3 Sept 2008

Thought Balloon: 50 Things I Love About Comics

By Matt C

I’m not sure where the idea originated, but over the last few weeks the comics blogosphere has seen a multitude of ‘50 Things I Love About Comics’ lists popping of on numerous different sites. You can find some examples here, here, here and here. A Google search will probably generate many more – plenty of fine lists out there with often surprising an unexpected choices.

No to be left and out – why come up with an idea of your own when you can nick a great one from other people! – my list can be seen below. No particular order, and merely a snapshot of some of things I love about the medium rather than a definitive list or a Top 50.

And here we go:


1. Jack Kirby
2. John Byrne's Fantastic Four
3. Roy Thomas on Conan
4. No-Prizes
5. The first issue of Alias
6. Darwyn Cooke
7. Galactus
8. Batman: No Man’s Land 

9. Secret Wars
10. The Batman/Superman Movie (animated)
11. Wildcats Version 3.0
12. Thor
13. Fantastic Four vs X-Men (1987)
14. Bristol Comics Expo
15. Preacher
16. She-Hulk
17. Men Of Tomorrow: Geeks, Gangsters, and the Birth of the Comic Book by Gerard Jones
18. Marvel Legends (the Toybiz figures)
19. Spider-Man: Tangled Web #4
20. Jerry Siegel & Joe Shuster
21. Owly
22. “It’s clobberin’ time!”
23. Absolute Editions
24. Captain America (Vol. 5) #11
25. The Killing Joke
26. Any Silver Age issues of Superman's Pal, Jimmy Olsen featuring gorillas or other primates.
27. Alan Davis
28. Avengers (Vol. 1) #277
29. Spider-Man 2
30. Twisted Toyfare Theater
31. Kraven’s Last Hunt
32. Paradox
33. Sleeper
34. Warren Ellis
35. Peter David’s Incredible Hulk
36. The cover to Invaders (Vol. 1) #32
37. That panel with Captain Marvel standing over Superman in Kingdom Come
38. Sgt Fury & His Howling Commandos
39. Jenny Sparks
40. Heath Ledger as the Joker
41. Back issue boxes
42. Victor Von Doom
43. EC Archives
44. Marvels
45. Captain Haddock
46. Uncanny X-Men #218
47. “Imperious Rex!”
48. Darkseid
49. Gotham Central
50. Stan Lee

Anybody has any questions about my choices, feel free to ask, but hopefully the majority speak for themselves.

I know Matt T is hard at work on a list of his own, so expect to see that very soon, and you never know, maybe some of the more “silent” members of the Paradox Comics Group will get involved too. Everybody loves a good list!

6 comments:

Justin Giampaoli said...

Matt,

Awesome list! I particularly enjoyed #1 (classic), 5 (a really ballsy issue), 11 (anything Joe Casey, really), 23 (absolutely!), 25 (best Batman story of all time), and 30 (damn funny!)...

Best,

Justin
13 Minutes

Ian said...

Number 32? Paradox should be at number 1 surely?!!

Matt Clark said...

"no particular order"!!!

Paradox is always No. 1 in my heart, Ian. :)

Tom P said...

Can't work out how to post this can you help?

Hey here is my comic Top 50. It’s a good first post as it says a lot about you! Feel free to ask, ridicule or comment! Must say quite a bit of Miller in it, but I like Miller so meh… Anyway as with Mat C, no particular order, and merely a snapshot of some of things I love about the medium rather than a definitive list or a Top 50.

1. The Tumbler Batmobile
2. Batman Year One
3. Watchmen
4. Ultimate Tony stark
5. Wolverine
6. Communist supermen
7. The Joker
8. My shelves full of trade paperbacks
9. My Cap America omnibus
10. Tim sale
11. Batman a Long Halloween
12. Marvel developing a cinematic interlocking universe
13. Batman Lego
14. How light paradox makes my wallet
15. The Eternals
16. 1602
17. John Williams and his Superman the Movie theme music
18. Widescreen comics
19. X-men 2
20. Chris Nolan’s Batman films
21. Sam L Jackson as Nick Fury
22. Hellboy punching monsters
23. Identity Crisis
24. Ed Brubaker
25. Neil Gaiman
26. Frank Quitely
27. Jeph Loeb
28. Absolute editions
29. Spending a day Reading a massive story arc
30. There's always comics I want / have yet to read
31. Mark Miller
32. The fact you can have a Nazi controlled gorilla as a villain!
33. Repulser blasts
34. The Frightful Four
35. The name Pepper Pots!
36. The x-men animated series I watched as a kid (it got me into comics)
37. Hulkbuster Iron Man armour
38. The New Frontier
39. Black widow
40. Reed Richards
41. Jessica Alba as sue storm (smoking hot)
42. Hawkeye
43. Ultimate Hawkeye (Shouldn't have left my nails in, dummy)
44. Mystique
45. Spiderman
46. Magneto
47. Captain America
48. Elektra
49. Harvey Dent
50. Jim Gordon

Matt Clark said...

Great list Tom. Nazis and gorillas make great comics villains, but nazi gorillas are even better!

Tom P said...

I'm hoping Iron Man 2 or The Avengers movie will feel the same! Maybe...