Best ever?

I'll go with HELLBLAZER #27, the "Hold Me" issue by Gaiman and McKean. Dark and beautiful art, combined with the same type of writing and a story that's a bit touching and haunting. Pretty much the perfect comic.

Honorable Mentions:

Swamp Thing #21 - "The Anatomy Lesson" story by Alan Moore starting off his awesome run on the character. The most atmospheric comic I've ever read, and a great horror story.

100 Bullets #11 - "Heartbreak, Sunny Side Up" Perfect one-and-done story that shows just exactly what this comic is all about and how amazing it is.

Preacher #66 - The finale issue, and the perfect ending to pretty much the perfect comic book.

Watchmen #6 - The Rorschach issue. 'Nuff said.

Uncanny X-men 311.Just about the only time you think the x-men are in any real danger.It Made me realize just how scarry Sabertooth really can be in the right Writer/artists hands.

They made a what if comic about this story.I think Vol 2 # 87 ,truely haunting.

What?! I know it's your opinion, but what didn't you like about it? Even Wizard said it was one of the best Ultimate story arcs(I have heard this from a guy at my comic shop, don't quote me on that) and I'm just curious why it made you almost stop reading Ultimate Spider-Man?

I think I'm with you...there's just too many good stories. But if someone put a gun to my head, I'd have to say Uncanny X-Men 141 & 142. The 'Days of Future Past' story just blew me away.

Watchmen 4
Uncanny X-Men 133
Swamp Thing 21

No doubt about it, these are great stories.

Ultimate Spider-Man # 38-39 really got me last night. (I'm going from trades, so I hope I have the issue numbers right. Someone will correct me, I'm sure.)

USM is one of comics' all-time high-points for its first few years, and remains excellent even though it seems to have lost its way a bit since "Carnage." And even though I've never been a huge fan of the "Venom" arc (or any form of Venom, frankly), I was struck by the structure of both of these issues, the final battle between Peter and Venom and the double-denoument with Nick Fury and Dr. Curt Conners.

First of all, #38: Peter fighting Eddie with no costume, no web shooters, basically trying to save Eddie's soul; Eddie who doesn't want to be saved, Eddie who you still like because it's not until after the fight that you hear his roommates frank appraisal of his character. Great storytelling and art from Bagley, who's not always this clear with his action. Intercut with Roy Parker's videotaped diary for Peter, which seems odd until the payoff at the end with Peter in a ball on the floor listening to his dead father's voice say "Because at the end of the day, bottom line, no matter how bad my day is--I get to come home and see you. I get to watch you grow up. So how bad can my day be." Just heartbreaking.

Then in #39, Peter confronts Nick Fury and demands that he take his powers away. Great dialogue with Fury, simultaneously building Peter up and smacking him down, and a nice reminder of just how much Peter misses Uncle Ben and needs a father figure. It really puts a lot of Ultimate Spider-Man in perspective; how much better adjusted would Peter be, both as a kid and a hero, if he had Uncle Ben to talk to? A talky, soap-opera issue (which makes some people hate Bendis in general and [i]USM[/i in particular, but which I always love), perhaps the best one in the series' entire run.

So for all of you who are writing in that you "can't give a single issue, or even a couple" (which of course raises the question: why even post anything in this thread?), perhaps I should have titled it "exceptional single issues." I'm going to keep posting in here when I read an issue that really pops, and I hope you will, too.

Has anyone mentioned The Amazing Screw-On Head yet?...

Some of the Best Comics ever have come out fairly recently. (IMHO)

Best One shot ever?

AMAZING SCREW ON HEAD

I must be right, because on the merit of that single issue they made a pilot (which was awesome) for a cartoon series, which I'm hoping we'll get to see in a completed series! Economy of Story, interesting elements twisted into a unique arangement, and writing with wit. ASOH has it all.

Best Pivotal issue?

