A Really Good ____ Story

Doug: We've done this from time to time in the past, and of course my memory probably betrays how long it's been. Everyone likes a solid recommendation of a good book, so today I'm thinking we can do this --

For a specific character or team, pick a story you've loved. Ideally it's been published in a trade paperback or hardcover collection. But if it dwells within a Masterworks, Archive, Showcase Presents or Essentials volume, just let us know.

I'll lead it off with one of my favorite Superman tales and that's Kurt Busiek's and Stuart Immonen's "Secret Identity". What a warm fuzzy of a story that respects the source material but with a neat twist. I've only read it once, and need to read it again, but it left an impression.

Unfortunately, one of my favorite Captain America stories has never (to the best of my knowledge) been collected -- I've mentioned this one before: Fabian Nicieza's and Kevin Maguire's "The Adventures of Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty". What a fun story, reminiscent of the old movie serials. It really needs the trade treatment!

So now it's back to you -- what should I be reading?

Just a Thought About Mini-Series and Story Arcs

Doug: I'm about done with my Marvel collection as far as the eBay listings go. Yesterday I decided to take the lid off the first DC longbox and get some things ready to go live (they do later this evening if you're so inclined as to check them out -- information is on the sidebar). While much of my DC collection has been pared down through the years, I did hang onto some "key" issues, arcs, etc. here and there. Of note was what DC was doing in post-Crisis Batman comics.

Doug: In the years after the Crisis on Infinite Earths event, DC pursued a strategy similar to what was catching on at Marvel and within their own publications -- the mini-series. However, with Batman they chose to publish these within the regular monthly books rather than as stand-alone series. Your thoughts on that, pro or con?

Batman: Year One (Batman #s 404-407)
Batman: Ten Nights of the Beast (Batman #s 417-420)
Batman: Year Two (Detective Comics #s 575-578)
Batman: A Death in the Family (Batman #s 426-429)
Batman: Year Three (Batman #s 436-439)
Batman: A Lonely Place of Dying (Batman #s 440-442 and New Titans #s 60-61)