Top 100 Comic Book Storylines #70-61

We continue our countdown of your picks for with #70-61!

Thanks to everyone who voted – over 1,100 ballots came in! You ranked your favorite storylines from best to worst, giving 10 points for your top choice and 1 point for your least favorite. I’ve tallied all the scores, and here are the results!

70. “Hush” by Jeph Loeb, Jim Lee and Scott Williams (Batman #608-619) – 172 points (1 first place vote)

Hush took a similar approach to Jeph Loeb’s highly successful Long Halloween and Dark Victory comics.

He built the story around a central plot and an enigmatic villain, using each issue to focus on a different character from Batman’s extensive group of allies and enemies.

Jeph Loeb teamed up with acclaimed artist Tim Sale on Long Halloween. This time, he collaborated with Jim Lee, a hugely popular comic book artist.

Loeb’s main goal was to give artist Jim Lee plenty of exciting scenes to illustrate. That’s why the ‘Hush’ storyline was packed with big moments, like the beginning of a relationship between Batman and Catwoman, and a major fight between Batman and Superman (who was secretly being controlled by Poison Ivy). The story kicks off with a spectacular, yet unsettling, arrival of the mind-controlled Superman…

and Batman had an equally dramatic response…

When comic book sales were down, these twelve issues were a huge success for retailers, proving incredibly popular with readers. The storyline also served as a blueprint for many future comic book arcs written by other authors. Similar to how the movie Die Hard inspired countless action films, the ‘Hush’ storyline became a model for many other important superhero stories.

69. “Ultron Unlimited” by Kurt Busiek, George Perez and Al Vey (Avengers #19-22) – 176 points (1 first place vote)

The story, created by Kurt Busiek and illustrated by George Perez and Al Vey, centers around Ultron IX’s new plan: instead of destroying humanity, he intends to rebuild the world with robots. He begins this terrifyingly by invading the small European nation of Slorenia, killing everyone there within three hours. He then issues a chilling warning to the world: stay away, or face the same destruction.

He’s also taken the Avengers he sees as family, planning to use their brain patterns as the foundation for a new population of robots. He’s done something similar before, creating the robot Jocasta based on Wasp’s brainwaves, Vision using Wonder Man’s, and Alkhema with Mockingbird’s patterns.

The Avengers eventually travel to Slorenia, where they engage in several intense battles. They quickly find themselves outnumbered by Ultron’s seemingly endless army of robots – a key reason the story is called “Unlimited.” Throughout the conflict, the Avengers are forced to confront previous versions of Ultron, each powerful enough to have given them trouble before.

Ultron is certain his army can easily defeat the Avengers. This overconfidence sets the stage for a particularly memorable scene – it even won a Wizard Award for Best Moment! When the Avengers, looking worn and beaten, confront Ultron in his base, Thor speaks for the group, dramatically declaring, “Ultron, we have come to speak with you!”

Very cool.

68. “We3” by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (We3 #1-3) – 178 points (1 first place vote)

When people ask me about We3, I usually describe it like this: Picture three highly skilled, technologically advanced assassins. Except, one’s a dog, one’s a cat, and one is a bunny rabbit.

The story of We3 starts with a simple premise, but quickly becomes complicated when the government decides to shut down a special project involving three animals – numbered 1, 2, and 3. Their trainer refuses to let that happen and sets them free. What follows is a dangerous journey reminiscent of The Incredible Journey, except these animals – a dog, a cat, and a rabbit – have been transformed into highly skilled fighters.

The animals all have different personalities. The dog is the most intelligent and can almost have conversations with people. The cat is clever too, but mostly just blurts out simple phrases like “You smell bad!” And the rabbit can only let everyone know when it’s hungry.

But together, they try to find their ephemeral “home.”

This story is deeply moving, and the artwork by Frank Quitely is absolutely stunning – it’s truly a sight to see.

Though the story is brief, lasting only three issues, it feels much longer thanks to its strong emotional impact – you’ll feel like you’ve known these characters for years, not just a few months.

