Jump to content

Best Comic Storyline Ever


Necromancer
 Share

Recommended Posts

I've been reading and writing comics for over thirty years now and I find them to be one of the best forms of entertaining literature there is. I think my favorite all time story line in the history of comics, as I know them anyway, was the KINGDOM COME series. Besides the artwork being absolutely off the charts phenomenal, the writing and creative ideas were brilliant. The personal interaction between Supes, Bats and WonderWoman was filled with incredible dialogue and revealing insights into these iconic characters. I could go on and on, as you know i am prone to do, but I want you to share your favorite storylines also. Any company, any style, and character. What was it and why?
Link to comment
Share on other sites

EN, He is gonna go somewhere with his comics.

 

He draws in a Japanese anime crossed with the marvel look.

 

He is currently doing a series about college. Which is brilliant.

 

Currently working on one liner, four frame comics.

 

over at the Edgar Hall Dorms

 

"Now that I have all my school work done I am off do bed"

 

Over at the Pennington Hall Dorms

 

"I am gonna get that friggin paper done!"

 

"Dude the door is that way"

Edited by JakeofThePlace
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Necromancer @ Oct 17 2005, 12:40 PM)
I've been reading and writing comics for over thirty years now and I find them to be one of the best forms of entertaining literature there is. I think my favorite all time story line in the history of comics, as I know them anyway, was the KINGDOM COME series. Besides the artwork being absolutely off the charts phenomenal, the writing and creative ideas were brilliant. The personal interaction between Supes, Bats and WonderWoman was filled with incredible dialogue and revealing insights into these iconic characters. I could go on and on, as you know i am prone to do, but I want you to share your favorite storylines also. Any company, any style, and character. What was it and why?

I'm not that much into DC (more of a Marvel man) and hardly have any comics from them. BUT, I do have Kingdom Come. In fact, it's about 5 feet behind me on a shelf. Great story and art. I dream of the day when THAT becomes a movie. It's definitely up there with the best of the best stories.

 

My personal favs go to the run that Claremont & Byrne had with the Uncanny X-MEN in the late 70's/early 80's(issues 108-144...give or take a few/I'm going on memory). This run would include the 1st appearances of Alpha Flight and Kitty Pryde, the Dark Phoenix saga, Cyclops' first departure from the team, Days of Future Past, etc. I know there's alot of material in there but every issue that was released during that period under those 2 was greatness. Also of huge importance is that it was the beginning of Wolverine's rise to popularity. Claremont & Byrne's impact on Marvel is still being felt today ((the X-movies and particularly the Dark Phoenix saga which WILL be (at least partially) covered in X3 for example)).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Oct 17 2005, 07:58 AM)

I'm not that much into DC (more of a Marvel man) and hardly have any comics from them. BUT, I do have Kingdom Come. In fact, it's about 5 feet behind me on a shelf. Great story and art. I dream of the day when THAT becomes a movie. It's definitely up there with the best of the best stories.

My personal favs go to the run that Claremont & Byrne had with the Uncanny X-MEN in the late 70's/early 80's(issues 108-144...give or take a few/I'm going on memory). This run would include the 1st appearances of Alpha Flight and Kitty Pryde, the Dark Phoenix saga, Cyclops' first departure from the team, Days of Future Past, etc. I know there's alot of material in there but every issue that was released during that period under those 2 was greatness. Also of huge importance is that it was the beginning of Wolverine's rise to popularity. Claremont & Byrne's impact on Marvel is still being felt today ((the X-movies and particularly the Dark Phoenix saga which WILL be (at least partially) covered in X3 for example)).

Excellent picks. As far as X-men go, i would have to agree. I would also add the massively convoluted X-CUTIONER's SONG story line that crossed over all X-titles for an entire year I believe. The problem for me with X-men though is that they've screwed with time and alternate dimensions so much, that they're hard to track. You really had to buy every X title to stay up with them. Fortunately I did back then. I like some of the recent storylines, but again, they've mucked with so much now, that it's hard to stay on top of them.

 

As for Knightfall. AWESOME storyline. HORRIBLE ART. Well... the Kelley Jones stuff anyway. I hated that look. It fit with DEADMAN, but I hated it with Bats. This entire period, The Breaking of the Bat, was just amazing. It ranked right up there with the Death of Superman storyline and was instrumental in garnishing massive new interests in two fading comic icons. I hope that they sometime do justice to BANE in a movie. The ridiculous way he was treated in SHLONGMACHER's Batman movie was just disgusting. HATED IT!!!

 

KINGDOM COME: THE MOVIE!!! Oh man... why did you get me dreaming of THAT? It'll never happen, but oh man... how great would that be?

