COMIXFAN PRESENTS... THE TOP TEN MAXISERIES

[raul grau]

<img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/columns/comixfanpresents.gif" align=left border=0 hspace=10 alt="Comixfan Presents logo">The Top Ten Maxiseries

By: Mitch Brown, Nick Costanzo, Raul Grau, Alex Groff, Jon Hancock, Patrick James, Stephanie Kay, Seth Kim, Matt Lazorwitz, Jordan T. Maxwell
Editor: Raul Grau

In the world of television, any show shorter than a season is regarded as a miniseries, but the comic book industry follows a different definition. Miniseries of the comic book variety range in length from the two issues of WildGuard: Fool's Gold to the ten issue V For Vendetta, but once you reach the elusive #12, you have yourself a maxiseries.

The maxiseries revolution officially began in 1984 with Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars. Twenty years later, Authority: Revolution, Astro City: The Dark Age, and the upcoming Justice continue the extended trend. Dozens of maxiseries have reached their predetermined ends, from the moving Moonshadow to the enormous Earth X, but which are truly the best? The staff of Comixfan took the epic task of toiling through two decades of epics, all to determine the greatest of the greats. Here you have the ten maxiseries which are defined, not by their limited runs, but by their unlimited staying power.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/heroes/avengersforever6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/heroes/avengersforever6t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Avengers Forever"></a>#10 Avengers Forever
Avengers Forever #1-12 (Marvel)

Throwing together a conglomerate of Avengers past, present, and future, Kurt Busiek and Carlos Pacheco put forth a delicate and interesting tale. These Avengers are gathered by long-time sidekick Rick Jones and the enigmatic Libra to restore balance to the timestream. The makeshift team, consisting of two Hank Pyms, a new Captain Marvel, a future Songbird, Hawkeye from the Kree-Skrull War, a disillusioned Captain America, and Wasp from the present to lead in Cap’s stead, is trapped in the midst of a war between Kang and his future-self Immortus. Besides amazing characterization, Avengers Forever worked to clear up many long-glaring continuity questions by showing Immortus’s manipulations of the Avengers since the earliest days of their formation. In its wake, the maxiseries spawned one miniseries, a company-wide crossover, and the wildly popular Captain Marvel series. Avengers Forever took Avengers from their highest and lowest points, and showed us everything that an Avenger could be, for better and worse. With fantastically crisp and detailed art, and one of the most incredible time-travel stories ever, Pacheco and Busiek worked hard to create what was, and still is, a tribute to the legacy of the Avengers.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ap/bop21.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ap/bop21t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Box Office Poison"></a>#9 Box Office Poison
Box Office Poison #1-23 (Top Shelf Productions)

While the phrase "soap opera" is often applied to comics, rarely does it seem so fitting as with Box Office Poison, where Alex Robinson presents the lives of seven people-- friends, lovers, roommates and co-workers-- in sharp, voyeuristic detail. We see Mr. Flavor, the crotchety old comic artist, at his weakest moment; we watch as Sherman, disgruntled bookstore clerk and cynic, shows a fit of sympathy; Jane the mild-mannered cartoonist, explodes before us in a fit of rage while Stephen, her confident, softspoken lover, reveals the deep insecurities which he has hidden from the world. Welcome to New York City, the real world hidden by a mass of skyscrapers and neon billboards. A hidden, human world. Yet mixed with the personal lives of the main characters, Robinson offers up an extended cast filled with over the top humor. On the one side, we have Zoom Comics, a company that kisses creative butt while figuring out ways to scam it; on the other side, the indie comics magazine more interested in sticking it to Zoom than actually reporting. We are given hopes and frustrations, loves and losses, fears and successes. This is a story about the lives we live, the friends we keep, and the ways our decisions affect ourselves and those around us. At 600 pages, the trade feels like an entire world caught between two covers, and somehow leaves you still wanting more.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/wildstorm/sleeper.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/previews/dc/wildstorm/sleepert.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Sleeper: Season Two"></a>#8 Sleeper: Season Two
Sleeper: Season Two #1-12 (DC/Wildstorm)

