It was a time of great peril. Blackest Night has fallen on the Blogverse. People armed with anger, dissatisfaction and annoyance fly the digital skies preying on the anger , dissatisfaction and annoyance of others. Into this tumultuous setting comes three heroes, beacons of..
Wait, hold on. This is ridiculous. That's what I get for asking Don LaFontaine to write the opening. Let's try this again.
A few months back Devon of Seven Hells, Mike P. formerly of Are You Feelin' Big Mike, Jon Carey of Facedown in the Gutters, and I were sitting around lamenting how stagnant our blogs were getting. I mean, I left a post with just the cover of Countdown Arena #3 up for three months and never quite recovered. So after many rounds of Miller High Life (it's the champagne of beers) we decided that a new blog, one that combined the power of our minds was a perfect idea.
"Just think," I yelled. "With my Crazy 88s, Devon's Seven Hellolics, all those people living in gutters, and the three people who read Mike P.'s blog we will already have a brilliant readership."
And so joining hands over the platter of soft tacos on the table before us (this part is totally true) we pledged to write a blog that didn't piss and moan, that expressed our love for the wonderful medium of comics, to call foul when a book deserves it and praise a book when it is awesome.
Thus Second Printing was born.
To celebrate this momentous occasion I ask all you new Second Printing readers:
What is your top five favorite comic moments of all time?
27 comments:
Walt Simonson's Odin,Thor and Loki - For Asgard, For Midgard, For Myself!
Avengers Thor - Ultron, we would have words with thee.
Blue Beetle 25
Astonishing X-Men - the return of Colossus
The Dark Knight Returns - beating Superman
I'm not good with favorites lists.
The first moment that comes to mind is TAO from Alan Moore's WilCATs run either talking his way out the laboratory or mind-blowing Fuji
Another one is the end of Stray Bullets #2, which is the first time I can remember a comic book making me actually sob.
Those at least pin down two of the border points of my interest in comics.
5. Buffy being caught in bed with another women by everyone she has ever known.
4. Rorschach forces Dr. Manhattan's hand.
3. Any moment that has ever involved Gail Simone's Rag Doll.
2. Denton Fixx's best friend proves he is a genuine hero.
1. Death tells the Emperor Norton that of all the kings in the world, he has been her favourite.
Judge Fear clutching at Judge Dredd's head forcing him to "Gaze into the face of Fear!" Judge Dredd then punches a hole through Judge Fear while saying, "Gaze into the fist of Dredd!" From 2000AD, prog #228.
I've been reading comics for 48 years and counting. I don't think I could pick out 50 favorite moments.
Among my favorites are:
The entire run of Green Lantern/Green Arrow, especially Speedy's drug addiction 2-parter.
Supergirl being Superman's secret helper, then having her existence revealed to the world.
Roy Harper holding Lian for the first time.
Too many moments in 52 to count.
Roy Harper being invited to join the JLA.
The entire run of the current Catwoman.
Terra betraying the Titans.
Dick Grayson becoming Nightwing.
The death of Supergirl, that led me to boycott comics for nearly a decade, except for Titans, which I continued to read for half that time.
Every time Ralph Dibny's nose twitched.
The entire run of the new Blue Beetle. This is what comics are about.
The first JLA/JSA team-up.
I could go on and on. I really can't remember life before comics.
I couldn't just drop a list and run.
Hence, this.
Good luck, fellas.
I was one of the three that read Mike P.'s blog! I read the others too. Welcome back, fellows.
Let my just preface this by saying I have only been reading comics regularly since late 2003. Top Five moments in comics, in no particular order.
- Donna Troy going out like a champ in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day. I was not familiar with the character at all, and that really goes to the storytelling of the writer and artist that I was in awe of this warrior that would not stop fighting even after friends of hers were hurt badly.
- The Return of Colossus in Astonishing X-Men. John Cassaday's art is beautiful, but that scene really got to me. Kitty Pryde standing there being unable to move was just... masterful. I got chills and I didn't even like either characters in the past.
- Jaime Reyes and the Scarab trying to stop the Reach from destroying Earth in Blue Beetle. He was willing to sacrifice himself for everyone he loved, and even tried to help the leader of the Reach. "...We never stood a chance." That's because Jaime Reyes is the best.
