Completely Self-absorbed Top 100 Comic Runs You Need to Read

[Colin YNWA]

I keep thinking about going back to the progs for focused a re-read of the whole thing. It's so highly rated by so many that I must be missing out.

Might be worth doing, but at the same time just cos other folks love something and they love things you love doesn't translate it working for you, that's kinda why I have the 'Not in the list' entries. I'm fascinated when I don't rate 'good comics' as much as other folks. I can get defensive about it and question 'Why don't I like this.' and its interesting to unpick why, though often worth just accepting we all like different things in different ways. So I wouldn't try to force it.... but then Bras Sun is defo worth reading so maybe...

Brass Sun is amazing just wish Ian Edginton can finish it in this millennia

Yeah it feels so built to get to a conclusion. Let's hope we're not waiting too long.

The fact a decade on I'm still eagerly awaiting the next instalment despite all the delays is testament to how powerful that feeling is, one of the greats of the prog in my estimation.

Stop such talk. I still think of it as a 'new' strip!

[IndigoPrime]

When The Phoenix Shop did its 50% off thing a while back, I'll happily admit I bought the first volume for me, so I could finally read it. The map is a bit weird (the north being independent and it looking like the fascists are coming out of Wales and the midlands), but the way it's presented is really smart. Very dark for a children's comic, mind.

[AlexF]

Man oh man! What a fun thread, slapping myself on the forehead yet again for not really knowing how to navigate the forums... (if it's not in the 2000AD subsection, I often don't notice anything, fool that I am).

Anyway, Colin, you're a total legend for setting this up and writing so much delightful commentary on so many great (and not so great) comics. Bit late for me to weigh in on some of your choices, but I'll certainly say that based on the comics you've listed that I've read, you have great taste, and my to-buy/borrow/read list is gonna get loads bigger. Your love of superhero comics in the vein of Stern Avengers and Bendis Daredevil I think puts you pretty much dead into my age and comics-reading bracket - which all makes me even more chuffed you were so nice about my own comic, knowing you're mentally comparing it to many of the things I grew up on, too.

Am especially excited by some titles I'd never heard of before: Bat Lash (describing that as being like Wagner-Dredd is a weapon to weild carefully, sure works on me!); Hourman; Cowboys & Insects.

I'm with you and it seems most people here of loving the art and stroytelling style of DKR, but not as such the plot or especially the characterisation of Superman. Even more with you on singing the praises of P. Milligan, a man I've always got time for even if I don't love everything he writes.

Couple of minor tidbits you may or may not be interested in...
L'il Depressed boy looks and sounds quite a lot like the Manga series Goodnight Punpun, which is very excellent in its storytelling but I'm not really into the subgenre of 'life is just a constant series of depressing episodes' as per Chris Ware or Dan Clowes.
Gunning for Hits sounds fun but I'm guessing not as good as Phonogram, which may or may not appear higher on your list? Also, having a Bowie-alike main character called Brian Slade makes me wonder if it's also a follow-up to the film Velvet Goldmine - totally recommend that if you're into David Bowie, the music scene, and pretentious films.

Will be sure to keep an eye on this mega-thread in days to come! Partly looking for more workable answers to the question 'Daddy, why do you spend so much time writing about comics on your computer?' which I get a lot of at home an' all...

[Colin YNWA]

AlexF in the house! Wayhey.

Now this is a true story. When putting together this list I really did think about adding Two Heads, Alex's comic with this parents. But I was worried it might just be seen as blowin' smoke up his ass so bottled it. I kinda regret that!

[Colin YNWA]

... Your love of superhero comics in the vein of Stern Avengers and Bendis Daredevil I think puts you pretty much dead into my age and comics-reading bracket - which all makes me even more chuffed you were so nice about my own comic...

Yeah from other comments you've made on here I've always suspected this. My comics reading goes like this:

70s-mid 80s - UK comics
mid 80s to early 90s - learn about US comics and move from superheroes to indies across this period
mid 90s to early 2000s - hedonism no comics
mid 2000s to now - US comics and move from superheroes to indies across this period

Even more with you on singing the praises of P. Milligan, a man I've always got time for even if I don't love everything he writes.

