Classics are classic, no matter the time, they are never outdated. It is clear that “10 ” is a minimal number when making a list of vintage comics that should not be missing from a collection. Anyway, we choose to take the risk of being harshly criticized, and we give our opinion on those unfathomable stories on the shelf of any collector who lends himself.
Do you want to know what the ten most essential comics are in any collection? Go to the next page to find out.
- Watchmen (Alan Moore/Dave Gibbons)
Watchmen is a comic book that changed everything. On the end of the decade of the 80s, Alan Moore showed the world an alternative dimension of superheroes: with no superpowers (except Dr. Manhattan) are burdened by the same existential doubts that the ordinary mortals.
The introduction of ordinary, banal thought into Watchmen’s superheroes would serve as a significant influence to humanize hundreds of characters in the 1990s, so far oblivious to the concerns of mundane existence.
For all that it means, and for the quality of the story, Watchmen is a mandatory read and must-have in any comic collection.
- The Death of Superman
Superman’s death is classic comic par excellence for everything he represented for the industry at the time and for materializing the sense of decadence in the 1990s. It is worth remembering that the Death of Superman is a major arc that includes several numbers written by different writers: Dan Jurgens, Louise Simonson, and Roger Stern, among others.
- Batman The Dark Knight Returns (Frank Miller)
By unanimous acclaim, the best Batman Story Ever Told and which also served to transform the superhero narrative forever. The Dark Knight Returns not only helped to turn Frank Miller into a comic star, but it also laid the groundwork for characters who would come in the 1990s, darker and with a vague sense of morality.
- Marvel Civil War (Mark Millar/Steve McNiven)
Marvel’s Civil War is much more than a crossover of superhero fighting from the editorial: it is a critical analysis of the Bush administration, the Patriot Act, and the September 11 attacks.
Also, Mark Millar manages to wink at other classic comics like Watchmen, in his reading of what would happen if the government starts meddling in the lives of superheroes.
- Crisis on Infinite Earths (Marv Wolfman/George Perez)
By 1985 DC Comics realized that it had too many universes and continuity lines colliding with each other. To give some coherence to his publications, he decides to make a big clean slate. This is how crises arise in the Infinite Earths, a collection in itself of 12 numbers that would be considered the first great reboot and the first excellent crossover comic in history. Such a historical document cannot be lacking in your library.
- The Walking Dead: This Sorrowful Life (Robert Kirkman/Charlie Adlard)
Not everything is Marvel and DC in life. The Walking Dead is the series responsible for the resurrection of the genre of mainstream zombies. His television adaptation gave him a plus of popularity in recent times although the comic has been dating for more than ten years and continues to come out month by month.
Of all the volumes published in hardcover, perhaps This Sorrowful Life summarizes to perfection the spirit of the series: horror, gore, and drama to grades that may not be displayed on the TV screen.
- X-Men Days of Future Past (Chris Claremont/John Byrne)
Any fan of the X-Men worth the name of such may boast of their collection without this arc. Days of Future Past is one of the most iconic stories in the franchise and a classic seminal comic book of time travel.
- Superman: Red Son (Mark Millar/Dave Johnson)
What if Superman had landed in the USSR instead of the USA? The answer to that question is found in Superman’s pages: The Red Son, an arch written by Mark Millar and illustrated by Dave Johnson.
Just because of the strange plot, this comic deserves a place in your collection, but also the story is very entertaining and shows an acid critique of American ethnocentrism on the world stage.
The comic can be found under the name of Days of Future Past or separately in numbers 141 and 142 of the Uncanny X-Men series.
- The Sandman: Dream Country (Neil Gaiman/Kelly Jones/Charles Vass’s/Colleen Doran)
One of the most exciting series in the history of the comic because of its symbolizes related to existence and human nature. The Sandman is starring in an anthropomorphic character called Dream, and throughout the 75 numbers of the series will wander between different realities.
It’s tough to choose a single chapter of the saga. But if we have to keep one, we recommend reading Dream Country, a compilation of short stories that received a lot of distinctions, from Eisner Awards to the World Fantasy Award.
- Batman: The Killing Joke (Alan Moore/Brian Boland)
The killer joke is a classic in the Batman franchise and the DC Universe in general. While its creator ended up despising the work as “empty of value,” specialized criticism considers it one of the best novels of The Dark Knight.
She was also awarded three Eisner Awards for Best Graphic Novel, Best Screenwriter, and Best cartoonist.