90s and now - A new Age ?

As Vertigo would down, Epic vanished and we had the B&W ex/implosion, it was noticeable that comics as and artform hit a rut. There were some high-points to be sure (and you can argue for your favorite title here) but as a whole - as a genre - the life, energy and daring seemed to have faded. Now, I'm not saying that comics have to be ART, or even very litterary, but of late 90s even old standards have seemed like they were going through the motions. No more, I believe we are seeing one of those periodic renewals that make people sit up and take notice. Remember, you read it here first. Here are a few pices from some of those books I think are leading the charge; there are others (Maleev on Daredevil, for instance) I am still hunting for. I hope this gallery will grow in future.