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AICN COMICS: Vroom Socko's Top 10 Comics of the 2000's
Hey folks, Ambush Bug here. We’re going to do things a bit differently this week. Since last week’s trip to the comic shop turned out to be quite a dud, we decided since everyone’s doing Best of the Decade lists that we’d like to join in the fun too. Over the next few days, the @$$Holes will provide a list a day focusing on their picks for the best of the last ten years in comics. First off, is one of the original @$$Holes and an all around swell guy, Vroom Socko!
Vroom Socko’s Top Ten Comics of the 2000’s
As 2009 ends, we say goodbye to the…Double Ohs? Did we ever come up with a nickname for this decade? In any case the end of a ten year period tends to call for lists compiled by opinionated @$$holes. So here’s one of those selfsame @$$holes and their list for the Top Ten Comics From 2000 to 2009. The @$$hole in question today is OG reviewer and absentee landlord Vroom Socko.
Well, it’s certainly been an interesting ten years. We’ve had the ascendance of Bendis at Marvel, and a host of Crises at DC. But out of all the comics that defined this period, which are the best? That depends on the reader, but since I have an open forum it’s my list we’re talking about today. Let’s start at number ten and work our way up, shall we?
#10: EMPIRE by Mark Waid and Barry Kitson (DC Comics)
Nearly every megalomaniacal supervillian wants to take over the world, but what are they supposed to do after that? In this comic, Waid and Kitson gave us the answer in Golgoth, an armored overlord who only has Iceland left to conquer before the world is finally his. Unfortunately, skill at global domination does not mean you have a talent for global administration, or even good parenting. Waid does an exceptional job showing the problems inherent in any global dictatorship, and Kitson makes him look good doing it. No, wait, not good exceptional.
#9: SCOOTER GIRL by Chynna Clugston (Oni Press)
I have to admit, one of the reasons this book is on my list is that it has significant meaning for me in my private life. Long story. But there’s also the fact that this book is made from concentrated awesome. Filled with memorable characters, cool artwork, the best kiss ever drawn in comics, and some excellent depictions of the best form of two wheeled transportation known to man, this is some of the most fun I had reading comics in the past ten years, and is possibly the most reread book on my list.
#8: THE LOSERS by Andy Diggle and Jock (DC Vertigo)
The cover to the third collected volume of this title has a quote on the front, reading “If there’s a more consistently enthralling, action-packed comic than this, I’ll eat my hat.” That quote came from yours truly. I wear a black wool felt fedora, size 7 ½. It remains unconsumed.
#7: TEENAGERS FROM MARS by Rick Spears and Rob G.
In the wrong hands this story could have easily turned into a grating screed against Wal-Mart and/or censorship. Thankfully, Spears and G are using the two great evils of our time as an excuse to create one massive love letter to geek culture that’s on par with SPACED. Between the zombies, the piratical authority figures, the grave robbing, the most unconventional love story ever concieved, and the Comic Book Liberation Army, what’s not to love?
#6: ALIAS by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos.(Marvel MAX)
Over the past ten years, Bendis has pretty much made over Marvel in his own image. Not that this is a bad thing; Bendis has an ear for dialogue like no other, and he holds character development above all else. But out of all his output at the House of Ideas, ALIAS stands above the rest. First, Jessica Jones is an original character in every sense of the word. Second, it illustrates perfectly just how difficult it is to be a hero, and how some people aren’t capable of living up to that standard. Third, that doesn’t stop anyone, least of all Jessica, from managing to exceed that same standard later on in life. And finally, the story doesn’t involve breaking down the main character: Jessica comes pre-broken. Instead, we see this character rise above her tragedies, and find a glimmer of hope and happiness. And that’s something to be encouraged.
#5: OWLY by Andy Runton (Top Shelf Productions)
Cuteness and innocence personified. If there’s anyone out there who DOESN’T like this book, then the door’s over there. The human race doesn’t need you.
#4: BLANKETS by Craig Thompson.( Top Shelf Productions)
One of the biggest, most beautiful comics of all time, never mind the past decade. Biographical comics are nothing new, but the detail in both story and artwork is phenomenal. The intertwining of Craig’s various relationships, the examination of faith and family, and above all the art. Oh, that beautiful, sublime art. I’ve spent nearly an hour at a time going through this book, not reading it but immersing myself in it, losing myself in the art. No comics library is complete without a copy.
#3: THE LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill (Top Shelf Productions)
It’s Alan Moore, and he’s writing pretty much every single fictional character into one single story. What else do you need?
#2: SCOTT PILGRIM by Bryan Lee O’Malley (Oni Press)
This book shouldn’t work. It just shouldn’t. It’s the most chaotic story imaginable. One moment it’s a parody of John Hughes-style romantic comedies, then it’s a living video game, then it’s a recipe for vegan shepherd’s pie, then it’s a Yuen Woo-Ping homage, then it’s a serious meditation on the difficulty of relationships. Among other things. And yet it works. Not only that, it’s an absolute blast to read. There’s a joy to be found in these pages, one that I’m not entirely certain that even Edgar Wright can duplicate. SCOTT PILGRIM, the character and the book, are exactly what I want from my comics reading experience.
