Which story arc best captures the essence of a given superhero or team?

[Interrobang!?]

The rules: each person may select one story arc for each superhero. Other contributors can disagree and nominate something else, and people can change their minds, but no picking three story arcs that each illustrate something different about the character.

Pick story arcs for as many heroes as you like. Any medium and any continuity is fine -- Elseworlds, TV, whatever.

I'm not the world's biggest comic geek, but some thoughts that occur to me:

Batman: I'm gonna have to go with Miller's Dark Knight Returns. (That's the name of the first one, right? 'Cause that's the one.) No, it doesn't capture Batman's lighter side, but damn it nails his focus, his will, and the delicate line between heroism and fascism.

Reed Richards: John Byrne's "Trial of Reed Richards" story, where the Shi'Ar put Richards on trial for saving Galactus' life. Great story, although on second thought maybe it's the ultimate Galactus story...

Your thoughts?

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Daredevil: Born Again. Frank Miller and David Mazzuchelli's dark story captures everything essential about Daredevil - his dual life as an attorney, his former lovers, his Catholic upbringing, and his ability to keep going even after losing everything important to him. It highlights the Kingpin and Bullseye, his most enduring foes, and also Ben Urich, a key ally over the years. The art is beautiful, and it may be Marvel's darkest and most dramatic story arc EVER.

Avengers: Under Siege. I believe Roger Stern wrote this arc in the mid-'80s, but I don't remember the artist... John Buscema? Shame on me! Anyway, the Avengers are totally taken by surprise and trounced by Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil (many of whom later become the Thunderbolts). Hercules is beaten within an inch of his life by Mister Hyde, and Jarvis the butler also lies near death. As the villains take over Avengers Mansion, Ant-Man, the Wasp, Doctor Druid, Black Knight, Captain Marvel (the black woman who now goes by Photon, not Mar-Vell), and Captain America rise up against unbeatable odds and stand their ground. I was never a big Avengers reader, but this story really showcases the characters and proves what heroes should be about. It ran from #273-280, I believe.

Funny, I'm much more of a DC guy, but tonight the Marvel examples are coming to me.

[JDeMobray]

Batman: I'm gonna have to go with Miller's Dark Knight Returns. (That's the name of the first one, right? 'Cause that's the one.) No, it doesn't capture Batman's lighter side, but damn it nails his focus, his will, and the delicate line between heroism and fascism.I'm going to disagree just a little on Batman and go with Year One instead. I don't think DKR holds up very well and I have always felt that Miller's deconstructionist take mangles a few of the important side characters beyond recognition. On the other hand, in Year One he keeps the focus firmly on Batman and Jim Gordon and captures the essence of both characters brilliantly.

The Flash: Possibly an unpopular choice, but I'm going to go with The Return of Barry Allen by Mark Waid. Originally published in 1993 in Flash #74-79 the story perfectly captures the character of Wally West as he finally steps out from Barry Allens shadow. As a bonus it also introduces Max Mercury.

[bclouse]

Batman: I'm gonna have to go with Miller's Dark Knight Returns. (That's the name of the first one, right? 'Cause that's the one.) No, it doesn't capture Batman's lighter side, but damn it nails his focus, his will, and the delicate line between heroism and fascism.

I'm not a big fan of the Dark Knight Returns. I feel that Miller turned Batman into a right-wing nutjob. He made him act like some retired WWII general, who was uncompassionate and was the only person with the right answers. Almost as bad was Miller's portrayal of Superman as a braindead goon henchman of the government. I don't mind Miller's version but I don't feel that it's a definiate representation of either hero. They don't fit the characters as they were written in the past 50-plus years.

I nominate Batman:Year One to be the definative version of Batman. It's more a story about Commissioner Gordan than Batman but the limited exposure of Batman made him more mysterious and a creature of the night. Not knowing more about him made him something to be feared. Batman seems much more human in this than he does in Dark Knight Returns.

