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What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

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What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Old 03-01-17, 10:37 AM
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What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Something like "the start of Image Comics" wouldn't count because that's on the business side but Spawn 1 (or any major crossover, storyline, or new continuity) would count. I've got The Death of Captain Marvel because that seems like the death event template now, The Dark Knight Returns because of the art style and it was a factor in Batman (1989) getting made (hugely significant comic event as well that doesn't count for this), and The Watchmen for the comics as art argument.
Old 03-01-17, 11:42 AM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Age of Apocalypse would be high on my list. Before the age of the internet I walked into a comic book store and looked in the preview magazines and word was that the X line had been cancelled.
Old 03-01-17, 11:56 AM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Crisis on Infinite Earths would fit in there somewhere, as an early crossover event as well as a history reboot.

Old 03-01-17, 01:14 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Marvel and DC starting to release some comic titles to the direct market only in the early 80's?
Old 03-01-17, 03:09 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Creative side, no particular order:

Death of Superman
Alan Moore writing Swamp Thing
Walking Dead

Business side, in order:

Formation of the Direct Market
Marvel acquiring Heroes World and self-distributing
Founding of Image Comics
Old 03-01-17, 04:23 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Creative side:

1.The Dark Knight Returns: This comic was a huge even when it came out and caused the general media to look at comics in a different light.

2. The Death of Superman: This was a huge media event. Superman 75 ended up selling millions of copies even making it to a fourth or fifth printing. People bought multiple copies and no characters death as ever been as big since.

3. X-Men #1: No comic before or after was able to sell as many copies as this one did. It also started the downward slide before the market crashed.

Business:

1.Macfarlane, Leifield, Lee and Valentino form Image: Changed the way creators owned their characters.

2. The start of the direct market: Caused the next comic book boom and also caused the market to crash.

3. Marvel goes bankrupt: Nuff said.
Old 03-01-17, 05:57 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by Timber
Age of Apocalypse would be high on my list. Before the age of the internet I walked into a comic book store and looked in the preview magazines and word was that the X line had been cancelled.
Really? I wasn't under that impression at the time, especially with the rest of the Marvel Universe being untouched.

Dark Knight Returns and Watchmen aren't just significant for the media impact, for better or worse they changed the course of superhero comics.

I'd argue Maus is up there for comic as art, especially in the eyes of the public.

Not sure if it's top 3 but I'd at least put the death of Jean Grey (or so we thought) in the Dark Phoenix Saga as having a bigger impact than even Captain Marvel's OGN.
Old 03-02-17, 12:02 AM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

On the comic side of things:

Crisis on Infinite Earths-- Started a whole new continuity, made any comic characters deaths irrelevent, and was one of the first "event" type storylines that crossed over into nearly every regular monthly title.

Dark Knight Returns-- Started the dark and gritty style stories and made comics less campy. It also started the idea of collecting multiple issues in collected form to be sold in bookstores which changed the way writers approached writing comics.

Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars-- (maybe) Started the idea of annual events where all the companies heroes band together to find an intergalactic or nearly omnipotent foe. It also started the idea that it was good for sales to shake up the staus quo, if only temporarily. Spider-man's costume change, She Hulk becoming a member of the Fantastic Four, etc.

On the business side:

The introduction of the direct market

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles--- Started the boom of the independent comics/ low budget comic craze

The formation of Image Comics--- ended the big 2's dominace in the marketplace. Marvel and DC will no longer get any new characters of any significance as anything new will most likely be creator owned nowadays. Marvel and DC are now forced to created offshoots of their main classic characters, ie; the Scarlet Spider, Miles Morales, Lady Thor, War Machine, all the characters in the 2099 universe, etc.
Old 03-02-17, 03:25 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Crisis On Infinite Earths - This event changed the nature of company-wide crossovers forever in the industry. It was a great story that successfully ended the classic DC universe and introduced a new one. Sadly, we've only been downhill since Crisis when it comes to these now constant marketing stunts by Marvel and DC boosting their sales.