#1: FABLES by Bill Willingham and Mark Buckingham (DC Vertigo)
If there was a comic book that featured retellings and reinterpretations of classic fairy tales, it would probably be worth at least a look. If there was a one that focused on a different genre every arc, (murder mystery, adventure story, political thriller, romance, spy tale, heist story, war epic, heroic fantasy, horror tale, siege drama, AND redemption saga,) but with the same characters, it would probably be interesting at least. If there was a story that set up a major antagonist, centered the main plotline around the menace of this Adversary, brought him and his power low, and then said, “well, what would REALLY happen after all of that?” you’d have some compelling reading on your hands. But a comic that is all of that, and has some of three dimensional characters that resonate with hidden depths every time you think you’ve seen all they have to offer… Well that’s the single best comic book of the past ten years.HONORABLE MENTION
Just for the hell of it, and to add some fuel for the talkbacks, here’s five titles that fell just short of being included. In no particular order:
RISING STARS (Top Cow)
WASTELAND (Oni Press)
INVINCIBLE (Image Comics)
RUNAWAYS (Marvel Comics)
Vroom Socko (aka Aaron Button) has written for AICN Comics for seven years; writing reviews and reports about "comics that fell through the crack" in his TALES FROM THE CREVICE articles often found at the bottom of this column.
Thanks, Vroom! Be sure to tune in tomorrow for Matt Adler’s picks for the best of the best in comics from 2000-2009!
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What, No Final Crisis! Shut up and show us your tits!
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Dunno, kinda out of the scene this past decade.
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Just sayin...
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this list is crap without Strangers and Walking Dead.
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...stories. That's cool.
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This list is suspect.
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somethings not right there.
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Seriously.
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Walking Dead? Kick ass? Punisher Max, WE3, The Goon, WWHulk...
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this list reeks of elitist indie comic book reader. the very fact there is no Walking Dead or Y The Last Man or Planetary clearly shows how wrong this list is
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Thanks for including Owly on this list.
I haven't read most of this list but I'm very interested in checking out some of those other titles.
It's really sad to see that most of these talk backs are simply and only zombie/super hero oriented. Nothing wrong with them. God Knows I love them but there's just so much more than that. Not all stories have to be major epics about the end of the world. -
Jan 04, 2010 11:21:24 AM CST
Y really fizzled. Should have ended two chapters early.
by jimbojones123
Mini series. Not film trilogy.
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I cannot wait til February for the crossover TPB. Ah well - back to "Turning Pages" after lunch.
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...yeah, not thanks
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Marvel does right. Infinate Crisis is 10x Better than Final Crisis, but 52 was tops for DC.
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but top 10? I dunno. And what exactly was the barometer for determining if a comic was of THIS decade or the last? For example, Transmetropolitan wrapped up in 2002, but began in the 90's. Would it have been a candidate?
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Vroom's giving love to what he loves. Do the same in the TB if you need to give something props.
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You have my blessings.
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list fail
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Just kidding...
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Both solid reads.
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Nice to see Wasteland getting a nod here. Do you know what's going on with that book right now? Is it just on hiatus or something?
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I bought the first issue in high school and even after I stopped buying comics I continued to read the story in graphic novel form up until its conclusion last year. The finest crime comic ever written, easily
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Until I was made aware it was written in the 90s.
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True
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Where's Y: The Last Man? And Ex Machina? Promethea? Transmetropolitan? All-Star Superman? Astonishing X-Men? Old Man Logan? We3? The Nobody? The Essex County Trilogy? New Frontier? Planetary? Silver Surfer: Requiem? The Knaufs' Iron Man? Superman: Red Son? Walking Dead? Cable & Deadpool? Oh, wait, that's more than ten. But yeah, quite a few of the books on this list are fantastic, and quite a few are big ol' WTFs.
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I love that series and would be my number one pick. But I would also include Y the Last Man, the Walking Dead and the Sinestro Corp War as being worthy. I'm currently reading 100 Bullets and Ex-Machina so I can't yet place them on there
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It's the most fun I've had with a comic since Preacher ended with the Saint of Killers popping a cap in God's ass and taking his seat on the Almighty Throne
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Every @$$Hole will have their say. If you don't like one, another will be coming right around the bend. Matt Adler's is tomorrow. Mine is Wednesday. Professor Challenger, Humphrey Lee, superhero, and more Holes weigh in later in the week. We'll be back to reviewing next week.
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who is this hack?
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It's always interesting, to me anyway, the comics tastes of others. I don't know about some of the choices (some 'o this stuff started in the 90s and then faded into oblivion), but Fables has really been the most consistently excellent title of the last decade.
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Best original character in, like, forever.
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No New X-Men? Where is Ellis's Thunderbolts run? Brubaker's Cap? WE3? Superman Red Son? Also, Supreme Power owned Rising Stars.It boggles the mind that not one of those made this list.
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Alias is by far my favorite of this list, and since Bendis had to be represented, I'm glad this was the book chosen.
League...well...the first volume was awesome, the second very good..etc...downhill slide.
Of course it's just Vroom's opinion, but any fan is going to pick something by the biggest names, just like the Academy does.
