History GrowingTheBeard / ComicBooks

* The entire company of Creator/{{Image}} has arguably undergone this. Image was founded by several artists from Creator/MarvelComics, all of which were known for DarkerAndEdgier series about superheroes (mostly {{Nineties Anti Hero}}es), and the original titles such as ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics'' and ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' reflect this. After the departure of founding member Creator/RobLiefeld in 1996, things began to look up. Since then, they've greatly diversified their roster of comics, often of works that aren't superhero-related, ranging from the cartoony yet epic ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', the post-apocalyptic ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', the spy-action series ''Film/{{Kingsman}}'', the GenreBusting sci-fi epic ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', among many others, with ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' being one of their few newer superhero works. Alongside this, there has been much less [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] grit, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness which means that the early comics haven't aged well]], and seem rather [[TheArtifact out of place]] among their current lineup.

* Some of Creator/RobLiefeld's characters had this happen, specifically ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' and ''ComicBook/YoungbloodImageComics''. This was mainly because after Liefeld left Image and went to Awesome Comics, he handed over all the writing duties to Creator/AlanMoore. Moore promptly deconstructed all UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}} stuff and reconstructed everything fun and silly about UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}. The reimagining of ''Glory'', formerly a shallow MsFanservice 90s bad girl has received critical praise too

* The entire company of Creator/{{Image}} has arguably undergone this. Image was founded by several artists from Creator/MarvelComics, all of which were known for DarkerAndEdgier series about superheroes (mostly {{Nineties Anti Hero}}es), and the original titles such as ''Youngblood'' and ''ComicBook/{{Spawn}}'' reflect this. After the departure of founding member Creator/RobLiefeld in 1996, things began to look up. Since then, they've greatly diversified their roster of comics, often of works that aren't superhero-related, ranging from the cartoony yet epic ''ComicBook/{{Bone}}'', the post-apocalyptic ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'', the spy-action series ''Film/{{Kingsman}}'', the GenreBusting sci-fi epic ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', among many others, with ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}'' being one of their few newer superhero works. Alongside this, there has been much less [[UsefulNotes/TheDarkAgeOfComicBooks Dark Age]] grit, [[EarlyInstallmentWeirdness which means that the early comics haven't aged well]], and seem rather [[TheArtifact out of place]] among their current lineup.

* Some of Creator/RobLiefeld's characters had this happen, specifically ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''. This was mainly because after Liefeld left Image and went to Awesome Comics, he handed over all the writing duties to Creator/AlanMoore. Moore promptly deconstructed all UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}} stuff and reconstructed everything fun and silly about UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}. The reimagining of ''Glory'', formerly a shallow MsFanservice 90s bad girl has received critical praise too

* ''ComicBook/TheAvengers'' began as an all-star team book [[FollowTheLeader similar to]] Franchise/JusticeLeagueOfAmerica, but the stories were not very interesting, in part because most of the characters had their own features where all their CharacterDevelopment took place. In [[WhamEpisode issue # 16]], all the original Avengers left the team and the book shifted its focus to ComicBook/CaptainAmerica leading a team of [[HeelFaceTurn reformed villains]], ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, ComicBook/{{Quicksilver}}, and ComicBook/ScarletWitch. These stories were better received, and established the identity of ''The Avengers'' as a team book combining stars with B-list heroes who could carry the CharacterDevelopment.

* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' had a similar evolution. He was originally a [[PoorMansSubstitute poor(er) man's]] Franchise/SpiderMan until Creator/FrankMiller turned the series into the gritty crime noir most readers know it as.

* ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' was just a cheap Franchise/{{Batman}} [[{{Expy}} knockoff]] with an [[TrickArrow arrow gimmick]] until he started sporting a goatee and became a "socially conscious" modern-day Myth/RobinHood.

* It took a while for ''Comicbook/TheIncredibleHulk'' to settle down on how they would go about their portrayal. Hulk ranged from good, to downright evil, from Banner's intelligence to being completely incapable of abstract thought. They were even unsettled in color, and how he transformed. It wasn't until the first Hulk Annual that they settled down in, green child-like Berserker, who speaks in HulkSpeak, and is powered by UnstoppableRage.

