10 Comic Book Collected Editions to Know Me

Continuing my list of fiction to know me after my lists of television and film, I now present comics. I debated on if I should do complete runs, creator runs, or individual arcs/issues, but ultimately tried to thread the needle and base it on collected editions (although I do try to note if the story is available in a larger edition with other stories)  I also tried to avoid the stories that tend to make “best of” lists like Watchmen, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Kingdom Come, Batman: The Long Halloween, X-Men: God Loves Man Kills, Y: The Last Man, Batman: Tales of the Demon, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Batman: Arkham Asylum, The Life and Death of Captain Marvel and Batman: The Killing Joke which, as you can see, could make a list of its own. I also avoided runs that are currently on going like Saga and Astro City.

Honorable Mention:  The New Teen Titans: Who is Donna Troy?
By Marv Wolfman & George Perez
The New Teen Titans #38 (Jan. 1984), Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (Feb. 1985), The New Titans #50-55 (Dec. 1988 - June 1989), Teen Titans/Outsider Secret Files and Origins 2003

The Wolfman and Perez run on The New Teen Titans is frequently hailed as one of the best in comics. Their last collaboration on the series would kick off the rebranding of the series from The New Teen Titans to simply The New Titans as most of the main characters were in their twenties. The five-part “Who is Wonder Girl?” (#50-54) allowed Donna Troy to move on past her kid side-kick persona as Wonder Girl emerging as Troia in The New Titans #55 (“Transitions”) and while it was not their best arc, this collection makes my list because it includes two of the best done-in-one stories ever printed. The first is “Who is Donna Troy?” (The New Teen Titans #38) which is such a masterpiece in storytelling and art, that they use it for the title of the entire volume. Robin uses his detective skills to try to unravel the mystery of Donna Troy’s past. Emotional and character-based drama take center stage without a single fight or supervillain to be seen. When anyone says a single-issue story can’t have the impact of a multi-issue story, I point to this one. Much of the same can be said of the oversized issue of Tales of the Teen Titans #50 (“We are Gathered Here Today…”) which features the wedding of Wonder Girl. Again, no big villain or battles just the interactions of characters with long histories and deep friendships (not just limited to Wonder Girl, the scene between Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne is pitch perfect). This collection was put out in 2005 to capitalize on the death and resurrection of the character in Titans/Young Justice: Graduation Day (2003) and DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy (2005).

These issues can also be found in other collections including:
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 First Edition (collecting The New Teen Titans #38, Tales of the Teen Titans #45-50, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-6 and The New Titans #50-61, 66-67, and Secret Origins Annual #3)
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 Second Edition (collecting The New Teen Titans #21-40, Annual #1-2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41 and Batman and the Outsiders #5)
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 Second Edition (collecting Tales of the Teen Titans #41-58, Annual #3, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-9)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 6 (collecting The New Teen Titans #35-40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41 and Batman and the Outsiders #5)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 8 (collecting Tales of the Teen Titans #49-58)

10:  Batman: Strange Apparitions
by Steve Englehart & Marshall Rogers (with Len Wein and Walt Simonson)
Detective Comics #469-476, 478-479 (May 1977 to October 1978)
(Reprinted in Shadow of the Batman #1-5 Dec 1985 to April 1986)

This ten-issue collection that contains six stories is mainly an attempt to collect the original Batman work of Englehart and Rogers, both of whom worked on the Detective Comics for eight consecutive issues (over lapping to great effect for six issues). The collection starts with a great two-part Dr. Phosphorus tale by Englehart and Walt Simonson (“By Death’s Eerie Light and The Origin of Doctor Phosphorus”/”The Master Pan of Doctor Phosphorus”). The Englehart/Rogers collaborations then starts in earnest with a two-part Hugo Strange story that reigns as the best use of the character ever (“The Dead Yet Live”/”I am the Batman”), followed by a duo of excellent done-in-one stories featuring Penguin and Deadshot (“The Malay Penguin”/”The Deadshot Ricochet”) then wrapping up their collaboration with a two parter that is, to this day, best Joker story ever published, titled “The Laughing Fish”/“Sign of the Joker!” (yes, even better than the 1988 Alan Moore and Brian Bolland classic, Batman: The Killing Joke). The collection wraps up with a two-part Clayface tale by Len Wein and Rogers (“The Coming of Clayface III”/”If a Man be Made of Clay”). Never before have a creative team made such a lasting impression with so few issues. Their work perfectly complimented the great work Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams did returning Batman to his darker roots after the popularity of the campy 1966 tv show. They would both return to the character many times in each of their careers but usually paired with other writers and artists. It would be almost thirty years later before they would reteam on Batman again in a series of Dark Detective miniseries.  The only drawback to this collection is that it doesn’t include Detective Comics #477 which was a reprint of Detective Comics #408 “The House that Haunted Batman.” It was originally written by Wein and Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Neal Adams, but Wein and Englehart constructed a new three-page framing story (two at the beginning and one at the end) to keep it in continuity with the surrounding issues.

