Let's Name the Top Single Issues Together

[Francis Dawson]

116. Sugar and Spike 4
117. [B]Eightball #22 - "Ice Haven"
118. Marvel Treasury Edition #10
119-122. Batman Black and White # 1-4
123. Howard the Duck #16
124. Action Comics #1 (1st series)
125. New Teen Titans #38 - "Who Is Donna Troy?"
126. Acme Novelty Library #19

Chris Ware. Best comic I've ever read.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

116. Sugar and Spike 4
117. [B]Eightball #22 - "Ice Haven"
118. Marvel Treasury Edition #10
119-122. Batman Black and White # 1-4
123. Howard the Duck #16
124. Action Comics #1 (1st series)
125. New Teen Titans #38 - "Who Is Donna Troy?"
126. Acme Novelty Library #19
127. The Unwritten #36 - "The Wave"

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I wonder if some of the entries aren't deliberately testing Dan's rules. Acme Novelty Library 19 is a comic book in a series, yet it's also a hardcover book. I'm not sure how Dan would rule on that one. But 119 - 122 directly goes against the rules that Dan set out at the beginning--and if others followed its example, the nature of this list could change very fast.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

I wonder if some of the entries aren't deliberately testing Dan's rules. Acme Novelty Library 19 is a comic book in a series, yet it's also a hardcover book. I'm not sure how Dan would rule on that one. But 119 - 122 directly goes against the rules that Dan set out at the beginning--and if others followed its example, the nature of this list could change very fast.

This, exactly.

[Francis Dawson]

I wonder if some of the entries aren't deliberately testing Dan's rules. Acme Novelty Library 19 is a comic book in a series, yet it's also a hardcover book. I'm not sure how Dan would rule on that one. But 119 - 122 directly goes against the rules that Dan set out at the beginning--and if others followed its example, the nature of this list could change very fast.

Regarding Acme Novelty Library #19, I tested the water on this one a couple of pages ago. It wasn't shot down so I've added it.

It's part of an ongoing story too ('Rusty Brown') if that's a mitigation.

Is the HC Palookaville #20, which continues the story of 'Clyde Fans' a 'single issue'? What's the status of Love and Rockets: New Stories or Mome?

I don't want to be deliberately contentious. I'm happy for Acme to be removed if it muddles the list. Damn fine comic though.

[Brother Justin Crowe]

Regarding Acme Novelty Library #19, I tested the water on this one a couple of pages ago. It wasn't shot down so I've added it.

It's part of an ongoing story too ('Rusty Brown') if that's a mitigation.

Is the HC Palookaville #20, which continues the story of 'Clyde Fans' a 'single issue'? What's the status of Love and Rockets: New Stories or Mome?

I don't want to be deliberately contentious. I'm happy for Acme to be removed if it muddles the list. Damn fine comic though.

I think Acme should be allowed, but counting stuff like Batman: B&W #1-4 as one entry is insanely silly.

[dan bailey]

I wonder if some of the entries aren't deliberately testing Dan's rules. Acme Novelty Library 19 is a comic book in a series, yet it's also a hardcover book. I'm not sure how Dan would rule on that one. But 119 - 122 directly goes against the rules that Dan set out at the beginning--and if others followed its example, the nature of this list could change very fast.

Yep, 'fraid so. I'm very much a "rules are like laws & records -- made to be broken" guy, but including 4 consecutive issues don't just push the envelope ... it tear it to shreds. If indeed "it's impossible for (hondobrode) to single out a single issue," he needs to flip a coin, then flip it again, & I guess flip it once more in settling on a representational ish.

Or list all 4 issues separately.

Or wait till the probably inevitable "Let's name the top miniseries together" thread.

I've now deleted the listing in question & renumbered its successors accordingly ... Even though I really, really hate to disqualify an entry by someone with the wisdom & good taste to include "Totally agree with you Dan" in his preliminary remarks.

[dan bailey]

As for Acme Novelty Library #19, I'll do a bit of research after I get to work. As I said when that one was first mentioned, I've never laid eyes on a copy. My initial reaction is that something in hardcovers is by definition a book & not an issue of a periodical, no matter how it's labeled ... but again, that's without doing any further research.

[dan bailey]

*sigh* It occurs to me that having a self-defined anarchist set out & interpret rules for an activity like this is on par with employing an online editor who abominates the very idea of cellphones & everything that goes along with them.

Then again, I've already got that one covered ...

