2003 Season

The idea for this episode (shot at the Atlanta Comic Con) was to let both fans and pros select which comic books of the past 20 years were the most important. The idea wasn't to pick the "best" (necessarily) but those that the respondent felt were important -- and we let them define that term. A list of 25 potential titles were "nominated" and shown to each person, they had the opportunity to talk about up to 5 comics maximum, good or bad (bad things can be important, right?) And each time a book was named, that counted as one point. And here's that top 10:

THE TOP 10

10

9

8

Spawn was one those landmark comics as it was the "launch" title from Image Comics, where creators wanted much more control... and much more money. Turned out that while ranking #10, over half the respondents had less than favorable opinions on the book... but thought it was important enough to weigh in on it.

A big error on my part. Daredevil #168, the first appearance by Elektra, actually preceded the 20 year cut off by about 2 years, but there was no denying the bold style in both art and story by Frank Miller. (It just seemed so fresh and new!) (Pictured: Georges Jeanty)

Easily the most controversial book of the time period, DC Comics' Crisis on Infinite Earths was a 12 issue series in which, in a nutshell, rewrote history from the ground up, leaving many longtime fans confused and who knows about the younger ones? (Pictured: Denise Wolff)

7

6

5

Strangers in Paradise defied conventional wisdom in its style... the only black and white book to make the list, published essentially by a one-man operation (that being creator Terry Moore). The story of the three central characters and their ongoing search for how they fit into the world.

Mike Mignola's Hellboy might have begun as a cult character, with moody story-telling and astounding art, but fans were passionate enough to place it at #6... and the movie version was still a year away! (Pictured: Tony Harris)

Writer Neil Gaiman took readers outside the world of "conventional" comics in lyrical, clever, and sometimes shocking stories about the Endless, a "family" that included Sandman, the Master of Dreams.

4

3

2

Batman: The Killing Joke was a one issue special that delved into the pyschological warfare... or games?... between Batman and the Joker. Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's vision was unlike anything readers had seen before. (Pictured: Mercy Van Vlack)

One book that I admit caught me off guard by its high ranking was Starman. While I certainly was a reader, maybe I took the inventive plotting and attention to detail for granted, in the tales of a son of a superhero who reluctantly took the reigns of power without the lycra tights. (Pictured: Tom Feister)

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns' appearnce wasn't a surprise on the list. Frank Miller's four issue prestige series told of a future where Batman is forced out of retirement to have to bring both the Joker -- and Superman (!) down. Also the appearance of the newest Robin, a young girl who lived up to the legend.

and at #1

And in the interest of fairness, among the books coming up 1 to 4 votes shy of making the top 10 were (in no particular order) Legion of Super-Heroes #1, Spider-Man #1, X-Men #1, Sailor Moon, Love and Rockets, Man of Steel #1... and in the runner-up 11th spot? The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

I don't think it was a surprise Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons' Watchmen 12 issue series came in at #1 (though the vote was extremely close!). Moore's vision has been widely acclaimed as the most imaginative, exciting, and thought-provoking ever, and Gibbons' attention to detail still makes this book a "must own." (Pictured: Chris Staros)

Production credits for Episode 2: Lorne Westfall, Chip Nanco, Camera; Chris Companik, Host

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GIANT SIZE COMIC BOOK SHOW is © Chris Companik and airs on People TV Atlanta on Comcast Channel 24, 7:30 PM every 4th Saturday night. All comic book/strip characters shown on this site as well as the show are © their respective owners.