These issues can also be found in other collections including:
Tales of the Batman: Steve Englehart (collecting Detective Comics, #439, 469-476, Batman #311, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #109-111, Batman Chronicles #19, Legends of the DC Universe #26-27, and Batman: Dark Detective #1-6)
Legends of the Dark Knight: Marshall Rogers (collecting Detective Comics #468, 471-476, 478-479, 481, DC Special Series #15, Secret Origins #6, Batman Legends of the Dark Knight #132-136, and Batman: Dark Detective #1-6)
Tales of the Batman: Len Wein (collecting Detective #408, #444-448, 466, 478-479, 500, 514, World’s Finest #207, Batman #255, 307-310, 312-319, 321-324, 326-327, Untold Legend of the Batman #1-3, DC Retroactive Batman – The 70s #1, Batman Black and White #5)

9. The Flash: Year One - Born to Run
By Mark Waid and Greg LaRocque
The Flash (Vol. 2) #62-65 (May 1992- June 1992)
While most people consider Waid’s “The Return of Barry Allen” the best Flash story ever written, I side with “Year One – Born to Run” as my favorite because it made me fall in love with the character again after being mis-managed by the previous creative team. I was a fan of Wally West since I first started reading comics with Teen Titans, but when the character got a promotion from Kid-Flash to the Flash when his mentor was killed off in Crisis on Infinite Earths, I was thrilled. Wally was always more interesting as a character than Barry Allen ever was. This story served as the post-Crisis reboot of his origin with a fantastic twist at the climax. This arc began Waid’s 67 issue run on the book that cemented him as one of the best to ever write the character (it was tempting to include his entire run as this entry). The Flash: Born to Run collected edition not only includes the four issue “Year One – Born to Run” arc from The Flash (Vol. 2) #62-65, Annual #8 but Speed Force #1 (Nov. 1997), The Flash 80-Page Giant #1 (Aug. 1998)

The “Year One – Born to Run” arc is also included in:
The Flash by Mark Waid Volume One which collects The Flash (Vol. 2) #62-68, Annual #4, 8 and The Flash 50th Anniversary Special.
The Flash by Mark Waid Omnibus Volume One which collects The Flash (Vol. 2) #62-91, Annual #4-6, The Flash 50th Anniversary Special, Justice League Quarterly #10, Green Lantern (Vol. 3) #30-31 and #40

8. Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters
By Mike Grell
Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters # 1- 3 (August – October 1987)

This miniseries, originally consisting of three oversized issues, was written and fully painted by Grell and served as a pilot to the very first Green Arrow ongoing series by DC Comics. Grell was the first artist to draw Green Arrow after Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams revamped the character a decade earlier when he replaced Adams as the artist on Green Lantern (which co-starred Green Arrow at the time). Having him face off with serial killers and professional assassins, this story has the title character questioning his direction in life and moves him to be more of an urban hunter rather than a simple adventurer. The maturity of the characterization has him both wrestling with the moral aftermath of taking a human life and, as a costumed adventurer without any superpowers, the impact of aging has on his activities. Grell would end up writing around 90 issues of Green Arrow and is consistently considered one of the high-water marks for the character. Admittedly, while I enjoyed Judd Winnick’s overall run compared to Grell’s (and it was considered for this list), I could not deny the strength of this individual work that stands as a high point for the character.

Multiple hardcover and softcover collections have been printed of the three issue minis series. It also appears in: Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunter Saga Omnibus Volume One which also includes Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #1-50 and Secret Origins #38. Issue #1 is also collected in Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better or For Worse along with Justice League of America #75, Action Comics #428, 434, The Joker #4, Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #94-95, Detective Comics #549-550, Green Arrow (Vol. 2) #75, 101, Green Arrow (Vol. 3) #4-5, 12, and 21)

7. Spider-Man: Fearful Symmetry - Kraven’s Last Hunt
By J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Zeck
Web of Spider-Man #31-32, The Amazing Spider-Man #293-294, and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132, (September – November 1986)

Kraven hunts down Spider-Man (who had just married Mary Jane) and seemingly shoots him to death. Kraven buries Spider-Man and begins wearing a copy of his costume to prove he is better at fighting crime than Spider-Man was. After spending weeks brutally attacking criminals, Kraven finally single handedly catches Vermin, whom Spider-Man previously needed help to defeat. The pacing and darkness contributed to a story that was the most unexpected post-wedding event any reader cold imagine, but it works due to the combination of DeMatteis’ noir style script and Zeck’s powerful art.

