I've made this point in another thread, but my all-time favorite comic is The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller. This is the Batman franchise at its artistic and creative zenith,IMHO. I love the gritty edge, the Kubrickian, sardonic Cold War allusions, the weapons (the iteration of the Batmobile here is simply awesome, as is reading about Superman redirecting a freakin' ICBM -- and realizing why he sends it where he does), vigilante politics, the slurred, distorted art work and color, the collection of the baddest of Batman's rivals -- and of course, the fight between Batman and Superman.

It's a triumph.

Plus, if you read it retroactively to seeing Buffy episodes, you catch similarities to Buffy's occasional stretches of judge-as-jury thinking. Batman's "Tonight, I am the Law..." speech from that Dark Knight Returns resonates in Buffy's speech in "Selfless" this past season.

I haven't read comics seriously in a number of years, so some new talent may have emerged, but for my money the best in the genre was Miller: Dark Knight, Daredevil and Moore: Watchmen, Miracleman, Swamp Thing, V for Vendetta. There was other stuff I loved, sporadically, (like early Dave Sim Cerebus) but Miller and Moore were the creme. Claremont's X-Men never grabbed me like the other stuff, although there were some great moments.

That Whedon guy's Fray is a pretty good read too. [grin] I do hunt down the Buffy comics when they are written by Buffy writers like Jane E. or Doug Petrie.

And plan to re-read it every year or two.

Yep, that's pretty much a truism. I really need a paper back of V For Vendetta, because I hate digging the individual issues out. Same goes true for all the Sandman I have - those are actually worth something, right?

Oh - Elektra Assassain - fun, fun stuff.

Oooooh. Now there's a thought.

My friends and I were trying to figure out what to do for Halloween, and the idea of being comic book characters came up, and I hadn't thought of Melaka Fray.

Quick, Kiba, grow a foot and lose 40 lbs by Halloween!

Need to make a run, don't think I have the last 2 issues. Yay Fray!

I read Final?Fray last night while waiting to lock up the office. Nifty. God I love the art and colors in it. And the letters were great!

I also cracked open Watchmen, but each panel is so packed with information and detail that I am going to have to set aside some quality reading time. Jeff and Plei are wise.

I really need a paper back of V For Vendetta, because I hate digging the individual issues out.

I read V For Vendetta in one weekend -- so damn good. Freaked me out, though. I still have From Hell sitting on my desk to be read, but I've been told to not read it at night.

I've got a bunch of V for Vendetta in the original Warrior (that is to say, properly b/w). Also some Marvelman before he was miraculous. And, of course, the original run of Swamp Thing with Moore.

I was lucky enough to be editing Amazing Heroes during the heydey of Miller and Moore, having The Watchmen, Elektra and Dark Knight as covers during my run.

Another comic high on my list is DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths. I am a fan of sheer total scope, and this series was a wonderful move, insofar as that it compressed the DCverse. Plus, seeing Darkseid try and save the day against the Anti-Monitor was an interesting creative device. The artwork involved in assembling so many characters in the 12-issue series was a solid effort.

Naturally, I'm also a fan of the Batman V. Dracula "Elseworld" trilogy, which included the gripping Bloodstorm middle chapter and the grotesque Crimson Mist finale. The operating principles of vampirism in the BVD arc are different than in the Buffyverse, but it makes for a good plot.

I like that Fray evolved as it did. The plot twist was at both surprising and not. Very Jossian.

So, Hec, any Gary Groth stories you care to share. The Harlan Ellison saga alone was quite eye-opening. Nobody came out of that looking very good. I think my comics era may have been just post your tenure, but I'm not sure.

So, Hec, any Gary Groth stories you care to share.

Heh. Uh, he went to Europe to talk to Crumb about putting out the Complete Crumb. So, he went to Amsterdam with Crumb and Aline, and they walked through the prostitute district. Aline was giving Gary a hard time about watching all the women in the windows and asking him what his fantasy was. Gary copped to the two girls fantasy, and with the Crumbs egging him on (and paying for it) - he did it.