Alan Moore's two-parter - Superman: Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow? best represents Superman to me. Written as an "imaginary story" in the style of 50's DC comics, it proved what kind of hero Superman really was. Not just a boring character who could defeat anything that came in his way. This story is his real struggle to do the right thing. And you really feel the love and devotion he and his friends and family had for each other. One of my favorite books period.

[Selkie]

The Authority: Outer Dark. The team known for taking on ever bigger, badder villains winds up fighting "god." And winning.

Grendel: Devil by the Deed. The story of the tragic, almost mythic, relationship among Hunter Rose, the first Grendel; Argent, the tortured Wolf who serves as his adversary; and Stacey Palumbo, Grendel's adopted daughter who is loved by them both. From the seething corruption underlying ever stratum of society, the uncomfortable relationships between men and women of vastly different ages, the seeting frustration of the brilliant Grendel faced with the mediocrity and boredom of every day society, and the tragic ending - all classic Grendel.

Zatanna: Everyday Magic. It's light, fun, and full of magic in more than one meaning of the word. She's smart, popular on the stage and even more powerful off of it. And, for once, one of the grrls gets the better of John Constantine. What more could one ask for?

Black Panther: The Client. Rich king from Wakanda fights crime in America out of a sense of honor and responsibility and some terrific one-liners. Plus, storytelling containing lots of classic Christopher Priest flashbacks.

Seconding Big Bad Voodoo Lou's nomination of Born Again for Daredevil, and shocked that he hasn't mentioned Sins of the Father for Starman. I'll leave the latter for him to discuss...

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I'm going to disagree just a little on Batman and go with Year One instead. I don't think DKR holds up very well and I have always felt that Miller's deconstructionist take mangles a few of the important side characters beyond recognition. On the other hand, in Year One he keeps the focus firmly on Batman and Jim Gordon and captures the essence of both characters brilliantly.

The Flash: Possibly an unpopular choice, but I'm going to go with The Return of Barry Allen by Mark Waid. Originally published in 1993 in Flash #74-79 the story perfectly captures the character of Wally West as he finally steps out from Barry Allens shadow. As a bonus it also introduces Max Mercury.

I agree with you on Batman: Year One, but I believe Max Mercury was a reintroduction of Quicksilver, a Quality Comics character that dates back to the 1940s. He was in DC's Who's Who series in the 1980s.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I also agree with all of Selkie's nominations.

[Selkie]

I also agree with all of Selkie's nominations.

I thank you, kind sir. Now that I read it, I wish I'd proofed it a little more closely on preview. :smack:

So please, spare the rest of the board my incomprehensible writing and tell them all about Sins of the Father!

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

Starman: Sins of the Father (#0-5) is all about the ultimate everyman hero, a guy whose father was one of the bright, shining lights of the Golden Age, the Justice Society... but he wants nothing to do with his family's tradition, or the weirdness and danger it brings. But when his father's old arch-enemy comes out of retirement, murders his brother (who recently assumed the mantle of Starman), and declares war on the Knight family and their home of Opal City, slacker/artist/junk dealer Jack Knight has to assume the mantle of reluctant hero, take up his father's spare cosmic rod (a weapon made with pre-WW2 technology that draws power from the stars), and fulfill his destiny as his father's son, the latest Starman in a long heroic tradition. The writing by James Robinson is amazing, and the art by Tony Harris and Wade Von Grawbadger only suggests how great they will become over the course of the series. It's a beautiful story, and the beginning of my all-time favorite series.

[Askia]

Astro City: Confession The superheroes aren't the real stars in this series... it's the city. The fantastic, irreproachable, wonderous city imagined by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, built up against the shadow of Mt. Kirby. I've read and own every Astro City story there is, including the one in the 9/11 benefit book -- abd after careful consideration towards "Tarnished Angel," "Life In The Big city" volume and the upcoming "Dark Ages" storyline -- I settled on Confession. It captures the bigness and intimacy of Astro City perfectly while peresnting us with an unforgettable mentorship between The Confessor and Altar Boy. RUNNER-UP: "In Dreams," the first Astro City story and just about the best damned Superman pastiche, ever.

