Good day, IMWANker. Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to find me a currently produced monthly ongoing comic book series that I will actually like for four months straight. Here are critera:

• Stories done in one to two issues
• Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories
• Clean, open art / line work like Nick Cardy or Wally Wood or Steve Ditko
• Heroes with optimistic resolve
• Romance but not sexuality
• Super heroes wearing costumes
• Art that doesn't look manga influenced
• Inspired villains
• Little to no maiming or gore

Other guidelines include it being relatively appropriate for a six year old to read (I often have one in the house and she likes comic books in general), it be under $6 an issue, and it have both humor and drama.

Relatively recent books that I enjoyed with little or no caveats were:

• Terra Obscura
• Uncle Rog's Atom fill in
• New Frontier (although I had major issues with his perspective on Hal)
• Uncle Rog's JLA Classified
• Teen Titans Year One (although I found the art somewhat offputting)
• Atom Eve

Current writers whom I have enjoyed at least a little:

• Kurt Busiek
• Roger Stern
• Geoff Johns
• Greg Kirkman
• Darwyn Cooke

Current artists who move me:

• Darwyn Cooke
• Carlos Pacheco
• George Perez
• Rags Morales
• Ethan Van Sciver

I will try up to three books at one time, but a book has exactly one (count 'em) one issue to hook me. I am not limited to DC and Marvel but I am confined to the super hero genre and it must be available either as a webcomic or in a nerd dungeon (LCS). If any of the books bite the chalupa, another one will take it's place. This thread will self destruct after four months. Good luck, Jim.

Cool challenge - I'm gonna give this one some thought. The only criteria I need a little more clarification on is

- Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories

Can you explain what you mean there? For instance Would Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans be considered too soap opera?

If your brain can handle lots of time travel, read Booster Gold by Dan Jurgens.

Agents of Atlas.

MIllar/Hitch Fantastic Four

Booster takes a lot of knowledge of the DCU but is a great read.

Haven't read the regular series but I loved the AoA mini - and FF Is my favorite Millar stiff in years.

Nice choices!

That's easy!

Marvel Adventures: Avengers
Marvel Adventures: Fantastic Four
Marvel Adventures: Spider-Man
Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes

Each of the above meets all of the criteria, consistently.

Thank you all. I will take a trip after payday and pick some of these up.

Last I saw they were still publishing "Scooby Doo." It meets all the criteria except the part about superheroes. But there are still plenty of characters in costumes!

And Rob's right about the "Marvel Adventures" books.

Yes, although it's just over the line. The other side of the line might be Englehart's JLA and Detective Comics, where there were over-stories, but the over stories never really got to be the story (until the Star Tsar deal).

Okay. I can now report a little bit. I picked up (issue numbers save one unknown):

1. Agents of Atlas
2. Marvel Adventures: Superheroes
3. Booster Gold
4. and the not suggested Power Girl #1

Oddly enough, I also read them in this order. At any rate, first Agents of Atlas:

They had a bunch of catch up exposition up front, which was good, in that it allowed jumping in, but it foreshadowed the possibility that there would be more continued story than conclusion at the end. While I have no particular affection for Marvel Boy, I did enjoy the one shot many years back with him, Venus, the 3D man, and some fourth character whose name escapes me. This seemed to be directly based on that. It was a fun read, but in the end the story wasn't done, stringing me out for another issue. However it was good enough for me to buy a second one next chance I get.

Scorecard:

• Stories done in one to two issues
• Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories
• Clean, open art / line work like Nick Cardy or Wally Wood or Steve Ditko
• Heroes with optimistic resolve
• Romance but not sexuality
• Super heroes wearing costumes
• Art that doesn't look manga influenced
• Inspired villains
• Little to no maiming or gore

7 of 9

Marvel Adventures: Super Heroes (featuring Ant Man):

The cover didn't reflect the interior. That's probably my only gripe with this book. It was a fun adventure early in the history of Henry Pym and Janet Van Dyne, with a clever combination of ants and the Sandman. And it was over and done in this book, although with threads that presumably will get picked up in the next. It reminded me a bit of Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris too. I will try this title again, although presumably the next one won't be starring Ant Man.

Scorecard:

• Stories done in one to two issues
• Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories
• Clean, open art / line work like Nick Cardy or Wally Wood or Steve Ditko
• Heroes with optimistic resolve
• Romance but not sexuality
• Super heroes wearing costumes
• Art that doesn't look manga influenced
• Inspired villains
• Little to no maiming or gore

9 of 9. Perfect fit.

Booster Gold:
In which Booster teams up with Booster. This is right on the edge of too badly needing the over story. That said, I have always liked Booster Gold and Dan Jurgens's art and the story was enjoyable, albeit a tad confusing (as time travel stories can be) I was satisfied that it ended. The premise (Booster fixes DC Continuity) bothers me and bringing Ted back to kill him bothered me then, but this is a good book and it too, as the others will get another read.

• Stories done in one to two issues
• Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories
• Clean, open art / line work like Nick Cardy or Wally Wood or Steve Ditko
• Heroes with optimistic resolve
• Romance but not sexuality
• Super heroes wearing costumes
• Art that doesn't look manga influenced
• Inspired villains
• Little to no maiming or gore

9 of 9. Perfect fit.

Power Girl:

Recommended to Linda in another thread and a character I have a fondness for (and who has Wally Wood in her history). I liked Conner's art for the most part and I liked the writing for the most part, but Karen Starr didn't feel 1) like Power Girl and 2) like the boss of a company. Something about her seemed off, like her secret ID voice hasn't been found yet (probably because it hasn't). Conner's drawing of her in her civilian identity also seemed odd. Her Power Girl looks fine, but Karen seemed like a teen character. And it was clear by the way they ended it, it was going to be continued over at least two more issues. I might buy another simply because it's Power Girl, but had it been recommended for the challenge it would be precarious at best.

• Stories done in one to two issues
• Little to no soap opera-like over-arch to the stories
• Clean, open art / line work like Nick Cardy or Wally Wood or Steve Ditko
• Heroes with optimistic resolve unsettled on this point
• Romance but not sexuality
• Super heroes wearing costumes
• Art that doesn't look manga influenced
• Inspired villains (Ultra Humanite is continuity mining)
• Little to no maiming or gore

5.5 of 9.

Thank you for the recommendation and if anyone has any others, please send them along.

I do think the Marvel Adventures line is a perfect fit for you. the Spider-Man and Avengers ones are pretty good (i did not realize there was a general super heroes one).

WOLVERINE: FIRST CLASS

This is similar to the Marvel adventure books. It essentially takes place when Kitty joined the team and features her and Wolverine

The art is a bit cartoony but i read issue #6 and liked it. It is not a confusing X book at all and is not in regular continuity.

The Adventures of Baby Wiggle, World's Smartest Tot Detective. Issues #100 - #123.

I

dislike

Wolverine

tremendously.

I saw the movie as a favor to the GF.

ok

(this is more warm and fuzzy wolverine btw. He doesnt kill. )

Here's another one but it's a bit off the wall

Dr. Doom and the Masters of Evil
http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/1 ... 865326.htm review of first issue and art samples

yes, a bad guy

But it also is Marvel Adventures style, out of continuity and features some fun stories with Doom, Mysterio, Doc Ock and others. (For some reason they call them the Masters of Evil but it is Doom and the Sinister Six). all ages.

I tend to like hero-centric stories.

I know i said it was an odd choice.

But your criteria is pretty strict i've looked at everything offered by Marvel for subscription and cant find anything else

Yes, my criteria are strict. Not unlike yourself, I know what I like.