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Five Graphic Novels That I Am Thankful For

In honor of Thanksgiving here is a list of five Graphic Novels that I am thankful for:

X-TINCTION AGENDA

 

I got my first job on January 6th 1991 right after this story was printed in the monthly issues of the X-Books. With my first paycheck I purchased the nine back issues for almost double the cover price. I loved this story when it first came out, and still do to this day.

 

 

Plot Summary from Wikipedia:

Taking place immediately after the events of the 1990 crossover “Days of Future Present“, a group of Genoshan Magistrates (soldiers of the country of Genosha), backed by the cyborg Cameron Hodge, and including an amnesiac Havok (a member of the X-Men), attack the X-Mansion and kidnap Storm and the New Mutants Warlock, Boom Boom, Rictor, and Wolfsbane. They are taken to Genosha naked and weak. Warlock is killed and Storm and Wolfsbane are brainwashed, turned into mindless mutate slaves, which form the backbone of the Genoshan economy and lifestyle. Cable, the New Mutants, Gambit, Forge, and Banshee recruit X-Factor and head to Genosha to save their teammates. They are soon joined by Wolverine, Psylocke, and Jubilee, who independently head to Genosha to rescue their friends.

Batman: A Death In The Family

This was the first ever graphic novel I purchased. Right after the Tim Burton movie came out I started reading Batman comics again, starting with Batman: Year Three. In that particular story Batman mourning the loss of Jason Todd. Not knowing much about Todd the clerk at the local comic shop recommended A Death in the Family and my grandmother bought it for me on my 16th birthday.

 

Plot Summary from Wikipedia:

“The story follows Jason Todd, the second Robin. His relationship with Batman has turned sour of late and his battles with criminals are almost suicidal. Batman decides that he turned Jason into Robin even before the boy had come to terms with the death of his parents. He therefore relieves him from duty. Jason resents this and storms out refusing to discuss the issue of his parents.”
After tracking down his birth mother Sheila Haywood who “ands her own son (now in his Robin costume) over to the Joker. The Joker brutally batters him with a crowbar. Robin is soon lying unconscious in a pool of blood, which the Joker complacently remarks is “a bit messy”. He then leaves him and Sheila in the warehouse with a time bomb. Sheila and Robin try desperately to get out of the warehouse but are still inside as the bomb goes off. Batman arrives too late to save them and they die from their injuries.“

World Without a Superman

The death of Superman may have lacked in a credible villain and plot, but the other two associated books easily make up for the first’s weaknesses. The World Without Superman is a testament to the true power of Superman. Superman is not the ultimate hero because of his strength and godlike powers, it’s his personality and dedication to doing the right thing. Seeing how both the heroes and the common fold deal with the death of Superman stirred emotions that I never expected to be affected by a comic book.

Plot Summary From Wikipedia:

“The storyline’s premise is as simple as its title: Superman engages in battle with a seemingly unstoppable killing machine named Doomsday in the streets of Metropolis.[2] At the fight’s conclusion, both combatants die from their wounds.”
“The stories after the funeral often dealt with the emotions felt by the general public as well as specific characters entwined within Superman’s world, including Lois Lane, Clark Kent’s parents, and even a number of supervillains. Also, the (then) President of the United States, Bill Clinton and wife Hillary were included in a scene during the funeral. With Superman gone, crime rises up again and the costumed heroes of Metropolis rise to fill in as protectors. Supergirl, Gangbuster, Thorn, and even Team Luthor, a Lexcorp-sponsored team, all tried but were not sufficient. Meanwhile, Jonathan Kent took the death of his adoptive son the hardest and as a result suffered a heart attack.”

Superman: The Man of Steel

I remember seeing Superman: The Movie on the big screen. Ever since that day I find it hard to resist running aroudn the house after a shower with my towel around my neck like Superman’s cape. I always knew and loved Superman, but I never really understood or thought about his origin in depth. When The Man of Steel came out it rebooted Superman’s orign clearing up questions that I had since viewing the movie – like how come Superman can hide his identity with simple pair of glasses? Even with Birthright and the new origin that will be presented after Final Crisis, Superman The Man of Steel will be the standard origin in my heart.

Plot Summary from Wikipedia:

The Man of Steel became the official origin story for Superman from 1986 through the early 2000s. Its changes to the origin story were adapted to other media featuring Superman. Many of the biggest changes were on Superman himself. While many of his standard superpowers remained, Superman was effectively limited in power and scope to make him more believable. He still had superhuman strength, vision powers and super breath but while the Silver Age Kal-El at his peak could easily move planets, the post-Crisis version strained at moving a commercial airliner in flight. His vision powers still include x-ray, heat and microscopic/telescopic vision but are set at a more realistic level. He no longer had the ability to survive in space indefinitely without an air supply as he had done often in pre-Crisis stories. The powers dropped in succeeding stories include his ability to travel through time, freeze breath (though he still possessed super-powerful blowing strength), and super intelligence.

DC: The New Frontier

My first experience with the whole DC Universe came from watching the Superfriends. I knew the core characters, but when I started reading comics regularly I learned of DC Comic’s rich history. There is no story that showcases the Golden/Silver age of DC Comics better than DC: The New Frontier. These two graphic novels made the DCU seem more accessible to those of us who were not around to read comics in the 50’s and 60’s.

 

Plot Summary from Wikipedia:

World War II is over. The Cold War has begun. The Age of the Superhero is in decline. But where are the heroes of tomorrow? From the perspective of those brave individuals who made it happen: encounter Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, who survived the anti-hero sentiment of the Cold War, as well as eager newcomers like test pilot Hal Jordan and scientists Barry Allen and Ray Palmer, poised to become the next generation of crime fighters. All leading to the mounting threat of an alien presence on Earth, where dozens of characters from the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s eras of DC Comics team up to defeat it.

Posted by Fred on November 27, 2008 @ 7:00 AM Under: Comics, Throwback
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