Superman for All Seasons by Tim Sale and Jeph Loeb -- I'd say this not only does a damn fine job of capturing Superman as he grows into his power in "Spring" "Summer" "Fall" and "Winter" -- but also shows the fine, fine collaboration of Loeb/Sale. Plus it's just damned good storytelling, a great series of non-convoluted, character-driven plot Loeb switches to a new narrator in each part, revealing insights into Superman's character from the POV of Pa Kent, Lois Lane, Lex Luthor and Lana Lang. RUNNER-UP: Big Blue in KINGDOM COME, for the Alex Ross art alone, and an especially touching story by Mark Waid. Best with the 8-page epilogue in the theme restaurant.

Miracleman #14, #15 & 16 By Alan Moore and John Tontleben. Dear Dopers -- where you there? Where you there in that horrible time in the 18 month gap before this story cliffhanger ending and before it resumed? Back then there was no internet for fans to log onto and bitch their woes -- NO. We had to stew and wait in silence. In some ways I miss those days o relative ignorance; back then i could still be surprised. My dog-eared, often read copies of Miracleman will attest Plus art that enthralls, horrifies and edifies like you wouldn't believe. Best line: "I'm sorry... they'd say I was going soft, wouldn't they?" The visuals in that sequence gave me nightmares. RUNNER-UP: Nothing else in this series comes remotely close.

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the OP and NOT endorse the Dark Knight Returns as the quintessential Batman book in favor of another, far shorter and in its way far sweeter comic called Planetary: Night On Earth. One of Warren Ellis' better one-shots with the added bonus of John Cassady art and a team-up with the triumverate investigators of Planetary. If you read it, you know why it's on my list. If you haven't, you're in for a thrill. Enjoy. RUNNER-UP: DKR, or Batman: Year One -- even though that's really Jim Gordon's story.

Black Panther- The Client is good -- but Enemy of the State II far, far superior. It has all the chicanery and cunning in that volume, PLUS it positions the Black Panther where he needs to be in the Marvel Universe PLUS Iron Man versus The Black Panther PLUS consistent artwork. Sadly, you'd pretty much have to read EVERYTHING Priest wrote between "The Client" and EoTSII to "get" it -- so maybe you should stick with "The Client."

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

I'm going to respectfully disagree with the OP and NOT endorse the Dark Knight Returns as the quintessential Batman book in favor of another, far shorter and in its way far sweeter comic called Planetary: Night On Earth. One of Warren Ellis' better one-shots with the added bonus of John Cassady art and a team-up with the triumverate investigators of Planetary. If you read it, you know why it's on my list. If you haven't, you're in for a thrill. Enjoy. RUNNER-UP: DKR, or Batman: Year One -- even though that's really Jim Gordon's story.

HELL YES. I still say Year One is more "iconic," but Batman/Planetary is brilliant--by far the best of all the Planetary crossovers, and one of Ellis' best works in years. For all the guy complains about superheroes, few write them better.

[Askia]

Voodoo: Yeah, YEAR ONE was more iconic. But it didn't have "Bat-apologies."

[Kamino Neko]

Astro City: Confession The superheroes aren't the real stars in this series... it's the city. The fantastic, irreproachable, wonderous city imagined by Kurt Busiek and Brent Anderson, built up against the shadow of Mt. Kirby. I've read and own every Astro City story there is, including the one in the 9/11 benefit book -- abd after careful consideration towards "Tarnished Angel," "Life In The Big city" volume and the upcoming "Dark Ages" storyline -- I settled on Confession. It captures the bigness and intimacy of Astro City perfectly while peresnting us with an unforgettable mentorship between The Confessor and Altar Boy. RUNNER-UP: "In Dreams," the first Astro City story and just about the best damned Superman pastiche, ever.