How can one really tell the lesser of two evils? In Sleeper: Season Two, Holden Carver has evolved into one of Tao's most effective guerrilla soldiers in the war on the world's establishment, only to find that the man who put him into this situation to begin with is alive and eager to take him back. But John Lynch doesn't represent a savior, but simply the opposite side of a very dirty coin. Both sides see him as a pawn, sending Holden down a desperate spiral to come out alive as the two wage war upon each other. Along the way, he tries to find some degree of redemption for his sins, though in the back of his mind he doubts that he even deserves such a thing. Indeed, the world of Sleeper is dirty, gritty, and tragic, reinforced equally by Ed Brubaker's dark plotting and Sean Phillips' shadowy art. It represents the dark underbelly of the Wildstorm universe, where "superheroes" are irrelevant and having powers means you may simply live a little longer before they throw your life away. In this world, Sleeper presents a sobering and truly ironic answer to where the only true source of peace may truly lay. One must wonder if the double-meaning which this book's title ends up having was planned from the beginning, and also shiver a little to think just how hard Brubaker must have laughed when he came up with that little bit of black comedy brilliance.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/filth10.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/filth10t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="The Filth"></a>#7 The Filth
The Filth #1-13 (DC/Vertigo)

While The Invisibles is often seen as the ultimate exegesis of the highest points of writer Grant Morrison's pop magick philosophy, The Filth is best described a fevered exorcism of psychological debris - a Burroughs-esque exploration and dissection of individuality, addiction, taboo, and illness, vomited in technicolor across the comic book page. The thirteen issue saga, illustrated by Chris Weston (Ministry of Space) follows the misadventures of Greg Feely, a balding, middle-aged hermit going through the motions of a thoroughly unremarkable life revolving primarily around his cat Toby and cheap pornography. Feely's world is turned upside-down when it is revealed that he is in fact semi-retired Hand Officer Ned Slade - a frontline officer in a conspiratorial secret society's ongoing struggle against dangerous "Anti-persons". Timid little Greg is apparently nothing more than a cover story, a "para-personality" used to aid in Slade's recovery from a particularly nasty assignment...or is he? While its often graphic and seemingly offensive subject matter repelled many critics and readers, those that struggled through to the series' conclusion were rewarded with one of the most original, thought-provoking and harrowingly human tales told in the medium - gold from the murk of humanity's excrement.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/invisibles3_10.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/invisibles3_10t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Invisibles v3"></a><font size="3"><font color="blue"><b>#6 The Invisibles (vol 3)</font color></b></font size>
The Invisibles (3rd series) #12-1 (DC/Vertigo)

The third and final volume of Grant Morrison's psycho-apocalyptic epic, The Invisibles, is not your typical maxiseries. For one thing, it is the culmination of two previous volumes, totaling 47 issues of backstory. And even if you read all of that beforehand, this is not easily comprehensible...nor is it meant to be. Also, numbering the series in descending order is highly unusual (unless DC is producing an equally incomprehensible attempt at reordering continuity...again.), but adds to the millennial sense of finality. While most maxiseries tell one unified tale, Morrison tells four mini arcs within his twelve issues. Satanstorm, Karmageddon, The Invisible Kingdom, and the ultimate (in every sense of the word) issue, Glitterdammerung. Everything is wrapped up here, and all your old favorites pop up to bring the curtain down (along with a few new folks for good measure). The true nature of the universe and the battle between Invisible College and Outer Church is explained. There are deaths, resurrections, revivals, and exhumations. Friends are torn apart and lovers reunited. The world ends and everyone's story is brought to a close...including yours. The only question left truly unanswered is what the hell King Mob did to Helga with that potato. But some things are better left to the imagination, I suppose. Listen to your alarm clock. Barbelith says "wake up!"

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/heroes/squadronsupreme6.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/marvel/heroes/squadronsupreme6t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Squadron Supreme"></a>#5 Squadron Supreme
Squadron Supreme #1-12 (Marvel)

The blurb on the back of the trade says it all. Before Watchmen, before Marvels, before Kingdom Come, there was Squadron Supreme. Squadron Supreme was truly the first of its kind. A tale that made superheroes human. Mark Gruenwald collaborated with a variety of artists to present a fascinating take on what was originally a tongue in cheek dig at the opposition. Parodying the Justice League of America, the Squadron Supreme consisted of carbon copies of DC's heroes, with slightly different names. There the similarity ended. When Gruenwald started writing the team he placed them in an intricate ethical and moral dilemma. Through the series, the reader was forced to question who the heroes and the villains really were. Hyperion, with his Superman look and beliefs, should surely be the hero. Nighthawk's band of villains stood for true freedom though. The series provided poignant deaths, unexpected twists and betrayals, and a total lack of a moral absolute. The legacy of Squadron Supreme can be seen in the current Supreme Power series (which shall soon copy Gruenwald's storyline, according to the solits). Marvel trying to photocopy excellence? Heaven forbid... Still, Gruenwald's work stands as a superb human study and an excellent examination of what a true hero is.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/batman/batmantlh13.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/batman/batmantlh13t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Batman: The Long Halloween"></a>#4 Batman: The Long Halloween
Batman: The Long Halloween #1-13 (DC)

