Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1972!

Redartz:  Good day, and welcome everyone! For this episode of  "Rank and File" we cast our eyes upon the earlier Bronze age, to 1972. Our goal: to select some of the finest examples of comic book storytelling available in that fine, vintage year. I've chosen my favorites, using my admittedly subjective criteria (have I actually read it, and did I like it) along with considerations of historical significance, creativity and just plain coolness. Therefore, let us dally no longer with explanations; on with the show...


 

1. Avengers 100- "Whatever Gods There Be", by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, Joe Sinnott and Syd Shores. Great classic tale with a plethora of Avengers.













 

2. Fantastic Four 121- "The Mysterious Mind Blowing Secret of Gabriel", by Stan Lee, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. One of Stan's last stories, but an interesting way to bring Galactus back...












 


3. Green Lantern/Green Arrow 89- "And Through Him Save a World", by Dennis O'Neal and Neal Adams. A bit heavy-handed, but a dramatic finish to the O'Neal/Adams run.












 



4. Marvel Premiere 4- "The Spawn of Sligguth", by Archie Goodwin, Barry Windsor-Smith and Frank Brunner. A tale smacking of horror; a bit different for Dr. STrange, but a good read. And unusual, but nice, artistic pairing of Smith and Brunner.










 


5. Marvel Team-Up 4- "And Then-The X-Men", by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and Steve Mitchell. A Solid team-up, solid art, solid stories, just a solid issue. 












 


6. Amazing Spider-Man 113- "They Call the Doctor...Octopus"; by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Jim Starlin. A great start to the Ock /Hammerhead war. And interesting to see Jim Starlin over Romita, as well. 











 


7. Captain America 155- "The Incredible Origin of the Other Captain America", by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Frank McLaughlin. Englehart's phenomenal run on the book is just starting, and already he tackles a biggie: the '50's' Cap!











 



8. Conan the Barbarian 20- "The Black Hound of Vengeance", by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith and Dan Adkins. A personal favorite among the Thomas/Smith Conan stories. Absolutely great; and what a cover. Incidentally, this must have been a good year for Mr. Windsor-Smith.









 


9. Kamandi 1- "The Last Boy on Earth", by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer. The King starts off his post-apocalyptic epic in fine form. Dialogue may  be a bit clunky, but you can't fault his imagination.











 



10. Swamp Thing 1- "Dark Genesis", by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. A more detailed origin for the swamp monster, courtesy  of his two initial creators. 






 





There's my picks; take'em or leave'em. Either way, let us all know why you took them or left them, and pass along your own lists for the Best of '72!

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1973!

Redartz:  Hi gang; ready for another survey of the best that comics have to offer? For today's installment, we go back to 1973, a very impressive comics year indeed. One I missed out on originally, as I was still reading exclusively Archies until 1974. But once I got the collecting bug, I picked up many of these and other gems from '73. 

As always, we make our selections based on books on sale between January and December 1973, cover dated Apr.73  to Mar.74. And now, in no specific order, here are my picks for the year's best:


 



The Shadow 1- "The Doom Puzzle" by Denny O'Neil and Micheal Kaluta. O'Neil and Kaluta revive the classic pulp character with this striking debut issue.

Marvel Premiere 14- "Sise-Neg Genesis" by Steve Englehart, Frank Brunner and Dick Giordano. The climax to an epic Dr. Strange story, to creation and back. And who knew that it would only get better, soon, in Doc's own title?










 



Savage Tales 2-  "Red Nails" by Roy Thomas and Barry Windsor- Smith. The first half of perhaps the greatest Conan tale of all; a masterpiece. Windsor-Smith's art is a museum piece.










 


Avengers 117- "Holocaust" by Steve Englehart, Bob Brown and Mike Esposito. Marvel's first big crossover event, and it was a doozy. The first battle between Captain America and Sub-Mariner since the Golden Age, and that's only part of the book.












 



Plop! 1-  Various content by Sergio Aragones, Steve Skeates, George Evans, Sheldon Mayer, Bernie Wrightson, Frank Robbins and Alfredo Alcala. This wonderfully twisted humor book gets off to a great start with a fine lineup of top creators. Wonder if this book is collected anywhere...









