25 GREATEST COMIC BOOK STORY ARCS
by: Art Clausen
(Arthur is a longtime listener and very good friend of the show. No. A friend of ours. In an older episode we talked about our top 5 favorite comic story arcs. Well, Art truly "one-up'd" us by doing his TOP 25! This list is awesome! Thanks Art, and enjoy everyone.)25) Daredevil Guardian Devil—I haven’t read this since it came out in 1999, but I remember that I found it quite gripping. Written by Kevin Smith and drawn by Joe Quesada.
24) Amazing Spiderman Back in Black—I might be in the minority here, but I enjoyed this one. The scene where Spiderman beats down the Kingpin and promises to kill him is awesome and worth the read alone. Written by J. Michael Straczynski and published in 2007.
23) Daredevil the Devil Inside and Out—Matt is locked in Rykers with The Kingpin and Bullseye. The Punisher gets himself arrested to help him out. Fantastic! Of course, it’s Ed Brubaker taking over at the end of Bendis’ run. Originally published in 2006.
22) Ultimate Spiderman Vol. 1—the 2000 launching of Marvel’s Ultimate universe. Brian Michael Bendis nails this modernized overhaul of Spider-man’s Origin. Much of the first Spider-man movie was taken from this series. Excellent story telling and a much needed return to Spidey’s witty humor.
21) JLA vs. Avengers—the first “Epic” adventure on the list. While not a perfect story, it has many great scenes that make it well worth the read. I mean, one really wants this story to be great, perfect even….it’s not, but it does have some epic character interactions. Of course, with George Perez on the artwork, it is visually near flawless. The cover of issue four, with Superman in his torn and tattered suit, wielding both Thor’s hammer and Cap’s shield, gave me chills the first time I saw it back in 2004.
20) Justice League "A New Beginning"--no Superman, no Wonder Woman, no Flash...no problem. This was flat out a fun and humorous read! I'll never forget how the facial expressions, drawn by Kevin Maguire, just stood out to me as something I had never seen before. After reading it, I read some reviews, and it had actually become famous for that. This book made me a fan of Guy Gardner. I'd hate him if he were a real person, but he makes a great antagonist. The book is worth reading for the famous Guy Gardner/Batman scene alone! Originally published in 1987, this was considered J. M. Dematteis' best work, by far, to that point and maybe his best ever.
19) Batman "Year One"--if you don't like Frank Miller, you won't like this. Published in 1987, this and The Dark Knight Returns, set the tone for all of the future "gritty" Batman stories. They were groundbreaking at the time. This is an excellent Batman origin tale, with a strong emphasis on Commissioner (Lieutenant) Gordon. David Mazzucchelli's original artwork is spot on.
18) "The Death of Superman"--Wow! Obviously very famous, it is one of the best selling comic books of all time and not just because it was published at the height of the speculation era in 1993. Actually, if alternate covers are eliminated, I'm sure it is the biggest selling comic of all time. Even without any back story, Doomsday just worked, Superman became more textured and the ending, with Lois, really connected. Unlike Cap, Big Blue went out in heroic fashion. It was an action packed, epic brawl. The return story was horrible. The return in the animated feature was much better.
17) Sam and Twitch "The Brian Michael Bendis Collection Vol. 1"--I'm not sure what prompted me to pick this up. I think someone recommended it and I should thank them. Bendis has a ridiculous catalogue of great reads (one could do a top 25 Bendis list and it would be all spectacular reads), and this could be his best. Angel Medina is also, in my humble opinion, one of the most underrated artists out there. Published in 2000, it is nine issues of grit, humor and greatness.
16) Iron Man "Extremis"--From 2005, this tale, woven by Warren Ellis, really takes Iron Man to a new level. I enjoyed Adi Granov's illustrations, but its Ellis' plot and storytelling that make this a gem. I think that many of the concepts from this arc were used in the first Iron Man movie.
15) Batman “Hush”—published in 2003; written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Jim Lee…need I say more? One of the best Batman stories ever produced, it ties in nearly every Batman villain and ally. Try to avoid any spoilers before reading.
14) “Planet Hulk”—as I’m writing this, I’m thinking that I ranked this a little high, especially since I’m also just realizing that I didn’t put V for Vendetta on the list. Planet Hulk is a great story written by Greg Pak and published in 2006. The problem is that the story’s end is really a transition into World War Hulk, which is also good, but I found the ending a letdown. It just fell flat. Planet Hulk has a great beginning, premise, story and a gut wrenching ending, but I don’t think one could end there and not be compelled to read WW Hulk, have fun for another four or five issues and then be disappointed by the ending. Still, Planet Hulk is worth the ride.
