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Post by Deleted on Jul 30, 2014 18:02:54 GMT -5
So a friend of mine is getting married in a couple months and he is the guy that got me back into comics after a good decade since I was reading them as a kid (and then my parents threw them out). Anyway, he's since kind of stopped reading comics, but still has a passion for the characters and so on, so as a groomsman gift I've tracked down a bought my Top 10 single issues I've ever read with detailed explanations of why I love them so much and I know he hasn't read any of them so hopefully it re-ignites the spark.
I think a good single issue is harder to do than a good story in general, eg: my favourite comic book of all time is Y The Last Man but there is no single issue I could give someone that they could read, understand and appreciate without having read the whole story. So I thought this would be a good place to find out what everyone else's Top 10 would be as a good stand-alone issue is a great way to get introduced to something.
Mine are.
10 - Green Arrow + Black Canary Wedding Special #1 - This friend of mine got me into Green Arrow after he told me to watch Arrow. And after watching 'Arrow' I went and bought every available Green Arrow trade available. I started with Year One, then worked my way chronologically from Quiver onwards. My favourite part of the whole series was GA's and Black Canary's relationship. Constantly on again off again, arguing, making up, had me more interested in them as characters than the story as a whole. Then they finally got married. And this issue is that. It's hilarious and great fun, highlights why you love them as characters as well as great appearances from other DC characters. And amazing artwork by Amanda Conner. Written by Judd Winnick
9 - Doom Patrol #45 - Such a whacked out series from start to finish, but this issue comes out of nowhere. Doesn't really fit in with the rest of the story and is just about a guy who goes around hunting and killing people with beards. Grant Morrison at his best and most drug induced I'm guessing. Funny nonetheless.
8 - Adventures of Superman #14 - The most recent of all these comics. This is written by Max Landis, the guy who wrote 'Chronicle', with art by Jock who is amazing, especially in Scott Snyders Black Mirror. It is a rooftop conversation between the Joker and Superman and, considering people's opinions of Superman these days, really points out the flaws in their arguments about Superman and why they think he isn't so great (non comic readers mostly). This will make you love Superman if you didn't already. Also a great twist on Joker's already foggy origin and history.
7 - Ultimate X-Men #41 - Ulimate X-Men was great while Mark Millar was on it, but then he left and it kept changing writers. Bendis took over for a short while in which he did a short 6 issue run called 'New Mutants' and each issue features one of the X-Men off recruiting a newly discovered mutant. This one issue is so depressing, but also the best X-Men I've ever read and my favourite Wolverine moment (except for Old Man Logan, and while that whole series is full of great moments, there isn't really a standalone issue). I think a great definition of Wolverine as a character, who feels over-used these days.
6 - The Brave And The Bold #33 - Girls night out with Barbara Gordon Batgirl, Wonder Woman and Zatanna. I won't say a thing more about this issue. Just make sure you read it and finish it. And then tell me your heart didn't stop. Bob knows all about this one. JMS writing and Cliff Chiang on incredible art. This issue was hard to track down and goes for between $20 - $100 on ebay, but the trade its collected in is just as good and still available.
5 - Fear Itself Captain America #7.1 - The whole Ed Brubaker run is amazing as a whole. It made Bucky/Winter Soldier one of my top characters of all time, but there really is no standout issue besides this one. This is set after a Marvel event called 'Fear Itself' in which Odin's evil brother is released by Red Skulls daughter Sin. It sucked as an event. But it was also set after Bucky had become Cap, only to be ratted out by the Russian Government for his history as an assassin. The US forgives him because he was brainwashed but the Russians don't and they imprison him. Steve Rogers and Black Widow find a way to free him and do, which leads to him confronting the villains in Fear Itself only to be seemingly killed almost instantly. This issue deals with the aftermath of that, some great Cap moments and deals with his and Bucky's history and friendship. And also has a final page which had an announcement that made me squeal like a little kid (Spoilers, it was the Winter Soldiers solo series announcement)
4 - Catwoman #1 - The first issue after the awful 90's purple suit series. Catwoman redefines herself and becomes a hero of sorts. This leads to and nearly 40 issue run that is incredible from start to finish with great art by Darwyn Cooke (in the first arc anyway). He really gives it an Animated Series vibe. This issue contains my favourite Batman and Catwoman moment of all time. Another rooftop conversation.
