John S Osen
05-10-2005, 06:48 AM
THE TOP TEN...
1. Action Comics #1 The Man of Steel ushers in a new Golden Age of heroes.
2. Detective Comics #27 The Batman begins his crusade against crime.
3. New Fun Comics #1 The first comic book to publish original material debuts.
4. Marvel Comics #1 The very beginnings of a Marvelous universe debuts.
5. Showcase #4 The fleet-footed Flash signals the start of a Silver Age in comics.
6. Fantastic Four #1 It's (sales-)clobberin' time for Marvel's super-team.
7. Amazing Fantasy #15 Is he strong? Listen, bud...
8. Cerebus #1 Canada's Dave Sim starts an aardvark on his journey.
9. Pep Comics #22 Archie... Archie Andrews, where are you? Oh, there you are.
10. Funnies on Parade Everything has to start somewhere.
...AND THE REST
11. Action Comics #23 The Man of Steel gains an archenemy worthy of his time.
12. Action Comics #252 Supergirl debuts to displays her own brand of "girl power."
13. Adventure Comics #247 The Legion of Super-Heroes begin building their roster.
14. Akira #1 A Japanese masterpiece is introduced to the West.
15. All-American Comics #16 The original Green Lantern sees the light of day for the first time.
16. All-Star Comics #3 A society of heroes first assembles.
17. All-Star Comics #8 Wonder Woman begins her crusade for truth, justice and positive role models.
18. Alpha Flight #106 A superhero comes out of the closet.
19. Amazing Spider-Man #96, The Marvel defies the censors with an anti-drug message.
20. Amazing Spider-Man #121, The Gwen Stacey's death makes Marvel a less merry place.
21. Amazing Spider-Man #129, The The Punisher begins his personal war against crime.
22. American Splendor #1 Harvey Pekar's autobiography inspires underground artists.
23. Avengers #1, The The Avengers assemble for the very first time.
24. Batman #1 Two of comics' greatest villains first appear.
25. Batman #428 Robin gets whacked... but don't blame the Joker.
26. Brave and the Bold #28, The Smells like team spirit when the JLA assembles.
27. Captain America #1 Comics get patriotic with their first untested title character.
28. Captain Victory #1 Comic king Jack Kirby strikes a blow for artists' rights.
29. Classic Comics #1 Comics that are good for you? What an Interesting idea...
30. Conan the Barbarian #1 "Sword-and-sorcery" fantasy comes to life.
31. Creepy #1 Horror makes a comeback.
32. Crime Does Not Pay #22 Before Cops, nothing beat this for true crime stories.
33. Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 DC cleans house on a cosmic scale.
