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Comics industry timeline, 2012–2025: the events that shaped the market

Published Sep 14, 2026 · Updated Sep 14, 2026 · Event date Jun 29, 2025 · 3 min read

Short answerThe years from 2012 to 2025 saw the founding of CBCS (2014), the biggest single-issue print run since 1993 (Star Wars #1, 2015), the deaths of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko (2018), the pandemic distribution shutdown (2020), Marvel and DC leaving Diamond (2020–2021), a run of record auction prices (2021–2024) and Diamond's bankruptcy (January 2025). This timeline lists the documented events that mattered for collectors, year by year.

2012

  • March — Image publishes Saga #1 by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples.
  • June — DC's Before Watchmen prequels begin.
  • July — The Walking Dead #100 is the best-selling comic of the year.
  • October — Marvel NOW! relaunch begins.

2013

  • October — DC Entertainment announces it will move its publishing operation from New York to Burbank, California.

2014

  • CBCS (Comic Book Certification Service) is founded in Dallas by Steve Borock, formerly CGC's primary grader. See CGC vs CBCS.
  • October — Marvel's Thor #1 introduces Jane Foster as Thor.

2015

  • January — Marvel's Star Wars #1 ships roughly a million copies, the largest single-issue print run since the early 1990s.
  • April — DC completes its move to Burbank.
  • May — Secret Wars begins; the Marvel line relaunches afterwards as All-New, All-Different Marvel.
  • September — DC begins crediting Bill Finger as Batman's co-creator.

2016

2017

  • September — Marvel Legacy relaunch. Len Wein, co-creator of Wolverine and Swamp Thing, dies on 10 September.

2018

  • April — Action Comics #1000 is published.
  • June — Steve Ditko, co-creator of Spider-Man and Doctor Strange, dies in New York.
  • November — Stan Lee dies in Los Angeles on 12 November, aged 95. See Stan Lee and the signed-comic market.
  • Beckett Collectibles acquires CBCS.

2019

  • March — Detective Comics #1000 is published, Batman's 80th anniversary year.
  • August — Marvel Comics #1000 marks Marvel's 80th anniversary.

2020

  • March — Diamond Comic Distributors halts all shipments as the COVID-19 pandemic closes shops; new comics stop for roughly two months.
  • June — DC announces it will no longer distribute through Diamond, ending Diamond's near-monopoly on the direct market.

2021

  • January — A CGC 9.4 Batman #1 sells for 2.22 million dollars at Heritage.
  • March — Marvel announces its move to Penguin Random House for direct-market distribution, effective 1 October 2021.
  • April — A CGC 8.5 Action Comics #1 sells for 3.25 million dollars via ComicConnect.
  • September — A CGC 9.6 Amazing Fantasy #15 sells for 3.6 million dollars at Heritage, then a record for any comic.

2022

  • January — A CGC 8.0 Detective Comics #27 sells for 1.5 million dollars at Heritage.
  • March — A CGC 9.4 Marvel Comics #1 sells for 2.4 million dollars at Heritage.
  • April — A CGC 9.4 Captain America Comics #1 sells for 3.12 million dollars at Heritage. Neal Adams dies on 28 April.
  • May — George Pérez dies on 6 May.
  • December — Heritage announces a private sale of a CGC 7.0 Superman #1 for 5.3 million dollars, a new record.

2023

  • June — John Romita Sr., who designed the Punisher and Wolverine's costume, dies on 12 June.
  • October — Keith Giffen dies.

2024

  • April — A CGC 8.5 Action Comics #1 sells for 6 million dollars at Heritage, the current record. See Record comic book sales.
  • October — DC launches the Absolute Universe line.

2025

  • January — Diamond Comic Distributors files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on 14 January. See The Diamond bankruptcy explained.
  • May — Peter David, writer of The Incredible Hulk for twelve years, dies on 24 May.
  • June — Jim Shooter, Marvel's editor-in-chief from 1978 to 1987, dies on 30 June.

This timeline is limited to events that were publicly reported at the time and will be extended as the record grows.

Written by the Rare Comics Collectors grading team. Spotted an error or have a question this guide does not answer? Tell us.

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