Right up my alley! I didn't really become serious about comics until 1993 and I also read a lot of Wizard magazine to push me in the right direction. I'll try to list specific issues if I can remember them. In no particular order:
Maus: I bought the trade a couple of years back. It's the only comic that has moved me to tears. It's a biography/auto biography and tells the tale of a survivor of the Holocaust. The mice are the Jews. The cats are the Nazis. Powerful stuff. Should be required reading in schools, in my opinion.
Superman 82: The end of the "Reign of the Supermen" storyline. The Death of Superman got all of the press but it was really just the opening act to something much better. I remember reading this and thinking "These guys have gotten everything right!" I wasn't a big Superman fan at all but by the time the story was over, I wanted to get a Superman tattoo! This was the issue where Superman finally got back into the red and blue uniform. When I saw that page, I got chills. Glad to have you back, Supes!
Watchmen 1-12: You can't just read this whole thing in one setting. You have to read it a chapter at a time and then read the short story that accompanied it. My favorite moment: Crime fighter Rorschach is unmasked and thrown into prison. The other inmates know who he is and attempt to strike fear into him. Rorschach is a crazy sonuva bitch. He throws cooking grease into one of the other inmates faces and lets the rest of them know who's REALLY running the show. "I'm not locked in here with you......YOU'RE locked in here with ME!" Wow. A great moment in a series full of great moments.
Daredevil: The Devil in Cell Block D: Can't remember the issue numbers. Anyway, in another great story by Frank Miller, Daredevil's identity went public. His girlfriend sold it for a hit of heroin or something. From that point on, people have kinda known that Matt Murdock was Daredevil but they weren't 100% sure. In this tale, Daredevil is thrown into prison. Murdock is still pretending to be blind and helpless but the inmates know he's Daredevil. I wasn't really a Daredevil fan and I always felt that he was underpowered and in over his head. I was wrong. In this story, Daredevil was elevated to Batman status as he struck fear into the prison populace, kicked all kinds of ass, and still made people unsure if he was really Daredevil or not. Great stuff!
Kingdom Come 1-4: Alternate timelines in comics come around every time you change your underwear. This one is special. This one felt real. With amazing art by Alex Ross, easter eggs on almost every panel, and a story that made it feel like, one way or another, the world was fucked, this is THE best graphic novel/mini series I've ever seen. I can't say enough good things about this one so I won't even try.
The Dark Knight Returns: An old ass Batman comes out of retirement for one last run. EVERYTHING that made Batman the best comics character of all time is on full display in this one. His mortality, his reluctance to kill, the way he inspires people, his feud with Superman, everything. Before this story is over, Two Face returns, Batman gets the ass kicking of a lifetime, Joker is dead, and Superman gets taken down a peg or two. Frank Miller became my favorite writer of all time with this one.
Prime Annual #1: It may actually be called Giant Sized Prime #1. I'm not sure. Anyway, in the early 90's, there was a comics company called Malibu. The had an imprint called Ultraverse. I read every comic in that universe and my favorite by far was a character called Prime. Prime was a kid who could become an adult superhero. It's more unique than you think. Anyway, Prime is the most powerful hero in the Ultraverse but he was still a kid inside. As a result, he got pissed and became a renegade version of himself. Another hero by the name of Hardcase inspires Prime to become the hero he was meant to be in this issue. It won't mean much to anybody else, but to a yound d21lewis, it was the best thing, ever.
I could do this all day long but I'll take a break for now.
