulu.

1960’s: Unsurprisingly, Montes and Gill. Reptisaurus

1970’s: Hmm. A lot of it wasn't good. A lot of it I kind of hated. But I can't deny the grotesque energy behind Zap.

1980’s: After some tough decades, this one's easy. Tales of the Beanworld in a walk.

1990’s: Palookaville... Eightball....Palookaville.... Eightballl.... I guess I'll go with Eightball by .0001%

2000’s Most of the best work now-a-days is outside of the limited 22 page single issue format, but Love and Rockets is not only still going strong, it may well be getting better... Ghost of Hoppers , a collection of stories from the run released just last year, is THE best work I've seen from Jaime.

[Polar Bear]

1940's: Hawkman by Fox (I think) & Moldoff. I just think the art was about the best in the 1940's. The costume design, though not by Shelly Moldoff, was superb. I only one one hardcover golden age volume, and this is it. Hawkman has that "weird" quality I enjoy so much.

1950's: Uncle Scrooge by Barks. So many classics!!! The artwork, the gags, the plots, the research--it all comes together in this one book. If ever a run needed "Archives" treatment, it's this one.

1960's: Amazing Spider-Man by Lee & Ditko, later Lee & Romita, Sr. We get to see Peter, the one we could identify with so well, grow up, all while fighting goblins, octopi, and lizards. What could be better?

1970's: Avengers by lots of people. One decade, going from the end of Thomas through Engelhart, Shooter, and Micheline, all at the height of their powers? Add to that a few issues each by Byrne and Perez, and I'm all over this.

1980's: The hard one. Three contenders:
Uncanny X-Men by Claremont and various. The John Byrne run is classic. Near that--in my heart, anyway--is the Paul Smith era, especially the storyline which introduced the Brood. I know it's commonplace to bad-mouth the X-Men, but there was a time when it was actually good.

Swamp Thing is also impossible for me to exclude. American Gothic, the outer space sequence, the Pogo riff, the Annual where he visits hell--such pure creativity, aided most frequently by superb Bisette/Totleben (sp.?) artwork. I could re-read these issues back-to-back and still find new things about them to rave about.

Finally, Rom. I can't tell you why, exactly, but from its first issue, this title grabbed my then-ten-year-old imagination like no other. I couldn't really imagine myself in Spider-Man's stories, or the X-Men's (and I wouldn't want to imagine myself in Swampy's!). But an alien invasion, years old already, with shapechangers taking our forms and using super-science and sorcery together to weaken our defences from the inside, and the only one who can stop them looks like a 7-foot robot who kills people and quickly flies away? And there are more of them on other planets? I spent more time pretending to be Galadorian or know a Galadorian than I did with any other fictional universe.

1990's: Cages. Though I was sorely tempted to go with Sandman or Astro City, Dave McKean's one-man show raised so many excellent questions that I can't put anything else in this slot. He didn't always answer those questions, mind you, but he gave me food for thought to last for a week or more. The first issue was slow going, but he made up for it as early as #2. An overlooked gem by the sorely-missed Tundra.

Additional honorable mentions for three humor titles: Slott's Ren & Stimpy; Priest's Quantum & Woody; and Colon's Rocky & Bullwinkle.

2000's: Negation. Crazy, crazy, crazy fun. Talk about high tension, humor, action, irony, puzzles ... it was all here. All it lacked was an ending :(

Honorable mention to Ultimate Spider-Man.

[benday-dot]

MWG's and Polar Bear's well-stated citations of Swamp Thing rekindle such fine reading memories of Moore's fantastic run on the series that I might just be convinced to replace Miller's Daredevil as my title of choice for the 80's. It's a tough call for me.

[Ryan K]

50's
Pre-1960, the majority of my comic reading enjoyment comes from comic strips. That said, I've always thoroughly enjoyed the EC Horror comics.

60's
It comes down to the Lee/Ditko Spidey vs. Lee/Kirby FF. Kirby usually wins with me. Honorable mention to everything else Kirby did in the decade.

70's
Claremont's X-Men basically got me into comics, so nostalgia overrides everything here.

80's
Love and Rockets. I could list this title for any of the next three decades, but I'll try and switch it up. IIRC though my favorite stuff comes from this part of their run so I'll slot it here. Honorable mentions to Sim's Cerebus, Watchmen, and Miller's Daredevil.

