091 The DeBenedetto Classics – The List

With apologies to Charles W. Eliot, The DeBenedetto Classics are my attempt at creating a comics canon: a series of comics and comics creators that I consider “essential reads”. My disclaimer when starting this whole thing was that I’m hardly an expert. So is what I consider “canon” as important to others as it is to me? Is a discussion like this relevant in any way other than to spark debate? My answer to both of these questions is “probably not” but it was an interesting exercise and I got some great feedback from commentors. Here’s the final list, with comments.

089 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 7: All-Ages Comics

Welcome to the seventh, and final, volume of the DeBenedetto Classics. I’ll be writing a wrap-up post this weekend cataloguing the entire ordeal so it’ll be easier to access. With this volume, All-Ages Comics, I wrap up a series of what I consider “must-read” comics. Let’s jump in:

088 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 6: Indie and Alternative Comics

I’ve been a little busy lately but I wanted to post this, the sixth volume of my canon. New to this? Go back and read volumes one, two, three, four, and five.

Today’s volume includes some great indie and alternative comics of the past twenty years or so. Again, keep in mind that some of the creators mentioned previously will not be included on this list, as earlier references may have taken into account their entire library.

087 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 5: Superhero Comics

Ah, yes! Comics’ bread and butter. It’s hard to imagine a comics conversation going very far without discussing these stories. Whether it be to aid discussions about how childish they are or how influential they are superhero comics are essential to any comics canon, and in my opinion any comics library.

Let me start by saying any and all comics by Jack Kirby or Grant Morrison are disqualified from making this volume of the Classics, due to their inclusion in earlier volumes. That said I’d suggest you go back to my earlier posts and add those stories to the list below as well.

I’d also like to say I tried to keep my definition of what is a “superhero” comic very loose. For example, you can contest Sandman all you’d like but the fact is he was a reimagining of a specific hero, heroes guest starred in the book, and it was put out by DC Comics (albeit the Vertigo imprint.) Sure, it’s fantasy; sure, he’s not wearing a cape; but it’s still a mainstream comics story and I’m siding with the heroes.

083 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 4: Non-Fiction Comics

This is the fourth in a series on creating my comics canon. For the first three parts see one, two, and three.

There’s something really quite brilliant about comics, something that’s so obvious and yet is hidden behind people’s preconceived notions of the medium. In film it’s not unnatural for a documentary to be wildly critically acclaimed, nor is a work of non-fiction prose out of the ordinary. Yet when I told my friend Marisa, an admitted fiction hater and non comics reader, that I could find a comic for her to enjoy she scoffed a little. I could imagine what was going through her mind; “yeah, right, Superman and Batman“.

It’s still ingrained into people’s minds that comics are a genre, not a medium, and so it’s great to be able to do things like this, which showcase the complexity and diversity of comics. It takes people by surprise and it has a lot to do with what Gene Kannenberg called “letting the scales fall from their eyes.” And so it is with that statement and my friend Marisa’s prejudice in mind that I offer a few brief explanations on my choices for canonical non-fiction comics.

082 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 3: The Essential Strips

This is the third part in my series on the “comics canon”– or anyway, my proposal for said canon (here’s part one where I discuss the original masters, and part two where I discuss their heirs.)

As I said in my first post I’m far from an authority; rather, I think the main purpose of a canon is to spark discussion, and to give ideas to those who may not be as up on the medium. And there is perhaps no more universally approachable format in comics than those serialized stories printed in newspaper, the comic strip. Dating back to the turn of the century the “funny pages” predate even the earliest printed mainstream comic books, and provide a great starting point for any historical study of American sequential art.

081 The DeBenedetto Classics Vol. 2: The Modern Masters

Like any medium the original masters of the comics world have undoubtedly had their imitators, and in some cases stylistic or thematic descendants. While Kirby, Crumb, and Eisner may have been the original greats some modern creators have taken the reins to become the best in their respective areas. Without reading the works of these artists it’s difficult to get a grasp on contemporary sequential art, and the evolution of the medium.

With that evolution, however, have come some changes. The past masters were creators in every sense of the word, but it’s undeniable that their style is more recognizable for it’s artistic qualities rather than written. It’s important to note, then, that on today’s list of modern masters we have our first entry from someone who is strictly a writer.

080 The DeBenedetto Classics (A Comics Canon) Vol. 1: The Original Masters

The first edition of the Harvad Classics was published in 1909, but the idea of a literary canon is arguably based on a need for legitimacy and importance; that is to say, the more books I read that “count”, the better and smarter I am for it.

There are some other reasons, of course. It allows for academic scope when choosing titles to study in the classroom, and it’s a great conversation piece. Practically, though, it doesn’t serve much of a real-world purpose other than to spur debate between friends, family, and colleagues over why such-and-such was a better version of so-and-so, and if you liked that book you should probably read this one, and so on. It is with that in mind that I offer up my own (with apologies to Charles W. Eliot) “DeBenedetto Classics”. Every day this week I’ll add another volume of the Classics. Each volume will cover a specific category, with representatives from different schools of comics (no Manga. Sorry, I just don’t read it.)

A disclaimer: I don’t presume in any way, shape or form to be an authority on, or even someone with especially impeccable or eclectic tastes in, comics. I just thought this might be a fun conversation starter.

Today’s volume: The Original Masters