3 - Ultimate Spider-Man #65 - This issue is the aftermath of Ultimate Gwen's death. I read the Ultimate Spider-Man run from start to finish recently (all 200+ issues) and it is flawless from start to finish. This issue, though, is the standout. It is a 'Breakfast Club' like scenario, Peter and other kids in school detention. It makes you realise why you love Spider-Man/Peter Parker and makes you hate bullies.
2 - Man of Steel #1 - First issue in the DC reboot after Crisis on Infinite Earths. Written and drawn by John Byrne. This may be the standard origin story by todays standards, which starts on Krypton. But this issue has my favourite page in comics as well as one of my favourite moments, both of which are Jor-El sending the rocket off an exploding Krpyton.
1 - Legends of the Dark Knight #125 - Set after the events of the No Man's Land event where Gotham is ravaged by an earthquake, leaving the Bat-Family and GCPD to fend off the villains trying to take advantage of the situation. Batman and Jim Gordon have had a falling out because Batman had disappeared for 3 months. This issue is their first conversation since then and it's my favourite of all time because I think the best thing about Batman is his partnership with Gordon and this is where it is really highlighted. My favourite Batman moment of all time.
Honorable mention - Ultimate Spider-Man #13 - Seriously, every issue of this run is an honorable mention, but this one especially. Once againt, an issue based around a conversation. This time between Peter and MJ. Makes you feel like a teenager in love again. So great. And especially emotional after reading the Death of Ultimate Spider-Man.
Anyway, looking forward to seeing what everyone else has.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Aug 1, 2014 17:17:19 GMT -5
Benjamin, Sorry that it's taken me a while to respond, but I've had to ruminate about this question for a bit, and even at that, most of my second "Ten" might deserve a place in the "first division". I've only selected issues that came out in my lifetime, so although Marvel Comics #1, All-Winners #19, Batman #1, or All-Star Comics #8 would be on my list, I don't think they're fair picks. Anyway, here goes nuttin': #10) Amazing Spider-Man #121 (June 1973) "The Death of Gwen Stacy"; need I say more?#9) Captain America & the Falcon #156 (Dec. 1972) The finale of "Cap of the Fifties" by Steve Englehart and Sal Buscema.#8) Showcase #37 (April 1962) The introduction of Dr. Will Magnus and his Metal Men, who have been in my heart ever since!#7) Brave & the Bold #33 (June 2010) You're right that I know about this one--it's one of the most touching comics that I've ever read!#6) Fantastic Four #236 (November 1981) This was the 20th Anniversary issue, and writer/artist John Byrne pulled out all the stops with a gripping tale of "what could have been...". A great encapsulation within one issue of all that makes this series my favorite.#5) Captain Marvel #17 (Jan. 2014) Coming after the stunning conclusion of #14 (and ramifications there-from in two "Infinity" cross-overs), this final issue of the first series by Kelly Sue DeConnick and Filipe Andrade covers the emotional spectrum, with the last few pages certain to draw a tear!#4) Justice League of America #21 (Aug. 1963) The original DC "Crisis", and the book that began my love affair with the Golden Age Justice Society of America, comics' first super-team; check out this cover by Mike Sekowsky and Murphy Anderson:#3) Avengers #4 (March 1964) Coming just a few short months later, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby brought back their own Golden Age stalwart, Captain America, and he was instantly one of my favorite characters. The Avengers, on their way back to NYC after battling the team of Namor and the Hulk discover a strange, ice-encased figure floating past their submarine! (In the November 1963 issue #114 of Strange Tales, Stan and Jack teased this return, using a villain called The Acrobat, who impersonated Cap to commit robberies! The issue ended with panels showing Johnny Storm reading a 'Captain America" comic, and wondering what had become of him!)