80s Limited series. Best to worst?

[Jonezy]

Secret Wars is probably the most important overall, not just for the immediate and longer term changes to continuity, but for what it set up in terms of events (for better or worse). As an actual series, moments of absolute brilliance, very strong start and it inevitably fell away into mediocrity by the end.

Wolverine and Punisher as noted also excellent and important for the characters and Marvel.

I would also cast my vote behind Gargoyle, Magik, Hercules and Meltdown.

My personal choice would be Nick Fury vs SHIELD, say what you will about him as an editor, I always thought Harras was a very underrated writer and that was a series that did what a good mini series should do - left you waiting eagerly for the next issue and knowing (in the 80s) that the story would get resolved but it might lead to another mini or monthly.

Apologies for not including any quotes from other posters or images, I’ve been a long time follower of the forum but never posted before so not figured how to do that yet��

[Iron Maiden]

With the Vision and the Scarlet Witch mini series to me hands down the first 4 issue mini is much better than the 12 issue series. I think Bill Mantlo just told a better story. More happened in those 4 issues than in all 12 issues of the Steve Englehart series. Plus the art in the 4 issue mini by Rick Leonardi was just great.

Bill Mantlo >>>>>>> Steve Englehart. I think it's a shame that Mantlo is severely debilitated and has to have constant care the last I read. He's been in that state for decades now. We always here bad stuff about corporations etc. but Disney/Marvel really stepped up and provided a lot of financial assistance.

[Iron Maiden]

Secret Wars is probably the most important overall, not just for the immediate and longer term changes to continuity, but for what it set up in terms of events (for better or worse). As an actual series, moments of absolute brilliance, very strong start and it inevitably fell away into mediocrity by the end.

Wolverine and Punisher as noted also excellent and important for the characters and Marvel.

I would also cast my vote behind Gargoyle, Magik, Hercules and Meltdown.

My personal choice would be Nick Fury vs SHIELD, say what you will about him as an editor, I always thought Harras was a very underrated writer and that was a series that did what a good mini series should do - left you waiting eagerly for the next issue and knowing (in the 80s) that the story would get resolved but it might lead to another mini or monthly.

Apologies for not including any quotes from other posters or images, I’ve been a long time follower of the forum but never posted before so not figured how to do that yet��

Welcome to the forums! I would suggest you go to the very top of the page and just under the blue header section click on the "Settings" option. There's a lot of instructions there. One thing I recall is sometimes you don't get the privilege to do things until you reach 100 posts, unless they lowered that. I know that's when you were allowed to use an avatar of your choice or one of the site's catalog.

One way to get a lot of posts is to go to the community section and see if there is some kind of game or contest thread like the Song Lyrics game. Or just post in a lot of threads!

[Gaastra]

Don't forget the ip ones.

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[Gaastra]

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[Dreaded Porcupine]

Squadron_supreme_title.jpg

Squadron Supreme was the best IMO. Mark Gruenwald's 12 issue maxi was brilliant. I thought it was better than the Watchmen.

[Hypestyle]

the movie adaptations are missed. various action, fantasy, and science fiction films got adapted.

[kcekada]

More X-Men minis. Magik is bar none one of the all time best. Iceman you millage may vary. I thought the ending was much better than the begining with Iceman.

Magik was good, but I was never a big fan of J.M.DeMatteis and didn't care for his Iceman work. There was an Iceman mini-series several years ago that was much better. The most recent series was a disappointment. I can accept Bobby is gay, but the complete change of character after he came out was too much!

[Somecrazyaussie]

Rocket Raccoon

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[Gaastra]

80s iceman was a odd series but neat one. It's a 80s animated fantasy film with iceman in it. More strange is while iceman gets his "I am a hero" scene at the end he still fails. His girlfriend still gets turned into death's sidekick and is no longer human and he loses her. The "it's all a dream" ending is a cop out till we find out later it wasn't a dream as people from it show up later! Guess death made it look like a dream so iceman would leave them alone.