STRANGE TALES #1 (volume three)

I put this in here as a personal favorite. I LOVE this run... but because its a spllit book, its hard to put it in a category like this... which should tell you how much I love it. The Dr Strange stories in here were some of the best ever, the Cloak and Dagger stories are forgetable at best. I list Issue #1 here... but I think my favorite story was #5 or something. the whole run f Dr Strange was just stellar. He had desroyed all his talismans to defeat Urthona at the end of his series (cancelled a few months before Strange Tales started up again) in order to save his friends, Sara and Wong, plus I think Rihntrah. The consequences of doing so are revealed in #1 of ST... all those talismans were functioning as barriers keeping ancient evil at bay. Soon Strange Learns that the only way to fight ancient Black Magic is with Black Magic. He has to learn Black arts from his master's Most hated enemy, and becomes too impure to wear the Eye of Agamotto, Looses and eye, which becomes the repository for black magical power, and betrays his friends to gain the power he needs to set things straight. Its some of the best stuff ever, and it all starts in Issue #1.... and by the way... Issue five? that's the one where he sacrifices his human guide to Valkarie to return the Defenders from the Dead to do his bidding; using Necromancy! (best ever!)

Best Limited Series

(Just for S&Gs)

Sea Guy.


'nuff said

yeah! I just did,,, just before reading these posts and getting caught up.... ironically funny huh?

Funny: Lobo Paramilitary X-Mas Special

The great thing about The Amaizng Screw-On Head is that there's almost no exposition. All you need to know is that he's Crew-On Head, his assistant is named Mr. Groin, the women are horrible, and Abraham Lincoln is Abraham Lincoln. Mignola excels at forcing you to just go along for the ride without thinking too much (or even at all) about the logistics.

Easily one of the best single comics ever.

it wasn't rihntrah. Though he was there. It was Empath. (the one from Dr Strange not thye Hellion)

Rihntrah shows up again early in the series.



Sorry. I just love that run so much.

I don't know How I could have forgotten one of the greatest stand-alone one-shots of all time! (actually its a two parter...together they are the greatest stand-alone err.... two-shot of all time!) I speak of course about:

NEW MUTANTS special edition #1
&
X-MEN annual #9

Illustrated by Art Adams in a time before digital inkingwritten by Chris Claremont in his heyday, and Embellished by Terry Austin; this was comic art at its greatest; overcoming the limitations of the era. and at 64 pages; it sold for a slim $1.50!

Truley one of the greatest stories in comics. If you read It you'll know what I mean. Rahne gets her first boyfriend... the prince of the wolves! (has she dated anyone since!?); Sam get adopted by Dwarves; Magma, Fairies, Doug Gets stuck as a scullery boy; while Sunspot finds himself sidekicking for the Warriors three! Dani Becomes a frickin valkyrie...something that stuck through most of her career (now that she's lost her powers... time to explore that again!) X'ian's ordeal in the desert restores her slim figure that the Shadow king stole from her, and Ilyana finds herself at the mercies of the Enchantress! (never has anyone rendered the Darkchild so seductively! Art Adams is sometimes unto like a god) At the end, they can't decide whether to live their new lives in Asgard or return to Earth... and to find out... you have to read X-Men Annual #9... where we discover the whole abduction was so loki could get his hands on Storm and Transform her into the new Thor! (in his thrall of course!)


classic of classics!


best issue of New Mutants Ever! (which of course was the Best Comic ever!)

Available in the TPB X-Men Legends 3 (dedicated to Art Adams) along with the X-Babies and the New Fantastic Four (grey Hulk, Spidey, Ghost Rider, Wolverine :knockedou)

Just re-read Warriors. It's much stronger than I remembered; one of the many Bendis arcs that works far better as a novella than as a collection of issues.

have to throw in some stories from way back when, my personal favorite as a life-long avengers fan (actually used to walk a couple miles to the 7-eleven to pick up the issues when i was a kid, seriously!) is avengers #166, the third part of a three-part arc, the original count nefaria story line. the anticipation for that issue from the end of the previous issue was something unmatched in my experience, and it is one of the best non-stop action issues of any title! the rumble between nefaria and the avengers, with thor arriving and the vision waking from an android version of a coma, no wasted panels, in my eyes the closest thing to a perfect issue ever. in the overall scheme of things, though, would have to go with the spider-man issue where the goblin kills gwen stacy. no way to convey to the readers of today the impact that that had when it came out, pre-internet and all, this was a story that had everyone talking for quite a while.