#2) X-Men #137 (Sept. 1980) Chris Claremont and John Byrne tell us of "The Fate of the Phoenix", in the finale of their grand cosmic opera. For those who find Scott Summers uninteresting (or worse!), read the "Dark Phoenix Saga", and discover what a fine and noble man...and great hero...he was! #1) Fantastic Four #51 (June 1966) Following a month after "The Galactus Trilogy" (any one of which could have been on this list!), "This Man, This Monster" opens with a distraught Ben Grimm roaming the streets of New York, mistakenly fearing that he's lost the heart of Alicia Masters to the Silver Surfer. Strangely disoriented, he's taken in by a kindly stranger, who is in fact a scientist with a axe to grind with Mr. Fantastic, feeling that Reed hasn't earned his triumphs. Using a device of his own creation, he draws The Thing's power into himself, and heads off to infiltrate, and then destroy, the rest of the Fantastic Four. Where this story goes from there is not the expected slug-fest, but instead a book-length glimpse into what it takes to be a hero.Honorable Mentions (All Vol. 1 unless noted):Action Comics #423Amazing Spider-Man #33Avengers #58Captain America #113 Defenders #4Doom Patrol #121Fantastic Four #32Fantastic Four #40Fantastic Four #267FF #23Kingdom Come #12Luke Cage, Hero for Hire #9Sensational She-Hulk #4Spider-Girl: The EndWhat If? #4Wonder Woman #62 (vol. 2)As with a previous question about "cosmic stuff", a month from now, I might have a different list, although my "Number One" is set in stone!
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Post by IncredibleD on Aug 2, 2014 14:48:30 GMT -5
Oooooh lists, i love lists!
As far as standalone single issues that really stood out for me go, i can only think of five fairly recent Marvel books, so this will be a pretty short and unimpressive list. That is not to say that i haven't read any great books from other publishers, its just that all of that stuff wasn't really standalone.
But anyway, here is my list:
5 - Uncanny X-Force #9 - Wolverine needs to carry out a job for his old buddy Magneto.Very intense story and great art. By Rick Remender and Jerome Opena.
4 - Wolverine and the X-Men #19 - In which Kitty Pryde has to find a new teacher for the Jean Grey school, which leads to some pretty hillarious stuff. By Jason Aaron and Nick Bradshaw.
3 - Daredevil #7 - One of the most heartwarming superhero stories i've ever read.Its about a schooltrip gone very wrong. By Mark Waid and Paolo Rivera.
2 - She Hulk #4 - Spider-Man is sueing J. Jonah Jameson with She-Hulk as his lawyer...Nuff Said! By Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo.
1 - Hawkeye #3 - I can't say enough great things about this issue.Before i read this issue of Hawkguy i was always in and out of comics, sometimes i would read a lot at once and sometimes i didn't read for months.But this one made me fall completely in love with the medium because it showed me just what a comic could be.Also has one of the best car chase scenes i've ever seen.Putty Arrow, bro! By Matt Fraction and David Aja.
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Post by Bob Reyer on Aug 2, 2014 18:37:51 GMT -5
OOOPS!!! I've just realized what a mess I made of this question! When I walked away to think about my choices, it was to ponder whether I was going to include Annuals, OGNs, or "What If", "Elseworlds", or "Imaginary" stories, but once I started opening long-boxes, my brain froze!
Using more proper criteria:
10) Avengers #101 Written by Harlan Ellison, "Five Dooms to Save Tomorrow" features the Avengers trying to stop a seemingly ordinary man committing murders that might just save the universe!
09) X-Men #143 Kitty's left alone at the X-Mansion during the holidays, but she isn't alone...
08) Spider-Girl: The End Told from the future as a flashback, we learn of the moment that re-defined a universe!
