What are your top 10 favorite books?

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mguy1977
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Post by mguy1977 »

10. Batman
9. Detective Comics
8. JLA
7. JSA
6. Green Lantern
5. Fables
4. Captain America
3. Echo
2. Action Comics
1. Superman

Matthew
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Post by 80sJunkie »

I don't really stick with titles. I follow artists, so my list may or may not be that useful.

1. Walking Dead
2. Mouse Guard
3. Dini's one-and-done Detective
4. Guri Hiru's Power Pack
5. Whatever Romita Jr is drawing
6. Rick Leonardi
7. Kevin Maguire
8. Aaron Lopresti
9. Alan Davis
10. Takeshi Miyazawa
HassanT
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Post by HassanT »

On a related note, I have a few thoughts about Top 10 lists after listening to episode 52.

Back when I first graduated from college and started out on my own, I had a limited comic book budget. Heck I had a limited budget. When I chose which comics I would pick up, I would stay away from the titles that crossover with other titles on a regular basis because that would mean I would have to purchase them as well. This lead me to drop and avoid a lot of DC and Marvel titles because this was the 90s and crossovers happened all the time. For example, I dropped Batman because of the whole Batman line of books.

The other thing I did was I did not try new titles. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was afraid if I did like the title, I would have to drop a title to make room for the new book.

I actually ended up picking up more independent books than the big two during that time period. It was an interesting and cool experience.

Hassan
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Post by Wood »

Sorry I'm so late to this thread!

I think like many of you, this would be HARD for me b/c I buy more than 100 titles a month and like/love the majority of them. But with a morticoccus-laden bullet heading for me from the future, with only a top-10 list to help me escape, here we go:

(In no specific order):

*** New Avengers -- Avengers has always been one of my two titles. I own near complete runs of it and my other book (see below) and, for the sake of this list, I'm picking the one I enjoy more right now. New Avengers has some of my favorite characters of all time (Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Wolverine) and I couldn't do without Marvel's premier super team

*** Uncanny X-Men -- This was a much tougher decision. I'm an X-men apologist and read (and have read) just about every title through thick and thin. I wouldn't say UXM is my favorite of the bunch right now (X-Factor or X-Men: Legacy would be) BUT this has recently been reestablished as the flagship book that all others will revolve around. Since I do own a complete run of this (well, three issues short minus the reprints) I can't be without it, either.

*** Fables -- Best comic being published today IMHO. I read it in trade currently, but would without question have this in monthly if I had to limit my buying to 10 floppies per month.

*** Walking Dead -- Kirkman is unique (more than he realizes in his recent video statement) and he has me loving a zombie book; because it's so much more than a zombie book.

*** Invincible -- Kirkman strikes again, this is what was cool about Spider-Man when I was a kid.

*** The Boys -- My guilty pleasure. Not Ennis' best work of his career, but the thing he's doing currently that I am enjoying the most.

*** Justice Society of America -- JSA is, month in, month out, the best team book in the business. A book with seemingly too many heroes should

*** Scalped -- Gotta have my crime noir fix, and Scalped is the best of the bunch right now

*** Guardians of the Galaxy -- DnA are giving me pure, cosmic comicy goodness

*** Fear Agent -- Remender and Tony Moore = can't miss, sci fi adventure
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Post by BobBretall »

HassanT wrote:On a related note, I have a few thoughts about Top 10 lists after listening to episode 52.
Back when I first graduated from college and started out on my own, I had a limited comic book budget. Heck I had a limited budget. When I chose which comics I would pick up, I would stay away from the titles that crossover with other titles on a regular basis because that would mean I would have to purchase them as well. This lead me to drop and avoid a lot of DC and Marvel titles because this was the 90s and crossovers happened all the time. For example, I dropped Batman because of the whole Batman line of books.
The other thing I did was I did not try new titles. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was afraid if I did like the title, I would have to drop a title to make room for the new book.
I actually ended up picking up more independent books than the big two during that time period. It was an interesting and cool experience.
Hassan
You make some really good points, Hassan. I'll comment on a few:

* Staying away from cross-over-laden titles: I agree with this wholeheartedly. If I was really on a budget and limited titles, I would steer clear of anything that was continually engaging in crossovers. X-Men, Superman, Batman, & Avengers family would all suffer because of this. As a corollary to this I would also avoid all books with a frequency greater than monthly (which is why I would skip Spider-Man, and Trinity would not make the cut because of this even if I liked it a lot more than I currently do.

