Your Personal Top 514154
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michaelekrupp private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Back in my fanzine days it was oft suggested that I put together a list of my personal top 100 comics. My reply was usually something along the lines of never being able to get it down to 100 without going insane in the process. Which comics would be in? Which wouldn’t make the cut? How in the world could anyone decide on the exact order? I think the idea of a personal top 5 is much more manageable. What are your personal top 5 comics and why? I am not looking for your five best slabs here. I am looking for the comics that shaped you, that made you the collector you are today. The comics that are the reason you now own all those awesome slabs! What follows are my personal top five, presented “Letterman style” ie starting with #5 and building up to number one. If you find that there is a sameness to these comics, consider it a testimony as to how important those early ‘80s X-men comics were in making me a lifelong hobbyist. After you check out my top 5, I hope you will share yours. Number Five: Grimjack #1.  This is by far my favorite issue of Grimjack and represents everything I love best about the character and 1980s indie comics in general. Well written, thought provoking and featuring Tim Truman at the top of his game on the artwork. Number Four: X-men #5.  This was my first “collector comic”, purchased for me by my dad on my 11th birthday. The copy I had was probably in the VG range and cost my dad $9. At age 11 I had no concept of condition or how to care for comics. I literally read that thing to death! I no longer have it and have never owned another copy since (reprints excluded, natch). Number Three: X-men #138  This is the comic that made me a collector. It basically recaps the entire history of the X-men up to that point and is the comic that drove me to begin seeking out back issues. If this comic hadn’t inspired me to start seeking out old X-men books, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here talking about comics today! Number Two: Avengers Annual #10:  While this issue is considered highly desirable for the first appearance of Rogue, I loved it for being one of the greatest rock ‘em sock ‘em battle issues in the history of comics! So many heroes and villains duking it out, so much action! Even all these decades later this one still gets me excited! Number One: X-men #142.  While it is daunting to point to a single comic and say “this is the best thing I ever read”, this is the best thing I ever read! It totally captured my imagination at age 11. I remember lining up my sisters’ stuffed animals and re-enacting the battle between the X-men and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants over and over. This comic also has the distinction of being the only comic that I ever wrote my name inside. Okay, I’ve shown you my top five, now let’s see yours! |
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 I have a problem with fattening women up.
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Bronte private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Spider-man 6 was what started me to collect after getting my original copy stolen from me in 1992. My hunt for a VF copy of Spider-man 6 drove me to seek out a better copy than what had been taken from me. I'm positive this book is better than what I had and that literally stopped the nightmares associated with my loss.  I learned that sniping in ebay was a better method of buying than getting caught in the moment after bidding more that the original buy it now price. This book was purchased for a all time high at the time for 2722$ at a 9.4. Only later pressed to a 9.6  For my 3rd book, not in any particular order, I got into a quest with a forum member for a signature. It didn't pan out, but he was one of the first folks I met on the forum and this book will always remind me that although we didn't succeed, sometimes the by-product of friendship is more valuable. I don't forsee this book ever leaving my collection. Although it is spoken for in my death....  I learned from the forum that not all that is different is garbage. I went from hating this book because of its pence origin, to saying that it is one of my most unusual books. It is my only graded pence book.  |
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Avengers Annual 10 is my number 1 That’s the book that got me interested in the art. Those pencils and details blew me away. Even to this day, I’m still astounded by the art. Avengers 187 is my 2 against was the art that stuck out to me. 3 is Warlock 10- amazing existential dread in a comic. 4 is Dreadstar 2- this was a comic that tackled themes I’d never seen before in a comic. 5 is Kingdom Come- the story that got me back into comics in the 90s. Comics elevated to an art form. |
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 past performance is no guarantee of future actions.
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KatKomics private msg quote post Address this user | |
always had a thing for reverse flash and picked this up many years ago..currently with CBCS to move into a crystal clear holder....have a press on it to but I have zero% confidence it will move a grade (has pressable defects but also other defects that will hold it back) have the hand written bill from the ebay purchase for this one...grand total of $118.05 USD!! the Stan signature is nice but really it's the Herb Trimpe one for me....was a great guy and got to talk to him a bit and at the same time got this great sketch!   will break the rules and go for the whole Kravens Last Hunt storyline. Was having a rough year when this came out (parents divorce) and these books kept my mind in comics and away from stupid real life for at least a little while!!...at some point I may send them in for a press..shockingly a few picked up 9.8's anyway...guess I was a good kid at keeping them in decent condition! (was what 12 or 13 when I bought these?)  |
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 Have I told you about the time I dropped off 3,000 comics at SDCC?