He's absent for a while now, but there is one more to come. Can anyone guess which?

Gunning for Hits sounds fun but I'm guessing not as good as Phonogram, which may or may not appear higher on your list? Also, having a Bowie-alike main character called Brian Slade makes me wonder if it's also a follow-up to the film Velvet Goldmine - totally recommend that if you're into David Bowie, the music scene, and pretentious films.

I tried Phonogram but just didn't get on with it. It just read to me like someone trying to show how cool they were by liking all the cool bands. I must try it again sometime as I know it has big fans who like a lot of the same stuff as me.

...L'il Depressed boy looks and sounds quite a lot like the Manga series Goodnight Punpun, which is very excellent in its storytelling but I'm not really into the subgenre of 'life is just a constant series of depressing episodes'...

Arh godamnit will folks stop pointing me towards more amazing comics. I'm dipping my toes into managa a bit more as its a massive hole in my reading. I've started with Showa: A History of Japan by Shigeru Mizuki and the old Mai the Psychic girl comics I long ago sold BUT damn this looks amazing and is getting bought!

[BadlyDrawnKano]

I tried Phonogram but just didn't get on with it. It just read to me like someone trying to show how cool they were by liking all the cool bands. I must try it again sometime as I know it has big fans who like a lot of the same stuff as me.

I really liked the first volume of Phonogram but I think a big aspect of that was that Gillen loved a lot of the same 90's indie bands that I had (Kenickie, David Devant and His Spirit Wife being the main two that spring to mind) and as they had been largely forgotten about it was almost quite thrilling seeing them written about with such passion. But I didn't like the second and third volumes, and I wonder if it's because I just didn't particularly like the bands he writes about in them, or if it was because they weren't really doing anything that the first volume hadn't already covered.

[Hawkmumbler]

Another vote for Goodnight PunPun, honestly based off the merit of what I have read thus far it could be a top 10 all timer for me. Devastatingly good. Would have made my own honourable mentions list where not for the fact I prioritised work either complete or in a state of indefinite hiatus, but so long as I was up to speed on it they made the grade.

Speaking of which uuhh I should probably wrap up a few WIP write ups of my own huh...

[AlexF]

Totally echo BDKano's sentimenbt on Phonogram - it's not actually THAT good of a comic story, but it's so much fun when you get to see places you know (Camden pubs) and bands you like being namechecked (David Devant, as seen by me in at least one Camden pub...).

Honestly, Gillen kind of took some of the ideas of Phonogram and did them way better in Wicked/Divine - a series I was totally in love with until I hit a roadblock in like volume 4 or 5 where he commits that ultimate comics sin of filling entire pages with prose. I'll stumble through that eventually and hope to find a killer ending but honestly, I don't want to read a comic for the words. Ideas and pictures first, words maybe after that. Eisner knew the score!

[Colin YNWA]

Speaking of which uuhh I should probably wrap up a few WIP write ups of my own huh...

Yes, yes you should.

Honestly, Gillen kind of took some of the ideas of Phonogram and did them way better in Wicked/Divine - a series I was totally in love with until I hit a roadblock in like volume 4 or 5 where he commits that ultimate comics sin of filling entire pages with prose. I'll stumble through that eventually and hope to find a killer ending but honestly, I don't want to read a comic for the words. Ideas and pictures first, words maybe after that. Eisner knew the score!

I tried Wicked/Divine and that bounced off me too for some reason. Same with Uber (though that might be to do with the art there as well). Its weird I like Gillen in principle but for whatever reason his execution just doesn't work for me.

I kinda imagine I'll bump into him in a pub, and strike up a conversation music, or comics, ideas that both appeal to us. We'll find so much in common. However quickly he'll say something that rubs me up the wrong way and before the end of the night we'll have a push and slap fight in the car park that frankly we'll both be a bit ashamed about and wonder how it got that far!

[Colin YNWA]

Well I will be back shortly to post entry 95. Why am I doing this 'prologue' - well lots of lovely things have been said about this tread recently and I really do appreciate it BUT the next two posts (today and Monday) are I suspect the posts when everyone rolls their eyes and says.

"What the flipping chuff is this bloke on? How did he... why did he..."

and you all jump ship having realised I know nowt!

