Let's Name The Top 100 Comic Book Storylines/Events Together

[dan bailey]

Hell, I think we should call this list the Classic Comic Forum's 100 Essential Reads and slap a sticky on it as a guide to new readers and posters who come to the forum. It's a very good place to start for those wondering what we're all about.

In which case the omission of Brother Power the Geek #s 1-3 looms very, very large indeed.

[Cei-U!]

I'm not sure that's fair. I certainly went with the highest quality comics that I have come in contact with, not personal favorites (though sometimes the two were the same). I'm nowhere near as widely read in the world of comics as you or many of the other experts on this forum, but then, why weren't you more involved in the nominating process?

I contributed six entries, each one selected to provide the kind of balance I was advocating. Should I have dominated the process and made 30 or 40? *That* would've been unfair.

The list may not come close to accurately reflectin the Top 100 quality and/or important comics, but I think it does reflect our best effort to compile such a list, not just a simple blurring of what we like with what we consider quality.

Sorry, amigo, but I don't think it reflects that much at all (I would point out a dozen or so examples but I'm not out to insult anyone). Like I said, as a list of favorites, it's a fine list but I don't think we should pretend it's something it's not. Okay?

Cei-U!
I summon one man's POV!

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

In which case the omission of Brother Power the Geek #s 1-3 looms very, very large indeed.

Hm, another reference to a 3rd issue of Brother Power the Geek. I'm beginning to think this is more than a myth.

[dan bailey]

I can see where the Tacoma Terror is coming from here, but of course it's a fine line one way or the other. Where does "a list of favorites" stop & "a very good place to start for those wondering what we're all about" start?

The concept is by definition so ambiguous & subjective that I don't know that any real clarity is possible without (god forbid) the equivalent of the convening of the framers of the Constitution or something.

[shaxper]

Hell, I think we should call this list the Classic Comic Forum's 100 Essential Reads and slap a sticky on it as a guide to new readers and posters who come to the forum. It's a very good place to start for those wondering what we're all about.

I think this is a pretty awesome idea.

[dan bailey]

Hm, another reference to a 3rd issue of Brother Power the Geek. I'm beginning to think this is more than a myth.

As I once wrote in so many words response to a skeptical post by the cynical & hard-hearted Cei-U! ...


DEAR MODERATOR: I am 53 years old.
"Some of my little friends say there is no Brother Power the Geek #3.
"Rob Allen says, 'If you see it in the Classic Comics Forum it's so.'
"Please tell me the truth; is there a Brother Power the Geek #3?

"Cei-U!
"TACOMA, WASH."

Cei-U!, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except [what] they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Cei-U!, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect, as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Cei-U!, there is a Brother Power the Geek #3. It exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Brother Power the Geek #3. It would be as dreary as if there were no Cei-U!s. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Brother Power the Geek #! You might as well not believe in fairies! You might get Rob Allen to hire men to watch in all the huckster rooms at big conventions to find Brother Power the Geek #3, but even if they did not find Brother Power the Geek #3 in a box of back issues, what would that prove? Nobody sees Brother Power the Geek #3, but that is no sign that there is no Brother Power the Geek #3. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see ethical corporate higher-ups at Marvel or DC dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You may tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived, could tear apart. Only faith, fancy, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Cei-U!, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Brother Power the Geek #3! Thank God! it exists, and it exists forever. A thousand years from now, Cei-U!, nay, ten times ten thousand years from now, it will continue to make glad the heart of fandom.

[FanboyStranger]

I think it would be cooler if rather than voting on what should be on or off the list, we just continue with listing our favorites. Let this list stand as a guide to what people here consider good comics rather than any sort of critical list of what's considered the best. Because if nothing else, this has been a lot of fun, and I think adding to the list is going to be a lot more fun than voting against things, even if there's quite a few things I personally don't feel should be on a list of "best comics".

[Cei-U!]

I can see where the Tacoma Terror is coming from here, but of course it's a fine line one way or the other. Where does "a list of favorites" stop & "a very good place to start for those wondering what we're all about" start?

The concept is by definition so ambiguous & subjective that I don't know that any real clarity is possible without (god forbid) the equivalent of the convening of the framers of the Constitution or something.