- The chat between Peter Parker and Aunt May about him being Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man. Ultimate Aunt May rules so much.
- This really pains me, and I am of two minds on this last one. It wasn't a favorite of mine, but it was one that I thought was really powerful. The Death of Superboy in Infinite Crisis. He's my favorite character, and even though I think Dan DiDio was shitty for forcing a death, I thought Johns handled it well. It was nice to see him being redeemed after he sat on a couch for months.
1: Snap!
2: Superman kicking Lana to the curb.
3: Anatomy Lesson.
4: Cerebus eats granola.
5: Death of Belit in Conan.
I could go on and on.
1) Last panel of Thunderbolts #1. Greatest reveal EVAR
2) Dick Grayson walks down the stairs for the first time in his disco Nightwing costume.
3) USM: Peter Parker punches that manipulative A-hole Nick Fury in the face so hard his eye patch flies off
4) Batman get's ready to perform an autopsy on Green Arrow
5) Black Cat freaks out when Spider-Man tries to reveal his secret identity to her.
Off the top of my head:
1. Beta Ray Bill pounding all hell out of Thor and then bringing him back to Odin, victorious, earning the right to wield Stormbreaker (The Mighty Thor 338-339).
2. The new Blue Beetle series, particularly #25.
3. Jack Hawksmoor's fight with Regis (The Authority #8).
4. Billy Batson remembering who he really is in Kingdom Come #4.
5. The ride into the sunset at the end of Preacher.
These are the first ones to spring to mind:
-Dark Knight Returns: The sky's falling, Gotham's on fire, and Batman turns up to save the day. On horseback. Magic.
-Also Batman, Grant Morrison's first arc on JLA: Sure, he's only one man, but he knows your secret and he's got a box of matches...
-Superman, Red Son: Lex has written the one thing that can defeat his enemy on a folded piece of paper. Why don't you put the whole world in a bottle?
-All-Star Superman: The very first page, everything you need to know about him in a handful of panels.
-And lastly, a really brilliant moment from an utterly awful story: Towards the end of Maximum Carnage, just when the tale can't get any more depressing or horrible and Spider-Man's ready to chuck in the towel, Captain America appears. "Son, it looks like you could use a hand".
Oh, and congrats on the new blog!
In no particular order:
Guy Gardner seeing that all is nearly lost, recites The Green Lantern Oath. 3,599 other voices answer the call in unison and rally to defeat The Spider Guild.
In Daredevil:Born Again, Captain America when confronted on where he stands on government, says these words, "I'm loyal to nothing, General.. except the Dream." At that moment, I knew what type of American I could be.
In 100 Bullets, Wiley, a trained assassin puts a good man out of his misery after losing the one thing he loved most.
In Action Comics #775, Superman shows the world that there is a better way.
Avengers: Under Siege. Period.
5 - Firearm - one of the best damn title's i've ever read, it's a shame Marvel will never reprint this in any form. (more specificaly though, i'd have to say the final showdown with rafferty near the end of the series.)
4 - The Death of Barry Allen - my introduction to the second Flash was this issue and it did a pretty good job of showing just how clever and good Barry Allen was.
3 - The moment in Superman Returns when he "lands" the plane in the middle of a baseball diamond and the crowd erupts.
2 - All-Star Superman #1 - on one of the last pages a clumsy Clark bumps into someone on the street, which ends up saving that man's life, and it's all done very quietly.
1 - The Death of Ted Knight. Well the whole Starman run actually, but that scene immediatey comes to mind.
In no order:
1.) Green Arrow in Quiver when Ollie, just back from the dead, lectures Aquaman about why Atlantis should be a democracy.
2.) Doom Patrol - Monsieur Mallah and the brain almost make out while the brain is in a robotman body.
3.) The Joker tells his joke at the end of the Killing Joke.
4.) Superman catches the bullet headed for Jimmy Olsen's face in Up Up and Away
5.) The death of 355 in Y: The Last Man
Like many posters here, I've been reading funnybooks for too long to just have five. Here's mine, in no particular order:
1) Alan Moore's Supreme #42: It was in the midst of the wretched 90s, and I was having a major crisis of faith with superheroes. This book not only restored my interest and affection in the spandex-set, but also made me truly like--and appreciate--Superman's rich, whimsical, wonky mythology. I became a Superman fan, plain and simple, during that first read.