07) Doom Patrol #121 The Doom Patrol face a choice: sacrifice themselves, or a small village and all its inhabitants will be destroyed!
06) Fantastic Four #267 I've spoken of this one before; titled "A Small Loss", it's a punch in the gut!
The remainder you've read about on the other list:
05) Showcase #37 04)Brave & the Bold #33 03) Fantastic Four #236 02) Avengers #4 01) Fantastic Four #51
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Post by tundra on Aug 11, 2014 7:58:01 GMT -5
That's a great, thought-provoking question since I'd normally tend to think about great runs or arcs rather than individual issues. But I'll have a try!
10 - Miracleman #19 - Not the easiest series to pick a single issue from, but this quiet and reflective issue after all the chaos that came before stands out brightly in my memory. No details to avoid spoiling those currently reading the series for the first time, but this is the issue featuring the Gargunza/Warhol team up.
9 - Hellblazer #46 - Not the most subtle use of John Constantine, but the fantastic act of defiance on the final page (setting up the rest of Ennis' run) sums up the character perfectly.
8 - 2000AD Prog. 670 - Difficult to pick a single issue of 2000AD since it's an anthology, but it was such a formative influence on my comics reading that I had to include it somewhere. This issue includes the conclusion to Zenith Phase III, and early piece of Grant Morrison's work which could be read as a British take on Crisis, with a rather Lovecraftian feel. Steve Yeowell's art made a great argument for black & white comics, and Zenith remained one of the very few strip still printed in B&W when 2000AD switched to all colour.
7 - Avengers #177 - The concluding battle of the Korvac saga, and the first imported Marvel comic I ever read. I got it from a seaside newsagent whilst on holiday and didn't get to read any of the issues either before or after for many years. I did recognise a lot of the characters from the reprint comics I was reading week to week though, and seeing Thor, Iron Man and Wonder Man all beaten down at once just blew me away!
6 - Hulk Comic #1 (Marvel UK) - Probably more than anything else the comic responsible for hooking me on comic reading! An anthology comic (like almost all comics published in the UK). Even 8-year old me noticed a difference in tone between the brighter superheros I'd seen in earlier reprint comics and the noir tone of Night Raven and I loved it.
5 - Hitman #60 - Because of the OTT nature of a lot of his work, it's sometimes easy to forget what an effective emotional writer Garth Ennis can be. This series ended the only way a violent story of contract killers could, but was at the same time an affecting story of friendship and honour throughout.
4 - Planetary #26 - Not quite the end of the wonderful meta-fictional roller-coaster that was Planetary, but I don't think the defeat of any villains in comics has ever had me fist pumping to the extent that the final downfall of the 4 did. It shows just how much heart Ellis and Cassaday managed to put into a series that could have been a very sterile and intellectual exercise.
3 - Sandman #75 - I could actually have picked around a third of the series, since Sandman is full of wonderful individual issues, but this one hits a lot of really strong notes with me. It draws a close to the story of the Sandman in several different senses and also works its way around probably my favourite Shakespeare play as well.
2 - Action Comics #583 - The conclusion of Alan Moore and Curt Swan's loving farewell letter to the pre-Crisis Superman (a little bit of a cheat since this is a two issue story, but this one is the payoff). Featuring most of the silver age Superman mythos and ending with a wink. This is an imaginary story... aren't they all?
1 - Doom Patrol (1987-1995) #63 - This was the only easy one to pick. When picking favourite runs I would pick (and have in the past) the whole of Grant Morrison's run which was one of two or three series responsible for keeping me enthused about comics in the early 90s. This final issue is, in its way, every bit as fitting a capstone to this incarnation of the Doom Patrol as #121 from the original run that Bob has picked above - although I didn't get to read that until years later. It's thoughtful, touching, strange and 20 years later without needing to re-read it the final "Come in out of the rain" can still bring a tear to my eye.
