The Modern Age (1986-present)
Although with some Comic fans would like to separate the Dark Age and the Modern Age into two separate categories, what is important to realize that this is a major turn in the development of the comic industry. The characters and stories became much darker and psychologically more complex. The industry saw the rise of independent comic houses, and Marvel and DC became more commercialized. No matter how one saw the disputes between the creatives and the executives of Marvel and DC over creative rights, the advent of the smaller comic publishing houses lead to new titles, new characters, and better writing [Howe, 273-280]. After DC was purchased by Warner Bros., and Marvel by Disney, the procurement of 65 years of stories and mythos from the realm of the comic hero have started to be told on the silver screen.