I'd go with Tarnished Angel as the most representative of the series, personally. While I loved Confessions, Tarnished Angel was a much better indication of what distinguishes it from other superhero comics, I think.

[sleeepy2]

Amazing Spider-Man #248- "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" The definition of who Peter is. It illustrates how, unlike Batman, for whom Bruce Wayne is the alter-ego, Spider-Man is Peter Parker

Marvels really captures the wonder and awe of having super powered beings flying around your town.

[Askia]

Tengu. Well, a story arc relentlessly told from the POV of a villain on parole would tend to do that. I went back and forth on it, but ultimately went with "Confessions" over "Tarnished Angel" because what's unique about Astro City is the city; you see Astro City itself more from a newcomer's POV; you get to see different neighborhoods and a taste of the vast superhero diversity that exists there, as well as the city's history, moreso than in Tarnished Angel. Plus there are way more little touches that are just flat-out brilliant and funny that Tarnished Angel simply doesn't have -- like how Kenny freed himself from that hostage situation in a roomful of superheroes.

[Interrobang!?]

Batman seems much more human in this than he does in Dark Knight Returns. I'm going to have to reread Year One -- I don't think I've seen it in a good 10 years. But I have to say that Batman, to me, is slightly beyond human, the way he's portrayed in Dark Knight Returns.

On the other hand, I agree that DKR entirely misses the boat on Superman. Interesting that something that so well captures one character can really strike out on capturing another.

Note on the topic: I'm not asking for the best story arc for a given character -- the most representative arc may or may not also be the best, but it's, you know, quintessential. Everyone so far seems to have gotten this, but I meant to mention this in the OP and wanted to throw it in early in the thread.

I'm trying to think of which Fantastic Four arc best captures them -- I'd probably go with a Byrne arc, again, but I don't know which one...

[SPOOFE]

Huh. Nobody's mentioned X-men yet. There's probably gonna be a helluva lot of disagreement, but I'm going to nominate the Fatal Attractions storyline. It held the essence of the world that the X-men books take place in... full of racism, fear, and hatred, people willing to destroy, use, and suppress mutants; Magneto's character, his connections with the Holocaust and racism in general; Xavier and his optimism put to the ultimate test, his compassion and idealism strained to the point where he does the unthinkable to his "best friend"; Wolverine and Jean's story coming to a head; and the whole team dynamic, trying to solve a crisis, trying to protect people that would just as soon slit their throats. Collosus going with the Acolytes was pretty impressive, too.

[ouryL]

How bout Fantastic Four 245 to ?, where The Invisible Girl becomes The Invisible Woman? :D (And Malice in-between! :eek: )

[bclouse]

I'm trying to think of which Fantastic Four arc best captures them -- I'd probably go with a Byrne arc, again, but I don't know which one...

I'd have to say that the quintessential Fantastic Four story, IMHO, has to be by Stan the man and Jack Kirby. It's hard to pick out any one story arc in the 100 some issues that they did but if I have to pick just one, it has to be issues #48-50, the introduction of Galactus and the Silver Surfer. The Fantastic Four was always centered around the dysfunctional family aspects of the group members, but these three issues brought the cosmic elements that took the book into a whole new arena. It laid the groundwork for future Kirby work (namely the New Gods for DC) that explored grander themes than just super-heroes duking it out with some bad guy. It went into our relationship with the universe. Pretty heady stuff for a silly four-color comic book. It might not reach the artistic levels of Robert Crumb and the underground artists, but it's pretty grand stuff.

