MARVEL COMICS: 1990 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Mutants #87 | Louise Simonson, Rob Liefeld | 1st full appearance of Cable (Nathan Summers) and Stryfe; 1st appearance of the Mutant Liberation Front. | Mar 1990 |
| Ghost Rider #1 | Howard Mackie, Javier Saltares | 1st appearance of Danny Ketch as the new Ghost Rider; 1st appearance of Deathwatch. | May 1990 |
| New Warriors #1 | Tom DeFalco, Mark Bagley | 1st team appearance of the New Warriors; 1st appearance of Night Thrasher. | Jul 1990 |
| Spider-Man #1 | Todd McFarlane | Premiere issue of Todd McFarlane's solo series; "Torment" storyline begins; iconic cover. | Aug 1990 |
| Uncanny X-Men #266 | Chris Claremont, Mike Collins | 1st full appearance of Gambit (Remy LeBeau). | Aug 1990 |
| Marvel Comics Presents #72 | Barry Windsor-Smith | Start of the "Weapon X" storyline; reveals origin of Wolverine's adamantium bonding. | Sep 1990 |
| Thanos Quest #1 | Jim Starlin, Ron Lim | Thanos collects all six Infinity Gems for the first time; sets up the Infinity Gauntlet event. | Sep 1990 |
| Uncanny X-Men #268 | Chris Claremont, Jim Lee | Iconic cover and story featuring Captain America, Wolverine, and Black Widow team-up in Madripoor. | Sep 1990 |
| Silver Surfer #44 | Jim Starlin, Ron Lim | 1st appearance of the Infinity Gauntlet (the assembled item) in an ongoing series. | Dec 1990 |
| Fantastic Four #347 | Walt Simonson, Arthur Adams | 1st appearance of the "New Fantastic Four" (Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hulk, Ghost Rider). | Dec 1990 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1991 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| The New Mutants #98 | Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza | 1st appearance of Deadpool (Wade Wilson), Domino (Copycat), and Gideon. | Feb 1991 |
| X-Men #1 | Chris Claremont, Jim Lee | Best-selling comic of all time; 1st appearance of the Acolytes; Magneto returns; Blue Team roster debut. | Oct 1991 |
| The Infinity Gauntlet #1 | Jim Starlin, George Pérez | Start of the major event; Thanos wipes out half the universe (The Snap). | Jul 1991 |
| X-Force #1 | Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza | Premiere issue of X-Force; 1st appearance of G.W. Bridge; sealed with trading cards. | Aug 1991 |
| Uncanny X-Men #282 | John Byrne, Whilce Portacio | 1st full appearance of Bishop (Lucas Bishop). | Nov 1991 |
| The New Mutants #99 | Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza | 1st appearance of Shatterstar and Feral. | Mar 1991 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #344 | David Michelinie, Erik Larsen | 1st appearance of Cletus Kasady (becomes Carnage later); 1st Cardiac. | Feb 1991 |
| The Incredible Hulk #377 | Peter David, Dale Keown | 1st appearance of "Professor Hulk" (Merged Hulk); psychological integration of Banner's personalities. | Jan 1991 |
| Darkhawk #1 | Tom DeFalco, Mike Manley | Origin and 1st appearance of Darkhawk (Chris Powell). | Mar 1991 |
| The New Mutants #100 | Rob Liefeld, Fabian Nicieza | Final issue; official formation of the X-Force team roster. | Apr 1991 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1992 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amazing Spider-Man #361 | David Michelinie, Mark Bagley | 1st full appearance of Carnage (Cletus Kasady). | Apr 1992 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #365 | David Michelinie, Mark Bagley | 30th Anniversary hologram cover; 1st appearance of Spider-Man 2099 (Miguel O'Hara) in a 5-page preview. | Aug 1992 |
| Spider-Man 2099 #1 | Peter David, Rick Leonardi | 1st full appearance of Spider-Man 2099; foil cover; premiere of the 2099 universe. | Nov 1992 |
| X-Men #4 | Jim Lee, John Byrne | 1st appearance of Omega Red (Arkady Rossovich). | Jan 1992 |
| Marvel Super-Heroes #8 | Steve Ditko, Will Murray | Origin and 1st appearance of Squirrel Girl (Doreen Green). | Jan 1992 |
| X-Men #5 | Jim Lee, John Byrne | 1st appearance of Maverick (David North). | Feb 1992 |
