Redartz: Hello all; that time again: time to pick a year's worth of top comics. In this instance, we look at the year 1979. As always, the choices are tough to make; and some you may well disagree with. And of course it's subjective, especially to the extent that I haven't read every comic put out in any given year, so my choices are limited to those with which I'm familiar. Aaaaanyway, a couple other caveats for this episode: I try to spread the choices around, so for instance X-Men is represented with an annual, but not by a monthly book this go-round (and obviously, any Claremont/Byrne X-Men issue is prime fodder for a best-of list). Also, I didn't follow as much DC at that point in time, so the tally is Marvel-heavy.
All that said, let's get to the picks. As always, the books chosen were published within calendar year 1979. Check out my choices, compare them to your picks, and tell me where I erred!
In no particular order:
Avengers 184- " Death on the Hudson", by David Michelinie, John Byrne and "diverse hands'. Great conclusion to an epic Absorbing Man battle, a provocative climax, great characterization, fine art; the whole works.
Amazing Spider-Man 195- "Nine Lives has the Black Cat", by Marv Wolfman, Keith Pollard and "diverse hands" (hey, who were those guys- everyone inking by committee in 1979?). Loads of classic Spidey drama, the poignant intro to Felicia Hardy, and Pete just getting his lumps.....
Cerebus the Aardvark 10- "Merchant of Unshib", by Dave Sim. The earthpig was rapidly becoming a favorite of mine by this issue, with the return of "Red Sophia"...
Marvel Premiere 50- " From the Inside", by Alice Cooper,Jim Salicrup, Roger Stern, Ed Hannigan, Tom Sutton and Terry Austin. Wonderfully strange story, with loads to absorb both mentally and visually.
Adventure Comics 467- "Carlton Canary" by Len Wein, Joe Staton and Bob Smith, and "First Encounter", by Paul Levitz, Steve Ditko and Romeo Tanghal. A twofer; two great features sharing a wonderful (and underappreciated) title. Just plain fun, solid comics.
X-Men Annual 3- "A Fire in the Sky", by Chris Claremont, George Perez and Terry Austin. A fantastic done-in-one, one of the best annuals ever. One reason why annuals were a highlight of the comic year.
Batman 321- "Dreadful Birthday, Dear Joker", by Len Wein, Walter Simonson and Dick Giordano. A cool Joker tale with some top notch art ; how can you miss with that lineup?
Daredevil 163- "Blind Alley", by Roger McKenzie, Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and Josef Rubinstein. A phenomenal, gut-wrenching story of persistance and self sacrifice. One of the Hulk's finest guest appearances, and a Daredevil tale to rival the classic issue 7.
Micronauts 7- "Adventure into Fear", by Bill Mantlo, Michael Golden and Josef Rubinstein. The Micro's team was really hitting it's stride by this issue, a fine tale with comedy, drama and Man-thing meeting a swamp buggy. Plus a beautiful cover!
Iron Man 128- "Demon in a Bottle", by David Michiline, John Romita Jr. and Bob Layton. A truly classic story of one man's battle with his personal demons.
Well, there you have them. Ten of the best from the tail end of the 1970's. What do you think; did this list cover the best, or did I miss some obvious betters? Put on your critical caps and fire away!
