As a 90’s kid, the 80’s prestige series are what got me into comics. I loved THE WATCHMEN, and DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, and the like so much that I started buying new comics around the time of Sinestro Corps War and Marvel’s Annihilation. Of course I never looked back and the NEW 52 got me hooked on DC Comics. (Loved Rotworld, Justice League Dark etc)
Anyway, all of that is to say that this app has given me the opportunity to go backwards and read some of the non-prestige runs of the 80s and I’ve realized that the 80s may have been a real creative heyday for DC. Justice League Int’l has been amazing so far, John Ostrander’s SUICIDE SQUAD is such a good intriguing spy, black ops book with so much character and humor. And I’ve noticed that nearly every character from Blue Devil, to THE PEACEMAKER and DR FATE headlined their own books, and it has me looking for recommendations to expand my 80’s and Early 90’s DC comics knowledge and fandom.
Any ideas?
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Highly recommend Denny O’Neil and Denys Cowan’s 1986 THE QUESTION series. Represents the absolute best of O’Neil’s work, and the development of my favorite character.
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The three series below were all reboots after Crisis on Infinite Earths by great creators.
Superman (1986-) by John Byrne
Wonder Woman (1987-) by George Perez
Green Arrow (1987-) by Mike Grell
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‘80s and ‘90s comics are awesome! I would highly recommend the 1991 series Deathstroke (The Terminator). It is absolutely fantastic @LooseNate!
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I’d recommend Grant Morrison’s Doom Patrol. It is filled to the brim with the weird and bizarre I love so much.
-M
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Make sure you read Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters first!
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And Man of Steel before Superman.
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Camelot 3000 is spectacular.
The Great Darkness Saga (Legion of Super-Heroes 290-294)
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Black Orchid and The Sandman by Neil Gaiman are some of the best DC comics that come to mind, but they are not on here, however I would recommend checking out The New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfmen, Swamp Thing by Alan Moore, and some of Batman’s 80’s stories like Death in the Family, #430, and A Lonely Place of Dying. I will also back everyone else on here. READ GREEN ARROW BY MIKE GRELL! Absolutely worth it
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Avoiding titles that eventually became Vertigo titles or titles already listed; my recommendation would be…
(Batman &) The Outsiders by Mike W. Barr
New Teen Titans by Marv Wolfman
Justice League by J.M. DeMatteis
Legion of Superheroes by Paul Levitz
Captain Atom by Cary Bates
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@LooseNate: All the above recommendations are spot on. Seek them out and read them all. If I may, I would like to add a few:
Booster Gold
Blue Beetle
Saga of The Swamp Thing
Secret Origins
And how about one Marvel entry: DAREDEVIL. The entire decade is incredible!
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Agreed, Daredevil by Frank Miller is really good
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If you love Ostrander’s SS, for sure check out Checkmate. Those are my two favorite DC books of the 80’s!
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Will do, thanks for the rec
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Thanks, never heard of Camelot 3000 and I was actually on the library waiting list for GREAT DARKNESS SAGA, as I have never figured out how to like LoSH. Thanks for the rec and reminder!
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Thanks for the heads up! I loved SANDMAN in college, but Black Orchid is news to me. I’ll have to sit down with these others…especially Green Arrow it seems
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This is great thanks! I didn’t even know Captain Atom had a run, and I’m definitely down to figure out LoSH, as to me it’s like not liking the X men, yet I never have.
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