and only
a handful of people here are rating the Bob Hall/Paul Ryan art team above
Gibbons.
*****

Noone has done that.

Watchmen is a great comic. I read it last week and im still thinking about it. In fact its very simular to my experience after reading Squadron Supreme. The thing that grinds me gears (and I think others) are the people dropping their monocles at the idea Squadron is in the same class. Overall Watchmen would get a slight nod. Because of Gibbons and the superior printing and color. But they are in he same class.

Honestly I think Steve Gerber's Foolkiller is better than them both.

QUOTE: Squadron Supreme looked like any other mediocre Marvel book of the 80's. It started out strong and then fizzled out before it went anywhere.

Ridiculous statement, the later issues are the best in the series. The Tom Thumb attempting to cure cancer story was in issue 7. The finale was the best overall with a brutal final fight.

QUOTE: The series did not sell well at all and the only reason it gets any mention now is that Mark Gruenwald died and the stunt of printing the book with his ashes gave it some notoriety.

Or because people read it and thought it was a great story. I remember people talking about it before Gruenwald did. I know I hunted for the single issues for years. But oops I forgot fame and sales equal quality.

QUOTE: Didn't Alan Moore take over writing on the later issues of Jughead's Jokebook Supreme and totally revamp it from the ground up?

It's a delightful puzzle of reference to reassemble. I am however, offended by your insinuation, chap. Moore is above writing stories. Moore is a raconteur.  I enjoy spending years trying to justify to myself that his masterpieces had a profound aim. They are works, that haunt.

Yeah, I've been waiting for someone (thank you, Erik) to just post that Squadron Supreme isn't very good. I understand that it's a matter of opinion, but where Watchmen has incredible structure, compelling character beats, and memorable symbols and metaphors, all that I can recall from Squadron Supreme, which I've read much more recently than Watchmen, is stilted dialogue, stiff artwork, and a pretty typical story.

I don't think that I'd say Watchmen is perfect nor would I say that it's the most original comic ever, but it's characters and plotting have made it and will continue to make it withstand the test of time and to allow it to rightfully rank as a classic. There is nothing in Squadron Supreme that I feel is either original enough or particularly well done enough to be even memorable, let alone a classic.

And the Jughead Joke-Book comparison (spot-on) gave me my first laugh of the day. Thanks, Erik, 

Gruenwald and his artists were aiming for teens and pre-teens with their
comic, and I don't think I'd even put Squadron Supreme on the list of the
best "straight-up" superhero comics of 1985-86. Walt Simonson was on
Thor, Miller and Mazzuchelli were at least getting started on their
Daredevil run, John Byrne was on Fantastic Four, Chris Claremont and
John Romita Jr. were on X-Men, Marv Wolfman and George Perez were
still collaborating on Teen Titans, I think...was Squadron Supreme really
on par with all of those books, as a total package?

*******

Better than Claremont and Romita Jr on X-Men. I would put it under the other books listed. I would put Watchmen beneath them too. But not being as good as Simonson Thor and Byrne FF is hardly a condemnation.  

QUOTE: which I've read much more recently than Watchmen, is stilted dialogue, stiff artwork, and a pretty typical story.

and the laughs keep on coming.