Year: 2001
The maturation process continues. Unlike the first time comics moved to pursue an adult audience with Watchmen and Dark Knight Returns, the change in the early aughts had much more texture and variety…And humor! Books like X-Statix added diversity and was as offbeat as anything in Marvel’s history. The violence of Garth Ennis’ Marvel Knights Punisher was gory and hilarious. Alias blew up and retconned whole chunks of continuity. I could go on and on. 2001 is where Marvel completed its big change of direction and turned its back on its own past.
Major Events:
- Grant Morrison completely reboots the X-Men and JMS and JR Jr. reinvents Spider-Man.
- Peter Parker finds out that Aunt May has known he is Spider-Man for a very long time.
- X-Force is retitled X-Statix and offers content truly unlike anything ever seen at Marvel before.
- Wolverine gets a full-blown origin story for the first time. It pisses off Chris Claremont.
- Emma Frost manifests her diamond skin power and joins the X-Men.
Important Deaths: Deaths that didn’t stick: Odin, Colossus, Surtur, Copycat. A bunch of more minor deaths were permanent, like Gamecock and Machete.
Best New Series: Alias. Also of note: Marvel Knights Punisher and The “color” group of miniserieses.
Series Cancelled: Generation X, X-Man, and X-Men: The Hidden Years.
Top 10 New Characters: Lots!
- Jessica Jones
- The extended New X-Men crew, including Glob, Beak, the Stepford Cuckoos, Angel (Salvadore), and No-Girl (Martha)
- The X-Statix cast, including Doop, U-Go Girl, Anarchist, Orphan, Spike, etc.
- Xorn
- Scarlet Centurion
- Cassandra Nova Xavier
- Stacy X (the first prostitute superhero?)
- Elsa Bloodstone
- Ezekiel Sims
- Thor Girl
Top 10 Stories: Such a great year that this list goes to 11.
- Marvel Knights Punisher #1-5
- Spider-Man’s Tangled Web #4: Severance Package
- Alias #1-5
- E is for Extinction: New X-Men #114-116
- Daredevil: Yellow
- Captain Marvel #17-18
- Hulk #24-25
- Amazing Spider-Man #477
- Fantastic Four 1234
- Captain Marvel #15-16
- Fury MAX