Daredevil 219, a standalone issue by Frank Miller and John Buscema. An absolutely amazing short story about a stranger who brings a bit of redemption to a seedy New Jersey town brimming with dark secrets. The amazing thing is that you can pick up this issue and never know that the stranger is Matt Murdock – and there is never even any explanation given for why he’s there — and still be able to enjoy a near-perfect noir story. I’d love to see what Miller could do with a short prose story.
Fantastic Four 236, the comic’s 20th anniversary issue. The best issue of one of the best runs by (at the time) one of the best creators in comics. Say what you will about John Byrne now, but back then he really knew what he was doing, and even though it was only his fifth issue, he had already nailed what the FF were all about – teamwork, family, and Dr. Freaking Doom!
Everyone goes on about Sandman #8, “A Death in the Family,” which really is fucking wonderful, but I was blown away a few months earlier by #6, “24 Hours.” A handful of random strangers in a diner are tortured – and don’t even know it. I had no idea that a comic could be that powerful, that it could twist you up inside so effectively.
Sandman had a number of excellent one-off issues, in fact. I was originally going to list a few others, but then the list was like 20 items long, so I won’t. Of course, the narrative in Sandman was brilliant too.
Hate No. 4. Maybe it’s because it’s the first of anything by Peter Bagge I’ve ever read, or maybe because of the way it captures the awkwardness of relationships between brothers, but this one just blew me away. I became an instant fan of Bagge’s, and sought out all his other stuff published before and since. Bagge knows how to write a good story, and he lets his characters find their own way. And, like life, a lot of conflicts don’t even come close to neat resolutions. More than half of the life of one of Bagge’s lead characters, Buddy Bradley, has been written and inked by Bagge, and to this day he’s got loose ends dangling from all over himself. The same goes for all of Bagge’s rich characters. Bagge really does care about the people he’s created—even the frothing assholes.
But Hate No. 4 was a masterwork: Buddy’s younger brother Butch heads to Seattle from New Jersey to catch up. Longtime fans would have remembered Butch from earlier comics, which might have made the comic more enjoyable, but I find it great that even though I knew no backstory, I still found the story easy to follow and enjoyable. It takes a master craftsman to pull something like that off.
What If, vol. 2, #36 - What if Wolverine had married Mariko? I had never heard of artist Scott Clark before this, and he blew me away. It wasn’t perfect, but it was definitely impressive. The story itself was excellent. Wolverine and Mariko do get married, but in the end they’re betrayed by the Silver Samurai. He stabs Mariko in the back (literally) and Wolvie destroys the Samurai. At the end, he’s still alone going back to the X-mansion.
The Maxx#26 - The Origin of Mr. Gone. Probably one of the most horrifyingly real and touching things I’ve ever read in a comic. Sam Keith was brilliant.
The New Teen Titans #38, circa 1983, “Who Is Donna Troy?”, in which she learns her identity and finds a family. Still chokes me up every time I read it.
Daredevil#181, where the reporter, Ben Urich, is in the process of buying a house for his wife. The real estate salesman, it is implied, is working for The Kingpin, and Ben is getting a deal he could never get again. Ben knew the house was going to have a great big string attached, that Kingpin would pull someday, but he was going to sell out to fulfill the promise he’d made to his wife long ago. Daredevil and his fists were unable to do anything to save the day.
I think I read this story at just the right time in my life, which is why it made such a big impression. I was just becoming aware of what real adult life might like, with its infinite shades of gray (as opposed to my childhood view of superhero black & white). The story might be simplistic, even clumsy in its attempt to tug at the heartstrings at the end, but it resonated with me, and it’s very easy for my eyes to mist up reading the last page or two again.
There are other single-issue stories that I could mention, some of which have been mentioned (Killing Joke), but this is one of the very few non-graphic-novels I have deliberately sought out to buy again. Maybe the only one.
Ahh…Sandman, just about every one shot is great. My favorite is issue #31, Three Septembers and a January. Are we talking one shots? I also recommend The Killing Joke. In a series, there are too many for me to count, much less remember, but three that immediately pop into mind are:
revelation of the Fourth Man in Planetary.
Issue #3 in Kingdome Come. (Shazam!).
Issue #4Dark Knight Returns. (Batman handing Superman his ass).
“What’s so funny about Truth, Justice and the American Way?” in Superman. Can’t remember the issue number, but it’s where he takes on the Elite for the first time.
Uncanny X-Men #205, where Wolverine takes out three guys who are armed to the teeth, and then has to go up against Lady Deathstrike…That was a badass issue with art done by Barry Windsor-Smith…Issues #212-213 of the same series where Wolverine has a fight with Sabretooth…That was pretty heavy stuff as well.
Any of the Marshal Law comics were pretty hilarious if you have the right sense of humor to go with it…
Many years ago, there was a series called Echoes of Future Past, which was really a trip, especially the guy called Virus…
Batman:The Dark Knight Returns,(the original four issue set) was most excellent…
I’d best stop there as I could probably dig into the dusty old memory box and dredge up a lot more…
Starman # 4, where Jack Knight deals with a villain in a civilized manner rather than the conventional super-hero response.
Legion of Super-Heroes (TMK series) # 28. A somewhat twisted, but brilliantly presented biography of Sun Boy. In that issue, you could FEEL everything Dirk Morgna must have been going through…a triumph of comic storytelling, IMHO.
Uncanny X-Men #205, where Wolverine takes out three guys who are armed to the teeth, and then has to go up against Lady Deathstrike…That was a badass issue with art done by Barry Windsor-Smith…Issues #212-213 of the same series where Wolverine has a fight with Sabretooth…That was pretty heavy stuff as well.
Any of the Marshal Law comics were pretty hilarious if you have the right sense of humor to go with it…
Many years ago, there was a series called Echoes of Future Past, which was really a trip, especially the guy called Virus…Though I’m not sure about Virus being in those…I’ve read a lot of stuff over the years and it tends to bleed together…
Batman:The Dark Knight Returns,(the original four issue set) was most excellent…
I’d best stop there as I could probably dig into the dusty old memory box and dredge up a lot more…
Ooh, that was a good one. I could go crazy just listing off my favorite one-off stories in Starman. Definitely #29 (“The Return of Bobo”), #73 (the funeral and accompanying eulogies), and #75 (Jack’s conversation with Superman) would be among them.
I’m going to have to go with issue #34 of Hitman by Garth Ennis, the “Superfriends?” issue where Tommy has an interesting rooftop talk with Supes. It was an amazing issue. I think it might have even won an Eisner, IIRC.
I’m sure I’ll think of more, but I have to support the choice of Ramadan in the Sandman storyline. Stand alone and beautiful. I’m a sucker for all things arabian-nights-esque, and this to me was the perfect story. The ending was sad, and hopeful, and… Perfect. I read it and I got shivers as I saw the carpet fall and the old man with the bottle. It was just…