Greatest Hits (comics)

Infobox comic book title
title = Greatest Hits


imagesize =
caption =Cover to "Greatest Hits" #1 (November 2008). Art by Glenn Fabry.
schedule = Monthly
limited = y
Superhero = Superhero
publisher = Vertigo
date = November 2008 -
issues = 6
main_char_team = Solicitor
Crusader
Vizier
Zipper
Golem
writers = David Tischman
artists = Glenn Fabry
pencillers =
inkers =
letterers = Todd Klein
colorists = Richard Horie
Tanya Horie
editors = Shelly Bond
creative_team_month =
creative_team_year =
creators = David Tischman
Glenn Fabry
TPB =
ISBN =
subcat = Vertigo
sort = PAGENAME

"Greatest Hit"s is a six-issue comic book limited series, published in 2008 by DC Comics as a part of the Vertigo imprint. The series is written by David Tischman, with art by Glenn Fabry.Citation | last = Irvine | first = Alex | author-link = Alexander C. Irvine | contribution = Greatest Hits | editor-last = Dougall | editor-first = Alastair | title = The Vertigo Encyclopedia | pages = 85 | publisher = Dorling Kindersley | place = New York | year = 2008 | ISBN = 0-7566-4122-5 | oclc = 213309015]

The series will focus on The Mates a super-powered foursome from The Sixties, in the first superhero series from Vertigo since Grant Morrison's "The Invisibles". [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=16162 NYCC: “Greatest Hits” Gets a Ticket to Ride at Vertigo] , Comic Book Resources, April 23, 2008]

Publication history

The series will run for six issues with the first cover-dated November 2008.

Characters

The main character team are The Mates. While there are parallels with the Beatles and each character is a pastiche of a superhero, [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/122204285435526.htm David Tischman's Greatest Hits] , Comics Bulletin, September 21, 2008] Tischma insists the concept is much broader than that: "The persona of the Mates is an iconic one for both superhero teams and rock bands. You are always going to have the really cute one. You are going to have the quiet one. You are going to have the spiritual one and you are going to have the goofy one. That’s the case from every group from Justice League to 'N Sync"

*Solicitor is the Batman of the team who has no actual superpowers but is an excellent martial artist. [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18093 Greatest Hits: Meet Solicitor] , Comic Book Resources, September 17, 2008]
*Crusader is the team's Superman-equivalent although, while strong and invulnerable, he lacks the power of flight. He is the result of a WWII super solider program his father took part in, which failed but the powers appeared in his only son. [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18210 Greatest Hits: Meet Crusader] , Comic Book Resources, September 25, 2008]
*Vizier, Dr. Fate who, as a druid, has mystical powers that are drawn from the Earth. [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18294 Greatest Hits: Meet Vizier] , Comic Book Resources, October 2, 2008]
*Golem takes the Hulk role in the Mates and is Vizier's older brother. He leaves the team to be replaced by Zipper. [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=18385 Greatest Hits: Meet Zipper!] , Comic Book Resources, October 9, 2008]
*Zipper, the Flash-style speedster of the group and the only actual mutant.

Plot

The story is told through "Come Together", a Behind the Music-like documentary looking back on the team directed by Nick Mansfield, the son of one of The Mates. It then relates the history of the fictional universe's through the decades, each one bringing their own types of superhero.

Reception

Martijn Form reviewed the first issue for Comics Bulletin and was not impressed: "the story's whole setup disappoints me.". He also found the dialogue "mediocre" and the the plotting "forced." [ [http://www.comicsbulletin.com/reviews/122235902668454.htm Greatest Hits #1 review] , Comics Bulletin] However, Kris Bather at Broken Frontier felt that, while there was a lot going on, it still works well, with hints of Warren Ellis's superhero work (in particular his series "No Hero") and the art worked well with parallels to Steve Dillon's work. [ [http://www.brokenfrontier.com/reviews/details.php?id=2037 Greatest Hits #1 review] , Broken Frontier] Comic Book Resources' Timothy Callahan was somewhere in between. He liked Fabry's cleaner line work suggesting "he's just about the perfect guy for this particular job" and while he didn't struggle as much with the plot jumping about in time he felt the part in the present was not as engaging or interesting as The Mates during the Sixties, although even this fell into a predictable pattern: "Okay, it's the Beatles as superheroes, but then what?". [ [http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=371 Greatest Hits #1 review] , Comic Book Resources]

Notes

References

*gcdb series|id=31959|title="Greatest Hits"
*comicbookdb|type=title|id=20213|title="Greatest Hits"