Memorable Modern Mythology Moments of 2009

By Ryan Riley, Contributor

Well, folks, I think we can all agree that 2009 was fairly eventful. Among other things, Barack Obama took office as President of the United States (more on him in a little bit), the "King of Pop" left this mortal coil unexpectedly, and the on and off-camera antics of reality TV stars (and wannabe-stars) dominated the news.

2009 was also a watershed year as far as our own little niche in pop culture and entertainment goes. Here is a list of some of the more memorable events and news items that took place last year. This is by no means a comprehensive list, so if you readers think I left out anything of greater importance than what I included, it's on you folks to give us some feedback below to let us know. Anyway, as Chris Rock is fond of saying, it's time to roll with the new.

Disney buys Marvel Comics & DC gets restructured

I don't think any of us could have predicted this one. In August 2009 it was announced that Disney would be taking ownership of the house that Stan and Jack built. Speculation ran rampant, and while a few in the comic book community expressed reservations, most creators and fans focused on the potential positive aspects of the new partnership. Marvel had already done well for itself outside of the medium of comic books with forays into movies and television, but given Disney's successful track record with production and marketing, their involvement in the of future Marvel multimedia projects could be akin to turning a DeLorean into a time machine. Conversely, if they get too involved in the creative direction of the comic books things could get ugly. Only time will tell how beneficial this development is to the fanboy nation, but if the results of their partnership with Square Enix, the "Kingdom Hearts" franchise, is any indication, it will likely yield a positive result.

In response, Time/Warner announced a plan to restructure DC Comics, with the intention of taking more active control over the freckled step-child of their multimedia empire. The new division, called DC Entertainment, was created "...to maximize the potential of the DC brand." The impact it will have on any future DC projects, be they comic books, TV shows or movies, remains to be seen.

Barack Obama = Increased comic book sales

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If there was one truism in the aftermath of Barack Obama winning the 2008 Presidential race it was this: If you want to sell lots of comic books, just release one that features Barack Obama and watch your sales spike. IDW Publishing was first on this bandwagon, creating comic book biographies of both Obama and his Republican rival John McCain. Other comic companies got in on the action as well. Obama appeared in Image books like Youngblood & Savage Dragon and Devil's Due Publishing created a book seemingly based on Obama's predilection towards reading Conan books growing up called Barack the Barbarian. But it was Marvel that most successfully cashed in on this trend by creating a comic book mini-story that brings together Obama and Spider-Man. The book went through five printings before demand started to taper off, and the issue was by far the best selling single comic book of 2009.

There's Something About Vampires

The Vampire genre has certainly enjoyed its periods of popularity, but 2009 saw it reach whole new heights, and it was largely thanks to the theatrical release of "The Twilight Saga: New Moon". Based on a series of novels by Stephanie Meyer, the Twilight saga centers on the romance between a brooding teenage girl and a gentlemanly vampire whose clan refuses to partake of the blood of humans. The novels got a lot of younger female readers hooked on the vampire genre, and the film adaptation of "Twilight" released in 2008 expanded the audience, creating a new subgroup of sci/fi fantasy fans dubbed "Twi-hards". They proved to be a formidably loyal group, pumping up the box office figures on "New Moon" and showing up in full force at sci-fi/fantasy conventions like the San Diego Comic Con.

The 1980's will be with you...always

In an earlier column I pointed out the trend of Hollywood revamping story concepts and franchises from the last century. Specifically, they seem to have an unearthly fascination with properties first launched in the 1980's. You don't believe me? Just look at some of the more prominent films and television shows that were released last year: "Friday the 13th", "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen", "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra", "Terminator: Salvation", "Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li", "Watchmen" and "V". All of these movies/shows had their genesis in the 1980's. And the trend looks like it's going to continue, with new versions of "The A-Team", "Clash of the Titans", "Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps", "A Nighmare on Elm Street" and "The Karate Kid" slated for release in 2010.

DC brings about "The Blackest Night" and gives us Green Lantern movie(s)

Finally, Green Lantern is getting the love that I always maintained he deserves. Warner Brothers is finally diversifying its DC Comics franchises by throwing Green Lantern into the mix. It released "Green Lantern: First Flight" last summer on DVD, and gave the green light to begin filming on a live action movie with Ryan Reynolds ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") cast as Hal Jordan. In the comics, the "Blackest Night" storyline that has been brewing since the end of "The Sinestro Corps War" was launched, and looks to continue delivering the goods into 2010.