[bclouse]

Huh. Nobody's mentioned X-men yet. There's probably gonna be a helluva lot of disagreement, but I'm going to nominate the Fatal Attractions storyline. It held the essence of the world that the X-men books take place in... full of racism, fear, and hatred, people willing to destroy, use, and suppress mutants; Magneto's character, his connections with the Holocaust and racism in general; Xavier and his optimism put to the ultimate test, his compassion and idealism strained to the point where he does the unthinkable to his "best friend"; Wolverine and Jean's story coming to a head; and the whole team dynamic, trying to solve a crisis, trying to protect people that would just as soon slit their throats. Collosus going with the Acolytes was pretty impressive, too.

It seems to me that I'm fairly old-school when it comes to discussing comics with you guys but I'll do my best to keep up. :D

My vote for the best representation of the X-Men from their many incarnations is the Dark Phoenix saga from Uncanny X-Men #135-137 by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. I really wanted to make it the Days of Future Past storyline from #141-142 but I feel the Dark Phoenix story arc represents the best of the X-Men for me. And that's the bond between the characters. They really feel like a family in this story. The misfits that came together and made it through no matter what. There's genuine sadness in this story and the ending was very shocking. At least it was when I read it many years ago.

[Malacandra]

Can I just say that, in my opinion, the Watchmen are best encapsulated in the 12-issue miniseries Watchmen?

:D

OK, but not entirely facetious. I mean, these guys came out of nowhere and after one single story in which it seemed like half the time was spent on that pirate-comic thing going on in the background, they all seemed fully articulated and defined, to the extent that a bunch of sad geeks on the Internet (nope, none of those around here, no siree) could spend ages arguing the whyness of which about them to the nth degree. It's amazing how well the whole thing tied together, or at least so I thought.

[uglybeech]

For X-men I'd have to say God Loves, Man Kills. Does a graphic novel count? If I wanted to introduce someone to the comic, this is what I'd hand them.

Agree (violently nodding my head) on Born Again for Daredevil.

[uglybeech]

Oh, for Elektra - Frank Miller's Elektra limited series.

[Ezekiel25:17]

I learned long ago that I wasn't enough of a comic geek to hold my own on the Dope, so I'll choose a different medium:

Angel I'm going with the Pylea trip (last 3 episodes of season 2). Angel litterally turns into a monster, Wesley begins his descent into darkness. Lorne has mother issues. Numfar dances the dance of joy. These episodes feature the team aspect while still embracing the personal trials of it's members.

Buffy Thinking "We didn't learn much about Angel in Pylea?" thats because everything you need to know about Angel was between "Suprise" and "Becoming." This arc from the end of Buffy season 2 has it all: Buffy in (emotional) pain. Angel is evil. Oz. Possession by dead lovers. Death of a major character. The 1st Buffy/Spike Alliance. And a finale that was more emotional than dying and more meaningful than saving the world.

[ddgryphon]

For the sake of consensus, I'll post my agreements first:

Born Again: Daredevil

Batman Year One: Batman

If we count the Novel "God Loves, Man Kills" I'll vote for that, perhaps the best
X-men story ever written-- otherwise, I'll go with the very old, but very definitive X-men 57-59 By Thomas and Adams. It truly laid the emotional and thematic groundwork for everthing that follwed. It was the second major Sentinels arc.

"Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" is the definitive Superman story.

My own thoughts:

I'm thinking the current GL or just finished GL Resurrection of Hal Jordan as GL is probably going to be the closest thing to a definitive GL story we'll get

Green Arrow -- Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters is probably the most honest and complete portrayal of an often overlooked and maligned character -- and definitive.

The Englehart Run on the Avengers was probably the best overall arc -- since is was driven by Kang, though not central to all issues. To be specific 141-143 capped it and capped it well. cite (http://www.avengersassemble.us/kang/kang19.htm) I believe it really proved that the greatest heroes of our time gathered to face a common threat and also showed them as a team to not be infallable.

The Terra Arc in New Teen Titans really spoke to the heart and composition of the "Titans" and is probably the best example of them. It begins in Issue 30 and continues through Annual #3.

That's all I've got for now.