Buckle in fine people...

[Colin YNWA]

Number 95 - Watchmen

Keywords: Classic, lauded, holy cow, always needs a re-read

Creators:
Writer - Alan Moore
Art - Dave Gibbons
Colours - John Higgins

Publisher: DC Comics

No. issues: 12
Date of Publication: 1986 and every year ever since!

Last read: 2012

Before we go any further I need to say I really like


Copyright - DC Comics

I mean really like it, it's on my list after all and if you've been reading along you know how much the comics on this list mean to me. So why on earth am I saying that so blatantly and clearly on this one. Well there's three key reasons:

I sometimes feel that Watchmen is so lauded and held in such high regard that to have it in such a 'lowly' position might be seen as quite controversial. More controversial than say Dark Knight Returns not being on the list at all. Mind I'm not even sure if it's regarded as Alan Moore's greatest work any more, a point I will return to in my next post. So maybe we can ignore #1?

Views around Alan Moore and Watchmen can be polarising. I've been in conversations where just thinking it's not the best comic ever leads to people questioning why you don't like it. I do like it, I really like it, it's just there's 94 better series / runs out there*. Doesn't stop this one being really good, nor me holding it in very high regard.

I don't think we really need to discuss why Watchmen is so good. So much has been said on the matter I'm not sure there's anything I can add. I mean that won't stop me going on and on about it, BUT I will be focusing more than normal on the negatives. To try to explain why it's at number 95 rather than much higher. Doing that will run the risk of making it seem like I don't really like it. I do - see above... I should make that bold really shouldn't I... and I'm going to say it at regular intervals throughout this write up. However, to try to find something even remotely new or interesting I'm going to focus on why I think this story has problems and the fact there are 94 better comic series / runs* than it. So this will be a lot more negative than a comic this good deserves... but that's just so I have something useful to write... well as useful as anything I write here will ever be anyway!


*Well clearly that's a very subjective statement!


Copyright - DC Comics

So yeah to be clear...

I really like Watchmen....

Just maybe not as much as some and not to the extent its reputation would suggest.

For anyone living under a rock for the last ... almost 40 years - gulp - Watchmen is the flagship comic series for the 1986 cry of "Comics aren't just for kids anymore", alongside 'peers' Dark Knight Returns and Maus. The story is set in an alternative future where the accidental creation of that Earth's only superhero Doctor Manhattan helped the US win the Vietnam war. The series details the history of costumed crime fighters of this reality while an investigation into the murder of one of the early 'heroes', The Comedian, slowly unravels a deeper, bigger plot to try to turn the world around from the grim slump it's fallen into.

I mean it's not that at all, on the surface it's that, but it's really so much more. It's an extended essay on the art form of comics, particular pulp and superhero comics. It's an experiment with that art form, playing with what it can achieve with its traditional structures and what those structures mean for storytelling. It's cited as being a 'deconstruction of the superhero genre (™)" - yuck I hate that phrase, though fair to say I too use it as a shorthand at times. Said to be what happens if you treat superheroes and costumed crime-fighters seriously and realistically. I'd argue it's not that at all and this is done much better in numerous other titles and one in particular that we'll talk about much later on this list.

Basically it's a lot and its greatest strength is the single fact that I know each time I read it I'll unpeel more layers and discover more things it has to tell. Across its 336 comic pages and numerous backup text pieces it covers a lot of ground. Achieving so much a single reading will never do it justice.


Copyright - DC Comics

Over the years I've read it numerous times and in numerous different ways. Each time I've got different things from it and it's one of those readings that best explains why I don't place it higher on this list. Maybe 20 years ago now I decided to read it again but this time scratched an itch I've always had and just read the comic pages straight. I didn't read the text pieces and just tried to read it as a straight action adventure story, to deliberately give it a very surface reading.

When I did that I discovered that while it's a good story, it's not Alan Moore's best by any stretch of the imagination. The story is secondary to its other more lofty goals. This particularly struck me with issue 10 - "Two Riders Were Approaching" - see with Watchmen we quote the chapter titles it's so elevated in our thoughts. That chapter read to me then, and still reads to me now as Moore and Gibbons realising they'd better bloomin' well get a move on with the story. So enamoured and absorbed by all the wonderful things they were doing they forgot first and foremost this needs to be an enjoyable story otherwise there's a barrier to readers actually engaging with the work to tease out those other things. In realising the story had fallen behind they rushed through some plot and events to get things on track in a way that'd I'd dare to describe as clumsy.

