Best Epic/Self Sacrifice/Against All Odds Stories?

Happenstance

I have to admit I'm a complete sucker for the epic battle/self sacrifice/win against all odds stories that you get from time to time in superhero comics but its been one that can sometimes be hard to search for if you are trying to find specific stories that would fit into that catagory. What recommendations would you guys make for that kind of story? I'd love to pick myself up some new trades.

Chuck_Melville

Menthor: "A Matter Of Life And Death" / T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents #7, August 1966

shroud68

The Executioner against the hordes of Hell in Simonson's Thor run. The issue escapes me but it's a great set of panels.

CaptShazam

The Flash in Crisis on Infinite Earths.

CaptShazam

Without spoiling it, the superheores vs the big bad in JSA: The Unholy Three

TheOriginalGMan

In JLA #102, Red Tornado is killed as he takes off by himself on a suicide mission to deliver some sorta explosive thingamabobber doohickey to the heart of some orbiting weapon that is about to destroy Earth-2. Or something. He leaves a tear-jerker of a note behind explaining why he did it because Superman had said "nothing human could survive" and he, of course, wasn't human. Everyone feels bad because, you know, he's dead and all.


Plot Twist: But wait! He returns 4 issues later as the explosion magically catapulted him to Earth-1! Phew!

Chuck_Melville

The battle between Superman and Doomsday in the 90's still stands as a grand epic battle -- with both participants killing each other at the climax. (They both got better about a year later.)

fredzilla

http://youtu.be/xzYO0joolR0

rebis

Jim Starlin's Adam Warlock story.

kiwijase

Shazams in Kingdom Come.

Marathon

Ferro Lad vs the Sun-Eater in Legion.

Mr_Cosmic

Johnny Storm's final stand against the Negative Zone creatures in Fantastic Four #587.

Whirlwind

shroud68 said:

The Executioner against the hordes of Hell in Simonson's Thor run. The issue escapes me but it's a great set of panels.

This is exactly where my mind went first. It's the gold standard.

Happenstance

Lot of good suggestions so far that I'm going to have to look into getting. Thanks guys.

spid

Captain America vs. Thanos during Infinity Gauntlet. On an average day Cap couldn't take out Thanos, but with Infinity Gauntlet he had no chance. He still went head on against the mad Titan. This was after watching everyone else get taken apart by Thanos.

Brack

The Impel Down & Marineford arcs of One Piece, 2 years, 56 chapters and 7 volumes spent on a one-man rescue mission that turns into all out war. Numerous characters make sacrifices on the way, leaving the political playing field of the book turned on its head.

Until this point Eiichiro Oda had reserved actual character death for origin flashbacks. Here he kills off two major characters and turns One Piece into the monster hit that now has 4 million copies in a first print run of its latest volume. Turns out that when you don't constantly use character death as a cheap plot point, it actually means something when you do it for real.

Whirlwind

I nearly forgot one. I don't remember the issue number, but when Spider-Man sacrificed himself against a Phoenix-Force-powered Colossus and Magik in the Avengers vs. X-Men run was brilliant.