This week, while I’m away for the week, I have prepared an extra special week long-edition of the 7. It’s more than 7.14 times better than a regular edition of The 7 cause it’s the 50 most influential moments in comic book history. These are the moments that we remember for their shock, awe, and influence. They shaped the industry to being the crossover filled, variant covered, month-long-delayed industry we all know and love. Here’s the moments…

50. Todd McFarlane Draws Spider-Man - 1986
Spider-Man sales weren’t up to par, so Marvel took a rising star off the Hulk and plopped him into Amazing Spider-Man where he became one of the most popular creators around and the most influential Spider-Man artist since Steve Ditko originated the title. Todd McFarlane brought incredible detail to his art while making Spider-Man leap and crouch in unimaginable poses. He defined his style with extra stringy webbing and Spider-Man’s giant eyes. He also introduced Venom, one of Spider-Man’s greatest enemies and growing into one of Marvel’s most popular characters.
McFarlane’s influence continued when he started a new Spider-Man title from #1 and sold over one million copies. Eventually, because of his success on Spider-Man, McFarlane formed Image Comics and published Spawn, the best-selling independent comic and formed a mass media empire for himself. Toys, cartoons, movies, and comics worshipped the ground this man walked on, for a time, being the most powerful man in the industry.

49. JLA Relaunches - 1996
After more hit and misses than DC could fit under the rug, the publisher needed a blockbuster title, especially one starring its flagship team, the Justice League of America. Unfortunately, second-tier characters like Metamorpho, Vibe, and Gypsy dominated the team. So, editor Ruben Diaz employed British writer Grant Morrison to relaunch the team starring all of their top guns including Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Flash, Green Lantern, Aquaman, and Martian Manhunter. The title instantly became DC’s flagship title with some of the best stories to come out of the 60 year old publisher in years. The relaunch inspired spin-off titles for characters, creative relaunches for others, and the Justice League cartoon for the Cartoon Network.

48. Marvel Kills Off its Major Heroes - 1996
Marvel Comics was in trouble. The number one publisher of comic books went bankrupt and found its top characters selling at the bottom of the mainstream barrel. Desperate to rejuvenate creativity and sales, Marvel started the epic crossover, “Onslaught” where the X-Men’s mentor, Professor Xavier, goes insane and tries to remake the world. The Avengers, Fantastic Four, Dr. Doom, the X-Men, and dozens of other heroes faced off against Onslaught and all but the X-Men, took the ultimate sacrifice. The result? Marvel hired back Image co-founders Rob Liefeld and Jim Lee to re-envision the Avengers, Fantastic Four, Captain America, and Iron Man and make them top sellers. They did with incredible success. Eventually, Marvel brought back their mainstays into regular continuity with, again, huge fan support. The Onslaught storyline, in-directly, initiated the creative renaissance that rejuvenated the industry.

47. X-Men Film Becomes a Blockbuster – 2000
Complete with an astonishing $60 million opening weekend, the blockbuster made a success of Marvel’s flagship franchise while cementing the name of comic books in Hollywood’s mind. After a long line of flops like Mystery Men and the atrocious Marvel films from the late 80’s, X-Men became the first classic comic film based on a well known property. Successes like Blade, Men in Black, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles films had little association with the comics, but X-Men couldn’t escape its predecessor. Because of the film’s success, numerous comic movies went on the fast track. Spider-Man went on to become the fifth highest grossing film in history while Daredevil, X-Men 2, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and the Hulk will be released before July 2003. In addition, hundreds of other comic book films are in the works waiting to capitalize on the millions of movie goers who proved their loyalty with the X-Men.

46. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Enter the Small Press - 1984
Few know it, but the multimedia sensations, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles owe their success to their two comic book creators. Why? Those two guys created the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for their comic book. The Hollywood machine took the small press comic and turned it into a hit cartoon, three blockbuster films, and a merchandising swarm. The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles embody the dream for any small press creator to achieve unparalleled stardom. And it inspired the next generation of fun-loving, teenage-crime fighters.

45. Joker Kills Batgirl, Shooting Her Secret Identity-1986
One of the greatest villains of all time, the Joker sunk to new lows in Alan Moore and Brian Bolland’s one-shot Batman: The Killing Joke. Without any warning, the Clown Prince arrives at Barbara Gordon’s (a.k.a. Batgirl’s) door and shoots her through the spine. This leads to the Joker physically and psychologically torturing Barbara’s father, Commissioner James Gordon. Batman does what he can, but the damage has been done.
The Joker’s deed drastically changed his dynamic in the comics. He shot the defenseless and costumeless heroine in cold blood and in plain sight, heightening the violence seeping into comics during the 80’s as well as plain dramatic effect.

44. Cerebus Begins Publishing – 1977
With direct market comic book shops popping up, the indie creator had more of a chance to distribute and find an audience. Dave Sim’s independent epic about an aardvark with an attitude quickly achieved cult status and succeeded for nearly thirty years in continual publication. In addition to its humorous satire and profound stories inspired the independent industry to what it could achieve. Sim produces consistently quality work when the mainstream assembly line coughs up frequent hairballs. Many creators since have taken on their own epic stories using independent and self-publishing to bring their stories to the masses and challenge the artistic boundaries of the medium. Jeff Smith’s Bone and Joseph Michael Lisner’s Dawn are just two examples of the success Sim spawned.

43. Sandman Ends in #75 - 1996
Creators have it easy, these days. In the 40’s, creators weren’t even allowed to sign their work, let alone have creative control over it. But DC Comics allowed critically acclaimed writer Neil Gaiman to have all the control he wanted for his successful Sandman series when he wanted to end it with the 75th issue. Sandman, at its time, cemented DC’s Vertigo imprint as a creative haven and a financial success. In addition, by allowing Gaiman this creative control, Vertigo has continued the pattern by giving Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon’s Preacher and Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso’s 100 Bullets the same freedom to the delight of readers. This moment showed that the creators mattered and there was an art form hiding under the profits.

42. DC Comics Wins its Lawsuit Against Fawcett – 1951
Though without a doubt different characters, DC Comics never the less sued Fawcett Publications for imitating their Superman. Fawcett published the best-selling Captain Marvel that posed a threat to DC’s monopoly. DC sued almost every company who published superheroes for copying their superheroes and won a great deal, most from appeals. These lawsuits caused Fawcett, Charlton, and other companies to close while DC then purchased the rights to those characters. DC bolstered its character population with second string favorites like Plastic Man, Blue Beatle, and yes, Captain Marvel.
The lawsuit cemented DC’s dominance in the industry (at least until the 70’s when Marvel took over). Many of the characters they acquired through the lawsuits remain popular characters today. DC had power that it threw around, using its incredible gifts for selfish wants.

41. Miracleman Kills Kid Marvel - 1986
Alan Moore’s series about a superman styled superhero twisted all the rules and put Miracleman in a context on how superheroes would be treated if they lived in our world. Blood, death, and violence littered the title, reaching a climax where Miracleman’s sidekick, Kid Marvel, went insane and started a rampage. After a bloody battle, Miracleman defeated Kid Marvel, returning the teenager to his vulnerable, youthful form. While Kid Marvel thanked his mentor, Miracleman holds Kid Marvel’s head and doesn’t flinch when the blood splatters on his cheek.
Miracleman’s mercy killing supplanted the levels “heroes” could go to. Even X-Men writers didn’t show Wolverine killing. Since, comics have flooded the market with superheroes who follow their own set of rules like Spawn and the Authority. Both, of course, were met with incredible success.

Come back every day this week for the full list of the Most influential moments in comic book history