We all have favorite writers, artists, arcs, etc, but what are some of your favorite self-contained single issues?
Personally, Green Lanterns #15 (2017) is one of mine. “A Day in the Life” details Green Lantern Jessica Cruz’s struggles with anxiety and how it affects her and her partnership with Green Lantern Simon Baz. As someone who has struggled with anxiety for a long time, this issue really put into words a lot of the same thoughts and feelings I’ve had. I’ve even made people read it in order to give them an idea of what living with anxiety is like.
Mine is one of the first comic books I ever owned. Legends of the Dark Knight #58. Perhaps it may seem unremarkable, but it hooked me and I have loved comics ever since.
Shadow of the Bat #13. I am a huge fan of Breyfogle and those early issues of SotB and this one just stuck with me. I have thousands of comics still in my parents’ attic and this is the only single issue I keep on my bookshelves in my home.
Aside from DC Universe: Rebirth #1, which is probably my favorite single issue ever, I’d also say Batman #51 (Snyder and Capullo’s finale), The Multiversity: Mastermen #1, Sensation Comics ft. Wonder Woman #1 (for Diana taking on Batman’s villains) and Titans #7 (OG Wally West reuniting w/ pre-Flashpoint Superman)
Superman verse the Authority oops…I mean The Elite. Single issue story about just how powerful Supes really is and what he could do if he ever truly let go.
Plus the title being a riff on Elvis Costello doesn’t hurt either.
Love Paul Dini’s Batman work, and one of the reasons is that he’s got a perfect handle on the Joker. This thing is flawlessly paced and structured from beginning to end, is entirely self-contained, and doesn’t feel at all rushed because Dini is an absolute master of the one-shot story. Give him twenty-two minutes or twenty-two pages and he’ll produce something incredible.
Batman Legends of the Dark Night #100 - I always remember this issue. It has two stories in it. One is a version of Dick Grayson’s origin and one is a Jason Todd story.
Impulse 10 for me. He had lost his speed powers and his guardian Max Mercury was critically injured. There was not too much dialogue in the issue and you could really feel how slow everything felt. Then when he runs ( not super speed) and just starts sobbing because worried about Max. Makes me cry every time.
I read the New 52 Batman Endgame tie in on here for the first time and that one-shot story shook me. It’s about a new detective in Gotham who doesn’t understand why everyone’s terrified of the Joker, until after he meets him…This story is terrifying and really drives in how scary the Joker’s character can be to the everyday citizen.