[Askia]

JLA: Most of the pre-Crisis adventures are overlooked in favor of what's happened since. I've only read a few -- but for all the nostalgia about JSA/JLA team-ups I think the Pre-Crisis adventure that best defines the League is the one where the JLA first met and battled the Justice Syndicate of America, simply because by meeting their ideological opposites they are more sharply defined by what they are not, and could never be. Similarly the animated JL cartoon best defined the League with the two-part Justice Lords episode -- that single story has been the engine driving several other JLU storylines since.

Among the more current adventures the one that best succeeds in defining the Big Seven JLA is "New World Order" when they reformed to defeat the White Martians in the Morrison-penned relaunched JLA 1-4: After years of JLA being in the hands of second and third tier characters and the "Bwah ha ha ha!" excesses of the Giffen era, everything was suddenly BOLD and DIRE and EPIC again. This story arc launched the Prep-Time Batman, J'onn as the Heart of JLA, Wonder Woman as the Warrior Spirit, Superman as its conscience, Flash as the Go To Man, Green Lantern as The Fearful Learner and Aquaman as the first credible Sovereign Leader of its oceans. All the big-event Morrison and Waid storylines that came after -- Rock of Ages, World War III, DC One Million, Babel -- only succeeded because this storyline laid the groundwork. RUNNER-UP: JLA #8-#9, the two part story featuring VR, the Key and Connor Hawk using his dad's trick arrows for the first time.

[Krokodil]

Avengers: Busiek's first three or four issues, where they pull in the whole team to go after Morgan LaFey.

Daredevil: The current run by Bendis beats hell out of anything Miller ever wrote, although I guess it counts as five or six story arcs. The second one, where an FBI agent outs Murdock to some tabloid, may be the best.

X-Men: The first Hellfire Club/Dark Phoenix storyline, culminating in Jean's death on the moon. Everything they've done since--and I include the Whedon and Morrison stories here--is coasting on the momentum of that storyline.

Doom Patrol: Crawling from the Wreckage and the Fish that Ate Paris. Everything else Morrison did was just weird crap for its own sake, and all subsequent DP stories were published in error.

Blackhawk: As much as I enjoyed the Chakin stuff, and as fondly remember3ed as the Reed Crandall and Chuck Cuidera stories were, the character was never in better hands than when Mark Evanier and Dan Spiegle helmed it.

The Badger: The very best stories for Norbert were the ones Bill Reinhold drew, and the best of these--the Badger story to end them all--was Hexbreaker. It really summed up everything we needed to know about Badger and Ham, and it introduced Mavis Davis.

Human Torch: Has there ever been a more thoroughly dissed, dismissed and underrated superhero than Johnny Storm? Byrne consistently showed him as a slow learner butt monkey (although his marriage to Alicia was handled pretty intelligently). But there is one story where he proved his worth beyond the shadow of a doubt, and did it in the most believable of terms. During the Claremont/LaRocca run on the book, Roma (a cosmic entity who fancies herself to be just this short of God) kidnaps Franklin, because he's too powerful to run around unchecked. Any other writer would have had Reed or Sue get him back, but Claremont did it the hard way: He had the task fall to Uncle Doofus, who for once turned off the flames and relied on moral suasion and good common sense.

Nobody but me ever liked this run on the title, but Claremont earned extra props for this one. And LaRocca's art was never better than on this book.

Archie: Pushed into a corner and forced to choose once and for all between Betty and Veronica, Archie Andrews shows what an old-school playa he is and hooks up with--Cheryl Blossom, a totally new hottie. Word up!

Hawkeye: For a little while, Hawk had a soslo series written by Steve Gerber in the front half of Solo Avengers. He encountered a vigilante killing gangbangers, who turned out to be--a little kid imitating the superheroes he sees on the news! This left Hawkeye with a very difficult problem: What to do with the kid? The answer was surprising, believable and totally in character. And unlike the Avengers West Coast title they also appeared in, Hawkeye and USAgent actually behaved like intelligent adults around each other in this storyline.

