Comic book boom 1990s

Quality control went out the window in favor of quantity in an attempt to capitalize on a classic bubble market that emerged. The most valuable comic books of the 1990s will find their true investment value in the future. They werent the biggest movies in the world at the time, so things like the rocketeer had the chance to be. In this video, we examine what happened to comic books in the 90s, why the comic market crashed, and why 90s comics are generally ignored by comic. If they dont, its a shame, because a lot of the enjoyment came from these strange little adverts directed at kids. The comic book speculation bubble and the 1990s has become known as one of the darkest times in comic book history. We had the formation of the superstar independent in image comics and the birth of the still unequaled valiant universe, a high water mark in storytelling, as well as a host of others trying to imitate the two. More people were buying and reading them than ever before and, in turn, more new publishers and new titles came into being.

The history of the comic book boom and collapse on the 1990s and how todays comic book market is not the same. The comic book speculator market reached a saturation point in the early 1990s and finally collapsed between 1993 through 1997. January 12, 2017 more key comic books of 1990 to repeat the caveat i gave on main 1990 s page which has links to see other years within the decade, the list you are about to see involves no judgment or pricing data, but rather simply ranks the universe of comics published in 1990 by. Comic book readers who have visited their local shops this month have probably noticed an influx of 1990sinspired gimmicks adorning the covers of. Between 1990 and 1993 no less then 24 new comic book publishers were flooding the market with hundreds of titles and by 1996 all but a handful shuttered their doors. There are many undervalued gems out there as the collecting community underestimates the scarcity of these books.

The 1990s was a decade that changed the comic book industry forever in any number of ways, whether it was the speculatorfueled boom and bust that killed a. The major comic book publishers from each decade are listed below. Scarcity and demand will be importnat factors, for example. Use the complete list of all publishers to find smaller publishers and independent comic book publishers not listed here. See also list of years in comics events year overall. From roughly 1985 through 1993, comic book speculation reached its highest peaks. We are taking a look at the boom and bust of the comic book and.

Revisiting the 90s speculative boom that nearly ended the. There are lessons in the smallest of them, even the bubble that led to the comic book crash of 1993. After a long hiatus from the blogging world i was sucked back into the mix thanks to a twitter dm and an intriguing cover photo. The american comic book chronicles is an ambitious series of books attempting to pull together all fo the information about comic books in america, decade by decade. Why the 90s was the most volatile decade in comic book history. I believe the answer lies in competitive nature of the comic book distribution wars of the early 1990s. Studios hit comic book series into a gorgeous, oversized, hardcover. If youre looking for a hard to find back issue, we probably have it. Newsstand variants from the 1990s are some of the most undervalued comic books in the market as i discussed in this article. New comic book sales were down as much as seventy percent. The first of these was the rise of direct market comic book shops, which were not. The second, and probably the key factor, was the comic collector boom. Neil gaimans sandman is my favorite comic book series so i was suckered into it. While the comic book industry has more or less recovered from the speculator boom, sales have never reached the consistent pre93 heights.

Sure, everybody was buying stacks of comics with hologram covers and quoting wolverine nonironically, but so, so many godawful new characters. Most valuable comic books of the 1990s personal finance. It was rare continue reading comic book adverts of the 1960s70s. Fantastic four is the name of several comic book titles featuring the team fantastic four created by stan lee and jack kirby and published by marvel comics, beginning with the original fantastic four comic book series which debuted in 1961. The nineties saw a wave of nostalgia investing that created a speculative bubble market for comic books. When viewed through the eyes of the newsstand variants there are some massive investment opportunities here. The ten most important comic books of the 1990s sequart. We offer modern, bronze age, silver age, and golden age comics. Newsstand editions from the comic book boom in the 1990s are the most underappreciated and undervalued area within comics at the moment. Since the 1960s, however, the comicbook industry has been dominated by. The large print runs during the comic boom made many books appear worthless.