90's
The nineties get a bad rap in comics. Because superhero comics sucked. The good superhero stuff I found in television (Batman the Animated Series and Buffy). But I love books like Sin City, Hate, Eightball, Acme Novelty Library, Love and Rockets, Hellboy, etc. I flipped a coin to decide between Bone and Sandman and Bone won.

00's
I have a hard time here because I need time to process everything removed from the present. Because there have been so many of them that I've enjoyed so much, I'm going to go with the graphic novels of Norwegian cartoonist Jason. Hey Wait..., Meow Baby, Shhhhhhh, The Iron Wagon, You Can't Get There From Here, Why Are You Doing This, Tell Me Something, The Left Bank Gang, The Living and the Dead, and I Killed Adolf Hitler. Honorable mentions to Top Ten, Promethea, The Goon, X-Statix, Love and Rockets, and some stuff I wouldn't really consider runs like New Frontier, Fun Home, Louis Riel, and Epileptic.

[Chris Nowlin]

MWG's and Polar Bear's well-stated citations of Swamp Thing rekindle such fine reading memories of Moore's fantastic run on the series that I might just be convinced to replace Miller's Daredevil as my title of choice for the 80's. It's a tough call for me.

I'm having a hard time with the '80s too.

Swamp Thing is a lead contender in my mind, though.

[Reptisaurus!]

I'm going to go with the graphic novels of Norwegian cartoonist Jason. Hey Wait..., Meow Baby, Shhhhhhh, The Iron Wagon, You Can't Get There From Here, Why Are You Doing This, Tell Me Something, The Left Bank Gang, The Living and the Dead, and I Killed Adolf Hitler.

I wasn't calling this a "run" per-se, of that'd be mine as well.

[Ryan K]

I wasn't calling this a "run" per-se, of that'd be mine as well.

Heh. Yeah, I used a pretty loose definition of "run" to justify that pick.

[Lone Ranger]

I went with my gut reaction - not too much in the way of deep thinking. I limited my honorable mentions to the first 3 that came to mind, otherwise we could be here all day.


1940s - The Spirit
There are no reprints that I've collected more passionately that these. I even really like the non-Eisner stuff as he still had one eye on things.

Honorable Mentions - Blackhawk, Doll Man, Captain Marvel Jr.

1950s - Lone Ranger
Paul S. Newman and Tom Gill broke absolutely no ground, but they churned out lively, entertaining stories for 100+ issues. Lovely consistency during a decade of great upheaval in the industry.

Honorable Mentions - Little Lulu, Johnny Thunder in AAW, Zorro

1960s - Amazing Spider-Man
Lee and Ditko's stories hold up beautifully today. Peter Parker set the new bar for alter-egoes as fans liked him as much out of costume as in costume.

Honorable Mentions - Magnus Robot Fighter, Bat Lash, Atom

1970s - Brave and the Bold
This remains my favourite title, and Jim Aparo remains my favourite artist on my favourite character. A wonderful way for a young lad to be introduced to the variety of characters in the DCU.

Honorable Mentions - Unknown Soldier, Manhunter, Kubert's Tarzan,

1980s - Daredevil
I probably re-read Miller & Janson's books once every two years and never grow tired of them. It still infuriates me that they could make such a lousy movie out of this stuff.

Honorable Mentions - Johnny Quest, Byrne's FF, Grell's Green Arrow

1990s - Sandman Mystery Theatre
Comic book perfection. It broke my heart when this was cancelled.

Honorable Mentions - Astro City, Madman, Bone

2000s - Green Arrow
I've got 5 or 6 trades and enjoyed them immensely - modern super hero stuff without angst-overkill. They lost me with the ID Crisis tie-in. I wish there were a separate Arrowverse sometimes.

Honorable Mentions - Jonah Hex, The Goon, Darwyn Cook's The Spirit

[stelok]

1940's: Joe Simon and Jack Kirby's Captain America, Bill Everett's Sub-Mariner and Carl Burgos' Human Torch.

1950's: C.C. Beck, Otto Binder and Kurt Schaffenberger's work on Captain Marvel and the Marvel Family. and Carl Banks' run on Disney comics.