* I agree with you that I would not be trying out new books EXCEPT in the circumstance that I was no longer loving one of my "Top 10" and wanted to actively seek out a replacement for that title on my buy list.
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Post by JohnMayo »

JLAFan wrote:
HassanT wrote:On a related note, I have a few thoughts about Top 10 lists after listening to episode 52.
Back when I first graduated from college and started out on my own, I had a limited comic book budget. Heck I had a limited budget. When I chose which comics I would pick up, I would stay away from the titles that crossover with other titles on a regular basis because that would mean I would have to purchase them as well. This lead me to drop and avoid a lot of DC and Marvel titles because this was the 90s and crossovers happened all the time. For example, I dropped Batman because of the whole Batman line of books.
The other thing I did was I did not try new titles. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was afraid if I did like the title, I would have to drop a title to make room for the new book.
I actually ended up picking up more independent books than the big two during that time period. It was an interesting and cool experience.
Hassan
You make some really good points, Hassan. I'll comment on a few:

* Staying away from cross-over-laden titles: I agree with this wholeheartedly. If I was really on a budget and limited titles, I would steer clear of anything that was continually engaging in crossovers. X-Men, Superman, Batman, & Avengers family would all suffer because of this. As a corollary to this I would also avoid all books with a frequency greater than monthly (which is why I would skip Spider-Man, and Trinity would not make the cut because of this even if I liked it a lot more than I currently do.

* I agree with you that I would not be trying out new books EXCEPT in the circumstance that I was no longer loving one of my "Top 10" and wanted to actively seek out a replacement for that title on my buy list.
Yeah, I have to agree with those points too. I'm probably end up with a bunch of stand alone titles and pretty much pull out of the shared universes as much as possible over time.

For me, the reason for the heavy DC list is that is what I started with and has clicked the best with me over time. But as titles would inevitably come and go over time, I'm not sure I'd be getting on new titles even if they replaced one that I'd been getting that just ended.

I'd probably also avoid quarterly books and other ones that come out once in a blue moon. The goal here would be to stabilize my spending to a small and predictable level. Titles that come out on an unpredictable series would probably get dumped in favor of titles that published once and only once a month. Just as I wouldn't want a single title taking up multiple slots, I wouldn't want any slots wasted on titles that aren't coming out each month.
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Post by zack kruse »

Man, this is kind of tough. Here are mine in no particular order:

Daredevil
Batman
The Goon
Fear Agent
Invincible
Ultimate Spider-Man
Powers
Captain America
Criminal
Jonah Hex

There are plenty of others that are more than worthy of that list though--like Scalped, Fables, Green Lantern, Proof, Atomic Robo, Walking Dead, JSA, Avengers, Guardians of the Galaxy, and on and on. I'd include Flash on my list, too--if it were to pick back up again.

But, basically, I just picked those books that are guaranteed to be at the top of my stack every week. The other thing with those books is that they're characters and stories that I'm really invested in on more than a surface level.
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Post by HassanT »

johnmayo wrote:I'd probably also avoid quarterly books and other ones that come out once in a blue moon. The goal here would be to stabilize my spending to a small and predictable level. Titles that come out on an unpredictable series would probably get dumped in favor of titles that published once and only once a month. Just as I wouldn't want a single title taking up multiple slots, I wouldn't want any slots wasted on titles that aren't coming out each month.
Yeah. This thread is bringing back memories:)

The thing I hated was if a book I had on my list was late because I budgeted for that book. If that book didn't come out, generally I didn't get another book to replace it because I didn't want to try out a new book. Especially since most comics are not one-in-done stories. Unfortunately, there were a lot of late comics in the 90s.

I might get a couple of titles that were connected but I would limit myself to ONE "family line" of books. I remember at one point, I loved the X-Men and got everything related to the X-Men. But then that was it.

I started to listen to your Mayo Report June 2008. One comment on weekly comics and how it relates someone on a budget. If a weekly or biweekly book is really really good, I would put it on my top 10 list. I loved it back in the late 80s when Marvel would have the X-Men and Spider-man publish bi-weekly during the summer. I thought it was the best thing ever. And right now, I wouldn't put Amazing Spider-man on my top 10 list, but I would definitely put it on my top 20 list. I am really loving the series.

