2014 is a good time to be a comic book fan, for a variety of reasons. Superheroes are everywhere in popular culture, and have been for over a decade now. It seems you can't throw a stone in Hollywood these days without hitting a comic book adaptation: Marvel Comics had four released this year alone. DC Comics have been preparing the world for the impending debuts of their new television shows Gotham, Constantine and The Flash, all ready to join the already hugely successful Arrow on the air. Add the buzz for the next Batman video game, Arkham Knight, and it's clear that the general populace love superheroes almost as much as we hardcore fans do. But what of the industry that birthed these heroes to begin with? Naysayers have been decrying the death of the industry for years, but if anything, the comic book business in 2014 is in rude creative health and sales seem steady, with the advent of the digital comics market proving successful. Both DC and Marvel began grand movements in their universes a few years ago with The New 52 and Marvel Now respectively, focusing less on stories bound to years of continuity and more on innovative, invigorating storytelling. Image Comics have launched a genuine offensive against the big two publishers, with a number of critical and commercial hit creator-owned series'. There are also innumerable smaller independent publishers producing quality work, from Dark Horse to IDW to Boom! Studios to Oni Press and beyond. Creators such as Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, with their generation defining Batman run, Rick Remender and Matteo Scalera with their science fiction odyssey Black Science and Dan Slott with his acclaimed Superior Spider-Man series are all creating the kind of scintillating material that will inspire and influence aspiring creators of the future. But what are the comics and creators that influenced them whenever they were fans and fledgling writers and artists? These are the 10 comics that changed everything and helped shaped the landscape of comics today.