@Adam_Murdough you professed a love for Mark Gruenwald. Do you have an opinion on DP7?
I really don't--can't, actually--have an opinion on DP7, because I've never read any of it, or of any other title from that line. The entire New Universe is terra incognita to me! I do have an issue or two of Star Brand floating around in my "to-read" pile somewhere, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
Well, then. Let me know if you plan on tackling the New U. I have read every single issue of every single New U (and related) title, even the ones that were… not great. I have a huge soft spot for DP7 (my favorite all-time title and my favorite Gruenwald work). If you ever fit that project into your hectic comics reading life, I'd be curious to hear your opinion
@Adam_Murdough you professed a love for Mark Gruenwald. Do you have an opinion on DP7?
I really don't--can't, actually--have an opinion on DP7, because I've never read any of it, or of any other title from that line. The entire New Universe is terra incognita to me! I do have an issue or two of Star Brand floating around in my "to-read" pile somewhere, but I haven't gotten to it yet.
It's so tempting to just say "Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man, Avengers, Uncanny X-Men, and (some other, newer series)," but although those all may be The Greatest and Most Influential Marvel Series Ever, they're not necessarily my favorites, and there are big chunks of all of those that I have never read (and they're clearly so great and obvious answers I'd almost have to make like the Filmspotting guys and put them in "The Pantheon" and disqualify them from Top 5 contention). But if I have to rank my favorites (as of this moment, anyway), I'd go with:
5. Marvel Two-In-One - Marvel Team-Up has its moments, but it has some pretty dire issues, too. And it always feels weird when you have something like Spidey teaming up with Adam Warlock to fight the Stranger or whatever. But the Thing, he's the down-to-earth guy you play cards and have a beer with, and he's the giant rock monster guy who helps you use Dr. Doom's time machine to fight Galactus on the moon. He's more naturally open to a wider range of stories and situations, and this series always took advantage of that.
4. Untold Tales of Spider-Man - For all the reasons Adam said... it was an oasis of classic Spider-Man in a time that was anything but classic, and that 99 cent price point made it an even greater oasis. The issue that showed where Mary Jane fit into the early continuity (back when she was a character Peter kept missing the chance to meet, and with the "she always knew he was Spider-Man" retcon in place) is one of my favorite single issues ever, and a great exploration of the Peter Parker/Spider-Man dynamic.
3. The Incredible Hercules - As many comics as Hercules has appeared in, it never felt like his actual mythology was explored and mined for story ideas as well as it could have been. Fred Van Lente changed all that, though, and managed to turn it into one of the best Marvel buddy comedy/adventure series, and one in which the sidekick, Amadeus Cho, had as strong an arc as the title character. 2. Runaways - It's so hard to get a Marvel series off the ground that doesn't tie in to any other existing book or franchise, but Runaways managed to do just that AND find an audience that kept it alive much longer than anyone probably expected (how long did any of the other books launched in the ill-fated Tsunami line last in comparison?). I suspect that if Bryan K. Vaughn had stayed on longer it would have lasted even longer, too, because it definitely seemed to run out of steam after he left. When even the Joss Whedon arc felt like diminishing returns, you know the book was tied to a very specific voice.
1. Sensational She-Hulk - Feels like a bit of a cheat because I've only read a handful of the non-Byrne issues, but even those were pretty good. The Byrne issues, though... as good as his FF, X-Men, and Superman work may be, this is my favorite thing he's ever done. It's funny, it plays with the medium's tropes in clever and interesting ways, it reaches into some long-forgotten corners of the Marvel toybox, and it tells an interesting story besides.
Better late than never and in no particular order: 1. Avengers (mostly J. Buscema issues 41 to 62) 1960's 2. X-Men (all-new, all-different! issues 94 to 143) Mostly 1970's 3. Daredevil ( mostly the Miller run from Elektra 168- ...) 1980's 4. Thunderbolts (like Murd, I loved this run!) 1990's 5. Black Panther (with Christopher Priest writing ) late 90's to 2000's
What a great episode, guys! Loved it! Thanks so much for the enjoyment...and for hanging in there for such a long discussion.
