What's the single greatest run in comics history?

Cafe Society
1

The title basically says it all, but I wanted to define the terms so that there’s no confusion. The question I’m looking to discuss is this:

What single, continous run by a writer, artist, or creative team on a comic book is the greatest in comics history?

For the purposes of this discussion, a “run” is a continous series of issues of an ongoing single title. I think we should set a minimum length; a single story line of 5 or 6 issues, no matter how well done, just isn’t long enough to properly judge whether the creators had a strong overall vision and the talent to develop it. Perhaps two years (24 issues) would be a good minimum.

Any title concieved as a limited series is out; I want to find the best runs that occurred in on-going series.

I don’t really think setting a maximum is necessary, though you may pick out a smaller portion of a longer run if that part was what you think deserves the honor, particularly if you’re talking about an extraordinarily long run (Chris Claremont on Uncanny X-Men; Dave Sim on Cerebus), which will inevitably have high and low points.

I’ll throw out some of what I think are some possible nominations:

Lee / Kirby: Fantastic Four
John Byrne: Fantastic Four
Waid / Weiringo: Fantastic Four

Stan Lee and Ditko / Romita: Amazing Spider-Man

Chris Claremont: Uncanny X-Men 96-140(with John Byrne as artist / co-plotter for the last 30 some issues)

Gardener Fox: Justice League of America (While I’m aware that the same penciller drew most of Fox’s, issues, after a recent re-reading, I’m of the opinion that the book succeeded despite the artwork rather than because of it).

Giffen / De Matteis: Justice League

Roy Thomas: All Star Squadron

Note: While I could nominate Fox for his run on All Star Comics, I think his work on JLA was superior, and the best JSA was that written by Thomas, so I left them out. Feel free to renominate if you disagree.

Broome / Infantino: Flash
Waid / Weiringo : Flash
Geoff Johns: Flash

Wolfman / Perez: New Teen Titans

George Perez: Wonder Woman

Denny O’ Neal Adams: Batman

Brian Michael Bendis: Ultimate Spider-Man

Frank Miller: Daredevil
Brian Micheal Bendis: Daredevil

Peter David: Incredible Hulk

Lest anyone accuse me of being a superhero snob:

Carl Barks: Uncle Scrooge

Brian K. Vaughn: Y: The Last Man

Bill Willingham: Fables

Greg Rucka: Queen and Country

Alan Moore: Swamp Thing

I realize that I’ve obviously missed some great stuff, just because I’m not thinking of it right now, so nominate to your heart’s content, and feel free to criticize my nominations as you see fit.

2

Morrison’s Doom Patrol - Crazy Jane, the Brotherhoods of DADA, The Scissormen, Mallah and the Brain making out (O_o)…what’s not to love?

Wagner/Seagle’s Sandman Mystery Theater - It’s not as good when Wagner leaves, though Seagle doesn’t completely drop the ball.

Waid’s JLA - I actually liked it better than Morrison’s! (Which is saying a good bit.) He made me like Plas! Probably helped by the fact Morrison removed Huntrss from the team when he was leaving, which kept Plas from falling back into ‘foil for the easy mark’. But Man and Superman was the arc that really did it. (Actually, I/m not sure this hits the minimum…I don’t feel like going back and looking at which issue Waid came in on, but I’m pretty sure it’s the early 30s.)

'DnA’s Legion - I have no comment on this one…I just really love the DnA Legion.

Funny thing is, SMT is the only one I was reading when it was out originally. Morrison’s DP and Waid’s JLA were long finished by the time I got into either title, and I first got back into the Legion books when DnA were leaving.

3

Mike Baron, Nexus, primarily the issues drawn by Steve Rude
Steve Englehart’s run on Dr. Strange
Moench and Gulacy’s 70s run, Master of Kung Fu

4

Number Six. Your definition of “comics history” is a bit narrow. I’d like to expand it with a single entry.

Charles M. Schulz’s PEANUTS.

Fifty years. One cartoonist and his pen. A host of brilliant ideas and unforgettable characters.

I agree with most of your other choices (esp. Carl Barks) but we must have Schulz.

Three others: Neil Gaiman’s entire SANDMAN run, of which “Brief Lives” with Jill Thompson was a particular highlight.

Alan Moore and J.H. Williams III on PROMETHEA, which has the most brilliant designs and layouts – ever.

Warren Ellis and John Cassady’s PLANETARY, which is artistiscally and storywise the most accessible of the bunch.

5

Dave Sim’s Cerebus. From 1977 to early this year, 300 issues.

6

Askia: I’m well aware that newspaper comics are comics, and that some truly great work was done over a very long time period in that form.

