It's tempting to say that 2004 was the year that comic books made it big. There were successes all around, from Spider-Man 2's domination of the box office--the film earned over $370 million gross as of Nov. 14, according to IMDB.com--to the increased coverage of comics in the mainstream media, in places like The New York Times. But one of the most notable trends during the last year was the crossover of novelists, directors and television creators into comics. Writers like Brad Meltzer, Joss Whedon, and J. Michael Straczynski ventured into the realm of comics this year, bringing with them loyal fan bases, an increase in sales and a fair amount of controversy.

Meltzer and Whedon were at the top of the heap in 2004, penning two of the year's best-selling books. Whedon, creator of "Buffy" and "Firefly," began work in May on "Astonishing X-Men," Marvel Comics' latest incarnation of their ever-popular mutant superheroes; meanwhile, Meltzer, author of "The Tenth Justice" and creator of the WB's "Jack and Bobby," was drawing mainstream media attention to "Identity Crisis," a seven-issue mini-series for DC Comics that explored the human side of superheroes. Both books were among the top five highest selling comics from May through November, according to ICv2.com, a pop-culture retail site that tracks comic book sales.

Meltzer's "Identity Crisis" probably generated the most buzz, if only because of the controversial nature of the series. The first two issues featured the rape and murder of Sue Dibny, wife of the Elongated Man, a member of the Justice League of America. It only got worse from there, as readers learned that some members of the JLA tortured super-villain Dr. Light and erased his memories in retaliation for his past assault on Sue. The gritty nature of the series, along with Meltzer's fame as a best-selling novelist, resulted in stories by the Associated Press and The New York Times. Fan reaction to "Identity Crisis" has been split. AintItCool.com recently posted a round-table review of all seven issues of the series; while some reviewers called it a well-crafted mystery, others labeled Meltzer a misogynist.

Less controversial was Joss Whedon's take on the X-Men. The "Buffy" scribe brought his witty dialogue and skillful handling of ensemble casts to one of Marvel's top franchises. "Astonishing X-Men" was the cornerstone of a larger revival of the X-Men books at Marvel and is the most successful of the lot. Whedon has captured what works about the X-Men-soap-opera-style relationships, big action scenes and cool sci-fi concepts-and has so far avoided the confusing continuity and incomprehensible plots that often bog down the X-books. While this isn't Whedon's first work in comics-he wrote "Fray," a 13-issue "Buffy" spin-off for Dark Horse Comics a few years ago-it's his most high-profile work in the industry. Because of his success with "Astonishing," rumors have already begun about Whedon directing X-Men 3; other rumors have him pegged as the writer/director of a forthcoming Wonder Woman movie.

While they're getting lots of attention, Whedon and Meltzer aren't exactly breaking new ground. "Babylon 5" creator J. Michael Straczynski has been writing "Amazing Spider-Man" since 2001; his other comics duties include "Supreme Power" for Marvel's mature readers line and "Rising Stars" for Image Comics. Between movies, director Kevin Smith wrote "Daredevil" for Marvel and "Green Arrow" for DC; however, his comic output has slowed since 2003, when he started, but didn't finish, two mini-series for Marvel.

In each case, the addition of big-name talent to each book generated a large amount of buzz and gave a boost to sales. The addition of talent from outside the industry also brings a different set of artistic expectations. Whedon's comics are clearly influenced by his work on television. Each issue of "Astonishing X-Men" is a tight, self-contained read that also fits into a larger narrative. Meanwhile, Meltzer brings a mystery novelist's sensibility to "Identity Crisis," adeptly building suspense and dropping enough red herrings to keep the reader guessing. Unfortunately, Meltzer left a fair number of unresolved plot threads and holes in the story big enough for Superman to fly through. And while more sales and more attention are always welcome in the comic book industry, the appearance of well-known authors in the medium can have an adverse effect. The names can often overshadow the quality of the writing, turning each author's tenure into an event rather than an opportunity for good stories.

The trend will probably continue well into 2005-Marvel recently announced that sci-fi novelist Orson Scott Card will take over writing chores on "Iron Man" later in the year.