KMC:The Contrarians

KMC, it is your job to be a Digi AKA a FILTHY contrarian. The subject is definitive runs. You post what is considered the definitive run and give your argument against it. You can pick an artist and/or writer to mix it up.

I'll start

This is considered the Definitive Batman

LIES!!!

THIS is the definitive Batman

Steve Englehart and Marshall Rogers Batman had the perfect mix of mystery, action, adventure and family. Englehart's Batman was The World's Greatest Detective without also being its greatest: Scientist, Martial Artist, inventor, ventriliquist, race car driver etc. Batman was vulnerable and even beatable and that added more gravitas to the stories. Englehart's Batman was clearly a disguise for Bruce Wayne and not vise-versa. Bruce, Alfred, Robin and Batgirl all interacted as a real family. Bruce and Batman actually LAUGH throught the run. This is the most balanced Batman which makes him the best.

The Killing Joke tops nearly every top ten list you might run across.
Meh.
The story itself is fine, and it had lasting impact, but Joker doesnt need an origin.
He's the Joker. Thats all thats needed.
Plus he and Batman sharing a laugh at the end, and i've read many opinions why that worked, never sat right w. me.

For me, Mad Love captures Joker's Batman obsession, his flat out insanity, and his need to get the punchline. Its everything Joker, in a nice neat package.

Add to that Superman #9, Byrne era.

Joker picks a fight w. the most powerful man in the world.
He robs a jewelry store in Metropolis.
With a nuke.
He nearly detonates that nuke in the middle of the the city.
Throw in a little kidnapping and some mind games.

His reason for all this when caught?
"Why not?"

Planet Hulk

Not me, I say Jason Aaron Hulk. Jason might not be able to write his way out of becoming a future registered sex offender, but he sure can write Doom kicking the shit out of Hulk, and that's what Hulk is all about.

A runner up is Thanos' new series. All the classic Hulk anecdotes with no shortage of Hulk's will and determination.

valiants solar man of the atom. no godlike superhero character comes close to him in terms of characterization.

^^^what in the what the what has that got to do with the OP?!? 😬

Morrison's run is largely considered the definitive JLA run. Because feats, and heroing, and Morrison is god.

Much as I love Morrison and everything he does, I consider that a "meh" run.. I get his intention, getting back to basics in a quasi-pre crisis lineup. But it felt like he was playing catch-up on the "epic" Marvel storylines they've been doing for the past decade.

For me, this will always be THE gold standard JLA:

Keith Giffen is an underappreciated genius, and one of my favorite writers ever. He actually turned DIONE into someone I can enjoy reading, lightening him up from Starlin's "takes himself too seriously" rendition, while still keeping him a bad-ass genius.

This JLA series was FANTASTIC. Maxwell Lord and Martian Manhunter, Guy Gardner and Martian Manhunter, Lobo, Guy Gardner and General Glory (LOL!), Kilowog, and G'nort, Lobo, Blue and Gold, Fire and Ice. And Lobo.

Literally had me in tears, sometimes. It was the anti-1990's.

People hated on it precisely because it was more humor oriented, and somewhat a parody of super hero comics. But to see Batman playing straightman to their antics alone is worth the price of admission.. Telling Carter Hall this:

With Dark Knight Returns still relatively fresh in mind?

But it wasn't all fun and games.. There was a lot of genuinely good character development in there. Maxwell Lord in particular had a character arc that started with him being a corporate swindler, to a pretty likable character who tried to do the right thing, but was insecure about how to do it, and became one of J'on's closest friends. (Infinite Crisis, of course, ruined all of that.)

I could go on, but I think I've made my point. Awesome run, awesome series, hilarious, introduced many key characters still in use today, and done by one of the best writers on the planet (Just look at Giffen's resume. Five Years Later is one of the top Legion of Super-Heroes runs, for example.)

^^^gotta agree on that.
Morrison's run was great in reestablishing the League, but, Giffen's League was something really -innovative-.
It had its faults, but was by and large very good throughout.
As an aside, i felt Morrison had trouble finishing strong on a lot (not all) of his storylines.
Prometheus, as an example. Hit in the nards, after aaaall that epic build up.
And his big finale, where the whole earth gets super powers, still managed to be pretty boring.

Originally posted by LordofBrooklyn
KMC...be a Digi...

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Originally posted by Digi
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