#FourComics

ThatNickGuy · Jan 22, 2015

There's a trend rolling around on Twitter right now with the hashtag #FourComics. Basically, you post four pictures of the covers of comics that hooked you on the medium when you were a young lad or young lass. I thought it'd be a fun thing to discuss on here.

For the sake of length, please put any covers behind spoiler tags.

Here's mine:

The Death of Superman
I always loved Superman but I never really read the comics up until here. I'd heard on the news that he was dead. What?! I had to read that! So for Christmas that year, I got the collected edition of The Death of Superman, which not only introduced me to Superman, but the Justice League, who got trounced by Doomsday. I read Superman comics for years after that, including the spin-off series like Superboy and Steel.

Following the Superman titles lead an event that followed not long after that. And of course, since it was happening in the Superman comics, I had to see what it was about, which meant...

Zero Hour

And that introduced me to the rest of the DC Universe. I started collecting a few other titles from that, like Green Lantern and Manhunter.

And then there was Marvel. I was always a bigger DC fan, but Marvel was putting out stuff that pulled me in around the same time, too.

Amazing Spider-Man #375

When I was hanging out with a friend, he introduced me to the SNES game, Spider-Man and the X-Men: Arcade's Revenge. He told me all about how cool this one villain was: Venom. Intrigued, I picked up the latest comic that featured Venom. And for quite a few years after that, I collected any comic that related with Venom or symbiotes (so Carnage, too, including Maximum Carnage). Which eventually spun to the Clone Saga. Yeah...don't look at me like that. I'm as ashamed about it as you are.

X-Men: Age of Apocalypse

I wasn't a big X-Men fan. Never have been. But there have been times that I've enjoyed their side of the Marvel universe. This was one. I remember reading about this upcoming event in Wizard magazine and it intrigued me. What IF Professor X died before forming the X-Men? Before this event was named and Apocalypse was revealed as the main baddie, a friend of mine even said, "Apocalypse might just rule the world!"

So I gave this a try. And really loved it. Still do, even if some of it hasn't aged well in retrospect (much like all of this list). For awhile after the event, I read anything AoA related. Holocaust showing up in X-Men. I loved the X-Man comic. I stopped reading just after the Onslaught stuff, which was stupid even to young me. The only reason I read it at the time was to see how it would affect X-Man.

It's funny looking back on this. Today, I hate events and company crossovers. But that's primarily what got me hooked on comics back in the day.

Frank · Jan 22, 2015

Spider-Man Numba One, 1990

From good ole 1990. I couldn't even tell you what the story was about. This comic was given to me by an older friend who I used to hang out with. I thought he was the coolest and him giving me this made me think this was the coolest. I was 7 years old.

Avengers West Coast Annual #4, 1989

Here's a weird one. This came in a neato Marvel box I got for Christmas the year my mom and dad found out I was getting into comics. The story is whatever, my favorite part is that after the main story, there's a section where She Hulk and Wasp are rating the "hunkiness" of different Avengers members. It was goofy as all hell.

Transformers 80, 1991

I loved Transformers as a kid, so naturally I loved Transformers comics. This one was formative for me because it showed me that sometimes comics end and I wasn't going to get any more. There's a shot in the comic of the guy on the cover (Bludgeon) doing a crazy jump kick in the comic that I drew over and over and over. Heh, when I googled it, it was one of the first images that showed up. Looks like it had a bit of an impact on other kids too.

Spawn 1, 1992

We all know this story, many of the top guys at Marvel striking out on their own to start Image. Well, as you can see from higher up on this list, I was a McFarlane guy. I loved the way he drew Spider-Man. His Spider-Man was my Spider-Man. So naturally I followed him to Image (I was always a Marvel before this). I read Spawn until issue 50 where Al goes to hell saving Terry. I stopped there because that was the last comic I bought for nigh on 5 years.

DarkAudit · Jan 23, 2015

Way way back even before kindergarten, there was... SHAZAM!

Years later, the first proper comic shop opened in town. Craig's Comics. Many dollars were spent there over the years. That was where I became aware of the likes of... Megaton Man.

And the DNAgents.

But to this day, my all time favorite single issue of anything... DESTROY!!

Celt Z · Jan 23, 2015

Yay! Now that I can access my collection on my phone, this makes this so much easier!

