Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus
You may have seen in some recent interviews with Marvel staffers that they’re putting together an omnibus of Marvel’s greatest issues for the 75th anniversary of the company, to be released later this year. Now, last time they had any kind of vote on the greatest Marvel comics of all time, what actually happened was that people voted for what they perceived (largely) to be the most significant Marvel comics of all time (so we got a list of the 100 greatest issues Marvel have ever published which contained some fairly humdrum things, like the first appearance of Michael Morbius etc). The details of the 75th anniversary omnibus can be found here.
It strikes me that with so many issues to play with, you wouldn’t necessarily need to garner that many votes to put you above some of the more banal choices. With that in mind, I’ve put together a list of six issues which deserve (in my opinion, humble or otherwise) to be collected as exemplars of how good Marvel can be from time to time, none of which are likely to make it in without some voting weight behind them.
So! What we’d like you to do is to vote in the comments below, or drop me a note on Twitter (where I’m @housetoastonish), citing which of these six comics you think should be the official House to Astonish nominee for the Marvel 75th anniversary omnibus. In a few days I’ll tally up all the votes, and announce the winner – at that point, it’s time to mobilise our troops and vote (once only each, though – no shenanigans) for that book. It’s democracy in action!
The nominees:
- Fantastic Four v3 60 (the first issue of Waid & Weiringo’s run; the 9c issue)
- Spectacular Spider-Man v1 200 (DeMatteis/Buscema; the death of Harry Osborn)
- Excalibur v1 91 (Warren Ellis’s finest moment on the series; the team go to the pub)
- Thunderbolts v1 1 (Busiek/Bagley, and comics’ best-kept secret)
- Damage Control v1 1 (Dwayne McDuffie and Ernie Colon’s terrific sitcomic, somehow never collected before)
- Generation X Underground (Jim Mahfood’s fun b&w special from the late 90s)
Get voting!
UPDATE: I’m going to give this another 24 hours, then close the polls at 12am UK time (7pm EST) tomorrow.
For me, this is a tough call between Thunderbolts v1 1 and Damage Control. However, I would really like to see the late, great Dwayne McDuffie represented, so I’m casting my vote for Damage Control.
Generation X.
Thunderbolts was probably the most “revolutionary” of the choices.
I was just talking about it yesterday in terms of heels becoming babyfaces in comics.
Out of these, I’d go with Thunderbolts.
Geez, the only one of those I’ve actually read is Generation X Underground. Which was fun but top 100? For any sort of top 100?
@Sol – it’s not a top 100 (I was using that as an example of the kind of bad results that these sort of polls can produce). The Omnibus is just a celebration of 75 years of Marvel rather than a scientific selection of the very finest comics Marvel’s ever produced.
The Gen X special is on the list as a representation of Marvel doing something fun and a bit different from the norm. In a way it presaged the kinds of indie-friendly books Marvel would do a lot more of a few years later, during the Jemas/Quesada era.
Thunderbolts v1 1 (Busiek/Bagley, and comics’ best-kept secret).
A good choice for something that is rather iconic but not too banal, which you can’t really say for most of the other choices. I mean, they’re decent but not spectacular. But then, to each their own 😉
Excalibur 91. That was just pure fun.
Thunderbolts #1! That issue BLEW MY MIND as a kid.
All good choices, but Damage Control, Damage Control, Damage Control.
Runaways, Runaways, Runaways.
For me it comes down to Damage Control and FF. I’m looking at it as the creators legacies.
Damage Control was great. Basically a parody book allowed to be inside the borders of the comics it poked fun at. We should honestly try and get a campaign to reprint this book for McDuffie. However when I think about what McDuffie did to me his legacy is in Milestone and DC animated. This to me means I have to pass but really Ido want Damage Control collected. We need a big voice to get that on anyone’s agenda.
FF was the start of an emotional run in that book. Yes it was hyped as such but it delivered. Reed loses his best friend due to his obsession and then chooses to fight Heaven to get him back. That’s an FF story. Family fighting the impossible. Then Marvel took this book away from us and told us it wasn’t what we wanted. We did what it took and got it back.
So that’s my choice. FF volume 3 issue 60. Weiringo was a great creator taken from the world too soon. I say we vote and make sure that his work is included in a celebration of Marvel.
