90's dreck posted by Anyone

[CSJournals-migration]

The laughs....

 

Yes I grew up in the Nineties and started collecting what was around me at the time. That is just what Bob Overstreet recommends you do when you get into the hobby.

 

Fast forward 20 years and guys like me who are cleaning out the basements with all these 90-s issues that were smoking hot back in the day decide it's time to cash in, right?

 

Wrong!

 

Visit your local craigslist and type in comic book in the selling area and have a good chuckle with people who haven't followed the trends of where the market has gone.

 

I wonder what the dealers who scour these sites must think looking for quality books and get blindsided by $3500.00 price tagged collections listing titles like Alpha Flight and Pitt...

 

comicspriceguide doesn't help either with people who value their collections based on that phony system.

 

Ah the Nineties...

 

See more journals by Anyone

[kaholo1256]

Hey now X-Force didn't do anything to you

 

But seriously I think for those who are into it for either the nostalgia or the enjoyment of collecting the return isn't what we or at least I am looking for. Being a 90's child as well I collect what was mainly in my childhood and with that came the X-Force. I have no thoughts of grandeur or big payout for my X-Force set and don't believe they will ever be worth anything more than maybe the price of the slabbing itself but then again its not why I bought them or had them slabbed.

 

I do think that prices are inflated on many of those comic sites and now rely more on what others sell them for either on here, on ebay, or on the GPA as a guide and not comicpriceguide.com.

 

For anyone trying to cash in on the 90's, hate to say it but your gonna take a loss unless your favorite characters were Deadpool, Cable, and other breakout stars of the 90's. If you stockpiled copies of New Mutants 87, 98 or the newly hot book X-Factor 6 then congrat's you have amazing foresight, but if your like the rest of us, pass them onto your kids. They'll be worth it more that way than trying your hand on Craigslist.

[roninduelist]

Ah, the ninties.....Valiant Comics were hot then as well.

[Garlanda]

It is pretty awkward when I encounter people who were big comics readers around 91-94. They're pretty sure their collections of Ghost Rider, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Punisher War Zone are still hot.

 

It's a disservice to the hobby that virtually no price guide is willing to devalue comics below cover price, which we all know would be accurate for most of the comics from this era. A standard shortbox of the deluxe cover of Jim Lee's X-Men #1 would be almost $4000 by cover price, but we all know it would take a long time to get that.

 

It's also unfortunate that so many really good comics get caught up in the general anger directed at this period in comics. People mock Valiant now, but until a few months after Unity those were some excellent comics. The tight way they tied in Magnus and the future heroes to their contemporary line...! Wow.

 

I Just shake my head at all the people over in the Copper Age forum who are like, "I've been a huge fan of comics since 1982 and I've never owned a Rob Liefeld comic and I never will!" Yeah, right. Everyone bought into the hype at the time, and no one seemed to care that his proportions and anatomy were off. His art was distinctive and stylized, that's all, and frankly not much less likely than a lot of Todd McFarlane's swinging Spideys with his foot over his head.

 

So, no, 90s comics probably aren't going to send your kids to college, but a lot of them are just as enjoyable as 80s comics, and 70s comics, and 60s comics...

[kaholo1256]

I have heard a ton of people knock the 90's. But to me these were the stories I grew up with. Fatal Attractions and watching Magneto rip the Adamantium out of Wolverines body or X-Cutioner's Song and watching my favorite character shoot the collective father of Mutant kind in the chest. These were some amazing stories to me and still make more sense to me than half of what I read when I try to go over some of the old Golden and even Silver Aged stories. To me those were some times corny and campy but then again different strokes for different folks.

 

As Garlanda pointed out, no one is going to get rich or honestly even come out getting dollar for dollar what they put into half their childhood collections but it doesn't mean they aren't worth something to someone even if it is simply passing them on to the next generation.

 

As for Liefeld, as a kid, I thought he was the best artist in the world. I mean, HUGE Guns, HUGE Boobs, HUGE Unobtainable size figures. They all seemed like Hulk figures to me and in that age it was cool. What kid didn't run around with guns and such and actually use their imagination. Now everything is computer generated and everyone has a social outlet to preach to the choir on why they hate ugly feet, huge boobs, and small waists.

