An interesting list, and one I would agree on for the most part. I was never a big fan of Tomahawk, in spite of the Fred Ray art. I found it too formula. And I don't think there are enough Prez issues to make a trade, regardless of what you or I might think of the quality (you're more impressed with it than I am). Instead, I would substitute Sheldon Mayer's Scribbly, a work that's just as wonderful as Sugar And Spike. And rather than just reprint the Johnny Thunder strip, I would reprint the entire run of All-American Western, which I think is one of the great hidden gems of comic book history. In addition to Thunder, where Alex Toth did some of his most wonderful work, aided by Sy Barry, you had Toni Barret's "Overland Coach" (Irwin Hasen and later Gil Kane), "Foley Of The Fighting Fifth" (Kubert, Infantino, Giunta) and "Harmony Hayes The Minstrel Maverick" (Hasen again). Each feature had concise, interesting tales with top art. Science Fiction may have been Julius Schwartz's love, but I enjoyed his western books more than I did his SF comics.

I also wanted to argue your blanket statement on how dark comics have been and how less enjoyable they are. I agree for the most part. However, I think it's too broad. I'm currently reading the Daredevil Omnibus, which reprints Ed Brubaker's run on Daredevil. This is as dark and unheroic as any comic I've read, but it's also a tremendously affecting read. This is due in no small part to Ed Brubaker's effective writing. It's gritty realism and no character emerges unscathed. But it's engrossing, involving and satisfying. Brubaker's Captain America run shares the same qualities. Dark and unheroic is not necessarily a bad thing. Poorly conceived and written dark and unheroic is.

I may not always agree with your assessments, but I will keep reading them.