 


Amazing Spider-man 122- "The Goblin's Last Stand" by Gerry Conway, Gil Kane and John Romita Sr.  So much has been written about this monumental issue, nothing I can say is very novel. But it turned the comics world upside down, and still packs a staggering punch all these years later. Plus, one of Mary Jane Watson's most powerful scenes ever.













Batman 251- "The Joker's Five-Way Revenge" by Denny O'Neil and Neil Adams. An instant classic; one of the best Joker stories in the long history of the Dark Knight. 










 


Defenders 10- "Breakthrough" by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and Frank Bolle. Okay, I know it's part of the Avengers/Defenders war already represented above. But hey, it's a different title, it's Hulk vs. Thor, it's a gargantuan tale, and it's my choice anyway...










 


Fantastic Four 141- "The End of the Fantastic Four" by Gerry Conway, John Buscema and Joe Sinnott. Man, it was a tough year in Gerry Conway's titles. Nevertheless, this story has enough action and drama for a year's worth of books. Annhilus is always cool, and that ending left me stunned the first time I read it.











 


Swamp Thing 7- "Night of the Bat" by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. Many issues of this run could have been chosen for this list, but this one is a favorite. Batman by Wrightson is certainly a perk, great story and beautifully moody art. But why did they have to kill the dog? 













Whew, as always, it's a tough call. There was a ton of great material that year; so you probably have some other suggestions to consider. Fair enough, let's hear from you!

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1984!

Redartz:  Good day, everyone. Ready for another assessment of a year's comic creativity? This time around, we will consider the year 1984. Late in the Bronze Age, but still rife with good reading! And I can testify to that; making the choices once again was difficult, and several quite deserving books were left off my list. But of course it's a subjective thing, anyway. A couple of my picks might surprise  you, I tried to take note of the impact of the stellar independent books appearing at the time. And of course there are other books that I didn't include do to a lack of familiarity with them; which is where you all come in. After seeing my picks, make your lists and tell us all what got missed.

And now, heeeeeeere's the list:


 

Saga of the Swamp Thing 24- "Roots" by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette and John Totleben. The fine climax to the battle with the creepy Floronic Man. With a denouement that would have done EC Comics proud.




 









 



 Journey 9- "Near Spring" by William Messner-Loebs. A perfect example of great characterization and intelligent writing, wound around historical drama with humor and heart. And a chilling description of death beneath the frozen ice.





 









 


Fantastic Four 267- "A Small Loss" by John Byrne. An innovative look at Dr. Octopus, a cool battle with Reed, and a tragic ending. One of Byrne's best FF stories, imho.


 











 




Marvel Fanfare 15- "That Night" by Barry Windsor Smith. A little humor is something I value greatly, and this gem from BWS has plenty. And, the artwork is a treat for the eyes...


 













 


Power Pack 1- "Power Play" by  Louise Simonson, June Brigman and Bob Wiacek. We are introduced to the Power children, and to a unique, well written and clever series. Simonson writes the kids like someone who has 'been there'.


 











 



Superman 400- "The Living Legends of Superman" by Elliot Maggin and just about everyone in comics. An array of different views of the Man of Steel, by the top artists in the business (Eisner, Kirby, Byrne, Steranko, Ditko, and Miller, just a few of them).


 










 



Love and Rockets 10- Just a full book of good stuff by Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez. If you haven't met Maggie, Hopey, Penny Century, Fumble and the rest, you've missed out.


 












 


Amazing Spider-Man 259- "All My Pasts Remembered" by Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz and Josef Rubinstein. Mary Jane Watson tells her story, after all those years. And you get the Hobgoblin, and the return of Spidey's red-and-blues.


 












 


Thor 350- "Ragnarok and Roll" by  Walter Simonson. Asgard and it's allies vs. Surtur, and what a titanic clash it is. Simonson at his best, writing and drawing.


