With the trailer for the Disney+ series Ms. Marvel and She-Hulk: Attorney At Law released, summer 2022 promises to be one of origin stories. While it's fascinating to see these characters before they become their most iconic selves, "year one" stories, which focus on the first year of a hero's career, have been a staple of comic book houses for years.
Year One stories show off characters at the very start of their career. This makes them the perfect entry point for newbie comic book fans. Seeing heroes out of their depth, going through failures, and learning from mistakes humanizes them a lot to readers.
Green Arrow: Year One
Green Arrow's origin story harkens back to his Robinson Crusoe origin and expands on it. Published well before Arrow's release, Andy Diggle provides the groundwork that would inspire that CW classic. Jock, meanwhile, draws a distinctly grungy style to the comic which fits well with New 52's darker direction.
Hawkeye'd viewers might have spotted that Andy Diggle shares a last name with the character John Diggle. That's because Marc Guggenheim admitted to naming the character after the writer, as thanks for inspiring the CW story. Any fans of Arrow should give this story a read.
Doctor Strange: Season One
Doctor Strange: Season One, written by Greg Pak and illustrated by Emma Rios, is the modern retelling of the Sorcerer Supreme's origins. The story still follows with the story of a brilliant neurosurgeon looking for any way to restore his hands after a nearly fatal car accident.
The characterization of Strange (as well as his supporting cast) is fascinatingly "negative". At the start of their respective journeys, Strange is brilliant but his arrogance is far worse than his older self. Wong too is far from jovial, and oftentimes snarky than helpful. Still, they all band together to do the right thing, much as they may complain about it.
Captain America: Man Out of Time
Captain America: Man Out of Time is not a traditional "origin" story. Instead of detailing his transformation into Captain America, the war hero, this book details the story of Captain America, The Avenger. It details how he got to be frozen in the first place, as well as what his first year in modern times was like.
Written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Jorge Molina, the comic details how a man out of time would react to modern society. Tony Stark painting all the ways that society has progressed, while an old friend of Cap's tells him all the blood spilled to get there, was a fantastic way to give Cap his reasons to say in the modern-day.
Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Green Lantern: Secret Origin retells the classic story of how Hal Jordan would become one of the world's greatest superheroes, Green Lantern, to a new generation of readers. Written by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Ivan Reis, this beautifully captures the origins of the Emerald Defender, as well as some of his greatest foes.
Hal Jordan is portrayed as a directionless young man. He has all the vigor and talent in the world, but nowhere to direct it. His rocky family life and messy military career are only the cherries on top. On perhaps the worst day of his life, however, a strange alien ship crashes nearby and forces him to take a mysterious oath. The Green Lantern's oath.
X-Men: Season One
Before all the wacky family issues and mutant genocides, X-Men started as a team of five young mutants looking to do some good in the world. X-Men: Season One, written by Dennis Hopeless and illustrated by Jamie McKelvie, retells the first 10 issues of the iconic superhero mutant team in a modern setting.
The characters are all very young and inexperienced here in an endearing way. Well before all the drama that would befall them, they were just a bunch of teens finding their place in the world. Jean being the focus character, snarking at all the weird adventures, was a fun change of pace from her darker arcs.
Superman: Birthright
Superman: Birthright, written by Mark Waid and illustrated by Lenil Francis Yu, is a modern retelling of Superman's iconic origin story. Considering Superman's origin story is arguably the most famous of origin stories, it takes a lot of talent to give it an interesting spin. Mark Waid manages to do just that.
The story takes on all of Superman's classic lore and dives deeper than any other story before it. Aspects of his character such as how he had the "secret identity" idea, befriending a young Lex Luthor, and his first foray into superheroes are done well. The tragedy of Krypton is also given much more weight in this story.
Daredevil: The Man Without Fear
Frank Miller has a habit of writing for tortured vigilantes, and there was no better hero to receive the Miller treatment than Daredevil. In Daredevil: The Man Without Fear, Miller (along with illustrator John Romita Jr.) once again gives a gritty retelling of the vigilante's first year as a vigilante. The Frank Miller run inspired the Netflix Daredevil show immensely, and fans of either will notice the similarities.
Much like Miller did with Batman, he brought Daredevil back with a vengeance, and the character would become a mainstay of the New York criminal underworld's lore. This story also introduces Elektra and brings Kingpin up against Daredevil for the first time (chronologically at least).
Invincible
Invincible, written by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker, is a deep reconstruction of the Superhero genre. It's dark, edgy and at times frighteningly nihilistic. However, it's also bright, and vivid, and shows off heroes fighting against all odds to protect the world with their courage and kindness.
Those virtues are best seen in the focus character, Mark Grayson, AKA Invincible. The story follows Mark training his newfound powers, as he makes the mistakes that all young heroes make. Through all that, however, their determination to do what's right shines through. Invincible, despite being rife with familiar tropes, ends up being a breath of fresh air.
Batman: Year One
Batman: Year One is what every single Batman movie strives to be. Gritty, dark, and yet engaging on every level. Written by a prime Frank Miller and illustrated by David Mazzucchelli, the story tackles Batman's unsurprisingly awful first year as Gotham's protector. At the same time, it also follows Gordon's rocky home life, painting the commissioner in a rare unflattering light.
This story would be the catalyst for both DC and Marvel to start putting out Year One stories of their iconic characters. Despite this historical influence, it never quite got the live-action movie it deserved. Notoriously, Joel Schumacher wanted to make a Year One movie when he was signed to replace Tim Burton. Unfortunately for the world, studios wanted Batman Forever instead.
Ultimate Spider-Man
While Batman: Year One may have started the craze for Year One stories, Ultimate Spider-Man arguably perfects the formula. Almost the entire story is a Year One feel. In the absurdly mean-spirited and depressing Ultimates universe, Ultimate Spider-Man stands as a beacon of optimism.
The entire story deals with all the troubles that come with being a young superhero and is considered by many fans to be the quintessential portrayal of Teen Peter Parker. Brian Michael Bendis fights against the tide of angst and wacky gimmicks of the early 2000s, bringing forth a classic Spider-Man story with the power of hope at its core.