A new killer is stalking the streets of Gotham City. This killer, called Holiday, is executing mobsters on major holidays, and it's up to Batman to hunt him down. Meanwhile, Batman’s ally D.A. Harvey Dent is slowly descending into madness as he tries to bring down Gotham’s untouchable mob boss, Carmine “The Roman” Falcone. For a year, Batman hunted the killer, and in the end, he might have stopped the killer, but lost Harvey Dent to his own demons, as he became Two-Face. The Long Halloween is a great murder mystery that plays fair, allowing the reader to follow many of the clues and deduce who did it. It is also told in "real time;" a thirteen issue mini-series that actually takes place over thirteen months. It plays on the themes of friendship, as Batman tries to deal with Harvey Dent and Jim Gordon, while he himself is still trying to find his place as Batman. This is one of the best Batman stories, and an excellent place for a reader to find his way into the Batman mythos.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ait/demo7.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/ait/demo7t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Demo"></a>#3 Demo
Demo #1-12 (AiT/Planet Lar)

Unlike the other series on our list, Demo is without a unifying story. There are no repeat characters or cliffhanger endings. Instead, Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan gave us twelve twenty-something page graphic novels, linked only by common themes. There are tales portraying the downside of superpowers, with special people turned into living weapons, or forced to hide their specialness. There are tales of loss, whether the end of a relationship or the end of life. There are tales of love, of soaring highs and crushing lows. The men and women of Demo are all young, are all damaged, and are all doing their best to navigate life without a map. Becky Cloonan gives each their own individual visual style, from the heavy inks of One Shot, Don't Miss to the manga-influenced Mixtape. In an industry dominated by infinite series, Demo was a bold experiment. Twelve snapshots into the lives of twelve subjects, and then the series closed. There were laughs, tears, and a noticeable lack of easy answers... frequently all in the same story. And none of the mutants in Demo would dare wear spandex in public.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/dcu/coie1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/dcu/coie1t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Crisis On Infinite Earths"></a>#2 Crisis On Infinite Earths
Crisis On Infinite Earths #1-12 (DC)

Coming off the end of DC's 'hey-day', Crisis perhaps stands as the prefatory piece to an entire generation of DC readers. That it remains as important today as it did 20 years ago is a true testament to Marv Wolfman and George Perez, who both mark the work with complete grandeur and a no-holds-barred approach. DC sought to destroy then reinvent itself, overtly ending one chapter and opening another over the course of 12 sweeping issues. Crisis centers on the progressive destruction of the Anti-Monitor, as he proceeds to fade out the various universes. The final act is perhaps the most conclusive ever put in mainstream comics; Spectre restarts time and radically changes all those in the one universe left. Crisis aimed to reconstruct 50 years of DC history - a maxiseries on such a scale is unlikely to be endeavoured again - and the terms ‘pre Crisis’ and ‘post Crisis’ are forever embedded in DC terminology. The series signaled the first major use of permanent death for superheroes - particularly emphatic in the case of The Flash/Barry Allen. It also allowed for a new wave of inventive works, which implicitly continued where Crisis had redirected, only now with the added allowance of freedom in style and scope. Whilst Crisis features a considerable amount of conclusion, it is undeniably the beginning of the DC written today.