Now some points of clarification here, which will also demonstrate how defensive I feel when saying anything negative about this classic knowing how highly it's regarded! It's entirely fair to say that 'just reading the comic bits' isn't a complete reading of the story. It's a very shallow way to do that and in doing that it's bound to unearth problems. I was not reading it as it's meant to be read.

The thing is this unearths some of the things that are most important to me as a reader and that's the story. I love story. Comics are my favourite vehicle for the delivery of story. So I as a reader will always bring that desire for story to any comic I read regardless of its intended aims and if I find a problem with that story, or there's some other factor that pulls me out of that story or otherwise interferes with me getting my story fix, that will put me off. There are times when Watchmen does this and so it doesn't satisfy the needs I bring to the comic when I read it entirely successfully.

None of that is to say that comics can only be about story or are limited to being a medium that delivers story, far from it. In fact there will be comics on this list that are literally not designed to be a story. My previous entry for Squid Bits #107 (I love the fact I can summon a daft all ages gag strip like Squid Bits when discussing Watchmen!) is just such an example and there will be others. It's just if a comic is set up to be a story I will look to that as one of the primary things I'm trying to satisfy when I read those comics.

Oh and it's also not to say Watchmen is a bad story. Far from it, just that the story is probably the weakest thing in it and that has some impact on my enjoyment of it.


Copyright - DC Comics

The characters through which that story is revealed are also a fundamental part of what I look for in the reading I do. Another thing I find frustrating with Watchmen is I don't really engage with many of the characters. That's not to say there isn't fantastic character work done in the comic, there is, there are some brilliant character moments. It's just I don't really feel like I want to 'hang out' with many of the characters. They are there to serve the ideas and themes Watchmen is exploring; they aren't there to engage you, or me at least. While they feel rounded and real most of them are sharp and a little off putting in one way or another.

When I've raised this before the brilliant Mike Collins quite reasonably had the following to say:

For me, the criticism of 'soullessness' misses the point- in the end, they are the 'watch' men, just cogs in the clockwork of Alan's plot and Dave's design. Before Watchmen' is irrelevant, as who really cares what the cogs and springs did before the watchmaker constructed the design?

Alan's mechanistic design is evident throughout, with Dave echoing it in repeated graphic elements, explicit in the circular nature of the plot.

It's only that Alan can't help but humanize these archetypes (he's an old softy really) that their characters shine through.

This is of course entirely fair. It doesn't however change the fact that many of the characters can come across as soulless, that the story itself could be said to be the same. Whether that is the intent and purpose they serve. That their function is to be cogs in overall structure is valid but would ignore what I want from the story and its characters and their impacts on my enjoyment.

Think it's time to remind folks that...

I really like Watchmen....

It's just that for me as a reader with the needs I bring to my reading it sometimes misses a beat, isn't as strong in the elements I'm looking for primarily. I can appreciate its structure, I can appreciate how smart it is, but I can't avoid that sometimes that has a cost to what I want it to give me. Gibbons and Moore of course have every right, rhythm and reason to not craft their work to meet the needs of everyone, or indeed anyone but themselves. They can and should create their work to be about and for the things they want it to be. Of course they do, I'm not owed liking Watchmen, I'm not owed Watchmen being my perfect comic. If their aims don't match with my needs that's superfine, but I will therefore have issues with the work they produce, at least in my reading of it.


Copyright - DC Comics

Let's discuss the art. It's fantastic, as much a part in Watchmen delivering its goals as Alan Moore's script. Its tight, rhythmic storytelling is a joy to behold and of course perfectly tailored for the aims of the comic. Dave Gibbons art is also so comfortable on the eye. It's easy to read and appreciate. It very deliberately holds to 'simple' traditional comic book rendering. Why would it not be, given the fact that it's part of what Watchmen is doing is examining the superhero genre and the comic book as a medium. It's both unobtrusive and complex. Its clean rendering enables the complex ways it plays with the form to be easily pulled out.

