So I decided to do something ambitious, I am going to attempt to read through Wizard's 100 Best Single Issues Since You Were Born List. I'm not going to review every single issue in full, but I will post a brief synopsis of my thoughts and maybe a rating...the only part I am concerned about here is the fact that I like complete stories...so I feel like I might have to get on the internets and try to figure out if I need to read anything critical before each issue (I guess Wikipedia can also help). Anyways, wish me luck, and friends and family, I will see you in 3 months.
If you were interested here is the list...Shit, I guess I have to locate every book on this list in some form...
(Just realized I have read a few of these already so I'm off to a good start (fist pump)!! I shall update this master list with my reviews as I finish them)
(Blue = read)
001 - Top Ten 8 (The Overview)
002 - Sandman 8 (The Sound of Her Wings)
003 - Joker Special (The Killing Joke)
This is one of my favorite single issues of Batman of all time (when it should really be one of my least because of the events that transpire). The writing by Alan Moore shows why he is one of the best (and all over this list BTW), and the art from Brian Bolland is wonderful. 9.5/10
004 - Superman Annual 11 (For the Man Who Has Everything)
005 - Ultimate Spider-Man 12 (Battle Royal)
It's not easy to pick a favorite USM issue. While this one certainly isn't my favorite, the introduction of Electro and the learning curve that Peter is going through make this a very good issue. 8/10
006 - Astro City 0.5 (The Nearness of You)
007 - Saga of the Swamp Thing 21 (The Anatomy Lesson)
008 - Ultimate Spider-Man 28 (Sidetracked)
Again, picking a USM issue that is better is very difficult as Bendis and Bagely put out such consistently high-quality work month after month. This one has the an appearance by Rhino, one of my favorite Spider-man villains and is some more comic gold. 9/10
009 - Batman Elseworlds (Gotham by Gaslight)
010 - Daredevil 191 (Roulette)
011 - 100 Bullets 27 (Idol Chatter)
012 - Superman 9 (To Laugh and Die in Metropolis)
013 - Planetary 3 (Dead Gunfighters)
014 - Starman 11 (13 Years Ago Five Friends)
015 - Uncanny X-Men 159 (Night Screams)
016 - Amazing Spider-Man 239 (Now Strikes the Hobgoblin)
017 - Fantastic Four 245 (Childhood's End)
018 - Justice League - 1 (Born Again)
019 - Spider-Man Versus Wolverine (High Tide)
020 - Planetary 13 (Century)
021 - Action Comics 775 (What's So Funny About Truth Justice and the American Way)
022 - Flash 182 (Absolute Zero)
023 - Ultimate Spider-Man Annual 1
024 - Incredible Hulk 341 (The Savage Bull Doth Bear the Yoke)
025 - Batman Elseworlds (Holy Terror)
026 - Incredible Hulk 420 (Lest Darkness Come)
027 - Preacher 18 (Texas and the Spaceman)
028 - Batman 424 (The Diplomat's Son)
029 - Green Lantern 188 (Mogo Doesnt Socialize)
030 - Avengers 189 (Slings and Arrows)
031 - Tangled Web 4 (Severance Package)
032 - Incredible Hulk 340 (Vicious Circle)
033 - Lex Luthor Special (The Unauthorized Biography)
034 - Birds of Prey 8 (On Wings)
035 - Omega Men 26 (Brief Lives)
036 - Amazing Spider-Man Annual 15 (Spider-Man Threat or Menace)
037 - Fables Special (The Last Castle)
038 - Spectre 5 (A Rage in Hell)
039 - Captain America 7 (The Lonesome Death of Jack Monroe)
I am about 3/4 of the way through the first Brubaker Cap Omnibus and am enjoying it much more than I ever thought I would. This particular issue was one of my favorites because of how it acts as an interlude between story arcs (I'm not sure if I would have liked it as much as a "single issue" rather than part of a larger package). 8/10
040 - X-Factor 87 (X-Aminations)
041 - Iron Man 128 (Demon in a Bottle)
042 - New Teen Titans 38 (Who Is Donna Troy)
043 - H-E-R-O 11 (The Great Leap Forward)
044 - GI Joe 21 (Silent Interlude)
045 - Sandman 18 (A Dream of a Thousand Cats)
046 - Hitman 34 (Of Thee I Sing)
047 - Flinch 1 (Rocket-Man)
048 - What If 4 (The Alien Costume Had Possessed Spider-Man)
049 - Ghost Rider Annual 2 (Wish for Pain)
050 - Iron Man 237 (Star Hunter)
051 - Classic X-Men 25 (Just Don't Look in its Eyes)
052 - 100 Bullets - 11 (Heartbreak Sunnyside Up)
