History EstablishingCharacterMoment / ComicBooks

"[[Characters/SpiderManLoveInterests Gwen who?]]".]]

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/SpiderMan https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/rco021_1469440212.jpg]]]]

"[[ComicBook/GwenStacy Gwen who?]]".]]

[[folder: Marvel]]
* ''Dark Avengers: ComicBook/{{Ares}}'' introduced titular character when he is subjecting group of soldiers to TrainingFromHell by getting drunk while shooting at them with a Gatling gun.
* ComicBook/CaptainAmerica [[http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/captain-america/1-2.jpg summed up real quick.]]
* Issue #1 of ''The ComicBook/FantasticFour'': It all begins with one strange man shooting a signal flare into the air -- a flare announcing, "The Fantastic Four!" Sue Storm was hanging out with a {{socialite}} friend at the moment the flare went off. She promptly turns invisible and walks out into public, testing her powers by taking a cab and attempting to pay the unsuspecting cabbie the fare. Ben Grimm, who is at a clothing shop in heavy disguise, hears of the signal flare and sheds his constricting clothing, revealing himself as the monstrous Thing. His debut catches the attention of the police, who open fire on him and thus force him to escape through the sewers. Johnny Storm is at a service station getting his car fixed when he learns of the flare (which by now had turned into the number 4). He flames on and flies through the air as the Human Torch. The Nation Guard attacks him with a nuclear warhead hunter missile. Two stretchy arms grab the missile before it could obliterate him and disposes of it via the sea. By now Johnny's flames had worn out and is plummeting to his death, but the strange man from before saves him, revealing himself to be Dr. Reed Richards, AKA Mr. Fantastic. And this is all before the SuperheroOrigin!
** [[http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2173/2178662096_5e771d5455_o.jpg This]] shows just about everything that you need to know about Doctor Doom.
* The first dozen or so pages of ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' exist solely to provide one of these for each of the kids: Gert is shown correcting her dad's Latin in the middle of an argument about politics, Chase is shown getting beaten up by his dad for getting bad grades, etc. Similarly, the first time we see AscendedFanboy Victor, he's talking about superheroes with his buddy Jorge.
* Franchise/SpiderMan:
** ''Amazing Fantasy'' #15 is all about this. It starts with a shot of Peter Parker being snubbed by his friends, then Uncle Ben playfully teasing his nephew and Aunt May feeding him a healthy breakfast. Then Flash pushes Peter over and steals the girl he was introducing himself to.
** In the first issue of the series, J. Jonah Jameson comes onto the scene writing one of his infamous anti-Spider-Man editorials. It could be said, however, that the ''real'' Establishing Character Moment is the day after Spidey successfully saves Jameson's son from a malfunctioning aircraft, when he runs an article about how Spider-Man sabotaged the aircraft himself and broke several laws in rescuing his son.
** ComicBook/SpiderGwen on the cover to ''Edge of ComicBook/SpiderVerse'' #2 has her changing into her costume, setting the comic book world ablaze.
** By far one of the most famous lines in all of comics, "Face it Tiger, you just hit the jackpot!" It is almost mandatory for ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson to say some form of that line in any later incarnations and parodied an homaged by many artists. This panel quickly established MJ as ''the'' LoveInterest for Spider-Man and no matter how many times Lee and Romita tried to shill ComicBook/GwenStacy, it never stuck against what Creator/GerryConway called, "the most interesting woman in comics".
*** If that moment didn't quite stick for some, there's the single-page epilogue to "The Night Gwen Stacy Died". In the aftermath of Gwen's death and in the face of a grieving Peter who thinks she doesn't care, instead of leaving, MJ quietly shuts the door, and stays to help him get through his grief. It was the first step towards MJ becoming more than just the one-dimensional character she had been up until that point, and completely sealed the deal on her being Peter's most prominent love interest.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan''
** In his first scene, Peter Parker is reading about chemistry compounds... and gets bullied.
** Flash and Kong bully Peter in their first scene.
** For the series as a whole, Issue 13, when Peter tells MJ his SecretIdentity becomes this.
* ''Franchise/XMen'':
** From Bendis' ''Uncanny X-Men'':
*** Magneto is introduced when he fearlessly attacks a horde of killer robots. He goes on to lament the deterioration of his power over metal and simultaneously establish that he is still a formidable opponent: these facts set up his [[DePower character]] and [[YourTerroristsAreOurFreedomFighters plot]] arcs.
*** Cyclops interrupting a scene of PoliceBrutality and insisting that the victim has human rights.
** In the original series, ''ComicBook/BeastMarvelComics'' is an odd delayed example. The archetypal GeniusBruiser was introduced smoking a DistinguishedGentlemansPipe and reading advanced calculus in his first appearance... of the ''third issue''. In the first two issues he is a hot-headed teenager, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness very different]] from the characterization that would make him famous.
* ''Comicbook/{{X 23}}'': Laura - despite her young age -- has a lucid nightmare involving blood and corpses. She calmly explains the details of this dream, ending with:
-->''And it never ends. [[BrokenBird Never]].''
[[/folder]]