While my heart says Thunderbolts (an amazing turn that could NEVER be pulled off today), my head says FF, if only because we’re talking about a collection of single issues representing Marvel comics, and that issue is everything great about the First Family in 22 flawless pages. It’s exciting, funny, poignant ends on a hopeful high note, unlike T-Bolts #1 which ends with the Nazi villain cackling while a young girl cries alone in a cell.
Excalibur 91 is a contender for my favourite single issue of all-time (from one of my favourite comic runs of all-time, natch). So, that. Definitely that.
(Mind you, I can’t swear I’ve read any of the others. I *must* have read that issue of Spider-Man, but I can’t be entirely sure…)
That Spec Spidey had a holofoil cover and was ace. But Me Favrit is like to be over-represented in this thing anyway.
Thunderbolts 1 is a pfaht little comic, but Busiek will probably get the first ish of Marvels in there, and Bags will likely get Ultimate Spider-Man 13 – one of the only comics in the whole run to be self-contained.
As Al said on Twitter, I’d be better off voting with my heart, even though that would basically be 1500 pages of Spider-Man with some pin-ups of Paul Smith’s Flashdance Rogue. But I can’t help but want to ensure that ‘Ringo gets in there. So I’ve already voted FF 60 – even though I’m sure that the Jack Kirby issue will already be in there.
Some great choices, but.
Man, what Punishers are gonna be in there? Ennis/Dillon? Can’t see the Max issues getting a look-in. Don’t know what that would mean for Jessica Jones, though.
//\Oo/\\
Damage Control. Maybe just getting a bunch of votes for it will kick Marvel’s collection dept into doing the right thing.
Man, it’s a tough one, but I’m gonna have to go for Spidey 200.
I’ve got to go with Thunderbolts, if for no other reason than it’s the last big ‘pre-Internet-spoilers’ plot twist that we’re ever likely to see.
All are good choices except the Excalibur issue (somehow I never liked Ellis’ run on it), but my vote would go for Damage Control with the Generation X Underground a close 2nd.
Thunderbolts ! because: Busiek.
Spectacular #200, and it’s bit even close. That book is an absolute classic. Along with Amazing #400, it’s DeMatties at his best.
In case anyone cares, here are the 75 books I voted for. The numbering is arbitrary, and they are in no particular order. I just numbered them so I could remember how many I listed.
1) Thunderbolts vol. 1 #1
2) Spectacular Spider- Man vol. 1 #200
3) Uncanny X-Men #137
4) Uncanny X- Men #141
5) Uncanny X-Men #200
6) Amazing Spider-Man #400
7) Avengers Vol. 3. (1998) # 1
8) Uncanny X- Men #100
9) X- Factor Vol. 1 #68
10) Amazing Spider- Man vol. 1 #50
11) Amazing Spider-Man vol. 1 # 39
12) Amazing Spider- Man vol. 1 # 40
13) Amazing Spider- Man vol. 1 #33
14) Amazing Fantasy #15
15) New X-Men #150
16) New X-Men #146
17) Journey Into Mystery #645
18) Fantastic Four #600
19) Fantastic Four #604
20) Fantastic Four #605
20) FF (Hickman series) #23
21) Fantastic Four #50
22) Fantastic Four # 49
23) Fantastic Four #48
24) Fantastic Four #51
25) Avengers vol. 1 Annual #7
26) Marvel Two in One Annual #2
27) Amazing Spider-Man #121
28) Amazing Spider-Man #122
29) Daredevil #181
30) Daredevil vol. 2 #1 (Kevin Smith)
31) X-Men God Loves Man Kills
32) Marvel Graphic Novel The Death of Captain Marvel
33) X-Men vol. 2 (1991) # 25
34) X-Men Omega
35) X-Men vol. 2 (1991) #30
36) Earth X #X
37) Earth X# 12
38) Universe X: Spidey
39) Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2 (2006) #40
40) Sensational Spider-Man vol. 2 (2006) Annual #1
41) Wolverine Miniseries (Claremont/Miller) #4
42) Amazing Spider-Man #230
43) Daredevil #190
44) Daredevil #191
45) Peter Parker: Spider-Man #75 (1997 cover date)
46) X- Statix #26
47) Avengers vol. 1 #4
48) Amazing Spider-Man #150
49) Uncanny X-Men #175
50) Captain America #175
51) Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #35 (9/11 issue )
52) Incredible Hulk #417
53) Marvels #4
54) Marvels #2
55) Iron Man #150
56) Iron Man # 200
57) Daredevil vol. 2 #49
58) Avengers vol. 1 #277
59) Marvel Knights: Spider-Man vol. 1 #12
60) Captain America vol. 5 #25 (death of Cap)
61) Amazing Spider-Man #300
62) Uncanny X-Men #128
63) Avengers vol. 1 #97
64) Avengers vol. 3 #22
65) Uncanny X-Men #304
66) Fantastic Four #243
67) Amazing Spider-Man #248
68) Uncanny X-Men #142
69) Avengers vol. 1 #101
70) What If vol. 2 #105
71) Dr. Doom & Dr. Strange : Triumph and Torment
72) The Punisher: The End (one shot)
73) Hulk: The End (one shot)
74) Daredevil #300
75) Daredevil #227
* not even close
I’ll go for Thunderbolts v1 1. Sure, it’s the only one from the list I’ve read. But that surpise ending blew my mind as a kid.
