My All-time Favorite Comic Books, 25-21

Every comic book reader worth their salt has a list of their favorite comics, the ones they treasure the most and most recommend to new and fellow readers.  Here's mine:

#25. Spider-Man Reign

Creators: Kaare Andrews
Publication dates: 2007
Issues: 1-4

This is my personal favorite version of The Dark Knight Returns, one of the most famous Batman stories ever told.  Marvel was a little slow to respond to it, but along with the excellent Wolverine story arc "Old Man Logan," it was easily Spider-Man Reign that finally rose to the challenge.  Where Reign trumps DKR is its ability to capture the essential message of the lead character in a way that goes backward and forward.  In the future, Peter Parker is an old man who once more dons his costume to battle an insidious plot to enslave all of New York City.  It's the quintessential "pathetic loner" Spider-Man story, told evocatively and sparsely, featuring most of the familiar supporting cast although each of them in surprising ways.  When you picture Spider-Man you usually have the wise-cracker in mind, but far more deep to the core is a guy who has never fit in and never quite got over that feeling of exclusion.  That's what this story is all about, how the story ends for one of the greatest heroes ever.

#24. Mister X

Creators: Dean Motter
Publication dates: 1984-present
Issues: 1-14, Brides of Mister X, Condemned, Eviction, Hard Candy

One of the greatest comic book characters I've ever read isn't a superhero, but rather Dean Motter's archetypal retro-futurist creation, the reclusive Mister X, originally published by Vortex Comics but by increasing demand finally staging a comeback at Dark Horse with new graphic novel releases every few years.  Along with Motter has been a number of other creators who have helped shape one of the most breathtaking artistic achievements in comics history, comparable to Will Eisner's more famous Spirit, creating an impact that's still only beginning to be felt.

#23. Peter Tomasi and Patrick Gleason's Batman and Robin

Creators: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason
Publication dates: 2011-present
Issues: Batman and Robin Vol. 1 20-22, Vol. 2 0-present

I've been increasingly impressed with this dynamic duo, who first came together for Green Lantern Corps and were later again paired together in the pages of Brightest Day.  Yet it's in Batman and Robin where Tomasi and Gleason have truly peaked (so far), creating a book that's almost a companion to contemporary Batman lore, offering the best commentaries on current storylines while also immersing themselves in the private lives of Bruce Wayne and his son Damian.  Key issues include #0 (Damian's origin) and 23 (a perfect eulogy to Damian's death).  Bucking every expectation, this has the potential to climb much higher.  Or Tomasi and Gleason can somehow top themselves in a different collaboration entirely.

#22. Allan Heinberg and Jim Cheung's Young Avengers

Creators: Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung
Publication dates: 2005-2012
Issues: 1-12, Avengers: The Children's Crusade 1-9

To my mind still the most perfect of the monthly depictions of the Marvel universe, even if it lasted for one year and then years later for a reprise about as long.  Heinberg took the Infinity Inc. formula of looking at how the next generation of famous archetypes would perform (a thing Marvel had tried before in things like M2 and 2099) and perfected it, with an entire bumper crop of characters with the same angst as the '60s boom generation and all the room to explore and grow as their story continued.  Children's Crusade remains inexplicably underrated, even though it was the sequel to House of M years in the making and completely unexpected, as well as a natural sequel to Heinberg and Cheung's original run.

#21. Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's Challengers of the Unknown

Creators: Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale
Publication dates: 1991
Issues: 1-8

Later collected under the title Challengers of the Unknown Must Die!, this is Loeb and Sale's earliest and to my mind best collaboration, a complete deconstruction of the superhero narrative in a way Watchmen could only dream, literary and therefore mostly untouchable to anyone expecting traditional material.  And the fact that it features a group of undiscovered icons makes it all the better.

(All covers via Comic Book Database.)