most modern classic comics?

[victorxd1999]

I believe all of us have it sometime. You read a classic comic and no matter how good you think it is, you always find that it reads different than modern comics, it's dated. But, not all classics read that, there are some that could be published next week and still be exactly the same. What classic do you think feels the most modern (let's say classic is everything before 1985)? I have to say Suicide squad by Ostrander, it could be published tomorrow with some more modern art and I swear nobody will know it's 30 years old.

[Billy Batson]

But Ostrander's Suicide Squad started in '87.

[victorxd1999]

But Ostrander's Suicide Squad started in '87.

Really? Just broke my own rules there.. then I'm going with New Teen titans. It's still very enjoyable to read

[Diamond]

But Ostrander's Suicide Squad started in '87.

Some of us here are young. xD

[FanboyStranger]

I think we'd have to push the date back to the '70s. By '82, we're beginning to see comics that truly have a modern sensibility in terms of storytelling-- American Flagg!, Grimjack, Love and Rockets, Cerebus, etc. (I'd argue that it was American Flagg! that made more sophisticated storytelling viable in the commercial end of comics.) If you push it back, you'd have books like Goodwin and Simonson's Manhunter, which, while still wordy in its exposition, certainly had a sophisticated storytelling design that approached the page in a different manner in order to communicate as much visual information as possible. You'd also have something like McGregor and Graham's Panther's Rage, which utilized some very effective longterm plotting, making the gap between the visual and written narratives more seemless.

[Black Iron Tarkus]

I think what dates a lot of American comics are the rules and restrictions put in place by the Comics Code Authority. I was in my LCS the other day, and we were talking about how the Code put the development of American comics back by decades. Pre-code they weren't just shooting for exploitative blood and gore, but also pushing issues like racism, anti-semitism and political corruption (see EC Comics "preachies" like 'The Guilty' and 'Confession'). The storytelling style has dated (although the art is still excellent), but some of this material still seems ahead of the curve in terms of the issues being discussed. All of that was a no-go once the Code came into being. Comics were effectively 'banned' from broaching sensitive issues, stunting the development of the medium for years.

I'd say a lot of the "modern" feel of comics now comes from the relaxation (and eventual abandonment) of the Code starting in the early 1970s; key moments being Spider-Man #96 (denied the Code seal in May 1971) and Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85 (passed by the code in August 1971!). The other big modernising influence came from other cultures, particularly manga and BDs. Lone Wolf and Cub is 44 years old and Métal Hurlant is 40 years old, and I don't think either have aged a day. Then, by the time you get to the early 1980s, you have guys like Frank Miller doing heavily manga-influenced material, set in a gritty, morally-grey environment; for good or ill, I'd say that pretty much sums up modern comics.

[Lee Stone]

Tales of the Teen Titans #50
Madman Comics #1
Anything from the Vertigo titles pre-Vertigo.
Anything edited by Denny O'Neil at DC or Marvel in the '80s. (Especially the Marvel urban heroes: Moon Knight, Daredevil, Power Man & Iron Fist and Spider-Woman)