Comic day quiz!

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

Give The Best Of The Following:

1. One-Shot
2. Mini-Series of Less Than Eight Issues
3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More
4. Ongoing Series that Ran Less Than 100 Issues (But More Than 30)
5. Ongoing Series that Ran More Than 100 Issues

 

[ClarkKent_DC]

1. One-Shot Many, many contenders here ... but as I have the image of the cover in plain sight, I'll go with a sentimental favorite, Superman vs. Muhammad Ali.
2. Mini-Series of Less Than Eight Issues Many, many contenders here ... hmm ... I'll say the first Punisher mini series by Steven Grant and Mike Zeck.
3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More There ain't no such thing.
4. Ongoing Series that Ran Less Than 100 Issues (But More Than 30) Walt Simonson's run on The Mighty Thor.
5. Ongoing Series that Ran More Than 100 Issues Was Peter David's Incredible Hulk 100 issues?

[Doctor Hmmm?]

ClarkKent_DC said:

3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More There ain't no such thing

Not that it was any darn good, but DC Challenge springs to mind. Or, you know, Crisis.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

Doctor Hmmm? said:

ClarkKent_DC said:

3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More There ain't no such thing

Not that it was any darn good, but DC Challenge springs to mind. Or, you know, Crisis.

Or Watchmen. When does something get declared a "Maxiseries?" Seems to be at 12 issues or more, but that's just my impression.

[Doctor Hmmm?]

A good point, that hadn't occurred to me. Since CK is a pretty sharp customer, I bet that's what he was getting at.

[ClarkKent_DC]

Thank you, Doctor Hmmm?, for the kind words.

And now that we've quibbled over the terminology, how about some other responses to the quiz? I gave mine ...

[PowerBook Pete, the Mad Mod]

I don't care for the term "maxiseries." It should mean it's run longer than a regular series, so the term is meaningless. I say, if it's less than 24 issues, and it's intended for that length, it's a miniseries.

[HammerHeart]

1. One-Shot
Astro City 1/2, "The Nearness of You".
2. Mini-Series of Less Than Eight Issues
Rick Veitch's "The One".
3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More
Is Watchmen too obvious? What the hell, let's say it is - then Warren Ellis' Global Frequency.
4. Ongoing Series that Ran Less Than 100 Issues (But More Than 30)
Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon's Preacher. If it's not considered "ongoing" because it was planned as as a finite story, I'll go with Walt Simonson's Thor.
5. Ongoing Series that Ran More Than 100 Issues
Dave Sim's Cerebus.

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

PowerBook Pete said:

I don't care for the term "maxiseries." It should mean it's run longer than a regular series, so the term is meaningless. I say, if it's less than 24 issues, and it's intended for that length, it's a miniseries.

I know I'm the one who brought up the term "maxiseries," but I agree with you. I think of it as more of a marketing term than anything else.

[Doc Beechler (mod-MD)]

One-Shot - Fun Home by Alison Bechdel
http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Home-Tragicomic-Alison-Bechdel/dp/0618871...

Mini-Series less than eight issues - Pluto by Naoki Urasawa
http://www.amazon.com/Naoki-Urasawa/e/B0034PJEZK/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pe...

Mini-Series more than eight issues - 20th Century Boys by Naoki Urasawa

Ongoing - less than 100 issues - Alias by Brian Michael Bendis

http://www.amazon.com/Alias-Vol-Brian-Michael-Bendis/dp/0785111417/...

Ongoing - more than 100 issues - Amazing Spider-Man by Lee, Ditko, Romita, Conway, Andru, Kane

[Mark Sullivan (Vertiginous Mod)]

1. One-Shot Hell Eternal by Jamie Delano & Sean Phillips (Vertigo)
2. Mini-Series of Less Than Eight Issues Death: The High Cost of Living by Gaiman & Bachalo (Vertigo)
3. Mini-Series of Eight Issues or More Watchmen, or if we're retiring it for lifetime achievement, 2020 Visions by Jamie Delano & everybody (Vertigo originally)
4. Ongoing Series that Ran Less Than 100 Issues (But More Than 30) The Sandman by Gaiman & everybody
5. Ongoing Series that Ran More Than 100 Issues Hellblazer

[George]

1. I would say Maus, except there were two volumes. Still, it's one long story, so I'll go with it.
2. Wolverine (1982), by Miller and Claremont. Four issues.
3. Watchmen. Obvious choice but unavoidable. Runner-up: Elektra: Assassin.
4. Tomb of Dracula (70 issues as a color comic).
5. The Lee-Kirby run on Fantastic Four (102 issues)

[Jeff of Earth-J]

There are some interesting choices here, but I don't know. Each catagory seems to me to be too broad. The answers that first occurred to me today are completely different from the ones that I thought of yesterday. Regarding the use of the terms "mini-" and "maxi-series", I call any tile that's supposed to run a set number of issues a limited series, regardless of length. What about Sandman? Well, first of all the exact number of issues wasn't initially set, but it ran long enough to qualify as an ongoing limited series. And let us not forget Cerebus, an ongoing series with a limited number of issues set, if not from the very beginning then at least well in advance. At 300 issues, I'd be willing to call that a maxi-series. :P