JAY FAERBER
1 Avengers #355–375 (1994–1996). There have been a number of classic runs on The Avengers over the years, but one that never gets mentioned (except by me) is the run by Bob Harras and Steve Epting in the mid-’90s. This is what’s often derisively referred to as “the leather jacket era,” since the Avengers sported team jackets for part of this run. The arc that I’m talking about involves the Gatherers, a group of mysterious villains led by the even more mysterious Proctor, who is hunting alternate versions of the Avengers on parallel worlds. The entire story hinges on a love triangle between the Black Knight, Sersi, and Crystal. None of these characters are exactly A-listers, but the result of their interactions is a superhero book that literally has everything: action, drama, high stakes, humor, and yes, romance. While Steve Epting is a well-respected A-list creator today, he was just finding his groove on The Avengers, and it’s a real treat to watch him develop here.
2 New Defenders #125–152 (1983–1986). Marvel’s long-running title The Defenders underwent a bit of a revamp in issue #125 and was retitled The New Defenders. The series no longer featured the classic Defenders characters of Hulk, Namor, Silver Surfer, and Doctor Strange, and instead featured the diverse lineup of the Beast, Iceman, Angel, Gargoyle, Valkyrie, and Moondragon. The majority of the run was written by Peter B. Gillis and penciled by Don Perlin and featured the Defenders working out of Angel’s mansion in the mountains of New Mexico. To say this book was weird would be a severe understatement. The Defenders were still superheroes, but they rarely fought actual costumed supervillains. Instead, they fought various monsters and freaks and demons. The series kinda felt like a Vertigo book…before Vertigo books had been invented. Really quirky stuff to be found in a C-list Marvel title in the mid-1980s.
3 Aquaman #16–22 (2004). Writer Will Pfeifer and penciler Pat Gleason took over Aquaman in 2004 and launched the series into a great, short-lived direction: part of the city of San Diego was submerged after an earthquake and all of its inhabitants somehow gained the ability to breathe underwater, with Aquaman reigning. The idea of an underwater city full of people who were struggling to adjust to their new lot in life was one that was rife with potential, and Pfeifer made great use of it.
Jay Faerber currently writes Near Death, a monthly from Image Comics, and is on the writing staff of Ringer, airing on the CW Network.