Most Valuable Comic Books of the 1990s
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The comic book movie boom of the past decade will create a new generation of comic book readers and investors. Investment takes time. Still, comic book film hype has caused the value of some 1990s comic books to rise in value due to the announcement of upcoming films. Most of the most valuable comic books of the 1990s are not very valuable now. Not yet, anyway.
What’s important to remember about collecting comic books from the Modern Age is to keep perspective. We live in an era where comic books are making a billion dollars at the box office.
That is why you should research the most valuable comic books of the 1990s. The older a rare comic book is, the more valuable it becomes.
Valuable Comics of the 1990s
You will find two pivotal and valuable comic books from the 1990s on this list that are worth finding for an investment. Additionally, each suggestion in this list will also have a suggested reading link for casual readers who want to learn more.
The Most Valuable Comic Books of the 1990s
Modern comic books are not as rare as comics published in the early 20th century. The most valuable comic books of the 1990s feature the first appearances of characters like Deadpool and Harley Quinn. And they could be shrewd investments to make now.
New Mutants #98 (February 1991) Marvel
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2016’s Deadpool and its 2018 sequel, Deadpool 2, collectively made over $1.5 billion at the box office. 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine made over $1.3 billion. A Deadpool film is now recession-proof.
Deadpool made his first appearance in New Mutants #98 in February 1991. The character was created by writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Rob Liefeld.
Deadpool began life as a deadly supervillain but has since become a wisecracking antihero. Deadpool is now a bankable household name due to Ryan Reynolds’ portrayal.
A copy of New Mutants #98 with a 9.8 CGC grade has a collectibles market value of over $1,105. You could buy a copy with a 9.2 or an 8.0 CGC grade for just under $400. If I were you, I would buy this comic.
Get the Kindle version for $1.99 on Amazon.
Suggested Reading For Casual Readers – Deadpool Kills the Marvel Universe (2012)
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Deadpool is basically immortal. If you decapitated him, he would survive. This comic is a non-canonical story about Deadpool methodically killing every superhero in the Marvel Universe. If you enjoy Deadpool’s 4th wall-breaking antics in the films, you’ll enjoy his gonzo goriness and killing skills in this classic series.
Get this 92-page paperback for $10 at Amazon now.
The Batman Adventures #12 (September 1993) DC Comics
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Dr. Harleen Quinzel was a psychologist working at Arkham Asylum. Dr. Quinzel was working on a project to cure the Joker of his murderous insanity. Instead, Quinzel’s mentality and personality were corrupted by the Joker. She was transformed into his lover and sycophant Harley Quinn.
Harley Quinn originally appeared in a 1992 Batman cartoon and later became a comic book hit. Harley is now an independent antihero in modern comic books. The character’s first comic book appearance was in The Batman Adventures #12 in 1993.
In April 2016, a copy of this comic with a CGC grade of 9.8 sold for $1,800. The value of a comic with this CGC grade is now worth $1,700.
The evolution of Quinn from cartoon to comic books to the big screen will appeal to collectors decades from now.
Margot Robbie has portrayed Harley Quinn in several films already. A new actress will assume the role in the coming years because WBD will definitely keep using the fan-favorite character on the big screen.
Buy the Kindle version of this comic for 99 cents now.
Suggested Reading For Casual Readers – Harley Quinn: A Celebration of 25 Years
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This is a 409-page graphic novel that collects over a dozen of Harley Quinn’s most memorable comic book adventures. If you don’t know where to start when it comes to Harley Quinn, this is a great way start.
Get the hardcover for $12 at Amazon now.
Value is in the Future
Investments in stocks, companies, or valuable comic books take time. It could take decades to get a return on a comics collectible. But as previously mentioned, comic book news and hype are making comic books from recent decades more valuable quicker .
So, you should understand what would appeal to a comic collector a decade from now. Get into comic books as a hobby if you are a curious casual considering collectibles as investments.
This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these affiliated links, the author/website may earn a commission.
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Allen Francis is a full-time writer, prolific comic book investor and author of The Casual’s Guide: Why You Should Get Into Comic Book Investing. Allen holds a BA degree from Marymount Manhattan College and has decades of experience in comic investing and personal finance. Before becoming a writer Allen was an academic advisor, librarian, and college adjunct for many years. Allen now focuses on comic book reviews, collectible investments, and helping others collect and enjoy comics.
Mr. Francis
My name is Matt Chamberlain. I had a comic book collection left to me and 95% is books from the 90’s. I’m overwhelmed. I see that obviously if I have certain ones graded they’re worth more. Probably 90% of what I have never been opened and are either in nice plastic “sheaths” and maybe 30% of the 90% have a hard cardboard-like backing. Most are X Men but definitely a variety.
Do you have any suggestions? There’s 311 I believe and I had some guy come out and offer $50. I’ve looked up about half of them so far and I’ve probably got 4 or 5 that are at least $80 and no more than $300..Again..getting back to the grading….any assistance that you could provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you
Hello Matt! Thank you for reading the column and leaving a comment!
