CSBG - Top 100 comic book storyline - Vote 2013

[Colin YNWA]

Well I try this every time there's one of these votes and no success, but fool that I am doesn't stop me trying.

CBR's Comic Should be Good is running a vote on the top 100 storylines in comics, here

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2013/10/07/comics-should-be-goods-top-100-comic-book-storylines-2/

They have a four year cycle for these votes and the previous vote in 2009 looked like this.

http://goodcomics.comicbookresources.com/2009/11/27/top-100-comic-book-storylines-master-list/

It would be great if 2000ad fans voted on mass and lets see if we can get a classic (not necessarily new) 2000ad storyline up there. Now I'm not naive enough to believe we'd get any agreement on which we should vote for, nor that we'd pool enough votes to touch the top 10, but if enough of us vote for enough 2000ad storylines we might get one in there somewhere. And heck we're nerds we like making lists this is fun for us. Not completed my list but I think my top three will be

1. Judge Dredd - Tour of Duty (well just re-read and I figure a JD is our best chance of charting)
2. Zenith - Book 3
3. Nikolai Dante - Sympathy for the Devil (they state if you are not sure how to split up with an ongoing storyline go with the trade splits and has there ever been a better ending to a comic story than there was for Dante?)
4. Might well be Cursed Earth

I think I'll keep my list exclusively 2000ad based, a little childishly, but hey if I'm trying to push people to vote to get a 2000ad storyline in there might was well do all I can to support that effort and wouldn't be that far off the truth.

So yeah its fun and simple to do. If just 30 or 40 of us go for this we stand a chance. If a 100 of us do we might must surely get something in. So go on vote for the comic you love best. After all we know its the Galaxies Greatest we should share the love.

[Frank]

It would be great if 2000ad fans voted on mass and lets see if we can get a classic (not necessarily new) 2000ad storyline up there. Now I'm not naive enough to believe we'd get any agreement on which we should vote for, nor that we'd pool enough votes to touch the top 10 ... if just 30 or 40 of us go for this we stand a chance. If a 100 of us do we might must surely get something in.

Ballot rigging is fun! Obviously, our limited numbers will enjoy a greater advantage if we all agree on a single choice as everyone's number one, rather than splitting the vote.

If we want to get 100 of us to agree on a single choice as number one, it's got to be old and it's got to be Dredd. The Apocalypse War or The Cursed Earth seem like the most obvious contenders, but I'll go along with whatever others decide.

Please note that the voting instructions in the link above state that you have to vote for ten stories or your vote doesn't count at all.

[Colin YNWA]

Let's not do that or it will be spotted AND it takes away the fun of making ya own list. My hope is enough of use will cover the obvious choices (he says knowing Apocalypse War won't make his list!) that it'll happen naturally.

Yeah is defo worth checking the rules out. Another one to note if you do pop across to do this is to put  "ACBC" somewhere in your vote as it blankets from the comments section. Also don't vote for whole long form stories. So for example Nikolai Dante wouldn't be considered a single run even though it tells a single story (nor would say Preacher) but the individual stories within Nikolai Dante do count. I based my selection on the trades in this case. Single, one off stories also don't count - so forget Alan Moore Future Shocks, but something like a  self contained mini-series does, the chap running this uses an arbitrary (and flexible) figure of 12 american comics, so about 240ish pages as the limit. So say Cradlegrave would count in the vote as its essentially a mini-series. 

[Greg M.]

With ten stories to vote for, there'd presumably be a greater correlation between the votes of forumites, particularly when it comes to 'limited series' – I actually expect Dredd would be the biggest bone of contention between us, as there's so much of it, and so much of it is so good, the votes would go in all different directions. (In a world where there's 'The Pit' and 'Necropolis', 'Apocalypse War' wouldn't make my top ten either, great though it is.) Statistically speaking, I almost wonder if John Smith stands a good chance of making an entry (ooer, missus) as he's probably done the greatest number of mini-series that receive universal acclaim. He'd certainly be popping up in my top ten more than once.

[Recrewt]

Oh you think you can just dangle some pointless 'best of' list in front us and we will all come running......

OK, I'm in 

Looking at the last one there are some great stories there but I think there should definitely be some 2000AD amongst them.  I need to think about this a bit, but off the top of my head (and in no particular order):

The Dead Man
Dredd - Necropolis
Dredd - Block Mania
Dredd - Apocalypse War
Dredd - America
Devlin Waugh - Swimming in Blood
Button Man - The Killing Game
Slaine - The Horned God
Zenith - Book 3
Bad Company: Goodbye Krool World

[AlexF]

I'm a big fan of CSBGs voting threads. They regularly get well over 1,000 voters chiming in, and often throw up some interesting results - and, more importantly, turn me on to comics I'd not have bothered with, especially when it comes to Marvel and DC.

I'll be putting Nemesis Book 1 as my number 1 choice; am toying with some Dredd and Bad Company book 1 as well, but will throw in a chunk of non-tooth most likely.

I'd love to get an equivalent poll just for 2000AD stories, but even using this forum, I reckon we'd struggle to get 50 votes.