053 - Hellblazer 63 (Forty)
054 - Secret Origins Special 1 (Original Sins, The Killing Peck, When Is A Door)
055 - Legion of Super-Heroes 13 (If You Think Khunds Are Cuddy You'll Love the Lythyls)
056 - Animal Man 7 (The Death of the Red Mask)
057 - Dark Horse Presents 1 (Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous)
058 - Dr. Strange 56 (A Mystic Reborn)
059 - The Thing 2 (For Beauty Passed Away)
060 - Sandman 50 (Ramadan)
061 - Incredible Hulk 393 (The Closing Circle)
062 - Batman Black and White 1 (Two of a Kind)
Bruce Timm writes and illustrates a lovely nostaligia-inducing tale about Two-face. It's only a few pages long, but is great nonetheless. 7/10 (7.5/10 for the whole issue)
063 - Avengers 217 (Double-Cross)
064 - Sandman 40 (The Parliament of Rooks)
065 - Avengers Annual 10 (By Friends Betrayed)
066 - Adventure Comics 466 (Never Say Die)
067 - Nightwing 25 (The Boys)
068 - Gotham Knights 8
069 - Sandman 17 (Calliope)
070 - Planetary Special (Night on Earth)
071 - New Teen Titans 20 (Dear Mom and Dad)
072 - Preacher Special (Tall in the Saddle)
073 - Justice League Annual 1 (Germ Warfare)
074 - Batman Black and White 4 (An Innocent Guy)
Brian Bolland's short tale remind us of the crazy in Gotham. I'm still not exactly sure why the 2 short stories from this series were chosen over the others?? Oh well, it was still a good one. 7/10
075 - American Century 9 (Route 66)
076 - Batman Adventures Annual 1 (Laughter After Midnight)
077 - Web Of Spider-Man 1 (Til Death Do Us Part)
078 - Fantastic Four 3 (Happy New Year Reed Richards Now Die)
079 - Astro City 1 (In Dreams)
A perfect intro into the world of Astro City. This issue follows Samaritan throughout his daily routine of saving hundreds of people from certain death...no big deal. Busiek's writing is great. 8/10
080 - Preacher 50 (The Land of Bad Things)
081 - Legion of Super-Heroes 296 (What Do You Do on the Day After Doomsday)
082 - Adventures of Superman 474 (Face to Face With Yesterday)
083 - Conan the Barbarian 100 (Death on the Black Coast)
084 - Amazing Spider-Man 248 (The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man)
085 - Robin 46 (Dark at Dawn)
086 - Tales of the New Teen Titans 1 (Cyborg)
087 - Fantastic Four 60 (Inside Out)
088 - Semper Fi 1 (Reunion)
089 - Preacher Special (Blood & Whiskey)
090 - Underworld Unleashed Batman (Devil's Asylum)
091 - Exiles 16 (Nocturne and Evensong)
092 - Legion of Superheroes Annual 1 (Who Shot Laurel Kent)
093 - Hitman 22 (The Santa Contract)
094 - Demo 3 (Bad Blood)
Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan teamed up to haunt my soul with this miniseries. Each tale was beautiful in its own unique way. The writing and art throughout seem like they were made specifically for each other. 9/10
095 - Animal Man 15 (The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea)
096 - Legion Of Super-Heroes 3
097 - Uncanny X-Men 268 (Madripoor Knights)
098 - Punisher 10 (The Creep)
099 - Alias 10
Just one of Bendis' many masterpieces. How he manages to pull off a superhero comic without a whole lot of superheroing going on is just a testament to his skill. Like many of the series on this list, it is hard to pick just a single issue, but the David Mack art just adds a nice touch to this very interesting story. 8.5/10100 - Ghost Rider 68 (The Curse of Jonathan Blaze)
Here are 10 Reader's Picks that were originally left out of the top 100.
101 - Batman Adventures Special (Mad Love)
Paul Dini and Bruce Timm's insane tale of the insane-r Harley Quinn. Well written and any chance to see Bruce Timm draw is always great. 8/10
102 - Hellblazer 27 (Hold Me)
103 - Action Comics Annual 1 (Skeeter)
104 - Incredible Hulk 82 (Dear Tricia)
105 - Wildstorm Spotlight 1 (The Big Chill)
106 - All-Star Superman 1 (Faster)
This issue serves as a wonderful start to one of the greatest Superman stories ever told...but with Morrison writing and Quitely drawing it was bound to be good wasn't it? 9/10107 - Peter Parker Spider-Man 20 (The Best Medicine)
108 - Deadpool 67 (Buddy Picture)
109 - Secret Wars 4 (Situation Hopeless)
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