Atsab
06-03-2009, 12:41 AM
The dream: a giant list of DC comics, in chronological order, including every "significant" issue the company has published, from Golden Age to Final Crisis. Someone who had this list could just proceed right along, reading each issue, and slowly follow the story of the DCU from birth to [whatever's happening now] without ever coming across a reference they don't get.
The reality: THE LIST doesn't exist.
So, let's make it, right? Or at least give it a shot. I'm going to do it one day no matter what but it'd sure be better if I had some help.
The most obvious way to start would be if someone had ever attempted a master list of this kind before, then to add to it until it was complete (if that's possible). I've never come across anything like that, but if someone has they should post it.
Plan B, "the old fashioned way". Start with a huge, current crossover event, take down all the characters, places, things, references, and events in the series (that are not original to the issue, of course), and find when each of them first appeared. Then with each of those (probably hundreds) of issues, do the same thing, ad infinitum. Eventually a cohesive list will form. From there, it's all about people suggesting issues that aren't on the list yet. At first there will be a lot of obvious omissions, soon there will be only the more obscure important events missing, and eventually people will start arguing over whether issues deserve a spot on the list or not. That will be a great day, for it will signify that we have AT LEAST the tip of the iceberg done without question. But I can't stand not even having that tip.
Criteria will have to be set. Remember: the idea is that no reference will be missed. This is a HUGE task.
Final Crisis... best place to start? Can anyone who's been reading Final Crisis provide information regarding who/what/etc appears in the series, or what prior comics might be important to have read? From there we can trace the multiplying threads back and back into (hopefully) the Golden Age and have a giant pyramid of "essential issues" for future people to use.
Once that project is underway, another good place to start would seem to be Crisis on Infinite Earths (virtually an encyclopedia of the DCMultiverse), which is obviously a key component of the tapestry leading to FC. With that giant mass of issues, each with its own mass of issues, each with its own, etc etc the path will be set and we can eventually place them all in order.
I'll start posting tomorrow. Y'all should too.
-------------------------------------------------
a taste:
DC Comics Presents #87 (first superboy prime)
House of Secrets #61 (first eclipso)
The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #21 (first mysterious appearance of Monitor)
G.I. Combat #274 (first full appearance of Monitor)
Green Lantern #21 (first Doctor Polaris)
Superboy #226 (first Dawnstar)
The Brave and the Bold # 200 (first Outsiders)
New Teen Titans #3 (first Psimon)
Warlord #55 (first Arion)
Firestorm #1 (first Firestorm)
Showcase #56 (first SA psycho-pirate)
Spectre #5 (second SA psycho-pirate)
All-Star Comics #23 (first GA psycho-pirate)
All-Star Comics #32 (only other GA psycho-pirate)
Green Lantern #10 (first Vandal Savage)
All-Star Comics #37 (first Injustice Society)
Flash Vol. 1 #137 (early multiverse story; Vandal Savage)
Green Lantern #40 (first origin of the Guardians)
Justice League of America #5 (first Doctor Destiny)
Flash #179 (first earth prime)
The Flash #123 (first earth 2)
Justice League of America #29 (first earth 3)
[all series vol. 1 unless noted]
The reality: THE LIST doesn't exist.
So, let's make it, right? Or at least give it a shot. I'm going to do it one day no matter what but it'd sure be better if I had some help.
The most obvious way to start would be if someone had ever attempted a master list of this kind before, then to add to it until it was complete (if that's possible). I've never come across anything like that, but if someone has they should post it.
Plan B, "the old fashioned way". Start with a huge, current crossover event, take down all the characters, places, things, references, and events in the series (that are not original to the issue, of course), and find when each of them first appeared. Then with each of those (probably hundreds) of issues, do the same thing, ad infinitum. Eventually a cohesive list will form. From there, it's all about people suggesting issues that aren't on the list yet. At first there will be a lot of obvious omissions, soon there will be only the more obscure important events missing, and eventually people will start arguing over whether issues deserve a spot on the list or not. That will be a great day, for it will signify that we have AT LEAST the tip of the iceberg done without question. But I can't stand not even having that tip.
Criteria will have to be set. Remember: the idea is that no reference will be missed. This is a HUGE task.
Final Crisis... best place to start? Can anyone who's been reading Final Crisis provide information regarding who/what/etc appears in the series, or what prior comics might be important to have read? From there we can trace the multiplying threads back and back into (hopefully) the Golden Age and have a giant pyramid of "essential issues" for future people to use.
Once that project is underway, another good place to start would seem to be Crisis on Infinite Earths (virtually an encyclopedia of the DCMultiverse), which is obviously a key component of the tapestry leading to FC. With that giant mass of issues, each with its own mass of issues, each with its own, etc etc the path will be set and we can eventually place them all in order.
I'll start posting tomorrow. Y'all should too.
-------------------------------------------------
a taste:
DC Comics Presents #87 (first superboy prime)
House of Secrets #61 (first eclipso)
The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #21 (first mysterious appearance of Monitor)
G.I. Combat #274 (first full appearance of Monitor)
Green Lantern #21 (first Doctor Polaris)
Superboy #226 (first Dawnstar)
The Brave and the Bold # 200 (first Outsiders)
New Teen Titans #3 (first Psimon)
Warlord #55 (first Arion)
Firestorm #1 (first Firestorm)
Showcase #56 (first SA psycho-pirate)
Spectre #5 (second SA psycho-pirate)
All-Star Comics #23 (first GA psycho-pirate)
All-Star Comics #32 (only other GA psycho-pirate)
Green Lantern #10 (first Vandal Savage)
All-Star Comics #37 (first Injustice Society)
Flash Vol. 1 #137 (early multiverse story; Vandal Savage)
Green Lantern #40 (first origin of the Guardians)
Justice League of America #5 (first Doctor Destiny)
Flash #179 (first earth prime)
The Flash #123 (first earth 2)
Justice League of America #29 (first earth 3)
[all series vol. 1 unless noted]