Unsurprisingly, this category featured the most variation for choices. Out of 30 total possible slots, there were 26 total titles chosen (Gil abstained from this category). Given the sheer amount of comics that came out I should not have been shocked, but I still was somewhat. Even more surprising? Amongst this massive mess, two of our writers managed to select the same issue for the number one spot on their respective lists.
Must be a pretty damn good comic.
No less, check out the list and please let us know what you think is the best issue from the Aughts. I’m sure there will be plenty of differences of opinion with this one, but that’s part of the fun of this project!
10 (tie). Bone #55
10 (tie). Ultimate X-Men #1
10 (tie). Fables #50
7 (tie). Preacher #66
7 (tie). Amazing Spider-Man #36
5 (tie). Avengers Finale
5 (tie). Giant Size Astonishing X-Men
4. Amazing Spider-Man #545
3. Sinestro Corps Special
David: I think the funniest thing about this finishing in the top 3 is the fact that when it initially came out, I didn’t pick it up. I was reading pretty much everything that came out, yet even with an affinity for Green Lantern comics, I still decided to pass on Sinestro Corps War. It would mean I’d have to pick up Green Lantner Corps as well, and I just didn’t feel like adding that many titles.
Then…I heard the buzz which was, simply put, towering.
I had to go back and get it. While I ended up with a second edition copy, I was fine with that. From the first pages hinting at what were getting at to the very last reveal, showing us the laundry list of bad guys the Corps would be facing (Superboy Prime, Anti-Monitor, Cyborg Superman, and more), I was completely blown away. This was what I wanted from my superhero comics. Dire situations, perfect pacing, bravura storytelling, and incredible art – who wouldn’t want that from their comics really? A brilliant start to the best event of the decade.
Matt: Just as much as Ultimate Spider-Man #1 was the game changer that brought me back into comic books after a four-ish year gap of collecting books regularly, Sinestro Corps War Special #1 was the book that made me say, “Hey, I should be buying DC books regularly too.” Call it a silly form of child-like allegiance, but I’d never given DC the change just due to the fact I always bought Marvel. I could appreciate some of their characters, but overall I wasn’t interested, especially in anyone that wasn’t part of the Holy Trinity. Then, the same friend that got me into Ultimate Spider-Man told me that I belonged in the Sinestro Corps, and with that began a journey into reading everything about the Sinestro Corps and why they mattered. This led to me buying a copy of the Sinestro Corps War Special, everything after it, and hunting down everything before it.
We already discussed the implications and importances of the Sinestro Corps War earlier in our decade list, but aside from all the little bits and pieces of build up, this is where it all started. We got to see what happened to Sinestro, who we hadn’t seen since the end of Rebirth, the return of Parallax in a new terrifying form, and the horrific return of the Anti-Monitor, a monster of a villain not seen in full form for 20 years. His husk had been present as a tool of destruction from Infinite Crisis, but he himself had been long gone. Now he’s back, and he was worse than ever. Throw in a homicidal Superboy/man-Prime and Cyborg Superman Hank Henshaw with several different rings and an army of Manhunters, and we’ve got the most frightening force created as an opposition to the almighty Green Lantern Corps. All of it began with one little special.
Continued belowNow, what I can really appreciate now when looking back at the Sinestro Corps War Special is what it truly was. It was the focal point of an insanely intense series of events that led to one of the most action packed and intense events of the entire decade. It called back 20 years worth of continuity and featured the return of one of the DCU’s most feared villains of all time, and none of it seemed hokey. The writing was amazing and drew me in to a series that I had never paid attention to before, and it was so good that it made me interested in all the continuity I didn’t know about. I wanted to know who Superboy-Prime was and why he was encased in the sun, I wanted to know more about Parallax and the Anti-Monitor, and all of a sudden a new door was opened to me. Now I can easily say I’m a pretty big DC fan (considering I’m wearing a Flash t-shirt as I write this), and all because of the Sinestro Corps War’s Special/start off.
Brandon: This thing was epic! I figured it would be good when I went into it but I had no clue what I was in store for. No clue that this would lead to some of the most epic stories of the decade. It was one of the most influential issues of the last decade for DC and it’s line of books.
The issue assembled an amazing squad in the Sinestro Corp. It was an assemblage of truly devious characters that would surely instill great fear in the DCU. I mean come on seriously, the Anti-Monitor alone would be enough to make even the most fearless hero shit bricks. Then you throw in Superboy Prime, Sinestro and Cyborg Superman along with all the Manhunters and you’re looking pretty damn scary.
This issue alone in my opinion cemented Green Lantern as the third in the trinity of DC heroes. Wonder Woman who? She’s never been as good as Green Lantern is today. He has more draw and is far more interesting considering all that surrounds him in the GLC.