* ''ComicBook/XMen'' could be seen as an example of this trope. The first 66 issues were seen as a low-rate ComicBook/FantasticFour knockoff which eventually got relegated to reprints after that... However, replacing most of the entire team and getting Creator/ChrisClaremont to write on it led to the Franchise/XMen becoming the media franchise that we know and love.

* Speaking of arrow gimmicks, Marvel's very own ComicBook/{{Hawkeye}}, real name Clint Barton, struggled with finding a niche since his introduction. Part of the problem was that, as a member of ''The Avengers'', being a guy with uncanny aiming abilities and [[TrickArrow trick arrows]] is not all that impressive when fighting alongside a [[ComicBook/CaptainAmerica near-immortal super-soldier]], [[ComicBook/IronMan a billionaire with access to a robot super suit]] [[Fiction500 and near-unlimited economic resources]], and [[ComicBook/TheMightyThor the literal god of thunder]], among others. For years, writers struggled to keep Clint relevant, even having him shun the Hawkeye mantle in favor of other alter-egos, namely as Ronin (originally belonging to Maya Lopez) and Goliath (originally [[ComicBook/AntMan Hank Pym]]), but these changes did little to give poor Clint an identity of his own. Then Hawkeye was given a new run in 2012, written by Creator/MattFraction. Fraction's run finds a very clever solution to give a boost to a character with a seemingly underwhelming skill set for epic global-stakes battles: to focus on his civilian life instead (The prologue to each volume even spells it out: "This is what [Clint] does when he's not being an ''Avenger''"). This run of ''Hawkeye'' plays less like a traditional super hero comic book and more like an indie slice-of-life comic about Clint Barton, a guy from Brooklyn, who also happens to be a super hero. Even the art style (mostly courtesy of David Aja) is different: the comics feature flat and minimalistic colors, rough brush inking, and relatively realistic and subdued body proportions, adding to that relaxed DIY indie comic feel. This run is beloved by critics, and one of its issues (#11) even won an ''Eisner''.

** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', although based on the darker ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', started out as light comedic material in the vein of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' that constantly played fast and loose with both [[MediumAwareness the fourth wall]] and the idea of any kind of continuity. It slowly grew more serious as it went on, adding more serious elements and having more of a continuing plot. The beard began its stubbly growth in issue 17--not so much the story itself, but the Princess Sally story that would be resolved several issues and a special later. Issue 19 featured the first full-issue epic with some real major stakes behind it. By issue 21, the overall tone had taken a rather sudden turn to the darker, and the beard was fully grown by issue 25 which pulled off a decent CompressedAdaptation of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'', which of course included [[EnsembleDarkhorse Metal Sonic]]. The comic then came to its head with the climax of the Endgame arc in Issue 50, and would then slide into a prolonged DorkAge as what can best be described as a ''really'' long PostScriptSeason began at that point. Arguably, a second beard was grown starting with issue 160 and the changing of the guard in terms of creators and dumping the random {{Romantic Plot Tumor}}s that plagued the comic. Within the post issue 252 ContinuityReboot, a third beard was grown with the TournamentArc storyline "Champions", which adapted ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters''. This was due to a number of factors including character-driven plot, the inclusion of EnsembleDarkhorse UnexpectedCharacter Breezie the Hedgehog and being an all-around amazing story. If anything, this has been the first sign that the comic is no longer under the shadow of Creator/KenPenders and Creator/KarlBollers.

** {{Wolverine}} when he joined the X-Men was a one-dimensional JerkAss with a disrespect for any authority, and Claremont and Cockrum considered dropping from the team. Cockrum's successor, Canadian-born Creator/JohnByrne, wanted to keep the only Canadian character on the team and helped develop him into Marvel's most popular character.

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' began as a series of rather childish wish-fulfilment adventure yarns with a cliffhanger, followed by a ridiculously improbable escape, on every other page. The maturing moment came with ''The Blue Lotus'', when the creator started getting serious about his research and realistic portrayal of distant locations.

* ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'': The first year's worth of comics are largely self-contained stories (with one 2-issue story), many similar to the type shown in the later cartoon series, and it doesn't appear that anything really important is happening. It wasn't until issue #14, with its introduction of Destro into the comic book, that the series really took off. Destro stirred shit up with his first appearance, taking Baroness's loyalty from Cobra Commander as well as rekindling their former off-camera love affair. And unlike the cartoon, where Destro was 100% loyal to Cobra Commander, Destro's relationship with Cobra Commander hit the bricks almost immediately when Cobra Commander tried to kill Destro to keep him from (potentially) usurping his leadership, culminating in a botched attempt on his life that nearly killed the Baroness and led to a massive multi-year war between the two men over the course of the Marvel series.\\

* The first year's worth of ''ComicBook/GIJoeARealAmericanHeroMarvel'' comic are largely self-contained stories (with one 2-issue story), many similar to the type shown in the later cartoon series, and it doesn't appear that anything really important is happening. It wasn't until issue #14, with its introduction of Destro into the comic book, that the series really took off. Much like Marcia Cross in ''Series/MelrosePlace'', Destro stirred shit up with his first appearance, taking Baroness's loyalty from Cobra Commander as well as rekindling their former off-camera love affair. And unlike the cartoon, where Destro was 100% loyal to Cobra Commander, Destro's relationship with Cobra Commander hit the bricks almost immediately when Cobra Commander tried to kill Destro to keep him from (potentially) usurping his leadership, culminating in a botched attempt on his life that nearly killed the Baroness and led to a massive multi-year war between the two men over the course of the Marvel series.\\

** This coincided with a GrowingTheBeard moment for 2000AD in general: the [[ComicsMerger merge]] with ''Star Lord'' and ''Tornado'' brought in classics such as ''ComicBook/StrontiumDog'', and other fan-favourites like the ''ComicBook/ABCWarriors'' and ''ComicBook/FiendsOfTheEasternFront'' started.

* ''Franchise/{{Superman}}'':

** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s early stories in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' since ''[[ComicBook/TheSupergirlFromKrypton her first appearance]]'' were self-contained tales where Kara helped orphaned kids or secretly stopped run-of-the-mill criminals. ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'', written by Jerry Siegel, introduced her first nemesis, altered completely the status quo (Kara got adopted, left the orphanage and became a public hero), and marked the shift to longer storylines where the Girl of Steel fought super-villains.

* ''Franchise/{{Tintin}}'' began as a series of rather childish wish-fulfilment adventure yarns with a cliffhanger, followed by a ridiculously improbable escape, on every other page. The GrowingTheBeard moment came with ''The Blue Lotus'', when the creator started getting serious about his research and realistic portrayal of distant locations.

** ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' did this when he stopped being a Deathstroke {{Expy}} to become the CrazyIsCool character everyone knows today thanks to [[MyRealDaddy Joe Kelly]] in his solo series.

** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', although based on the darker ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', started out as light comedic material in the vein of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' that constantly played fast and loose with both [[MediumAwareness the fourth wall]] and the idea of any kind of continuity. It slowly grew more serious as it went on, adding more serious elements and having more of a continuing plot. The beard began its stubbly growth in issue 17--not so much the story itself, but the Princess Sally story that would be resolved several issues and a special later. Issue 19 featured the first full-issue epic with some real major stakes behind it. By issue 21, the overall tone had taken a rather sudden turn to the darker, and the beard was fully grown by issue 25 which pulled off a decent CompressedAdaptation of ''VideoGame/SonicTheHedgehogCD'', which of course included [[EnsembleDarkhorse Metal Sonic]]. The comic then came to its head with the climax of the Endgame arc in Issue 50, and would then slide into a prolonged DorkAge as what can best be described as a ''really'' long PostScriptSeason began at that point. Arguably, a second beard was grown starting with issue 160 and the changing of the guard in terms of creators and dumping the random {{Romantic Plot Tumor}}s that plagued the comic. A third beard was grown with the TournamentArc storyline "Champions", which adapted ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters''. This was due to a number of factors including character-driven plot, the inclusion of EnsembleDarkhorse UnexpectedCharacter Breezie the Hedgehog and being an all-around amazing story. If anything, this has been the first sign that the comic is no longer under the shadow of Creator/KenPenders and Creator/KarlBollers.

** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', although based on the darker ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', started out as light comedic material in the vein of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' that constantly played fast and loose with both [[MediumAwareness the fourth wall]] and the idea of any kind of continuity. It slowly grew more serious as it went on, adding more serious elements and having more of a continuing plot. The beard began its stubbly growth in issue 17--not so much the story itself, but the Princess Sally story that would be resolved several issues and a special later. Issue 19 featured the first full-issue epic with some real major stakes behind it. By issue 21, the overall tone had taken a rather sudden turn to the darker, and the beard was fully grown by the Metal Madness arc. The comic then came to its head with the climax of the Endgame arc in Issue 50, and would then slide into a prolonged DorkAge as what can best be described as a ''really'' long PostScriptSeason began at that point. Arguably, a second beard was grown starting with issue 160 and the changing of the guard in terms of creators and dumping the random {{Romantic Plot Tumor}}s that plagued the comic. A third beard was grown with the TournamentArc storyline "Champions", which adapted ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters''. This was due to a number of factors including character-driven plot, the inclusion of EnsembleDarkhorse UnexpectedCharacter Breezie the Hedgehog and being an all-around amazing story. If anything, this has been the first sign that the comic is no longer under the shadow of Creator/KenPenders and Creator/KarlBollers.

** Yorick, like Riker and Blackadder before him, has literally grown a beard by the start of that arc, although he shaves it off halfway through. Given how many other sci-fi references that series had, this may have been intentional.
* Even some of Creator/RobLiefeld's characters had this happen, specifically ''ComicBook/{{Supreme}}'' and ''ComicBook/{{Youngblood}}''. This was mainly because after Liefeld left Image and went to Awesome Comics, he handed over all the writing duties to Creator/AlanMoore. Moore promptly deconstructed all UsefulNotes/{{the Dark Age|of Comic Books}} stuff and reconstructed everything fun and silly about UsefulNotes/{{the Silver Age|of Comic Books}}.
** Likewise, ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' stopped being a Deathstroke {{Expy}} to become the CrazyIsCool character everyone knows today thanks to [[MyRealDaddy Joe Kelly.]]
** The reimagining of ''Glory'', formerly a shallow MsFanservice 90s bad girl has received critical praise too.

** The reimagining of ''Glory'', formerly a shallow MsFanservice 90s bad girl has received critical praise too.
** Likewise, related to Liefeld's brief stint on Marvel's ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn'', which was typical of his Image work, only with ''[[ComicBook/HeroesReborn Captain America]]'' and ''[[ComicBook/HeroesRebornTheAvengers Avengers]]'' coats of paint. Once we saw removed, many thought the stories greatly improved.

** Creator/ImageComics itself became an example sometime around ''ComicBook/{{Invincible}}''. For much of its prior history, it was known for style-over-substance [[NinetiesAntiHero X-Men and Batman knockoffs]] that [[ScheduleSlip came out late]] and looked hideous. ''Invincible'' was largely a {{Reconstruction}} in comparison, and completely counter to both the traditional Image product and most superhero stories of the time. By the time ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' came out, Image had shifted its focus off trying to beat the Big Two and instead geared itself towards becoming the king of the indie titles. Today, Image is better known for books like ''ComicBook/{{Saga}}'', ''ComicBook/{{Elephantmen}}'', or ''ComicBook/{{Chew}}'' than any of its 90s offerings, which have mainly become TheArtifact.
** Likewise, related to Liefeld's brief stint on Marvel's ''ComicBook/HeroesReborn'', which was typical of his Image work, only with ''[[ComicBook/HeroesReborn Captain America]]'' and ''[[ComicBook/HeroesRebornTheAvengers Avengers]]'' coats of paint. Once we saw removed, many thought the stories greatly improved.
* ''ComicBook/DoctorWhoTitan'' sees this with its Twelfth Doctor title. Most of the first "year" of stories ran alongside/between Series 8 and 9's runs on television, and thus were unable to incorporate much of that continuity. While alternating writers Robbie Morrison and Creator/GeorgeMann provide spot-on dialogue and characterizations, most of the Year One stories come off as slightly generic adventures that could easily be rewritten for other Doctor-companion teams (particularly "The Swords of Kali"); it isn't until the final story, "The Hyperion Empire", that Twelve's TV exploits are incorporated in a meaningful way. Year Two, which brings in Rachael Stott and Mariano Laclaustra to alternate the art duties, sees a ''huge'' jump in the visual quality, and the writing takes full advantage of the TV continuity by bringing in a variety of fan-favorite villains and giving more page time to established secondary characters before taking the Doctor's story beyond Series 9.