2) Suicide Squad #15: Wherein my first letter to a comic book was published. (Yes, it's embarrassing to read now, but my dorky kid self got a kick out of it.)
3) Flash, vol. 2, #78: That last page reveal from the the penultimate chapter of "The Return of Barry Allen" saga. It was the first of far-too-few comics-induced eyes-bugging, jaw-dropping, epithet-sputtering-in-the-middle-of-the-comic-shop moments that I ever had.
4) Suicide Squad, vol. 2, #1: The return of Ostrander to a Squad series was worth the 16-year wait.
5) Detective Comics #526: The biggest, baddest gathering of Bat-foes anywhere. While I'd been reading comics off and on all my life, I had no concept of continuity or history. That book MADE me interested in exploring the DCU as a whole.
In no particular order other than when they came to me:
Grant Morrison's "JLA" when Green Arrow and the Atom take on Darkseid: "He's in your HEAD, you moron."
Walt Simonson's "Fantastic Four," when Thor takes the hint to save everybody on the timesled.
From the first comic of my collection, "Marvel Team Up" 141, when the bad guy says something like "You will learn fear! You will learn respect!" and Spider-Man says, "Gosh, Teach, can we learn the capitals of all 50 states, too?"
The line that's stayed with me from the Galactus Trilogy is Sue's "It's like a horrible nightmare, but one from which we can never awake!"
And from "Amazing Fantasy" 15, not the last panel, but the panel where Peter realizes who the robber is. I first saw it as a kid with the eye-dots in the mask, and I've also seen it without -- and I think, in that moment, you need the artistic license of the little eye-dots.
(My most memorable comic movie moment: Seeing the first "Spider-Man" with a huge crowd, and when Peter let the robber go and said, "I missed the part where that's my problem," about three-quarters of the audience applauded. I was like, "Oh, you people don't EVEN know what's coming.")
Welcome Back everyone!!
1) Green Lantern containing a supernova in DC One Million
2)The Issue when we find out what happened to Finland in Stormwatch Team Achilles
3)Ultimate Spiderman 13
4)Cosmic Boy telling the Science Police that they will let them pass: not because of their powers, but because they are the Legion.
5)the last page of Ex-Machina 1: best reveal I can ever remember
Welcome back folks! In no particular order:
-Thor fighting the Jormungandr and hitting him so hard he breaks every bone in his body.
-Orion screaming "It is finished!" after killing Darkseid in Orion #6
-Batman punching Orion at the end of Cosmic Odyssey
-Wally West fighting and beating Professor Zoom in The Return of Barry Allen, finally coming to terms with Barry's legacy and becoming his own man.
-Infinity Gauntlet #4, where Cap tells Thanos, at the height of his powers, that as long as one man stands against him, he hasn't really won. Bonus points for punching Thanos in the face after Silver Surfer missed the grab, thus dooming all existence. To do any less would be bowing down to tyranny.
Honorable mentions: Thor: Disassembled, Armor Wars, and Astonishing X-Men #25 (I think) when Cyclops blew the Breakwolder out of the freaking water.
Best animated moment: Tie between Flash absolutely schooling Luthor/Brainiac and Superman's "World of Cardboard" speech.
The ultimate badass sacrifice of Skurge on the Bridge at Gjallerbru in Thor #362. If that doesn't bring a tear to your eye or send a shiver down your spine, you're just not human.
The 2-cool-4-skool attitude of the Saint of Killers on the Throne of Heaven in The Preacher # 66. That is one nails cowboy.
The cliche yet undeniably awesome first appearance of Mary-Jane. "Face it, Tiger... you just hit the jackpot!" in Amazing Spider-Man #42 (like anyone needs to be told the issue number.)
American Football bit that I don't quite get yet still rock out over by Booster Gold and Supernova in 52 #52 (Since then I like to use "Spike It! Now!" as a cry affirming victory.)
Everything that happens in Blue Beetle #23, 24 & 25. I know that sooner or later this book is going to get cancelled. And on that day, all joy will die.
In no order what so ever:
Superpro #1. My first understanding that teri-bad things could also be awesome.
The painting that ate Paris!
The Joker snaps his own neck in Dark Night Returns.
