Of course, since I had a hard time narrowing it down to 20 from the four decades in which I've been reading comics, I've been taking 'em decade by decade...and so far no decade has given me as much trouble as the Eighties. I generally credit many of the excellent series that came out in this decade as keeping the faint spark of comics collecting alive in my now-fully-grown-mannish would-be/should-be adult heart and brain...but honestly, I had to reach for several of these. As usual, I'm sure I'm forgetting many and I'll have to update as I go along. The old brain cells just aren't what they used to be. Anyway, here's the list, finally ready for your perusal and presumed commentary. Again, grouped by company, and in otherwise no particular order.
DC:
1. THRILLER by Robert Loren Fleming and Trevor Von Eeden. All right, yeah, Bill Dubay and Alex Nino, too.
2. THE SHADOW by Howard Chaykin, Andy Helfer, Bill Sinkiewicz, and Kyle Baker
3. WATCHMEN by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons
4. (SAGA OF THE) SWAMP THING by Alan Moore, Steve Bissette, John Totleben and others
5. JUSTICE LEAGUE (INTERNATIONAL, EUROPE, ETC.) by Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatties, Kevin McGuire, Adam Hughes, many others
6. DOOM PATROL by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, and others
7. THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS by Frank Miller and others
8. BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE by Moore and Bolland
8a. BATMAN: YEAR ONE by Miller and Dave Mazzuchelli
MARVEL
9a. DAREDEVIL by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and David Mazzuchelli (Added after the fact, and one of my faves of the 80s. I completely forgot it when I was coming up with this list. See, I told ya!)
9b. TIMESPIRITS by Steven Perry and Tom Yeates
10. STARSTRUCK by Elaine Lee and Mike Kaluta
11. THOR by Walt Simonson
12. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 7: KILLRAVEN: LAST DREAMS BROKEN by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell
COMICO
13. MAGE by Matt Wagner
ECLIPSE
14. ZOT! by Scott McCloud
PACIFIC
15. THE ROCKETEER by Dave Stevens
FANTAGRAPHICS
16. LOVE & ROCKETS by Gilbert, Jaime & Mario Hernandez
FIRST
17. AMERICAN: FLAGG! by Howard Chaykin
18. TIMES SQUARED by Chaykin
AARDVARK/VANAHEIM
19. THE FLAMING CARROT by Bob Burden
KITCHEN SINK (and later FANTAGRAPHICS)
20. OMAHA the CAT DANCER by Kate Worley and Reed Waller
Honorable mentions: MAUS by Art Spiegelman; AZTEC ACE by Doug Moench and Gene Day; SCOUT by Tim Truman, which co-featured a fun action strip I often liked more than I did the lead, FASHION IN ACTION by J.K. Snyder III; COYOTE, by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Steve Leialoha, which went straight downhill after Leialoha bailed; VOID INDIGO (incl. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 11) by Steve Gerber and Val Simieks; MOONSHADOW by DeMatties and John Jay Muth; HELLBLAZER by Jamie Delano, John Ridgeway and others- HB ran one year in the 80s...I came to enjoy the book a lot more in the subsequent decade. Same with Gaiman's SANDMAN. Dan Clowes' LLOYD LLEWELLYN; Marv Wolfman & George Perez' TEEN TITANS; MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #35: HITLER'S ASTROLOGER by Dennis O'Neil, Mike Kaluta and Russ Heath. And that's about all I can think of. I suppose the 80s were the best of times and the worst of times, as the saying goes...
MARVEL
9a. DAREDEVIL by Frank Miller, Klaus Janson and David Mazzuchelli (Added after the fact, and one of my faves of the 80s. I completely forgot it when I was coming up with this list. See, I told ya!)
9b. TIMESPIRITS by Steven Perry and Tom Yeates
10. STARSTRUCK by Elaine Lee and Mike Kaluta
11. THOR by Walt Simonson
12. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 7: KILLRAVEN: LAST DREAMS BROKEN by Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell
COMICO
13. MAGE by Matt Wagner
ECLIPSE
14. ZOT! by Scott McCloud
PACIFIC
15. THE ROCKETEER by Dave Stevens
FANTAGRAPHICS
16. LOVE & ROCKETS by Gilbert, Jaime & Mario Hernandez
FIRST
17. AMERICAN: FLAGG! by Howard Chaykin
18. TIMES SQUARED by Chaykin
AARDVARK/VANAHEIM
19. THE FLAMING CARROT by Bob Burden
KITCHEN SINK (and later FANTAGRAPHICS)
20. OMAHA the CAT DANCER by Kate Worley and Reed Waller
Honorable mentions: MAUS by Art Spiegelman; AZTEC ACE by Doug Moench and Gene Day; SCOUT by Tim Truman, which co-featured a fun action strip I often liked more than I did the lead, FASHION IN ACTION by J.K. Snyder III; COYOTE, by Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers and Steve Leialoha, which went straight downhill after Leialoha bailed; VOID INDIGO (incl. MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL 11) by Steve Gerber and Val Simieks; MOONSHADOW by DeMatties and John Jay Muth; HELLBLAZER by Jamie Delano, John Ridgeway and others- HB ran one year in the 80s...I came to enjoy the book a lot more in the subsequent decade. Same with Gaiman's SANDMAN. Dan Clowes' LLOYD LLEWELLYN; Marv Wolfman & George Perez' TEEN TITANS; MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #35: HITLER'S ASTROLOGER by Dennis O'Neil, Mike Kaluta and Russ Heath. And that's about all I can think of. I suppose the 80s were the best of times and the worst of times, as the saying goes...
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