Comments on: Comics A.M. | The comics Internet in two minutes

By: SageShini

SageShini — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:03:31 +0000

@ Maddhatter: You were doing great there until you tried to tell us All-Star Batman was a good comic. And THEN you told us that the art was the problem. Ahahaha…ASBARTBW has many problems…art isn’t one of them.

By: Maddhatter

Maddhatter — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:33:57 +0000

I like all star Batman though. Its the closest thing to James Ellroy writing Batman you’re ever going to get. Too bad Jim Lees insanely cross hatched artwork and near Liefeldian grasp of anatomy kind of ruins the whole thing.

By: Maddhatter

Maddhatter — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:28:08 +0000

@Wraith

How is Brubakers Catwoman not a superhero comic? That’s just fucking ridiculous.
Maybe you should read some of those early Batman or Superman stories.

By: SageShini

SageShini — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:52:36 +0000

52 is the one you’re having a problem with? Really? Not All-Star Batman and Robin?

And aside from the part of the list I have personal problems with (IMO, a “superhero” comic should contain superheroes, not just superhumans with costumes), a good bit of that list consists of stories from prior decades, recollected. I can’t agree with that. Its like saying he couldn’t think of 83 stories from this decade because it was so poor. Which, okay if you think that? That’s okay. But…just admit to that rather than artificially inflate the list.

Point is–I shouldn’t be seeing stories from pre COIE, on this list.

By: Thad

Thad — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:01:32 +0000

…hm. Actually, I suppose, strictly speaking, that Ellis’s run on The Authority concluded before 2000. And I can see leaving off Millar’s run in favor of The Ultimates.

Still and all, The Authority pretty much defined the past decade’s worth of superhero team books, and I’m not sure the fact that it misses that cutoff by a few months should really disqualify it.

By: Thad

Thad — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:58:29 +0000

“Tom Spurgeon begins compiling a list of the best superhero stories of the decade. It’s only a first draft, but he makes some excellent choices (I’d love to see his reasoning for the inclusion of 52, though).”

I understand the inclusion of 52 simply on the grounds of its format. The fact that it turned out to be pretty good besides is just gravy.

The Authority is a pretty serious oversight.

By: Bevbos

Bevbos — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:21:45 +0000

A pretty good list! Which 52 definitely deserves to be on. There’s some very compelling stuff in there. Not all of it, but a few of the through-lines definitely lead to me to the conclusion that it should make the cut.

By: Wraith

Wraith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:46:26 +0000

Actually I’m more curious about “I’m running a pretty tight definition of superhero comic.”

Because, really? For example: Sleeper? Well, there were superheroes in it, occasionally, mostly getting beat up by supervillains. Selina’s Big Score? I don’t see how that comes close to being a superhero comic.

Which is fine, because there’s really no way you can do something like this without running into issues over the definition of “superhero.” I just find it really funny that he said “I’m running a pretty tight definition of superhero comic.”

By: Rebis

Rebis — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:21:40 +0000

Seriously, you’re slagging on “52″? Because there are more than a couple other “reeeaally?” choices on that long list. Let’s start with “All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder” and take it from there. I’ll read “52″ again some day. I couldn’t say that of this decade’s Frank Miller output.

By: Alan Coil

Alan Coil — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:52:40 +0000

“…reasoning for the inclusion of 52…” in “…the best superhero stories of the decade…”

Can’t be done. I enjoyed 52 when it was coming out, but I’d never read it again. If it is being included because of its oddity factor of being a weekly, that would not make it a true ‘best’ story.