On looking over my favourites, I can see that an awful lot of them are endings. I think that, despite most comics being ongoing serials in nature, they tend to be at their strongest when following a story arc with a true ending and conclusion. I tend to feel that this is even more true for the characters who work on a mythic scale, which is probably why my favourite Superman stories tend to be outside of ongoing continuity.
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Post by Deleted on Aug 11, 2014 17:05:40 GMT -5
That's a great, thought-provoking question since I'd normally tend to think about great runs or arcs rather than individual issues. But I'll have a try! 10 - Miracleman #19 - Not the easiest series to pick a single issue from, but this quiet and reflective issue after all the chaos that came before stands out brightly in my memory. No details to avoid spoiling those currently reading the series for the first time, but this is the issue featuring the Gargunza/Warhol team up. 9 - Hellblazer #46 - Not the most subtle use of John Constantine, but the fantastic act of defiance on the final page (setting up the rest of Ennis' run) sums up the character perfectly. 8 - 2000AD Prog. 670 - Difficult to pick a single issue of 2000AD since it's an anthology, but it was such a formative influence on my comics reading that I had to include it somewhere. This issue includes the conclusion to Zenith Phase III, and early piece of Grant Morrison's work which could be read as a British take on Crisis, with a rather Lovecraftian feel. Steve Yeowell's art made a great argument for black & white comics, and Zenith remained one of the very few strip still printed in B&W when 2000AD switched to all colour. 7 - Avengers #177 - The concluding battle of the Korvac saga, and the first imported Marvel comic I ever read. I got it from a seaside newsagent whilst on holiday and didn't get to read any of the issues either before or after for many years. I did recognise a lot of the characters from the reprint comics I was reading week to week though, and seeing Thor, Iron Man and Wonder Man all beaten down at once just blew me away! 6 - Hulk Comic #1 (Marvel UK) - Probably more than anything else the comic responsible for hooking me on comic reading! An anthology comic (like almost all comics published in the UK). Even 8-year old me noticed a difference in tone between the brighter superheros I'd seen in earlier reprint comics and the noir tone of Night Raven and I loved it. 5 - Hitman #60 - Because of the OTT nature of a lot of his work, it's sometimes easy to forget what an effective emotional writer Garth Ennis can be. This series ended the only way a violent story of contract killers could, but was at the same time an affecting story of friendship and honour throughout. 4 - Planetary #26 - Not quite the end of the wonderful meta-fictional roller-coaster that was Planetary, but I don't think the defeat of any villains in comics has ever had me fist pumping to the extent that the final downfall of the 4 did. It shows just how much heart Ellis and Cassaday managed to put into a series that could have been a very sterile and intellectual exercise. 3 - Sandman #75 - I could actually have picked around a third of the series, since Sandman is full of wonderful individual issues, but this one hits a lot of really strong notes with me. It draws a close to the story of the Sandman in several different senses and also works its way around probably my favourite Shakespeare play as well. 2 - Action Comics #583 - The conclusion of Alan Moore and Curt Swan's loving farewell letter to the pre-Crisis Superman (a little bit of a cheat since this is a two issue story, but this one is the payoff). Featuring most of the silver age Superman mythos and ending with a wink. This is an imaginary story... aren't they all? 1 - Doom Patrol (1987-1995) #63 - This was the only easy one to pick. When picking favourite runs I would pick (and have in the past) the whole of Grant Morrison's run which was one of two or three series responsible for keeping me enthused about comics in the early 90s. This final issue is, in its way, every bit as fitting a capstone to this incarnation of the Doom Patrol as #121 from the original run that Bob has picked above - although I didn't get to read that until years later. It's thoughtful, touching, strange and 20 years later without needing to re-read it the final "Come in out of the rain" can still bring a tear to my eye. On looking over my favourites, I can see that an awful lot of them are endings. I think that, despite most comics being ongoing serials in nature, they tend to be at their strongest when following a story arc with a true ending and conclusion. I tend to feel that this is even more true for the characters who work on a mythic scale, which is probably why my favourite Superman stories tend to be outside of ongoing continuity. Totally agree with you on GM's Doom Patrol. If there's one thing he knows how to write it's an ending. I also never thought one of my favourite characters in comics would be a street.
