We all know that it is an uncontrovertible fact of life on the SDMB that in any given “X vs. Y- who would win?” thread, somebody will chime in and say “Batman, if he’s prepared.”
There is good reason for this.
OK, so I have never been a rabid comic book fan, but since I just got done rereading The Dark Knight Returns, well…
I cannot even admit to the possibility that there could be any greater comic book moment than…
"We could have changed the world… now look at us… I’ve become a political liability… and you… you’re a joke.
"I want you… to remember, Clark… in all the years to come… in your most private moments… I want you to remember… my hand… at your throat… I want you to remember…
the one man who beat you."
Yep, Batman beats the ever-lovin’ snot out of Superman. I mean really, comic books just couldn’t possibly get any better than that.
“Stop!” – the full panel in Swamp Thing #1 where Holland smashes a car. Extremely dramatic, and, of course, it’s hard to top Berni Wrightson’s art.
“As a distant planet was destroyed by old age, a scientist placed his infant son within a hastily devised space-ship, launching it toward Earth!” – The one that started it all.
“What? You wanted Death? Then count yourself lucky for the sake of you species and your petty planet that you did NOT succeed. . . that instead you snared Death’s younger BROTHER.”
Two from Amazing Spider-Man: Towards the end of the Ditko run, where he’s stuck under this huge machine and has to get out from under it to, um, go rescue Aunt May or something. Man, when he lifted it, they could’ve ended the series right there. It’s when he stopped being a loser teenager and grew up.
A few issues later: “Face it, tiger, you just hit the jackpot!”
Those too were the only panels that ever made me cry. And for the record, I ain’t no pansy, I’m a manly man! (there’s no WOOF smiley!).
Although I did feel a little foolish when mere months later we were reading Superman’s return.
Oi! All that emotion and all for what?
my vote, despite it being a contentious issue, were some of the closing moments of Hall Jordan’s attack on Oa, particularly the death of Kilowog. That was pretty traumatic, although I do concede probably not a ‘great’ moment per se.
In SANDMAN, one of my very favorite moments in the entire series was the buildup to a confrontation with Dream and Lucifer Morningstar, with Dream decked out in battle armor ready to do battle with the First of the Fallen in the midst of Hell, only to be told by Satan himself, “I quit.” Morpheus’ three or four panel speechless double take at “I quit” was priceless.
at the climax of MIRACLEMAN #15 – aza Chron dead, London in ruins, Kid Miracleman dispatched by a warped chucnk of debris jutting from inside his skull. In the flashpoint, poor buggered Johnny Bates sobbing in Miracleman’s arms and blubbering, “You mean you’ve discovered some new way of stopping me from changing into him?” Miracleman comforting Bates – “Good kid” – before crushing the thirteen-year old’s head with his fist. The necessity of that moment blows me away everytime I read it.
In Millar’s SUPERMAN: RED SON #3, it was President Lex Luthor’s declaration that he could distill everything Superman hates about himself in a single sentence, which he wrote on an envelope and gives to his wife, first Lady Lois Lane. Superman reads the sentence with his X-ray vision and sure enough, collapses on the ground, weeping. The sentence, Why don’t you put the whole world in a bottle, Superman? nicely plays into Superman’s self-doubts and personal compromises as well this version of Superman’s reality. Nice bit of psychological warfare by Lex. RUNNER-UP: Hal Jordan’s will made manifest by his building a mental concentration camp with his mind to survive as a tortured POW.
In SWAMP THING #52 and #53: “Believe me, I know from invulnerable. This refugee from a soup can isn’t it.” This is the meat of Luthor’s take on Swamp Thing during is ten minute consultation (fee: one million dollars) with General Wicker to destroy Swamp Thing, during Swampy’s rampage in Gotham City. Luthor devises the modified communications scrambler ultimately used to banish Swamp Thing from the Earth in less than that, because he “wanted to leave you time to sign and post the check.” Also noteworthy for Batman’s defeat by Swamp thing’s hands DESPITE Batman’s preparations (armored tank and flame-thrower style defoliant).
Also: Swamp Thing as a giant redwood being in Gotham.
Well - since Watchmen is generally considered the greatest limited-run series ever written, and is my personal fave, I have to look to it, but am not sure which moment I should pick:
Rorschach telling the prison therapist about the dogs?
Ozymandias following through with his plan ahead of Nite Owl and Silk Spectre’s attempt to stop him?
the whole damn thing?
Yeah - that’s it: I’ll go with the whole damn thing.
A personal, more cult-y fave is Alan Moore’s Top Ten (Zander, if you are still amongst us subscribing Dopers, thank you again for your work on that) - personal fave moments include:
the transporter beam collision and how the victims respond - beautiful, heavy, optimistic and sad
Commissioner Ultima’s climatic uncovering (sorry - no spoilers)
The finale of the Seven Sentinel’s case
Also - no one has mentioned X-Men yet - have to go with the issue (111? 112?) where they fight Magneto under the volcano and show that they have integrated as a team. Best damn battle sequence ever - and I remember looking at Byrne’s drawing of Storm’s tongue lifting out the lock pick and thinking, as a 13 year old kid, “wow - never saw that type of drawing in a comic before” and realizing that this was really something special.
I really need to snag a copy of “Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow” now.
Let’s see - great comic book moments…
Barry Allen’s death in the Crisis - the man makes a one-man superspeed stand against the Weaponers of Qward and single-handedly disrupts the anti-matter cannon even as his body disintegrates from the effort…
Supergirl’s death in the Crisis - To save Superman, Kara unleashes a beat-down like we’ve never before seen on the Anti-Monitor.
During the Maggedon storyline in JLA a few years back, when Superman had been mentally enslaved by Maggedon - Batman reaches out to him via the Manhunter’s telepathy, and there’s a great dialog exchange between Bruce and Clark.
During the much maligned “Kingdom” event follow-up to Kingdom Come, Batman is investigating the hypertime phantoms appearing in the “Planet Krypton” restaurant - and upon staring at an image of Batwoman for a moment, there’s a flicker of recognition as he says “… Kathy?”
And my award for “Best Dialogue Ever” goes to Kingdom Come, in the aftermath… Luthor has been captured after his plan to use Captain Marvel has failed and is working as a candy-striper at a hospital set up to treat the injured superheroes … Batman passes by him, grinning ever-so-slightly, and mutters the word “Shazam” just to get in a dig at Lex.
This wasn’t the Jenkins story about the kid that lives in the ghetto from a few years ago, was it? I think that was the single most touching issue ever (although it was farily contrived).
It’s pretty DC-centric here, but for me the defining moment of my young life was the splash page of Jean Grey and Wolverine kissing in INFERNO.
V for Vendetta - When V has managed to remove the constant watching of the population of London (temporarily) by an all-powerful government. There’s a small panel on one page that has a silhouette of people rioting in front of flames and behind that is the little girl from the ‘Les Miserables’ poster. That always moves me.
Watchmen - When Ozymandia believes that he’s destroyed Dr Manhattan and the good Dr come back enormous and punches through the building while yelling, “I am disappointed, Veidt!”
From the other side of the pond, and to prove UK has some great comics.
The first appearence of Judge Death in 200AD’s Judge Dredd column, when he judges those guilty of living and sentances them to death.
I think the greatest moment occurred when Captain America managed to rescue Nick Fury from the Trapster’s goon using only his wits, his shield and an armload of Hostess Fruit Pies.