If You Bought Comics in the 90s, You Need to Check These ASAP
Image source: Amazon
Usually, valuable comics gain their value by being rare and old. There are fewer than 100 copies of Action Comics #1, featuring the first appearance of Superman, in the world. Fewer than 10 of them are in good or near-perfect condition. This is not always the case. Comics from the 2000s and even the 1990s can have collectible market value, too. If you bought comics in the 90s, you should check your collection.
Here are seven comics from the 1990s that could now be worth hundreds or thousands of dollars.
1. New Mutants #98 (1991) Marvel
If you regularly bought comics in the 90s, then you probably read New Mutants or anything Rob Liefeld drew. This key comic features the first appearances of Deadpool, Domino, and Gideon. Deadpool was more of a Deathstroke-inspired and analogue character here; he would not become the wisecracking, 4th wall-breaking “Merc With a Mouth” we know today until later.
We would not have Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool, or the billion-dollar blockbuster film Deadpool and Wolverine, without this comic.
A 9.8 CGC grade of this comic is worth about $952 now.
2. Amazing Spider-Man #361 (1992) Marvel
Kasady made his debut in this issue. After sharing a prison cell with Eddie Brock, Kasady comes in contact with a speck of the Venom symbiote that separated from Brock. The Venom speck is an “offspring” that bonds with Kasady and becomes a new symbiote, Carnage. Kasady’s innate malevolent nature makes Carnage much creepier and more dangerous than Venom.
This comic is worth $306 on the collectibles market if it has a CGC grade of 9.8.
3. Uncanny X-Men #266 (1990) Marvel
Channing Tatum was lobbying to portray Gambit for decades; he got his chance in 2024’s Deadpool and Wolverine. However, Gamit is a long-time cult favorite character to fans of X-Men comics, the animated series, and video games. Gambit has the power to create, manipulate, and channel kinetic energy; usually does this by channeling that energy to discharge in playing cards.
If you bought comics in the 90s, then you probably bought X-Men comics. Gambit made his debut in this issue.
A 9.8 CGC grade of this issue is worth over $467.
4. Spawn #1 Newsstand Edition (1992) Image
Spawn is a very popular Image Comics character. If you bought comics in the 90s, then you know about Image Comics and Spawn. Spawn #1 sold over 1.7 million copies and went into multiple reprint editions. It is the best-selling comic book even to this day.
However, because there are so many copies of Spawn #1 on the market, the average value of a CGC grade 9.8 is less than $150. Still, rarer newsstand variants tend to have more value. Newsstand editions have a barcode in the lower-left or lower-right corner of the comic.
A CGC 9.8 grade of this comic is worth $585. If you bought comics in the 90s from newsstands, I would go look for this one.
5. Batman Adventures #12 (1993) DC
Margot Robbie is almost synonymous with Harley Quinn; fans see glimmers of Harley Quinn no matter what role she plays. However, the character Harley Quinn made her first true appearance on Batman: TAS in the 1992 episode, “Joker’s Favor.” The character made her comic book debut in this issue.
If you bought comics in the 90s, I hope you did not overlook this issue. A copy of this issue with a 9.8 CGC grade is worth about $1,900.
6. Iron Man #282 (1992) Marvel
Before the critically maligned Secret Invasion Disney+ series, Don Cheadle was supposed to star in an Armor Wars series, then a film, as War Machine. The series was in a development quagmire since 2019’s Avengers: Endgame. There is currently no word on the development of a War Machine show or film, and many assume the project is canceled.
James Rhodes has been a fan favorite character at Marvel Comics for decades. The character made his debut as War Machine in this issue. If you have a 9.8 CGC grade of this comic, it is worth $188.
7. Amazing Spider-Man #365 Newsstand Edition (1992) Marvel
2023’s Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse would introduce “Canon Events” and Miguel O’Hara, Spider-Man 2099. The character is over 34 years old. Miguel O’Hara is an Irish-Mexican geneticist living in Nueva York in 2099. O’Hara strives to recreate the conditions that created the original Spider-Man. He succeeds in overwriting half of his own DNA with that of a spider’s genetics.
Marvel Comics had created a whole 2099 imprint at the time, featuring Doom 2099, Punisher 2099, and Spider-Man. The newsstand edition of this comic, with a CGC grade of 9.8, is worth $355.
If You Bought Comics in the 90s, Maybe Hold Onto Them
The cardinal rule of collecting comic books is that the rarer and older they are, the more value they have. There are other factors involved, but those are the two primary ones. The advent of popular comic book culture, temporary speculation markets, and the global hype surrounding comic book film casting means that comics published in the 1990s could have some value.
If you have such a comic in your possession, you can probably cash it out now if you find a willing buyer. If I were you, I would hold onto it for a few more years or longer. Keep an eye on the collectibles market and watch it accrue more value before selling it.
This post includes affiliate links. If you purchase anything through these affiliated links, the author/website may earn a commission.
You May Also Like…
- Lobo Unleashed: The 9 Most Brutal and Entertaining Stories of the Main Man
- Do You Own These 10 Comics? They Could Be Worth More Than Your Car
- If You Buy One Collectible Comic This Year, Choose From This List of 7
- These 7 Landmark Debuts of Black Superheroes Could Heat Up the Market
- 10 More Comic Book Creators Who Passed Away and Need More Recognition
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.