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Scifinator private msg quote post Address this user | |
| One need go no further than my moniker to see an influencing thread for what brought me to and kept me collecting the late 70's/ early 80's and back again in the early 90's. #1)- This is where it started and this is a single owner comic.  #2)- While some would say the #1 & #2 don't mix, for me at that time it was a natural fit/progression. This was my original purchase at about the same time as Star Trek above from my LCS. Recently sold as I upgraded to a 9.8 SS.  #3- Perhaps SciFi/Superhero this is the "comic on the wall" that first caught my eye when when I went into that LCS to buy the Star Trek #1. This was my personal "Grail". Always just out of reach until recently, I think the loner character (not too dissimilar from Rom later) sang to me and was relatable.  #4- While not SciFi, as I diverted my attention away from the Norrin Radd on the wall, this artwork captivated me. This comic/mag would always make me look at the artwork and story, as opposed to the popular character or team. To this day Mike Barr, John Byrne, Keith Giffen, Michael Golden, Jim Starlin, Boris Valejo, remain as most of my favorite artists and writers. I had 9.6 (which I later had slabbed but had not been cleaned and pressed), that I would sell a couple of years ago after I was able to pick up two 9.8's to eventually leave to my twin sons when I force ghost. This is one of the two.  #5- Back to the SciFi/Superhero genre this one is tough. Is it chicken or the egg? While Camelot 3000 was my first and very limited foray into the evil empire (at the time) of DC Comics, was it later Omega Men issue #1 or, issue #3 with the first appearance of Lobo that was more influential for me. For some reason Omega Men was more my thing that X-Men. I have to go with #3 because while I liked Omega Men from the first issue, #3 locked me in and would later bring me back to comics in the 90's with full development of the Main Man in his own series. The anti-hero, irreverent, snark-master first appearance gets the nod. Again, original owner of this comic.  |
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @Scifinator I had Star Trek 1 also! I’ve never understood why people say you can’t like Star Trek and Star Wars. I love both! |
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 I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
As a young kid, it was DC all the way. Superman, Action Comics, Batman, Detective, Worlds Finest, Jimmy Olsen, Superboy, etc. But I really liked the stories of the Teen Titans and the Legion of Super-Heroes in Adventure Comics. This is probably the first comic I read where a hero died, which stunned me at the time (and a few issues later, that Ghost of Ferro Lad story was something too). A few years latter, these issues changed comics forever. The Neal Adams art was also phenomenal.   I don't know why, but I have always loved the Swamp Thing, and Bernie Wrightson was the perfect artist for this tragic character (unfortunately, this is not my original copy).  By my teen years, I had started to get serious about collecting. A friend of mine from elementary school was also into comics, and even though he moved and went to a different high school, we kept in touch and would go to comic shows. That's when I started to get into Marvel comics - ASM, FF, X-Men, Avengers, and a few others. I knew I was serious when at one of the shows I spent almost all my money on just two comics. I typically would go to a show and come home with 20+ books. At that show I bought an X-Men #1 and an Avengers #2, and not much else. Both books were gorgeous, probably in the VFN/NM range (long before there were slabs or even separate grades, just ranges) and both cost me less than $100. Several years later I needed cash to go to a wedding of a college friend in Upstate New York, and I stupidly sold the nicer book, the X-Men #1, to my LCS. I still have the Avengers #2, and I still think that X-Men #1 was in better condition. Looking at the prices that book is going for now, I wish I could go back and find another way to get air fare to Buffalo. I also wish I had spent my money on quality over quantity more often.  |
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Have I told you about the time I dropped off 3,000 comics at SDCC?
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Scifinator private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @esaravo - Ahhh, so perhaps I should refer to you as Grand Moff ESaravo. | ||
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 Collector
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50AE_DE private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Top 5 books just because of the good memories it brought me and not because of value... #5 Amazing Spider-Man 238 - 1st Hobgoblin - Hobgoblin was my favorite villian growing up. The suspense of not knowing who he was kept me a reader of all Spidey books for years.  #4 Marvel Secret Wars #1 - This is the one that really started the collecting madness.  #3 Brother Power the Geek #1 - Took me years to find this book. No one at the shows I went to even knew this character existed. I really miss the "hunt" for some of these obscure books. With eBay and the internet it really has taken some of the fun away from hunting these books.  #2 World's Finest 189 - Who get's Superman's heart? Back when I was younger my friends and I would do a lot of back and forth trading of comics. This books was in my collection and everyone wanted to know who got Superman's heart. It took me years to find the next issue since comic book stores were pretty rare in the early 80s and since I was ten I had to take the bus to there.  #1 Batman 291 - My earliest recollection of reading and flipping through the same comic book multiple times thinking Catwoman killed Batman. It's such an awesome cover too.  |
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I live in RI and Rhode Islanders eat chili with beans.