Multiple hardcover and softcover editions collect the core six-part story (usually printed usually under the shortened title “Kraven’s Last Hunt”) Including the “Select” edition hardcover and the standard trade paperback.
Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt: The Epic Collection trade paperback edition includes The Amazing Spider-Man #289-294, Annual #20-21, Spider-Man Versus Wolverine, Web of Spider-Man #29-32 and Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132.
Spider-Man: Kraven’s Last Hunt: The Deluxe Edition Hardcover includes Web of Spider-Man #31-32, The Amazing Spider-Man #15, 293-294, 634-637, Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #131-132, The Amazing Spider-Man: Soul of the Hunter, What If #17, Sensational Spider-Man Annual ’96, and What The -- ?! #3.

6. Batman: Year One
by Frank Miller and Dave Mazzucchelli
Batman #404 - #407 (February 1987 to May 1987)

The retelling of Bruce Wayne’s first year working as a vigilante in Gotham City served as the bases of the post-Crisis reboot for DC Comics post 50th Anniversary.  It was written by Miller who was fresh off Batman: The Dark Knight Returns which was a pivotal landmark in comics publishing. DKR along with Watchmen were the one-two-punch that made critics start to see comic books as legitimate literature. However, I must admit I always thought Year One was a far more grounded and character driven piece that deserves just as much acclaim.

Multiple hard cover and soft cover collections have been printed.

5. The New Teen Titans: The Terror of Trigon
By Marv Wolfman & George Perez
The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-5 (Aug. 1984-Feb. 1985)

The Wolfman and Perez run on The New Teen Titans was legendary and four years after their debut DC decided to launch a second monthly title. (They changed the name of The New Teen Titans to Tales of the Teen Titans with issue #40 and not long after launched The New Teen Titans Volume 2). Since The New Teen Titans were formed by Raven to battle the demonic Trigon the Terrible in the previous series and they defeated him with relative ease the two-part story from The New Teen Titans #5 & 6 (“Trigon Lives” and “Last Kill”), it made since to bring him back to kick off the new run. They did so, but in a bigger much more dangerous way. Despite this being his first appearance in four years, this arc establishes the character as a major villain of the Teen Titans mythology. The story works not just because of the plot but the deep character work put into our heroes. The lineup consisting of Nightwing, Starfire, Wonder Girl, Changeling, Cyborg, Jericho and Raven (and quickly brings back former Titans, Kid-Flash and Lilith, into the story) try to stop Trigon from conquering the world and turning it into a nightmarishly literal hell on Earth.

These issues can also be found in other collections including:
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 First Edition (collects The New Teen Titans #38, Tales of the Teen Titans #45-50, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-6 and The New Titans #50-61, 66-67, and Secret Origins Annual #3)
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 Second Edition (collects Tales of the Teen Titans #41-58, Annual #3, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-9)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 9 (collects The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-9)

4. Spider-Man: The Death of Jean DeWolff
By Peter David and Rich Buckler
Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #107-110 (October 1985 – January 1986)

Spider-Man goes on the hunt for the Sin-Eater, a serial killer who murdered of one of his friends, Capt. DeWolff of the NYPD. This was the first thing I ever read by Peter David (it was only his second job for Marvel Comics) and many would say any number of the stories from his run on The Incredible Hulk would be more deserving to make this list and they probably would be correct, but when I first read this story it simply floored me. The cliff hangers were jaw droppers, and the use of guest star Daredevil was pitch perfect. David’s characterization of Spider-Man remains one of my favorite and while he would become more known for comedy, anyone wanting a tightly plotted “who-done-it?” will love this arc.

Multiple hardcover and tradepaper back collections have been printed. Some editions also include the three-part sequel by David and Sal Buscema published in The Spectacular Spider-Man #134-136 (Jan-Mar 1988)

3. Crisis on Infinite Earths
By Marv Wolfman and George Perez
Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12 (April 1985 – March 1986)

DC published this year long mini-series to both celebrate DC’s 50th Anniversary and to streamline/reboot their universe. Every character ever published by DC appears at least once (and recently acquired characters from Charlton Comics made their debut) and the story crossed though fifteen titles (40 issues) published that year. It was so pivotal to DC that it became the turning point of the history of their universe. Everything is now referred to as pre-Crisis and post-Crisis. Wolfman and Perez were hot off their popular run on The New Teen Titans and crafted a story that was more than just crossovers and guest stars but an epic with long term impacts on the status quo and the beloved characters of the DC universe. Often imitated (even by DC themselves) but never duplicated either in scope or success, the story follows the Anti-Monitor who begins to destroy the various parallel Earths in the Multiverse, while the Monitor (the Anti-Monitor’s more benign counterpart) tries to recruit heroes to stop the universal destruction.

Multiple hard cover and soft cover collections have been printed as well as collections of the crossover issues. Some editions also include the two-part History of the DC Universe.

2. Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Traveling Heroes
By Dennis O’Neil and Neal Adams
Green Lantern (Vol. 2) #76-87, 89 and The Flash (Vol 1.) # 217-219, 226
Reprinted in Green Lantern/Green Arrow #1-7 (October 1983-April 1984)

After spending years policing the universe, Green Lantern Hal Jordan is challenged by Green Arrow to confront menaces of a different kind: racism, poverty, drugs, and other social ills on Earth. While the Watchmen and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns are frequently credited as the time when comics grew up, that’s only true superficially. Dennis O’Neil challenged readers with mature issues by tackling real world problems in the backdrop of right vs. left with a newly revamped Green Arrow challenging Green Lantern’s preconceptions of society and he did it over a decade earlier than Moore or Miller. While it may lack the language, sex, and violence of DKR and Watchmen it still ups the intellectual quality of storytelling with parables and debate.

It’s been collected multiple times, first as two TPB volumes Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Traveling Heroes and Green Lantern/Green Arrow: More Hard Traveling Heroes then as Green Lantern/Green Arrow Volumes 1 and 2, then again as Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Hard Traveling Heroes in a single volume TPB, Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Absolute Edition hardcover and Green Lantern/Green Arrow: Deluxe Edition hardcover.

1. The New Teen Titans: Terra Incognito AND The New Teen Titans: The Judas Contract
By Marv Wolfman & George Perez
 The New Teen Titans #28-34, 39-40, Annual #2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44 and Annual #3 (Feb. 1983-July 1984)

I debated greatly on this entry.  Should I just do the lone story arc, “The Judas Contract” (Tales of the Teen Titans #42-44 and Annual #3) which was the four issue cumulation of four years’ worth of storytelling? Threads and seeds planted as early as the first issue were set up and paid off in that story. Even the collected edition included more than just the four-part story, adding three additional issues of buildup (The New Teen Titans #39 “Crossroads,” and a two-part Brother Blood story from The New Teen Titans #40 “Lifeblood” and Tales of the Teen Titans #41 “Baptism of Blood”). I even debated doing a complete series entry but to keep it manageable and since many of the issues building up to it appear in “Terra Incognito” I thought a good compromise would be to just combine the two collections for the entry. While some of the dialogue has become dated in the last four decades, the depth of characterization and pre-panning on long term sub-plots still work by contemporary standards perhaps even more so, since so much writing is done with the trade paperback reprint being a consideration for structuring long form stories.  The backstory going into these collections is simple: A contract on the lives of the Teen Titans (whose roster at the time was: Robin, Wonder Girl, Kid-Flash, Cyborg, Starfire, Raven and Beast Boy, now going by the name Changeling) has been taken out with the terrorist organization H.I.V.E. (Hierarchy of International Vengeance and Eliminations) who has hired Deathstroke, The Terminator to fulfill the contract. Deathstroke blames the Titans for the death on his eldest son and after being defeated or fighting to a standstill multiple times during the first year of publication, Deathstroke decides to play a longer game and enlists the aid of a traitor to take them down from within.

“Terra Incognito” starts with the introduction of Terra (the little sister of Geo-Force from Batman and the Outsiders) who is being forced by terrorists holding her parents (the ruler of the nation of Markovia) to commit crimes. Changeling befriends Terra but the other Titans have some doubts about her story. Around this time OG Titan and recovering drug addict Speedy returns to the team as well as the super-powered Frances Kane (Magenta), a childhood friend of Kid-Flash who is a reluctant hero due to mental health issues. Meanwhile, a new brutal masked avenger has taken to the streets taking the name Vigilante. Since it’s not a straightforward arc there is a lot going on here. The team battles the Brotherhood of Evil and the Church of Brother Blood, Robin is partnering with the DA and Judge Adrian Chace to take down a mob boss, a villain named Trident is murdered and Thunder and Lightning, a pair of super powered twins, are introduced.

The Gap: There is a gap of five issues between collections. None have a huge impact on the bigger arc but allowing the audience knows who the traitor is while playing out innocuous done-in-one tales really ratcheted up the tension, that’s the biggest downside of limiting oneself to two collected editions instead of the full run or the subsequent sequential TPB releases. In addition, Issue #35 (“Seige!”) pays off a Cyborg subplot established in issues #30 (“Nightmare!”) and #34 (“Endings… And Beginnings.”  Issue #36 (“Feedback”) follows up the story “Thunder and Lightning” (Issue #32). Issue #37 (“Light’s Out, Everyone”) is the first of a two part crossover with Batman and the Outsiders #5 (“Psimon Says…”) and #38 is the classic done-in-one “Who is Donna Troy?” which I discussed above in the Honorable Mention entry. Again, none of the main narrative is lost just the tension of knowing who is working with Deathstroke while the Titans go about their business unaware.

