This is an easy one for me to answer: though I didn't read it until about a year afterwards when I found a coverless copy in someone's trash, this is the story that single-handedly got me back into comics after 2 or 3 years away:





Doctor Strange was already a favourite and the writing and the artwork in this issue both blew me away so much that I was soon back into comics in a big way.

hondobrode --having trouble narrowing it down?

Don't know how everyone forgot this:


But seriously, I'd nominate The Shadow, the Manhunter series, Warlock, and Dracula.

Um, yeah, it came out in October, '74. (Comics are generally dated a few months ahead of their publication date.)

And also... was totally kidding. I just picked the dopiest one of those incessant Spider-Man team-ups I could find.

My other choices were legit, though.

Well a lot depends on how you define important...in my case I will define it as significant to the comics industry as a whole.

my candidates and why-

on sale in January:

Famous First Edition C-26, reprints Action Comics #1, important because without Action 1, there is no super-hero comic industry. But it's a reprint, so in 1974 it wasn't as important, however it is from 1974 and I read it in that format. However, even though the story is presented in '74, not from '74, so we'll dismiss it for now.

Spirit #1 (Warren) important because it revives interest in Will Eisner's work, brings it to a new generation and helps cement his legacy in the eyes of a new generation, leading to such things as naming the Eisner awards after him. However agian,a reprint and not the story itself but the publication that is important, so we'll dismiss that one too.

On sale in February...

Marvel Premiere #15-1st appearance of Iron Fist, who though a favorite and now getting a Netflix series, was not the first of the kung fu craze heroes and has been a secondary character for most of his existence, so we'll discount this one too

On sale in March
-Doctor Strange #1-returning Doc to his own title after a long hiatus, but the story itself is not that significant, so dismissed.

-Famous First Edition c-28, reprinting Detective Comics #27, considered and dismissed ofr many of the same reasons as the Action Comics Famous First edition

on sale in May...

-Astonishing Tales #25-a double whammy, the first appearance of Deathlok and George Perez's first pro work, both of significance, but not enough to keep it in consideration in the long term.

on sale in June...
Savage Sword of Conan #1-launch of a long running series, the biggest success of Marvel's magazine line and bringing Conan to a new audience and a new audience to comics, butagain it is not so much the story here that is the significant thing, so we'll dismiss it as well..

on sale in July...

Incredible Hulk #181-1st full story featuring Wolverine (after a 1 panel cameo in 189 also on sale this month according to Mike's). Of all the character introduced in 1974 this one has the largest long term impact on the comics industry as a whole. As part of the Ne X-Men he became the foundation of Marvel's success in the late 70s onward. He graduated form a team book to his own book to being able to carry multiple books and boost sales as a guest star in others books, was a key component to the success of the 1992 X-Men animated series which raised the profile of the X-Men and Marvel in general in the awareness of the mass audience outside the comic shops and the core fandom, bringing in a new generation of fans, and the success of Hugh Jackman in the role of Wolverine is what first legitimized super-hero movies in the eyes of mass audiences paving the way for the success of Marvel Studios in today's pop culture.
This story, introducing Wolverine, is definitely in the running for most important/significant of 1974...

Scanning over the restof hte year, the only item or note is the launch of the Atlas/Seaboard line, but that would only have been significant if it lasted. It did make strides forward for creator rights (higher page rates, return of original art, etc.) which they spearheaded and which first DC and much later Marvel picked up on, but that i snot so much story for importance.

So yeah, hands down I'd have to say Hulk 181 is the most important story of 1974, both in terms of how it affected the industry and in terms of how it affected the shared universe it was a part of. The introduction of Wolverine pretty much trumps anything else that happened that year, whether you like the character or despise him, there is no denying his significance to the Marvel story and the business of Marvel Comics as a whole.

-M

Thor #229 was given to me while I was in the hospital having hernia surgery (a hernia at age 7!). I read a bunch of those comics above, via a neighbor, who got more comics, regularly. The DC 100-PG comics were the trade paperbacks of their day, along with the Treasury/Limited Collector's Editions. Tarzan 233 was a favorite. Aside from the lead feature, it had the Russ Manning story, "The Land That Time Forgot," where Tarzan is in a lost land, complete with triceratops, my favorite dinosaur. It's also got a great Rex the Wonder Dog story and a Detective Chimp and who doesn't love Rex and Det. Chimp?