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esaravo private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Scifinator No, just plain stupid will do (I didn't even mention how I sold off my original Swamp Thing #1-24 and included my HOS #92 with them!). |
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 You do know that the new guy brings the donuts, right?
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DWeeB1967 private msg quote post Address this user | |
@50AE_DE Nice. I literally have a copy of "Brother Power, the Geek #1" being graded by CBCS as I write this.   |
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 -Our Odin-Rest in Peace |
Jesse_O private msg quote post Address this user | |
| These are in no particular order. First up, Wolverine #1. I was fascinated with Wolverine, Captain America and Dr. Strange. Cap will come later, but Dr. Strange didn't make the cut. He'd be in the top 10 though. I loved this cover so much, that I painted it on my bedroom wall!!! It looked awesome!!! Unfortunately, I don't believe any photos of that exist anymore.  Next up is actually a pair of comics. They are two Argentine Rambo comics. I bought them off of ebay and they came from Brazil to me. It took forever!!! LOL. These were my first two serious foreign comics that I bought. Matt Roybal was kind enough to take them to a book signing that the creator of Rambo, David Morrell, was at. Mr. Morrell is one of my favorite novel authors. Matt took a few books of mine to get signed also. Mr. Morrell inscribed "the father of Rambo" and signed them.    Next up is Warp #5. It was the first comic book that I bought new, in Arlington, Texas, that wasn't a Harvey, Archie, war or superhero comic. My mom looked at me funny, but she let me buy it.  Then comes Cap #275!!! The storyline in this comic was pivotal in my thinking. The writers of Cap, and Steve Rogers, were ALL instrumental in my developing values, but #275 seemed to bring it all home for me. If I've peaked your interest, read it. It is political, so I won't comment any further on it.  Last, but definitely not least, is a comic that I wanted for many years. Some of you might remember my hunt for this one. It's Tank Girl #1!!! All I can say is ... it's Tank Girl. You either get it and love it or you detest it.  |
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 Leftover Sundae Gnus
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CatmanAmerica private msg quote post Address this user | |
It would take too long to explain in detail the impact of these, but each left an impression. The Ballantine paperback's B&W reprints of EC science fiction comics with the killer Frazetta cover is memorable... There are clear crossover points such as Reed Crandall's and Wally Wood's work on T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents, but by this time I was already dipping my toes into the exotic pool of Golden Age comics...  One of my earliest Silver Age continued series passion was Mystery In Space featuring Adam Strange, brilliantly envisioned by Carmine Infantino...  Although an even earlier passion was the monthly Ind. monster feast (Ind. being the little notation in the upper lefthand corner) of Marvel's marvelous monster universe frequently sporting covers with Jack Kirby pencils inked by Dick Ayers...  Of course there were also incredible Steve Ditko covers like this one, along with great interior stories and art, all left a big impression...  |
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 I'm a #2.
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BigRedOne1944 private msg quote post Address this user | |
     Eighties Indies and Mike Zeck's Punisher is what brought me back into comics |
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| Post 14 • IP flag post | ||
 Collector
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Darkseid_of_town private msg quote post Address this user | |
 Mom bought me a copy of this at age 5 in a New York subway...much later in the early eighties it was this book that sent me searching into a local comic shop, and was the hook that drew me into the new gods, Jack Kirby and then comic books as a hobby.   Justice League 100, and 101 tell a crossover of the JLA, and JSA as well as the seven soldiers of victory...one of the best stories I read as a kid and well worth the admission price....  X men 50 was my introduction to the work of the amazing Steranko, and one copy I owned caused me a ton of drama with the owners of a shop, while I traded another copy to a cheerleader for her boyfriend in exchange for some help with getting cards signed by members of her squad....I wonder if he still has that book today!  Probably my most valued and loved book, and perhaps my first really big book that I got of Kirbys....the signature made it so much more to me than just a comic book, even back in the mid eighties when signatures werent a thing yet really  |
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 Masculinity takes a holiday.
