20 Comics That Can Change Your Life

Desktop Hippie · April 2007

Not my opinion, just a link I stole from Fark.com

http://www.nerve.com/dispatches/nerveeditors/20comics/index.asp

True? False? Any glaring omissions?

Pb · April 2007

I don't know, but it enticed me to buy Kabuki.

Blackjack · April 2007

As I was waiting for the list to load, I was gearing up my angry fanboy rant about how Alias should be on that list. And then, lo and behold, it's the first on it.

I'm content.

KalTorak · April 2007

Inspired me to try out Transmetropolitan and Miraclemen - i'll get back to you.

Bit surprised about the omission of Watchmen tho.

Red or Alive · April 2007

They've missed out From Hell

THIS AGGRESSION WILL NOT STAND, MAN

EDIT: Blow me down, there's no Kyle Baker there either.

Bloods End · April 2007

Usagi Yojimbo.

You know, it's funny. If you were to ask me why I love Stan Sakai's work so much I couldn't give you an answer, and yet it's some of my favorite work ever.

A Dabble Of Thelonius · April 2007

Rising Stars! Where is Rising Stars!!!

Ok, enough of that. Never read Zippy, I'll give it a shot. I will not, however, read Fantastic Four. Blech.

Blankspace · April 2007

Talonious_monk wrote: »

Rising Stars! Where is Rising Stars!!!

Ok, enough of that. Never read Zippy, I'll give it a shot. I will not, however, read Fantastic Four. Blech.

Buh? That run is considered one of the greatest runs on any comic ever.

Nogs · April 2007

The list mentions Planetary, therefore gets my approval.

Charmy · April 2007

Fantastic Four Issues #1-#102 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby
Back in the mid '60s, The Fantastic Four was a monthly guarantee that you could pay ten cents for twenty-some-odd pages and witness the most batshit insane spectacles imaginable. Outside of religious text and Greek epics, Four was the only place where you could see a building-sized, purple-crowned man descending from the sky and threatening to eat the planet, and where the only people who could stop him were invisible or on fire. It was unbridled imagination. Whenever I stop and consider anything that's ever entertained our generation, I can see Lee and Kirby's touch all over it. — JC

Yes

An inclusion this glorious almost makes up for the glaring omission of Watchmen.

Seriously, though, what's up with the fact Watchmen is missing?

Garlic Bread · April 2007

Watchmen is a good story

just not really life-changing

I wouldn't really say Fantastic Four is life changing, either. I'm not saying it's good, but when I think "life-changing", I think "actually makes you think differently than before"

Hooraydiation · April 2007

To be fair, comics are probably one of the last things you can expect to change a person's life, regardless of quality.

Animal Man may've made me a vegetarian, though.

Charmy · April 2007

Keith wrote: »

Watchmen is a good story

just not really life-changing

I wouldn't really say Fantastic Four is life changing, either. I'm not saying it's good, but when I think "life-changing", I think "actually makes you think differently than before"

I'd say that Watchmen actually is quite life-changing, if not for the public in general than at the very least for comic readers. It critizes so many of the fundamental aspects of superhero comics that it colors everything the reader has read before.

And, of course, many of those same criticisms can be applied to society at large. With it's political commentary, Watchmen is probably one of the more life-changing comics out there.

I agree with Fantastic Four, in a way. It's not really life-changing in the intellectual level. However, one could argue that it has a lot of impact in an imaginative way, just by showcasing so many incredible and awesome ideas, and could be potentially life-changing in that regard.

Fellhand · April 2007

This just makes me all kinds of nostalgic for Miracle Man.

Like I'm thinking about going to my friend's house tomorrow to raid his back issues while he's in Spain.

Kimota.

Calamity Jane · April 2007

Transmet is the reason I'm going to go into some writing courses and looking into journalism during college. Well, not the sole reason but I'd be nuts to not credit it.

A Dabble Of Thelonius · April 2007

Meh. Just never been excited about Fantastic Four. Could well be a great run, just not my style. As they say, different strokes for different folks.

lostwords · April 2007

The list is pretty decent. Blue Monday and Optic Nerve are what got me into more indie comics. Wouldn't say it changed my life, it just gave me more persepctive on my high school years. Planetary is pretty much the best stuff written in a while, all analyzing and deconstructing comics and blah blah. Good mix of stuff.

AnakinOU · April 2007

Change your life? Unlikely. Then again, a page titled "20 Comics That I think Are At Least Mildly Interesting" isn't gonna get many hits.

DMAC · April 2007

Bendis' Fortune and Glory is a good read. His conversational writing style works really well for that sort of autobiographical stuff. It's easy to forget now that there was a time when he was an "indie" guy who did his own art...

muninn · April 2007

The list needs more The Invisibles and Stray Bullets.

Xaquin · April 2007

Needs Watchmen.

Glad Alias and Transmet were on it though.

I've put maybe the Green Arrow Green Lanters in there though.

Sonos · April 2007

lostwords wrote: »

The list is pretty decent. Blue Monday and Optic Nerve are what got me into more indie comics. Wouldn't say it changed my life, it just gave me more persepctive on my high school years. Planetary is pretty much the best stuff written in a while, all analyzing and deconstructing comics and blah blah. Good mix of stuff.

optic nerve got me back into comics after a 15 year hiatus. love it.