| Ghost Rider #28 | Howard Mackie, Andy Kubert | 1st appearance of the Midnight Sons team; 1st Caretaker; part 1 of "Rise of the Midnight Sons." | Aug 1992 |
| Nightstalkers #1 | D.G. Chichester, Ron Garney | 1st team appearance of the Nightstalkers (Blade, Hannibal King, Frank Drake). | Nov 1992 |
| Hulk: Future Imperfect #1 | Peter David, George Pérez | 1st appearance of the Maestro (future evil Hulk); Prestige Format mini-series. | Dec 1992 |
| Cage #1 | Marc McLaurin, Dwayne Turner | Premiere of Luke Cage's 90s solo series; 1st appearance of Hardcore. | Apr 1992 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1993 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venom: Lethal Protector #1 | David Michelinie, Mark Bagley | 1st solo Venom series; Venom moves to San Francisco and becomes an anti-hero; red foil cover. | Feb 1993 |
| X-Men #25 | Fabian Nicieza, Andy Kubert | Magneto rips the Adamantium out of Wolverine's skeleton; major "Fatal Attractions" crossover event. | Oct 1993 |
| Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1 | Fabian Nicieza, Joe Madureira | 1st solo Deadpool series (mini-series); 1st appearance of Slayback. | Aug 1993 |
| Spider-Man Unlimited #1 | Tom DeFalco, Ron Lim | Part 1 of the "Maximum Carnage" storyline; 1st appearance of Shriek. | May 1993 |
| Cable #1 | Fabian Nicieza, Art Thibert | Premiere issue of Cable's ongoing solo series. | May 1993 |
| Gambit #1 | Howard Mackie, Lee Weeks | 1st solo Gambit series (mini-series). | Dec 1993 |
| Venom: Lethal Protector #4 | David Michelinie, Ron Lim | 1st appearance of the Life Foundation Symbiotes: Scream, Phage, Riot, Lasher, and Agony. | May 1993 |
| Daredevil: The Man Without Fear #1 | Frank Miller, John Romita Jr. | Definitive retelling of Daredevil's origin; inspiration for the Netflix TV series costume. | Oct 1993 |
| Wolverine #75 | Larry Hama, Adam Kubert | Wolverine reveals his "Bone Claws" for the first time after losing his Adamantium; hologram cover. | Nov 1993 |
| Uncanny X-Men #300 | Scott Lobdell, John Romita Jr. | Anniversary issue; return of the Acolytes; foil stamped cover. | May 1993 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1994 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marvels #1 | Kurt Busiek, Alex Ross | Premiere issue; fully painted art by Alex Ross; re-telling of Golden/Silver Age events from a human perspective. | Jan 1994 |
| Web of Spider-Man #118 | Terry Kavanagh, Steven Butler | 1st appearance of Ben Reilly as the Scarlet Spider (debut of the hoodie costume). | Nov 1994 |
| The Incredible Hulk #419 | Peter David, Gary Frank | 1st appearance of Talos the Tamed (Skrull); major character in MCU (Captain Marvel/Secret Invasion). | Jul 1994 |
| Uncanny X-Men #316 | Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira | 1st appearance of the Generation X team members (M, Chamber, Skin, Synch) gathered together; Phalanx Covenant. | Sep 1994 |
| Generation X #1 | Scott Lobdell, Chris Bachalo | Premiere issue of the Generation X ongoing series; chromium foil wrap-around cover. | Nov 1994 |
| Deadpool #1 (Mini-Series) | Mark Waid, Ian Churchill | 1st issue of the "Sins of the Past" limited series; early solo Deadpool story. | Jan 1994 |
| War Machine #1 | Scott Benson, Gabriel Gecko | 1st solo ongoing series for War Machine (James Rhodes); foil cover. | Apr 1994 |
| Blade: The Vampire Hunter #1 | Ian Edginton, Doug Wheatley | 1st solo ongoing series for Blade; foil cover. | Jul 1994 |
| Force Works #1 | Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning | 1st team appearance of Force Works (Iron Man, Spider-Woman, U.S. Agent); 1st appearance of Century. | Jul 1994 |
| Carnage: Mind Bomb #1 | Warren Ellis, Kyle Hotz | One-shot; considered one of the darkest/most violent Carnage stories; cult classic key. | Dec 1994 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1995 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| X-Men: Alpha #1 | Scott Lobdell, Roger Cruz | Start of the "Age of Apocalypse" event; 1st appearance of Dark Beast, Holocaust, and Morph (AoA). | Feb 1995 |