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EbayMafia private msg quote post Address this user | |
| 5) Comico Grendel #1 (B&W) The panache and mystique of the 3 issue Grendel series really caught my eye and got me interested in other indies. I found affordable copies of 2 and 3 but went years before I finally bought a copy of #1. 4) X-men 94 Never owned a decent copy until this year but it caught my eye and had my attention every time I saw it from day one of collecting. 3) Daredevil 158 Frank Miller was hot when I started collecting and this was the ultimate Frank Miller book to own. We talked about it a lot as kids but nobody I knew owned one. It inspired confidence that some of the comic books we were buying off the racks might be worth money one day. 2) X-men 141 The cover and first few pages with Sentinels running Mutant Internment Camps was so haunting. I remember as a kid I was bummed that Wolverine wasn't wearing his cool costume though. 1) X-men 138 Recapping all the major stories of the X-men as a memorial to Jean Grey was brilliant. It gave those silly stories a feeling of reality and made me read comic books in a different way. I think it made me see comics as a more than just stories for 12 year olds. |
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 I had no way of knowing that 9.8 graded copies signed by Adam Hughes weren't what you were looking for.
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drchaos private msg quote post Address this user | |
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 Collector
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obrie2tm private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Combination of books that pulled me into comics and my love for the DC Universe and its characters, as well as the amazing GA cover art. 1) Kingdom Come #1 - Read this at least once a year. 2) Sandman #1/#8 - Already loved Neil Gaiman, and enjoy reading everything he produces, particularly this brilliant series. Also revisit this once a year and just listened to the fantastic Audible production. 3) Flash #114 - the book that kicked off my Flash collection and enjoyment of the Carmine Infantino artwork. 4) New Adventure Comics #17 - Kicked off my obsession with the early Adventure/More Fun books (pre-superhero), particularly the fantastic cover art of Creig Flessel. 5) Saga of the Swamp Thing #21 - Kick's off the brilliant run by Alan Moore Honorable Mention: Locke & Key #1 - My favorite modern series - can't wait to see the cross-over with the Sandman Universe. |
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 PEDIGREED... Again!
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martymann private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @michaelekrupp Great thread...some truly outstanding books and interesting comments! Marty |
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| Post 19 • IP flag post | ||
 The Fifth Golden Girl
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sborock private msg quote post Address this user | |
Hard to pick just 5, but these really blew my mind as a kid.     |
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 Collector
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Blair1999 private msg quote post Address this user | |
This might be the post that made me think the most.... I'll get back to you.  |
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| Post 21 • IP flag post | ||
 I don't believe this....and I know you don't care that I don't believe this.
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GAC private msg quote post Address this user | |
First book I ever read...read it when it was published. Fell in love with the artform and couldn't get enough...the rest of these books are very very early into my collecting.     |
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 Beaten by boat oars
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Studley_Dudley private msg quote post Address this user | |
This is the one that got the ball rolling when I was a kid. Life was never the same.  The first X-Men book I read was the Classic version of 137. I read it until it fell apart because I sure don't have that now.  The 2nd X-Men book I read when I found it in a multipack at the grocery store. Part of a "comic collector starter pack" with a little guide on how to collect and 25 poly bags.  I fell out of it for a few years until I was a junior in high school and saw the first issue of Welcome Back, Frank. Garth Ennis totally reinvigorated the Punisher character. Absolutely love this storyline.  A much more modern addition that made me realize Transformers stories could smart and mature to go along with being kickass.  Awesome topic. Very difficult to just pick five but these are the five that have stuck out to me for a while. |
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| Post 23 • IP flag post | ||
 I’m Kinda Married To A Celebrity.
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00slim private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Without question, the book that introduced me to “the joy of the hunt” is the black bagged Death of Superman issue. I was a collector before this, but never “chased” anything before. I always sort of waited to see what I stumbled upon at my LCS or garage sales. I finally found one of these (at the mall, of all places) near my Grandma’s house. I painted fences that Summer to scrape together the $55.00 I needed to get it. All along, not sure it’d still be there when I finally had the money! I was beyond stoked to get it.  I still have my original copies of these. I had to get them from a mail order catalog. A mash-up of two of my favorite things? ALIENS AND BATMAN? I was SOLD! Still love this book & the Wrightson art is spectacular! Please note, none of the later trades capture the art as beautifully. I’d highly recommend the two original prestige format issues if these interest you.  This one blew my socks off the first time I read it. I didn’t grasp the ending at the time, but I still loved it. I was super impressed with the writing at the time (and still am).  I went on a short hiatus from collecting & made a stop into my friend’s LCS (Today, it’s my LCS, since I moved). I purchased a Wizard magazine (remember those?!) and took it home. Inside I found a brief blurb on a new ‘Manhunter’ series. It seemed intriguing and I’ve always loved well written female leads. I returned to the shop a day or two later & picked up the first four or so issues. I was not disappointed. This book is exceptionally well done. I loved it so much, I wrote DC when it was canceled. It was briefly brought back but ultimately cancelled again. Literally the book that got me back into collecting.  And here is quite possibly the best single issue comic book story I’ve ever read. Love, love, love this book.  |
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by martymann Agreed! I’m really loving seeing the comics that people are passionate about. Michael always has some good thread topics. Kudos! |
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PEDIGREED... Again!