 

As a recommendation: Long time comic readers or Bat fans will be familiar with this graphic novel, but for those of you not... check out SON OF THE DEMON. It's an incredible read and left the DC universe with a bit of a shock when it was originally published. Since then, DC says it is out of continuity and just an ELSEWORLD's story, but nonetheless it is an AWESOME read. Check it out.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yes, Kingdom Come: The Movie. Every fanboy's wet dream come true.

 

Another great comic was Marvel's 1602 done a few years ago. Most of Marvel's heavy hitters are revisioned and placed in the year 1602. It wasn't a 'What if' issue either.

 

Also, for a different look at heroes check out Marvels. Again, more wonderful Alex Ross artwork

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Oct 17 2005, 06:46 PM)
Yes, Kingdom Come: The Movie. Every fanboy's wet dream come true.

Another great comic was Marvel's 1602 done a few years ago. Most of Marvel's heavy hitters are revisioned and placed in the year 1602. It wasn't a 'What if' issue either.

Also, for a different look at heroes check out Marvels. Again, more wonderful Alex Ross artwork

Was 1602 the Avengers one shot that was drawn by Leonardo Manco? If it's what i'm thinking of, it WAS really good. I'm a major fan of Manco's work. Been following him since his run with Ellis on HELLSTORM.

 

As for MARVELS. What else can really be said eh? The book was amazing and a pivotal point in comic books. I can remember reading it for the first time and the first thought i had was WHY HADN'T ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE? It was brilliant and brought realism to my favorite fantasy world. Amazing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Necromancer @ Oct 18 2005, 11:19 AM)
QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Oct 17 2005, 06:46 PM)
Yes, Kingdom Come: The Movie.  Every fanboy's wet dream come true. 

Another great comic was Marvel's 1602 done a few years ago.  Most of Marvel's heavy hitters are revisioned and placed in the year 1602.  It wasn't a 'What if' issue either. 

Also, for a different look at heroes check out Marvels.  Again, more wonderful Alex Ross artwork

Was 1602 the Avengers one shot that was drawn by Leonardo Manco? If it's what i'm thinking of, it WAS really good. I'm a major fan of Manco's work. Been following him since his run with Ellis on HELLSTORM.

 

As for MARVELS. What else can really be said eh? The book was amazing and a pivotal point in comic books. I can remember reading it for the first time and the first thought i had was WHY HADN'T ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEEN DONE BEFORE? It was brilliant and brought realism to my favorite fantasy world. Amazing.

1602 was written by Neil Gaiman. I think he did DC's Sandman. I'm pretty sure of that but I never read any of it. The art was Andy Kubert's. Check it out.

I believe Marvel's doing a limited series on the subject again NOW but I haven't heard many good things about it. The original print that I'm mentioning is maybe from 2003 or 2004. I've got it in hardback (the whole story) so if it itself was a limited series, I'm unaware of it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best comic storyline ever was anything from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Fat Freddies Cat was something else. I can't believe my mom used to let me read these comics when I was a kid.

 

http://www.soundstone.net/ffb/FFB_01.GIF

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Modest Man From Mandrake @ Oct 18 2005, 11:02 PM)
Best comic storyline ever was anything from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Fat Freddies Cat was something else. I can't believe my mom used to let me read these comics when I was a kid.

http://www.soundstone.net/ffb/FFB_01.GIF

If I saw that issue around I would've DEFINITELY bought it.

 

I guess it could be argued that THE BEST comic storyline ever was that one-off that Rock & Roll Comics did on 2.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Oct 18 2005, 09:08 AM)
QUOTE (Modest Man From Mandrake @ Oct 18 2005, 11:02 PM)
Best comic storyline ever was anything from The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers. Fat Freddies Cat was something else. I can't believe my mom used to let me read these comics when I was a kid.

http://www.soundstone.net/ffb/FFB_01.GIF

If I saw that issue around I would've DEFINITELY bought it.

 

I guess it could be argued that THE BEST comic storyline ever was that one-off that Rock & Roll Comics did on 2.gif

I never got into humorous comics much back in the day. It wasn't until Kevin Smith's Jay and Silent Bob comics came out that I gave humor comics a try. Until then, i was all about the super hero/fantasy genre. As for that Rush comic. OMG, is that thing hilarious. rofl3.gif Sad thing is... was it supposed to be hilarious? I'm not sure.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (kazzman @ Oct 18 2005, 09:17 PM)
Batman: The Killing Joke. Even though it was one issue, it was amazing.

Okay, everyone i know who's read The Killing Joke has a different idea about why Bats loses his marbles at the end and laughs with Joker. What's your take on it? I think he's just having a minor psychotic episode and partial nervous breakdown and this is his way of getting it back together. What do any of you who've read it think?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

hmm?i guess as a kid,the death of gwen stacy at the hands of the green goblin was most intense.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (tick @ Nov 26 2005, 07:45 AM)
hmm?i guess as a kid,the death of gwen stacy at the hands of the green goblin was most intense.

