Comic Book Characters Turning 25 In 2022

When some folks think of '90s superheroes, they think of dudes with big guns, big swords, and bad attitudes, flanked by female characters who all fight in either skin-tight bodysuits or lingerie. Basically, they think of Fabian Nicieza and Rob Liefeld's X-Force or one of the many other X-Men knockoffs that emerged in the shadow of the Clinton administration. 

However, if we look at the notable new characters who make their first appearance in comics published in 1997, most of them don't fit that stereotype at all. In fact, the way we think about '90s comics isn't all that different from the way we think about '90s rock music. Our tendency is to fixate on Nirvana and Pearl Jam while forgetting all about The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Chumbawamba.  

Also quite like the best rock music from the end of the century, superhero comics from the '90s that stand the test of time push boundaries while championing a sense of gritty authenticity. Though wildly different, Mark Waid and Alex Ross's "Kingdom Come," and Sam Kieth's "The Maxx" both fit that particular bill. And you know what? Even if it's not a universally held opinion, we think Liefeld's "X-Force" does too.

Maybe not all the characters who made our list of top 1997 debuts push boundaries while keeping it real — but they all do at least one of those things, and we'll be darned if we won't give them credit for that. Here are comic characters celebrating 25 years of boundary-breaking in 2022.

Because somebody thought an old lady living with the hyper-violent and foul-mouthed Deadpool would be hilarious, Marvel added Blind Al to The Merc with a Mouth's supporting cast as of "Deadpool #1," the launch of his first ongoing title. Surely, someone accurately predicted Wade's mysterious confidant would become one of the most significant new superhero-adjacent characters to appear in 1997 — and at the time, most folks dismissed that person as insane.     

Meanwhile, here we are in the post-2020 universe where Blind Al, played by Leslie Uggams, appears prominently in both of the massively popular Deadpool movies starring Ryan Reynolds. The onscreen Blind Al operates as a somewhat maternal, stabilizing figure in Wade Wilson's life, although she gives the impression that she could switch and become a profoundly unstabilizing figure at the drop of a hat if she felt like it.     

Technically, Jackie "The Darkness" Estacado might have sold a few more comic books that year, but has he been in more movies than Blind Al? He has not. That makes the score between Blind Al and The Darkness tied, 1 to 1. 

Your move, The Darkness.  

Lots of stuff was different in the '90s. For instance, folks who thought of themselves as having sophisticated taste in movies took Kevin Smith seriously. Arguably, they were far from crazy to do so at the time. Some folks will tell you his 1997 opus "Chasing Amy" — a romantic comedy starring a pre-mega stardom Ben Affleck, Jason Lee, and Joey Lauren Adams — remains the high watermark of Smith's auteur filmmaking. 

In "Chasing Amy," Holden McNeil (Affleck) writes and draws the comic "Bluntman and Chronic," which he co-created with his best bud Banky Edwards (Lee). The titular Batman and Robin lampoons are flagrantly based on affable burnouts Jay and Silent Bob (Jason Mewes and Smith) — who first appeared in the director's unlikely breakthrough, 1994's "Clerks."

During this period — remember, Joel Schumacher's terminally campy "Batman and Robin" also came out in 1997 – mass media made fun of superhero nerds far more often than it catered to them; ergo, Smith's depictions of comic book geeks as suave, romantically and sexually savvy guys who look like Ben Affleck pocketed Silent Bob an ocean of goodwill with the global nerd community. 

Since their premiere, Bluntman and Chronic crossed over from in-universe comic book characters to regular comic book characters in sequential art outings published by Oni Press. They're also referenced as in-universe fictional characters in a handful of other Kevin Smith movies.

How well "Transmetropolitan" holds up is certainly a debatable matter. To make a case in its favor, we can point to the presidential election depicted in the arc titled "Year of The Bastard," and note that a choice between The Beast or The Smiler has highly prescient implications for real-world national politics in the 2010s and 2020s. "Transmet" also predicts the ascendence of social media with a human population whose vanity compels it to volunteer for mass surveillance and constant intrusive advertising, while demanding endless stimulation.  

To make a case against, we can say "Transmet" isn't as progressive as it thinks it is, and the reputation of its charismatic celebrity writer has since crumbled under emotional abuse and manipulation allegations. Basically, "Transmet" is the cyberpunk answer to "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" which, coincidentally, also premiered in 1997.  