It's an astonishing piece of work. It's not as mind meltingly innovative, on its surface level delivery, as many of the comics I will discuss here. It doesn't try to define how comic art can be rendered so it doesn't impact me the way the art does on a number of entries on this list. I want to describe it as perfectly competent, but when I type that it feels dismissive. Like I'm damning with faint praise, but that's not the intent of that turn of phrase. It's to try to capture how effective it is in delivering the complex needs the comic has to achieve its goals. The level of craft on display is staggering and it needs to be perfectly competent to do this. It needs to be comfortable, it needs to be rendered in a way that feels familiar and timeless. So it's entirely successful, just doesn't leave its mark on me the way other art discussed here has.

The colouring by John Higgins is sharp and rich. The colours are deep and at times almost oppressive. So in summary, perfect for the series. It's a little talked about aspect of the series that I feel deserves far more credit than it gets. They capture the atmosphere and mood of the story the comics use fantastically.

The fact that there are some, well many iconic panels and moments burnt into the minds eye of the comics medium's consciousness is all you really need to understand about how important and effective the comic art is for this series.


Copyright - DC Comics

You can't escape the impact of Watchmen on the comics medium consciousness as a whole in fact. Within the mainstream western comics world this has been held aloft for so long. When I started writing this list and placed Watchmen where I did, it was noodling away at the back of my mind about how I would approach explaining that in this entry. Even as I was absorbed thinking about other brilliant comics I'd be subconsciously thinking about this comic and occasionally some conscious idea of what I could say here would crash out of that subconscious into my noggin and I'd note things down.

I believe the way this comic has quietly crept around everything I've done to date here mirrors how it's impacted for good and ill on the consciousness of mainstream western comics. I've described it before as the Beatles of comics (well actually I concluded it was more Pink Floyd to me but that doesn't quite make the point I want to make here so I'm going to ignore that!). The Beatles have an astonishing, wonderful body of work, Watchmen is of similar quality. It had massive influence and impact. So many subsequent comics have drawn so much from it. Its acceptance as the 'best comic out there' became almost a self fulfilling prophecy.

It was defined as the best so newer comics are measured by its standards and those that are seen as brilliant are so in reference and comparison to these comics. So the impact, importance and reverence to Watchmen continued to elevate. I believe this is beginning to soften now and a more complete, realistic appraisals of Watchmen are becoming more prevalent, which is true also of the Beatles. Which I think is helpful for those areas of the industry that have been so influenced by it. The industry is liberated from staring up at Watchmen on its pedestal and therefore more readily looks around at the other brilliant - dare I say it better works - that surround it.

That said, it's been placed on that pedestal for good reason. It is an astonishing, wonderful piece of work.

It's just not the best. Now I've got it out of my head let's get to the 94 that top it!

Where to find it

Well I imagine for most of you it's just a matter of reaching up to where it sits of your shelves, or whether you keep your comics and pulling it down.

If you don't have a copy its available in all sorts of formats both physically and digitally. Take your pick.

The original comics, if that's your poison are readily available in the aftermarket but starting to get a little pricey.

Learn more

I mean you really don't need my help with this one do you. There is of course the Obligatory Wikipedia page

But so much more has been said about this series you can barely search the comicsphere on the internet without stumbling across reference and analysis of it.

All I'll do here is plug my favourite comics places (on Youtube these days) and point you to where they talk about it, as much to advertise them as to pretend anyone needs any pointers where to find out about Watchmen!

Cover Gallery from Grand Comics Database - which actually give a really nice feel for the series.

My fav channel Strange Brain Parts covers it and subsidiary comics really well and is well worth checking out.

For the Love of Comics similarly has some great stuff and has some helpful comparisons to different editions if you haven't bought this yet.

Yep Cartoonist Kayfabe has a LOT of stuff on the series as well. All worth a gander.

Casually Comics doesn't actually have anything explicitly about it BUT I do like this channel and actually admire the fact that its sidestepped it so I've linked to what a search brings up on the channel just to add it to the list of my fav channels!

Finally I've appeased my ego by linking to a thread on these very boards I started when I last read Watchmen (gulp almost 12 years ago must put that right!) as it has some great chat AND includes the quote from Mike Collins above as well.

