We have values for any marvel, dc, image, idw, darkhorse, or dell comic book that is in your collection. What are the key issues i should look for to decide if its worth it. Do comic books from the 80s have any value answers. Just as supply and demand work for any retail product, the less supply of a particular comic, the greater the demand. For the 80 s, it looks like watchmen, dark knight, and killing joke are keys, but teen titans and justice league, as far as price is concerned, is not yet. A feeding frenzy in the midtolate2000s lead to a glut of cgcgraded near mintmint copies coming to market. It often is a first issue of a series or a first appearance of a character. Oct 06, 2017 a similar sentiment is being repeated over and over by collectors of highgrade key issue comic books from the 1980s and 90s. Marvel 79 80s hulk avengers defenders captain marvel. Most valuable comic book list for key comic book issues that you can likely find at garage sales, pawnshopsetc. This video does a fantastic job of explain what was going on in the industry back then and how image helped pave the way for creator owned comics. With each pricing update we compute and show here the 100 most valuable comic books. Personally, i thought the secret wars was a poor imitation of crisis on infinite earths.
From our humble beginnings, we have grown to the largest, most complete comic book price guide with well over 1,000,000 comics in our database. I am marin balabanov from austria 4200 miles east of america, total comic book geek. To date, watchmen remains the only graphic novel to win a hugo award, 2 and is also the only graphic novel to appear on time magazine s 2005 list of the 100 best englishlanguage novels from 1923 to the. Ive also posted more lists of key comic books by year including other decades. I have no recollection of this even though i remember groo being extremely hot. The easiest way to determine if your comics fall into the good category is by looking at the cover price. There is a shop in my hometown that may give a little more in credit at the store, but only for the choicest of issues. The condition of the comic determines the grade, and the higher the grade the more valuable. For the 80s, it looks like watchmen, dark knight, and killing joke are keys, but teen titans and justice league, as far as price is concerned, is not yet. Please like and subscribe if you enjoy this video and check out the channel for other videos like this. Copper age comics are those published between 1984 and 1991, and on the timeline of comic book history, are bracketed between bronze age comics published before 1984 and modern age comics published after 1991. Ill have to look back and see what my favorites were but i am curious what the rest of you think. Some are in excellent condition and some may have wear.
A quick look at the history of the wolverine costume. List of important comics from the 1980s rare comics. We had the awesome work of john byrne on the fantastic four, walt simonson on thor and alan moore on watchmen. We will say that the golden age begins in 1938 and ends in 1956, when the silver age began. Veterans of the industry instinctively scoff when you mention the death of superman, 2099 stories, and just about any other wacky 90s arc. There isnt much difference except a few stories from the 80s. 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. Of course there are dozens of others i would have liked to include, but when it comes down to it, there can only be 10. She is a modelactresssinger marketed by the publisher as americas queen of pinups and fashions readers were encouraged to submit original drawings of outfits and accessories for her and her friends to wear, as well as designs for. A lot of 80s comics are usually found in the 25 cent bins, but depending on the issues and titles, some are worth a decent amount of money. If there are 15,000 copies of the comic in perfect condition, it is going to be less desirable than one with only 100 known copies in mint condition. The comic book crash of the 90s and why comics are safe today. The list of the most valuable bronze age comic books hubpages.
I bought groo off the stands as a kid and held them until the mid90 s when i sold off a large chunk of my collection. This is the third article in our series, following from most valuable golden age comics and most valuable silver age comics here are the key issues to look for when youre at garage sales yes, they do turn up. The 80s marked a great decade in comics, but also a decade of tremendous industry change. A great decade in comics, and featuring one of my favorite categories. It brought a darker sense of realism to these heroes that not too many people cared to tackle. Still, much like every other time period in comic book collecting, there are those few key issues that slipped through the cracks and became worth their weight in gold. A lot happened in that 10 years so its hard to pick just one event or story that i loved. The premier online comics price guide free comic book values. The 80 s were the greatest period in comic book creation. This period is known as the copper age of comic book collecting and encompasses one of the most volatile periods in the history of comic book collecting. Usually when it comes to a valuable comic book, the lower the issue number the better. Could be based on stories, art, and major events of that decade from whatever comic company you like.
Marvel 79 80s hulk avengers defenders captain marvel comic book lot huge lot of marvel super heroes comic books. Certain bronze age keys listed on the most valuable comic books page have actually fallen in value since 200810. I was disappointed that the jacket cover didnt come with the book like when i received the 30s to the 70s. The 80s were the greatest period in comic book creation. The authority is a really fun comic book that looks and feels like a blockbuster movie something enjoyable like bad boys 2 but not a piece of art, and certainly, not a masterpiece. The 90s wasnt just about image comics, but it sure was a huge part of what shaped the decade. Why i loved the 80s 30 titles that lived and died in the decade of excess. It was a story we loved to hate cause it took away some of our comic innocence. Collecting the most valuable comic books of the 80s and 90s. Comic book value guide how to value your comics in 3 easy steps.
