History Main / BreakthroughHit

* ''Where Are the Children?'' for Creator/MaryHigginsClark (her second published novel). Previously, she'd only written short stories and a historical novel that sold poorly. ''Where Are the Children?'' quickly became a bestseller and launched her long, successful career as a suspense novelist.

* ''ComicBook/VForVendetta'' for Creator/AlanMoore.

* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' for Creator/SteveDitko.

* ''ComicBook/{{Lucifer}}'' for Creator/MikeCarey.
* ''ComicBook/AmericanVampire'' for Creator/ScottSnyder.
* ''ComicBook/{{Preacher}}'' for Creator/GarthEnnis.

* ''ComicBook/{{Phonogram}}'' for Creator/KieronGillen.
* ''ComicBook/{{Casanova}}'' for Creator/MattFraction.

* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'' for Creator/BrianKVaughan

* ''ComicBook/OneHundredBullets'' for Creator/BrianAzzarello.
* ''ComicBook/TheWalkingDead'' for Creator/RobertKirkman.

* ''[[ComicBook/TeenTitans The New Teen Titans]]'' for Creator/MarvWolfman (an update of a [[UsefulNotes/TheSilverAgeOfComicBooks Silver Age]] property).
* ''[[ComicBook/XMen Uncanny X-Men]]'' for Creator/ChrisClaremont, Creator/JohnByrne, and Creator/JimLee.
* ''ComicBook/{{Daredevil}}'' for Creator/FrankMiller.

* ''ComicBook/TheFlash'' for Creator/GeoffJohns and Creator/MarkWaid (separate runs).

* ''ComicBook/GreenLantern/ComicBook/GreenArrow'' for Creator/DennisONeil.
* ''[[ComicBook/NickFury Nick Fury, Agent Of S.H.I.E.L.D.]]'' for Creator/JimSteranko.
* ''ComicBook/UltimateSpiderMan'' and ''Daredevil'' for Creator/BrianMichaelBendis.

* ''ComicBook/GothamCentral'' for Creator/GregRucka and Creator/EdBrubaker.

* ''ComicBook/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'' for Andy Lanning.
* ''Batman: Gates of Gotham'' and ''Nightwing'' for Kyle Higgins.
* ''ComicBook/{{Captain Marvel|MarvelComics}}'' for Creator/KellySueDeConnick.
* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel'' for Creator/GWillowWilson.
* ''ComicBook/{{Silk}}'' for Robbie Thompson.
* ''ComicBook/BlackWidow'' for Creator/NathanEdmondson.
* ''ComicBook/SpiderMan'' for Creator/RogerStern.

* ''ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk'' for Creator/PeterDavid.
* ''ComicBook/{{Deadpool}}'' for Creator/JoeKelly.
* ''[[ComicBook/TheLongHalloween Batman: The Long Halloween]]'' for Creator/JephLoeb and Tim Sale.

* ''Who Let the Chomp Out?'' for Creator/Supermarioglitchy4.

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy19978'' for Creator/DouglasAdams.

* ''Series/TheLordOfTheRingsTheRingsOfPower'' for J. D. Payne and Patrick McKay.

* ''ComicBook/ActionComics'' #1 for Creator/DCComics, which featured the debut of Franchise/{{Superman}}.

* ''The Amazing ComicBook/SpiderMan'' for Creator/SteveDitko.
* ''ComicBook/TheSandman1989'' for Creator/NeilGaiman (though his greater body of work is in regular literature).

* ''{{ComicBook/Preacher}}'' for Creator/GarthEnnis.

* ''The Uncanny ComicBook/XMen'' for Creator/ChrisClaremont, Creator/JohnByrne, and Creator/JimLee.

* ''Franchise/TheFlash'' for Creator/GeoffJohns and Creator/MarkWaid (separate runs).
* ''Franchise/{{Batman}}'' for NealAdams and Creator/ChuckDixon (separate runs).
* ''Franchise/GreenLantern/ComicBook/GreenArrow'' for Creator/DennisONeil.
* ''ComicBook/NickFury Agent Of SHIELD'' for Creator/JimSteranko.

* ''[[ComicBook/MsMarvel Captain Marvel]]'' for Creator/KellySueDeConnick.
* ''ComicBook/MsMarvel2014'' for Creator/GWillowWilson.

* ''Franchise/SpiderMan'' for Creator/RogerStern.

* ''WebVideo/TheNostalgiaCritic'' for Creator/DougWalker and Website/ThatGuyWithTheGlasses. While the site had a number of characters and series, the Nostalgia Critic quickly became synonymous with the website and by far its most popular offering. In spite of attempts to distance himself and retire from the character, Walker was forced to return to it due to lukewarm reactions to his subsequent efforts.