[[folder: DC]]
* In ''ComicBook/AmethystPrincessOfGemworld'', Lady Mordiel captures a peasant girl with a small fraction of blood power, and after talking to her casually, murders her to absorb her fragment of power; then she orders the girl's family to be suitably compensated.
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'':
** Batman first appeared on a rooftop beating up thugs.
** [[ComicBook/Batgirl2000 Cassandra Cain]] [[DeathSeeker throwing herself]] in front of Commissioner Gordon to prevent him from being [[TakingTheBullet shot]] by an assassin [[ScrewDestiny whom we later learn is her father]]. She swiftly becomes the new Batgirl, with [[ComicBook/{{Batgirl}} Barbara Gordon]]'s blessing and gratitude.
** In ''ComicBook/{{Grayson}}'', Dick's use of a gun as a batarang in the opening pages of the first issue makes it clear that this is still the same Dick Grayson that fans love.
* ComicBook/AmandaWaller's [[https://www.bleedingcool.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/waller2.png first appearance]] in ''ComicBook/{{Legends}}'' has her laying down the law to Flag.
-->'''Flag:''' Are you out of your cotton-picking mind, lady?\\
'''Waller:''' Frankly, I couldn’t be more serious, colonel! And by the way, if you ever again call anything about me ‘cotton-picking,’ mister —- I’ll stuff those bright, shiny eagles on your shoulders so far up your butt, they’ll be able to nest in your skull!
* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':
** Superman himself in a [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/5a/Action_Comics_1.jpg nutshell]]: He lifts and smashes a car into a rock, displaying immense strength which scares a group of thugs out of their wits.
** In her very first appearance ComicBook/LoisLane: reluctantly went out on a date with Clark, got annoyed that Clark didn't stand up to a mobster that was bullying them, slapped the mobster herself, got promptly kidnapped by the mobster, and was rescued by Superman. A rather good overview of what her life would be like for the rest of her existence.
** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s first appearance has her agreeing with Superman's plan to not use her powers without permission and then using them anyway as soon as her cousin's back is turned.
** In her first appearance, ComicBook/PowerGirl plugs a volcano, takes up the "Power Girl" name because "it won't confuse [her] with [her] cousin" and makes Wildcat and Flash feel redundant within ''two'' pages.
** The [[LegacyCharacter second]] Bloodsport establishes himself as a virulent bigot with no limits to said bigotry within the first three pages of his debut issue, with his response to coming across a gang of thugs, two black and one white, attempting to gang-rape a woman. He shoots and kills the two black guys while using the racially offensive terms "boy" and "your kind" to them; then when he's got the white thug at gunpoint and the woman demands that he shoot the guy for what they almost did to her, he shoots and kills ''her'' while muttering that "they always knew their place," ''then'' kills the white guy for being a "race-traitor."
---> '''Superman:''' Alien, black, Jew, gay...where ''do'' you draw the line, Bloodsport?\\
'''Bloodsport:''' Anywhere I want!
* Way back in '65, [[Franchise/TeenTitans Beast Boy]] invaded Doom Patrol headquarters and ransacked everything (up to and including defacing a picture of Elasti-girl and putting an axe through one of Robotman's spare head units), came back the next night and got caught only when the Doom Patrol successfully ganged up on him. When they finally let the teenage punk out, he immediately started bellowing at them for messing up his hair and shoes and started another fight, hurling insults in every direction. He then had the gall to demand they let him on the team. The Doom Patrol hated his guts, but the fans loved him, and he's been around for more than fifty years since.
* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'':
** Rorschach's opening narration provides a glimpse into his unstable mind: a retired crimefighter who now believes the city deserves its problems and longs for the day when the people are desperate enough to want his help again... just so he can smugly refuse.
** The first time we see Dr. Manhattan he is shown as a giant which [[PhysicalGod showcases his power]] as well as his [[HumanoidAbomination truly alien nature to the rest of the world]]. He then responds to the news of The Comedian's death with [[BlueAndOrangeMorality "Life and death are unquantifiable abstracts. Why should I care?"]]
* ''ComicBook/WonderWoman'': Diana rescuing Steve Trevor from his crashed plane despite not knowing who he is and helping to nurse him back to health. As well as defying her mother to join the contest to determine who will be her people's representative to Man's World.
[[/folder]]