I’ve been thinking about some comic runs that mean a lot to me. I don’t know why, it’s just something that sprung to mind lately. But it also got me thinking about everyone here. We all have those runs on a comic that mean something to us whether it was because of the stories themselves, the people behind them or the times we discovered them. I was wondering, what are some of those runs and those personal stories?
I have a few, but I’ll start off with one for now:
Starman by James Robinson. I adore this title. I came into it because I was a fan of the Will Payton Starman and wanted to see if they addressed what happened to him at the end of the Eclipso: The Darkness Within summer event. What I found instead was a great story about a the son of the Golden Age Starman who didn’t want to become Starman at first. Going along with Jack’s adventures put me onto things like foreshadowing, characterization, and knowing the ending of your story before the first issue is out. It gave me a deeper appreciation for the Golden Age heroes (which was convenient considering DC was rolling out a new JSA series) and it really rekindled my love of writing. I can credit this book for putting me on a path that would eventually lead me to college and self-publishing a book. I’ve had the chance to meet both James Robinson and Tony Harris, who were amazing down to Earth guys. When someone asks me for a comic recommendation where you don’t need to know years worth of history, I point them to Starman. Sure, it’s got references to DC’s past, but you can go in blind and still enjoy it.
What are some of your stories?
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Batman/'Tec by Gerry Conway (1980-1983)
Batman/'Tec by Doug Moench (1983-1986)
Batman & the Outsiders/'Tec by Mike Barr (1983-1987)
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Red Hood and the Outlaws when Dexter Soy did the art.
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John Osteranders Spectre run
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Miller’s Dark Knight Returns
Grell’s Green Arrow
And, of course, Golden Age Wonder Woman.
The first two I read when they came out and they appealed to my dark, gritty youth. The third I read in my middle age and the energy and spark keep me going.
Who knows what will speak to me in the future?
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Great to see love for my biography
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Great idea! And since this DCUI, I can link! 
Batgirl: Stephanie Brown by Bryan Q. Miller - the book that turned me from a fan of Stephanie Brown to a full blown devotee. It was the narrative of an outsider finally finder her place, and the struggles and failures and ultimate successes that come with finding that place. It’s full of unsung craft, wonderful art, and great heart!
Birds of Prey by Gail Simone - the first run of comics I ever loved, and still one of the absolute best. Full of amazing long term character arcs and relationships that actually develop, it’s the gold standard for a small team book.
Batman by Tom King - I started reading Batman comics with War Games. As a result, my view of Bruce Wayne was…skewed for a long, long time. Tom King’s Batman was the first time I was able to really fall in love with Batman (alongside Catwoman) as a man who just wants to save as many people as he can - turning his own pain into hope for everyone.
Detective Comics by James Tynion - A Batfamily run that plays with so many characters, giving my old favorites really awesome stuff to do, and making new favorites for me? And leading to the amazing revelation of the second to last issue, #980? A favorite for sure!
Wonder Woman by Greg Rucka - a Greek tragedy in the DC epic form - this book made Wonder Woman a favorite (sadly, just before the n52 replaced her with a version that I really struggle with). I love Wonder Woman’s strength, her love, her belief, her intelligence - it’s all here.
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Supergirl 75 80 by Peter David
Wonder Woman 601 604
by J. Michael Straczynski
Red Hood and the Outlaws Rebirth with Smart Bizarro
Wonder Woman Rebirth Year 1 by Rucka Scott
Brave and the Bold 34 36 42 43 44 Hawkman by Fox Kubert.
All Star Squadron by Roy Thomas
Planetary Warren Ellis, John Cassidy
Global Frequency by Ellis
New Frontier by Darwyn Cooke.
Batgirl (Stephanie Brown) by Byran Miller.
Huntress New 52 mini series by Levitz
Detective Rebirth by Tynion
Special Mention to Vertigo
Sandman
Fables
Unwritten
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Fantastic Four by Lee and Kirby
Superman by John Byrne
Superman by O’Neil, Swan and Anderson
Superman by Dan Jurgens
Amazing Spider-Man by Lee and Ditko
The New Teen Titans by Wolfman and Perez
Fantastic Four by Byrne
Aquaman by Skeates, and Aparo
The Phantom Stranger by Wein and Aparo
Starman by James Robinson
The Flash by Mark Waid
Daredevil by Frank Miller
Captain America by Englehart and Sal Buscema
Swamp Thing by Wein and Wrightson
Justice League of America by Wein, Dillon, and Giordano
Wonder Woman by George Perez
The Avengers by Thomas, The Buscemas and Buckler
Hawkman by Geoff Johns
The Metal Men by Kanigher, Andru, and Esposito
And last but never least–The Batman by O’Neil, Adams, Robbins, Novick, Brown, Aparo, and Giordano
I know it’s a long list but it has been over fifty years of some fun reading.
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So many amazing answers! This is exactly what I was looking for. I also love that a lot of you went for things most people wouldn’t have gone for. It didn’t turn into a list with the major ones EVERYONE brings up.
Another few runs I have to throw in are:
Planetary - I came for the pastiches of other characters, but I stayed for the overall story of Elijah and his team against The Four. Without this book, I wouldn’t have had that great second wave of interest in pulp characters. It lead me to Doc Savage, which also lead me to the Wold Newton Universe. Okay, the shipping schedule was maddening (I remember in one instance it was at least a year-plus between issues) but it got to it’s ending eventually and it was satisfying.
JSA - Building off my previous love of Starman, JSA was that one book I was able to get in on when it first launched. There were books that I could miss an issue or two of knowing I’d pick them up later, but I HAD to get JSA every month. Sadly, when I got to college, I had to take a break from the book due to money issues, but from that Secret Files all the way to the Christmas issue (number 55, if memory serves) I was there every month. I eventually got to read the rest of the series. It was good, but not as good as that first half of the run.
Joe Kelly’s run on Action Comics - I LOVED what he did with the Russian Zod arc. Things you didn’t think were important like Ignition from the Emperor Joker story, Kancer and even a story called “They Call Me Zed” in the Our Worlds At War Secret Files all paid off in the end. I also got to meet Joe Kelly at a convention because of this arc and I gotta tell you, he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.
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Most any book where Mike Grell was doing the artwork:
- Warlord
- Superboy and the Legion of Super-Heroes
- Green Lantern/Green Arrow series
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I’m with you on James Robinson’s Starman. Jack is still my favorite version of the character.
My all time favorite run remains Steve Englehart’s run on Detective Comics (from no. 469 to no. 476). I was in my early teens when it came out and it just blew me away. I loved that he drew upon nearly all of the character’s history. And I do believe it was the first time Batman was called “the Dark Knight” since the Golden Age!
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My top 10 at this moment, in some particular order:
The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman
Saga of the Swamp Thing, by Alan Moore
The Question, by Denny O’Neil
Blue Beetle, by John Rogers
Suicide Squad, by John Ostrander & Kim Yale
Animal Man, by Jeff Lemire
Catwoman, by Ed Brubaker
Hawkman, by Robert Venditti
Jonah Hex, by Justin Gray & Jimmy Palmiotti
Batgirl, by Kelley Puckett
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The Sandman remains my all-time favorite title. Even after everything else he’s done, I think it remains Neil Gaiman’s best work.
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