34. Crypt of Terror #17 Horror enters its own "golden age," and exposes some pretty horrific hypocrisy along the way.
35. Daredevil #1 It isn't hard to see how the idea of a blind hero might sound odd...
36. Daredevil #158 Daredevil's rebirth makes life grittier for a lot of heroes.
37. Dark Knight Returns #1, The Frank Miller breathes new life into the Caped Crusader.
38. Death of Captain Marvel, The Captain Marvel faces the one foe he can't beat with his fists.
39. Detective Comics #1 The first comic book devoted to a particular theme debuts.
40. Detective Comics #38 Sidekicks wanted. Apply within.
41. Detective Comics #225 The Martian Manhunter arrives to walk among us.
42. Famous Funnies #1 The first retail comic book appears.
43. Fantastic Four #5 "Doctor" Doom, if you please...
44. Fantastic Four #48 The Silver Surfer and Galactus put the "universe" in "Marvel Universe."
45. Fantastic Four #52 The Black Panther is introduced as Marvel's first black superhero.
46. Fantasy Quarterly #1 Elfquest, one of the first successful creator-owned comics, debuts.
47. Flash Comics #1 A famous fleet-footed fellow debuts.
48. Flash #123, The Worlds collide as DC's Silver Age meets its Golden Age.
49. Four Color Comics #9 Carl Barks, meet Donald Duck.
50. Four Color Comics #178 Uncle Scrooge debuts for our money-making merriment.
51. Green Lantern #76 Comics discover "relevance."
52. Heavy Metal #1 A French import offers some maturity to the medium.
53. House of Secrets #92 DC's Swamp Thing first rises from the muck.
54. Incredible Hulk #1, The "Is he man, monster, or... is he both?"
55. Incredible Hulk #181, The Marvel's mightiest-selling mutant debuts.
56. Jimmy Olsen #134 Darkseid debuts as DC's most dastardly despot.
57. Journey Into Mystery #83 Ancient mythology meets modern storytelling with the son of Odin.
58. Kingdom Come #1 Old heroes and new battle to decide "whose will be done."
59. Little Dot #1 Richie Rich starts counting his millions... of fans.
60. Lone Wolf & Cub #1 First Comics gives many readers their first look at manga.
61. Love and Rockets #1 A series for mature readers makes its debut.
62. MAD #1 The MADness begins.
63. Magnus, Robot Fighter #1 Sci-fi looks to the future.
64. Man of Steel #1, The Superman gets a facelift.
65. Marvels #1 What if you were a normal person in a world where superhumans can fly?
66. Maus #1 The first comic to win a Pulitzer Prize begins its terrible tale.
67. Military Comics #1 Blackhawk arrives to fight the good fight.
68. More Fun Comics #52 The Spectre's debut makes comics a little more spirited.
69. More Fun Comics #73 Both Aquaman and Green Arrow arrive on the scene.
70. More Fun Comics #101 Superboy is born, but not everyone is happy about it.
71. Motion Picture Funnies #1 The first appearance of the Sub-Mariner... kind of.
72. New Gods #1, The Jack "King" Kirby reveals his masterpiece to the masses.
73. New Teen Titans #1, The DC's sidekicks enjoy their second chance at stardom.
74. Planet Comics #1 Bug-eyed aliens finally get their moment.
75. Police Comics #1 Plastic Man redefines superhero humor, thanks to creator Jack Cole.
76. Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, The Alan Moore ushers in a new era of mature reading.
77. Sandman #1, The Neil Gaiman's story about the realm of stories begins.
78. Showcase #9 The Superman family grows a little with the debut of Lois Lane's title.
79. Showcase #22 Beware the power of Green Lantern's light.
80. Spawn #1 A new hero offers up a new "Image" for comics.
81. Spirit Sections, The Will Eisner brings a new "spirit" to the comics business.
82. Star Wars #1 A long time ago... a movie made a serious impact on comics.
83. Strange Tales #110 Dr. Strange first weaves his spell over Marvel's fans.
84. Strange Tales #151 Jim Steranko brings a new style to an old soldier.
85. Superman #1 The first comic book devoted to a single character debuts.
86. Superman #75 Superman dies. It didn't take.
87. Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man Comics' two biggest heroes -- and companies -- meet for the first time.
88. Tales of Suspense #39 Iron Man suits up for action.
89. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Two guys make fun of comics, and get rich doing it.
90. Two-Fisted Tales #18 Harvey Kurtzman's masterpiece reveals the true face of war.
91. Two-Gun Kid #1, The Move aside, you ornery cape-wearin' varmints...
92. Understanding Comics A comic book about comic books. Go figure.
93. Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #1 Disney finds a new audience for its cinematic stars.