So there seems like a need for something by Johns and Morrison, with possibles BKV and Kirkman.
For me...
BKV: Love him! Would put both Runaways and Y on my top ten. Enjoyed Runaways more, but Y is more memorable.
Morrison: Love him too! WE3, All-Star Superman and 7 Soldiers would all by on my top ten. WE3 is my pick, maybe best comic of all time.
Bendis..yes..Alias! Also, thank the Lord Disassembled isn't on this list.
Johns...Not as big a fan as most...maybe Blackest Night? But I am one of the few who liked Infinite Crisis.
Millar...well, the first volume of Ultimates deserves to be here because it was probably the most "important" comic of the decade, and also fresh and enjoyable.
Palmiotti/Gray: Not as popular as the others, but Wolverine/Black Cat and the original Daughters of the Dragon were the reasons I read comics.
I'll give Kirkman fans a bone....but at this point I confess I no longer follow Walking Dead. Still a definitive run on a comic.
Other big faves: The Seven Cities of Heavan (Iron Fist), Annihilation, Incredible Hercules, Modok's Twelve and (yeah, yeah, hate me now) Terror Titans. -
marvel zombies was the biggest piece of crap i've ever read.walking dead on the other hand was the best,world war hulk was pretty good also gotta be in any readers top ten.
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Again, this is VROOM'S top 10. Anyone bitching about a book that didn't make this list is only showing how dense THEY are.
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I was being facetious in my post earlier, Marvel Zombies is utter shite IMHO.
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seriously
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this really does reek of elitist blahblahblah
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Dark Wolverine has been pretty kick ass lately, and Wolverine has been a solid title for years now. And let's not forget Deadpool. If that book was in black and white and non marvel you'd be jerking over it. Conspiracy. i think so.
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...as an Ultimate FF storyline, and the first mini.But like zombie fiction in all mediums, they're really beating an (un)dead horse at this point.
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Resurrected the moribund Marvel galactic line, with some of the best space opera in the history of comics.
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BOOOOOOOOO
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where is it?
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Glad to see Fables at the top as I think that's where I would have put it myself. Also really glad to see Rising Stars, Blankets, Alias, Wasteland and Runaways; several of which made my list of "comics I'd rather see adapted prior to Jonah Hex" over in Quint's 2010 Preview Part 2. The only thing I can't agree with is The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. IMO that book just gets way too much praise. As a fan of Alan Moore's work it's never "done it" for me. Also, haven't read Owly, but I will be now.
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And yes, I know it's too long and totally unasked for, buuuuut....
This is why I get so frustrated that every comic property adapted is either a classic superhero or a vampire (9 out of 10 of them are, at least). And yes, there are still some vampire and the occasional superhero in my list, but I'd like to think they aren't the same cut and paste movies we've been getting in the last ten years. Anyway, on to the way too ridiculously long list of titles and or creators (probably in alphabetical order, because that's how I have them separated) that I like to see made into movies. Apologies to Jonah Hex - it's nothing personal. And apologies for my lack of knowledge regarding projects already being made (because I really have none).
ABC Warriors from 2000 AD (Atomic, Bacterial, Chemical, btw), 100 Bullets (Has this one been started yet? If no, why the hell not?!), Age Of Bronze - The Story of the Trojan War, Air (thanks to whoever it was that recommended that to me here in the talkbacks - great read!)…
Alan Moore would fall right around here somewhere but I’m going to skip all of his books completely. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t like to see a bunch of them as films, I would. I just don’t want to get into the heated arguments such thoughts tend to bring.
American Freak - A Tale of the Un-Men, Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter; Aphrodite IX - not the greatest book ever, but it would fill a niche of adult sci-fi adventure that’s very lacking in the movie world, and I just like it, y’all know how that happens with comics; Aria, pretty much anything by Ashley Wood and/or Ben Templesmith (Wormwood - Gentleman Corpse, anyone?), but man do I love me some Ashley Wood; Astro City - as much as I don’t love super heroes, yes, this would be cool; Battle Chasers, a cable anthology of Beautiful Stories for Ugly Children, Fables …yeah, duh! Fables. But how about something else random from Willingham like Pantheon or Proposition Player; Bipolar, Blacksad - this is how anthropomorphic talking animals should be done! If you haven’t done so yet, find it and read it!; Blankets… yeah, I’m going to include this one - almost didn’t; Blood & Water, Box Office Poison, Breathtaker; Brian K Vaughn - Ex Machina and Y The Last Man; Brian Wood - DMZ, Northlanders, Super Market; Cairo, Castle Waiting, ack, out of order - BONE!, Rose and anything else by Charles Vess, an anthology of The Books of Ballads and Sagas would be lovely, but that’s like, lottery odds of ever happening; Chris Bachalo’s Shade The Changing Man or Steampunk, animated; Concrete, Courtney Crumrin, Criminal, Dalgoda, Danger Girl, Darkstalkers, Daughters of the Dragon, everything by David Lapham - but Young Liars and Stray Bullets would be my first choices; Dead West, Death Rattle, Divine Right - The Adventures Of Max Faraday, Elfquest - ooooooh booooooy do I hope they finally get around to making an Elfquest movie, and that it makes so much money that they’ll; be forced to make, like, 18 sequels. Supposedly “a script” was finished on Dec 3, 2009. But this has been a wet dream since I was 12, so I don’t hold out much hope for this one.; Exit Wounds, Faker, Fallen Angel - the Peter David book; Ferryman, Fishtown, Fun Home, Gangland (Vertigo), Preacher? Hell yes! And about 10 other Ennis titles, Gen 13, Gen 13 and uh, oh yeah! Gen 13, Grant Morrison’s Invisibles, Animal Man, Dare, Kill Your Boyfriend, Sebastian O, The Filth, Vimanarama - and those would just be my choices amongst his books, other people would want something different; Hellblazer done right? Hell yes! (pun intended) A good Sandman movie could help with that; Oh I forgot this book called Fusion from back in the late eighties/early nineties boom of non-superhero b&w books. Seems like exactly 7 people have ever read it, but I’m one of them. Great sci-fi action story that deserved(s) far more attention than it got.; It’s A Bird… it will never happen, but damn it would be cool if it did; NYC Mech, Jamie Delano’s Hell Eternal and Narcopolis; Joe Kelly’s I Kill Giants and Enginehead with Ted McKeever. Joe also works on Steampunk with Chris Bachalo; Jonathan Hickman’s Red Mass For Mars, Lisner’s Dawn, Just A Pilgrim - another Ennis book; King City, Locke & Key, Lone Wolf & Cub - yeah, Americans would screw it up, but I’d still like to see it; Love & Rockets, Loveless, on the Matt Wagner front - Grendel, Mage or even Madame Xanadu. All of his books are motion picture ready. You can see it while reading them.; The Mice Templar (hey, I still worship The Secret of NIMN, sue me!); anything Michael Turner ever did - but preferably Fathom, which I thought I‘d heard was being made; Midnight Mass, I dig the Hellboy movies - but I could go for another try, or just a sequel; Mouse Guard - I’d actually like to see this before The Mice Templar, Myth Adventures, Conceptions etc - any of Asprin’s Myth stories; Neil Gaiman… ummmm… Sandman, Death, The Books of Magic, Lucifer, The Books of Faerie, a proper adaptation of Neverwhere, any of his kids books with Dave McKean or Charles Vess, but more than anything, stepping out of the comic book realm, I want to see American Gods up on the big screen. How one of the most respected and loved storytellers of our time has managed to have so little of his work make it all the way into production is beyond me. It’s like, everybody thinks it’s a good idea to buy the rights, but then they get scared and do nothing with them. Garr!; Neozoic - I really liked that one, Nevada, Nikolai Dante - from 2000 AD, Nyx, Optic Nerve, Peter Milligan’s Egypt, Enigma, Greek Street, Human Target, Shade The Changing Man (again), The Eaters, The Extremist, The Minx, The Plain Janes, Poison Elves, Puma Blues - yeah, not very likely, but I can dream; Runaways, Scalped, Scourge of the Gods, Sentences - The Life of MF Grimm, Shaolin Cowboy, Shi, Sky Doll, Slaine - from 2000 AD, Spawn - I would definitely like to see another try at this property; Starman - the James Robinson book, StrangHaven, Strangers In Paradise, Sunglasses After Dark, Tattered Banners, Ted McKeever’s Metropolis & Industrial Gothic, Tell Me Dark, That Salty Air, The Cross Bronx, The Killer, The Luna Brothers book - Girls, The Secret History, The Shipwrecks of Ythaq, The Technopriests, The Umbrella Academy (yes, I do actually like this one quite a bit), The Unwritten, The Walking Dead, Tongue Lash, User, Veils, Vermillion, Warren Fucking Ellis - that’s right, just his name. The man should have a couple movies made of his work each year in a perfect world. The fact that this doesn’t happen is all the proof I need to prove that we are definitely NOT living in a “perfect world”. Transmetropolitan, Aetheric Mechanics and Wolfskin would be three of my top picks; Wasteland, Zatanna - Everyday Magic…. OK, good enough. -
But I'm not entirely sure that came out in the last decade or was just reprinted after the fact. Still love reading it time-to-time.
Still, pretty good list guys. Looking forward to catching the other lists later this week. -
...whatever. Heh.
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By Grant Morrison. Easily the best X-Men ever.
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I loved Y too, but I think sometimes BKV's other comic gets the short shrift. It's almost over and has been really great.
We3 is probably my favorite thing Morrison did in the '00s. -
...but my list was already stupid long. I loved that one, too.
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I did, off and on for a long time. And I've done a lot of reading up on the past issues. But about ten years ago it just started boring the crap out of me, so, I don't read it anymore (or any other "straight" superhero books).
