5) The "American Gothic" saga in Swamp Thing #37-50. This was Alan Moore's kickoff and to my mind, crowning achievement on this book that he revolutionized. Taking Swamp Thing cross country to confront the growing darkness within, we discovered a lot more about Swampy himself and in the process, Moore revealed how horror fiction can illustrate and illuminate social and cultural horrors. Add to this some superb and truly beautiful art by John Totlebon and Steve Bissette, expert use of the DC Universe and some ghastly images one cannot forget, and you have a modern epic.

6) "The Phoenix Saga" in X-Men 129-137. Made during the time when a main characters' death was still 'shocking', this epic tale of dark seduction and tragedy saw both Chris Claremont and Johny Byrne at the height of their creative powers. Claremont's characterizations were nuanced and razor sharp, giving us heroes who struggled with themselves and their own darker impulses as much as they did with the villains they faced. Byrne perfectly captured the spiralling down of Jean Grey into the Dark Phoenix with his trademark distinctive, personality revealing superhero art. To this day, I defy anyone with a heart to read it all the way through and not tear up a bit.

7) "Days of Future Past" from X-Men 141-142. It's incredible to realize this terrific story came right on the heels of the "Phoenix Saga". I guess it goes to show that when you're hot, you're hot. This was really the last Claremont/Byrne collaberation on the X-Men, and it's a doozy. This is really the progenitor of all the "dark future" stories that have come and gone in the last thirty years in comics, projecting an apocalyptic vision of a future Earth where mutants have been outlawed and must struggle to survive against overwhelming and ultimately, insurmountable odds. Featuring such shocks as the deaths of Wolverine and most of the mutants we've come to know and love, the first glimpse of a heroic Magneto and a gray haired Katherine (Kitty) Pryde as a resistance fighter.

Tomorrow, the last three in my list. Following that, I'd like to do "Best Single Issue Stories" and "Best Limited Series."