Andy smith, an avid comic book reader and commentator for more than 20 years, spent a great deal of time and effort doing the research for this article. That being said, it is worth mentioning that since most comic books from the 80s and 90s were bought and hoarded by speculators en masse, for these books to be worth anything. Whether a comic book from any time period has significant monetary value depends on many factors, such as the condition the book is in, good as. Katy keene, a character created by bill woggon, has appeared in several comic book series published by archie comics since 1945.
A great decade in comics, and featuring one of my favorite categories of price variant comics. Id take things small things in trade for the collection. Why i loved the 80s 30 titles that lived and died in the. The comic book market is primarily concentrated on more vintage comics, most of which were published in the 1930s to mid1970s.
Jun 26, 2018 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. Whether a comic book from any time period has significant monetary value depends on many factors, such as the condition the book is in, good as new vs. Top 100 most valuable comic books of the golden age 19381956 the 100 most valuable comic books from each age. As war rages on okaara, robin, cyborg and changeling mount a rescue mission on the citadel homeworld in war. Easily search titles such as amazing spiderman, batman, xmen and the black panther. The top 20 comic book stories of the 1980s berkeley place. Free comic book value and price resources comic book secrets jan 19, 2008 it walks you through finding comic book values and prices and helps you decide the best method for your situation. You can start at our comic book values free course, or pick up an overstreet comic book price guide. I could possibly award crisis as dcs best 80s moment, but i think the dark knight returns was more important for the industry. The supply of particular old comic books is important to figuring value as well.
Valuable comic books most valuable comic book list for key comic book issues that you can likely find at garage sales, pawnshopsetc. That is how bad the value is on 80 s and on comics. The value in comics is an investment first and foremost, but with a strong appreciation for the art, writing, and comic books as a pop culture art form. The 5 most valuable comic books from the 1990s comicon. I think a key book can be either historicle importance or favorite book, or both.
The bronze age of comic books is an informal name for a period in the history of american superhero comic books usually said to run from 1970 to 1984. But supply and demand, economic conditions, and even popular movies can influence how much a comic book is worth. Key copper age, key bronze age, and key modern age comics with a few key silver age comics mixed in. Im considering buying a relatively large lot of 80searly 90s batman comics probably around 200 for 25 cents a comic. Some say kravens last hunt was the last ture spiderman story, like rust never sleeps was the last true. It follows the silver age of comic books, and is followed by the modern age of comic books the bronze age retained many of the conventions of the silver age, with traditional superhero titles remaining the mainstay of the. Please like and subscribe if you enjoy this video and check out the. In this video we discuss some of the best comics that were published in the 1980s.
As far as sheer comic book content, the 80s was a fantastic decade in comics, producing a great number of excellent keys and the decade also features one of my favorite categories of cover price variant comics. Watchmen, a twelveissue comic book limited series written by alan moore, illustrated by dave gibbons and published by dc comics, debuts. Script by marv wolfman, pencils by george perez, inks by romeo tanghal. There are so many honorable mentions that i cant possibly begin to mention them all. Free comic book value and price resources including the pros and cons of each. I did not inspect each comic book and i am not a collector. Vintage comic book, the official handbook of the marvel universe update 1989 no. 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. Jun 17, 2007 so what was the best and worst of the 80 s. Start your comic book search using the premier free comic book price guide. Jun 29, 2006 the authority is a really fun comic book that looks and feels like a blockbuster movie something enjoyable like bad boys 2 but not a piece of art, and certainly, not a masterpiece.
The price isnt bad, just not sure if its worth my time to pick through and separate. Script by marv wolfman, pencils by george perez, inks by. Collecting the most valuable comic books of the 80s and. Lot of 9 vintage 1978 heavy metal comic magazine very fine condition. That range is driven by the newsstand exclusivity of the variants, coupled with a decline in newsstand sales relative to direct edition sales direct. Still, having a comic book with a low issue number is another good indicator that it is. Welcome to my blog about the comics of the 80s and of course about me. Top 50 most valuable comic books of the bronze age. I dont remember any of them being worth anything except the issues shadroch noted the independent seriesappearances and 1st marvel issue. Jan, 2017 with that caveat stated, without further ado, here is a list of 50 important comics from the 1980s. Clearly, some of these items may not, and probably do not exist in that grade. Alan moore and dave gibbons created a 12 part comic bible. Welcome to my blog about the comics of the 80 s and of course about me. Jun 15, 2018 in this video we discuss some of the best comics that were published in the 1980s.
Within the industry, the beginning of copper age comics was marked by a large group of highprofile artists moving away from. I got the 30s to the 70s book and thought getting this book would be cool. This page will deal with the most valuable of all, golden age comic books. Comic book pricing, the value of grading comics, and more. Often these folks were devoted as kids, and like alternative investments that also happen to be quite nostalgic. During the height of the boom, that number of shops reached somewhere around 10,000. Some publishers of comic books, like gold key, kicked the bucket in the 80s because they didnt adapt to the dramatic decline in newsstand sales industrywide, which paralleled the explosion of the direct sales model of distributing comic books a new model introduced at the end of the 70s. Comics price guide was the first online price guide for comic books back in 1995.
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