2. Ultimate Spider-Man #1
David: As a kid, I loved Spider-Man. The idea of a normal guy being put into extraordinary situations because of powers he gained randomly appealed to me, as did the real everyman feel Peter Parker had and the real world problems he faced. My favorite Spidey artist was Mark Bagley even. But then came the dreaded Clone Saga and the disappearance of Bagley as a Spider-Man artist, and shortly after that I stopped reading. Who needs a convoluted mess that is poorly drawn? I sure didn’t.
Then Ultimate Spider-Man came out. I was very skeptical of this whole Ultimate thing, but I picked it up anyways. This was mostly because I really enjoyed this Brian Michael Bendis’ guy and his work on Sam & Twitch, and of course because the prodigal son, Mark Bagley, had returned.
Quickly I realized this was going to bring back the feelings I used to get while reading Spider-Man. “With great power comes great responsibility,” put upon dork protagonist who is incredibly relatable, and fantastic art…this is what I want from my Spider-Man comics! For 116 issues this duo worked on the title, and from what I understand it ended up being an amazing series. While I didn’t go all the way with it, I still love the first issue and how it managed to make the real Peter Parker stand up, once and for all.
Matt: There was a good period of time from between when I was a young lad buying a lot of books to the man I am now where I didn’t actually buy comic books. I understand that this can come quite shocking to most, but it is a fact. I fell out of comics as Venom ended, Spawn lost my interest, and Deadpool generally stopped being as entertaining. That was just the books I followed regularly. I should note I did get books sporadically that interested me, like the really bad Daniel Way Venom series, I just didn’t make a regular thing out of it. Then one day my friend sat me down, handed me a stack of comic books and said read. They were Ultimate Spider-Man comic books, and I read from issue 1 straight through to whatever was released up to that point in one day, and it completely changed how I felt about comic books. While I had been generally following big plot points, I had become disillusioned with buying them every week — until I read Ultimate Spider-Man. I was hesitant at first, but as I got through to the final issue, I found a brand new series that I loved.
Continued belowAfter reading Ultimate Spider-Man #1, I began looking more into the Ultimate universe. I thought that, since the universe was designed for people who hadn’t been following comics religiously, it could be a good jumping point back into the world for me. I began reading Fantastic Four, Ultimates, X-Men, anything I could get my hands on. Eventually I branched back into the Marvel U, picking up current books and buying trades to catch up. Now, I know so much random and insane trivia about the Marvel Universe that I could teach a class. My shelves are covered in trades from every publisher and every spectrum of comic books, from original graphic novels to ultimate trade collections and omnibuses. All of it because of Ultimate Spider-Man #1.
The thing about Ultimate Spider-Man was it called back to everything I used to love about comic books. It was humorous, it wasn’t too serious, but it was serious enough that it could be read as an actual bit of literature. On top of that, this strange new Ultimate title didn’t rely on previous canon, so I didn’t have to go on Wikipedia to research all that I had missed. Instead, I was being introduced to a brand new universe designed specifically for people like me — people who wanted to get into comic books now and hadn’t been reading for a while. And it still managed to truly capture the charm that had always been there for me when it came to Spider-Man. It was a callback to Spider-Man’s true form — that of a confused teenager put into an awkward and powerful situation, and it was everything I used to always love about Spider-Man. It was smart and funny, and the dialogue was like nothing I’d read in comic books. Needless to say, Ultimate Spider-Man was the book for me.
Brandon: This issue single-handedly started my reading of Spider-Man. I grew up in a clone ear and everything I heard was bad. So, I left Spidey to his own devices and never became all that interested. When Ultimate Spider-Man was announced I thought it would be a great way to jump in without the baggage. It was. Bendis and Bagley presented me with an interesting book and it revolved around Peter. There wasn’t even a costume or Spider-Man himself.
Over time the title solidified itself as one of Marvel’s best on a continuous bases. It presented fresh spins on traditional Spidey villains and storylines. It was a teen drama at it’s best when I was still in High School and could relate to the outcast feel and the want to be something more than I was. In High School who doesn’t feel this
way? When I first read this title I wondered how Bendis tapped the teen feel without being one himself. So many try and it comes out beyond contrived. Here it was pure magic. Peter telling MJ his secret and the conversation that went with it are still today this day one of my favorite issues and moments in comics.
Before all that though was the first issue. Without this we wouldn’t even have a Marvel Ultimate universe. Heck, whose to say we would still have Marvel without it. This title was one of the titles that caught popularity and helped to pull Marvel out of the slums it had delved into before Joe Quesada and Bill Jemas. It was an issue that
re-launched Marvel and helped to launch Bendis into the mainstream consciousness of fans and the industry alike.
1. Y the Last Man #60
David: This is my favorite single issue of any comic ever. I say that without any question in my mind. I knew it the first time I read it. I knew it the second time. I knew it every time after that. While many of my favorite series have wrapped up, very rarely do the last issues actually live up to the horribly unfair expectations I lay upon them.
Y the Last Man did that and more.
