10 Comics That CHANGED History

Okay, hear me out on this one. Ed Piskor’s masterpiece of documentary storytelling, Hip-Hop Family Tree, may not have anything to do with superheroes. It may not feature any magical beings, alien invasions, or world-ending catastrophes. It may also be a one-hundred percent true account of the history of the early hip-hop scene, taking place in our real world.

So why is it in this list? This list that specifically argues that comic readers care more about superhero history than actual history? There is a simple answer: hip-hop history is superhero history. Or at least, it’s the closest thing that the real world is ever going to get to it.

The alter-egos. The elaborate costumes. The team-ups, the betrayals, and the unexpected crossovers. The epic battles (although with a lot less laser-eye blasts and a lot more free-style burns). Piskor takes real life personalities, experiences, and artistic achievements, and weaves them into a story that is as exciting, as visceral, and as fantastical as any overblown superhero mythology. Hip-Hop Family Tree is one of the rare cases in which real-world history actually is as weird, wild, and wacky as superhero history.