** WesternAnimation/BugsBunny and Elmer Fudd: "WesternAnimation/AWildHare", released in 1940. Earlier cartoons had templates of both characters, but this was the first film to feature official versions of the iconic cartoon stars.
** Daffy Duck: "WesternAnimation/PorkysDuckHunt" from 1937, in which he was a supporting character who drove Porky Pig nuts.
** Sylvester the Cat: Although his first film was "WesternAnimation/LifeWithFeathers" (where a suicidal bird tries to get eaten but the cat refusing because he thinks he's poison), it was the puddy tat's pairing with a certain yellow, blue-eyed canary – Tweety Bird, in "WesternAnimation/TweetiePie" – that made our hapless, lisping black-and-white cat a star.
** Foghorn Leghorn: The loud-mouthed rooster's breakthrough was "WesternAnimation/WalkyTalkyHawky".

* ''Radio/TheHitchhikersGuideToTheGalaxy'' for Creator/DouglasAdams.

* Palmer was the lead developer for ''VisualNovel/DaughterForDessert'', and pretty much built his tan base from this game.

** ''Series/JonasLA'' for ''Series/{{Friends}}''' Michael Curtis and ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'' co-writer Roger Schumann

* ''Webcomic/Rain2010'' for ''Creator/JocelynSamara''.

* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' for Creator/NisioIsin.

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' for Creator/StephenieMeyer.

* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' for Creator/KazumaKamachi.

** ''Series/EvenStevens'' was the network's first big original show, and also marked Matt Dearborn's first show in the creator's chair, which he would return to for Creator/DisneyXD's breakout hit ''Series/ZekeAndLuther''.
** ''Series/LizzieMcGuire'' for Terri Minsky, who would later return to the network for ''Series/AndiMack''.
** ''Series/ThatsSoRaven'' for Michael Poryes and Susan Sherman. Poryes would go on to create the much more successful ''Series/HannahMontana''.

** ''Series/CoryInTheHouse'' for Marc Warren and Dennis Rinsler, both best known at the time for their work on ''Series/FullHouse''.

* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' for Ryohgo Narita.

* ''LightNovel/KonoSuba'' for Natsume Akatsuki.

* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' for Reki Kawahara.

!!General

* ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' for Creator/StephenieMeyer.
* ''Literature/TortillaFlat'' for Creator/JohnSteinbeck.
* ''Nightfall'' for Creator/IsaacAsimov. As he himself described it "The writing of 'Nightfall' was a watershed in my professional career ... I was suddenly taken seriously and the world of science fiction became aware that I existed. As the years passed, in fact, it became evident that I had written a 'classic'".
* ''Literature/TheHobbit'' for Creator/JRRTolkien. While he is mainly known for its sequel, ''Literature/TheLordOfTheRings'' nowadays, Tolkien wrote it after scoring a hit with the former.
* ''Literature/TheLionTheWitchAndTheWardrobe'' for Creator/CSLewis. Most of his work is in Christian apologetics, but he's mainly known for ''Literature/TheChroniclesOfNarnia'' today.
* ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' for Creator/RoaldDahl.

* ''Literature/TheAndromedaStrain'' for Creator/MichaelCrichton.

* ''Literature/{{Carrie}}'' for Creator/StephenKing. Although it was released on a low print run, its successful movie adaptation brought newfound attention onto the book and King.
* Miguel de Cervantes was regarded as a very mediocre playwright and author of a mildly successful pastoral romance before he published ''Literature/DonQuixote''. The rest is history.
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndThePhilosophersStone'' for Creator/JKRowling.
* ''Literature/TheDresdenFiles'' for Creator/JimButcher.
* ''Literature/TheAdventuresOfTomSawyer'' for Creator/MarkTwain.

* ''Literature/TheFaultInOurStars'' for Creator/JohnGreen. He has had many popular books before this, but this was his first massive hit and the book that really brought him into public eye. In 2014 alone, only the ''Literature/{{Divergent}}'' trilogy has been able to rival it in sales.
* ''Literature/AGameOfThrones'' for Creator/GeorgeRRMartin (although it was the TV adaptation, ''Series/GameOfThrones'' that got him mainstream recognition).
* ''TabletopGame/{{Warhammer 40000}}'' for Creator/DanAbnett.

* ''Literature/{{Trainspotting}}'' for Creator/IrvineWelsh.

* ''Literature/TheBadGuys'' for Aaron Blabey.

!!Light Novel Series
* ''LightNovel/ACertainMagicalIndex'' for Creator/KazumaKamachi.
* ''LightNovel/{{Baccano}}'' for Ryohgo Narita.
* ''LightNovel/{{Bakemonogatari}}'' for Creator/NisioIsin.
* ''LightNovel/KonoSuba'' for Natsume Akatsuki
* ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnline'' for Reki Kawahara.

* ''TabletopGame/{{Fate}}'' for Evil Hat Productions.

* ''ComicBook/TheSandman'' for Creator/NeilGaiman (though his greater body of work is in regular literature).

* ''Machinima/RedVsBlue'' for Creator/RoosterTeeth.