[Garlanda]

I challenge anyone to read Hal Jordan's progression from test pilot to insurance adjuster (GL 53, 1967) to toy salesman (GL 70, 1969) to trucker (can't find an exact cite, sometime in the 70s) and tell me that is any more coherent and rational than Cable/Stryfe, etc.

[surfer99]

If you were remotely into comics in the 90's you bought into the hype. Yes, I picked up like 20 issues of X-men #1 (had to get all the variants, right?) and another 20 issues of X-Force #1 (had to get all the cards, right?). I bought all the Valiant books...Eternal Warrior was my favorite I think...and even forked out $85 for a NM copy of Magnus #12 at a local con at the time. Hey, what would that be worth today I wonder? Quick search on eBay, aaaand it looks like I can pick up CGC 9.8 copy for the same price, wow! Although I am not a fan of DC comics (I do like the TV shows and movies) I still picked up a copy of the Death of Superman (still have it in the black bag even, along with the white bagged resurrection issue). With all the media attention (I did manage to keep a newspaper clipping) and the book selling OUT everywhere I couldn't resist.

 

So yeah, not so much with the investment potential in the 90's, but it was a good time and you know the publishers and creators were making BANK so they were loving it too. In the end, at least we got to enjoy some great stories and art for our dollar which is more than you can say about a lot of other poor investment choices people have made, so I can live with that. Thanks for writing the journal Anyone, brought back some fond memories.

 

 

 

[hoknes]

At one point in 1993 I was buying 60 new titles a month and doubles of most as well. Yeesh I spent/wasted a lot of money. But it was definitely a great time - tons of great stuff. Some of my best memories reading for sure from early Valiant to the death of Superman.

 

Unfortunately most stuff was overprinted and that will keep most of the books worthless for many many years

 

But I do see the key books are starting to come around and it wont be long before people are paying higher and higher prices to regain these classics of that area.

[MetalPSI]

At one point in 1993 I was buying 60 new titles a month and doubles of most as well. Yeesh I spent/wasted a lot of money. But it was definitely a great time - tons of great stuff. Some of my best memories reading for sure from early Valiant to the death of Superman.

 

Unfortunately most stuff was overprinted and that will keep most of the books worthless for many many years

 

But I do see the key books are starting to come around and it wont be long before people are paying higher and higher prices to regain these classics of that area.

 

I'm one of those people....trying to finish off my Maxx and Tick collection

 

Love the artwork on some of the Dark Horse stuff as well. Had some good series back in those days

[MetalPSI]

I have heard a ton of people knock the 90's. But to me these were the stories I grew up with. Fatal Attractions and watching Magneto rip the Adamantium out of Wolverines body or X-Cutioner's Song and watching my favorite character shoot the collective father of Mutant kind in the chest. These were some amazing stories to me and still make more sense to me than half of what I read when I try to go over some of the old Golden and even Silver Aged stories. To me those were some times corny and campy but then again different strokes for different folks.

 

As Garlanda pointed out, no one is going to get rich or honestly even come out getting dollar for dollar what they put into half their childhood collections but it doesn't mean they aren't worth something to someone even if it is simply passing them on to the next generation.

 

As for Liefeld, as a kid, I thought he was the best artist in the world. I mean, HUGE Guns, HUGE Boobs, HUGE Unobtainable size figures. They all seemed like Hulk figures to me and in that age it was cool. What kid didn't run around with guns and such and actually use their imagination. Now everything is computer generated and everyone has a social outlet to preach to the choir on why they hate ugly feet, huge boobs, and small waists.

 

you look at your Ticks recently?

[kaholo1256]

you look at your Ticks recently?

 

I can honestly say since getting back my wife has kept me on a very short leash for comic related goodness. Basically allowing me Wednesday, a few hour block of time on Sunday, and anytime she falls asleep... I will make it a point this weekend to go by my storage locker....yep one of those people, but at least its climate controled, and check out the Tick grouping. Haven't invested to much into them and not a series I am really concentrating on so I'll shoot you a message and we can work something out.

 

[John E.]