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But since 10 is the gold standard... I hesetate to say any more, because the above list should say it all, but I did consider Planetary for inclusion, but since I read that one in TPB, and the last howevermany haven't been collected yet, I thought it would be disengenuous to put include it. As for some of the other titles mentioned: Since I covered Transmetropolitan in one of my 90's reviews, I thought it would be inappropriate to list it here. Ex Machina I thought was great, until the reporter gained powers. From that moment on, it's been plummeting faster than the value of my mutual funds. (also, I'm THAT @$$hole who didn't like Y the Last Man even a little. Sorry.) I'm not a big Grant Morrison fan, so I didn't care for his X-Men, was indifferent to We3, found Final Crisis to be confusing as hell, but managed to like All-Star Superman a bit. As for the various Millar books, they are books I do not read, do not enjoy, and if given the choice would remove completely from history. I refer you to my immediate reaction to flipping through The Ultimates: "Do you think this letter on my head stands for France?" "No. It stands for asshole."
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Personally, I did love Y quite a bit, and haven't been turned off by anything in Ex Machina yet. But your list is great (quite so, actually) and you certainly wouldn't be steering anybody too far astray if they asked you for 10-15 comic book titles to start a collection with. It will be interesting to see what the other @ssholes lists contain, though. Myself, I just lean way far into the indie/alternative world. Well, what's left of it anyway. I'm obviously a Vertigo whore, and unapologetically so. "Straight" superhero books, as well as the majors attempts to convince you that they aren't making "straight" superhero books anymore, just bore the shit out of me (always have, other than the very best of 'em). The only book on your list that surprised me completely was Empire. But I also haven't, ya know, read it. Heh.
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No Ultimates, no Ennis, No 100 Bullets...
And people wonder why the print form is dying.
thanks for posting Vroom-but I am not going to read any of those titles. -
for the love of God, I cannot believe that TCJ still exists.
A gaping black hole of pseudo-artistic jerkoffs living in East coast city art school dorm rooms, and it still exists-unfuckingbelievable.
Maus was shittily drawn crap-Holocaust aside, Peresoplis I can't spew vengeance on because it was good.
But, you take your Evan Dorkins and whatnot and blow them out of your ass.
These losers couldn't even get a job in tele-marketing. -
I'm too good for those childish, stupid, mainstream superhero comics! I'm cool, edgy, and important because I read a bunch of books very few people care about! Look at me, I'm relevant! I'm bucking the norm! I'm above the entertainment of the unwashed masses!
Go fuck yourself with a white hot fireplace poker, douchebag.
Doc -
A terrible writer who's figuratively defecated all over the Marvel characters. Responsible for the worst trends in modern superhero comics. That said, overall I really liked your list, VROOM. Good variety and plenty of choices that aren't stupid superheroes.
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I want "the kid"'s top 10. Nothing less will be acceptable.
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An @$$hole and an opinion...
I agree with the calls for Planetary and All Star Supes, but VROOM is right - Y the Last Man was a stinking pile.
I am obviously alone, but what about:
- Powers
- Elephantmen
- Hellboy / BPRD
- 30 Days of Night (and Spin-offs)
- Batman: Year One Hundred -
..it's just one persons opinion. Re-fucking-lax! Join the conversation. Learn something. Convince somebody they're wrong. Attacks and insults will get you absolutely NOWHERE!
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I guess from the vile Talkback reaction I was wrong. Jimmy Corrigan was published in 2000, so that counts, right? As an "elitist" I wasn't aware that mainstream fans were so pissed off by alternative comics and their fans. You guys are really weird with all your rantings--why are you so offended that other people like other stuff?
Thanks for the suggestions VS, I'll try to check some of them out. -
My list would be far more than ten, because I think there's a crap load more than ten books worth reading and/or mentioning from this past decade (which has nothing to do with my above "comics to be adapted to movies" list). Anyway, my PERSONAL list for the decade would include Hellboy/BPRD and all the 30 Days Of Night books.
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Because I've tried to read the whole series half a dozen times, and couldn't get past the first two volumes. It certainly wasn't a poorly made product, but for the life of me I couldn't connect with it. I guess Azzarello just isn't my sort of writer.
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considering I have really let my comic media slide in recent years. The Walking Dead deserves to be on this list, somewhere.
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How does anoymously getting this outraged over someone's opinion make YOU relevant? Just curious. (For the record, there were plenty of great superhero books released between 2000 and now: JSA, Busiek's Avengers and Astro City, Ultimate Spider-Man, Gail Simone on Birds of Prey, the Sinestro Corps War, and on and on. Not to mention Rising Stars, Invincible, Runaways... Oh wait, I mentioned those three, didn't I?)
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It's always read like weak SANDMAN to me. Stories are hardly original and the art is just sloppy. Don't you think Neil Gaiman already did this better?
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Jan 04, 2010 8:02:15 PM CST
Also, generally, the big superhero books are terrible.
by liesandpicturesofalsolies
For every good Batman story there's fifty mediocre one. It is impossible to follow story threads through multiple comic brands and the continuity hangs around its neck like a giant millstone, there to make sure that Batman will never change, grow, or evolve too dramatically. It's not like I want Batman to spend a forty issue arc as a shoe salesman, but the big superhero titles can hardly hold a candle to stories not saddled with ten tons of continuity. Part of the reason stuff like Invincible is so fresh is that it can build its own story for story's sake.
