Top Ten Comic Stories

I just got through reading 'Earth X' again, and thought I would do something a little light in the blog, and might do so in the near future, since I have to crack down and get some writing done for the LARP, and perhaps even for my own sake. Most of these stories are self-contained mini series, and there are a couple of one shots and Elseworlds (naturally) hanging out in this as well.


Top Ten Comic Stories
1) Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller (1986): One can almost forgive Miller for trying to revive this story with The Dark Knight Strikes Again because this story is so good, and for its time, so completely different. It ushered in a renaissance in the comics field that lasted probably too long and died with Civil War.

2) Kingdom Come by Mark Waid and Alex Ross (1996): Such an incredible story of the coming Apocalypse weaved into the mythology of the DC universe. While the art was, as always, stunning, the writing by Waid is perhaps the best ever in a comics story.

3) Marvels by Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross (1994): Aside from being a remarkable story, Ross' realistic art changed art in the comics medium and set the bar perhaps too high for the future.

4) 'The Trial of Reed Richards', Fantastic Four #262, by John Byrne (1983): Most current comic fans do not know this story since they were not even a glint in their parent's eye; however this remains one of the most cerebral comics stories ever, one that combines the nature of life and death with stark questions of philosophy.

5) Superman: Red Son by Mark Millar and Dave Johnson (2003): The ironies of this remarkable story about Superman were he a Soviet, not American hero are enough to contain several stories and it is an interesting look into the nature of power during the Cold War and beyond.

6) Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and George Perez (1986): Wolfman and Perez tried to fix the convoluted DC Universe and succeeded, giving rise to the current forms of Batman and Superman, plus it was a great story, even if constrained by typical plot and art structures of the mid-80's.

7) JLA: The Nail by Alan Davis and Mark Farmer (1998): A story inspired to some degree by the poem 'The Nail' and sets the tone of the story where the world has every hero and villain but one: Superman. The effects of the change are quite interesting, the art is astounding (as Alan Davis is one of my favorite artists), and the end result, well, you should read the story :)

8) Infinite Crisis by Johns, Perez, et al (2005-6): Shorter than the original 'Crisis', this story tried not to fix anything but cleverly expand the DC Universe and force the main characters of the DC pantheon: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman, to make some hard choices about who and what they are and what they mean. Also some nice bits about Robin/Nightwing... very moving for one who grew up with the Batman/Robin dynamic.

9) Earth X by Alex Ross and Jim Kreuger (2000): Another dystopian world that imagined the Marvel Universe in the 'Kingdom Come' vein, but it was a world that saw the whole world 'mutate' and the major heroes of the Universe caught in the crossfire. The real story was far more complex and intriguing, though I did not care for the follow ups: Universe and Paradise X.

10) Civil War by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven (2006-7): While I enjoyed the series a great deal, I was angered by the after effects (and whether Marvel fixes this or not is irrelevant) and how it portrayed one of my favorite characters: Iron Man. Frankly, Marvel should bite the bullet and let what happened happen. But they will not leave well enough alone, as the history of comics shows.

Honorable Mentions: The Infinity Gauntlet; X-Men/Teen Titans; Gotham by Gaslight; The Killing Joke; Superman: Doomsday; X-Men: The Dark Phoenix Saga; The Watchmen; Green Lantern: Ganthet's Tale.

C.

Wherever The Road Takes You...

Due to scheduling (and shipping) concerns, I have a one day reprieve before I head to Baltimore (which means we get there later and have less time to set up, but what can you do? We all bow to the whims of the Post Office and UPS :) While I am sure money is to be made, the show itself does not excite me as much as other shows... something about it just feels lame compared to others. And the city of Baltimore (at least the parts I have visited) have been alright, simply a general dissatisfaction with the con itself. Of course, if I sold more than just anime-related products we might skip this show and go to ComicCon in San Diego (and still might next year if the scheduling works out regardless), but I suppose we should take the guaranteed sales at Otakon over the toss-up (though likely) sales at ComicCon (I know I'd have more fun, not being a true anime fan anyways). At least the next three shows are in the same state, so a slight break from extensive traveling.

I know I have titled this blog, 'Walking the Long Road' but often times it feels like sprinting and wandering aimlessly combined. On the other hand, the road has allowed me to meet some unique people and I have been to some great places. And every now and then, I have even been inspired. For us types that depend on inspiration, that's not all bad :)

Have a great week and I'll see if I can update from Otakon. If not, the usual Egyptian blessing for the road :)

C.

Spider-Week And Other Ramblings

Well, more and more people will be talking about 'Spider-Man 3' as the day draws near. I have to admit, even with the wimpy Topher Grace playing Eddie Brock, I am still looking forward to my favorite late 80's/early 90's bad guy, Venom. I think I am supposed to go see the film with my sister at a midnight showing but one never knows.

In further nerd news, I started playing the Lord Of The Rings Online game, and aside from some small hiccups that new games have, it is not too bad. I prefer it over Warcraft based on setting, though I am told the controls, quests and other details are similar. Well, go with what works, I suppose.

Everyone have a good week and enjoy the new month... I will try and post something with a little more substance soon.

C.