BornToHula · April 2007

I'd put a few of the more groundbreaking issues in comic history in there as well. Like the death of Gwen Stacy or perhaps Harry Osborn or Speedy's drug use.

Watchmen needs to be on there though. For personal reasons I'd like to see The Dark Knight Returns as well. That graphic novel is partially why I read comics today.

Tylerbroor · April 2007

Watchmen, Swamp Thing, and Bone are all more affecting, sincere and intelligent than Persepolis. Just not as new.

Algertman · April 2007

indy cred list

Proto · April 2007

Some of Joe Sacco's work should be on that list. Palestine would be a good choice.

Meiz · April 2007

Wasn't Usagi Yojimbo in tmnt?

Godfather · April 2007

Oh hey, Sandman is on there.

This list has some credibility then.

Herr Caesar · April 2007

No Flex Mentallo?!

DJ Eebs · April 2007

I'm pretty sure that Fantastic Four run got a pretty large number of today's comic creators into writing comics.

graizur · April 2007

The Maxx

robocop is bleeding · April 2007

Geebs wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that Fantastic Four run got a pretty large number of today's comic creators into writing comics.

True, but I get the feeling that it's on the list mainly to give some background for Planetary. They wanted to include the latter, but knew that you couldn't just pick it up and get the most out of it without a knowledge of the Fantastic Four, so they dropped in FF 1-102 right before.

Blankspace · April 2007

robocop is bleeding wrote: »

Geebs wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that Fantastic Four run got a pretty large number of today's comic creators into writing comics.

True, but I get the feeling that it's on the list mainly to give some background for Planetary. They wanted to include the latter, but knew that you couldn't just pick it up and get the most out of it without a knowledge of the Fantastic Four, so they dropped in FF 1-102 right before.

Uh...no. Lee/Kirby's run is considered some of the best stuff ever in comics, I doubt they would just throw it in to add background to Planetary, which is also a fantastic series. It earns it's spot many times over.

matt7718 · April 2007

I just read some of the Optic Nerve series, im not a big comic guy but i was seriously moved by some of the stories.

Being a relative comic noob, i found it fantastic.

Bucketman · April 2007

I am shocked that Battle Pope and Tarot are not on that list. They both changed me very profoundly, they made me realize that good art talent can go to tremendous waste, not to mention the paper their printed on.

Sonos · April 2007

matt7718 wrote: »

I just read some of the Optic Nerve series, im not a big comic guy but i was seriously moved by some of the stories.

Being a relative comic noob, i found it fantastic.

pretty rare that art and writing can compliment each other so well. especially when its one dude doing both.

robocop is bleeding · April 2007

blankspace247 wrote: »

robocop is bleeding wrote: »

Geebs wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that Fantastic Four run got a pretty large number of today's comic creators into writing comics.

True, but I get the feeling that it's on the list mainly to give some background for Planetary. They wanted to include the latter, but knew that you couldn't just pick it up and get the most out of it without a knowledge of the Fantastic Four, so they dropped in FF 1-102 right before.

Uh...no. Lee/Kirby's run is considered some of the best stuff ever in comics, I doubt they would just throw it in to add background to Planetary, which is also a fantastic series. It earns it's spot many times over.

While I agree that Lee and Kirby should be on the list, I was questioning if the authors put them on the list for the wrong reasons. Like when a really talented actor wins an Oscar for his role in an otherwise crappy movie - sure, the actor deserves an Oscar, but not for that reason.

Daemon_Aconis · April 2007

Where can one get Miracleman comics without an obscene price tag?

Servo · April 2007

robocop is bleeding wrote: »

blankspace247 wrote: »

robocop is bleeding wrote: »

Geebs wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that Fantastic Four run got a pretty large number of today's comic creators into writing comics.

True, but I get the feeling that it's on the list mainly to give some background for Planetary. They wanted to include the latter, but knew that you couldn't just pick it up and get the most out of it without a knowledge of the Fantastic Four, so they dropped in FF 1-102 right before.

Uh...no. Lee/Kirby's run is considered some of the best stuff ever in comics, I doubt they would just throw it in to add background to Planetary, which is also a fantastic series. It earns it's spot many times over.

While I agree that Lee and Kirby should be on the list, I was questioning if the authors put them on the list for the wrong reasons. Like when a really talented actor wins an Oscar for his role in an otherwise crappy movie - sure, the actor deserves an Oscar, but not for that reason.

except that the fantastic four comics are excellent

not 'otherwise crappy'

Hooraydiation · April 2007

Daemon_Aconis wrote: »

Where can one get Miracleman comics without an obscene price tag?

I didn't think you could.

siliconenhanced · April 2007

Algertman wrote: »

indy cred list

Lucifer, Hellboy, Hellblazer, War Stories, Fables V for Vendetta all come to mind. It basically reads like NPR's most wanted from the last year or so when it talks about comics with the addition of stuff from Gaiman et al to give it some sort of credibility.

So yeah, limed for truth.

Penny Arcade

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