My local shop sells their overstock of late 80s/90s books on a "throwback" shelf for the cover price of each book. Just a few months ago they

were selling about one and half dozen copies of Uncanny X-Men #282 & #283 (1st Bishop) and New Mutants #100 (1st X-Force) for $1.25. Those sold quickly. And now, 282/283 are now climbing up in price and that same store put up New Mutants #100 as a $30.00 wall book. All is not lost with those 90s titles.

 

Also, I set up a table at my local toy show and sold 90s titles for $1.00 each or 7 for $5.00. Would you believe they were my best sellers? Some folks are just nostalgic. And a $1.00 for a prism cover just seems like a steal for the youngin's.

 

On the other hand...

 

The clerk of another local shop told me that a few weeks ago a guy came in with his girlfriend and said, "Honey, I've been holding on to this for when things got tight." It was a copy of Spawn #1. The clerk told me the guy thought he was going to make rent money with it. I found the story to be incredulous, but perhaps not.

 

Tonight I'll toast to the 1990s and set my drink on a coaster made out of Youngblood #1.

[Garlanda]

I think the comics from the 90s just need to be evaluated honestly with the same criteria you would any other collectible.

 

* Was it popular 15-40 years ago, to maximize nostalgia among today's disposable-income earners?

 

* Does it continue to be produced, which lures in new interest and new buyers for old material?

 

* Is there an emphasis on each individual item (continuing storyline)?

 

As an example comparison, look at Secret Six #1 and Amazing Spider-man #60, both from May 1968. Secret Six was a #1 issue, featuring unremarkable characters that did not maintain their own series for long. Comicspriceguide.com says $120 for a NM copy. Amazing Spider-man #60 was unremarkeable in every way, but lists for $300 on the same site. Clearly, it's more important to be a Spider-man comic than a miscellaneous #1.

 

Carry that forward... in October 1998 Uncanny X-Men 360 sold about as many copies as Battle Chasers 4; today UXM 360 will sell for about twice what BC 4 will (on mycomicshop.com).

 

SO...

 

Even comics that are hugely overproduced can eventually find their market assuming: the storyline keeps going and the characters are still active. But, just as Amazing Spider-man #60 took 40 years to get to $300, it may take another 20 years for 90's books to distance themselves from the pack.

[hoknes]

Garlanda - excellent points ! I do agree. And yes you bring up the idea that most 90's stuff that could potentially be hot has to have some connection to something still done today. So I am wondering if that means its a good time to get back into Valiants as the company is producing again. So many 90's era stuff becoming hot with movie related news: Sandman, Preacher, Doomsday, Bane etc.

[slym2none]

Ah, the ninties.....Valiant Comics were hot then as well.

 

Yeah, but VALIANT (all caps, all the time!) was actually good comics, as well.

 

Image may have been prolific, but good? Not at that time, by and large.

 

 

 

 

-slym

[Garlanda]

Ah, the ninties.....Valiant Comics were hot then as well.

 

Yeah, but VALIANT (all caps, all the time!) was actually good comics, as well.

 

Image may have been prolific, but good? Not at that time, by and large.

 

 

 

 

-slym

 

Well, Valiant comics up until about May 93 were good. Rai and the Future Force #9 and Magnus #25 fell into the gimmick chasm, Harbinger started introducing a new throwaway character every issue so they could say "important first appearance!" in Previews...and on and on.

 

Less than a year after booting Jim Shooter the entire line was a shambles.

 

Prior to that, Valiant books were among the best on the shelves consistently. From Magnus 1 through Unity these books were excellent across the entire line.

[hoknes]

Harbinger is my #1 favorite comic series of the early 90s !

[kaholo1256]

I was never into Valiant as a kid, but after seeing all of these posts on here I am going to have to pick up the TPB or some reader copies. Sounds like so much enjoyment in one area.

[Garlanda]

I was never into Valiant as a kid, but after seeing all of these posts on here I am going to have to pick up the TPB or some reader copies. Sounds like so much enjoyment in one area.

 

Ask around, I'm sure you can get them cheap. I'm pretty sure I have extras of the Harbinger, Rai, and X-O Manowar TPBs that I'll send you for free. I'll have to check to be sure, some may be in storage, but multiples I definitely have.

[Garlanda]

Just checked and I have an extra Harbinger and X-O Manowar TPB I'd be happy to send you.