90s Comic Books Are On The Rise (Part 1 of 2)

Lately, the entire comic book market has been affected by nostalgia buying. More than affected,, almost driven by it. Maybe it always has been that way. But we certainly have seen a shift in what buyers are looking for. More and more we see a gravitation toward 80's properties like GI Joe, Transformers, TMNT, etc.  But for buyers looking for ROI, you have to be willing to look ahead. Next up is the 90s and that wave has already begun. So with that in mind, my fellow comic investor Jason and I collaborated on a 2 part 90's Bolo buy list. 

So part one is my guy Jason is going to take part one and I will let him tell you about how it came to be in his own words. And then I will hit you with a part 2 Marvel Edition. 

 Hi my name is Jason and I’m also @thecomicbookhunter on Instagram and Youtube. The reason I’m here is I stumbled across the recent sale of The Crow #1 and was amazed! Then I thought “With all the 90s nostalgia heating up in Cards and Comics, what other Comics might blow up in price?” Sot I DM’d Jack, AKA Mr. Bolo and said “we should do a 90s Bolo list!” his response? “I’m down, let’s do it” and here is where we find ourselves. So here’s the list I came up with.

10. 100 Bullets #1. In 1999 Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Russo debuted 100 bullets. Over the course of its publication it won awards and had a lot of reader buzz. At one time Tom Hardy was attached to a movie adaptation. This once hot book is ripe for a modern adaptation. The hype and cosign of readership buzz coupled with a rich backstory of plotlines gives it a deep history for movie content.

9. Beavis and Butt-head #1. Yeah I Know what you're thinking but hear me out. In 1994 this cartoon came out and then was suddenly all over MTV.  It seemed like it was everywhere! If you grew up in the 90s even your Grandma knew who they were. It spawned a movie and now there’s buzz that there is a Reboot. With how popular this property was, and how cheap it is to pick up, there’s a lot of potential for this book.

8. Star Wars Boba Fett: A Bounty on Bar-Kooda. There’s no doubt Star Wars is hot. The Mandolorian is white hot. Also with a Boba Fett Disney+ show around the corner this is a great book to spec on. I chose this title out of all the others is the price of entry. For under $20 this book is a great pickup. Add to that, this is the first solo one shot title for Boba Fett. Hype and low Price = Bolo.

7. 300 #1. Now this book was turned into an incredible movie by Zack Snyder and was written by none other than Frank Miller.This movie grossed about $450 mill. So suffice to say, it was popular among fans and movie goers. This book is also great all by itself. Again for under $20 it’s a steal. Popular movie, great story, renown artist and writer. I see this as a great Bolo. it has all the makings for the price to go up.

6. The Terminator #1. This character and the T2 movie represents the 90s. Big Budget, Arnold, and Guns n’ Roses on the soundtrack, it was made for a blockbuster! That said this franchise will likely keep going. No matter how bad the other movies did. It is steeped in 90s Nostalgia. Price? How about under $10! Bolo all the way and at that price it’s a no lose.

5. Judge Dredd # 1. I know it's from the 80s but it picked up steam in the 90s. This is a character that had 2 movies made from it. But not only that, it's such a great character. It spawned crossovers with Batman and other characters. The reason I like this character is because it is due for another crack at the big screen. Like the Crow it had so much of an underground following in its day. Mega city, Judge Death, all these concepts are so well done and with Brian Bolland doing pencils it’s such a good book to pick up.Bolo for this book for $30.

4. Lobo #1. Oh man this book was just fun! This character was everywhere in the 90s for a time. This character is just dying to make it to the big screen. It’s had its troubles making it to a movie adaptation but I think it’s a great character to bank on to get it done. He first appeared earlier but in 1990 this issue really clarified his origins and perfected his personality. We also get Keith Giffen on writing duty with a great 90s artist/painter Simon Bisley. Pick this up, read it and treasure it. An absolute Bolo at $10

3. Kingdom Come #1. When I was thinking about The Crow it was all about readers flocking and loving this character. I thought about SIKTC with its reader buzz,  and that Kingdom Come needs to be mentioned as a reader favorite just as well. Thats being said, 1996 we saw an Elseworlds book that was so insanely well written and equalled only by its artistry. The book came in a prestige format with Mark Waid and Alex Ross on the creative team. This was also a huge book because at the time and even today , Alex Ross rarely did a full book and this book is beautiful. Its brought us a broken Batman whose body is battered and scarred from all his battles over the years, The flash who is so fast he is literally everywhere. You have to read it to see what happened to Superman and Wonder Woman. An Incredible book with the Readers stamp of approval. Get this Bolo for under $10

2. Sin City: A Dame to Kill for #1. Another great book by Frank Miller. Its credentials for a Bolo? Story, Awards, Readers loved it, Movie adaptation, and lastly there’s still talk of continuing this book with Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez on the creative team for a series. This book was huge in the 90s and still translates into a great series. So much potential moving forward and all the things this property has done it’s only proven it’s worth picking up. Don't sleep on this book. Very underpriced.

1. Akira #1. Wow, this book is incredible. It was adapted into an animated movie and just exploded in the 90s. It really was there at the forefront with Anime and Manga as it started to become more and more popular in the 90s. I remember getting a bootleg copy from a friend and watching it over and over. I will admit, confusing as it is beautiful. Talks of Taika Waititi's live-action Akira reboot keep surfacing. Some say in 2021. That said, now is the time to Bolo. Whenever this gets confirmed the prices will skyrocket. But not only that, right now prices seem to steadily go up. Not fast but just enough. So get it now and if anything have a great book and some great 90s nostalgia to go along with it. 

I couldn't stop so here are my honorable mentions:

30 days of night #1 (such a good story)

Creech #1 (Spawn universe will expand and good book to get cheap)

Death Dealer #1 (Frazetta has a rich backlog of characters)

Mage

Hitman (he once auditioned for JLA just to use his x ray vision on Wonder Woman)

So what did you think of Jason's Picks? Do you have any 90s non Marvel Bolos? I really think Jason highlighted some nostalgia plays that will continue to grow in value and some that have already started heating up.  Be sure to follow Jason on IG and join his journey. Be on the lookout tomorrow when we look at 90s Marvel books with room to grow! 

Jack DeMayo is a Comic Book Investor and Influencer. He is a Freelance writer for one37pm and Frankie's Comics Blog and the Podcast Host of CBCS Live. 

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