13) Superman “Red Son”—this is Mark Millar’s first appearance on the list, but I assure you it won’t be his last. Millar, like Bendis, has an ever growing and rather large collection of outstanding reads. I’ll just give you the premise and you try to tell yourself that you don’t want to read it. In this else worlds tale, Superman lands in the Ukraine instead of Smallville. He becomes the leader of the USSR and evolves into a totalitarian dictator trying to force his utopian ideal onto the world with near absolute power. Meanwhile, a somewhat charming Lex Luthor becomes leader of the USA and is hell bent on stopping Comrade Superman. The reimagining of Batman is fantastic! Just go read this gem from 2004.
12) “Marvel Civil War”—well, that was quick. Mark Millar spun this epic story that spanned the Marvel Universe in 2006. Marvel has done many multi-title crossover events since House of M, but this is the cream of that crop. The plot just worked and was written near flawlessly. It’s one of the few that didn’t fall flat in the ending, if you extend it ever so slightly to the death of Cap. Regardless, the Punisher/Spider-man and Punisher/Captain America scenes are scenes that I don’t think any reader could forget. This is an awesome fun read, even with the slightly flat issue 7 ending. If you read on into the death of Captain America, it is a more complete story.
11) “Kick Ass”—LOL, three Millar stories in a row! You’ve probably seen the movie, but you should read the comic. Yes, it is over the top in many ways, especially violence, but that is part of the charm that makes it great. It’s a great plot that pokes fun at fan boys taking their comics a little too seriously. The fact that you could watch the movie trailer before the final issue came out in 2010, should tell you how obvious it was that this was going to be a hit.
10) “Secret War”—Not Secret Wars, from the mid-eighties, but Secret War the five issue mini-series that took most of 2004 and 2005 to publish. I don’t believe this was received all that well. I guess as a stand-alone story, it might have some weaknesses. For me, it was a great story containing many of my favorite characters. I won a heroclix tournament one time playing this team, which I thought was quite a feat because none of the characters had flight or telekinesis. Some complained that the art, all painted by Gabriele Dell’Otto, was too dark; I thought it was closer to flawless and one of the reasons I rate the series this high. Bendis, of course, wrote a great story and if you were reading Marvel for the next few years, you realized just how epic the story was. Awesome and worth the 21 month wait.
9) Superman/Batman “Public Enemies”—I love this arc! It has solid art work from Ed McGuinness and flawless writing from Jeph Loeb. It’s a great story, but it’s the way it is told that makes this a winner. The way Loeb presents their thoughts, and shows how they view each other, is amazing! I thought the series tailed off after this, but this arc from 2003 is a must read.
8) “The Infinity Gauntlet”—EPIC!! This was the first story I read that I enjoyed more than one of the first comics I ever read, the Reed and Sue wedding issue from 1965. This story is truly epic, and while it might not quite stand the test of time, is still very enjoyable and the definitive Thanos story. With art from George Perez and Ron Lim, writing from Jim Starlin and such an awesome plot that spans the Marvel universe, is there any doubt that this six issue series from 1991 is awesome! This is an absolute must read of any Marvel comic fan.
7) “Books of Doom”—OK, I have to raise a bias alert. I believe that most often a good villain is what makes a great comic and Dr. Doom is the absolute king of villains. That is why he is, by far, my favorite character. That being said, I still can’t see my bias in this being one of the great comic stories of all time. If you ever wanted to understand Doom, this is the series for you. Books of Doom are an origin story of Doom written by Ed Brubaker and published in 2006. Great twist at the end. Whether a fan of Dr. Doom, or not, I highly recommend this series.
6) “Supreme Power: Nighthawk”—I only know of one other person who read this and I think they had the same response I did. Wow! That was fun! Written by Daniel Way and published in 2005, this is the Batman story that DC will NEVER publish, but you have always wanted to read. Trust me, just read it.
