Best maxi series of all time?

[katefan]

With Doomsday Clock finally(!) winding down I was thinking of what some of the best twelve issue maxi series were. I'll be asking this question on the Marvel side, so for this thread list what you think are the best DC ones. For me some are:

Crisis on Infinite Earths
Batman, The Long Halloween
Watchmen

What are some of your favorites? Least favorite? Let me know!

[K7P5V]

My all-time favorite is Justice (2005) from Alex Ross.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Watchmen. Probably the single greatest comic book I've ever read, just on a purely technical level.

That said, though it is one of my favourites, it's not quite at the top of the pile of my own favourites list.

For me, it's pretty much a tossup between Daytripper and All-Star Superman. Both are exceptional on a craft level but they have the added benefit of really being able to bring the feels, at the kids may well say.

Other contenders are:

V For Vendetta
Top 10
Mister Miracle
JLA: Year One
Omega Men: The End is Here

[CaptCleghorn]

Camelot 3000 needs to be on the list. I'd also throw Enigma on the list as well.

But the consensus will probably be Watchmen. If not, there should be some reason the series is better than Watchmen.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Camelot 3000 needs to be on the list. I'd also throw Enigma on the list as well.

But the consensus will probably be Watchmen. If not, there should be some reason the series is better than Watchmen.

Still need to read both. Is Camelot 3000 actually good? I hear Enigma is brilliant but I haven't gotten round to it yet mainly because I'm not a huge fan of that scratchy, sketchy art style that Fegredo seems to use on the book (he's great otherwise!).

And, yes, in terms of "best", Watchmen is indeed impossible to beat (it's the Beatles or Beethoven of comics) but "favourite" is always another story entirely.

[CaptCleghorn]

Still need to read both. Is Camelot 3000 actually good? I hear Enigma is brilliant but I haven't gotten round to it yet mainly because I'm not a huge fan of that scratchy, sketchy art style that Fegredo seems to use on the book (he's great otherwise!).

And, yes, in terms of "best", Watchmen is indeed impossible to beat (it's the Beatles or Beethoven of comics) but "favourite" is always another story entirely.

Camelot is very good. Its biggest flaw is clothing style is somewhat dated, but that to me is minor. It also gets criticism for the handling of LGBTQ issues being dated as well. However, the characters are from a medieval time so a dated attitude is understandable.

[Ilan Preskovsky]

Camelot is very good. Its biggest flaw is clothing style is somewhat dated, but that to me is minor. It also gets criticism for the handling of LGBTQ issues being dated as well. However, the characters are from a medieval time so a dated attitude is understandable.

Good to know. It's been on my radar for literal decades. Might be time to finally take the plunge.

As for the LGBTQ issue, the big question is whether the handling of such issues isn't retrograde by '80s standards. Otherwise, it's rather unfair to criticize something for failing to be progressive enough to predict the moral standards of some thirty years in the future.

Context is always crucial or you land up with those schmucks who want to ban To Kill a Mockingbird or Mark Twain's works because they use the n-word in a time- and context-appropriate manner.

[katefan]

Camelot is very good. Its biggest flaw is clothing style is somewhat dated, but that to me is minor. It also gets criticism for the handling of LGBTQ issues being dated as well. However, the characters are from a medieval time so a dated attitude is understandable.

Now you see, I think it's handling of LGBTQ issues was pretty good.

Spoilers ahead for those who haven't yet read the comic.







The point of that thread was about a man being trapped in a woman's body. Sure, a sex change operation was possible but said character wanted the ultra-masculine body he...she...they had originally possessed. It was more than just about having a penis, it was about having their own life back. Also bear in mind there was a sexist attitude going on there. "Oh noes, I'm a woman! How terrible!" In the end she accepted who she was because the person she loved loved her for who she was, sexuality be damned.

Imagine if the story had ended with them getting the sex change, then wouldn't people have complained that apparently being a woman wasn't good enough for that character? Finally bear in mind it was '83, how many mainstream comic stories were openly talking about sexual identity? Only one that immediately comes to mind was Arnie Roth, Captain America's gay friend.

[Lee Stone]

I'd have to say Who's Who: The Definitive Directory of the DC Universe.

[CaptCleghorn]

Now you see, I think it's handling of LGBTQ issues was pretty good.

Spoilers ahead for those who haven't yet read the comic.

I agree. The situation was handled well IMO. But there was criticism that someone looking into the series might encounter. A lot of that was Tristan's attitude which was that of a fifth century knight. Even though the sexual attitudes in the early eighties was just starting to open up, the storyline was revolutionary and still holds up today.

Plus, the Brian Bolland art is exquisite.

[Mike]

My Top 3:
Crisis on Infinite Earths
Camelot 3000
Batman, The Long Halloween

[Castling]

All Star Superman.