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martymann private msg quote post Address this user | |
| Not easy picking 5, but this is the one that started me buying comic books, the first one I ever bought right off the newsstand back in 1942.  mm |
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| Post 26 • IP flag post | ||
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Collector
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Jabberwookie private msg quote post Address this user | |
| @martymann that’s a 3? Maybe my eyes are bad, but that presents really well. I’ve got 3 of Avengers 16 that doesn’t look near as good as that. Neat book! |
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| Post 27 • IP flag post | ||
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PEDIGREED... Again!
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martymann private msg quote post Address this user | |
Quote:Originally Posted by Jabberwookie THANKS! Yes, it's a 3.0 with Cream to Off-White Pages.  mm |
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| Post 28 • IP flag post | ||
 How do I know this? Because I've done it myself.
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lawguy1977 private msg quote post Address this user | |
| This is an awesome thread! First comic I ever read was on a trip to Duluth, MN where my parents let me pick up this little paperback that collected Amazing Fantasy #15 and ASM 1-6. I was around 5 or 6 at the time. I have no idea how many times I read that book over and over.  I jumped officially into collecting comics when I bought this at a little comic book (and record) store in my hometown. I found the storytelling absolutely compelling even though I had never read X-Men before. The scope and drama of the story along with how well the characters were written just blew me away. To date, Wolverine and Kitty Pryde are still my favorite X-Men characters. (It was years later when I realized who Bill Sienkiewicz is and how unique and dynamic his work is. Still one of my favorite artists of all time.)  Tim Burton's Batman changed everything for me as a kid. I saw it with my brother at a sneak preview at 10pm the night before it officially opened. I've been a Batman fan ever since and he's my favorite character. So then I officially started collecting Batman during the Knightfall storyline and Bane is still one of my favorite villains.  Though Batman was my favorite, I still enjoyed X-Men (90s cartoon was the best!), and I remember when X-Men #1 was released. Jim Lee's art was so dynamic and he's been my favorite artist since. (Batman #608 barely missed this list simply because his X-Men #1 is when I really remember paying attention to who the artist was at the time.)  Finally, Dark Knight Returns #1. It just blew me away as to what kind of stories could be told in comics, and I don't think there's a Batman writer since that hasn't been impacted by it when writing Batman (except maybe Grant Morrison). I read it at least once a year now.  |
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 I hear their hourly rate is outrageous!
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sportshort private msg quote post Address this user | |
This is the book that started it all for me, without me knowing it. my childhood best friend collected comics and we played made up stories (unbeknown to me they were made up by marvel writer Gerry Conway). This issue was one of the things we re-enacted so it holds a place near and dear to my heart. What can I say about Grimm Jack, it was one of the first comics (oddly enough, published by First Comics) I bought when I came back the first time to comics. It was gritty and had action, I was like WOW, when I read it. (honorable mention to independent comics Comico’s Evangeline -awesome)  Silver surfer number 1 was a book I had chased most of my young life. During most of it there was no ebay, no way to get old comics except by dumb luck or conventions (super overprice), I found one on ebay for about 35 dollars (the most I’d paid for a comic book up to that time) about 8 years ago and I was lucky enough to have Stan Lee sign it so it’s super special.  This one has been my grail since I was 17 years old and when I bought it about a year ago I was stoked to own it.  Last but certainly not least (don’t now if this qualifies but so what) is The Death of Captain Marvel. If you have not read this story it is Jim Starlin’s Magnus Opus (weather, he knows it or not). It is an amazing poignant, touching story about the end of a 3rd tier hero that has had ramifications throughout comicdom. This is a story that may make some of you misty eyed, it is that touching A hero that is taken down not by his arch enemy Thanos or other off world bad buys but by cancer, something many of us deal with daily. The other very important part of the story that sets this event apart from others is that in all these years Captain Marvel (Mar-Vell) has stayed dead. There have been some minimum returns but in the end he is dead and long gone. Read it if you haven’t I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.  |
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