The Keeper isn’t sure if Kalinara’s meme only applies to fangirls, but given our general disenchantment with contemporary comics - especially after we saw JMS defend “Sins Past” by quoting Teddy Roosevelt - we thought it was high time to accentuate the positive.

The Keeper originally intended for this list to be less specific, but the process of compiling favorite characters and heroic attributes inevitably led us to the stories themselves. Comics ultimately grab readers one issue at a time, so it’s only appropriate that the stories themselves be recognized.

And yes, Dark Knight and Watchmen aren’t on the list. The Keeper loved both books at the time, but neither proved to be stories we revisit time and time again. The works listed are as familiar and welcome as old, dear friends.

(Oh yeah, and we haven’t read New Frontier or Secret Identity yet. So sue us …)

If most of our faves strike readers as decidedly old school, well … there ya go.

1. Amazing Spider-Man #33 -”The Final Chapter”
2. Detective Comics #475- #476 - “The Laughing Fish” & “Sign Of The Joker”
3. Fantastic Four # 48 - #50 - The Galactus Trilogy
4. Superman #141 - “Superman Returns To Krypton”
5. Avengers #115-#118; Defenders #8-#11 - The Avengers/Defenders War
6. Saga Of The Swamp Thing #32 - “Pog”
7. New Gods #7 - “The Pact”
8. Batman #47 - “The Origin Of The Batman”
9. Strange Tales #178-181; Warlock #9-11 - The Magus Saga
10. Action Comics #252 - “The Supergirl From Krypton”
11. Marvel Graphic Novel #5 - “God Loves, Man Kills”
12. Justice League Of America #29 - “Crisis On Earth-3″
13. Marvel Treasury Edition #12 - “The Duck and The Defenders”
14. Superman Annual #11 - “For The Man Who Has Everything”
15. Tomb Of Dracula #44; Doctor Strange #14 - Dracula vs. Doctor Strange
16. Detective Comics #439 - “Night Of The Stalker”
17. The Incredible Hulk #300 - “Days Of Rage!”
18. Justice League Of America #107 - #108 - “Crisis On Earth-X”
19. Captain America #193-#200 - Madbomb
20. The Marvel Family #1 - “The Mighty Marvels Join Forces”
21. Avengers #177 - “The Hope … and the Slaughter!”
    
22. The Golden Age by James Robinson & Paul Smith
23. Marvel Two-In-One #50 - “Remembrance Of Things Past”
24. OMAC: One-Man Army #1 - “The World That’s Coming!”
25. Amazing Spider-Man # 121 - “The Night Gwen Stacy Died”
26. Justice League Of America # 144 - “The Origin Of The Justice League - Minus One”
27. Elektra Assassin by Frank Miller & Bill Sienkiewicz
28. Superman #296 - #299 - “Who Took The Super Out Of Superman?”
29. Tales Of Suspense #71 - “What Price Victory?”
30. Captain Marvel Adventures #66 - “Captain Marvel and the Atomic War”
31. Journey Into Mystery #125; The Mighty Thor #126 - #130 - Thor vs. Hercules
32. Green Lantern #49 - “The Spectacular Robberies Of TV’s Master Villain”
33. Supreme #41-#52 - “The Story Of The Year”
34. Kamandi #29 - “The Mighty One”
35. Amazing Spider-Man #3 - “Spider-Man Versus Doctor Octopus”
36. Brave & The Bold #182 - “Interlude On Earth-2″
37. Nexus # 13 - The Fat Elvis issue
38. Action Comics # 554 -”If Superman Didn’t Exist”
39. Fantastic Four #51 - “This Man … This Monster!”
40. Animal Man # 19 - “A New Science Of Life”
41. Captain America # 175 - “Before The Dawn!”
42. Superman vs. Muhammad Ali
43. Green Lama # 5 - “The Four Freedoms”
44. Amazing Spider-Man #50 - “Spider-Man No More!”
45. Forever People #1 - “In Search of a Dream”
46. Deadpool #11 - “With Great Power Comes Great Coincidence”
47. Superman # 423; Action Comics #583 - “Whatever Happened To The Man Of Tomorrow?”
48. ROM: Spaceknight #1-#75
49. Legends Of The Dark Knight #6 - #10 - “Gothic”
50. Fantastic Four #267 - “A Small Loss”