Most important modern comic book

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Elveen
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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by Elveen »

wwise03 wrote:Important to what? To American society? To world peace? To comic book sales?

I find comic books to be largely unimportant...the only ones I find important are the ones that entertain me. In that sense, I will vote The Mercenary Sea because it is the comic book that gives me the most entertainment. It doesn't try to preach to me. It doesn't try to predict the future if the rich get richer (Lazarus). It doesn't try to tell me that liking pop musicians is like praying to a god (Wicked and the Divine). It doesn't try to make me aware that domestic abuse is a problem (like the ESPN and the NFL are trying to do...by the way, do we really need someone to tell us that?). I hope others are enjoying The Mercenary Sea as much as me.

Sorry to disappoint with my answer...it's just the way I see it.

I take the ? as to ask: important to the comic universe (all things related to comic books).
And I'll agree with Lord D, comics are important. Expression, free thought, inventiveness, creativeness, mythmaking, ... IMO, these are all important. Same way that movies, or books, or art, or sculpture is important.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by greg »

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

The only modern book that I wasn't sure if I would ever own a copy - and the only modern book that instantly is recognized for "what it is" by every generation.

All other modern comics need explaining.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by nycjadie »

I've always considered TMNT a bronze age book, circa 1984. Certainly, it's the most important of those 1980s black and white books. Also, never thought it was likely that I would own a copy.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by Elveen »

I know it is a small sample size and not an indicator for most important modern book, but the amount of people interested in TMNT comic books compared to TWD is like 1 tmnt person per every 10 TWD. Peeps.

I've set up like probably 20+ times in the last little bit and not one person has ever asked for a tmnt #1.

Still not an indicator for most important, but a fact none the less

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by GGSAE »

Elveen wrote:I know it is a small sample size and not an indicator for most important modern book, but the amount of people interested in TMNT comic books compared to TWD is like 1 tmnt person per every 10 TWD. Peeps.

I've set up like probably 20+ times in the last little bit and not one person has ever asked for a tmnt #1.

Still not an indicator for most important, but a fact none the less

You've made this argument before, and I'm sorry it doesn't compare. Just because TWD may or may not be the most popular topic at comic-related shows, it doesn't have anywhere close to the cultural impact of TMNT. If I were to go downtown and ask 100 people from all walks of life if they've heard of the two, TMNT would win hands down. And if we were to skew the data to poll just respondents over the age of 50, the difference would be so much more.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by Elveen »

But most popular is not necessarily most important, I was just stating that many more people right now are interested in TWD than tmnt.
Did tmnt change the industry as much as TWD?
Did it have as much impact on tv and other media?
Right now for good and bad TWD has totally changed the game for collecting and making comic books.

And I'm not even sure tmnt is a modern book.

Again, I did not grow up a comic fan, I was not reading or into comics when tmnt came out. I have only been heavily into comics for a short while (comparative to many/most), but I have never wanted or looked for a tmnt #1 because no one has ever asked if I had one. I don't see one on someone's wall, honestly no one has ever asked of I had one.
This might not be a factor for most important, but if no one (from my perspective of setting up as a comic dealer at least once (and sometimes 3 times in a five week period) a month is interested or looking for or asking for one.....

But I was not there at the time when it came out so I might not understand.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by nycjadie »

I was collecting TMNT when it came out (albeit subsequent printings) and I read the first 50 issues of TWD. I have to say, from a comic book standpoint, they're not very good. I dislike the TMNT phenomenon, but the TWD TV show is fantastic. It's so much better than the books.

In any event, I do not think those franchises are important from a comic book standpoint. Arguably, they are more important from a cultural standpoint, with TMNT probably having the bigger impact.

I view the Miller, Moore and Gaiman work in the mid-80's to be more important work that transformed storytelling in the medium and inspired the works that we read today. The movement to creator-owned work also changed how the industry creates, publishes and distributes comics.

I imagine that the biggest impact the contemporary era will have on comics is electronic. There will be some innovative way to consume comics (that likely already exists), that will become significant competition to printed books.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by slym2none »

Elveen wrote: And I'm not even sure tmnt is a modern book.
This. Any comic book, hell, anything that is 30+ years old shouldn't be considered modern. Cars, architecture, electronics... and yes, comic books.

