Sorry, this is all Marvel stuff. Ignore if you wish, but, this shit rules:
I really love the Captain America around issue 333. I know they were trying to go for sales but the story line ruled and the art wasn't bad with Kieron Dwyer (started in at 338) as artist as Al Milgrom (i think 338 as well--amazing how the inker never gets due credit, eh?) as in inker--I do have to say that, while I don't like Milgrom at all (always thought he was a horrible artist), he actually was a good inker...but then again, if you look as the series unfolds, the smoothness of lines and the intricate details eroded--not sure if that was intended as an art statement for the story (I get it). But it was a great story line and I found a new favorite character in Battlestar even though he never amounted to much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Agent
I have to say the Paul Smith stuff with X-Men was really great. I think issue 165 was the first or second comic I ever got the mail and it blew my mind. I was hearing stories about how great this comic was (byrne and claremont and austin) and subscribed but there was a turn somewhere and the stories and art just surpassed my expectations for a comic. During Paul Smith's run I saw my favorite superhero, Angel, get all the X-men in a situation with the Morlocks. Great Read and amazing art.
And, talking about Angel, I do have to give kudos to the Claremont, Byrne, Austin team for giving us the X-Men. I started in at issue 137 (because I wanted backstory) which I picked up as a low grade copy at a comic book store. That shit blew my mind! How can superheroes lose? And how can there be so much drama in a comic. It was amazing. I know everyone is in to Wolverine, but my favorite superhero, Angel, eventually got his pic on the comic in that small box at the upper left corner for the superhero team he founded (and added nothing to the story--which I think was even more awesome, but it was cool to see his pic in that box there). The 'Days of Future Past' story line really was better in the comics and I will never understand why Hollywood won't just use the storyboards from the comics as opposed to creating something not as cool. The comics captivated soooo many people, not sure why you change the formula just because of new generation.
Squadron Supreme: There was this kind of alternate universe where the Avengers would fight the marvel creations of the Justice League. In 1985 I purchased issue one of the 12 issue series and was captivated. I can't explain it, but I really really liked it.
And I guess what started it all off for me in the early 80s, and what started the whole mini-series thing, was my being introduced to "Contest of the Champions". It was a Marvel thing where everyone in the Marvel Universe was taken and certain people picked by death or the the grandmaster were to fight it out to see which team would win. It was cool, even if i don't do it justice. There was also, on the back pages of the comic, a kind of dictionary thing that told you who every marvel character was in a kind of definition sense. The strangest thing was, it was missing one of my most favorite characters: Northstar.
Alpha Flight: issues 1-to whenever Byrne ended his run. Issues 1-12 were really cool. Not sure why i enjoy bit characters either, but his inclusion of omega flight was neat with Flashback and Smart Alec. I wish more movies could do it as well as byrne in dealing with characters. Apparently word got out that John Byrne intended Northstar to be a gay superhero. I had no clue. I read the books and I thought he was Awesome (I do have these weird flying dreams--I think I just want to fly
). I told a fellow nerd when we were all playing my commodore 64 games that one of my favorite superheros was Northstar and he said: "Dude, He's a fag." I was just like, OK. I like him though he rules (not sure what happened, but my nerd friend changed in life and would give his younger brother shit about calling people, as he said: "English Cigarettes." Whatever--I think that is some doctor who stuff or something).
I think that is it. I could go in to a whole Yellowjacket/Avengers thing, but Jim Shooter, the writer and editor in chief, made him out to be a wife beater in like a 3 issue storyline (fuck you Jim Shooter, you take a character that has been around since the beginnning of marvel comics and have him have a mental breakdown easier than I can say fuck you Shooter? Kinda lame) sooo I'm not sure if I can say I think he was cool even though I own almost all of his comics he was in as Yellowjacket.