67. “The Age of Apocalypse” by Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Fabian Nicieza, Andy Kubert, Joe Madureira, Steve Epting, Roger Cruz and a pile of other artists and writers (X-Men: Alpha #1, Amazing X-Men #1-4, Astonishing X-Men #1-4, X-Men: Omega #1 plus a bunch of tie-ins) – 181 points (1 first place vote)

In this alternate story, Charles Xavier’s unstable but incredibly powerful son, Legion, travels back in time with the goal of killing Magneto, hoping to prevent their lifelong conflict. A team of X-Men, including the time-traveling Bishop, follows him to try and stop him. They’re unsuccessful, but a young Charles Xavier manages to subdue Legion – at the cost of his own life while saving Magneto. This dramatic event completely alters the course of history.

Okay, so the biggest shock is there’s no Professor X around. And now, Magneto has to carry on Xavier’s vision – that’s a lot to ask! But here’s the real kicker: this massive mutant fight happened way too early, and it actually woke up Apocalypse. Seriously, the world wasn’t prepared for him, and with no established heroes around, he basically starts taking over. Magneto, trying to do something, assembles this team of mutants – the X-Men. Honestly, it’s a little ironic – Xavier always talked about the team’s name being about their ‘extra’ powers, but it’s pretty clear it was always about him, even now that he’s gone!

A large team of creators, including Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, and artists like Andy Kubert, delivered a memorable X-Men crossover event. For four months, all the X-Men related comic titles were temporarily rebranded – X-Factor became Factor-X, X-Men became Amazing X-Men, and so on, with X-Force surprisingly becoming Gambit and the X-Ternals! The story revolved around Bishop, who remembered the altered timeline, and ultimately helped the X-Men fix what had gone wrong. This crossover was particularly bold because the comics paused publication for four months before returning to their original titles, and many issues ended on exciting cliffhangers – like Wolverine attacking Sabretooth or Rogue kissing Gambit – making the timeline shift even more impactful.

Magneto finally experiences the end of his world alongside his wife and child, but not before handling some long-overdue matters.

Daaaaaaaaaaamn, Magneto!!!

66. “Deus ex Machina” by Grant Morrison, Chas Truog, Doug Hazlewood, Mark Farmer and a few other artists (Animal Man #18-26) – 186 points (4 first place votes)

Okay, so Grant Morrison’s run on Animal Man ended with a seriously mind-bending story arc. It’s wild – basically, Animal Man figures out he’s actually a character in a comic book while he’s having this crazy experience in the desert. Morrison really messes with what’s real and what isn’t, playing with the idea of fiction itself. It was a total trip!

How awesome is that?

The story takes a dark turn for Animal Man, mirroring the personal struggles of the writer, Grant Morrison, and exploring how an author’s life can influence their work. It’s a reflection on the trend of increasingly violent and bleak comics at the time. As his life falls apart, Animal Man ends up in a strange place – a sort of comic book afterlife – where he encounters characters who were lost during the ‘Crisis on Infinite Earths’ event.

Eventually, Animal Man encounters Grant Morrison himself. They share a conversation about life and comics, and Morrison leaves Buddy Baker with a heartfelt present.

Even now, the story is strong—particularly the final scene between Morrison and Animal Man. But when it was first released, before stories that broke the fourth wall were common, it was truly revolutionary.

65. “Red Son” by Mark Millar, Dave Johnson, Kilian Plunkett, Andrew Robinson and Walden Wong (Red Son #1-3) – 187 points (1 first place vote)

Red Son is a classic comic book known for its clever premise: what if Superman had landed in the Soviet Union instead of Smallville? In this alternate history, Superman becomes a hero for the Communist regime, mentored by Stalin himself. Across the world, in the United States, Lex Luthor dedicates his genius to finding a way to defeat this Soviet Superman, while his wife, Lois, finds herself fascinated by him.

After Stalin’s death, Superman is surprisingly asked to take over as leader, but he’s reluctant. Even in this strange situation, though, he’s still Superman, and realizes he might be able to use the position to make a positive difference in the world.

Despite his goals, many people are trying to hinder him, notably Lex Luthor. After his creation, Bizarro, fails to defeat Superman, Luthor fully embraces villainy. In a particularly memorable scene, he coldly informs his wife of their divorce over the phone.