To maintain my sanity, I have to just list my Top 5 favorite Marvel series from my childhood -- the 1970's.
In alpha order:
Amazing Spider-Man (from death of Gwen through the Jackal storyline) Avengers (especially the Perez issues, but all of them around that time) Defenders (all the Steve Gerber written issues. The headmen! The elf with a gun!) Tomb of Dracula (and lots of other monster comics...but this was a great long run) Uncanny X-Men (from Giant-size #1, from Cockrum through Byrne)
On another day, I might have to swap in Fantastic Four for one of those. (especially any Buscema/Sinnott issues) It's a close call.
If 10-year-old Rob was giving shout-outs to modern series, he would have named:
I've been catching up with the Jamie D era since Christmas, great stuff gentlemen! I really worked over my brain on this one, and I couldn't do it. So's here a top 10. 10) X-Force - I know not a popular pick, but I was about 12 during the the Liefeld era so I dug it back then and I enjoyed that book until the end. The recent series also grabbed me. 9) Captain Marvel - Peter David. Great book, great art. Really set itself apart from other late 90's Marvel books. Needs an omnibus. 8) Master of Kung Fu - Perfect action book. Layered and complex but still comic book funness (funness can be a word when discribing comics) 7) Defenders - Can't really explain why I love the Defenders so much. I don't think it should be held up as a masterpiece. It's more like that movie you can watch over and over again and still enjoy it because it's a personal fav, whatever. 6) Runaways - Probably the best book that Marvel has done this century. I've passed several copies along to young people to check out over the years. 5) West Coast Avengers - the first 50-60 issues are some of my favourite books. 4) Daredevil - Miller, sure. But I really enjoyed Denny O'Neil's run, Ann Nocetti's run, Karl Kesel run. Plus Bendis and Maleev were perfect on that book - I prefer the Bendis era over the Miller era. Smith and Brubaker also really good. 3) Tomb of Dracula - I checked this book out because of CGS Book of the Month. Amazing. A must read from start to finish. I actually didn't like Gene Colan's art as a kid, but as an adult I find Colan's work to be perfection. 2) Amazing Spider-Man - I read Spidey on and off over the years, never more than a few issues at a time. But I grabbed the first Essential about 6 years ago, I've been trying to work through at least one Spidey Essential per year, so after reading issues 1-160ish, what a great ride! 1) Uncanny X-Men - It's my book. I discovered X-Men in the late 80's. So I was reading the outback era and Classic X-Men Cockrum/Byrne era at the same time. Totally hooked since.
Sorry for the ramble, bit of a life long Marvel Zombie over here.
Comments
5. Marvel Two-In-One - Marvel Team-Up has its moments, but it has some pretty dire issues, too. And it always feels weird when you have something like Spidey teaming up with Adam Warlock to fight the Stranger or whatever. But the Thing, he's the down-to-earth guy you play cards and have a beer with, and he's the giant rock monster guy who helps you use Dr. Doom's time machine to fight Galactus on the moon. He's more naturally open to a wider range of stories and situations, and this series always took advantage of that.
4. Untold Tales of Spider-Man - For all the reasons Adam said... it was an oasis of classic Spider-Man in a time that was anything but classic, and that 99 cent price point made it an even greater oasis. The issue that showed where Mary Jane fit into the early continuity (back when she was a character Peter kept missing the chance to meet, and with the "she always knew he was Spider-Man" retcon in place) is one of my favorite single issues ever, and a great exploration of the Peter Parker/Spider-Man dynamic.
3. The Incredible Hercules - As many comics as Hercules has appeared in, it never felt like his actual mythology was explored and mined for story ideas as well as it could have been. Fred Van Lente changed all that, though, and managed to turn it into one of the best Marvel buddy comedy/adventure series, and one in which the sidekick, Amadeus Cho, had as strong an arc as the title character.