The Dark Knight Returns - The template for Batman that ended up turning him into pop culture's most popular comic book character. While daring and challenging at the time, Miller's TDKR ultimately ruined the idea of comic book superheroes as we had known them for fifty years more than any other work, including anything Alan Moore ever did. I really would love to know how superheroes would have evolved without its insidious influence.

Marvel's entire Ultimate line - This is the genesis of where we are today with Marvel. Abandoning decades of Marvel history, they redid familiar characters with significant changes that often had little connection with the established legacy versions. I point to this line as the day the Marvel I had read for years was dead. Once it gained traction, I knew the Ultimate changes would bleed over into established Marvel continuity. Even DC would pull their own Ultimate stunt with the New 52 reboot.

Last edited by PhantomStranger; 03-02-17 at 03:30 PM.
Old 03-02-17, 09:10 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Crisis on Infinite Earths - I think everyone has mentioned the importance in this thread

Infinity Gauntlet - Even though Marvel had events, they were mostly done in summer annuals and crossovers on the regular series. Infinity Gauntlet changed the formula for Marvel that we are still seeing today with an event with multiple tie-ins leading to another event to another event to another event.

Dark Knight Returns/Watchmen - Set the tone of comic books for the past 30 years. Darker, more realistic and grounded stories in which violence and sex is the norm.
Old 03-03-17, 09:04 AM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by Timber
Age of Apocalypse would be high on my list. Before the age of the internet I walked into a comic book store and looked in the preview magazines and word was that the X line had been cancelled.
It was the reason I quit reading comics the first time.
Old 03-03-17, 01:37 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by Red Hood
Crisis on Infinite Earths - I think everyone has mentioned the importance in this thread

Infinity Gauntlet - Even though Marvel had events, they were mostly done in summer annuals and crossovers on the regular series. Infinity Gauntlet changed the formula for Marvel that we are still seeing today with an event with multiple tie-ins leading to another event to another event to another event.

Dark Knight Returns/Watchmen - Set the tone of comic books for the past 30 years. Darker, more realistic and grounded stories in which violence and sex is the norm.
Marvel really did milk the Infinity Gauntlet into multiple crossovers, each one less exciting than the one before. The first Infinity Gauntlet is a good crossover and probably Marvel's best executed massive storyline.
Old 03-03-17, 01:44 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Didn't Secret Wars do it before Infinity Gauntlet, though? Multiple tie ins across titles and a sequel event.
Old 03-03-17, 02:01 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by fujishig
Didn't Secret Wars do it before Infinity Gauntlet, though? Multiple tie ins across titles and a sequel event.
Secret Wars did come before The Infinity Gauntlet but the latter was far bigger in scope. Secret Wars was fairly self-contained from the normal Marvel continuity from what I remember. It was a lot easier ignoring Secret Wars if you were a regular Marvel reader at the time.
Old 03-03-17, 04:19 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger
Secret Wars did come before The Infinity Gauntlet but the latter was far bigger in scope. Secret Wars was fairly self-contained from the normal Marvel continuity from what I remember. It was a lot easier ignoring Secret Wars if you were a regular Marvel reader at the time.
During Secret Wars the regular titles would have footnotes, *This story takes place before Secret Wars. Spider-Man continuity was severely impacted by Secret Wars however.
Old 03-03-17, 04:56 PM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Originally Posted by PhantomStranger
Secret Wars did come before The Infinity Gauntlet but the latter was far bigger in scope. Secret Wars was fairly self-contained from the normal Marvel continuity from what I remember. It was a lot easier ignoring Secret Wars if you were a regular Marvel reader at the time.
That might've been true of the first Secret Wars, but Secret Wars II had tie in issues across the entire line of Marvel titles. Other than a few random crossovers with C list titles like Sleepwalker and Cloak & Dagger, Infinity Guantlet really didn't have much to do with anything beyond Silver Surfer and Dr. Strange.
Old 03-09-17, 08:00 AM
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Re: What are the 3 most significant comic events of the last 40 years?

Art Spiegelman's Maus. I read the first book, maybe in 5th/6th grade. A "serious" comic book and made the medium feel bigger than even the Marvel Universe.

Miracleman #15. Crazy what happens in that issue, but unfortunately it became a pretty common occurrence in the Marvel and DCU, especially the latter's universe.

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