Yea, verily. So how's about calling it something like Top 100 Recommended Reads, as somebody else suggested? I certainly couldn't argue with that even if I were so inclined.

Cei-U!
I extend the olive branch!

[dan bailey]

I certainly couldn't argue with that even if I were so inclined.

Biting ... tongue ... & ... fingers ...

[CromagnonMan]

thinking about manga...Lone Wolf & Cub should have most certainly made the list, alas.

[dan bailey]

And not thinking about manga (of which I've read roughly zero, except for a couple of horror collections by, I think, Hideshi Hino), the early, pre-reprint eras of Creepy & Eerie belong as well. In the grand scheme of such things, 100 is a very, very small number, as I'm sure we all realize.

[shaxper]

Creepy & Eerie belong as well

So glad this finally got mentioned. I haven't read enough of them to feel comfortable adding them to the list myself, but 8 or 10 scattered issues I've read were amazing. I've acquired a lot more and plan to read them soon.

[Chris N]

1. Each poster can either give a +1 or a -1 to an item on the list
2. Honor system -- don't vote for your own suggestion or against something you haven't read at least most of the way through
3. No explanations. I think that prevents this from becoming personal or heated. A -1 simply means you don't feel this book is cream of the crop material, not that you dislike it or think the person who suggested it has bad taste.
4. You may only vote once every two hours

All books start with a +3 score. Once a book hits +0, it's off the list. We stop when we've narrowed the list to 25.

(Please copy and paste the rules AND complete list if you choose to participate).


1. Astro City +4
2. Cerebus +3
3. X-Men (Claremont) +3
4. Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos (44-81) & Annual #4 +3
5. Eightball +3
6. Jingle Jangle Tales +3
7. Maus +3
8. The Immortal Superman (Action Comics #385-387) +3
9. Conan the Barbarian +3
10.Preacher +3
11. Avengers- Busiek/Perez +3
12. Sandman Mystery Theater +3
13. Alan Moore's Swamp Thing +3
14. Howard Chaykin's American Flagg! +3
15. Usagi Yojimbo +3
16. Bone +3
17. The Spirit by Will Eisner +3
18. Eddie Campbell's Alec +3
19. Hawkworld, especially #s 1-14 +3
20. Strangers in Paradise, "I Dream of You" +3
21. Sandman by Neil Gaiman +3
22. Daredevil by Frank Miller +3
23. Wolfman/Perez New Teen Titans +3
24. Jim Starlin's Dreadstar +3
25. Lee-Kirby FANTASTIC FOUR +3
26. All star superman Morrison +2
27. Gilbert Hernandez's "Palomar" cycle from Love & Rockets +3
28. Thor-Simonson +3
29. Manhunter--Goodwin & Simonson +3
30. Lee/Ditko's Spider-Man +4
31. Simon & Kirby's Young Romance +3
32. Planetary +3
33. Promethea +3
34. Harvey Kurtzman's MAD +3
35. Thanos saga by Jim Starlin +3
36. Box Office Poison +3
37. Jim Shooter's Valiant Universe +3
38. Englehart, Rogers, and Austin's run on Detective +3
39. Hicksville by Dylan Horrocks +3
40. Zot! by Scott McCloud +3
41. Walt Kelly's Pogo stories in Animal Comics +3
42. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck +3
43. Hellboy by Mike Mignola +3
44. Astonishing X-Men, the Joss Whedon run +2
45. V for Vendetta +3
46. Steve Gerber's Howard the Duck +3
47. Jack Kirby's Kamandi: The Last Boy on Earth +3
48. Charley's War +3
49. Hard Time +3
50. Spectacular Spider-Man: Death of Jean DeWollf +2
51. Roy Thomas Avengers #51-71, Special #2 +3
52. Tintin +3
53. Yotsuba & ! +3
54. Suicide Squad (original run by John Ostrander) +3
55. Fabulous Fury Freak Brothers +3
56. Nexus +3
57. Fables #1-75 +3
58. Watchmen +3
59. Kingdom Come +3
60. Wolverine LS +3
61. Slaine: The Horned God +3
62. Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga +3
63. Master of Kung Fu +3
64. Scalped +3
65. Fantastic Four-Byrne +3
66. Justice League by Giffen & DeMatteis +3
67. The Weirdo-era R. Crumb stories +3
68. Our Fighting Forces #152 +3
69. "Legion of Super-Heroes" in Adventure #s 300-380. +3
70. Little Lulu by John Stanley +3
71. The USS Stevens stories of Sam Glanzman +3
72. Batman: "The Jungle Cat Queen" Detective 211 +3
73. Incredible Hulk-Peter David +3
74. Spectre by Ostrander/Mandrake +3
75. The Zabime Sisters by Aristophane +3
76. Brat Pack-Veitch +3
77. Enigma by Milligan and Fegredo +3
78. The Authority by Ellis and Hitch +3
79. Strange Tales #130-141 +3
80. Strange Tales #151-168, Nick Fury Agent of SHIELD 1-3, 5(Steranko's run) +3
81. Starman by James Robinson +3
82. Kona (Dell Comics/breathtaking Sam Glanzman art) +3
83. From Hell (Moore Campbell) +3
84. Blazing Combat (Warren) +3
85. Dr. Strange by Englehart & Brunner +3
86. Sheldon Mayer's Sugar and Spike +3
87. Fleischer and Aparo's Spectre +3
88. Micronauts #1-12 by Mantlo & Golden +3
89. ROM Spaceknight by Bill Mantlo, Sal Buscema, Steve Ditko, P. Craig Russell +2
90. JLA, Grant Morrison's run +3
91. Panthers Rage (Jungle Action #6-24) +3
92. Captain America vol 4 (5?) Brubaker and Epting/Guice +3
93. Star Wars (Marvel) #39-81 +3
94. Lee/Romita's Amazing Spider-Man +3
95. Y: The Last Man +3
96. Defenders #s 20-60 +3
97. Planet of the Apes Magazine 1-29 +3
98. the Death of Speedy Ortiz by Xaime Hernandez +3
99. Gray & Palmiotti's Jonah Hex +3
100. Ghost Rider #67-81 by DeMatteis +3