[MDG]

109. Superheroes 1 (aka Fab Four--Dell)

Another strange comic which I read back in the 60s. I think I must have borrowed it to read, but the memory of it haunted me for years and I eventually found my own copy....Written by Dan Arneson with art by Sal Trapani, the comic wasn't the height of quality, but I found the story compelling. The series ran for just 4 issues.

I've got a couple of original pages from that book that inexplicably have "Steve Ditko" written on the back. I asked the dealer I got them from about it and he said a previous owner had heard that Ditko assisted Trapani, but he (the dealer) didn't see any justification sign of that.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

I've got a couple of original pages from that book that inexplicably have "Steve Ditko" written on the back. I asked the dealer I got them from about it and he said a previous owner had heard that Ditko assisted Trapani, but he (the dealer) didn't see any justification sign of that.

I'll have to look at my copy and see if there are any signs of Ditko in Trapani's art. But I don't know what that will prove--since I sometimes see signs of Ditko in many different artists. But artists often did help each other out in the old days.

--

On the question of Acme Novelty Library 19 I don't know. Once you try to impose rules, there are always exceptions that come to light. I think that many early comic books had hardcovers. It really comes down to splitting hairs. I mentioned it because I was curious about what Dan or others would say.

On the Batman Black & Whites that clearly went against the rules that Dan put down. If it was me I would have put up one issue and then seen if others chimed in with different issues, before putting up another issue. Although that takes time, which isn't always a luxury we can afford.

--

And I'm still curious about Adventure Comics 403 versus 304 on the list. But I'm pretty sure Dan meant 403 (as I suggested earlier on this thread).

[dan bailey]

On the question of Acme Novelty Library 19 I don't know. Once you try to impose rules, there are always exceptions that come to light. I think that many early comic books had hardcovers. It really comes down to splitting hairs. I mentioned it because I was curious about what Dan or others would say.

Just did a bit of research, & I'll allow it. At 80 pages it's certainly no longer than, say, the 1960-1965 Annuals, which IIRC contained no ads, same as (IIRC) the first couple of 80-Page Giants. (They were also all-reprint, but that's really neither here nor there in this instance.) The hardcover format is no disqualifier in this instance.

And I'm still curious about Adventure Comics 403 versus 304 on the list. But I'm pretty sure Dan meant 403 (as I suggested earlier on this thread).

Ahhh ... didn't see that. Oops. Yes -- #403. I'll correct the listing. Serves me right for relying on a quick glance at Google (which I actually called myself checking twice, since #304 seemed awfully early to me) instead of any number of websites or for that matter my own appropriate short box of DC giants.

[dan bailey]

1. Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos Annual #4
2. Avengers Annual #10
3. The Flash #123
4. Nexus : The Origin
5. Superman 162 (Superman Red/Superman Blue)
6. Saga of the Swamp Thing #21
7. Death of Captain Marvel
8. Detective Comics 361
9. Uncanny X-Men #150
10. Astro City #1/2
11. Adventure Comics 352 (Sun-Eater story)
12. Daredevil # 191
13. Zap Comics #0
14. Superman 164
15. Flash #173
16. Silver Surfer (1968) #1
17. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
18. Hellblazer 84
19. Avengers #4
20. X-Factor #87
21. Ghost Stories #1
22. Iron Man #55
23. Conan the Barbarian #4 (Tower of the Elephant)
24. Super Heroes Versus Super Villains (Archie/Radio)
25. Brave and the Bold # 197
26. Donald Duck #367
27. Swamp Thing #10
28. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #4
29. New Gods #7 The Pact
30. Teen Titans (first series) #14.
31. New Teen Titans (1980) #20
32. Astro Boy (Gold Key)
33. All-Star Comics #3
34. Giant Size Defenders #3
35. Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle # 5.
36. Solo #12 (Brendan McCarthy)
37. Brave and the Bold # 200
38. Avengers Annual # 1
39. Darkseid vs Galactus : The Hunger
40. (With One Magic Word) Shazam! 8
41. Amazing Fantasy #15
42. Charlton Premiere #2 "Children of Doom"
43. All-Star Comics #37
44. Fantastic Four #51
45. Fantastic Four #57
46. Iron Man #128
47. Eight Ball # 15
48. Four Color #1091 (Jacky's Diary)
49. Limited Collectors' Edition C-36 (The Bible)
50. Conan the Barbarian #24 (The Song of Red Sonja)
51. Avengers #56 ( Death be not proud)
52. Black Knight # 1
53. Avengers Annual #7
54. Howard the Duck #3 "Master of Quack Fu"
55. Zot #28 Autumn
56. Epic Illustrated #1
57. Justice League of America #100
58. Sandman # 8
59. JLA # 5 (Morrison)
60. JLA #7
61. Justice League #5 (Giffen/DeMatteis
62. New Gods #6 (Glory Boat)
63. Amazing Spider-Man #14
64. America's Best Comics Special # 1
65. Cable & Deadpool #19, "Why, When I Was Your Age".
66. Captain America #113
67. Eightball #23 ('The Death Ray')
68. Justice League of America 94
69. Savage Sword of Conan #2 (Black Colossus)
70. Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #15
71. Fantastic FOUR #358
72. Conan the Barbarian #11 (Rogues in the House)
73. Doom Patrol 121
74. Avengers #3
75. Tales from the Tomb #1
76. Avengers #93
77. Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2
78. Superman 284
79. Uncanny X-Men #303
80. Superman 161
81. Jin and Jam #1
82. Marvel Treasury Edition 4 (1975)
83. Thor #337
84. E-Man 8 (Charlton)
85. Superman #202 ("Tales of the Bizarro World" 80-Page Giant")
86. Avengers #280
87. Daredevil #164
88. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1984) #1
89. Jonah Hex Spectacular #1, "The Last Bounty Hunter"
90. 2001: A Space Odyssey [Marvel Treasury Special]
91. Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane 15
92. Weird Fantasy #18
93 Secret Origins (2nd series) #10 -The Phantom Stranger
94. Captain America Comics #1
95. The Sandman 19 ("A Midsummer Night's Dream")
96. The Authority # 1 (1999)
97. Incredible Hulk #335 - "The Evil That Men Do"
98. Man-Thing #5 (1974) "Night of the Laughing Dead"
99. Whatever Happened To The Man Of Twomorrow
100. Avengers 230
101. Swamp Thing 64 ("Return of the Good Gumbo")
102. Adventure #403 ("Death of Lightning Lad" Giant)
103. Daredevil #163
104. Detective Comics 439
105. Green Lantern/Green Arrow 89
106. Batman, Inc 7.
107. Y: The Last Man #60
108. Fantastic Four #605
109. Superheroes 1 (aka Fab Four--Dell)
110. Batman Adventures: Mad Love
111. The Unwritten #5 - "How the Whale Became"
112. Incredible Hulk #340
113. Batman # 400
114. Boys (Highwater)
115. Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #300 - Paul Levitz's masterpiece.
116. Sugar and Spike 4
117. [B]Eightball #22 - "Ice Haven"
118. Marvel Treasury Edition #10
119. Howard the Duck #16
120. Action Comics #1 (1st series)
121. New Teen Titans #38 - "Who Is Donna Troy?"
122. Action #363 ("Virus X" storyline)

I chose this one as representative -- it marked the inaugural installment, for all intents & purposes, though technically events were set in motion in ish 362 -- of the first comics arc to really place me on the edge of my chair & leave me there as its events unfolded. Granted, I was only 4 or 5 months into my 8th year, & I was still new enough to comics that I probably didn't quite grasp that Superman was no more likely to die than I was to fly to the moon. Granted, it was very likely the first continued story I'd ever read. Etc. etc. etc. This was the stuff of suspense & drama for this kid.

And, y'know, some 44 years later, it still is.

If you include what amounts to the 13-page prologue in #362, the entire saga took up 63 pages. These days, we'd have a line-wide Big Event in which less happened in a given issue than in any given page of any of the 5 issues of Action involved in this epic.

*sigh*

[dan bailey]

Howard the Duck #16 is the only comic book I ever literally ripped to shreds in a fit of rage after the first reading.

Thereby creating the famous, fantastically valuable, ultra-rare Cei-U! Variant.

[An Ear In The Fireplace]