Trinity, on the other hand, is a different story. I said a month ago, I was going to drop it and it looks like I am not going to continue to order past last month. Why? Well, it is good but not great. But the ultimate flaw in Trinity is that I already read comics starting Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and JLA. This series isn't offering me anything special that I don't read anywhere else.

Hassan
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Post by RickM »

This list is easy for me because I buy 10 or less per month. And this is not a list of my favorites, or my 10 Best list -- its just the ones I buy right now. Here are my reasons:

1. Secret Invasion -- I'm a sucker for the Big 2's Big Events, I like Bendis, and I've liked the 4-5 year storyline leading up to this.

2. Final Crisis -- I don't read much DCU but I do pick up the Big Events so I'm not clueless about what's going on. Plus I trust Morrison to tell a coherent story, something Johns failed to do with the last Crisis.

3. New Avengers -- I've been on this since issue #1. Consistently excellent, I love Bendis, and this title has helped me make sense of Marvel through all the Big Events.

4. Mighty Avengers -- I jumped back on this title when SI started, since it really helps enhance the whole experience.

5. Fantastic Four -- I like what Millar is doing and I'm a long time sucker for the FF.

6. Fables -- My favorite comic and I've read the full run.

7. Rann-Thanager Holy War -- I love Adam Strange, and Starlin is telling a good story.

8. House of Mystery -- I liked the first two issues and hope to keep buying it, but I may drop.

9. Legion of 3 Worlds -- This intrigued me and I like the Legion so I hope I like it. If I don't enjoy the first issue I'll drop it.

10. Thor -- I probably shouldn't include this as I haven't picked up the latest issue, so I'm not technically buying it anymore. I loved the first 8 issues but if JMS is leaving the book, I'll drop it.

Other titles: Uncanny X-Men is on my pull list because I jumped on with issue 500, but that wasn't a great issue, so I may not continue. If I had a bigger budget I'd most likely buy Capt. America, Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, all Green Lantern titles, Batman, Action, and lots of others.

In trades, I'm following Jack of Fables and Ex Machina. I hope to start Y:The Last Man some day, which everyone says is great.
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Post by atomic99 »

Wow! I think 10 titles is all I read, if even that! I dropped the titles I was buying that I was never reading like Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, New Warriors, and Astonishing X-Men.

Lets see....

Captain America
Nova
Guardians of the Galaxy
Secret Invasion
The Twelve

Justice Society of America
Action Comics

Sharkman (although this looks to be going on hiatus now)

Although my DCBS bill sure doesn't look like I've cut back. I'm buying a lot of older stuff reprinted rather than newer floppies. I think I'm firmly into my nostalgic phase of comic collecting and don't have much time to reading new books.

I'm reading Avengers/Invaders too but it would only make the Top Ten by default because of lack of competition. I don't think it is all that great. Same with Hitch's Fantastic Four.
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Post by Fnord Serious »

If the task is just to pick 10 ongoings, that is pretty easy as I buy most of my books in trade. I only buy monthlies of books that I want to keep on top of so I can follow threads about them or are lower selling or indie books I want to support. My current list:

Captain America I had been reading this in trade, but the events of issue #25 prompted me to start buying monthly. I may go back to trade after the next issue as Brubaker often reads better in trade for me.

New Avengers Another book that I had been buying in trade. I picked up the Civil War monthlies and stuck around for the ride. Really enjoying all the Secret Invasion buildup. The Bendis-driven Avengers books are the first time I have been buying a whole family of titles since the X-Books in the early 90's.

Mighty Avengers It has been a fun counterpoint to the more gritty feel of the post Civil War New Avengers. It will be interesting to see what happens with these two books after Secret Invasion.

Avengers: The Initiative Took me a little while to warm up to this book, but I am really enjoying it now. Slott has been telling some well paced stories and doing a good job balancing such a large cast. And I'm a sucker for Z-List heroes, which this book offers up in abundance.

Secret Invasion I'm including this as a monthly book as I wil probably pick up the Secret Warriors ongoing that will be spinning out of the aftermath.

Thunderbolts I started buying this one to see what Ellis would do with one of my favorite characters, Robbie Baldwin, and his ham-fisted transformation in to the poster child for self-abuse, Penance. I've enjoyed this book quite a bit more than I expected to. Sad that Ellis is leaving the book but I'm sticking around for Gage's Secret Invasion tie-in issues. Not sure if I'll drop it after that.

