I read Watchmen, V for Vendetta and Dark Knight Returns for the first time not long ago. The last one was awesome,but the first two? I honestly don't get what all the fuss is about.
How much you like the stories is up to you.
There's choices in this thread already i think suck (V for Vendetta being one of them) but i acknowledge their importance.
For DC/Marvel I would also add:
Kingdom Come, Sinestro Corps War, The Long Halloween, The Judas Contract, Secret Wars I, Daredevil: Born Again, The Ultimates(I-II), Annihilation.
I was going to name some Indie must-reads, but the list is vast(moreso than I realized), so I'll just mention a few notable titles I've not yet seen mentioned:
Preacher, The Walking Dead, Grendel: Behold The Devil
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"I am tired of Earth. These people.
I am tired of being caught in the tangle of their lives."
But I disagree with Infinity Gauntlet. It didn't introduce any new characters, villains etc, it didn't even deal with the resurrection of Thanos or Warlock after a long hiatus of being dead - that was handled in earlier issues. It didn't introduce the soul gems or their rebranding as the Infinity Gems, or the unification of the gems. It didn't really change anything or have lasting effects, it was another one of those stories where a whole lot of crap went down and was all reset at the end with hardly anyone remembering. It didn't really have any sort of original story (it was quite derivative of Starlin's earlier work,), any clever plot turns, or surprises. Characterisation and real drama took a back seat to cosmic pyrotechnics and temporary hero deaths.
A fun story? Yes. Entertaining, interesting? Yes. Worth reading? Yes. But a brilliant comic for the must read list of classics? Not really. I would recommend Starlin's earlier Thanos/Warlock arcs as candidates ahead of Infinity Gauntlet.
Seeing as thats another of the books i dont think are all that great, i wont argue on its behalf except to point out you said it was worth reading, and that not everyone likes everything considered a classic.
I know folks who dont like the Black album or the White album...
I think there is a difference. There are stories which I liked and I thought were worth reading but wouldn't put on a "must read" list. There are also a few which I wasn't a big fan of that I might still consider for the list.
To me, "must reads" would include some "classic" stories, but also stories that defined genres or had a big influence on what came after, perhaps some that introduced great characters or concepts.
I wouldn't put Infinity Gauntlet on, not just because I thought the story and characters were a bit weak in parts, but also because it doesn't really do anything new. It's light entertainment if you like that sort of thing.
On the other hand, whether people like Watchmen and Dark Knight or not, a lot of them would probably agree that they belong on the list if only because of their influence. Like novels and films, there are various reasons for being on the list.
KMC Community Forums
Oct 8th, 2014 09:30 AM