1960's: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's Fantastic Four and Avengers, Stan Lee & Steve Ditko's Spider-Man and Robert Kanigher and Joe Kubert's Enemy Ace

1970's: Jack Kirby's Fourth World and Jimmy Olsen book, Chris Claremont & John Byrne's X-Men, Jim Starlin's run on Adam Warlock & Thanos saga

1980's: Walt Simonson's Thor, John Byrne's Fantastic Four, Frank Miller's Daredevil, Marv Wolfman & George Perez's New Teen Titans

1990's: Kurt Busiek & George Perez's Avengers, Mark Waid & Ron Garney's Captain America, Grant Morrison & Howard Porter's JLA, Kevin Smith & Joe Quesada's Daredevil

2000's: Mark Millar & Bryan Hitch's Ultimates, Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch's New Avengers, Geoff Johns' Teen Titans

[DDM]

1960's

Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's The Fantastic Four set the very foundation for the Marvel Universe; whereas, Roy Thomas really expanded The Avengers with the introduction of the Vision, the Squadron Supreme, Squadron Sinister, & established the Skrull & Kree hatred for each in the classic The Kree-Skrull War.

1970's

Jim Starlin's take on Captain Marvel & Adam Warlock through his villain, Thanos & the Magus, the corrupted alternate version of Adam Warlock along other supporting characters such as Drax the Destroyer, Pip the troll, Gamora, Moondragon, & establishes the Eternals of Titan (Eros, Mentor, Kronus).

Chris Claremont's Uncanny X-Men flourished with an all new, all different line-up after the book was cancelled in 1970. Claremont along with artists Dave Cockrum & John Byrne created new characters such as the Hellfire Club, Phoenix, Kitty Pryde, Alpha Flight, Proteus, Dark Phoenix, etc al. Many of these stories still resonate today.

1980's

Chris Claremont expands the mutants universe with The New Mutants (novice students), Classic X-Men (new back stories), & Excalibur (British X-Men with Captain Britain's context established by David Thorpe, Alan Moore, Jamie Delano, & Alan Davis) along with various limited series such as Wolverine #1-4, Magik #1-4, Fantastic Four vs the X-Men with other stories in Marvel Fanfare #1-4. Uncanny X-Men becomes a franchise with Chris Claremont's vision at the helm & quite a successful one at that.

Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor, Frank Miller's Daredevil, Ann Nocenti's Daredevil, Louise Simonson's X-Factor & Power Pack, & John Byrne's Fantastic Four & Alpha Flight raised the bar as well.

Grant Morrison's The Doom Patrol & Animal Man remains rivetting stories for the most part, although I think Morrison lost himself at the end of The Doom Patrol in the latter part.

1990's

DC's Vertigo officially became an imprint although The Sandman started in 1988. The stories took place at any time, any place, & could literally be about anything through Morpheus & the Dreaming. Gaiman also established his "siblings," the Endless.

The Fantastic Four & The Avengers returned to their roots in 1997.

[Cei-U!]

1950s - Lone Ranger
Paul S. Newman and Tom Gill broke absolutely no ground, but they churned out lively, entertaining stories for 100+ issues. Lovely consistency during a decade of great upheaval in the industry.


Are you sure it was Newman? I remember an issue of David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview in which Gaylord DuBois said he scripted the Dell LR stories and ghost-wrote the Lone Ranger novel credited to series creator Fran Stryker.

Cei-U!
I summon the confusion!

[Polar Bear]

...

1990's: ... Mark Waid & Ron Garney's Captain America ...

Ooooh! Good one!

[Lone Ranger]

Are you sure it was Newman? I remember an issue of David Anthony Kraft's Comics Interview in which Gaylord DuBois said he scripted the Dell LR stories and ghost-wrote the Lone Ranger novel credited to series creator Fran Stryker.

Cei-U!
I summon the confusion!

I hadn't heard that.

Everything I've read indicates that Newman wrote most (if not all) of the Dell series.

I know that DuBois wrote the Young Hawk bac-up in Lone Ranger, as well as the Hi-Yo Silver series.

No to trust the internet too much, but here's the wiki page for each writer:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaylord_DuBois

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_S._Newman