Iceman hanging out at his parents home (unlike the fox version where his family does not want him a mutant) was a nice touch and beast and angel showing up at the end to take iceman to the new defenders was a nice set up to defenders at the end.

Not the best story but iceman in a fantasy story/ hercules in space/ beast and dazzler and dr doom in a real world fairy tale love story showed marvel was trying new things in these 80s limited series in the 80s.

[Nomads1]

My personal choice would be Nick Fury vs SHIELD, say what you will about him as an editor, I always thought Harras was a very underrated writer and that was a series that did what a good mini series should do - left you waiting eagerly for the next issue and knowing (in the 80s) that the story would get resolved but it might lead to another mini or monthly.

I never read that as a mini-series. Whhen I found out about was in a TPB with a Nick Fury suspiciously ressembling David Hasselhoff on the cover. I simply loved it. Paul Neary wouldn't have been my choice for artist (I would have prefered later artists for the following OG, Bob Hall and Jackson Guice), but the story was top-notch. IMHO, the best Nick Fury story I've ever read (and I've read a lot of Nick Fury stories, including all the legendary Steranko's ones).

Squadron_supreme_title.jpg

Squadron Supreme was the best IMO. Mark Gruenwald's 12 issue maxi was brilliant. I thought it was better than the Watchmen.

IMHO, SS was Watchmen for real mainstream comics fans. Watchman appealed to a much larger audience, including those, then, new "mature readers". But SS was for those who had been reading Avengers and Justice League for years. I miss that team, and I hate that modern creators have basterdized (I'm mainly looking at you, Aaron, but there are others) the team, when there was still so much story to be told with those heroes.

Peace

[Jonezy]

Welcome to the forums! I would suggest you go to the very top of the page and just under the blue header section click on the "Settings" option. There's a lot of instructions there. One thing I recall is sometimes you don't get the privilege to do things until you reach 100 posts, unless they lowered that. I know that's when you were allowed to use an avatar of your choice or one of the site's catalog.

One way to get a lot of posts is to go to the community section and see if there is some kind of game or contest thread like the Song Lyrics game. Or just post in a lot of threads!

Thanks very much Iron Maiden

[Zero Hunter]

80s iceman was a odd series but neat one. It's a 80s animated fantasy film with iceman in it. More strange is while iceman gets his "I am a hero" scene at the end he still fails. His girlfriend still gets turned into death's sidekick and is no longer human and he loses her. The "it's all a dream" ending is a cop out till we find out later it wasn't a dream as people from it show up later! Guess death made it look like a dream so iceman would leave them alone.

Iceman hanging out at his parents home (unlike the fox version where his family does not want him a mutant) was a nice touch and beast and angel showing up at the end to take iceman to the new defenders was a nice set up to defenders at the end.

Not the best story but iceman in a fantasy story/ hercules in space/ beast and dazzler and dr doom in a real world fairy tale love story showed marvel was trying new things in these 80s limited series in the 80s.

I think that was a big thing about mini series back then is they felt important. Big things would happen to the characters. Latter Marvel minis from the 90's and 00's just felt like they were more throw away stories that you were not missing much if you skipped them.

[Jonezy]

I think that was a big thing about mini series back then is they felt important. Big things would happen to the characters. Latter Marvel minis from the 90's and 00's just felt like they were more throw away stories that you were not missing much if you skipped them.

I would agree. I do think that at that time minis were a fantastic way of giving a character a spotlight, fleshing out their character, exploring them.

Imagine if …. What if …the Punisher and Wolverine minis hadn’t been successful? Not that they wouldn’t have been any different, maybe just been well received, sold solidly, but not enough to warrant a monthly? But Nightcrawler and Cloak and Dagger did?

The 80s mini/limited was a wonderful format, it was exciting as a reader of the comic, for the story and what it might lead to.

“Issue 3 of a 6 issue limited Series” ….

[Gaastra]

Also if it did well they would get a ongoing. Nice way to try titles out.

Transformers was one that turned into a ongoing. The last issue even called back to this!

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