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I mean, yeah, I do think Gaiman did it better. But I don't think Fables is weak Sandman. A lot of Fables is quite original and very well written. The art has always been a sore spot for me as I DO prefer more refined line work. But the stories are good enough (often great) and have continued to move forward in an interesting enough way to keep me coming back, wanting to know what happens next. Sandman, which is the top of the heap for me, will never be equaled no matter how badly I want it to happen. It is it's own thing - and I think Neil new that. That's why he demanded they let him end the book the way he wanted to end it (which was actually a HUUUUUGE deal back when he did that). But the greatness of Sandman has caused a lot of people to try to create the same magic. In my mind, emulating something great, as I said in the Zimmer post, is not a bad thing. I'd much rather see more people doing this type of book than continuing down the costumed "ten tons of continuity" super hero road.
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Frackin' KNEW. lol MAN I need an edit button. Whatever... it adds "charm" to our posts... or something... grr!
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is his endings, particularly his "event" storyline endings. Secret War and Disassembled were both anticlimactic, and involved a whole platform of character derailment. Everything since has been one downer ending after another; reading a Marvel comic is a depressing experience nowadays. Not to mention all the Norman Osborn reverence. (If Charles Manson killed Osama Bin Laden, would you let him restructure the CIA with him as the head?) That's what makes ALIAS stand out so much. It has a happy ending. Bendis hasn't written one since. And since he's writing the main plotline of Marvel leads to some grim storytelling.
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Marcel: if you are reading Fables as a ripoff of Sandman, I don't think you're reading it right. That's like saying LOST isn't any good because Rodgers & Hammerstein did mysterious tropical islands better in "South Pacific".
Doctor Cosmic: You're cool. -
If they fit the story, anyway. But I don't read the main Marvel plotlines, so I'll never know about those. I did LOVE Alias, though. I was actually thinking I might read it again when I saw it on your list.
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Just want to show some more love for Invincible! Invincible is fucking legendary! That said this list reminds me that I need to read more comics!
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Almost all superhero stuff, but off the top of my head, from the past ten years, stuff that really stands out:
1. Superman: Red Son
2. We3
3. Seven Soldiers of Victory (this is a personal best, from my own collection)
4. X-Force circa 2001-2002
5. The Walking Dead
6. Powers
7. Punisher MAX (Garth Ennis)
8. Thor: Vikings
9. Thunderbolts -
I really love a lot of Fables art. Had to flip through a bunch of them to remember. Too many good things in this post already... can't decide what to read now...
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Anybody complaining about an elitist, indie list: you review comic books every week for a couple of years, where you have to think about 'em, your list'll be elitist and indie, too.
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Even if you didn't actually spell it out. I don't know why it doesn't happen for me people who just READ them for any length of time, though.
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10)That really violent one that made me feel like a big man!9)That issue of SPAWN vs. SAVAGE DRAGON vs. YOUNG BLOOD where they sat in a coffee shop and talked about their feelings, which made me feel smart.8)Any comic where the hero died and was replaced by the daughter he never had before. 7)The one where the hero who'd given up his/her identity had to fight the more nihilistic version who'd taken over his or her identity. 6)The one where they told us that continuity didn't matter because they didn't know the continuity. 5)WOLVERINE: ORIGIN II 1950s "Gee, Victor, didja see how I sliced up Eddie and Lumpy when they were given me the business?" "Yeah, just let Dad yell at ya know, ya little goof."4)TONY STARK:HETEROSEXUAL OUT OF THE CLOSET.3)The one where Spider-Man sold his soul to Phismesto so he could date chicks and live out Joe Quesada's fantasies of what single life is like.2)The one where Phismesto showed Joe what single life is really like: workin' in the ol' cubicle, comin' home to the stinky rathole, eatin' the supermarket brand mac and cheese mix, drinking yourself sick and waking up and doing it again the next day.1)SECRET CIVIL INVASION CRISIS -- Bendis supplies the dialogue but Morrison tells Bendis what the characters are talking about.
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Ladies and gentlemen, I give you Talkback King Buzz Maverik!
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I got all sorts of emotionable reading WE3 and I could easily vouch for that being mentioned for the top 10 of the decade.
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That can be the only explanation for my ridiculous typos.
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REALLY. Ugh. Shit list.
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Because it was fuckin' featured at every fuckin' comic book store I fuckin' entered for around a fuckin' year. Right there next to the fuckin' vampires and fuckin' spandex. Personally, I own it and I fuckin' love it.
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I agree with a lot of the choices here, also I agree with a lot of the talkbackers about what's been omitted, but for my money, though I love Alias, and love Powers even more, the Bendis work that should be here is Ultimate Spider Man. Let me explain. The art is cartoony, which I don't normally care for, it's an all ages book, and I prefer books that say "fuck" and show fucking. My number one pick for the decade would be League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, If you've read that then you know my tastes. HOWEVER: USM is by far the comic I look forward to the most month after month. It's the comic that I wish I could save for last, but I can't resist it so I read it first. It's a comic that would be such a better read, (and much more economical) if I waited for the trades, but that has never been an option for this book. It is the story of Spider Man, in my opinion the greatest hero ever imagined, retold in a super detailed day by day account of every little drama and milestone. Ahhh. I feel like such a fuckin dweeb for even bringing this up, but I hope Bendis never stops writing this book, I honestly hope the rest of the Ultimate books die a pitiful death just so BMB won't have to worry about continuity and can get on with this wonderful never-ending soap opera of young spidery goodness. 'sigh' I love you Ultimate Spidey!
