Matlock said something in the "your golden age" thread about how annuals used to be good and I couldn't agree more. Maybe as I've gotten older, those side-steps from the main storyline don't interest me as much, but I think there's been a genuine drop in quality and a change in focus about what annuals are used for.
So this thread is to take another stroll through memory lane and recall your favorite annuals -- those big fat books that used to come out once a year (definitely more of a tradition at Marvel) and to pose a question:
Do annuals still have a place and if so, what do you want to see in them? (secret files type stuff? An anthology or one big story, spotlight stories or a way to get top talent for a one-shot?)
Posted by matlock on :
Best. Annual. Ever.
Legion of Super-Heroes Annual #1 - Monster in a Little Girl's Mind. Probably my favorite single comic ever because it tells a complete story from start to finish but also added a lot to the overall series. We got the return of Computo for the first time since it's introduction, the addition of Invisible Kid II to the team (as well as future Legionnaire Computo II), Shvaughn Erin returned to the book as Element Lad's love interest, and the buildup to the Great Darkness continued. We also got a hint of the UP's ban on the Green Lantern Corp, Blok and Timber Wolf started palling around and some members got makeovers too, best of all in my mind Cosmic Boy finally ditched the "nipple flap" duds (sorry Grell fans.) The last really good Annual I remember was probably the Legionnaires annual that wrapped up the White Triangle story, because it seemed like a story that deserved the extra length treatment. Oh, and the two annuals during the "Legends of the Dead Earth" were pretty okay, especially for "theme" annuals. Jenni meeting Grandpa Barry was a wonderful moment.
That to me is the best kind of annual. I never really liked annual "themes." I prefer them as a special story that adds to a series, not distracts from it. I'd still like to see that kind of annual today. I don't care too much for the Secret Files kind too much because if I'm buying an annual odds are good I already know who's in it.
[ July 17, 2003, 03:01 PM: Message edited by: matlock ]
Posted by Dave on :
The Teen Titans and Legion had the best Annuals back in the day. They tied into, or enhanced what was happening in the monthly book.
Back when Annuals mattered.
Posted by matlock on :
quote:Originally posted by Dave: The Teen Titans and Legion had the best Annuals back in the day. They tied into, or enhanced what was happening in the monthly book.
Back when Annuals mattered.
Was the final chapter of the Judas Contract an annual? If so, that has to be up there pretty high on my all-time list too.
Posted by Dave on :
Yep. That was the third one. The first wrapped up the Starfire story...the second wrapped up the introduction of the Vigilante. That is, if my memory serves me right.
Posted by DrakeB3003 on :
I'll come up with a list later, but my preference is definitely for one big story with top talent. The best ones that take the extra page space to tell a compact story that has emotional impact that isn't conveyed the same way when it's serialized and drawn out (though that has other benefits of course). It's even better if it ties into subplots or issues that linger in the background of the regular title so that it doesn't seem like a total throw-away tale.
At some point it seemed annuals became a repository for inventory tales and a testing ground for new art talent. Then they were big crossover events, none of which were any good, that I can recall. Of course they were structured in a way that didn't require you to read the whole thing, so what you got was something in between a crossover and a bunch of stand-alones which only made them a failure at both!
Posted by Danny Blaine on :
Drake,
I agree. The best annuals I remember were the ones that either continued from the main title or were stand alone and not part of any theme. I really like the Who shot Laurel Gand one as well... .
[ July 17, 2003, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Danny Blaine ]
Posted by DrakeB3003 on :
quote:Originally posted by Danny Blaine: I really like the Who shot Laurel Gand one as well... .
You mean "Laurel KENT" right? Posted by Danny Blaine on :
Yup LOL
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
Have to echo matlock about Legion of Super Heroes Annual #1. That was a beaut. Loved the rooftop scenes with Shady and Jan... and the constantly exploding kitchen equipment in Garth and Imra's quarters. And wasn't this the debut of the D&D gaming console?
Really, this annual established the look of the Legion for the next few years, didn't it? Some of the team's best years, too.
Wasn't it an annual that featured the reunion of much of the Legion on Winath during the TMK years? I enjoyed that one. And the one with Ultra Boy's reveal as a smart guy with a long-held secret... liked that one.
Usually, I don't care for the company-wide 'theme' annuals... but I did enjoy the Elseworlds one for LEGIONNAIRES that was a King Arthur-in-space parallel.
Other titles-- I liked the AVENGERS annuals that tied into and wrapped up the ongoing Mantis/Swordsman/Scarlet Witch/Vision superhero soap opera (to me, that's a *good* thing...)
I kind of enjoyed the Supergirl annual that featured Brainy a few years ago-- oops, that one was part of a company 'theme', too.
I wish they'd return annuals to the schedule-- maybe for Christmas instead of summer?
TN
Posted by Mystery Lad on :
A couple of more--
the Avengers one that featured the INVADERS... a couple of whom were thought to be Wanda's parents for a bit.
But how could I forget the NEW MUTANTS in Asgard one? I loved that annual! Great art and a fun story.
TN
Posted by Lightning Lad on :
While I loved annuals growing up they became tedious, to me, in the 90's. Too many tie-ins to others (though mostly Marvel did that) and the quality of the one-shot stories went downhill, IMHO.
I prefer to see a Secret Files issue during the year. Enough happens in any title where they cast list can be updated and a few pertinent stories can be tossed in to tie it all together.
Posted by rokk steady on :
I just have gotta agree with everyone and say Legion Annual #1. Wowza! And all of those early Legion and NTT annuals were great.
While the themes and cross-overs killed the annuals, I always kinda hoped they'd one day have a Legion theme where a Legionnaire or two would show up in every annual.
Posted by the boy with UltraPowers on :
i'm gonna go with the LEGION and TITANS annuals from the 80's, too !!!
but i remember at the time [ they were harder to get hold of, because of the higher price ]
and ..... i didn't get 'Teen Titans' annual #3 until about a YEAR later !!!
and in those days, there was no way of knowing what happened, and i didn't have any friends that read comics !!!
of the recent annuals, 'LSH' #1 [ 5YG ] ULTRABOY story is my favourite ....
Matthew.
Posted by Super Lad Kid on :
I really liked the Computo annual as well, but I only read it as a back issue and so I already knew what was going to happen. My favorite was (I believe) v.3 # 2where it was revealed that Validus was really Garth and Imra's son. That one threw me for a loop!
Posted by Outdoor Miner on :
I liked the Legion and Titans annuals too. But my favorite may well be All-Star Squadron Annual #3, which explained why the JSA aged so slowly.
Posted by Super Lad Kid on :
If you like Legion Annuals, come on over the Planetary Chance Machine and vote for your favorites Legion Annual. It's my very first poll and I already managed to screw it up. I failed to include the Annual where Validus is revealed to be the Ranzz baby. You can always mention it as a write-in.
Posted by DrakeB3003 on :
As others have mentioned, the one with Computo and Invisible Kid was a good one.
From my childhood I also really liked a lot of the X-Men Annuals -- the Arkon one with gorgeous Perez art, the Dracula one (with Seinkewicz maybe??) and the Asgard one with Art Adams.
Posted by Poverty Lad on :
I loved the Art Adams X-MEN Annuals. But the thing I loved most were the annual JLA/JSA reunion stories in the regular JLA title. Annuals were hard to come by until I was in High School, but I could always find these on the spinner rack at the town GS! My first was the JLA/JSA/Fawcett heroes with the Captain Marvel/Superman battle. My favorite was the JLA/JSA/New Gods vs. Darkseid, with art by George Perez!!!
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