[Askia]

Krokodil.

Daredevil. Hey, I liked Bendis' "Out" "Underboss" and "Lowlife" -- but saying they're better than "Born Again?" I don't think so!

Doom Patrol. I agree wholeheartedly. The one redeeming story he did after that was the one where Robotman's new black cybernetic suit gains sentience and tries to kill Cliff's brain.

[Krokodil]

Krokodil.

Daredevil. Hey, I liked Bendis' "Out" "Underboss" and "Lowlife" -- but saying they're better than "Born Again?" I don't think so!

Miller is stronger on archetypal images; Bendis writes better dialogue.

Doom Patrol. I agree wholeheartedly. The one redeeming story he did after that was the one where Robotman's new black cybernetic suit gains sentience and tries to kill Cliff's brain.

Is that the one where the Brain and Monsieur Mallah declare their love for one another? Yeah, that was pretty good.

[Interrobang!?]

Born Again is a very good Daredevil candidate. And I think your contrast between Miller and Bendis is a good one, Krokodil.

Sandman: yeah, yeah, not a superhero. But I'm going with Brief Lives, which isn't my favorite arc (that'd be either A Game of You or A Doll's House) but probably sums up Morpheus better than any other single collection. At that point, the character is fully developed and we're not yet into the endgame of The Kindly Ones or The Wake. It's-all-so-meta bonus: the whole arc is about the archetypicality of Morpheus and his kin.

Anyone have any nominations for Dr. Strange? Captain America? Iron Man? Dr. Doom?

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

For Cap, it would have to be The Adventures of Captain America, a four-issue prestige format miniseries from the early '90s, by Fabian Nicieza and Kevin Maguire. It is an updating/retelling of Cap's origin, of course set during World War II. It features Bucky and the Red Skull, as any good retro Cap story should. Maguire's artwork is beautiful as usual (he is king of drawing expressive faces), and Nicieza tells a fast-paced story with plenty of old-school adventure serial-style thrills and chills. This would be the perfect Cap story to adapt as a movie script, and to introduce the character to new or skeptical readers.

[Hey, It's That Guy!]

As for Iron Man, I say be patient and see how the first Warren Ellis/Adi Granov story arc shapes up. I've never been terribly interested in Iron Man, but I can't think of a better writer to handle the character than Ellis, who is obsessed with the latest in high technology, body modification, and flawed heroes with substance-abusing pasts... all perfect aspects of a good Tony Stark/Iron Man story. I've only read #1 so far, but I like how he brought Stark into the present, setting his origin during an unnamed Middle Eastern conflict as opposed to the Korean War. The flying sequences, gorgeously rendered by Granov, really communicated the sense of wonder that a flying hero and his audience should be feeling, decades after everyone and their mother in comics could fly. This is what an Iron Man movie should feel like, slick and sharp, humming with new tech and the limits of what man and science can achieve when working together.

[mbh]

For Dr. Doom, my favorite story was when he crossed paths with Arcade and the X-Men back during Chris Claremont's run on The Uncanny X-Men. Von Doom may be evil by our standards, but he thinks he's a hero.

The graphic novel where Dr. Doom and Dr. Strange teamed up against Mephisto was a pretty good showcase of both characters.

For Thor, Walt Simonson's run was pretty good. Simonson actually read Norse mythology. (And the "Frog of Thunder" episode was hilarious.)

[HeadNinja]

Supreme: Story of the year, by Moore, is an interesting piece. It's the Superman story. Sure, it says Supreme on the cover. Little things are slightly off, uniforms and villains and such. But reading it you know it is Supes. The way he carries himself, the things he does. Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow was brilliant, but it serves more as a bridge from the Silver age to the post Watchmen mess.

Story of the Year reminds you why you spent ever dime your twelve year old hands touched on the Big Blue Boy Scout.