This is why I defined the exact question to be discussed in the text of my OP:

What single, continous run by a writer, artist, or creative team on a comic book is the greatest in comics history?

That seemed to be a bit long for a thread title, so I shortened it to make it more practical. I didn’t mean to imply that comics=comic books only.

Newspaper comics are certainly worthy of discussion, but I do think that the differing format and publication schedule make direct comparisons between them and comic books impracitcal.

If you would like to discuss the relative merits of different newspaper comics, by all means start a thread and I’d be happy to contribute to it there (Shultz wouldn’t be my first choice there, but he would be very near the top).

7

**Number Six. ** I thought including Schulz would be a welcome addition since you evoked the phrase, “comics history” and for some reason newspaper comics gets the short shift in these discussions, IMO. Clearly he doesn’t fit the parameters of your OP. You didn’t ask for an apology but I offer one anyway for the near hijack and the baseless accusation that your definition “seemed a bit narrow.” We cool?

8

Aragones/Evanier - Groo

As any fool can plainly see…

9

Ann Nocenti and John Romita JR on Daredevil is way underrated. They introduced Typhoid Mary, Blacheart, and tons of cool ideas.

10

Walt Simonson on Thor.

11

*Askia: No apology necessary. We cool.

How about the other genres? I see one nomination for a martial arts book. Are there any great runs of western comic books, or science fiction, or war that fans should be looking for?

12

IMO, Waid’s JLA is at least a close second. BTW, although he did a couple fill-ins during Morrison’s run, the Waid run proper starts at #43 and ends, IIRC, with #60, with one fill-in by. uh, Chuck Dixon I think. The scenes with the despondant Eel O’Brian were excellent stuff.

–Cliffy

13

Hate by Peter Bagge

14

Sandman, hands down. There is no other competition.

If you count underground comix, then add Maus.

15

I don’t think we can have much dispute over these guys:

Lee/Kirby - Fantastic Four
Lee/Ditko - Amazing Spider-Man
Carl Barks - Donald Duck & Uncle Scrooge

Other stuff I like, in no particular order:

Chris Claremont - Uncanny X-Men (17 years - damn)
Walt Simonson - Thor (Frog Thor, Beta Ray Bill, the Executioner’s last stand, Ragnarok and Roll, what’s not to like here?)
John Byrne - Fantastic Four (Hardly Lee/Kirby, but good stuff here)
Walt Simonson - Fantastic Four (relatively short but amazing)
Neil Gaiman - Sandman (yeah, yeah)
Grant Morrison - Animal Man and Doom Patrol
Mark Gruenwald - Captain America (No, I’m serious! I can’t argue with the fact that I reread this run a hell of a lot)
Warren Ellis - Planetary and Transmetropolitan
Peter David - The Incredible Hulk

16

There were some great runs mentioned, but I’ll add

Either of Giffen’s run on Legion

(both with Levitz and with the Birnbaums)

17

I was going to pick the Birnbaums’ and Giffen’s run on Legion of Super-Heroes. One of the best comics series ever made, everything I want out of comic books. And it’s one of the few cases of any medium where the gimmicks (each page has nine panels, reboots, etc) stayed gimmicky but didn’t feel forced; they really worked to tell the story.

Also:
The Shadow by Andy Helfer and Kyle Baker
– Genuinely funny, a great take on the characters, and Baker’s best art ever. The expressions on the characters’ faces are just priceless.

Hellblazer by Garth Ennis
– Jamie Delano had pretty much defined the character already, put out years of some of the most underrated comics stories around. Ennis came in and within one story arc made the character and the book his own without disrespecting what came before. The second issue in that arc (where Constantine goes to Ireland to meet his friend who’s making magic stout from holy water) is one of my all-time favorite comics stories.

18

Yeah, it ended with 60 - Plas telling Woozie Winks’ kid about Santa being in the JLA.

Started with 43, huh? So that’s why 34 was in my head. Reversed the digits. >_<

Ah, well, he comes up short, but it’s still my favourite run.

Indeed. That is why I came to like Plas.

I also loved Waid’s first issue. It’s a silly story, with a ridiculous premise, but it was really fun. The last couple pages were the best. Although I can’t help but wonder if this kid had to go in to get treated for liver damage a few months later.

19

Byrne’s Superman, starting with Man of Steel running through Superman 20-something.

It is by far one of the greatest story/art combos in comic book history. It was 15 years before Ultimate Marvel and did the same thing.

Unfortunately, it give Byrne the idea that he knew how to rewrite comic history.

20

Gave…not give…