Year in Review: Comics 2014 (Part 1)
2014 was a roller coaster for comics; both Marvel and DC made major changes to their respective universes and some of our favourite characters look different going into 2015. The comics of the year threw a lot at us, so in case you don’t remember just how it all went down, here’s a spoiler-filled refresher of the major events in 2014:
January was a quiet month for comics, not a lot happened. DC began the year in the middle of their Forever Evil event which saw some of DC’s most prominent villains rise into the spotlight. Batman also started the year off strong, issue 27 was the top selling book of the month and would hold that mantel for the next couple of months. Joss Whedon gave Firefly fans a nice gift to start 2014 when he released the first issue of Serenity: Leaves on the Wind, a series that picked up where the movie left off. Marvel used the new year to introduce some new titles; Inhuman, All-New Avengers, Avengers World, Miracleman and Black Widow all got new ongoing series.
In February things got a bit more interesting. Marvel made some big plays and set major changes to their universe in motion. They began by bringing their founding family back into the spotlight, Fantastic Four got a fresh start and a new ongoing series, but by June rumours started to spread that the book would be cancelled and in October we had confirmation that in June 2015 The End is Fourever. There is something of a conspiracy that Marvel is trying to sabotage Fox Studio’s reboot of the movie franchise which is scheduled to hit theatres just two months after the Fantastic Four’s final issue, if you believe that sort of thing. February also saw the introduction of a new character stepping into the mantel of Ms. Marvel. Kamala Khan is Marvel’s first headlining Muslim hero. Beyond that, she is a teenage girl struggling to reconcile her religion and faith with her upbringing with her new found powers. Kamala is an Inhuman and gets her powers after the Inhumanity story line through Terrigenisis. She is also a fan girl, making her a compelling character as well as a critical and fan darling.
Marvel kept on rolling out the number ones in March; Carol Danvers stepped up to become Captain Marvel after Kamala took her former title. She got a new ongoing series, as did Daredevil, Ghost Rider and Moon Knight. Marvel also saw a new team of Secret Avengers kick off and become, in my humble opinion, one of the most underrated books of the year thanks to the amazing creative team of Ales Kot and Michael Walsh. While DC may not have produced a ton of new number ones at the beginning of the year, but they certainly made an impression with their Forever Evil story line. It may have begun in 2013, but it wasn’t until March that DC played their trump card and “killed” Nightwing. In March it genuinely looked like Dick Grayson may die, but never fear in May the story line will wrap up and answer all of our questions. As if that isn’t enough coolness for one month, March saw the beginning of American Vampire: Second Cycle. Scott Snyder picks up his story from where his 2010 series wrapped up. It’s a new launching point, but loyal readers will be rewarded for sticking around all the way through since this new chapter builds on the adventures of Pearl Jones and Skinner Sweet from the first cycle.
In April, DC took their turn introducing a bunch of new ongoing series. Sinestro got his own book and Justice League United gave the DCU a Canadian connection. On top of that, the ambitious Batman Eternal began its run. Eternal sets a dangerous precedent because of its weekly publication, both for the creator’s work schedules, and the wallets of their fans. Marvel continued its onslaught of number ones with Iron Fist: Living Weapon, Hulk, Nightcrawler, and Elektra as well as relaunching The Amazing Spider-Man. That’s right, Peter Parker returned after a long hiatus and Doc Ock’s reign of terror came to an end in Superior Spider-Man #31. On top of all of this, Marvel also released issue 0 of their first big event of the year. Original Sin saw the Marvel U get shaken up after the murder of the Watcher. Uatu’s secrets were released and Earth’s mightiest heroes were at each other’s throats.
Original Sin really picked up in May when issue 1 was released and was the top selling book for the month. Marvel also had to revamp their Ultimate universe in the wake of Cataclysm and Miles Morales: Ultimate Spider-Man got a new number 1 cementing his place in the Marvel canon. Over at DC Forever Evil 7 wrapped the story arc and revealed the fate of the DCU. New 52: Future’s End launched its weekly run in May, giving fans a glimpse at the future of the Multiverse as Batman Beyond hops through time in an attempt to stave off the apocalypse. Not to be outdone, Image also made a splash by launching two ambitious new titles: C.O.W.L. and Nailbiter are great, innovative books that many fans have added to their weekly pull lists. On top of that, fan and critical favourite Saga returned from its hiatus to match the success of its previous volume.
June was a less exciting month in the world of comics. Batman 32 reclaimed its title as the bestselling book, knocking Original Sin and The Amazing Spider-Man down a peg. After months of anticipation, Marvel began Wolverine: Three Months to Die in June and fans began counting down to the Canucklehead’s death. Unfortunately, Three Months to Die was a poorly conceived story arc and only served to stir controversy about how Marvel would approach the death. Image continued to introduce innovative new titles; Robert Kirkman’s Outcast, a horror story about an exorcist who has suffered his own demons began with its run and sat at number 11 on the list of bestselling books. The Wicked + The Devine by superstar team Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie also launched in June to critical and fan acclaim.
That’s it for the first half of the year. Check out Part two of our 2014 Comics Year in Review here!