What Brian K. Vaughan and Pia Guerra accomplished with this issue was nothing short of monumental, managing to complete the dramatic arc of protagonist Yorick Brown in beautiful fashion. This issue is heartfelt and tragic, funny and fulfilling, clever, well drawn, and basically every other adjective I could possibly throw its way. It tied up every character’s story by the end and managed to provide us a pretty bizarre and hysterical look at the future of the world in which Yorick Brown is the only man. Not only that, but it gave us the best final page of any issue I’ve ever seen, with a relatively basic image from Guerra and a single word (Alas…) managing to fill me with true emotion.
Continued belowOn top of that, Y the Last Man was the comic that got me back into the hobby. I had dropped them for three or four years after dealing with the creative downturn that the decade started out with, but when someone recommended I check out this new series about a man and his monkey dealing with a world where all men besides him had died…well, I couldn’t pass up that opportunity, could I?
I’d be remiss as a writer if I didn’t mention one last thing. The final fate of Ampersand, Yorick’s faithful companion capuchin monkey, is maybe the best page of art I’ve ever looked at. Pia Guerra decimated me on this single page. It is an absolutely devestating image for fans of the series, and one that was captured with the restraint and skill we came to expect from BKV, Pia, Jose and the rest. The perfect coda to one of my all time favorite series.
Matt: Y the Last Man was one of the biggest series Vertigo has ever had. With a crack team of Pia Guerra on art and Brian K Vaughna at the helm for 59 issues, complete with some of the most likable characters of all time as well as one of the most compelling stories, it all eventually came down to the final issue. The main question of Y that had not been fully resolved was “what happened? Why did all the men die?” There had been several different theories up until that point but no 100% resolve. The shocking events of issue #59 brought up a whole new set of issues, though, so Vaughan and Guerra certainly stacked the bar high against them for the end of their series.
However, what was delivered was perhaps one of the most existentialist endings on record. All the possibilities are laid on the table as we fly ahead into the future and see what the wrath of God had wrought. The future is much different than we expected, and Vaughan uses his excellent dialogue skills to present to us what we missed as he resolves all but the biggest question — what happened? When it comes to what happened, Vaughan insists that the true answer is contained within the pages of the book. What is present in the last issue in regards to it however are contextual clues and riddles, all of which lead to the emotional finale as we say goodbye to the character we had grown so attached to for the past 59 issues. What Y The Last Man #60 stands most triumphant as is an incredibly well written and beautiful drawn tribute to the entire saga, closing the door the series while leaving enough mystery open the air to continue discussions tenfold beyond the last panel. And that, my friends, is how you close off a great series.
Gil: Well, I guess it HAD to end. This issue was similar to one of those clip shows, showing flashbacks to the story, and it acts as more of an epilogue to the epic than a finalization of the story. It certainly gives a sort of open ended closure (if there is such a thing) to Yorick’s journey.
Brandon: I loved this series with all my heart. I was extremely attached to it as was my wife. The end of this series was an emotional rollercoaster
and I’m man enough to say a couple moments made me tear up and even shed a couple tears. Only a couple though I swear…
When it came to the final issue I was more than a little worried that we might not get the ending that it deserved. So many shows, movie series and books have endings that lack in some way that is enough to leave the viewers/readers a little let down for as long as they care to remember they were let down. This was a series where I would havecarried it for the rest of my comic reading life. It’d be like if at the end of Lost you found out that the whole series had happened in a virtual reality simulation and the only real person was Rose. It would be weak ass.
Continued belowThe final issue of this series delivered in spectacular fashion. It is by far the best ending to any form of media that I have ever had the privilege to enjoy from beginning to end. The end with the straight jacket in the air was a great visualization that I’ll never forget. It was great ending also thanks to the not so clean cut everyone walks away happy nature of it.
Individual Lists
David
1. Y the Last Man #60
2. Giant Size Astonishing X-Men
3. Preacher #66
4. Fables #50
5. Silver Surfer: Requiem #4
6. Top 10 #8
7. Planetary #26
8. Spectacular Spider-Man Annual #1
9. All-Star Superman #3
10. Sinestro Corps Special
Matt
1. Amazing Spider-Man #545
2. Avengers Finale
3. Amazing Spider-Man #36
4. Bone #55
5. Captain America #25
6. Ultimate Spider-Man #1
7. Green Lantern: Rebirth #5
8. Planetary #27
9. Sinestro Corps Special #1
10. Final Crisis #6
Brandon
1. Y The Last Man #60
2. Sinestro Corps Special #1
3. Ultimate Spider-Man #1
4. Ultimate X-Men #1
5. Decimation: House of M — The Day After (One Shot)
6. X-Force #123
7. New X-Men #121 (Morrison/Quietly)
8. New X-Men #24 (Yost/Kyle)
9. 52 #52
10. Infinite Crisis #1
What do you think is the best issue? Weigh in with this fancy poll. If you click other, let us know what you would pick!