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Volumes 1 and 2 of League of Extraordinary Gentlemen were some amazing reads. I really didn't care for black dossier though. Great literature though it might be, it sucked balls as a comic book.
I do read plenty of non superhero stuff. I even got my sister her own copy of Blankets for Xmas a couple years back. Lots of WWII comics which have been great this decade. I just tend to get the most out of a really epic superhero yarn. The mind is truly elsewhere. God I'm such a fucking nerd! -
But I just NEVER have. I've got a rather large Alan Moore collection and I love a great deal of it. But LOEG is WAAAAAY far down the list. For whatever reasons, it just bores the crap out of me. It's one of those books that I always think a lot of people say they like because they're afraid to get shit for saying they don't.
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of a comicbook, I think it was a miniseries/stand-alone that came out in the past few years, about a squad of modern military types stuck in ancient Roman times? Does this sound familiar to anyone? Trying to find it. Any help would be appreciated.
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Jan 04, 2010 11:15:40 PM CST
The BEST Single Comic I've Read in the Past Ten Years ....
by autodidact
WATCHMEN
And it was certainly not the first time I read it. The movie was about as good as it could have been. I still maintain, Watchmen doesn't work as a movie. At least, not what makes Watchmen special, and good. As a movie it's not even in the upper tier of the superhero genre. But as a comic I can't see it ever being topped. Of course, I've never read Miracleman, and a few other critically important works. But I feel confident in pronouncing Watchmen the best comic of the past three decades, which would make it the best comic of all time. I know, I'm way out on a ledge here eh. -
I mean "superhero comic"
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Jan 04, 2010 11:21:43 PM CST
"Look at all the comics I read that you've never heard of!"
by falafalguy
Snob.
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I ADORE We3...
The artwork is perfect and the story is told in such a short and sweet way, I could defiantly say it's one of my favorites...
I loved "30 Day's Of Night" , and "The Walking Dead" too....
I enjoyed the Ultimates , but it always left me feeling a bit empty.... -
"Never heard of?" Excuse me? First of all, since I started writing here back in December of 2001, I've personally reviewed almost all of the books on that list, many of them more than once. But I can't expect you to have read everything on this site, so I could forgive that, if only two of my picks are being released as high profile movies this year. Do you not actually read the movie news here, or do you delight in being the dimmest bulb in the shed? In any case, over the past decade I've read more comics than I can count, of varying quality, and a breadth of reading leads to a breadth of appriciation. And I'm always looking for new and interesting stuff to read. How the hell does that make me a snob? I'm not looking down on anyone with this list. I'm not trying to rail through an agenda with this list. If I WERE a snob, the list would consist of nothing but self-published autobiographical comics that I bought directly from the creator at a con. (Of course, if I were a snob, I'd also say that you're nothing but a semi-literate assclown who only reads comics with John Byrne's name on them and lives on a diet of middle eastern food from street vendors and spends his free time texting in his picks for Dancing With The Stars and hating everyone the people at Fox News tells him to hate. But I doubt that's actually the case. Even a SEMI-literate assclown wouldn't end a sentance with a preposition, never mind misspell falafel.)
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Jan 05, 2010 2:20:06 AM CST
Why no love for Garth Ennis' CROSSED???
by marcel_the_negro_projectionist
To my mind, it's the best thing he's done since PREACHER. Name one other book with a splash page in issue #1 showing a six year old girl being drawn and quartered while both her parents get fucked up the ass by a band of meta-humans whose appetites have been raised to the nth degree and have lost all their inhibitions. I'm waiting. Name just one... -
Another prop for Walking Dead.
The problem is there's so much F'ing stuff out there, it's getting to be re-goddam-diculous. -
But go to say Y The Last Man would be top 10 material for me that was brilliant and comic most in need of being made into a TV series, especially with Lost finishing up. Some of the writers and directors need work, and could help fill the absence for me, needs to be on HBO or AMC
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Although I only got to it yday. Brilliant so far.
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No 100 Bullets? Quite possibly the best comic series and one of the best written prose of our time. So, yeah, you can cram your "list" up your snooz.
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You fucking rag on somebody for mispelling falafel in the same "sentance" you mispell sentence? Hey go fuck yourself, buddy. Please. With a sugary fucking falafel on top.
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But most superhero books nowadays are repetitive, cliche-ridden hack jobs. In fact, the only superhero book I've enjoyed in the last few years was All Star Batman, precisely BECAUSE it celebrated those problems. Then cranked them up a few notches. And Top 10 volume 1 and 2 were great. I'd definitely add 100 Bullets to the list (Vroom- you should perservere with it. By volume 4 it really expands into something else). My favourite ongoing book has probably been Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura. And the Luba collected hardback by Gilbert Hernandez is right up there. Oh, and Misery Loves Comedy by Ivan Brunetti. Just because the characters don't wear spandex doesn't make someone a snob. In fact, surely it just highlights how limited your own reading tastes are.