In "Transmet," debauched gonzo journalist Spider Jerusalem must use his newspaper column — a platform that's somehow incredibly influential in this version of the future — to scream against his society's staggering political, technological, and corporate corruption. Some folks consider "Transmet" an untouchable classic, others thought it was funnier when they were teenagers. Objectively speaking, Spider belongs alongside Uncle Duke of "Doonesbury" as one of fiction's most trenchant Hunter S. Thompson stand-ins. Spider is also certainly the inspiration for innumerable half-regrettable tattoos.  

Spider is the mental product of Warren Ellis and Darick Robertson, the latter of whom went on to co-create of The Boys with Garth Ennis.

Is "Batman: The Long Halloween" underrated? The idea that one of the most acclaimed Batman comics of all time isn't getting its due sounds absurd, but based on the influence it's had on live action cinematic tales set in Gotham City — namely 2008's "The Dark Knight" and 2022's upcoming "The Batman" — perhaps Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's stylish mobster murder mystery deserves more attention than it gets.

"The Long Halloween" certainly has more direct implications for the Batman franchise than, let's say, "The Dark Knight Returns," Frank Miller's breathlessly lauded dystopian future epic. As far as movies go, "DKR" mostly just inspired Ben Affleck's costume in "Batman v Superman."     

"The Long Halloween" started its run in 1996, but crime family princess Sofia Falcone doesn't appear until an issue was released in May of 1997. While lacking anything like the colorful costumes or morbid senses of humor characteristic of Gotham's most recognizable crooks, Sofia made her way into primetime television regardless, portrayed by Crystal Reed in "Gotham."  

The 1996 relaunch of the Justice League moved Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman back to the forefront of DC's quintessential all-star team and helped establish Grant Morrison as one of the most prominent and distinct voices in superhero comics — especially team books. While the lineup starts out succinct and traditional, plenty of additional faces enter the fold before long. These include established heroes like Steel, Huntress, and Plastic Man — plus, fantastical new entities such as the literally angelic Zauriel. 

Created by Morrison and Howard Porter, Zauriel literally falls out of the sky in "JLA #6." Soon after, Zauriel enlists the League's aid to foil a cadre of traitorous angels attempting a military coup on Heaven, who also decide to conquer Earth as a bonus. Initially, Zauriel turns down Superman's offer to join the League, but changes his mind a handful of issues later. 

Concepts borrowed from contemporary mainstream religion are all over the place in '90s superhero comics — plenty of angels and devils appear in Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman," as well as "Spawn," "Witchblade," "The Darkness," ect. Nevertheless, Zauriel scans like a potentially fresh take on preexisting mythology. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby tried a version of this idea with Odinism back in the '60s, to significant sales and critical acclaim. 

As it happens, Morrison primarily willed Zauriel into existence because they needed a Hawkman replacement. Zauriel premieres in a timeless JLA run, but he's hardly been charged with the same creative energy in subsequent years.

Originally a Justice Society staple with the ability to become exceptionally fast and strong for precisely an hour, after which time he'd revert back into a normal shlub, the original Hourman — who might be on his way to the big screen if we understand this article correctly — premiered in 1940. 

Meanwhile, the '90s Hourman created by Grant Morrison and Howard Porter is an android who originates from the 853rd Century. Clearly a departure from the previous two Hourmans, the '90s "JLA" Hourman plays a significant role in multiple noteworthy arcs and starred in his own series for a short time. 

Perhaps most pertinently, Hourman has a major influence over the events of "Rock of Ages" — the bleak time-travel tale that may have partially inspired the Knightmare timeline of "Zack Synder's Justice League," as well as the plot of "Justice League Dark: Apokolips War."    

While the original Hourman, Rex Tyler, has crossed over into live-action and appeared on multiple episodes of the Arrowverse's "Stargirl" and "Legends of Tomorrow," — played by Lou Ferrigno, Jr. and Patrick J. Adams, respectively — the synthetic Hourman has yet to make the jump to televised media. As he's functionally immortal and resides in the far distant future, we understand why he doesn't think of himself as in a hurry to get on TV, or ever do anything.