The Hulk/Think strength contest in Universe X.
Superman Dies. Its a death full of iconography, pain, and amazing attention to detail.
1. Every single panel in Blue Beetle # 25, especially Paco's creative use of a stick.
2. Ultimate Spider-Man #13, the whole issue.
3. Skurge at the bridge.
4. "We would have words with thee."
5. And the best. The first confrontation between Swamp Thing and Arcane following the Anatomy Lesson. "We have never met before. You are in my place of power and you will not survive." or something to that effect.
Favorite moments, eh? That's a LONG list.
The entire run of the new Blue Beetle. Of course.
Rebirth by Johns and Van Sciver.
The FIRST death of Phoenix, which actually was fresh and exciting.
The entire run of the Justice League with Giffen/deMatteis and Maguire
Rick Jone's bachelor party in the Incredible Hulk. Captain America hired an ecdysiast thinking that she was a magician and had to keep his eyes closed the rest of the evening. Haw!
The death of Kari Limbo and the arrival of Zinda Black in Zero Hour. See? It was good for something!
Like Devon, I loved the moment in Recharge where Guy Gardner leads the rest of the Corp in the oath and they recharge their rings, and beat Spider Guild ass!
Anything with Hob Gadling or the Shade.
The entire run of Hitman. Oh, and Preacher was pretty good too.
There are more of course, but I suppose I should stop now.
To steal a phrase from the recently-ended “Dave’s Long Box,” my favorite comic book moments are all “F*$% YEAH!” moments.
In no particular order:
--The last page of the second arc of Preacher, after Jesse and Tulip find each other in the aftermath of the Great Asskicking. Until the end of the world, yo.
--Already cited, but I have to include it: Skurge the Executioner’s last stand at the Bridge of Gjallerbru in Thor #362. The greatest Last Stand in comics.
--Midway through the Daredevil arc “Born Again,” when the Kingpin, reveling in his utter destruction of Our Hero, sees a police report on the taxi cab his men dumped into the river with Matt Murdock’s unconscious form inside, and the comic flashes between the Kingpin and what Murdock did to escape, in “what must have been a hideous act of will.” The comic ends with the Kingpin thinking, “There is no corpse. There is no corpse.” And he is afraid. Boo-yah.
--Justice League International #15, introducing Lord Manga Khan and his robot L-Ron. The greatest characters of the modern era? I’d say so. The Giffen/DeMattis era of the Justice League (’87-’92) is my favorite run of comics of all time.
--The climax of What If?, volume 1, #44, “What If Captain America Were Revived Today,” when the real Captain America brings the hammer down on the fascist state America had become and the lookalike Cap who helped create it. Those last few pages still get me worked into a frenzy.
The best moment in comics history, of course, is that scene in JSA where Kingdom Come Superman saves the girl jumping off the building. You will never see better evidence of why Superman is the hero of all heroes.
Kingbeauregard:
I couldn't agree more. I got goosebumps while reading that.
I don't know if I can say these are my top five all-time, but they are my top five that I can recall without searching through back-issue bins. In no particular order:
When Kingdom Come Superman returns to the public and is hovering over the crowd. Carmina Burana just runs through my head when reading that.
The Goblin/Spidey fight that lead to the death of Gwen Stacy. Not knowing if it was the fall or the webbing that lead to her death used to eat me alive.
The reveal at the end of Thunderbolts number one.
Batman's method of stopping Superman in the Man of Steel miniseries. Call me crazy but it seems much cooler to have that tension between the two.
Barry Allen revealed to be Zemo.
When Gwen Stacy dies and MJ refuses to abandon Peter at his most heartbroken.
And Alan Moore's Twilight. While it will never see the light of day, that ending was just, wow.
In no particular order:
1) Superman protecting a small child from a LexCorp Kryptonian tank with the Symbol of the House of El.
2) Jesse kicking the everloving crap out of Jodi in "Until the End of the World."
3) J'onn Jonnz reaching out of Fernus in "Trial By Fire;" "Abhorrent thing, give me back my life." I tear up everytime.
4) Cyclops smiling reveal that he now controls his powers in Astonishing X-Men.
5) "You think this letter on my head stands for France?!"
I know I could think of more, but this is five, and these aren't the best. God Bless This Medium.
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