 














 


America vs. The Justice Society 1- "I Accuse" by Roy and Danette Thomas, Rafael Kayanan, Rich Buckler, Jerry Ordway, Alfredo Alcala and Bill Collins. Golden age goodness, courtroom drama, history, and loads of characters...


















Well, there you have it. A time capsule of the best of 1984; from my perspective. But what about your best list? You all may now proceed to take your shot, make your list, and enumerate your '84 Hall of Fame...

Rank and File: The Year's Best Comic Stories, 1983!

Redartz:  Hello again, and welcome to another look at the best comic tales of the year. The year 1983, that is! As you may recall, when last we featured a "year's best" post, we offered up ten titanic tales (individual issues, by the way; not arcs- although they certainly may have been part of a continuing storyline). Then it was up to you to discuss/critique/substitute/expand our list with your own thoughts and nominations. And since we all remember the routine, let's waste no more time and get right to the good stuff. 

In no particular order, here are my nominations for the ten best of calender year 1983 (cover dated Apr. 1983-Mar. 1984):

 

Amazing Spider-Man 248- "The Kid Who Collects Spider-Man" by Roger Stern, Ron Frenz and Terry Austin.  I've said it before; possibly the best single Spider-Man story ever.


 











 


Saga of the Swamp Thing 21- "The Anatomy Lesson" by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben. Moore's incredible run is just getting warmed up with this creepy masterpiece.

 

Thor 337- "Doom" by Walter Simonson. Walt introduces us to Beta Ray Bill, and to a whole new era of greatness for the Thunder God.


 










 


Captain America 281- "Before the Fall" by J.M. DeMattais and Mike Zeck. Very powerful, story and art both. 

 

American Flagg! 1- "Hard Times" by Howard Chaykin. Socio-political commentary, sex, violence, and talking cats.


 










 




Legion of Superheroes 300- "The Future is Forever" by Paul Levitz, Kieth Giffen and Larry Mahlstedt (and a great group of former Legion artists). One of the best anniversary issues ever (and the pin-up is worth the 1.50 cover price alone).


 

Alpha Flight 6- "Snowblind" by John Byrne.  Several issues of this series could qualify as greats, this one is notable for Byrne's sheer chutzpah in giving us several blank pages of art (?).


 










 



Fantastic Four 262- "The Trial of Reed Richards" by John Byrne. As above, many issues of this run could be selected; this issue is a perfect example of the strength of that run."


 

E-Man 3- "Dark Albatross Must be Rendered Inoperative, Lifewise" by Martin Pasko and Joe Staton. Some of the best X-Men satire you'll ever see.


 










 


New Teen Titans 38- "Who is Donna Troy" by Marv Wolfman, George Perez and Romeo Tanghal. A masterful tale of drama and friendship as Wonder Girl discovers her past, with some help from Dick Grayson.





 








So now it's up to you. What do you think of these choices? Winners or losers? How would you rank them; and are there other books from that memorable year you would see on the list? Have at it, folks!

Chew The Fat: Hulks and Other Things!

Martinex1: On the last day of HULK WEEK, let's discuss the influence the Hulk has had on other characters.   Obviously, the Hulk himself was the result and culmination of literary precedents like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein and Robert Louis Stevenson's Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr.Hyde. Are there others, and how did Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Peter David and others modify the approach? 

"Man or monster," is an ongoing theme in comics.    Discuss the various creatures, monsters, tragic characters, and even villains that share Hulk's predicament in some way, shape, or form.  Discuss the influence of the Hulk on these creations and vice versa.  Take a look at the below covers for just a small sample of similar beings, whether heroes or adversaries, aliens or ancients.   Who were the best and who were the worst?  What about other Marvel and DC heroes; did even the handsome and sublime have Hulk-like tendencies?


Also, since it is the last day in this gamma irradiated adventure, feel free to bring up any other topic related to the Hulk that you would like to discuss.  Concepts, artists, writers, storylines, and pop culture are all fair game.   Consider today's Chew the Fat to be an open forum on all things Hulk!


Bring it on BITBA brothers and sisters - there is still much to smash in the next 24 hours!