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Post by dlw66 on Jul 16, 2009 7:48:42 GMT -5
With all of the discussion of covers and lists lately, it got me thinking: what are the key issues in each Marvel title? For example, I don't think Daredevil has all that many. I'd suggest that after 1 (intro./origin), 7 (1st red costume), and 158 (1st Miller art), there aren't any. Now if you pressed me, I might also say 131 (1st Bullseye), 168 (1st Elektra), and 181 (classic Bullseye/Elektra battle, "death" of Elektra). But that's about all.
What do you think -- any title?
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Post by Shiryu on Jul 16, 2009 17:21:47 GMT -5
I suppose it depends from what one really means as key issue. For example, I wouldn't include #7 (because a costume change, or even the costume change is not too important for me) or #158 (because I favour what happens inside the story to the creative team producing it). However, 131, 168, and 181 would all make my list, together with the first and last issues of Born Again and perhaps #191. Also, the issue were Foggie discovers his real identity. EDIT: here is what Marvel thinks. Some of these issues I didn't even know they existed
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Post by scottharris on Jul 16, 2009 18:33:30 GMT -5
I suppose it depends from what one really means as key issue. Yeah, I agree here. As an Avengers fan, what I think of as a key issue would be very different from what a non-Avengers fan would think. This list from Marvel about Daredevil is a good example. These are key moments from Daredevil's life, but not necessarily key issues. I guess I think of key issues in terms of collecting, since I think that's where the term came from, so it's hard for me to think of long storylines as being "key" because you need all of them in order for it be of any use. If they're all important, then none of them are teally key, if you see what I mean. For Daredevil I would personally go with #1, 131, 158, 168 and 181. Issues like 7 and 81 would be for me what collectors used to call "minor key" issues; important, but not as important. I personally think 81 is underrated in importance, but I can't quite call it a key. I think in order for it to be key there has to be some consensus among the fans that it is important. In Avengers, I would say the true key issues would be 1, 4, 16, 57, 93 and maybe 100. Maybe 8 as well, I'm on the fence with that one; when I was collecting as a kid, neither 8 nor 100 was considered particularly important, but since then 100 has gained a lot of traction and I have the feeling that fans now consider 8 to be more important than they did ten or twenty years ago. Minor keys would be 9, 11, 48, 54, Special #2, 58, 59, 66, 71, 87, 110-111, 114, 125, 129, Giant-Sized #2, 141, 144, 177, 200 and Annual 10, but I don't think any of these are true key issues in the usual sense. I think #54 should be a true key issue but hasn't been recognized as such by fans. You could make a case for issues like, well, just about anything in the 160's, but I don't think from a collecting standpoint they make the cut even though they are almost all classic stories. Ditto for the classic Avengers/Defenders War. For me personally, #85 is an all-time classic, and the three issues that I think of as the Clint Barton Trilogy (#63-65) are vastly underrated by readers and collectors both. #28 could be considered a minor key, and #51 is very important in terms of team development and particularly the artistic development of the book and John Buscema. But just because I personally value them doesn't mean they are keys; otherwise, Justice League of America #75 would be selling for $500.
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Post by dlw66 on Jul 17, 2009 7:42:02 GMT -5
Scott --
Would you not place Avengers Annual #1 above Avengers #100? Of course, I'm assuming that you'd hold #100 in high regard because of the "everyone who was ever an Avenger" storyline. If so, Avengers Annual #1 (reprinted in G-S Avengers #5) was first (sans the Hulk).
I'd argue, using the logic of what is key to the book and not to collectors, that Avengers #59 has been incredibly impactful to group dynamics for the past 40 years. Of course I'm speaking of the first overt look at Hank Pym's mental issues.
FF #286 (return of Jean Grey) might have been a key at one time, but that whole mess has become so convoluted that the lustre is gone.
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Post by betaraybill on Jul 17, 2009 21:25:19 GMT -5
With all of the discussion of covers and lists lately, it got me thinking: what are the key issues in each Marvel title? For example, I don't think Daredevil has all that many. I'd suggest that after 1 (intro./origin), 7 (1st red costume), and 158 (1st Miller art), there aren't any. Now if you pressed me, I might also say 131 (1st Bullseye), 168 (1st Elektra), and 181 (classic Bullseye/Elektra battle, "death" of Elektra). But that's about all. What do you think -- any title? For the Avengers I always recommend the Count Nefaria story (vol 1, 164-166) to friends getting to know the title. Issues 273-286 (I think) is an important chunk in my opinion, too. Prior to those runs I'm afraid I'm experiencing brain lock and can't name specifics, but I know that pre-100 has a ton that I would, upon refreshing my memory, consider key issues. Great topic by the way!
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