1990s DC Key Issues

DC COMICS: 1990 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

DC COMICS: 1990 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

ISSUE TITLE & NUMBER CREATORS WHY IT IS A KEY COVER DATE
Detective Comics #608 Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle 1st appearance of Anarky (Lonnie Machin). Jan 1990
Green Lantern #1 (Vol 3) Gerard Jones, Pat Broderick Relaunch of the Green Lantern ongoing series; Start of the 90s Hal Jordan era. Jun 1990
The Sandman #19 Neil Gaiman, Charles Vess "A Midsummer Night's Dream" - First comic book to win a World Fantasy Award. Sep 1990
Lobo #1 Keith Giffen, Alan Grant First solo Lobo miniseries; solidifies the character's breakout status. Nov 1990
Robin #1 Chuck Dixon, Tom Lyle First solo miniseries for Tim Drake as Robin. Jan 1990
Justice League America #34 Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis Guy Gardner finds and claims Sinestro's yellow power ring. Jan 1990
Superman #41 Jerry Ordway 1st appearance of Hank Henshaw (who later becomes the Cyborg Superman). Mar 1990
Detective Comics #613 Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle Significant "City of Crime" story element; highly regarded Breyfogle art. Apr 1990
Doom Patrol #35 Grant Morrison, Richard Case 1st appearance of Danny the Street. Aug 1990
Animal Man #26 Grant Morrison, Chas Truog Conclusion of Grant Morrison's groundbreaking meta-fictional run. Aug 1990

DC COMICS: 1991 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
Adventures of Superman #475 Dan Jurgens (w), Dan Jurgens (a) Death of Morgan Edge. Tied to the 'Krisis of the Krimson Kryptonite' storyline. Feb
Armageddon 2001 #1 Archie Goodwin (w), Dan Jurgens (p) First issue of the major crossover event. First appearance of Waverider. May
Armageddon 2001 #2 Archie Goodwin (w), Dan Jurgens (p) Conclusion to the event. Controversial reveal of Monarch's identity (Captain Atom). Oct
Batman #465 Alan Grant (w), Norm Breyfogle (a) Tim Drake officially becomes Robin and debuts a new costume. Mar
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 Alan Grant (w), Norm Breyfogle (a) First issue of the new Batman title. First appearances of Victor Zsasz and Jeremiah Arkham. Jun
Deathstroke the Terminator #1 Marv Wolfman (w), Steve Erwin (p) First issue of Deathstroke's first solo ongoing series. Aug
Green Lantern (vol. 3) #19 Gerard Jones (w), M.D. Bright (p) First appearance of Star Sapphire (Debbie Camille D'aton). Dec
Justice Society of America #1 Len Strazewski (w), