better read: new teen titans vs. 80's x-men

[Raydeen1]

The Byrne/Claremont run on Xmen ia what I consider the definitive Xmen. John Byrne is my favorite comic book artist all time I think and his run on Xmen is his best work. With Terry Austin's inks, Byrne's pencils were superb. The stories drew me in much more than the Titans. I love the Titans and I'm more of a DC guy but Those 80s Xmen comics are some of my favorites. Sadly, the art on the crossover turned me off completetly. HAd Byrne or Perez done the pencils, I would've jumped all over it.

[kryptosmaster]

Never liked the X-men (still don't except for the movies oddly enough) and only bought the occasional crossover/tie-in or "Super-duper-multi-chromatic-lenticular-chromium-limited-edition" cover here and there.
I did like X-factor though. Go figure.
Anyway the New Teen Titans was awesome. I got into it around the early #20's and quickly picked up the back issues (which were outrageously priced at the time. Luckily I had snagged a #1 for 50 cents at a flea market earlier). I stayed with it till the end but never got into any of the reboots.
Rich

[kingdom warrior]

The Titans, that book really hooked me back into DC.

[Random Axe]

That's a really, really tough question.

Both artist/writer teams were in their prime and at the top of their game. Both were doing their best work of their careers never to be topped again. I've got to give the slightest edge to Titans cause I'm a DC guy, but both runs are legendary in the comics world and solidified each creator in comics lore for all-time.

Since I don't have any back issues, I'm guessing there are collected editions of New Teen Titans available. The X-men run would be harder to collect as the linear storylines wouldn't necessarily fit neatly into a trade paperback format unless it's over 200 pages.

I'd love to have these stories again and relive the magic. Those moments and those stories just don't happen anymore.

Scott

[Riffster]

New Teen Titans have been re-printed in archives, they're on the 3rd one

[samurainoir]

very true, teen titans didn't have a huge hit toyline and cartoon in the 90's.

But they have had both in the last decade, and despite the anime trappings, the animated Teen Titans series and toyline are all Wolfman and Perez, from the line-up of Titans used (Cyborg, Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven), and storylines like the Judas Contract and Terror of Trigon were loosely adapted as well.

Dark Phoenix saga being adapted aside, I'd say the 90's X-Men animated series was more Jim Lee than John Byrne, particularly since they used his line-up and costume designs for the most part.

[samurainoir]

Oh, most definitely....I know Lee and Kirby laid the groundwork but that stuff really doesn't thrill me...probably one of their weakest combined efforts IMO.

As much as I have a fondness for the early Lee/Kirby X-Men thanks to the Amazing Adventures reprints I read as a kid in the seventies, looking back today, I'd even put the Roy Thomas and Neal Adams run above Lee/Kirby.

Here's my ranking...

Claremont/Byrne
Thomas/Adams
Lee/Kirby
Claremont/Lee
Claremont/Cockrum
Whedon/Cassaday
Morrison/Quitely+various
Various- Age of Apocalypse
Millar/Kubert (Ultimate)
Ed Brubaker/Billy Tan

I would have ranked Morrison's run slightly higher if not for the uneven art. Although it was a bold experiment that did have many problems, I think it gave the X-Men franchise the jump start it needed after collapsing on itself for so many years post-Claremont, and launched enough mad-ideas for others like Whedon and Ellis to run with for years afterwards.

Warren Ellis is currently in the middle of a brilliant run on Astonishing with some top art teams, and I'd imagine putting this run in there around Whedon/Morrison. I'm enjoying Matt Fractions stuff a great deal as well recently.

Creative teams aside, the X-Men do win out for sheer longevity and the ability to constantly be reinventing themselves.

Other than Geoff Johns/Mike Mckone, there really is no other run on the Teen Titans that comes anywhere near Perez/Wolfman.

[bobws]

Titans All the WAY! the stories were just so much more emotional and personal in a way. rather than the non-stop rollar coaster ride the X-men were going thru and continue to rehash to this day. Then there's the Perez art which still blows me away. The X-men run was great but it's been dragged downhill with over exposure ever since. whereas DC dropped the Ball not making a Titans cartoon back in the 80-90's which would have made them be more popular today. butlook at the Movies DC puts out, they are still behind Marvel in maximizing the true potential of thier characters.

[goldenryan]

Oh, most definitely....I know Lee and Kirby laid the groundwork but that stuff really doesn't thrill me...probably one of their weakest combined efforts IMO.

there were are some good issues in there #8,9. but i agree not there best work, but remember back then they were doing over half a dozen titles together claremont/byrne only did x-men/iron fist. and once kirby left the book the issues got much worst and didn't get interesting again until neal adams got there.

[bleit1701]

I'd have to go with the Titans myself. Liked the characters and the stories plus I got to collect them from the begining as opposed to catching up with the X-Men.

[jds1911a1]

at the time I was a huge fan of both runs but X-men overload took over btween and soured me on the property -crossovers, spin off's (x-caliber, x-factor, wolverine etc) and nevermind the cartoons and bad tv shows (anyone esle remember the made for tv movie with Jubilee and Mutant X).
I am enjoying re-reading the titans now but have had no desire to re read my old xmen issues

[goldenryan]

there's a anti-marvel bias here.

[bobws]

it's an anti-bad story bias, actually.

[ctc]

Hmmmm....

They were DIFFERENT books?!?!?!

Don C.

[bondtoddbond]

I hate to go against the majority, I like the Titans for sure. But for me, the Claremont/Byrne X-Men run would the last comics that I would ever give up. The art and stories were so beyond their time. Byrne with Austin inks are beautiful. I've been a true fanboy and have all the originals, reprints, hardcovers, foreign editions, whatever they put out with this run in, I have to buy.