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<a href="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/watchmen1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.comixfan.com/xfan/images/covers/dc/vertigo/watchmen1t.jpg" align=left hspace=10 alt="Watchmen"></a>#1 Watchmen
Watchmen #1-12 (DC)

Who watches the Watchmen? In a world where costumed heroes have been outlawed by the government, Watchmen opens with the death of a man revealed to be The Comedian, a single superhero murder that goes all but unnoticed. By all but one. Rorschach, the feared and unstable vigilante, sets out to solve the death of his former comrade-in-arms. The threads he unravels lead him into a downward spiral of death and deceit, and to a horrible truth that the world could never have imagined... and perhaps had no right to know. The world of comics had been a bright place, with equally radiant heroes, colorful villains, and quaint locales. That all changed in 1986. Flaunting his genius for the superhero narrative once again, Alan Moore, alongside Dave Gibbons, crafted an unprecedented tale in the pages of Watchmen. It would become one of, if not the most important work in comic history. Unlike the frequented promises of ground-breaking events and unheard of happenings, Alan Moore had truly brought something that comics had never really experienced up until that point. Reality. Splicing makeshift excerpts from books, newspapers, and even comics with a flawed world with equally flawed denizens, Watchmen is a multi-faceted masterpiece. It will always be revered, always be studied, always be emulated. In the end, it will be we who watch the Watchmen.

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So there you have the Top Ten Maxiseries. Some reflected reality, some rewrote reality, but all really left a mark on readers. Unfortunately, just as all good maxiseries must come to an end, so must this list, but remember to keep space on your shopping list for the occasional non-infinite series. Reaching the five-hundredth issue mark is less of an accomplishment if the tale could have been told in twelve.

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The Filth: Mitch Brown
Sleeper: Season Two: Nick Costanzo
Demo: Raul Grau
Box Office Poison: Alex Groff
Squadron Supreme: Jon Hancock
Avengers Forever: Patrick James
Crisis On Infinite Earths: Stephanie Kay
Watchmen: Seth Kim
Batman: The Long Halloween: Matt Lazorwitz
Invisibles v3: Jordan T. Maxwell
Contributors: James Groves, Juan de Joya, Dylan McKay, Remy Minnick, Joel Phillips, Omar A. Safi
Image Assistance: Al Harahap

The opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the writers involved, and are not reflective of Comixfan or its other staff in general.

[Wade Wilson]

I haven't read so many maxiseries but i thought that Seven Soldiers is quite good. Well, it's not over yet, so probably that's why it was not included.

[Dylan McKay]

Seven Soldiers is in a catagory all by itself. (Well, maybe in the same catagory as the Fourth World Saga.)
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Excellent work guys, but, I have to say. I think it is fallacious to call this the top maxi-series and not include Midnight Nation. Should have been #2 if not #1.

[Wicked_Incite]

What I'd really love to see is how high Authority: Revolution would have ranked if this list came out only a few months from now. I'd say its at least as good as Brubaker's Sleeper, but I digress...

Sadly I've only read about half of this list, so I've got some titles to pick up.

[emesem]

Invisibles 1 and 2 were infinitely superior to #3. i dont get it.
conspicuosly absent are camelot 3000 and Moonshadow

[umanumanamo]

No Earth X / Universe X / Paradise X???? How dare you.

[DrGoodwrench]

As enjoyable as Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X were, I should imagine that they weren't included for a number of reasons:

1) Even though I mainly buy Marvel stuff and have read relatively little DC, Kingdom Come had prettier pictures (I'm not saying the two are exclusive rivals - it would be strange for Alex Ross to compete with himself (unless this is what comic creators do, I don't know)).

2) All three series were more than twelve issues if you include Spidey, etc

3) The folks who compiled this list thought other stuff was better (that might sound either facetious or condescending, or both (sorry if it did)).

[Tan K.]

No excuse: one of the Earth X/Universe X/Paradise X maxi's should have made the list.

Other than that, interesting list. Nice work.

[Jordan T. Maxwell]

personally, while there are high points to all three of the Earth X series, on the whole i find them pretty bland, poorly paced and structured and a wee bit pretentious. so i didn't vote for any of them.

and for reasons that slip my mind now, the first two Invisibles volumes were considered ineligible (i believe since they were not initially solicited as a finite series, whereas the third was clearly only going to last 12 issues). had they been in consideration, i would've put the second ahead of the third personally...but the third would still pull ahead of the first for me.

[M-Angel]

I think the reason they werent included was because Raul doesnt like it.

This might be a little..bizarre, but I think the first volumes of Runaways or Ultimates should have been included

[Wicked_Incite]

Originally Posted by M-Angel

I think the reason they werent included was because Raul doesnt like it.

This might be a little..bizarre, but I think the first volumes of Runaways or Ultimates should have been included

We voted on these all throughout staff. Raul's bad tastes had little to do with it

And i believe both of those titles were nominated, just didn't get the votes if I remember correctly.