| X-Man #1 | Jeph Loeb, Steve Skroce | 1st appearance of Nate Grey (X-Man); major powerhouse character from Age of Apocalypse. | Mar 1995 |
| Punisher Kills the Marvel Universe | Garth Ennis, Dougie Braithwaite | Garth Ennis's first work for Marvel; non-canon cult classic one-shot. | Nov 1995 |
| Green Goblin #1 | Tom DeFalco, Scott McDaniel | 1st appearance of Phil Urich as a heroic Green Goblin. | Oct 1995 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #400 | J.M. DeMatteis, Mark Bagley | The "Death" of Aunt May (later retconned); die-cut tombstone cover. | Apr 1995 |
| Excalibur #86 | Warren Ellis, Ken Lashley | 1st appearance of Pete Wisdom (British mutant spy). | Feb 1995 |
| Ruins #1 | Warren Ellis, Terese Nielsen | A dark dystopian parody of "Marvels"; widely collected for its grim take on the universe. | Aug 1995 |
| X-Men #41 | Fabian Nicieza, Andy Kubert | Legion kills Professor X in the past, triggering the Age of Apocalypse reality shift. | Feb 1995 |
| Captain America #444 | Mark Waid, Ron Garney | "Death" of Captain America story arc; cover homage to Alex Schomburg's Golden Age art. | Oct 1995 |
| Uncanny X-Men #322 | Scott Lobdell, Tom Grummett | First mention of the entity "Onslaught" (leads to major 1996 crossover). | May 1995 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1996 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| DC vs. Marvel #1 | Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens | Start of the historic crossover event; readers voted on battle outcomes. | Apr 1996 |
| Marvel vs. DC #3 | Ron Marz, Peter David, Dan Jurgens | 1st appearance of Access (Axel Asher); debut of the Amalgam Universe concept. | Apr 1996 |
| Legends of the Dark Claw #1 | Larry Hama, Jim Balent | Amalgam Key: 1st appearance of Dark Claw (Wolverine + Batman combination). | Jun 1996 |
| X-Men #53 | Mark Waid, Andy Kubert | 1st full physical appearance of Onslaught (entity formed from Xavier and Magneto). | Jun 1996 |
| Spider-Man #75 | Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr. | Death of Ben Reilly; Peter Parker resumes role as Spider-Man; return of Norman Osborn. | Dec 1996 |
| Captain America #1 (Vol. 2) | Rob Liefeld, Jeph Loeb | "Heroes Reborn" era begins; controversial Rob Liefeld art and rebooted origin. | Nov 1996 |
| Fantastic Four #1 (Vol. 2) | Jim Lee, Brandon Choi | "Heroes Reborn" reboot; Jim Lee art and writing; high print run key. | Nov 1996 |
| Sensational Spider-Man #0 | Dan Jurgens | Premiere issue featuring Ben Reilly as the primary Spider-Man; new costume debut. | Jan 1996 |
| Onslaught: X-Men #1 | Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid, Adam Kubert | Official start of the "Onslaught" crossover event; Major turning point for X-Men. | Aug 1996 |
| Venom: The Hunger #1 | Len Kaminski, Ted Halsted | Establishes the Symbiote's need for phenethylamine (brains/chocolate) to survive. | Aug 1996 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1997 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Incredible Hulk #449 | Peter David, Mike Deodato Jr. | 1st appearance of the Thunderbolts team (Citizen V, Mach-1, Songbird, Techno, Atlas, Meteorite). | Jan 1997 |
| Deadpool #1 | Joe Kelly, Ed McGuinness | 1st issue of Deadpool's first ongoing solo series; 1st appearance of Blind Al. | Jan 1997 |
| Thunderbolts #1 | Kurt Busiek, Mark Bagley | Shock ending reveals the Thunderbolts are actually the Masters of Evil in disguise. | Apr 1997 |
| Uncanny X-Men #350 | Steve Seagle, Joe Madureira | Anniversary issue; reveals Gambit assembled the Marauders for the Mutant Massacre. | Oct 1997 |
| Uncanny X-Men #345 | Scott Lobdell, Joe Madureira | 1st appearance of Maggott (Japheth); strange mutant with digestive slugs. | Jun 1997 |
| X-Men #65 | Scott Lobdell, Carlos Pacheco | 1st appearance of Cecilia Reyes (Doctor/X-Man). | Jun 1997 |
