This is the first post in a projected series of three. Whenever I go back to re-read a particular favorite series of mine, I generally go to the best of the run, which is often the beginning. Many series feature a resurgance in creativity later in the run, however, and I tend to get around to re-reading those less often. Take, for example, Howard Chaykin's signature work, American Flagg! Chaykin stayed on the title for 26 issues, then moved on to other projects. After that, the series fell into the hands of other creators Joe Staton, Steven Grant, Mark Badger, J.M. DeMatteis, etc.) who, inarguably, "weren't Chaykin."
Then, in a major course correction, Howard Chaykin was granted editorial control over a relaunched version of the series, Howard Chaykin's American Flagg!, which, IMO, was every bit as good as those initial 26 issues. It told three four-part stories over the course of 12 issues, then came to a close. Actually, when I started re-reading this series, I started with the last five issues of the first one. #46 was a sort of "apology issue" which owned up to the fact that #27-46 "weren't Chaykin," introduced the new creative team and set up the status quo for the new direction/series. About the only complaint I had with the new series is that it came to an end after 12 issues, which the editor explained as follows: "We announced at the very beginning of this entire project that this was to be a one-time special limited 12-issue maxi-series, which would end with issue 12 with no issues to follow, as planned all along." that is simply not true. That is to say, it may well have been planned as a 12-issue series all along, but that was certainly not communicated to readers until the last issue. In response to a letter, he later refers to it as a "quite successful 12-issue limited maxi-series, which came of exactly as planned."
Methinks the editor doth protest too much.
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