Spider-Man/Incredible Hulk in Southwest Showdown!, 1982

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Someone had given me a giant-sized Spider-Man book, and I was instantly hooked on him and the concept of super heroes. I insisted on being Spider-Man for my first Halloween costume in '82. This was the first "comic" I was given starring Spider-Man and I still have it. Spidey is still my favorite hero, but he's tied with...

Wonder Woman #310, 1983

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It was pretty clear I loved the super-hero genre, so I was introduced to Wonder Woman, and like Spidey, it was love at first site. She was a super hero and a girl! A role model! I was given a pair of WW underoos that I wore until they wouldn't fit anymore (and was a regular argument with my grandmother because I didn't want to wear anything over the undies since "Wonder Woman didn't!".) Over 30 years later and I still want to be Wonder Woman when I grow up.

Archie #334, 1985

I don't remember what attracted me to Archies. Maybe it was a comic book that was more humor-based and the characters we just every day kids. I collected Archie comics for a long time until I felt like I had grown out of their stories. Both of my parents were willing to feed my comic addiction, especially my Dad who helped me purchase a good portion of my Archie collection. When I was a freshman in college and I was talking to my Dad about Chasing Amy (my dad was the one who rented Mallrats for me on a whim and got me hooked on Kevin Smith), I told him about the Archie conversation, specifically that "[Jughead] was the king of Queen Archie's world", and my father nods and says "I always thought so.". Thanks, Dad.

ElfQuest #18, 1987

Once again, this was an on-a-whim purchase by my dad who knew I loved high fantasy, and he was right. ElfQuest continues to be one of my all-time favorite series, and Wendy Pini is one of my personal heroes, as an artist and a woman in comics. I can't wait for April to add the TPB of "The Final Quest" to my library,although there's a part of me that hopes it really won't be the last story of Cutter and the Wolfriders.

EDIT:FFS, I don't know why the spoiler tags didn't want to work the first time around...

HCGLNS · Jan 24, 2015

I don't need four, I can boil it down to just a single comic. I read it almost every chance I could get, it's cover is iconic, it's story compelling and its characters well written.

It's the iconic mind blowing super amazing

dun dun dun

DarkAudit · Jan 24, 2015

HCGLNS said:
I don't need four, I can boil it down to just a single comic. I read it almost every chance I could get, it's cover is iconic, it's story compelling and its characters well written.

It's the iconic mind blowing super amazing

dun dun dun

View attachment 17295

I've read that somewhere before, but where? Oh, yeah! DESTROY!!

(I know, I know. FF 112 was the inspiration.)

DarkAudit · Jan 25, 2015

Wait. Hold on. I've been remiss. I have to add a fifth, or at least replace DNAgents with something far more significant to me. Groo the Wanderer.

Bowielee · Jan 25, 2015

New Mutants 23

I think this is the very first comic book I ever bought by my own choice rather than being given to me as a gift. The New Mutants are undeniably the catalyst for my love of comic books. As much as I would come to love some teams and super-heroes more, the original New Mutants team will always hold a place in my heart for being the team that began my love of comics. I also have to note that it appears, thinking back on comics and characters that I love, that I have a thing for second tier heroes. I apparently love them. Cloak and Dagger make an appearance in this comic and I've ALWAYS loved them since along with a large number of their fellow second stringers.

Spectacular Spider-Man 134

While I grew up watching Spider-Man on TV and liking the character there, it wasn't until I picked up this comic that I started truely falling in love with him. I love Spider-Man like Nick loves Superman. He was my go-to hero and up until the last few years, I religiously read all his books. He's also the first comic book character that I actively sought back issues for.

West Coast Avengers 23
I was bought this comic by someone, and I honestly can't remember who. It was a lame time travel story from the lame version of the Avengers, but I read this comic over and over when I was a kid. I barely knew who the characters were, but for some reason, that didn't matter to me. I did end up keeping up on the West Coast Avengers, mostly because I loved Wonder Man and Moon Knight. I think this cemented my love of second string characters.

Alpha Flight 19

There's that love of second tier heroes again. Thought I never fully kept up with Alpha Flight, this is one of the first comics I remember reading as a kid and I loved it, it was all trippy with weird character stuff going on with Shaman.