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Jan 05, 2010 9:02:21 AM CST
thank you for excluding dane cook, but what about the Chirs rock
by notoriousbiglebowski
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I have a friend who claims to be into Batman. Then he's at my house the other day and I find out he hasn't even read The Killing Joke. That's like saying you love sandwiches but you've never had a club sandwich!
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100 Bullets started off so strong. Back in 2001-2002 I was loving the first few volumes. But starting around the fifth one they started getting harder to follow. By the seventh one I couldn't even read them. I don't mean "didn't like them", I mean "couldn't read them" like my brain simply wasn't interposing the action between frames. And to be honest I started to get quite tired of all the Minutemen talk, etc.. I liked it better when it was more of an anthology and didn't carry an overarching story from chapter to chapter.
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I have Volume 1 of The Losers and just like later 100 Bullets stuff, I can't even read it. The storytelling is so disjointed and demands so much of the reader that I simply can't follow it. And I have read a LOT of comics, it's got something to do with the combination of writing and art styles. I think more than anything it's the layouts.
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Modern military in Roman times? It must be Pax Romana, 4-part miniseries.
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Planetary didn't make my top 10 because it didn't remain true to itself.
I understand the final issue of Planetary recently came out. Back in the day, that would have been a big deal to me. Release schedule issues aside, Planetary went down the same path of suck that 100 Bullets did. It starts out with a strong premise supporting an anthological format. In this case the premise was sort of X-Files meets the Justice League. What a perfect combination. Then they add in a "The Third Man" element, which was just too much. Suddenly instead of each issue being a mind-blowing reveal and throwaway of a concept that could support an entire series in itself, we got increasing numbers of pages in each precious issue devoted to the world's most protracted and pointless reveal. I can't even remember much about it, and I haven't read the final issue.
Don't really give a shit as I'm sure it will end with a bunch of questions and a lead-in for the next series. That's one aspect of comics I could live without. My favourite stories tend to be ones with some finality... if it's mainstream heroes I usually prefer Elseworlds style, because then it's okay to genuinely kill people or alter the world. -
I guess Martha Washington comics are actually from the 90s. But man, if you're looking for comics to turn into movies, look no further. I would rather have seen Zack Snyder do that one.
I suppose with the emphasis on black oppresion, it might not be viable as a mainstream blockbuster film, given Obama as president. But then again maybe it's just an alternate world where some key event has resulted in a future where black oppression is still continuing. -
Hmm I guess it's time to re-read Martha Washington again, because now I can't remember if it's black people who are oppressed in particular, or if the American dystopia of this comic is a fascist regime oppressing everyone. Either way, jetpacks, robot surgeon generals running the country, flying Big Boy signs long before Mike Myers ripped it off, bad-ass bleached fade heroine. It could be what Tank Girl failed to be in the mid 90s.
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I can't believe I forgot X-Force. It was actually the most influential book for Marvel this decade. BMB et al, they all came through the door Milligan and Allred opened. Edie's death also the most affecting comics death ever.
Forgot all about Vikings, but everyone loooved that book. Don't know if it would be in the "best" but definitely in the most entertaining. Good call.
Didn't include Morrison's New X-Men since already so many Morrison books -
I barely remember those Martha Washington comics and never seen or heard from anyone who's read them but Tank Girl will never be forgotten, especially overseas. I bet if you spoke with many of today's greatest artists they'd speak very highly of Jamie Hewlett
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Good call on Empire, almost forgot about it. Alias was really good for an arc or two but like most Bendis work, it eventually fell apart. Rising Stars had the same problem but a 100 times worse.
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Thanks for reading, now please go walk into oncoming traffic.
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Tell_Your_Mom_I_Said_Hi is immediately dismisive and disrespectful, simply because I didn't enjoy one book to his level of satisfaction. THAT, gentlemen, is the definition of a snob. Sure, he's an annoying and petty snob, ranking somewhere below Dwight Schrute's condemnation of non-fans of Battlestar Galactica in terms of eloquence, but a snob nonetheless. I'm guessing he hates OWLY too.
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ALAN MOORE
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
Promethea
Terra Obscura
Tom Strong
Top Ten
WARREN ELLIS
The Authority
Blackgas
Dark Blue
Fell
FreakAngels
Global Frequency
Gravel
Ignition City
Jack Cross
JLA: New Maps of Hell
Ministry of Space
Newuniversal
Orbiter
Planetary
Red
Reload
Ocean
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate Galactis
Ultimate Human
X-Man
Wolfskin
MARK MILLAR
The Authority
Chosen
Fantastic Four
Jenny Sparks
Kick-Ass
Superman: Red Son
The Ultimates
Ultimate Fantastic Four
Ultimate X-Men
Wanted
Wolverine
Wolverine: Old Man Logan
GRANT MORRISON
All-Star Superman
Batman and Robin
New X-Men
We3
JOSS WHEDON
Astonishing X-Men
Buffy: Season Eight
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At least you didn't meet a stranger in the Alps!
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...a Warren Ellis jones as I do. But why no Transmet? Was it really more than ten years ago already?
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Was an enormous letdown.
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Go find Shatterstar and Rictor and get your Brokeback on Hercs
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You did me a solid, appreciate it.
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