With the return of comic book boom, months in the making, its a no brainer that the first thing i write about is the recent release of infinity war, something ten years in the making. List of important comics from the 1990s rare comics. The comic collecting craze of the early nineties was a text book case of bubble economics. The 1990s was the decade when marvel comics sold 8. With that caveat stated, without further ado, here is a list of 50 important comics from the 1990s. Why the 90s was the most volatile decade in comic book. Of all the things that occupied my time during those formative years toys, nes, cartoons comics were not one of them.

A firsthand account of the comic book boom and crash of the 1990 s and 1980s. One of the major causes of the comic book crash in the 1990s was the establishment and rise of the direct market. Revisiting the 90s speculative boom that nearly ended the comic book industry. The comic book crash of the 90s and why comics are safe. You can also connect with others in the comic industry to further and enhance everyones comic experience. It covers creators, sales, characters and relevant storylines, as well as putting these things in a proper historic context. Sure, they were almost certainly ripoffs, but who cares. The issue would become the best selling comic book so far and be the first major step to the rise of the superstar.

This week, i want to take you back a bit in history. I always deliver a thumbs up for a comic book articles and speaking of knightfall, there is an awesome audio play production you can find on cassette or cd to read along with the comic, very cool. My journey through the comic book speculation bubble of the 1990s. Comic book realm use our database to track your comic. And in a move that seems unfathomable today, marvel declared bankruptcy in 1996. Comic book grab bag 100 comics mostly 1990s era character requests accepted. Now some comics that contain first appearances from a less know characters at the time, that were not pushed had by marvel or dc, can actually get more on auction if they are in mint co. The 1990s was a decade that changed the comic book industry forever in any number of ways, whether it was the speculatorfueled boom and bust that killed a number of smaller publishers. I was born in 1980 so i do not have too many memories of the first few years of that decade. Ive come to the conclusion that the 1990 s comic book speculator is a myth. Based on the worldwide phenomenon tv series from the 1990s, mighty morphin power rangers. The vicious downward spiral of the 1990s mile high comics. And independent comic books inspired by the underground comix movement continue to enjoy some popularity and sales through comicbook stores throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Ive also posted more lists of key comic books by year including other decades. If we dont, add it to your want list and well notify you when its in stock. During the very late 80s and early 1990s there was diamond distributors and capital city who shared the burden of delivering comic books to all of the comic book shops across america. Ten key newsstand variants from the 1990s comic boom. Some of us like myself not only lived through it, but actually contributed to it. Revisiting the 90s speculative boom that nearly ended the comic. The film was excellent and hit on all the right notes.

Wuff, tuff and snuff, bim, bam and boom, oh, johnny. The 10 most asinine 1990s comic book characters who never. Throughout the 1990s, comic books exploded in popularity, eventually leading to a speculation boom and bust that took years to recover from. Twothirds of all comic book specialty stores closed in this time period, and numerous publishers were driven out of business. In truth, very few of the comics produced in the early 1990s. During the height of the boom, that number of shops reached somewhere around 10,000. Specialty stores became places where comic book fans could meet and convene and the stores themselves werent bogged down by the comics code. By that point in time, diamond comic distributors and capital city distributing had muscled aside their smaller regional competitors, and become the two dominant national comic book distributors. The comic book speculation bubble and the 1990 s has become known as. Its been so long since ive opened up a new comic book, i dont even know if they still run ads anymore. This boom period began with the publication of titles like. Though the comic book industry remains scarred by the bubble burst.

This video is part 3 of my comic book history series, but stands on its own. Check out a list of dedicated retail partners carrying the boom. Despite the pain and anguish the bursting of the comic book speculator bubble caused the industry in the 1990s, over the past few months the gimmick cover comics adorned. In reality the comic book industry was responding to changing market conditions brought on by a flurry of unprecedented speculation. In the 90s, comic book movies werent as simple as pulling from marvel or dc comics. The great comics crash of 1996 useful notes tv tropes. The comic crash of the 90s the bubble and burst through the eyes of a child. Steve gustafson looks at the best comic books from the 1990s including marvels, kingdom come, sin city and more. The 1990s was a decade that changed the comic book industry forever in any number of ways, whether it was the speculatorfueled boom and. One click lead to another and i learned about chris callahan and his book the.