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Truly, what was the 1990's boom like?

Started by white_rushin,

262 posts in this topic

white_rushin

white_rushin

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It's brought up quite often nowadays with many board members making comparisons to the speculation craze back then.

 

Are there any in depth articles, books, or videos made about this time period?

 

What were books that are sought after now going for back then? The classics like IH181, ASM129, HOS92, and of course all the major silver age apps.

 

I'd love to hear all of your thoughts.

 

The only takeaway someone young like me can get from it was the 90's had people hoarding Turok and Witchblade, where as now people are buying/flipping 1st apps.

 

I honestly don't know if I feel this way because I'm falling into the speculation craze, but aren't 1st appearances and earlier issues smarter to collect than what people were collecting in the 90's?

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jsilverjanet

jsilverjanet

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Oh yeah don't get me wrong, I own quite a few 90's books and they're plastered with #1's, wacky proportions, and full page panels in every issue.

 

I was more interested in hearing about how collecting itself was in the 90's.

 

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stroszek

stroszek

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I always liked the card dealers who would buy whole long boxes of Valiant #1s. I guess it's worked out somewhat if they held on all this time.

 

You could always tell the sleazier stores by whether they put that week's new comics out with an instant markup to $5 or more. You could just stop doing business with them and shop with an owner who cared about customers.

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ChiSoxFan

ChiSoxFan

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I had just started collecting in the early 1990's (about a year or so before the Death of Superman).

 

I remember going to my LCS on a new book day when the Deathmate books were coming out. I was on great terms with the owner, so he allowed me to hang out in the back room while they sorted out the shipment. I remember seeing that day a huge stack of Deathmate books that dwarfed everything else that was laid out for the week. When I asked why he had so many copies, the owner told me that one of his regular pull list customers had ordered 50-100 copies of each of the Deathmate books. :o:o

 

As it turned out, that same customer was ordering at least 50 copies or more of all of the new Image books, as well as Valiant releases (he had jumped on board that ship after Valiant's initial success, ordering those huge quantities during the time of the releases of Ninjak, Bloodshot, Secret Weapons, and Turok), and a few other independent releases (Warriors of Plasm, anyone?). It's those huge stacks that I think of first when I think of the 90's -- speculation at its craziest.

 

I'm pretty sure that guy doesn't collect anymore.

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jsilverjanet

jsilverjanet

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I had just started collecting in the early 1990's (about a year or so before the Death of Superman).

 

I remember going to my LCS on a new book day when the Deathmate books were coming out. I was on great terms with the owner, so he allowed me to hang out in the back room while they sorted out the shipment. I remember seeing that day a huge stack of Deathmate books that dwarfed everything else that was laid out for the week. When I asked why he had so many copies, the owner told me that one of his regular pull list customers had ordered 50-100 copies of each of the Deathmate books. :o:o

 

As it turned out, that same customer was ordering at least 50 copies or more of all of the new Image books, as well as Valiant releases (he had jumped on board that ship after Valiant's initial success, ordering those huge quantities during the time of the releases of Ninjak, Bloodshot, Secret Weapons, and Turok), and a few other independent releases (Warriors of Plasm, anyone?). It's those huge stacks that I think of first when I think of the 90's -- speculation at its craziest.

 

I'm pretty sure that guy doesn't collect anymore.

 

I'm not sure if it's like this with moderns today, but this was the biggest thing that was different, people were buying multiple copies of each issue. Not just 2-3 but 10-20. I felt victim to X-force 1 and X-men 1 but stopped shortly after that. :shy:

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stroszek

stroszek

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When the McFarlane Spider-Man was released, there was a line over 50 people long an hour before my favorite LCS opened. I remember this fondly because my grandfather drove me there and then waited for me in the car. When I bought my regular copies, I also wanted to buy multiples of the bagged edition but the store was limiting it to one per customer. I told my grandfather so he went in and waited a half hour to get me a second copy. Obviously I could never sell that one even if it was worth selling. He was one cool dude.

 

 

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Ken Aldred

Ken Aldred

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The first and only time I've ever used the F-word on a comic shop owner was when one ceremoniously fanned out a set of bagged X-Force 1s in front of me, as if they were six bags of gold. Ridiculous, even then.

 

I thought X-Force 2 was pants and dropped the title the following issue. Not too bad a decision, from a current perspective.

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Lazyboy

Lazyboy

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Man that's insane. Huge difference compared to now where as most of the frenzy is dealing with issues from the past.

 

Did nobody want bronze/silver?

 

Yeah, people were buying multiples fresh out of the shipping box but luckily the other part - the insane price explosions on hot back issues - is completely different than now. :whistle:

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white_rushin

white_rushin

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Man that's insane. Huge difference compared to now where as most of the frenzy is dealing with issues from the past.

 

Did nobody want bronze/silver?

 

Yeah, people were buying multiples fresh out of the shipping box but luckily the other part - the insane price explosions on hot back issues - is completely different than now. :whistle:

 

I'll just bold the 2nd bit of my quote and leave it at that...

 

where as most of the frenzy is dealing with issues from the past. :whistle:

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