94. Watchmen #1 Who watched the Watchmen in 1986? Everyone.
95. Whiz Comics #2 Captain Marvel gives that other flying guy a fair fight.
96. Wonder Comics #1 The comic that launched the industry's first copyright lawsuit...
97. X-Men #1, The Marvel's mightiest-selling team first makes its mark.
98. X-Men Giant-Size #1 Marvel's mutant team gets major with a makeover.
99. Young Romance #1 Love is in the air... thanks to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
100. Zap Comix #0 Underground "comix" get noticed, thanks to Robert Crumb's twisted take on like.
1. Action Comics #1 The Man of Steel ushers in a new Golden Age of heroes.
2. Detective Comics #27 The Batman begins his crusade against crime.
3. New Fun Comics #1 The first comic book to publish original material debuts.
4. Marvel Comics #1 The very beginnings of a Marvelous universe debuts.
5. Showcase #4 The fleet-footed Flash signals the start of a Silver Age in comics.
6. Fantastic Four #1 It's (sales-)clobberin' time for Marvel's super-team.
7. Amazing Fantasy #15 Is he strong? Listen, bud...
8. Cerebus #1 Canada's Dave Sim starts an aardvark on his journey.
9. Pep Comics #22 Archie... Archie Andrews, where are you? Oh, there you are.
10. Funnies on Parade Everything has to start somewhere.
...AND THE REST
11. Action Comics #23 The Man of Steel gains an archenemy worthy of his time.
12. Action Comics #252 Supergirl debuts to displays her own brand of "girl power."
13. Adventure Comics #247 The Legion of Super-Heroes begin building their roster.
14. Akira #1 A Japanese masterpiece is introduced to the West.
15. All-American Comics #16 The original Green Lantern sees the light of day for the first time.
16. All-Star Comics #3 A society of heroes first assembles.
17. All-Star Comics #8 Wonder Woman begins her crusade for truth, justice and positive role models.
18. Alpha Flight #106 A superhero comes out of the closet.
19. Amazing Spider-Man #96, The Marvel defies the censors with an anti-drug message.
20. Amazing Spider-Man #121, The Gwen Stacey's death makes Marvel a less merry place.
21. Amazing Spider-Man #129, The The Punisher begins his personal war against crime.
22. American Splendor #1 Harvey Pekar's autobiography inspires underground artists.
23. Avengers #1, The The Avengers assemble for the very first time.
24. Batman #1 Two of comics' greatest villains first appear.
25. Batman #428 Robin gets whacked... but don't blame the Joker.
26. Brave and the Bold #28, The Smells like team spirit when the JLA assembles.
27. Captain America #1 Comics get patriotic with their first untested title character.
28. Captain Victory #1 Comic king Jack Kirby strikes a blow for artists' rights.
29. Classic Comics #1 Comics that are good for you? What an Interesting idea...
30. Conan the Barbarian #1 "Sword-and-sorcery" fantasy comes to life.
31. Creepy #1 Horror makes a comeback.
32. Crime Does Not Pay #22 Before Cops, nothing beat this for true crime stories.
33. Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 DC cleans house on a cosmic scale.