End League I was going to tradewait this one, but after listening to Remender rant about supporting the smaller books on an interview I decided to pick it up in monthlies. It's right up my alley, a good blend of superhero archetypes in a bleak, post-apocalyptic setting. I'm really excited about the new artist, Eric Canete, as Matt Broome was not really hitting a home run, IMHO. Good, but a lot of inconsistent proportions and weird poses.

Captain Britain and MI:13 I'm not as enamored of this book as some people are but it has been fun so far and looks to be headed in the right direction. I've been a fan of the Marvel British superheroes from the original Excalibur title and I'm glad Marvel had brought in a British writer to handle the property. Claremont wasn't doing the characters any favors with his most recent Excalibur run. I don't see this book lasting more than 20 issues, but I will buy them all as long as Cornell remains at the helm.

Madman Atomic Comics Although I love Mike Allred and have bought every issue of this series, I have to admit that they are still sitting in the to-be-read pile. Things have been a bit busy around here and I want to wait until I have the time to really appreciate the books rather than reading them to keep up with continuity or anything.

Criminal Ditto the above. Loved the first few issues, but the rest have been awaiting the proper time to sit down and read them.

So that's 10 monthlies. If forced to trim down this list, I would axe Captain America, Madman, Criminal, and Thunderbolts, all of which I could later pick up in trade or out of the back issue bins.

If forced to limit myself to a strict dollar amount, my buying habits would change more than if I just had to limit monthlies. I try to cap my monthly DCBS order at $50 and then I spend maybe another $20 on my pull list at the LCS. If I had to trim my monthly trades purchases, I would give preference to books like Scalped, Ex Machina and Walking Dead over the Marvel superhero stuff I love. The mainstream books are easier to track down after the fact than a lot of the indie stuff.
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Post by BobBretall »

Technically, it would be cutting yourself to 10 titles overall. If you get a title in trade only, that would take up one of your 10 slots........
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Post by Fnord Serious »

JLAFan wrote:Technically, it would be cutting yourself to 10 titles overall. If you get a title in trade only, that would take up one of your 10 slots........
That is kind of a different mental exercise, as it would assume a budgetary restriction that lasts a few years. Tradewaiting is a habit that results in a wildly fluctuating monthly budget. Most months only result in 2 or 3 trades on my list, but sometimes upwards of 6 to 10 trades of titles or creators that I try to follow will be released in one month. That is usually when I have to make the choice of what title to buy now and which ones get relegated to the "keep an eye out for it at cons & used book stores" list.

But anyway, 10 titles:

Scalped
Criminal
Captain America
New Avengers
Mighty Avengers
Avengers: Initiative
Walking Dead
Ex Machina
Madman Atomic Comics
and an open slot for a one-off trade (miniseries collection, etc.)

Interesting to see how the list changes. End League and Captain Britain are fun but haven't got their hooks into me as much as other books that I have been following for longer.
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Post by ReallyDeepMan »

I like to keep about 8-12 monthly books on my pull list, trades are separate. My problem right now is that books I liked no longer come out(Queen and Country, Y: The Last Man, and Blade of the Immortal) and I have dropped books I had pulled for years(X-Men, Uncanny and Hulk). I am having a hard time finding replacements

Current essential pulls:
Daredevil
Powers
Astro City
100 Bullets - Sadly will be ending soon
Rex Mundi - Through Trades, also will be ending
Blade of the Immortal - Will buy trades when the material is "new to me"

My recently added pulls:
Thor - This for me is the best new book I've added, but I don't usually like fantasy/gods/alternate dimensions so I can't see this being a long term book for me.
Captain America - I like it, but when it starts a big crossover I will probably drop it.
Action Comics - Same feeling as Captain America

My biggest find recently has been my local library. I have read trades for Ex Machina, DMZ, Fables, Walking Dead, and also discontinued books like America's Best Comics line.

I am really enjoying Fables and will probably start buying issues so that when I'm done with the library's trades I can start to go monthly.
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Post by Trev »

ReallyDeepMan wrote: Captain America - I like it, but when it starts a big crossover I will probably drop it.
I wouldn't worry about that. On the Ifanboy SDCC video podcast Brubaker said he has it plotted right now to issue 65.

I think Bru is aiming to top Bendis' run on USM. :P
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