Every day we will reveal the greatest stories ever told starring a particular character or written/drawn by a particular creator. These lists are voted on by YOU, the reader!
Here is the list of characters/creators featured so far (along with the rules on how to vote).
Today's list is the Greatest Alex Ross Stories Ever Told!
Enjoy!
10. Shazam!: Power of Hope
Ross and Paul Dini have Captain Marvel visiting a group of sick children after the wizard Shazam tells him that a child is in danger of losing hope. While almost all of the kids are thrilled to see Captain Marvel, one of the boys at the hospital is distant. Captain Marvel realizes that the boy is having domestic problems with his father. Captain Marvel threatens the dad and goes back and spends more time with the kids. In the end, Captain Marvel learns that the boy Shazam was talking about losing hope was Billy Batson himself, and the visit with the children has renewed Captain Marvel's hope just as much as it helped the children.
9. Wonder Woman: Spirit of Truth
Ross and Paul Dini explore the way that reactions to superheroics can be mixed depending on how people perceive the person doing the heroics. For instance, Wonder Woman is viewed by the populace as essentially a goddess and as such, they cannot relate to her. Wonder Woman disguises herself as a "normal" woman and helps some women in disguise and sees how different the reaction is. This teaches her a lesson in how you can't hold yourself out as being ABOVE the people you are setting out to protect.
8. Universe X #0-12, X
After the events of Earth X, the Earth finds itself in a state of disrepair. A cult of crazy folks are trying to put together the Absorbing Man and when they're ready, the now nigh-omnipotent Absorbing Man spells doom for the rest of the world (unless it instead means SAVING the world). Meanwhile, a "Marvelous" child has been born to Him and Her, with Captain America as the child's protector. The forces of the Dead are out to get the child, as Captain America travels the country collecting items of power to protect the kid when all is said and done. When everything comes to a head, not even Death itself is safe. Ross and Jim Krueger wrote the series, with art by Doug Braithwaite and Bill Reinhold.
7. JLA: Liberty and Justice
A virus threatens not only the Justice League but the world itself. The world loses faith in the Justice League, but they come through in the end (as they always do) and the Martian Manhunter explains that the League draws as much inspiration from the people of the world as the people of the world draw inspiration from them. Ross and Paul Dini produced this comic.
6. Superman: Peace on Earth
Ross and Paul Dini show Superman trying to do something about world hunger and realizing that it is not so easy to affect change on the world.
The top five is on the next page!
5. Earth X #0-12, X
Set in the future, Earth has gone through constant upheavals, especially when a mysterious Plague has mutated much of the world's population and a mysterious new villainous kid named the Skull has killed most of the world's telepaths as he slowly grows an army. The small band of heroes left on Earth have to settle things on Earth before things get out of hand - not to mention the fact that the Earth happens to be gestating a cosmic egg of sorts that is about to hatch! Ross wrote the series with Jim Krueger (Ross also designed all the characters). John Paul Leon and Bill Reinhold did the art.
4. Batman: War on Crime
In this powerful tale by Ross and Paul Dini, Batman encounters a young boy from the proverbial wrong side of town who ALSO lost both of his parents. Through this young lad, Bruce sees the road not taken and commits himself to making sure that while the OVERALL war on crime might never end, Batman can at least win the battle over this one child.
3. Justice #1-12
After a series of premonitions show that the Justice League of America are going to come across a situation where the entire planet is imperiled and FAIL to save it, the Legion of Doom decides that they have to save the world...in their own twisted way, of course. This sets off a series of battles between the two groups that soon brings in pretty much every DC hero and villain Alex Ross felt like dealing with. Ross wrote the series with Jim Krueger and did the artwork with Doug Braithwaite (Ross painted Braithwaite's pencils).
2. Marvels #0-5
Ross and Kurt Busiek re-examine the Golden and Silver Ages of Marvel Comics in this story, with the age of heroes being viewed through the eyes of "everyman" photographer Phil Shelton. Ross' photorealistic art really drove home the idea that these normal people are suddenly seeing SUPERbeings.
1. Kingdom Come #1-4
Ross and Mark Waid deliver this story of a future where superheroes are barely differentiated in their behavior from supervillains. Superman is called out of retirement to put an end to this behavior, but is it too late for him to change things? And is he even the right (Super)man for the job anymore? The handling of the trinity of Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman highlights this story, along with, of course, Alex Ross' brilliant painted artwork.
NOTE: Kingdom Come won by just THREE points over Marvels! Wow!
That's the list! Agree? Disagree? Let us know!