Monica's Canon
Monica Hafer

1. Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
2. Watchmen
3. Sandman, Death: The High Cost of Living
4. Maus
5. Kingdom Come
6. Crisis on Infinite Earths
7. Batman: The Killing Joke
8. Electra: Assassin
9. Akira
10. The Sandman: The Dream Hunters
    

Justification

1. What can I say—I’m a sucker for the Premiere style. Such wonderful, slick pages and square binding! Be still my heart. But besides coming in a pretty package, this comic tops my list because of the gritty infusion it brought to comics in 86 and the great way it illustrates the postmodern condition. It also took super heroes where they hadn’t been before (or at least not for a long, long time). We get to see Batman dealing with issues of age as well as with the desires for a normal life which struggles against his need to be infused with the vigor that only comes with being a crime fighter. Although Miller also started a trend by looking at the beginning of a hero’s career and reforming the origin of heroes with Batman: Year One, this comic doesn’t make my list because I didn’t feel the story and art were as compelling as Batman: The Killing Joke (and I didn’t want to look like too much of a BatfanJ ).
2. Another historic moment for comics, Watchmen took the notion of the superhero and team comics to the next level with more great storylines and a focus on the psychology of a hero as well as the action side of life.
3. While all of the Sandman stories pretty much kick butt and deserve a spot on any list, I have a special spot in my heart for Death: The High Cost of Living. I appreciate the fact that this series is made for an adult audience and isn’t afraid to make savvy allusions and feature adult themes without degenerating into depraved sex and gore without the great stories to back them up. I enjoy the retooling of myth and history in these books and I think the characters are some of the most multifaceted and interesting I’ve read. Death had a run for its money with another favorite of mine, A Hope in Hell because I love the idea of Morpheus having a match of wits in the underworld, and I think the way it played out was incredibly smart. Any title probably wouldn’t get too much argument from me here, but I think Death wins out for me in the end.
4. Here is a comic which has already gained some acceptance in the high ivory tower of academia due to its "serious" topic, and has started to be used as a teaching tool around the country. What I think is important is not only the comic itself (which is great) but the fact that it is ushering in new comics that deal in the realms of nonfiction, creative nonfiction, and journalism. It also challenges the idea that comics aren’t serious, useful, and provocative, and pushes the notion that comics should not be a marginalized medium.
5. While Marvels was really the first of its type and really a great comic with a strong story line (go Kurt), I chose Kingdom Come as the representative of the Waid/Ross teamup because of the apocalyptic nature of events which makes readers consider what the possible outcomes and effects could be of Superhuman-Superhuman/ Superhuman-human interaction. It also gave a rounded characterization of some of our heroes that have merely becomes icons instead of real people (although the Wonderwoman/Superman baby seems like it’s the cheesy answer to the conversation on Mallrats about superhero sex, etc.) The moment of truth as one man makes a decision for the entire world is so impactive (ah, the power of one word) that I just have to give this comic the big thumbs up. But what I think makes this comic so key that it should be in the cannon is the amazing and unique artwork. I was stunned when I first saw it, and excited about what it might mean for the visual future of comics.
6. Great idea, great ride, but what horrible consequences awaited! This was a breath of fresh air in a time when things were so conveluted and branching that one needed a Ph.D to unravel it all. This storyline let everything converge and gave us all a new start. But it should have been left there… To wipe the slate every time something new comes along is like buying new underwear every time the pair you’re wearing gets dirty.
7. Barbara Gordon gets shot! Commissioner Gordon gets Naked! Batman gets caught on paper laughing with the Joker (with no laughing gas in sight)! This comic is phenomenally written (Alan Moore is a complete stud). Not only are we able to see the Joker’s origin in a new light, we are given a whole new take on the way that heroes are separated from their villainous counterparts. I love the way this comic illustrates the postmodern mindset as well. The artwork is also really fabulous on this title (thanks to Brian Bolland) and the way in which the pictures convey emotions as well as action is great (some of the best Joker shots I’ve seen). The color is perfect for setting an emotional tone for the panels (ala John Higgins) and the tones are brilliant. But on top of the list of things I love about this comic, it has the all-time best use of a joke in comic book history.
8. I’m so stoked that this title was re-released. Unfortunately, my local comic book shopkeeper thinks that in three more months, she won’t be able to get her hands on copies again because of the somewhat fickle nature of Marvel. I hope she’s wrong, and I hope the new Elektra series isn’t going to turn out to be just a wasp-waisted set of gravity defying breasts which only kicks ass so that you can get a shot of her…well, you see where I am going with this one. What I love about Assassin is the dreamlike quality of the narrative and the great semi-impressionistic washed artwork that accompany it. I also love the fact that the storyline delves deeply into the psychology of the heroes and is more about the nature of life and humanity than it really is about whether or not political machinations succeed or fail. And finally, I really do love a girl who can kick ass and take names…
9. I couldn’t finish off this list without a nod in the direction of our Asian counterparts. Akira seems to me to be a great example of a comic that I like yet don’t completely understand. Many people are familiar with the title from the animae movie. What I think is interesting is the way another culture handles adult material as well as the differences in artwork and visual symbolism. Perhaps it is the latter that makes it harder for me to understand all of the nuances of the work, but I think that the bizarre plots and interesting artwork make this a title that should get a second glance.
10. This is more of a "book" in the conventional sense, but I thought this deserved to be on the list because of the way in which it is part of a movement for redefining what we consider comics and what we consider "art" or "literature." Not only is the writing fabulous, but the water color illustrations of Yoshitaka Amano are beautiful and compliment the mythic and dreamlike quality of the text perfectly.

Titles that should be on the list because of their contributions, but make it hard to pick single runs or titles:

1. X-men
2. Spawn
3. Spiderman
4. Elfquest

My guilty pleasures:

1. Early Wildcats issues (#0-#24)—I love the slick pages and the colors, I love the cover art, I love the fact that their such a rip-off, but most of all, I really liked the way the characters first started off.
2. Witchblade and Darkness
3. Astro City (inside and out)

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