[Robb Welch]

Originally Posted by M-Angel

This might be a little..bizarre, but I think the first volumes of Runaways or Ultimates should have been included

neither of those were mini nor maxi series until they were canceld for a re-launch.

[jannepie]

I have to admit that I've only read Avengers Forever and Squadron Supreme of these ten series.

I enjoyed both of them. If only someone did something as great with the X-Men. Don't get me wrong, there has been lots of good X-Men stuff but they're usually much longer. Luckily I like long stories too.

Twelve issues is actually rather good length for an artistic series. Like Inhumans by Jenkins/Lee for example. Classic!

[QBBEADLE]

Excellent and varied list. The only real omission that I saw was Inhumans by Jenkins/Lee. That is just a great series and deserving of mention on a list like this. Other than that, nice work

[NateGrey65]

not one of the Earth X Paradise X Universe X series made it in? Admittedly, I've never completely read any of them-but I was always interested in one day doing it. I thought they were pretty well thought of-was I wrong? Are they worth picking up in tpb?

[Alex Guillen]

well I'm also dissapointed that Earth X wasn't on the list but overall a good list (als no camelot 3000) and does the league of extraordinary gentlemen count as a maxi?
My favorite on the list (well apart Watchmen) was Avengers Forever.

[Jon Hancock]

I wanted Camelot on there. Didn't get as many nominations though as it's generally not one a lot of people have read.

Earth X scares me.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Maus not being on the list. If only so Raul can justify it He's good at that sort of thing.

[WildWorks]

I was surprised that Avengers Forever made it to the list. So, after reading the Top 10, I went to my comic box and looked for Avengers Forever to re-reading it.
I was happy reading it again.

[Paul Shinn]

Out of curiosity (and I may be being a little slow on the uptake), what were the miniseries and company-wide crossover that Avengers Forever spawned???

[max headroom]

As far as Avengers Forever goes, Roger Stern played a huge part in this series given the fact that he scripted Busiek's plot.

Give the man a little recognition... he's still one of the greatest comic book writers ever.

[hondo]

To me, a series should start out with a definite end in sight, hence the term "limited series" to qualify. A series that starts as an ongoing and later gets truncated down to "limited series" status is lame and would not qualify i.e. Runaways.

Camelot was no great story but the Bolland art was great.

Yes, at least one of the Jim Krueger / Alex Ross series of Earth X, Paradise X, Universe X should have made the list. I thought they were some of the best things Marvel had published in years.

I was not familiar with Box Office Poison and had only heard of Demo. I knew Brian Wood did it but that's all that I knew. Thanks for the description ! I'm getting this for sure now! It sounds great. Has the series been collected ?

[Anand Khatri]

I've read most of the books on the list. Books I have to read: Avengers Forever, Box Office Poison (City Dweller referred me to this book a while back, but I've had no luck finding it), Sleeper: Season Two (haven't read either season yet . But I will!), and The Invisibles vol.3 (I know I know...I suck.).

I've read a few of the Demo books, but didn't have the extra money to pick up the series. Really great reads.

Great work guys.

[Dylan McKay]

Originally Posted by hondo

Yes, at least one of the Jim Krueger / Alex Ross series of Earth X, Paradise X, Universe X should have made the list. I thought they were some of the best things Marvel had published in years.

You'll notice that only two Marvel books made the list. So it doesn't diminish their standing in what Marvel's produced.

I personally think Crisis has no place on the list as it isn't actually that great a story, just very important as an event. But everyone has their personal choices. The fundamental problem that emerged on this list is that no one could have read all maxi-series and thus inequality of information emerged. I think Moonshadow and Midnight Nation got robbed, but Camelot 3000 or Inhumans could have just as easily been robbed and I wouldn't know it.

[Philip A Moore]

I would have liked to see Promithia and Top Ten included while your at it the was Grant Morrisons Animal Man and Doom Patrol these could be put in a catagory of there own inter series maxie

GOOD DAY

[Anand Khatri]

Originally Posted by Philip A Moore

I would have liked to see Promithia and Top Ten included while your at it the was Grant Morrisons Animal Man and Doom Patrol these could be put in a catagory of there own inter series maxie

GOOD DAY

Animal Man and Doom Patrol could'nt have been included sine they weren't a Maxi-Series. Grant Morrison's run on each were both of ongoing series which ended eventually.