The Most Surprising and Influential Superhero Comics of the 1990s and Early 2000s

There were so many great Batman books to consider here. Knightfall certainly comes to mind. But if we’re talking influential, then Loeb and Sale’s now-classic Batman mystery book is the one. This really put the detective in Detective Comics, cementing Batman not only as a great hero, but as the world’s greatest detective.

Why would I include this run of Birds of Prey? First, it’s a great run. But also, it’s the run of comics that really introduces the world to the magic of Gail Simone. And the way she has with telling superhero team stories? Other comic book writers have been trying to imitate it ever since.

You had to have been there. I was. I was visiting my local comic book shop, grabbing every issue in this crossover event, sure in my gut that they wouldn’t really kill Superman. Then it happened. The black bag issue followed. Then Funeral for a Friend. It made national headlines. Surprising? Absolutely. Nothing has stunned me more since.

Okay. Technically, Hellblazer began in the late ’80s. It really took off in the early ’90s though, and is now considered one of the definitive comics of that decade. It tells the tale of John Constantine, a chain-smoking man who doesn’t get along with anybody, but he really hates demons and hell. It’s gritty. It’s grimdark. It’s oh, so ’90s. And yeah, I’d argue that John is a superhero.

Funny enough, I wouldn’t have put Invincible on this list just a few short years ago. It started in the early 2000s. It was good, but overshadowed by Kirkman’s The Walking Dead. Now, with the show doing so well, its influence is apparent. We’re already seeing more comics directly influenced by this Viltrumite saga, and that’s sure to continue.

Alex Ross is most famous as a cover artist. And when I say “artist,” I mean he paints. They’re gorgeous. Hyper-realistic. And DC’s Kingdom Come is one of the few comics where he also did all the interior work. Oh, and the Elseworlds story is dark, gritty, shocking, and still finds its way to the hopefulness that DC superheroes are often known for.

There might not be a comic book that better defines the early 2000s than Ultimate Spider-Man. Bendis broke Stan Lee’s old streak of consecutive issues as writer. The title defined the original Ultimate universe, introduced Miles Morales, and its influence has been apparent in comics and movies ever since.

I had to pick at least one Image Comics book. Spawn may have seemed like the obvious choice, but I find that Jim Lee’s WildC.A.T.s has had a more lasting effect on comics. Image was formed because creators were tired of creating great stories and characters for the Big Two but not owning them. WildC.A.T.s was Lee’s answer to the X-Men, and his wild take on this new team definitely influenced other team books for years.

Do you know what the highest-selling comic book of all time is? X-Men #1 from 1991. It launched a new team, all kitted out in Jim Lee designs that have persisted as the definitive looks even to this day. They squared off against Magneto, their old nemesis, and set the stage for decades of new storytelling.