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Post by dbutler69 on Aug 28, 2014 13:16:38 GMT -5
I don't think I can rank them at this point, but:
Uncanny X-Men #143; Marvel Two-in-One #50 (new Thing & old Thing, by John Byrne); Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (versus the Champion); Avengers #223 (Hawkeye and the new Ant-Man team up); Batman #423 (“You Shoulda Seen Him”); New Teen Titans #8 (A Day in the Life).
Uncanny X-Men Annual #3 (Arkon); Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 (“Who Shot Laurel Kent?); All New Collectors’ Edition #55 (Wedding of Lightning Lad & Saturn Girl); Justice League of America #200
I’m sure I’ll eventually discover other little done-in-one gems that I’ve forgotten to include, but that’s all I can think of for now. It’s a bit tougher to search through the memory banks for the best single issue stories than for the best multi-parters.
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skylynx
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Post by skylynx on Aug 31, 2014 13:45:05 GMT -5
This is really difficult, especially as I read most things in trade, but I'll give it a try (expect lots of Transformers and no.1's ) 1. Transformers (Marvel UK) #86 - the one where Ultra Magnus battles an insane and unstoppable time-travelling Galvatron. Geoff Senior's artwork here is my favourite ever! 2. Y the last Man #1 - I read it for free on Comixology and immediately had to buy the entire series. 3. Transformers All Hail Megatron #1 - the Decepticons have won and lay waste to planet Earth. This got me back into comics. 4. We3 #3 - such a tear jerker 5. Transformers More than Meets the Eye #15 - the one where the crew of the Lost Light have to stop Overlord. And Pipes dies 6. Transformers / Mars Attacks - I expected this to suck. It ruled! 7. Saga #1 - brilliant!!! Regretting selling this when I got the trade though... 8. Transformers Autocracy #4 - the one where Soundwave's is on the run and uses all his tapes to try and escape. 9. Transformers Regeneration One #0 - 5 different artists from all era's of the franchise and a story that was like a robots Chrustmas Carol. It felt really special. 10. Transformers vs GI Joe #2 - it only came out this week but I absolutely loved it. Such a refreshing and inventive comic. Well, I think I did pretty well there - it wasn't all Transformers....
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Post by Tony on Aug 31, 2014 18:38:41 GMT -5
If I really tried to come up with a list, i'm pretty sure my brain-muscle would supernova. But I can offer, at this time, a few entries that I feel good about, unranked:
* Hawkeye #11 - Pizza Is My Business
* Batman & Robin #17 - Nightmare City
* the final issue of All-Star Superman, definitely
* whichever issue of Dark Knight Returns is particularly striking my fancy on the day
. . i'll mull it over, and come up with summoar. The Killing Joke, count? Single-issue; never thought it was really long enough to count as a OGN; that would certainly make my list. And there really ought to be some Uncanny X-Men in here . . to be continued
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Post by tundra on Sept 1, 2014 10:05:03 GMT -5
4. We3 #3 - such a tear jerker Yes, with you 100% on this. A fantastic story and very inventively told.
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Post by sammiecassell on Sept 1, 2014 20:35:48 GMT -5
Can't put them in an order and don't think I can even list 10, but here is some of my favorites
Preacher #1. Sets up quite possibly the best comic run of all time Walking Dead #6- set the tone for this book, what started out as JUST a zombie book turns into a thrill ride where nobody is safe God of Thunder #12-this issue incapsulates everything I love about my favorite comic character, adventure, wise King, and kind hearted Amazing Spider-man #477-the 9/11 issue, at a time when no one knew what to do or say, Spider-Man started the healing Thor #274-just one if my personal faves, death of Balder, Odin loses his eye, Loki in all his deviousness, it's got a little of everything
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