** Creator/JMichaelStraczynski story arc ''ComicBook/SupermanGrounded'' was off to a bad start. It was even called the worst comic of the year. When Straczynski left the book to write the ''ComicBook/SupermanEarthOne'' graphic novels, Chris Roberson became the writer and the arc saw a significant improvement in quality, as Superman went from WalkingTheEarth and lecturing people to WalkingTheEarth and actually ''saving'' lives.

* ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'':
** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogArchieComics'', although based on the darker ''WesternAnimation/SonicTheHedgehogSatAM'', started out as light comedic material in the vein of ''WesternAnimation/AdventuresOfSonicTheHedgehog'' that constantly played fast and loose with both [[MediumAwareness the fourth wall]] and the idea of any kind of continuity. It slowly grew more serious as it went on, adding more serious elements and having more of a continuing plot. The beard began its stubbly growth in issue 17--not so much the story itself, but the Princess Sally story that would be resolved several issues and a special later. Issue 19 featured the first full-issue epic with some real major stakes behind it. By issue 21, the overall tone had taken a rather sudden turn to the darker, and the beard was fully grown by the Metal Madness arc. The comic then came to its head with the climax of the Endgame arc in Issue 50, and would then slide into a prolonged DorkAge as what can best be described as a ''really'' long PostScriptSeason began at that point. Arguably, a second beard was grown starting with issue 160 and the changing of the guard in terms of creators and dumping the random {{Romantic Plot Tumor}}s that plagued the comic. A third beard was grown with the TournamentArc storyline "Champions", which adapted ''VideoGame/SonicTheFighters''. This was due to a number of factors including character-driven plot, the inclusion of EnsembleDarkhorse UnexpectedCharacter Breezie the Hedgehog and being an all-around amazing story. If anything, this has been the first sign that the comic is no longer under the shadow of Creator/KenPenders and Creator/KarlBollers.
** Similarly, ''ComicBook/SonicTheComic'' grew its beard with issue 8 when a time-travel plot shifted the setting to one of Mobius ruled by Robotnik and Sonic leading freedom fighters against him.
** ''ComicBook/SonicTheHedgehogIDW'' was, for the first 15 issues, criticized for being formulaic, easy to predict, and without real stakes. Then the [[ZombieApocalypse Metal Virus/Zombot arc]] started, adding high stakes, a genuinely creepy threat, and Sonic showing regret over past actions, which satisfied fans who wanted the comic to be more developed and thoughtful.

* Literal example: ''ComicBook/GreenArrow'' was just a cheap Franchise/{{Batman}} [[{{Expy}} knockoff]] with an [[TrickArrow arrow gimmick]] until he started sporting a goatee and became a "socially conscious" modern-day RobinHood.

** Issue 6, which recounts how Starfire and Jason met, is also considered pretty good.

* The US ''[[ComicBook/TheTransformers Transformers]]'' comic was okay, occasionally outstanding, for the first several years of its existence, until writer Bob Budiansky tired of it and started writing such gripping tales such as the human-sized Transformers who joined the pro-wrestling circuit or had romances with giant Amazon women in space. UK ''Transformers'' writer Simon Furman took over for the last two years of its run and the stories saw an immediate and significant upswing into epic, mythology-driven and long-running arc plots involving both new and old characters. Many old fans who'd gotten bored during Budiansky's reign returned to the fold and sales saw a significant upswing (passing 100,000 a month), but unfortunately that still wasn't enough to keep it afloat, and the comic was cancelled.

** ComicBook/{{Supergirl}}'s early stories in ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' since ''[[ComicBook/ActionComicsNumber252 her first appearance]]'' were self-contained tales where Kara helped orphaned kids or secretly stopped run-of-the-mill criminals. ''ComicBook/TheUnknownSupergirl'', written by Jerry Siegel, introduced her first nemesis, altered completely the status quo (Kara got adopted, left the orphanage and became a public hero), and marked the shift to longer storylines where the Girl of Steel fought super-villains.