The attacks of September 11th, 2001 in New York changed our culture, our perspective, and set a new tone for how we live.

Comics have always been a reflection of our society and our history, and so 9-11 was memorialized in several occasions that year. All the major comic book companies released tribute books to help fundraise for relief efforts. The book that stands out for me is entitled “Heroes” and was released by Marvel in November 2001.

The book features a striking cover by Alex Ross, but even more so, contains a stunning collection of work by past and present giants of the industry. The book saw the return of Neal Adams to mainstream comics, as well as pinups by Frank Miller, Sam Kieth, and Jim Lee (who was under contract with DC at the time). The compilation also included rare poetry and writing by both Neil Gaiman and Alan Moore. However the most special of all was the return of Todd McFarlane to Marvel to ink over Joe Quesada’s tribute artwork.

Old rivalries and public feuds between creators were put aside for one moment to create a beautiful testament to the industry’s love of New York, the birthplace of comics.