1. Sgt. Fury & His Howling Commandos Annual #4
2. Avengers Annual #10
3. The Flash #123
4. Nexus : The Origin
5. Superman 162 (Superman Red/Superman Blue)
6. Saga of the Swamp Thing #21
7. Death of Captain Marvel
8. Detective Comics 361
9. Uncanny X-Men #150
10. Astro City #1/2
11. Adventure Comics 352 (Sun-Eater story)
12. Daredevil # 191
13. Zap Comics #0
14. Superman 164
15. Flash #173
16. Silver Surfer (1968) #1
17. The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1
18. Hellblazer 84
19. Avengers #4
20. X-Factor #87
21. Ghost Stories #1
22. Iron Man #55
23. Conan the Barbarian #4 (Tower of the Elephant)
24. Super Heroes Versus Super Villains (Archie/Radio)
25. Brave and the Bold # 197
26. Donald Duck #367
27. Swamp Thing #10
28. Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #4
29. New Gods #7 The Pact
30. Teen Titans (first series) #14.
31. New Teen Titans (1980) #20
32. Astro Boy (Gold Key)
33. All-Star Comics #3
34. Giant Size Defenders #3
35. Kona, Monarch of Monster Isle # 5.
36. Solo #12 (Brendan McCarthy)
37. Brave and the Bold # 200
38. Avengers Annual # 1
39. Darkseid vs Galactus : The Hunger
40. (With One Magic Word) Shazam! 8
41. Amazing Fantasy #15
42. Charlton Premiere #2 "Children of Doom"
43. All-Star Comics #37
44. Fantastic Four #51
45. Fantastic Four #57
46. Iron Man #128
47. Eight Ball # 15
48. Four Color #1091 (Jacky's Diary)
49. Limited Collectors' Edition C-36 (The Bible)
50. Conan the Barbarian #24 (The Song of Red Sonja)
51. Avengers #56 ( Death be not proud)
52. Black Knight # 1
53. Avengers Annual #7
54. Howard the Duck #3 "Master of Quack Fu"
55. Zot #28 Autumn
56. Epic Illustrated #1
57. Justice League of America #100
58. Sandman # 8
59. JLA # 5 (Morrison)
60. JLA #7
61. Justice League #5 (Giffen/DeMatteis
62. New Gods #6 (Glory Boat)
63. Amazing Spider-Man #14
64. America's Best Comics Special # 1
65. Cable & Deadpool #19, "Why, When I Was Your Age".
66. Captain America #113
67. Eightball #23 ('The Death Ray')
68. Justice League of America 94
69. Savage Sword of Conan #2 (Black Colossus)
70. Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #15
71. Fantastic FOUR #358
72. Conan the Barbarian #11 (Rogues in the House)
73. Doom Patrol 121
74. Avengers #3
75. Tales from the Tomb #1
76. Avengers #93
77. Amazing Spider-Man Annual #2
78. Superman 284
79. Uncanny X-Men #303
80. Superman 161
81. Jin and Jam #1
82. Marvel Treasury Edition 4 (1975)
83. Thor #337
84. E-Man 8 (Charlton)
85. Superman #202 ("Tales of the Bizarro World" 80-Page Giant")
86. Avengers #280
87. Daredevil #164
88. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1984) #1
89. Jonah Hex Spectacular #1, "The Last Bounty Hunter"
90. 2001: A Space Odyssey [Marvel Treasury Special]
91. Superman's Girl Friend, Lois Lane 15
92. Weird Fantasy #18
93 Secret Origins (2nd series) #10 -The Phantom Stranger
94. Captain America Comics #1
95. The Sandman 19 ("A Midsummer Night's Dream")
96. The Authority # 1 (1999)
97. Incredible Hulk #335 - "The Evil That Men Do"
98. Man-Thing #5 (1974) "Night of the Laughing Dead"
99. Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow
100. Avengers 230
101. Swamp Thing 64 ("Return of the Good Gumbo")
102. Adventure #403 ("Death of Lightning Lad" Giant)
103. Daredevil #163
104. Detective Comics 439
105. Green Lantern/Green Arrow 89
106. Batman, Inc 7.
107. Y: The Last Man #60
108. Fantastic Four #605
109. Superheroes 1 (aka Fab Four--Dell)
110. Batman Adventures: Mad Love
111. The Unwritten #5 - "How the Whale Became"
112. Incredible Hulk #340
113. Batman # 400
114. Boys (Highwater)
115. Legion of Super-Heroes vol. 3 #300 - Paul Levitz's masterpiece.
116. Sugar and Spike 4
117. Eightball #22 - "Ice Haven"
118. Marvel Treasury Edition #10
119. Batman Black and White # 1
120. Batman Black and White # 2
121. Batman Black and White # 3
122. Batman Black and White # 4
123. Howard the Duck #16
124. Action Comics #1 (1st series)
125. New Teen Titans #38 - "Who Is Donna Troy?"
126. Action #363 ("Virus X" storyline)
127. Batman 193 (80 pg Giant G-37)

There are several 80 Page Giants I could list (and maybe I will), but this one is always at the top of my list. I loved every story in it--although "Ride, Bat-Hombre, Ride" is the best loved. Stories written by David V. Reed, Edmond Hamilton, and Bill Finger. Art by Dick Sprang, Sheldon Moldoff, Lew Sayre Schwartz, Jack Burnley, and Charles Paris. Batman as Latin-American hero, old world king, and long ago viking--in armour, with wings, and out of his element. All this and "Mayor Bruce Wayne." Lots of fun and adventure.