Yeah, this story was unreal. I think it was the first time a major support character ever died in a comic book. It was definitely a landmark storyline. As always I have a problem with it. laugh.gif For as long as the story has been out, Pete has always had a major load of guilt for it because he always believed that he snapped her neck in the fall when he snagged her with his web at terminal velocity. This was a huge part in shaping him and added to his guilt complex that he already had for the death of uncle Ben. A few years ago when they UNDID the fact that Norman died, they also undid this. Norman reveals that Gwen is dead before he pushes her from the ledge, absolving Pete of his guilt that it was his ineptness that killed Gwen. The thing that always set Spidey apart back then was that he was HUMAN. He was a boy and he made mistakes. Mistakes that shaped who he is and the depth of what kind of hero he is. I don't mind if a hero has weaknesses or isn't perfect. The wild popularity of Spiderman over Superman and even Batman at this time was because Marvel took risks and made Spidey so down to earth. He was the hero we could all be... had we been bitten by a radioactive spider of course. I think it sucks that the powers that be at Marvel have the gall to UNDO something so timeless as this story. The teased with bringing her back a few times but thankfully it's always been a clone or a construct or someone made to look like her. I will never read Spiderman again if they bring Gwen back. Though I love her more than MaryJane, and that story still breaks my heart when i re-read it, i would never want them to UNDO it. Just my opinion. rantoff.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Y'know... being a long time sooperhero fan, I sometimes forget that I've read some incredible NON men in tights kinda stories. One of the best, if not the best all time story ever put to print is Garth Ennis' PREACHER. DC's Vertigo line introduced us to Jesse Custer back in the late nineties. To this day it's one of my all time favorite reads. Getting the originals are almost impossible, and you'd pay quite a hefty sum of cash for all 76 issues, but they are all collected in graphic novel form. I think nine volumes or so. Not bad. The story is about a young reverend who has lost his faith in God and then finds out that God has QUIT anyway. A heaven kept prisoner, a bastard child of an angel and demon has escaped and now inhabits Jesse's body. Along with his ex-girlfriend Tulip and his newfound friend Cassidy (a vampire), Jesse goes on quite the adventure tying to literally FIND GOD. This story kept me on the edge of my seat and I couldn't wait for each new issue to come out. It also made Garth Ennis a household name and legend in the world of comics. Without a doubt, in my opinion anyway, this story was far better than the Sandman series by Gaiman. Check it out if you ever get a chance. It's an incredible read.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd taken a short break (about a year) from reading comics but just recently got completely caught up on the final story arcs of the JLA.

 

I LOVE how they put the heroes in a situation where they acted HUMAN and then their distrust for each other actually caused such a rift between the original JLA and Batman and Superman, that they finally broke up.

 

Also with Wonder Woman KILLING a man, that added to some massive tension between her, Bruce and Clark. EXCELLENT storytelling. I'm still catching up and it should be interesting to see how it all plays out in the new re-launch of JLA coming soon.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (Necromancer @ Oct 17 2005, 05:14 PM)
QUOTE (JohnnyBlaze @ Oct 17 2005, 07:58 AM)

I'm not that much into DC (more of a Marvel man) and hardly have any comics from them.  BUT, I do have Kingdom Come.  In fact, it's about 5 feet behind me on a shelf.  Great story and art.  I dream of the day when THAT becomes a movie.  It's definitely up there with the best of the best stories.

My personal favs go to the run that Claremont & Byrne had with the Uncanny X-MEN in the late 70's/early 80's(issues 108-144...give or take a few/I'm going on memory).  This run would include the 1st appearances of Alpha Flight and Kitty Pryde, the Dark Phoenix saga, Cyclops' first departure from the team, Days of Future Past, etc.  I know there's alot of material in there but every issue that was released during that period under those 2 was greatness.  Also of huge importance is that it was the beginning of Wolverine's rise to popularity.  Claremont & Byrne's impact on Marvel is still being felt today ((the X-movies and particularly the Dark Phoenix saga which WILL be (at least partially) covered in X3 for example)).

Excellent picks. As far as X-men go, i would have to agree. I would also add the massively convoluted X-CUTIONER's SONG story line that crossed over all X-titles for an entire year I believe. The problem for me with X-men though is that they've screwed with time and alternate dimensions so much, that they're hard to track. You really had to buy every X title to stay up with them. Fortunately I did back then. I like some of the recent storylines, but again, they've mucked with so much now, that it's hard to stay on top of them.