5) Batman "The Dark Knight Returns"--the best Batman story ever! This is the one that broke the mold forever. Published in 1986 it was cutting edge for the comic genre in general, but it really took the image people still had in their heads of the campy Adam West television Batman pummeled it, stepped on it and burned it. Writer and artist Frank Miller set the story in a future Gotham, that is more crime riddled than ever, where Batman, in his fifties, has been in retirement for sometime. The story and setting is dirty and gritty. Batman is dark, obsessed and unsure of his physical self. Of course, his showdown with Superman is one for the ages. This was a completely new and inventive look at Batman and a must read!
4) "Wanted"--more Millar! This book is over the top and for mature readers only. The movie, although half decent, has almost nothing to do with the comic book. The comic is a great concept and well executed. It is just a fun guilty pleasure. The majority of the story takes place in a hidden world where super-villains killed all of the superheroes and took over the world. It really is as brilliant as it is offensive and it will probably be the first one of these trades that I read as soon as I’m done typing this list. Originally published in 2003 with art by J. G. Jones.
3) "Kingdom Come"--a brilliant collaboration by Mark Waid and Alex Ross. An epic elseworlds tale set in the future, when most of the Justice League has retired and given way to a younger, more amoral and irresponsible generation of superheroes. The battle between Superman and Captain Marvel is fantastic. As is usually the case, Alex Ross’ artwork is flawless, spectacular and perfect for this type of production. The story is great and well woven, but in combination with the artwork, this series from 1996 is tough to top.
2) "The Watchmen"--what hasn’t been said? Alan Moore set out to show what could be done with the comic medium that couldn’t be done with either movies or books, and it was an amazing success...a masterpiece. When it was published in 1986, it was truly ground breaking. Very flawed characters, with no real hero in the book. It certainly wasn’t typical for a superhero comic in the mid-eighties. David Gibbons’ art was perfect for the book. There is so much to discover with this book. I recommend you read it, then do some research on it and read it again. Not as fun as most of the books on my list, it is nonetheless an amazing piece of work.
1) "The Ultimates 1" Vol. 1 & 2--Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch rock! Millar clearly had the big screen in mind when he wrote this. Capes and tights at their best. Everyone who saw Nick Fury revealed as Samuel L. Jackson at the end of the first Iron Man movie thought it was good. Those of us that had read the Ultimates thought it was awesome! I remember that as soon as I heard him say "I am Iron Man" from the shadows, I was giddy. It’s the amazing combination of art and storytelling that makes this the Ultimate comic read.
There you have it. You will notice that my taste leans more toward the fun and exciting and less toward the serious and revered. I will say that everyone of these stories elicited an emotional response from me somewhere in the book. Sometimes it was shock, sometimes it was a tug at my heart strings and sometimes I just laughed out loud.
Beyond the List
V for Vendetta should have been on the list and was an oversight. It would have come in at 9 and pushed Superman/Batman to number 10.
Criminal, Kraven’s Last Hunt, 300, Justice, Marvels, Loki, Emerald Twilight and most of the Sin City trades all get honorable mentions.
There are many lauded arcs, trades, series and graphic novels that I haven’t read, like Walking Dead, Y the Last Man, Storm Watch, The Authority, Astro City, Age of Apocalypse, Days of Future Past, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Bone, Ex Machina, Hell Boy, Hellblazer, From Hell and many more.
There are some highly rated comics that I didn’t think were that good, like Stray Bullets, A History of Violence, Arkham Asylum, The Dark Pheonix Saga, Crisis on Infinite Earths and Killing Joke.
I’ve tried to read Bendis’ Jinx a couple of times, but both copies binding gave way and I gave up. What I did read was very good.
I read the first trades for both Invincible and Powers and they were very good. I plan on continuing with both at some point.
Finally, there are some runs that don’t fit the trade/arc label, but that are incredible comic book reads nonetheless. Two that I can’t stress enough are Brubaker’s run on Captain America from #1 through his death and the entire New X-Men run 1-46, especially the Kyle and Yost run, from 20 until the end. The latter was quite a surprise for me, but it was great! A few more would be The Boys, 100 Bullets, Sandman, Preacher and Grant Morrison’s run on New X-Men.
Mark Millar, Brian Michael Bendis and Ed Brubaker, obviously, had a strong presence on my list. I also love Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis, Frank Miller and Allan Moore. Beyond them Brad Meltzer, Kevin Smith, Jeph Loeb, Scott Lobdell, Dennis O’Neil, Brian Azzarello, Chris Yost, Craig Kyle, Joss Whedon, Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison are all writers that I enjoy.
