The comic book world had a strong start to 2019 with the comics released in January. DC Comics big event, Heroes In Crisis, continued to create buzz around what is going on in the DC Universe. Meanwhile other comics like Batman, Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, Justice League, Invaders, Uncanny X-Men and more delivered many moments for fans to talk about. What were some of these moments? Find out as we highlight some of the biggest comic book moments in January 2019.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #13
Moments like this will help strengthen the shake up to the status quo with J. Jonah Jameson now knowing that Peter Parker is Spider-Man. It felt like a meaningful chapter in their evolving friendship.
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #14
Fist bump is the best way to kick off a partnership as Rhino and Spider-Man team-up. How long this alliance last is anyone’s guess.
BATMAN #62
What made this scene standout this month was Batman’s reaction to when Professor Pyg took off his mask and his son, Damian Wayne, appeared as Robin. There were a lot of emotions in the facial reaction that Batman made during these panels.
BATMAN #63
This spoke to how alone Batman currently is and delivered the impact of the mental strain that the “Knightmares” arc is having on him as his villains are trying to drive him mad.
BLACK WIDOW #1
This is the first big conversation that Black Widow and Captain America have since he killed her when Steve was Captain Hydra. The conversation here seems to point to a bigger confrontation between Black Widow and Captain America down the line that could take up a whole issue.
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1
It’s tough to beat the core trio of the Scooby Gang. Seeing the beginning of Buffy, Willow and Xander’s friendship form felt like coming home to an universe full of possibilities.
CAPTAIN AMERICA #7
After the events of Civil War II and Secret Empire having a Secret Avengers-like team is needed more than ever. Because of that it is great that Sharon Carter has been able to create and leading a new super team to deal with what is now going on in the Marvel Universe.
CAPTAIN MARVEL #1
With everything that has happened it is easy to forget that Captain Marvel and Spider-Woman are best friends. It was a good change of pace to see this friendship re-established as a key part of this new Captain Marvel series.
CATWOMAN #7
While Batman is known as the Dark Knight do not forget that Catwoman can be just as intimidating when she wants to be. That look Selina gave to the poor jewelry store worker was both intimidating and frightening at the same time.
DETECTIVE COMICS #995
Even though Leslie Thompkins has not played a big part in any of the Batman Family comics it did not take away from how big her death was. Outside of Alfred, Leslie has known Bruce the longest and her death will surely have a lasting impact on his life.
DETECTIVE COMICS #996
Going off the revelation of Batman #62, Bruce telling Damian they need to talk when they get back is a long time coming. It has become rare to see Batman and Robin together. Maybe this is the first step to Bruce trying to be a good dad and mentor to Damian again.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #1
Probably the biggest surprise all month was the reveal that Aunt May now has cancer. This is something that will lead to some big personal stories for Peter Parker and Aunt May when Tom Taylor circles back to it in the near future.
FRIENDLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN #2
There is always something fun that comes from Spider-Man and Human Torch’s interactions. This was no different with how Human Torch reacted to the kids in the room and Spider-Man’s reaction to what he says.
GREEN ARROW #48
Roy Harper’s death has had the biggest impact of all the deaths that took place in Heroes In Crisis. So far Oliver Queen’s reaction to Roy’s death has made Heroes In Crisis even more important event because of its impact in Green Arrow.
GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #1
This is not necessarily the Guardians of the Galaxy roster I had in mind but it is an interesting enough of a mix that has a lot of potential.
HEROES IN CRISIS #4
There is no stopping the 24-7 news cycle. At least it was Lois Lane who broke the story of Sanctuary. Though Batman will never say that.
HEROES IN CRISIS #5
This revelation by Booster Gold has major ramifications for the rest of the Heroes In Crisis event. For one thing this indicates that Wally West, or a version of him, is still alive. Another thing this implies is that Wally is more involved in what happened at Sanctuary than anyone, including Batman, has been able to discover. What exactly Wally’s involvement is could make or break this event from this point forward.
INVADERS #1
This scene between the original Human Torch and Captain America is an eye opening moment that puts into context just about every appearance of Namor. The character has been around for such a long time and experienced so much that it is not surprising who he has become in the present.
JUSTICE LEAGUE #16
This was a heartbreaking thing to see Shayera Hol to deal with. Even though I’m not familiar with the Hawk Family history the way this is drawn makes you feel the pain Shayera is now going through.
SPIDER-GWEN: GHOST SPIDER #4
Since Spider-Verse we haven’t had a lot of interactions between Peter Parker and Spider-Gwen. The only big interactions they’ve had was during the Clone Conspiracy. But even those were very quick given what was going on at the time. Because of that it was nice to see the bond that Peter and Gwen created with their quick, but big, moment where they promised to watch each others back still stands.
TITANS #33
After everything that has happened it is great to see Donna Troy acting as the strong, confident leader of the Titans. This is the Donna Troy fans love and hopefully we continue to see in the future.
UNCANNY X-MEN ANNUAL #1
For the first time it felt like we could believe the X-Men are on the road of recovery. It just took Cyclops back to being the superhero and leader of the X-Men to do it. Who would’ve ever thought that was all it would take?
WONDER WOMAN #62
A weapon is only as strong as its wielder. That is something Wonder Woman shows Ares with how she uses her Lasso of Truth.
YOUNG JUSTICE #1
If you did not smile when Impulse said “Young Justice is back” what is wrong with you? Seeing Young Justice back is just pure joy. Let’s just ignore the fact that this is actually the first incarnation of Young Justice in the current DC Universe continuity so what Impulse said isn’t necessarily true.