 

As for Knightfall. AWESOME storyline. HORRIBLE ART. Well... the Kelley Jones stuff anyway. I hated that look. It fit with DEADMAN, but I hated it with Bats. This entire period, The Breaking of the Bat, was just amazing. It ranked right up there with the Death of Superman storyline and was instrumental in garnishing massive new interests in two fading comic icons. I hope that they sometime do justice to BANE in a movie. The ridiculous way he was treated in SHLONGMACHER's Batman movie was just disgusting. HATED IT!!!

 

KINGDOM COME: THE MOVIE!!! Oh man... why did you get me dreaming of THAT? It'll never happen, but oh man... how great would that be?

 

As a recommendation: Long time comic readers or Bat fans will be familiar with this graphic novel, but for those of you not... check out SON OF THE DEMON. It's an incredible read and left the DC universe with a bit of a shock when it was originally published. Since then, DC says it is out of continuity and just an ELSEWORLD's story, but nonetheless it is an AWESOME read. Check it out.

Didn't Nightfall of a cover where Joker was like in a basket of snakes?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Late 70's...The Avengers #167-177: The Korvac Saga. Before multiple crossovers, variant covers, and overly powerful beings like The Beyonder there was Korvac. Sure he had the power cosmic but he COULD be hurt and he wasn't power hungry nor evil. He thought he was doing the right thing by trying to become the ruler of the universe. In the final issue of this nearly year-long event you'll seem him pitted against nearly every Avenger that existed + the Guardians of the Galaxy.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, conoisseur's choices... laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif laugh.gif

 

X-Men: the best X-Men ever were the ones seen in the "From the Ashes" saga, drawn by Paul Smith, and the rough, socially-aware storyline that culminated in the Trial of Magneto. We're talking about late 80s I think. That's the best X-Men ever, IMHO. Realistic, hard edged, battle worn, real people with real thoughts.

 

Avengers: I have a soft spot for the Busiek-Perez years. Especially the Ultron Unlimited saga: dark, desperate, hopeless.

 

Batman: one of my favourite Batman runs, aside Neal Adams and Marshall Rogers, is the Doug Moench/Kelley Jones run, right after Knightsend. It took hard boiled detective stories and turned them into Hammer movies! biggrin.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

QUOTE (MrMiltonBanana @ Jun 16 2006, 10:10 PM)
Didn't Nightfall of a cover where Joker was like in a basket of snakes?

Yes, it's a cover by Kelley Jones in the beginning of the Knightfall cross-over. There's also the Scarecrow.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since it's been mentioned now a few times, let me rant about NightFall.

 

First: I HATE Kelley Jones' art. I think he absolutely SUCKS. I can't get over all the praise he got for this series and for any of his work in general. The only work I can say it fit was the ElseWorld's story he did where Bats meets Dracula and becomes a vampire. Other than that... He BLOWS.

 

Second: I think this entire arc was way too convoluted and was meant for the investor market and therefore suffered in it's ability to tell a great story. The Batman Crossovers were incredibly huge and so many of the stories were NOT needed.

 

Third: While it marked the emergence of Bane as a major villian in the Bat universe, it also made so little of Bat's already established rogues gallery. He took so many of them down so much easier than he normally did, that it took quite awhile for any of them to be considered a real threat to him again.

 

Fourth: Kelley Jones art STILL SUCKS!!! Thank you for your time.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can see your point, Necro, I really do and I respect it! smile.gif

I am a fan of Kelley Jones' Batman. Why? Simply because it was DARK. I mean, it wasn't just dark, it was DARK! Get it? tongue.gif

It was the cape, the longest ears, everything... sure, it was a totally un-realistic, metaphysical Batman, but it was DARK, it was the embodiement of fear, of the night... And it was grotesque, as baroque as a bad Genesis song, but it worked, at least for me. It was a back-to-pulp Batman, after the agonising Knightfall trilogy (more of it later), mystery stories, detective stories, conspiracy stories... It was very well done.

 

After saying that, I must point out that KJ was almost genetically engineered to draw Batman. He couldn't draw anyhting else. With the exception of Deadman. The Magneto miniseries he did for Marvel was a piece of *rap, and he can't draw women to save his life. Still, on Batman he was great.

 

The vampire trilogy you mentioned is great, part 1 is much better than 2 and 3, but also many stories of the monthly are good: the Scarecrow issues, the Deadman-inca ghosts issues, the Man-bat issues.

 

Knightfall: it's long, it's slow, it's the visual equivalent of a slowed-down Candlemass dirge. And as much as I love Jim Aparo, his pencils didn't quite hold up that time. It was made for media-coverage, Bane was created ex-novo just to be the man who could break the Bat, but it had absolutely no charisma. And Jean Paul Valley... ugh!!!

It's not one of my favourite stories.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...