World Trade Center in Popular Culture - Comic Books and Graphic Novels

Comic Books and Graphic Novels

  • Adventures of Superman #596 was coincidentally released one day after the September 11, 2001 attacks. It depicted, in passing, the Twin Towers as having been damaged but not destroyed, by an alien attack (along with other world landmarks such as the White House, the Eiffel Tower, the Sydney Opera House, the Great Wall of China, Big Ben, and the in-universe LexCorp Building). The artist, Mike Wieringo remarked, "The book was completed months ago. The ironic thing is that the damage done by the terrorists is far greater than I could ever portray visually." The book's writer, Joe Casey, could not have intentionally referenced the attacks on the World Trade Center, but DC acknowledged that it mirrored the devastation so vividly that they made the books returnable without penalty to retailers. Many retailers took DC up on this offer, causing the issue to become sought after on the secondary market due to its rarity and general curiosity towards the real-life synchronicity with the 9-11 attacks.
  • In the Aliens: Outbreak graphic novel, Hicks and Newt escape from a mental hospital using "Jet Rescue technology". It was "developed after the World Trade Center Smoked in '24".
  • The cover of Archie Annual Digest Magazine #65 (September 1994) has a picture of the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center. It shows a snapshot of Veronica Lodge standing in front of them.
  • In the 1989 Damage Control, the Twin Towers were damaged when a giant robot fell on them. Damage Control, a construction company that specialized in repairing superhero-related damage, had the towers repaired (although visibly crooked) by the end of the issue.
  • In a Duck Tales comic, twin buildings made by Uncle Scrooge get destroyed by a flying money vase.
  • The 2004 comic Ex Machina detailed the life of Mitchell Hundred, formerly the world's first and only superhero, who was elected mayor of New York City in the wake of his saving hundreds of lives during the collapse of the North Tower, and in preventing the collapse of the South Tower.
  • In 1982 Fantastic Four #242-243, the Fantastic Four fight Terrax in a battle atop the World Trade Center.
  • The comic continuation of the Gargoyles animated series still have the World Trade Center in its backdrop. Creator Greg Weisman went on record to state than in this universe, the towers were never attacked.
  • Most of the Marvel Comics heroes reside in New York City, so views of the towers were not uncommon.
    • The Amazing Spider-Man vol. 2 #36 showed the aftermath of the Tower's collapse through the eyes of the heroes, more specifically, Spider-Man's.
    • Captain America vol. 4 #1 had Steve Rogers arguing with Nick Fury when the former decided to stay and find survivors before heading to Afghanistan.
    • Marvel Comics' Marvel Graphic Novel #17 depicts the Living Monolith standing almost as tall as the World Trade Center and thrusting his giant fist through one of the towers.
    • Marvel Comics' Peter Parker: Spider-Man (then just titled Spider-Man) #16 and X-Force #4 have the hero and team battle the Juggernaut and Black Tom Cassidy on top of one of the towers. A Wizard special on Spider-Man named this crossover pointless and, after the attacks, very tasteless.
  • In the 1992 Mort & Phil comic El 35 aniversario (The 35th Anniversary) appears an image of a plane that crashes into the WTC.
  • In 1985 The Uncanny X-Men #189 continued the alternate vision of the future first seen in the Days of Future Past storyline. Rachel Summers (who came from the future), while describing the dire future of the early 21st century, says "The Twin Towers of World Trade Center lie in ruins. Thousands are dead, many more injured". The accompanying image is of a somewhat futuristic Twin Towers smouldering after having been hit by an unknown attack.
  • Issue #1 of Valiant Comics's Game Boy comic series had two teenagers going through Manhattan Island, aiding Mario in rescuing Princess Daisy from the villainous Tatanga, the story concluding at the Windows of the World restaurant.

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