[Colin YNWA]

Jez how the hell did I miss Nemesis, almost unforgivable. Anyway this is what I'm going to go with. This would almost certainly be different on a different day.

1. Judge Dredd - Tour of Duty
2. Nemesis - Book 1
3. Zenith - Book 3
4. Nikolai Dante - Sympathy with the devil
5. Cradlegrave
6. New Statesmen (well its close enough)
7. Nikolai Dante - Tsar Wars
8. Firekind
9. Judge Dredd - Cursed Earth
10. Judge Dredd - The Pit

I might push the Dredd's artifically to the top as they are more likely to get more votes of different people? Though Greg does raise a good point of there being so much Dredd the spread might be too thin?

[Frank]

Greg does raise a good point of there being so much Dredd the spread might be too thin?

If only someone had already suggested a way of avoiding this effect.

[Recrewt]

It's tricky when you are trying to pick out individual stories to include some of the top thrills.  I always find it hard to include Rogue Trooper because there were lots of good stories in the early days but nothing that stood out above the rest.  Or at least, not in my mind. 

Interesting to see Cursed Earth mentioned by a few folks.  Now, I'm not knocking anyone's choices but I have never thought that was one of the best Dredd stories. 

[Greg M.]

Greg does raise a good point of there being so much Dredd the spread might be too thin?

If only someone had already suggested a way of avoiding this effect.

Yes, a way that'll get all the votes disqualified. I don't think there is a way to avoid the 'Dredd effect' and doing it legitimately – I was just observing that, ironically enough, we might end up being more successful getting something that isn't Dredd in, even though Dredd is our common ground.

Anyway, I imagine I would go for something like this:

1: Bad Company
2: The Dead Man
3: Revere
4: Judge Dredd – Necropolis
5: Nemesis the Warlock – Book 1
6: Nikolai Dante – The Courtship of Jena Makarov
7: Cradlegrave
8: Chopper: Song of the Surfer
9: Strontium Dog – Portrait of a Mutant
10: Ace Trucking Co. – The Great Mush Rush

I've avoided the Megazine here, otherwise Swimming in Blood might have been troubling the lower positions. And amazingly, Zenith Phase 3 has dropped out, though it might drop back in once my copy of The Complete Zenith arrives.

[Silent_Bomber]

I'll definitely vote for some Dredd in this.

I've used this website's lists for ideas before, and the Dredd absence has always been starkly noticeable.

My shortlist, hmmmmm

Dredd - Apocalypse War
Dredd - America
Dredd - Necropolis
Dredd - Tour of Duty (does this count as two choices?)
Dredd - Oz
Dredd - Total War
Dredd - Mandroid
Chopper - Song of the Surfer
ABC Warriors - The Volgan War
Halo Jones - Book 1 (If I can't just say "The Ballad of Halo Jones")
Halo Jones - Book 2
Dante - Tsar Wars
Batman - Strange Apparitions
Batman - Year One
Batman - Going Sane
Batman - Mad Love
Spiderman - Origin of the Hobgoblin
Spiderman - Death of Jean Dewolff
Spiderman - The Child Within
X-Men - Asgardian Wars
Marshall Law - Sleepman Saga
Captain Britain - Crooked World
Watchmen - Watchmen
Miracleman - Olympus

That's a lot of stuff I have to cut already. 

I might think about voting for some Alan Grant Batman stories, like the Return of Scarface, maybe even the Mud Pack, because those are honestly some of my favourite Batman stories, but I'd probably just be throwing votes away

I always find it hard to include Rogue Trooper because there were lots of good stories in the early days but nothing that stood out above the rest. Or at least, not in my mind.

For me Cinnabar was always the big Rogue story personally.

[AlexF]

Great list Silent_Bomber, it seems we share a lot of taste in Spider-man and Batman!
I'd love to put some Alan Grant Batman in my list, but there's no one story that seems fair to pick out. However, CSBG also runs an occasional 'Best Comic Book runs' list, and this is where the likes of Grant/Breyfogle on Batman and Wagner/Grant on Dredd can really shine. (I say 'shine', but I am of course forgetting the millions of people who love them some Claremont/Byrne X-Men. Which is fine - but it's not the best comics ever)

[Colin YNWA]

What no Kraven's Last Hunt in that Spidey list... I know its a cliche.

Yeah AlexF the Grant Breyfogle always gets on my list of favourite runs, it was simply superb. For me stands the test of time in a way that none of Chris Claremonts work, Byrne or not, does. I'm always a little mystified by the way that's still held in such high regard. Don't get me wrong I loved it when I was first reading comics but I just don't think its aged well. Still different strokes and all that.

I recently(ish) read Strange Apparitions for the first time, with much anticipation after years of hearing how seminal it was and have to say was strangley not bowled over. It was far from bad but just didn't get close to expectations I'd built, which is always a danger I guess

[NapalmKev]

Indigo Prime - Killing Time

Bad Company - Book one

Dredd - Democracy Now

Shakara -

Zaucer of Zilk -

Batman - Killing Joke

Canon Fodder - Book one

Dredd - Oz

ABC Warriors - Khronicles of Khaos

In no particular order.

Cheers

[NapalmKev]

I forgot one:

Judgement on Gotham.

Cheers