Mitchell Brown's 100 Greatest Comics

100. Zap Comix #0 - Underground "comix" come up for air.
99. Young Romance #1 - Love is in the air...
98. X-Men Giant-Size #1 - Marvel's major mutant team gets a makeover.
97. The X-Men #1 - Marvel's mightiest-selling team makes its mark.
96. Wonder Comics #1 - The industry's first copyright lawsuit begins.
95. Whiz Comics #2 - Captain Marvel gives that other flying guy a fight.
94. Watchmen #1 - Who watched the Watchmen? Everyone.
93. Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #1 - Disney finds a new audience.
92. Understanding Comics - A comic book about comic books. Go figure.
91. Two-Gun Kid #1 - Move aside, you cape-wearin' varmints...
90. Two-Fisted Tales #18 - Harvey Kurtzman's comic reveals the true face of war.
89. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 - Two guys make fun of comics, and get rich doing it.
88. Tales of Suspense #39 - Iron Man suits up for action.
87. Superman #75 - Superman dies, and the world mourns.
86. Superman #1 - The first comic book devoted to a single character.
85. Strange Tales #151 - Jim Steranko brings a new style to an old soldier.
84. Strange Tales #110 - Dr. Strange first weaves his spell over fans.
83. Star Wars #1- A long time ago... a movie made a serious impact on comics.
82. Spirit Sections - Will Eisner brings a new "spirit" to comics.
81. Spawn #1 - A new hero offers up a new "Image" for comics.
80. Showcase #22 - The Silver Age Green Lantern takes flight.
79. Showcase #9 - Comics' most famous woman steps out on her own.
78. Sandman #1 - Great stories are no longer just the stuff of dreams.
77. Saga of the Swamp Thing #20 - Alan Moore ushers in a new era of mature reading.
76. Police Comics #1 - Plastic Man defines superhero humor.
75. Planet Comics #1 - Bug-eyed aliens finally get their moment.
74. New Teen Titans #1 - DC's sidekicks get a second chance at stardom.
73. New Gods #1 - Jack "King" Kirby unveils his greatest work.
72. Motion Picture Funnies #1 - The first appearance (kind of) of the Sub-Mariner.
71. More Fun Comics #101 - Not everyone is happy with Superboy's debut.
70. More Fun Comics #73 - The debut of Aquaman and Green Arrow.
69. More Fun Comics #52 - The Spectre's debut makes comics a little more spirited.
68. Military Comics #1 - Blackhawk begins his war campaigns.
67. Maus #1 - The first comic book to win a Pulitzer Prize.
66. Marvels #1 - What if you were a normal person in a world where superhumans can fly?
65. Man of Steel #1 - Superman gets a facelift.
64. Magnus, Robot Fighter #1 - Sci-fi looks to the future.
63. MAD #1 - The MADness begins.
62. Love and Rockets #1 - A series for mature readers makes its debut.
61. Lone Wolf & Cub #1 - First Comics gives many readers their "first" look at manga.
60. Little Dot #1 - Richie Rich starts counting his millions... of fans.
59. Kingdom Come #1 - Old heroes and new battle to decide "whose will be done."
58. Journey Into Mystery #83 - Ancient mythology meets modern storytelling.
57. Jimmy Olsen #134 - Darkseid debuts as DC's most dastardly despot.
56. Incredible Hulk #181 - Marvel's mightiest-selling mutant debuts. 
55. Incredible Hulk #1 - "Is he man, monster, or... is he both?"
54. House of Secrets #92 - DC's Swamp Thing rises from the muck.
53. Heavy Metal #1 - A French import brings some maturity to the medium.
52. Green Lantern #76 - Comics discover "relevance."
51. Four Color Comics #178 - Uncle Scrooge begins his money-making adventures.
50. Four Color Comics #9 - Carl Barks, meet Donald Duck.
49. Flash #123 - Worlds collide as the Silver Age meets the Golden Age.
48. Flash Comics #1 - Proof that a hero can find success doing just one thing, and doing it right.
47. Fantasy Quarterly #1 - Elfquest, one of the first successful creator-owned comics, debuts.
46. Fantastic Four #52 - The Black Panther is introduced as Marvel's first black superhero.
45. Fantastic Four #48 - The Silver Surfer and Galactus put the "universe" in Marvel universe.
44. Fantastic Four #5 - His name is Doom. Doctor Doom.  
43. Famous Funnies #1 - The first retail comic book.
42. Detective Comics #225 - The Martian Manhunter arrives to walk among us. 
41. Detective Comics #38 - Sidekicks wanted. Apply within.
40. Detective Comics #1 - The first comic book devoted to a particular theme. 
39. Death of Captain Marvel - Captain Marvel faces the one foe he can't beat.
38. Dark Knight Returns #1 - Frank Miller breathes new life into the Caped Crusader. 
37. Daredevil #158 - Daredevil's rebirth makes life grittier for the heroes.  
36. Daredevil #1 - A blind superhero? Naw, it couldn't work...
35. Crypt of Terror #17 - Horror enters its golden age, and exposes some pretty horrific hypocrisy.
34. Crisis on Infinite Earths #1 - DC cleans house on a cosmic scale.
33. Crime Does Not Pay #22 - Before Cops, nothing beat this for true crime stories.
32. Creepy #1 - Horror makes a comeback.
31. Contract With God- Comics legend Will Eisner introduces North America's first "graphic novel."
30. Conan the Barbarian #1 - "Sword-and-sorcery" fantasy comes to life.
29. Classic Comics #1 - Comics that are good for you? Interesting idea...
28. Captain Victory #1 - Comic king Jack Kirby strikes a blow for artists' rights. 
27. Captain America #1 - Comics get patriotic with the first untested title character.
26. Brave and the Bold #28 - Smells like team spirit when the JLA assembles. 
25. Batman #428 - Robin gets whacked, but don't blame the Joker.
24. Batman #1 - The introduction of two of comics' greatest villains.
23. Avengers #1 - The Avengers assemble for the first time.
22. American Splendor #1 - Harvey Pekar's autobiography inspires underground artists.
21. Amazing Spider-Man #129 - The Punisher begins his own war against crime.
20. Amazing Spider-Man #121 - Gwen Stacey's death makes Marvel a less merry place.
19. Amazing Spider-Man #96 - Marvel defies the censors with an anti-drug message.
18. Alpha Flight #106 - A superhero comes out of the closet.
17. All-Star Comics #8 - Wonder Woman begins her crusade for truth, justice and positive role models.
16. All-Star Comics #3 - A society of heroes first assembles.
15. All-American Comics #16 - The original Green Lantern sees the light of day.
14. Akira #1 - A Japanese masterpiece is introduced to the West. 
13. Adventure Comics #247 - The Legion of Super-Heroes lives, thanks to the fans.
12. Action Comics #252 - Supergirl first displays her own "girl power."
11. Action Comics #23 - The Man of Steel gains a worthy archenemy.
10. Funnies on Parade - Everything has to start somewhere.
9. Pep Comics #22 - Archie Andrews debuts. Go ahead, laugh -- that's the point.
8. Cerebus #1 - Canada's Dave Sim inspires independent comic artists.
7. Amazing Fantasy #15 - Is he strong? Listen, bud...
6. Fantastic Four #1 - It's (sales) clobberin' time for Marvel's super-team.
5. Showcase #4 - The Silver Age begins with an updated Flash.
4. Marvel Comics #1 - The very beginning of a Marvelous universe.
3. New Fun Comics #1 - The first comic book to publish original material.
2. Detective Comics #27 -The Batman begins his crusade against crime.
1. Action Comics #1 -The Man of Steel launches a new Golden Age of heroes.

