Discuss: Story Arcs You've Read Multiple Times

Doug: Name 'em, and tell us why! What brought you back, and how about your level of satisfaction on the re-read? And this might be fun -- where did you read these, either the first time or later? For example, you might have been on board for Fantastic Four #s 120-123 (Gabriel and Galactus), but you might have at some point read that story in Marvel Treasury Edition #21.

If I Had a Buck... Marvel Limited Series

Martinex1: Back in the early to mid ‘80’s, Marvel Comics explored a short-run comic series format that pandered to the growing comic shop market and the eager fan base.   Following Contest of Champions, the Marvel Limited Series format skyrocketed and before you could shout, “Holy Hannah!” everybody but Rick Jones had their own short series.  

The quality of the books varied, but the exploration of second and third rate heroes continued in the hope that fringe favorites would become true headliners.  That was the case for characters like Wolverine and the Punisher.   And the idea of short 4 issue arcs and runs continues today.  One pitfall is that this trend also finalized the demise of classic titles like Marvel Premiere, Marvel Presents, and Marvel Spotlight. 

So the $1 Challenge today consists of some of those long ago titles from the age of big hair and parachute pants.   Share your thoughts on your picks and pans. Anything worth reading?  Or is it all for the recycle bin?

One final note:  In light of the escalating prices of this time, I am initiating the "Quarter Bin Rule."  All of these comics are four-for-a-dollar.   Don't pay more to explore!                                                                        

Just a Thought About Mini-Series and Story Arcs

Doug: I'm about done with my Marvel collection as far as the eBay listings go. Yesterday I decided to take the lid off the first DC longbox and get some things ready to go live (they do later this evening if you're so inclined as to check them out -- information is on the sidebar). While much of my DC collection has been pared down through the years, I did hang onto some "key" issues, arcs, etc. here and there. Of note was what DC was doing in post-Crisis Batman comics.

Doug: In the years after the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC pursued a strategy similar to what was catching on at Marvel and within their own publications -- the mini-series. However, with Batman they chose to publish these within the regular monthly books rather than as stand-alone series. Your thoughts on that, pro or con?

Batman: Year One (Batman #s 404-407)
Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast (Batman #s 417-420)
Batman: Year Two (Detective Comics #s 575-578)
Batman: A Death in the Family (Batman #s 426-429)
Batman: Year Three (Batman #s 436-439)
Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (Batman #s 440-442 and New Titans #s 60-61)

Who's the Best... Mini-Series You Ever Bought?

Who's the Worst... Mini-Series You Ever Bought?