| Spider-Man: Hobgoblin Lives #1 | Roger Stern, Ron Frenz | Definitive reveal of the original Hobgoblin's identity (Roderick Kingsley) after years of mystery. | Jan 1997 |
| Heroes Reborn: The Return #1 | Peter David, Salvador Larroca | The "Heroes Reborn" universe ends; Franklin Richards restores the heroes to Earth-616. | Dec 1997 |
| Maverick #1 | Jorge Gonzalez, Jim Cheung | 1st solo ongoing series for Maverick; 1st appearance of Chris Bradley (Bolt). | Jan 1997 |
| Alpha Flight #1 (Vol. 2) | Steve Seagle, Scott Clark | Premiere of the second Alpha Flight series; new team roster including Flex, Radius, and Murmur. | Aug 1997 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1998 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Panther #1 (Vol. 3) | Christopher Priest, Mark Texeira | Start of the Marvel Knights run; 1st appearance of the Dora Milaje (Okoye and Nakia). | Nov 1998 |
| What If? #105 | Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz | 1st appearance of Spider-Girl (Mayday Parker); debut of the MC2 Universe concept. | Feb 1998 |
| Daredevil #1 (Vol. 2) | Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada | Launch of the "Marvel Knights" imprint; "Guardian Devil" storyline begins; Karen Page major events. | Nov 1998 |
| Inhumans #1 (Vol. 2) | Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee | Premiere of the Eisner Award-winning maxi-series; definitive modern take on the Royal Family. | Nov 1998 |
| Avengers #1 (Vol. 3) | Kurt Busiek, George Pérez | Return of the classic roster following "Heroes Return"; Morgan Le Fay villain; 1st Triathlon (cameo). | Feb 1998 |
| Spider-Girl #1 | Tom DeFalco, Pat Olliffe | Premiere of the ongoing series; becomes the longest-running Marvel solo female book of its time. | Oct 1998 |
| Sensational Spider-Man #27 | Todd Dezago, Mike Wieringo | "Identity Crisis" arc; 1st appearance of Peter Parker as The Hornet. | May 1998 |
| A-Next #1 | Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz | 1st appearance of the A-Next team (MC2 Avengers); 1st appearance of American Dream and Mainframe. | Oct 1998 |
| Spider-Man #91 | Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr. | "Identity Crisis" arc; 1st appearance of Peter Parker as Dusk. | May 1998 |
| Thor #1 (Vol. 2) | Dan Jurgens, John Romita Jr. | Rebooted series following "Heroes Return"; new costume and direction for Thor. | Jul 1998 |
MARVEL COMICS: 1999 KEY ISSUE CATALOG
| ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER | CREATORS | WHY IT IS A KEY | COVER DATE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inhumans #5 (Vol. 2) | Paul Jenkins, Jae Lee | 1st appearance of Yelena Belova (the second Black Widow). | Mar 1999 |
| Daredevil #9 (Vol. 2) | David Mack, Joe Quesada | Origin and 1st appearance of Echo (Maya Lopez); 1st appearance of her father, Crazy Horse. | Dec 1999 |
| Daredevil #5 (Vol. 2) | Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada | Death of Karen Page (killed by Bullseye); major turning point in Matt Murdock's life. | Mar 1999 |
| Earth X #1 | Jim Krueger, Alex Ross, J.P. Leon | Premiere of the dystopian maxi-series; introduces the Earth X alternate future timeline. | Apr 1999 |
| Amazing Spider-Man #1 (Vol. 2) | Howard Mackie, John Byrne | Relaunch of the title after 30+ years; introduces a new origin chapter (Chapter One). | Jan 1999 |
| Wolverine #145 | Erik Larsen, Leinil Francis Yu | Wolverine regains his Adamantium skeleton; becomes the Horseman of Death for Apocalypse. | Dec 1999 |
| Spider-Woman #1 (Vol. 3) | John Byrne, Bart Sears | 1st ongoing solo series for Mattie Franklin as Spider-Woman. | Jul 1999 |
| Gambit #1 (Vol. 3) | Fabian Nicieza, Steve Skroce | Premiere issue of Gambit's first full ongoing solo series. | Feb 1999 |
| Peter Parker: Spider-Man #1 (Vol. 2) | Howard Mackie, John Romita Jr. | Relaunch of the secondary Spider-Man title; start of the "Next Chapter" era. | Jan 1999 |
| Webspinners: Tales of Spider-Man #1 | J.M. DeMatteis, Michael Zulli | Anthology series debut focusing on "untold tales" of Spider-Man's past. | Jan 1999 |