Honorable Mentions

• Mickey Mouse Magazine #1 (1933)
• New Fun Comics #6 (1935)
• Detective Comics #20 (1938)
• Mickey Mouse Magazine (Vol. 3) #3 (1938)
• Marvel Mystery Comics #9 (1940)
• Blue Bolt #2 (1940)
  
• Famous Funnies #100 (1941)
• Pep Comics #17 (1941)
• Young Allies #1 (1941)
  
• World's Best Comics #1 (1941)
  
• Tally-Ho #1 (1944)
• My Date #1 (1947)
• Eerie #1 (1947)
  
• Weird Science #12 (1950)
  
• Howdy Doody #1 (1950)
  
• Three Dimension Comics #1 (1953)
• Showcase #6 (1956)
  
• Strange Worlds #1 (1958)
  
• Showcase #20 (1959)
• The Brave and the Bold #34 (1961)
  
• Showcase #34 (1961)
  
• Fantastic Four #4 (1962)
• Avengers #4 (1963)
• Amazing Spider-Man #1 (1963)
• The Tomb of Dracula #1 (1972)
  
• Marvel Special Edition #15 (1973)
  
• 2000 AD (1977)
  
• World of Krypton #1 (1979)
  
• Raw #1 (1980)
  
• Uncanny X-Men #137 (1980)
• Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (1985)
  
• The Killing Joke (1988)
  
• Spider-Man #1 (1990)
• X-Men #1 (1991)
  
• Superman: The Wedding Album (1996)