Thunderbolts #1-The launch of one of the best titles of the 1990s.
Waid’s first issue of FF-The best FF had been since Byrne, and is still waiting to be topped by something after.
Spectacular Spider Man #200-To see one of my favourite and least appreciated writers get some representation would be nice.
I haven’t read the Gen X one, and I wasn’t as much of a fan of Damage Control as many.
My vote:Excalibur
Thunderbolts #1-The launch of one of the best titles of the 1990s.
Waid’s first issue of FF-The best FF had been since Byrne, and is still waiting to be topped by something after.
Spectacular Spider Man #200-To see one of my favourite and least appreciated writers get some representation would be nice.
I haven’t read the Gen X one, and I wasn’t as much of a fan of Damage Control as many.
My vote:Excalibur #91-I loved that story, and that run, and a lot of people don,t seem to know about it. I still rank most of Ellis’ work during his first stint at Marvel as his best, and I am an Ellis fan. So, I’ll go with this one.
“Thunderbolts #1-The launch of one of the best titles of the 1990s.”
No, it wasn’t. It was consistently entertaining, but it was rarely “good.” Before the constant status quo shifts of the 2000s and later, it was perhaps the only book that was dedicated to shifting team membership and living/dead characters every issue or so.
I enjoyed reading it, but it wasn’t really that good after the first issue. Plot points rarely paid off, were drawn out way too long, and got needlessly confusing. That’s what made reading it fun, but I couldn’t recommend a single issue as an example of a good comic (besides the first, and even that was ho-hum on purpose, to set up the twist ending).
Generation X Underground, but tough call.
One story that sticks out for me, and remains powerful decades later, is “The Gift,” a backup story from Classic X-Men #9 in which Nightcrawler bonds with a young boy while Jean Grey lay in a coma following the shuttle crash that turns her into Phoenix.
Nah, Thunderbolts was good and entertaining.
Thunderbolts! Like someone else said you can’t pull that trick a second time (and I doubt they’d be able to these days even if they hadn’t done it before), and it was done so well.
Has anyone talked Deadpool #11? That’s a fine stand-alone which would fit well in such a collection.
And I’d like to put something in from Priest’s Black Panther, but my memory is failing me for a good stand-alone issue.
I love Deadpool v1 11! Unfortunately it wasn’t an option, otherwise it would have got my vote!
Then again I’d have voted the first 26 issues of Kelly’s Deadpool into Marvel 75th Anniversary Omnibus if I could.
I’ve always loved Damage Control and would be happy to see it included.
But Thunderbolts was beautifully set-up, was a true surprise and used Marvel U history to set up a different status quo. It deserves it most.
Jim, Brendan, I actually came really close to including Deadpool 11 in the list; I only left it out because I figured there was a chance Marvel were going to put it in anyway.
Excalibur 91 — a great issue from a fantastic run.
(never read the FF or Spider-man issues though)
FF. Got me back into comics.Waid and Weirengo were ACE.
Of the six we have to choose from, I’d have to go with Thunderbolts #1 as one of the most important moments in Marvel history, as well as proving that anything is possible with the right execution.
I’d go with the Gen X underground. Was like a lightbulb going off in my head.
Honourable mention for me would be that issue of 90’s X-factor where they all got analysed by Doc Samson.
Of that list, I’ve gotta go with Thunderbolts. (I’ve always utterly despised Damage Control…)
Thunderbolts. That final page was brilliant.
“Honourable mention for me would be that issue of 90′s X-factor where they all got analysed by Doc Samson.’
Good choice. Thunderbolts #1 would still be my choice, but this would be my second choice (definitely ahead of all the other choices listed here).