Friday 11 February 2011

The 200 Best Comics of My Lifetime (The Last 20 Years): 80-71

80. JLA #4
DC - April 1997
Writer - Grant Morrison
Artist - Howard Porter
The final chapter of Grant Morrison's first arc on JLA saw the League take on the villainous Hyperclan in a battle to save the Earth; the action was intense, the story fast-paced and the overall experience, one of the most enjoyable in JLA history.







79. Doctor Strange: The Oath #1
Marvel - December 2006
Writer - Brian K. Vaughan
Artist - Marcos Martin
Brian K. Vaughan is a great writer, particularly when it comes to characters like Doctor Strange, and this issue is a perfect illustration of why, bringing the character to life in a new, original way; speaking of illustrations, we're also treated to the great work of Marcos Martin, which maintains the Steve Ditko style he would eventually use on his Spider-Man work.


78. Identity Crisis #1
DC - September 2004
Writer - Brad Meltzer
Artist - Rags Morales
The greatest mystery in the DC Universe for the last decade came out of nowhere, with novelist Brad Meltzer presenting a great murder-mystery that served to destroy the character of Elongated Man forever; it was a Justice League tour de force, and every moment was fantastic.





77. Kingdom Come #4
DC - August 1996
Writer - Kurt Busiek
Artist - Alex Ross
The final chapter of the epilogue to the DC Universe was awe-inspiring, as Superman took a stand against the villainy in the world and created one of the best conclusions to one of the best comic books ever published; it was, in a word, iconic.



76. Runaways #1
Marvel - July 2003
Writer - Brian K. Vaughan
Artist - Adrian Alphona
The start of Brian K. Vaughan's lower tier Marvel Universe series was an incredible debut issue, showing just how great Vaughan's first issues would continue to be; the characters are all new, and the revelation at the end of the issue would drive the series for the rest of it's run, as well as being smart and well plotted.





75. Hellblazer #213
Vertigo - December 2005
Writer - Mike Carey
Artist - Frazer Irving
A one-shot focusing on John Constantine's childhood served up one of the most disturbing moments of Mike Carey's run on the title; we learn, through flashbacks, about John's horrific actions as a child that helped him drive a bully to suicide over their own sadistic actions, it's dark and powerful and brutally smart.


74. Alias #10
MAX - August 2002
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Artist - Michael Gaydos
The fantastic script issue of Alias featuring an intense conversation between series protagonist, Jessica Jones, and J. Jonah Jameson; it's a comic book in movie script form, and the presentation of Jessica and Jameson is unbelievably fun and engaging, to the point where it doesn't even drag in the slightest.





73. Sleeper #1
Wildstorm - March 2002
Writer - Ed Brubaker
Artist - Sean Phillips
The first chapter of Brubaker and Phillips' epic masterpiece, and the story of sleeper agent, Holden Caulfield began here; it brought together numerous elements of the Wildstorm universe and produced an engaging espionage thriller with all the elements of a crime drama sprinkled on the top.



72. Birds of Prey #8
DC - August 1999
Writer - Chuck Dixon
Artist - Greg Land
An issue guest-starring Nightwing and focusing on his relationship with Barbara Gordon; it's a beautiful piece of writing, showing just how powerful their bond has been throughout the years, and how strong it will remain for as long as both characters exist in comics.





71. Daredevil (vol. 2) #26
Marvel - December 2001
Writer - Brian Michael Bendis
Artist - Alex Maleev
The first issue of Bendis and Maleev's run on Daredevil saw the collapse of the Kingpin's empire and a set of revelations that would fuel the Daredevil books for the next decade; the character of Matt Murdock remains as engaging as ever, while the murderous Mr. Silke proves just how dangerous he's going to be in the next arc.




Next: 70-61

1 comment:

  1. >> 77. Kingdom Come #4
    DC - August 1996
    Writer - Kurt Busiek >>

    Mark Waid!

    kdb

    ReplyDelete