34. Crypt of Terror #17 Horror enters its own "golden age," and exposes some pretty horrific hypocrisy along the way.
35. Daredevil #1 It isn't hard to see how the idea of a blind hero might sound odd...
36. Daredevil #158 Daredevil's rebirth makes life grittier for a lot of heroes.
37. Dark Knight Returns #1, The Frank Miller breathes new life into the Caped Crusader.
38. Death of Captain Marvel, The Captain Marvel faces the one foe he can't beat with his fists.
39. Detective Comics #1 The first comic book devoted to a particular theme debuts.
40. Detective Comics #38 Sidekicks wanted. Apply within.
41. Detective Comics #225 The Martian Manhunter arrives to walk among us.
42. Famous Funnies #1 The first retail comic book appears.
43. Fantastic Four #5 "Doctor" Doom, if you please...
44. Fantastic Four #48 The Silver Surfer and Galactus put the "universe" in "Marvel Universe."
45. Fantastic Four #52 The Black Panther is introduced as Marvel's first black superhero.
46. Fantasy Quarterly #1 Elfquest, one of the first successful creator-owned comics, debuts.
47. Flash Comics #1 A famous fleet-footed fellow debuts.
48. Flash #123, The Worlds collide as DC's Silver Age meets its Golden Age.
49. Four Color Comics #9 Carl Barks, meet Donald Duck.
50. Four Color Comics #178 Uncle Scrooge debuts for our money-making merriment.
51. Green Lantern #76 Comics discover "relevance."
52. Heavy Metal #1 A French import offers some maturity to the medium.
53. House of Secrets #92 DC's Swamp Thing first rises from the muck.
54. Incredible Hulk #1, The "Is he man, monster, or... is he both?"
55. Incredible Hulk #181, The Marvel's mightiest-selling mutant debuts.
56. Jimmy Olsen #134 Darkseid debuts as DC's most dastardly despot.
57. Journey Into Mystery #83 Ancient mythology meets modern storytelling with the son of Odin.
58. Kingdom Come #1 Old heroes and new battle to decide "whose will be done."
59. Little Dot #1 Richie Rich starts counting his millions... of fans.
60. Lone Wolf & Cub #1 First Comics gives many readers their first look at manga.
61. Love and Rockets #1 A series for mature readers makes its debut.
62. MAD #1 The MADness begins.
63. Magnus, Robot Fighter #1 Sci-fi looks to the future.
64. Man of Steel #1, The Superman gets a facelift.
65. Marvels #1 What if you were a normal person in a world where superhumans can fly?
66. Maus #1 The first comic to win a Pulitzer Prize begins its terrible tale.
67. Military Comics #1 Blackhawk arrives to fight the good fight.
68. More Fun Comics #52 The Spectre's debut makes comics a little more spirited.
69. More Fun Comics #73 Both Aquaman and Green Arrow arrive on the scene.
70. More Fun Comics #101 Superboy is born, but not everyone is happy about it.
71. Motion Picture Funnies #1 The first appearance of the Sub-Mariner... kind of.
72. New Gods #1, The Jack "King" Kirby reveals his masterpiece to the masses.
73. New Teen Titans #1, The DC's sidekicks enjoy their second chance at stardom.
74. Planet Comics #1 Bug-eyed aliens finally get their moment.
75. Police Comics #1 Plastic Man redefines superhero humor, thanks to creator Jack Cole.
76. Saga of the Swamp Thing #20, The Alan Moore ushers in a new era of mature reading.
77. Sandman #1, The Neil Gaiman's story about the realm of stories begins.
78. Showcase #9 The Superman family grows a little with the debut of Lois Lane's title.
79. Showcase #22 Beware the power of Green Lantern's light.
80. Spawn #1 A new hero offers up a new "Image" for comics.
81. Spirit Sections, The Will Eisner brings a new "spirit" to the comics business.
82. Star Wars #1 A long time ago... a movie made a serious impact on comics.
83. Strange Tales #110 Dr. Strange first weaves his spell over Marvel's fans.
84. Strange Tales #151 Jim Steranko brings a new style to an old soldier.
85. Superman #1 The first comic book devoted to a single character debuts.
86. Superman #75 Superman dies. It didn't take.
87. Superman vs. The Amazing Spider-Man Comics' two biggest heroes -- and companies -- meet for the first time.
88. Tales of Suspense #39 Iron Man suits up for action.
89. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 Two guys make fun of comics, and get rich doing it.
90. Two-Fisted Tales #18 Harvey Kurtzman's masterpiece reveals the true face of war.
91. Two-Gun Kid #1, The Move aside, you ornery cape-wearin' varmints...
92. Understanding Comics A comic book about comic books. Go figure.
93. Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #1 Disney finds a new audience for its cinematic stars.
94. Watchmen #1 Who watched the Watchmen in 1986? Everyone.
95. Whiz Comics #2 Captain Marvel gives that other flying guy a fair fight.
96. Wonder Comics #1 The comic that launched the industry's first copyright lawsuit...
97. X-Men #1, The Marvel's mightiest-selling team first makes its mark.
98. X-Men Giant-Size #1 Marvel's mutant team gets major with a makeover.
99. Young Romance #1 Love is in the air... thanks to Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.
100. Zap Comix #0 Underground "comix" get noticed, thanks to Robert Crumb's twisted take on like.