I understand that you feel overwhelmed. But it’s hard to profit from comic book collectibles – very few people turn a profit with comic book collectibles, and never easily. So, take this process one step at a time.
My first piece of advice to you is to adjust your expectations. The 1990s comics scene was a self-inflicted comic book speculator nightmare. Comic book companies printed hundreds of thousands and millions of issues of comic books to satiate collectors who thought they were investing in comic books that would be worth fortunes in the future. (The law of supply and demand states that scarcity creates value) Marvel almost went out of business in 1996. They sold the film and TV licenses for many IPs to stay afloat. Marvel almost sold all of their IPs to Sony for $25 million but Sony only wanted Spider-Man. (Marvel Studios was almost NEVER a thing) The comics market and Marvel almost went bust because too many comics flooded the market and 1990s collectors were stuck with too many copies of comics that wouldn’t be valuable anytime soon. I don’t know what comics you have, and I am not saying you are in this predicament. Just be prepared for the possibility that most of your comic books may not be as valuable as you would like to believe. (I didn’t say give up hope, just be realistic.)
Next, I think you have to do your own research. You want to sell these comics? You have to find a buyer who finds them more valuable than you. You can’t do that unless you understand the market value of each issue. You mentioned some guy tried to buy them all from you for $50, but you knew some of your comics were worth $80 to $300? OK – now do a full inventory. Get plastic gloves and place every comic book in a MYLAR comic book sleeve with a cardboard back. You could read every comic book or look up summaries online, but find out what makes each comic book valuable – does it feature a pivotal comic book history moment? The introduction of a character? The death of one? Does the work of a favorite writer or artist appear in it? Scarcity really makes a comic valuable, but that may not be the case wth a 1990s comic book. You may need to persuade or negotiate with someone about the value of your comic books. You know the market value of a car before you sell or buy one, right? If you don’t know the true value of the comic book you are trying to sell, you could get ripped off. Or you may waste your time trying to sell comic books with no appreciable market value. Check the market value of your comic books at “comic book price guide sites” like ComicsPriceGuide, Comic Book Realm, Heritage Auctions, SellMyComicBooks, or CGCComics.com – you should check the value of every comic book you have on a few of these sites and then cross reference the values you see. Then you can get a ballpark estimate of the comic books in question. (You said you looked up the value of half of them, but you should look up the value of all of them.) You can check the value of the comics online at these sites yourself – but some of them have a process to get graded and a ballpark value estimation by an expert for a fee. Every comic book that you know for certain is valuable should get graded and put in a slab.
Finally, if you think the few comics you have are valuable, get in touch with a local collectibles dealer. (Personally, I would only do this if market value research shows that you stand to make a few hundred or thousand to make it worth your while.) You should get a collectibles expert to help out, and they may know a buyer who wants them. (A potential buyer is not just going to take your word for it that your comics are invaluable – there are levels to this. It’s a process and to engender trust, show the buyer you understand the gravity of the potential deal) Is this a lot of work? – yes it is. But you look at those comic books and see an investment that could be valuable to the right buyer. There is no such thing as easy money if you are trying to profit from an investment, especially if you are uninformed about the investment and want to cash out quick. (The hard truth is that it is very hard to profit from comic book collectibles – you really must know what you are doing and have the right networking skills to find a potential buyer)
Some of the comic books that don’t have value right now may acquire value in the future. Don’t throw them away. Assess what may make them valuable to a collector in the future. (For example, collectors are now scrambling to buy the first appearances and important issues featuring Namor, a character that was virtually unknown to non-comic book readers and the general public until Wakanda Forever was released.) There are many comic book characters that will become popular in the future. (This is NO guarantee that those comic books will become valuable. But it is also true that when these films get released, collectors and casual comic book readers scramble to buy old comics or trades to learn about these characters)
Investors understand their investments and research them exhaustedly. Learn more about comics, why your comic may be valuable, learn the market value of those issues, get the most valuable comic books graded and evaluated, consult an expert, and you may give a buyer plenty of reasons to take them off your hands on your terms.
Thanks again for the comment, and good luck.
Pretty sure you meant New Mutants 98, I’m not sure of any significance of 85 beyond Liefeld and McFarlane being the artists. 87 first showed Cable in his grown up form.
I have the Cowboys Moo Mesa comic books #1-3 and all three are autographed. They are in pristine condition. are they worth much?
Hello Dev, thanks for reaching out! I looked up this comic, but I could not find it in any online price guides. I found someone on eBay who sold issues 1,2 and 3 for $115 – I MUST STRESS I cannot guarantee you can do the same, but maybe you should try selling on eBay. This is a very obscure cartoon from the 1990s that most people have forgotten. Your best bet is to get it slabbed, graded, and the signatures authenticated (for the potential buyer’s comfort in buying) and maybe take it to a local comic book shop or collectibles expert to get their opinion. I’m not trying to discourage you but you need to find a specific collector who would want this, and most people have forgotten this IP (I used to watch this as a kid and I forgot about the Cowboys of Moo Mesa until your comment!) A collectibles expert would be better off telling you the value of your signed comics than I at this point – good luck!