What is all this?

Conscious that this is becoming a long thread and if you're wondering what the heck you've just read and can't be arsed (quite sensibly) to search back to find out I'll link to my opening posts that try to explain all this.

What this all came from

And of course a nerd won't do a list like this without setting 'Rules' / guidelines

Some thoughts on what will not be on the list.

[IndigoPrime]

I didn't realise this was in any kind of order. Won't hold that against you!

I've never thought of Watchmen as The Beatles of comics, nor the Pink Floyd of comics, but the punk of comics. Not because of its aesthetic nor feel, but because I always reasoned its impact must have been far greater if you were 'there at the time'.

For me, today, it's one of those books I feel I kind of have to have in my comics library. It's foundational but also modern enough that I still care enough to read it from time to time. (By contrast, I don't – say – care about having early Marvel collections.) I probably need to give it another 'full' read at some point; but it's always been a series I've giving a respectful nod to rather than one I love.

Oddly, the same is true for me and punk. The vast majority of my music tastes start in the late 1970s. I don't care for much before that. But I also don't like much punk music. It was transformative and vital. But what I like is what it triggered, not what it did itself. Similar to Watchmen.

[Hawkmumbler]

You're too hard on yourself, Colin! I think a conservative but honorary position for Watchmen on anyone's personal ranking is pretty much the norm today.

As IP put is far better words than I could, it's an incredibly concise and impactful moment in time with ripples still being felt throughout the industry to this day, for good or for ill.
Though I stand with you in the assessment though an excellent work in its own right, more than a little of its potency has been lost over the years, and I don't think Moore would disagree with anyone on that assessment.

I do, however, withhold the right to admonish you for this apparently equally scandalous next entry, whatever it may be!
Consider this a warning!

[Colin YNWA]

I didn't realise this was in any kind of order. Won't hold that against you!

Whoops yeah its a countdown - so 124 is better than 125 and by the time we get to number 1 I will have to have created new superlatives as I'll have used all existing ones to death!

I've never thought of Watchmen as The Beatles of comics, nor the Pink Floyd of comics, but the punk of comics. Not because of its aesthetic nor feel, but because I always reasoned its impact must have been far greater if you were 'there at the time'.

For me, today, it's one of those books I feel I kind of have to have in my comics library. It's foundational but also modern enough that I still care enough to read it from time to time. (By contrast, I don't – say – care about having early Marvel collections.) I probably need to give it another 'full' read at some point; but it's always been a series I've giving a respectful nod to rather than one I love.

Oddly, the same is true for me and punk. The vast majority of my music tastes start in the late 1970s. I don't care for much before that. But I also don't like much punk music. It was transformative and vital. But what I like is what it triggered, not what it did itself. Similar to Watchmen.

Damn that's good. I bloody wish I'd said that in my write up. Its defo true... though I would say the Beatles reference still stands, but that's another conversation.

I particularly like the punk reference as I kinda like lots of bits of punk (remember I do really like Watchmen though) but I much prefer post punk hardcore and then much prefer late 80s and 90s indie Rock. Each has grown from the  earlier interation but improved upon it also. The same is often true of comics. Watchmen did it really well. Some things that followed Watchmen did it even better and some modern comics are knockin' it out the park compared to them!

Great analogy!

[Colin YNWA]

You're too hard on yourself, Colin! I think a conservative but honorary position for Watchmen on anyone's personal ranking is pretty much the norm today.

I think this might be generation, building in what Indigo Prime says. If you were there I think for many Watchmen really holds a postion in folks hearts - and I was there or there abouts.

Though I stand with you in the assessment though an excellent work in its own right, more than a little of its potency has been lost over the years, and I don't think Moore would disagree with anyone on that assessment.

He'd still fall out with me thought wouldn't he. Mind as long as he kept forwarding me the cheques I'd get over that. I don't hold myself up to the moral standards Mr M does, who could!

I do, however, withhold the right to admonish you for this apparently equally scandalous next entry, whatever it may be!
Consider this a warning!

Its a warning to Alan M fans really... I think my next one will really not go down well with them. I do explain myself and say sorry a lot (in so many words) but who knows if that will be enough?!?