2. Runaways - It's so hard to get a Marvel series off the ground that doesn't tie in to any other existing book or franchise, but Runaways managed to do just that AND find an audience that kept it alive much longer than anyone probably expected (how long did any of the other books launched in the ill-fated Tsunami line last in comparison?). I suspect that if Bryan K. Vaughn had stayed on longer it would have lasted even longer, too, because it definitely seemed to run out of steam after he left. When even the Joss Whedon arc felt like diminishing returns, you know the book was tied to a very specific voice.
1. Sensational She-Hulk - Feels like a bit of a cheat because I've only read a handful of the non-Byrne issues, but even those were pretty good. The Byrne issues, though... as good as his FF, X-Men, and Superman work may be, this is my favorite thing he's ever done. It's funny, it plays with the medium's tropes in clever and interesting ways, it reaches into some long-forgotten corners of the Marvel toybox, and it tells an interesting story besides.
1. Avengers (mostly J. Buscema issues 41 to 62) 1960's
2. X-Men (all-new, all-different! issues 94 to 143) Mostly 1970's
3. Daredevil ( mostly the Miller run from Elektra 168- ...) 1980's
4. Thunderbolts (like Murd, I loved this run!) 1990's
5. Black Panther (with Christopher Priest writing ) late 90's to 2000's
To maintain my sanity, I have to just list my Top 5 favorite Marvel series from my childhood -- the 1970's.
In alpha order:
Amazing Spider-Man (from death of Gwen through the Jackal storyline)
Avengers (especially the Perez issues, but all of them around that time)
Defenders (all the Steve Gerber written issues. The headmen! The elf with a gun!)
Tomb of Dracula (and lots of other monster comics...but this was a great long run)
Uncanny X-Men (from Giant-size #1, from Cockrum through Byrne)
On another day, I might have to swap in Fantastic Four for one of those. (especially any Buscema/Sinnott issues) It's a close call.
If 10-year-old Rob was giving shout-outs to modern series, he would have named:
Avengers Forever
Avengers/JLA
Avengers (Busiek/Perez)
I'm sensing a theme here that Jamie D. would appreciate.
Just too much stuff post-childhood for me to sort out. I'd have trouble coming up with Top 5 by each decade...
I really worked over my brain on this one, and I couldn't do it. So's here a top 10.
10) X-Force - I know not a popular pick, but I was about 12 during the the Liefeld era so I dug it back then and I enjoyed that book until the end. The recent series also grabbed me.
9) Captain Marvel - Peter David. Great book, great art. Really set itself apart from other late 90's Marvel books. Needs an omnibus.
8) Master of Kung Fu - Perfect action book. Layered and complex but still comic book funness (funness can be a word when discribing comics)
7) Defenders - Can't really explain why I love the Defenders so much. I don't think it should be held up as a masterpiece. It's more like that movie you can watch over and over again and still enjoy it because it's a personal fav, whatever.
6) Runaways - Probably the best book that Marvel has done this century. I've passed several copies along to young people to check out over the years.
5) West Coast Avengers - the first 50-60 issues are some of my favourite books.
4) Daredevil - Miller, sure. But I really enjoyed Denny O'Neil's run, Ann Nocetti's run, Karl Kesel run. Plus Bendis and Maleev were perfect on that book - I prefer the Bendis era over the Miller era. Smith and Brubaker also really good.
3) Tomb of Dracula - I checked this book out because of CGS Book of the Month. Amazing. A must read from start to finish. I actually didn't like Gene Colan's art as a kid, but as an adult I find Colan's work to be perfection.
2) Amazing Spider-Man - I read Spidey on and off over the years, never more than a few issues at a time. But I grabbed the first Essential about 6 years ago, I've been trying to work through at least one Spidey Essential per year, so after reading issues 1-160ish, what a great ride!
1) Uncanny X-Men - It's my book. I discovered X-Men in the late 80's. So I was reading the outback era and Classic X-Men Cockrum/Byrne era at the same time. Totally hooked since.
Sorry for the ramble, bit of a life long Marvel Zombie over here.