:thumb:



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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by slym2none »

StarBrand wrote:What is your pick as the most important modern comic book? Why?
To be a VALIANT fanboy...

Rai #0

:P



-slym (is wondering if even that is really "modern"...) :oops:
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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by ArmstrongAndHammer »

If it is pre 90's it has got to be Watchmen, it totally deconstructed the superhero genre, and they have never been the same since. If post 1990 I would say ultimate spider-man 1 because the pacing of that book changed the way most comics were written, and the visual style is imitated a lot.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by krylox »

so, if we assume "modern" is 1975 onwards, i'd say:

dave sim's cerebus #1 > birth of the direct market "indie" or author-comic
swamp thing #20 (or #21, where moore is actually is starting his own story) > birth of "mainstream mature themed genre comics", resp. vertigo
raw #2 (1st spiegelman's maus) > birth of (what later became) the graphic novel. also first time comics were taken seriuosly outside of the "fan"-niche
watchmen #1 > deconstruction of the superhero genre (you could also say: the peak and death of the genre, at least in terms of novelty value)
youngblood #1 > 1st time comicbook-creators became businessmen
...
and not much revolutionary ever happend after, i'm afraid...

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by lorddunlow »

Turok #1?
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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by slym2none »

lorddunlow wrote:Turok #1?
*AHEM*
slym2none wrote:
StarBrand wrote:What is your pick as the most important modern comic book? Why?


Rai #0

:P
:thumb:



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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by comicsyte95 »

lorddunlow wrote:Turok #1?
facepalm
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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by maraxusofkeld »

I think Ultimate Spiderman #1 should be mentioned as it brought a lot of people who left the hobby back into the fold and helped take Marvel from the complete trash that was most of the 90s. I wouldn't say most important but an honorable mention.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by lorddunlow »

slym2none wrote:
lorddunlow wrote:Turok #1?
*AHEM*
slym2none wrote:
StarBrand wrote:What is your pick as the most important modern comic book? Why?


Rai #0

:P
:thumb:



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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by slym2none »

facepalm



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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by Bone-A-Fach-ee »

Everything I would have answered has already been stated.
If we're going WAAAAY back, then Dark Knight Returns (my original answer) and Watchmen.
But, then if we're talking more modern, my first instinct was to say Walking Dead, but then I thought, Ultimate Spider-Man. As someone mentioned earlier, it did bring people back to the hobby, me being one of them. From what I know about it too, it helped turn all of Marvel around, launched Bendis to super stardom, and honestly was just such a great new fresh twist on a 50 year old character.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by comicsyte95 »

The 3 that come to mind are TWD,TMNT,and Watchmen.. all 3 are imho important so I wont even try to pick which one that is most.
If I just can't be me ,and the Arrow isn't enough.. then maybe I should be Ra's al Ghul

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by ArmstrongAndHammer »

Yeah the Walking Dead while it is probably the most popular comic of the Modern era, I don't think it was that innovative. The Deadworld series predated that series was very similar (although inferior). Don't get me wrong the Walking Dead is a great book, but it TMNT might have been a big hit that moved into mainstream culture, but the question is important book. Things can be a big hit but that doesn't make them important. For example; Two Chains, Miley Cirus, or most other modern music artists today that while everyone knows them it doesn't make them important to a culture (except as an indication of how far we have fallen, or as objects to be put down by snobs like myself). So to me, depending on how far we go back, Watchmen has to be number one. It is taught in college courses that aren't about comics, made Time's list of 100 important books of the century, deconstructed the superhero genre, solidified the British invasion, popularized Mature Readers titles, and people still debate about it's interpretation. If we got post boom in the 1990's again I will offer Ultimate Spider-man. It start the poaching of good writers from indie comics into the superhero genre, changed the look of most books (tons of full page spreads, a lot less words), and started RECON mania. The Walking Dead is a huge hit, it made image comics, and put horror comics to the fore before, but comics are still dominated by superheroes, and The Walking Dead hasn't changed that.

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Re: Most important modern comic book

Post by lorddunlow »

ArmstrongAndHammer wrote: The Walking Dead is a huge hit, it made image comics.
This is the best argument for TWD bring the most important. Image has carved out a huge niche of the market for itself and has greatly changed the landscape and reader demographic. The success of TWD has helped them take risks over the past decade that has led to the current success and diversity.
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