Ultimately, Superman’s power corrupts him, and he becomes a tyrant. This leads to the creation of a Batman-like figure in the Soviet Union, tasked with stopping him, resulting in an epic showdown between the two heroes – arguably one of the greatest battles ever imagined.

64. “From Hell” by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell (From Hell #1-11) – 188 points (4 first place votes)

From Hell is a meticulously researched and captivating work of historical fiction by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell, telling the story of the Jack the Ripper murders in London during the late 1880s.

Aside from Moore’s fictional take on the killer’s identity, the story primarily presents a thoroughly researched account of the actual Ripper crimes.

Despite being packed with historical information and notes, Moore still manages to create a compelling and engaging story.

This story is captivating, filled with memorable characters inspired by real people. It feels like an early version of Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, bringing historical figures like the Elephant Man together in a single story. I especially loved the part where they researched and included Buffalo Bill Cody’s Wild West Show!

The artist, Campbell, had to create a huge number of incredibly detailed illustrations. Moore filled the story with so much information that it was overwhelming – it’s amazing Campbell didn’t develop carpal tunnel! Thankfully, his work is beautiful.

This story is incredibly well-developed and complete – Moore doesn’t skip any essential details, and it all flows together seamlessly. It’s truly impressive.

63. “Woman of Tomorrow” by Tom King and Bilques Evely (Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #1-8) – 191 points (5 first place votes)

This new take on the film True Grit features Supergirl—who’s recently turned 21 and enjoys celebrating with alien alcohol (which surprisingly affects her)—playing the role of Rooster Cogburn. She helps a young girl named Ruthye Marye Knoll get revenge on the man who killed her father. Things become even more personal when that same villain seriously injures Krypto, Supergirl’s dog, making her determined to track him down.

The series then begins a journey throughout the universe trying to track this guy down.

This story is both thrilling and a thoughtful exploration of revenge. It’s beautifully illustrated and will serve as the foundation for future works.

62. “E is for Extinction” by Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely and Tim Townsend (New X-Men #114-116) – 193 points (2 first place votes)

The story began with a fresh take on the X-Men, featuring new artwork by Frank Quitely. Writer Grant Morrison updated the team’s appearance and the overall world, establishing that mutants were appearing at such a rapid rate that Beast – who himself had undergone a further, more animalistic mutation – realized humanity could face extinction within generations. Amidst this chaotic period, a new villain emerged: Cassandra Nova. She seized control of an abandoned Sentinel facility and unleashed a devastating attack on the mutant nation of Genosha, depicted in a powerful sequence by Morrison and Quitely.

and the haunting reduction of the population…

In a devastating event, sixteen million mutants were killed in under an hour. The X-Men, joined by new teammate Emma Frost – one of the few who survived the attack on Genosha – track down Nova and appear to defeat her. However, it’s already too late: Nova has taken over Professor X’s mind. The X-Men are left to wonder what she plans to do with his body, and they’re about to find out.

61. “Tower of Babel” by Mark Waid, Howard Porter, Steve Scott, Drew Geraci and Mark Propst (JLA #43-46) – 195 points (1 first place vote)

Following Grant Morrison’s impressive run on JLA was a challenge. Mark Waid addressed this by developing an idea Morrison had hinted at throughout their series: the idea that Batman was so capable, he could defeat anyone – even the entire Justice League. Morrison had even considered how this might happen, suggesting Batman would have contingency plans for taking down rogue heroes. Fans loved the concept, and Waid built his first story arc around it. The plot involves Ra’s Al Ghul discovering Batman’s secret plans and turning them against the JLA. To keep Batman from interfering, Ra’s employs a shocking distraction: stealing the bodies of Batman’s parents! By the time Batman realizes this is a ploy, it’s too late to warn his teammates, and they desperately need the heads-up!

Okay, so Ra’s al Ghul’s scheme was totally out there – he wanted to wipe out all language, and if that didn’t work, he’d start a war to cause global chaos. But honestly, the real drama wasn’t about that at all. It was how the rest of the Justice League reacted to what Batman had done – it felt like he’d betrayed their trust, and it was so well done. What a fantastic way for Mark Waid to kick off his run on the book!

2025-12-29 02:49