Year in Review: Comics 2014 (Part 2)
This is part two of the 2014 Comics Year in Review. Check out part one here!
July was another big month for Marvel. Just in time for their new movie, two members of the Guardians of the Galaxy got solo titles. Skottie Young was put in charge of Rocket Raccoon and the stylized and super fun number one issue knocked Batman out of its spot at the top of the best sellers list. Not to be outdone by his teammates, Peter Quill also got a new ongoing series called The Legendary Star Lord. Over at DC, there was controversy over the portrayal of Wonder Girl on the cover of Teen Titans #1. Her cleavage baring costume and fully developed figure were deemed unrealistic for the hero’s age and DC was accused of over sexualizing a character who might otherwise be a role model for young women. But DC’s July wasn’t all controversy; Dick Grayson found new life after the death of Nightwing and became an agent of the top secret spy agency, Spyral. The Bat-family also addressed the death of Damien Wayne as Batman desperately tried to recover his son’s body as the Robin Rises story arc began.
Batman #34 reclaimed the Dark Knight’s place as bestselling book in August as the Robin Rises saga continued. But DC had more big plans for to wrap up the summer. Grant Morrison’s Multiversity began and took fans on an expedition through the various dimensions of the DCU. Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman also began to the celebration of fans. Sensation Comics falls outside of continuity, so with Gail Simone and Ethan Van Sciver in charge, the clock was turned back before the New 52 and this new title found Barbara Gordon reprising her role as Oracle. Marvel had a surprise of their own, Superior Spider-Man was supposed to have ended, but in August issue #32 popped up and Otto Octavius’ Superior Spider-Man gave fans a first look at the big Spider-centric event, Spider-verse.
Marvel had a big September, Edge of Spider-verse was a five-issue mini-series that introduced fan favourite Spider-Gwen who will have her own ongoing in 2015. With the introduction of a new favourite, the final chapter began for one of Marvel’s best loved characters; Death of Wolverine issues one and two released in September and claimed top spot as best sellers as fans were eager to find out how Logan would meet his end. In the meantime, DC introduced their series of one shots as part of their Future’s End story arc. The series placed favourite DC heroes in the future to see what may become of them. Image launched a couple of titles that would prove poplar; God Hates Astronauts, Copperhead, and Roche Limit are all still going strong.
Every year October causes an onslaught of Halloween themed books. This year, keeping in tune with the season, Walking Dead #132 was the bestselling book of the month. Marvel wrapped the Death of Wolverine and gave the famous mutant a fitting end. In the meantime, they also launched their newest event Axis which would throw much of the Marvel into chaos. On top of that Guardians 3000, Deathlok, and Bucky Barnes: The Winter Soldier all started their new ongoing series. One of the most controversial moves made by Marvel this year was the passing of Mjolnir to a new guardian. A new female Thor emerged in October and has been kicking butt ever since. Over at DC, they also decided to makeover some of their characters. Both Batgirl and Catwoman got a new look and a new approach in issue 35. Along with the introduction of Gotham Academy, DC proved that they could move away from the bleak tone of the New 52. They also kicked off Arkham Manor and Trinity of Sin while Deathstroke, Klarion, and Lobo all made their solo debuts in the New 52 mythology.
As the year wound down, so did DC; in November they launched the ongoing Gotham by Midnight which gives Jim Corrigan a home in the New 52 as the head of a GCPD precinct that are in charge of all things that go bump in the night. They also announced that Wonder Woman would be helmed by husband and wife team David and Meredith Finch as of issue 36. Marvel showed no sign of slowing despite the approaching holidays. Fallout from their major events paved the way for a series of new ongoing titles. Jessica Drew got some attention outside of her role in Spider-verse and has her own title Spider-Woman. Axis gave way to Superior Iron Man and All-New Captain America in which Sam Wilson (aka Falcon) carries the shield. Marvel also began to address the aftermath of Wolverine’s death in Death of Wolverine: Logan Legacy and Weapon X Program. Image launched bold new titles such as Intersect and the fantasy epic Tooth and Claw along with Matt Fraction’s ODY-C .
And finally December rolled around, bringing with it a series of very cool DC variant covers by Darwyn Cooke as well as the premier of the Secret Six in the New 52 with Gail Simone at the reigns. Image’s month was similarly quiet, but they did release the highly anticipated first issue of Bitch Planet. Marvel wrapped up Axis while introducing new titles Angela: Asgard’s Assassin and S.H.I.E.L.D. #1 which gives Coulson and his team a home in the realm of comics. They also tied into their upcoming show on Sony’s PlayStation network with the release of Powers #1.
All in all, 2014 was a busy year in the comic industry, and with both of the major publishers looking to create synchronicity between their comic and cinematic universes, 2015 looks to be very exciting indeed.