“The Judas Contract” starts three issues before the classic four-part story with Kid Flash and Robin sub-plots coming to a head as well and the conclusion of the Church of Blood arc. Deathstroke and his infiltrator finally spring their trap to take out the Titans. Wolfman expertly plays against expectations as the story barrels toward it climax.  The story, known for Dick Grayson giving up his role as Robin and creating a new persona and the gut punch of the resolution that was almost four years in the making, cemented the Wolfman/Perez collaboration and the series as one of the best runs in comics. If I had any complaint about the collection is that there are some loose ends, many of which were cleaned up in the following three-part story appearing in #45-47 (“Old Times, Old Friends,” “Showdown!,” “Final Conflict”), and even though those issues are worth reading they are definitely anti-climactic compared to the events of “The Judas Contract, part 4: Finale” (Tales of the Teen Titans Annual #3) which closes out the collection.

The issues from these two collections can also be found in other collections including:
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 First Edition (collecting The New Teen Titans #21-37, 39-40, Annual #1-2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41-44 and Annual #3)
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 2 Second Edition (collecting The New Teen Titans #21-40, Annual #1-2, Tales of the Teen Titans #41 and Batman and the Outsiders #5)
The New Teen Titans Omnibus Vol. 3 Second Edition (collecting Tales of the Teen Titans #41-58, Annual #3, The New Teen Titans Vol. 2 #1-9)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 5 (collecting The New Teen Titans #28-34, and Annual #2)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 6 (collecting The New Teen Titans #35-40, Tales of the Teen Titans #41 and Batman and the Outsiders #5)
The New Teen Titans (Trade Paperback) Vol. 7 (collecting Tales of the Teen Titans #42-48 and Annual #3)

Crusade: A Follow Up (or How Can I Ramble Less While Rambling More)

Last November I wrote a blog that discussed a suggested viewing order for Crusade, the short lived Babylon 5 spin-off that aired on TNT. After doing a re-watch recently with my son and wife, I had a few more thoughts and just wanted to put them out there. Some of the info below is repetitive while some is expanding on details glossed over originally, including a step-by-step process of my reasoning. If you liked my two lists, nothing has changed just a bit more information in a few areas and a bit less in others.

We will start with a quick and dirty re-cap.
Crusade filmed five episodes (actual production order in parenthesis) with the intended broadcast order of:
Racing the Night (103)
The Memory of War (102)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)

The show was put on an extended hiatus (three weeks instead of one) to create new black costumes to replace the original gray costumes, make make-up changes, and expand sets at the request of the network. They also requested a new opening episode, however they wanted it with the new costumes. After the hiatus, production continued with two episodes already written and ready for filming followed by the new first episode which was rushed into production:
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
War Zone (108)

Production continued with the filming of four scripts that were already in progress at the time of the first hiatus and a new episode was created to explain the costume changes:
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)

At this point they took the already scheduled mid-season holiday hiatus. Three episodes were completely scripted and in various levels of preproduction so they could resume filming after this second hiatus. These included an episode that would explain the change back to black uniforms, the return of fan favorite Babylon 5 character (Bester), and the season finale which was being filmed early to give more time for post-production:
To the Ends of the Earth (114)
Value Judgements (115)
The End of the Line (116)

Another five episodes were already planned with several the process of being outlined or scripted:
Darkness of the Soul (117)
Tried and True (118)
Untitled (119)
War Story (120)
Walls of Hell (121)
Gates of Hell (possible working title, 122)

TNT cancelled the series without going back into production. They would air the 13 completed episodes as a “limited series” during the summer.

TNT aired the episodes in this order:
War Zone (108)
Long Road (107)
Well of Forever (106)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
Racing the Night (103)
The Memory of War (102)

The Needs of Earth (101)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)

This created several continuity problems, for example, the virus screen was discovered in “The Memory of War” after was used in “Patterns of the Soul.” “Ruling from the Tomb” which has an on-screen date of June is aired before “Visitors from Down the Street” which has an on-screen date of May. There are several others (which I will point out farther down), but you get the idea. This was also the order they were released on DVD.

Many have tried to fix the continuity issues by moving the first five up in the order and assuming the change back to black uniforms happen off screen. For years one of my favorites of these is one I came up with myself which I call…

“Altered Production Order”:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)

I work from the assumption that episodes are mostly shot has they are intended to be seen (with a few exceptions here and there). So, I start with production order then move episodes that were shot out of order (“War Zone,” “Appearances and Other Deceits.” and “The Needs of Earth”). It fixes many continuity issues and has a good flow since you can see the natural evolution of production but even then, there are still continuity issues like Gideon and Lochley meeting and appearing to know each other in “Each Night I Dream of Home” but then meeting for the first time in “Ruling from the Tomb,” and the black uniforms simply vanishing without mention.