I like descriptions of the above as "essential" or "recommended".

"Favorite" makes more sense for individuals than groups. "Best" is too unclear a term. "Important" is best decided by other means.

Is Usagi Yojimbo one of the best comics ever? I dunno; define best.
Is it one of the most influential? Not so much. One of the most important? I dunno. Maybe. Is it one of those series that everybody should read? Most definitely. And lists which include Usagi Yojimbo are the lists I care about.

[Polar Bear]

Was always thinking of nominating Barks' Uncle Scrooge at several points, but I always nominated something else instead...

[mrc1214]

Just for fun I'm going to post my list of favorite storylines,events,series,runs whatver you want to call it. Please feel free to put yours as well. I've started a list for the single issues thread but thats still going so I'll just keep posting on there. My list is in no order at all. Put down as many as you want and we can discuss after.

Fantastic Four (Lee/Kirby)
Swamp Thing -Moore
Uncanny X-Men (Claremont/Byrne)
Amazing Spider-Man (Lee/Ditko)
Teen Titans -Wolfman/Perez
Justice League (Giffen/DeMatteis)
Animal Man -Morrison
Legion of Super-Heroes (Levitz/Giffen)
Daredevil (Bendis/Maleev)
JLA (Morrison)
Fantastic Four (Byrne)
Incredible Hulk -David
Fables
Thor (Simonson)
Suicide Squad
The Ultimates
Astro City
Legion of Super-Heroes (Giffen/Bierbaums)
Amazing Spider-Man (Stern/Romita Jr.)
Runaways-Vaughn
Amazing Spider-Man (Lee/Romita Sr.)
Daredevil (Miller/Mazzuchelli)
All Star Superman
Avengers (Stern)
Top Ten
League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Detective (Grant/Breyfogle)
Avengers (Thomas)
Nextwave
Avengers (Busiek/Perez)
Uncanny X-Men (Claremont/Smith)
Uncanny X-Men (Claremont/Romita)
Camelot 3000
Avengers Forever:Busiek
Squadron Supreme
Watchmen
I know I'm forgetting stuff