Next is the “Official Babylon 5 Chronology,” it goes:
War Zone (108)
Long Road (107)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Well of Forever (106)
Rules of the Game (112)

This is not too far from my “Altered Production Order,” so it suffers from the exact same issues.

“Continuity Order,” a list from Wikipedia, fixes that issue of the Gideon/Lochley meeting but runs into the on-screen date issue as well as other issues, it goes:
War Zone (108)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
Racing the Night (103)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Memory of War (102)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Well of Forever (106)
Rules of the Game (112)

There is also the “Sci-Fi Channel Order” that the creator came up with for its rebroadcast. It ignores continuity completely, so it’s a real mess, I think his bitterness at the network interference blinded him to the fact this order would kill any verisimilitude. It goes:
Racing the Night (103)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Memory of War (102)
Long Road (107)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Well of Forever (106)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)

There are other lists out there as well, an all-inclusive order that includes the unproduced scripts, a “pure five” list that only includes the first five and a “pure” list that expands it to ten episodes. But any list that cuts episodes is not one I endorse. You gotta take the good with the bad.

This brings me to my preferred list which I call “Alternating Order” (formerly “Alternate Altered Production Order” in my last blog) Here is a step-by-step guide to how I get there. When trying to come up with the best possible order it is best to start with production order then start moving pieces. So we have:
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Memory of War (102)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
War Zone (108)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)

“War Zone” was created to be the first episode, so we move it to the top. So now we have this order:
War Zone (108)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Memory of War (102)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)

“Appearances and Other Deceits” must take place before all the gray uniform episodes: “The Needs of Earth,” “The Memory of War,” “Racing the Night,” “Visitors from Down the Street,” and “Each Night I Dream of Home.” So, we move it just before “The Needs of Earth.” This works well since it gives the impression that from the start, Earth will attempt to micromanage and manipulate how things are perceived. So now we have this order:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Memory of War (102)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)

“The Memory of War” has the discovery of the virus shield used in “Patterns of the Soul” and mentioned in “Each Night I Dream of Home.” Chambers’ log heard in “The Needs of Earth” refers to “The Memory of War,” the Apocalypse Box warning in “The Memory of War” foreshadows “The Well of Forever,” The news broadcast puts “The Memory of War” date in late March/early April before the on-screen dates of “Visitors from Down the Street” and “Ruling from the Tomb.” This only requires we move “The Memory of War” ahead a single episode up in the order ahead of “The Needs of Earth.” This gets you back to my “Altered Production Order,” but as I said above, there are still some continuity issues. So here we are:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Rules of the Game (112)

“The Needs of Earth” and “Visitors from Down the Street” must take place before “The Well of Forever” because Matheson’s scans are referring to those episodes. They are already in that order.

“Visitors from Down the Street” must be before “Ruling from the Tomb”
Because of the on-screen dates of May and June. They are already in that order.

“Ruling from the Tomb” then “Each Night I Dream of Home” then “Rules of the Game” is the proper progression of Gideon/Lockley meetings. So, we move “Ruling from the Tomb” up between “Visitors from Down the Street” and “Each Night I Dream of Home”

These last two continuity points puts a black uniform episode between two gray uniform episodes. It’s an issue most lists ignore to keep the gray uniform episodes together. Other lists either put “Ruling from the Tomb” after “Each Night I Dream of Home” (ruining the progression of Gideon/Lockley meetings) or before “Appearances and other Deceits” (ruining the on-screen date order). Both the “Original Broadcast/DVD Order” and the “Official Chronology” are examples of this.

This informs the direction of the rest of this viewing order. With “Ruling from the Tomb” between “Visitors from Down the Street” and “Each Night I Dream of Home,” we now have this order:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Long Road (107)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Rules of the Game (112)

Rather than assume the change back to black uniforms happens off screen after clustering the grey uniform episodes together, it makes more sense to alternate the black and gray uniforms but making sure to take care not to create more continuity issues. It is just as valid assumption that they would use both sets of uniforms as it is that would would change back off screen. I realized this while watching a first season episode of seaQuest DSV and noticed that they would use different uniforms just like the real military. 

We can NOT move “Well of Forever” up between “The Memory of War” and “Needs of Earth” because it must take place after  “The Needs of Earth” and “Visitors from Down the Street,” since Matheson's scans refer back to those episodes, so we move on to “The Long Road” and move it up between “The Memory of War” and “The Needs of Earth.”

We now have:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
Long Road (107)
The Needs of Earth (101)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Rules of the Game (112)

Next, “The Path of Sorrows,” goes between “The Needs of Earth” and “Racing the Night.” This means we first see the Apocalypse Box, but it is a total mystery in “The Memory of War,” it is explained to us in “Path of Sorrows” and then shown again in “Racing the Night” establishing that Gideon is keeping it a secret from Galen after Gideon was warned by the Box not to trust Galen. Perhaps not the original intent but it sure works well.

Speaking of “Racing the Night,” there was a temptation to move it before “The Memory of War” since that was the original intended order and it was supposed to be the premier episode, but the creation of “War Zone” made that a moot issue. Putting it after “Appearances and Other Deceits” didn’t work as well since Chambers sees a softer side in of Max in “Appearances and Other Deceits” but goes back to disliking him, even going so far as to call him “the king of the pig people” in “Racing the Night.” It’s better to have a few episodes that allow a reset of their relationship (the opening sequence in “The Needs of Earth” with the alien porn really helps to get there). Also having it take place after “Path of Sorrows” implies that Gideon's respite from bad dreams has past, however, they are now focused on his mission instead of the Cerebus.

However, I digress, “The Path of Sorrows,” goes up after “The Needs of Earth” leaving us with this order:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
Long Road (107)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Racing the Night (103)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Rules of the Game (112)

Finally, we move “Patterns of the Soul” between “Racing the Night” and “Visitors from Down the Street.” This works very well since some of the exposition that was intended to be introductory for “Racing the Night” now seems more specific. For example: The reminder that Dureena’s race was wiped out by the Drahk and she is the last of her kind is now paid off in the very next episode with “Patterns of the Soul.” Black also claims he and his left Earth six months ago before the Drahk attack (which happened in December). Having this take place just before “Visitors from Down the Street” which is set in May works out nicely timeline wise.

We leave the remaining three where they are since “Well of Forever” must be after “Visitors from Down the Street” and “Rules of the Game” must be after “Each Night I Dream of Home,” and “Ruling from the Tomb” is already between “Visitors from Down the Street” and “Each Night I Dream of Home.” This works out well. Not only are both Lockley and The Excalibur “in the neighborhood” of Earth for “Each Night I Dream of Home” shortly after the events of “Ruling from the Tomb,” but it is also a nice progression that Dr. Franklin would authorize such an extreme measure after getting data from the conference on Mars.

We are now out of gray uniform episodes to alternate so we end with two black uniform episodes: “The Well of Forever” and “Rules of the Game.” This works well with Gideon commenting on Galen’s absences in “Racing the Night” not only explaining why he was missing in past episodes like “Appearances and Other Deceits,” and “The Needs of Earth” but it nicely foreshadows his absence from the following four episodes then pays off the warning of the Apocalypse Box that was made in “The Memory of War” in the penultimate episode. This allows the finale to end at Babylon 5. It’s a nice bit of symmetry. 

This leaves our final order:
War Zone (108)
Appearances and Other Deceits (113)
The Memory of War (102)
Long Road (107)
The Needs of Earth (101)
The Path of Sorrows (109)
Racing the Night (103)
Patterns of the Soul (110)
Visitors from Down the Street (104)
Ruling from the Tomb (111)
Each Night I Dream of Home (105)
Well of Forever (106)
Rules of the Game (112)

You can read the original post here Complete with a flow chart: http://brettharriscomics.blogspot.com/2021/11/reflecting-on-babylon-5s-crusade-or.html

10 Movies to Know Me

A recent post was inspired by the Twitter topic of “Ten Shows to Know Me.” Rather than make a list I expand it to a recommendation for some excellent tv viewing, Now, I thought I would take a run at my favorite films. While it is sci-fi heavy, it is an eclectic mix with (horror, western, crime and even a romantic comedy)

HONORABLE MENTION: Night of the Living Dead (1968)
The classic zombie film by George Romero makes my list despite being a genre that I’ve never warmed to. Horror has always left me cold, unless it was classic Universal monster films or the Hammer House of Horror vampire flicks. Romero’s low budget classic clicks with me not because the zombies or horror element that is appealing but the idea of putting a group of diverse people in a pot boiler situation then cranking up the heat/stress level for real drama against the backdrop of the inconceivable.

10. Scream (1996)
One of the reasons I’ve never been a huge horror fan is the slasher subgenre.  Mindless gore with body counts and central characters with the intelligence of a rutabaga… until Scream came along and created a slasher film that mocks the “rules” and tropes of the genre. For every cheap jump scare there is a gag or joke that slyly mocks the competition. A great cast, brilliant script and masterfully directed by Wes Craven, it stands above the rest of the slice and dice series and even approaches… art.

9. The Magnificent Seven (1960)
The John Struges directed western remake of The Seven Samurai is a fantastic piece of Americana. Yule Brenner leads a star-studded cast as an eclectic group of gunmen are hired to defend a small farming village from a gang of bandits. Beautiful vistas have never looked better since films have started being restored to their former widescreen glory after decades of pan and scan broadcasts on tv and Elmer Bernstein’s Academy Award winning score always ups the energy level in this classic tale of good versus evil mixed with a dose of redemption.

8. Pulp Fiction (1994)
Quentin Tarantino’s second film cemented him as one of the great filmmakers of his generation. His love of film allowed him to mash up elements of crime, exploitation, drama, comedy, kung fu, western and horror into a brand that is uniquely his. He frequently comes under fire for the moments of violence in his films, but anyone really paying attention will see that he is really a wordsmith and a master of plot and dialogue. The soliloquys far outnumber the violent acts and the characters are far deeper than the shallow caricatures that inhabit typical action films. Pulp Fiction is Tarantino at his best creating a story with a nonlinear collection of short stories that come together to form a larger narrative.

7. Planet of the Apes (1968)
The Rod Serling script based on the French novel led to an epic franchise that includes 9 films and two tv shows but the original is still the best. Social commentary permeates the story about astronauts who clash on a planet where apes rule and men are savages kept in cages. It starts slow but brilliantly builds and builds until hits the audience with an unforgettable closing shot.

6. The Terminator (1984)
The time travel action story about a robot sent into the past to kill the mother of a future resistance leader before he is born results in a violent action film that has a surprising amount of heart. The film launched the careers of both writer/director James Cameron and Arnold Schwarzenegger as box office royalty. Arnold may play the villainous title character but it’s Michael Biehn who shines as the out matched hero trying to protect Linda Hamilton (who would give stellar performances herself in the second and sixth entries of the franchise). This classic spawned an impressive franchise consisting of 5 more films and a tv show. The first follow-up film was groundbreaking and ushered in the digital age of technology, while the others were entertaining but derivative. The 2008 tv show, however is probably best thing since the 1991 sequel.

5. Serenity (2005)
The feature film sequel to the short lived sci-fi western television series Firefly (2002) gave fans some closure but deserves more credit for being a great film on its own. The television cast (along with new characters) are just as luminous on the big screen as the small and the story of the little guy who stands up to the big guy is timeless. Writer/director Joss Whedon (Marvel’s The Avengers) does some great world building about the small spaceship crew being hunted by the totalitarian Alliance and defied expectations for a film that essentially continues a tv franchise.

4. Free Enterprise (1999)
The independent film by Mark Altman and Robert Meyer Burnett is a wonderful romantic comedy about best friends who meet their idol (William Shatner). Sci-fi and comic book references abound, but at its heart it’s a love story grounded in wit and highlighted by offbeat characters played by a wonderful cast. It was ahead of its time since I can only call it Clerks meets Big Bang Theory with a dash of My Favorite Year.

3. Aliens (1986)
The sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1979 sci-fi horror film Alien, is the perfect way to follow up a classic. Writer/director James Cameron decided to take a more action route rather than do another variation of monster in space. Sending in the marines to deal with the otherworldly man-eating aliens the second time around results in a pace is relentless instead of suspenseful. The characters (and the viewers) rarely have to time to take a breath and the result is a superior sequel that kicks up a notch for a whole generation of filmmakers and filmgoers.

2. The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
The superior sequel to the classic 1977 sci-fi fantasy film, Star Wars, that forever changed movie going. George Lucas’s homage to classic Flash Gordon serials spawned the summer blockbuster and made him the preeminent visionary of filmic world building. Common themes and a simple story mixed with technical genius led to the inevitable sequel (and eventually a trilogy of trilogies) but the best film of the entire franchise is the first sequel. Rather than retread common ground, Lucas enlisted the aid of director Ivin Kirshner and writers Leigh Brackett and Lawrence Kasdan to deify expectations both in terms of direction (the bad guys win) and complexity. The heroes are deeper and the universe richer the second time around as Luke Skywalker goes off to learn the ways of the force from an exiled Jedi master while Han Solo tries to keep the evil Darth Vader from hunting down Princess Leia, the leader of the Rebellion.

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982)
We top the list with a third superior sequel. With Ricardo Montalban charming tv viewers as Fantasy Island’s Mr. Roark on television every week, film goers were shocked to see him play the obsessed Star Trek villain. Today he is the benchmark for Trek antagonists (one that many fall short of). Not only is the film a sequel to 1979’s Star Trek the Motion Picture and the film series a sequel to the TV show (1966-1969) but the story itself is a sequel to the 1967 episode “Space Seed” which guest starred Montalban as the genetically engineered superman. This time around he is escaping his exile (imposed in the episode) and obsessed with killing the man who left him there: Capt. Kirk of the starship Enterprise.

Four other movies considered for the Honorable Mention slot and would make an expanded top 15 list include (in no particular order) Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991), Star Wars (1977), Alien (1979), and Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)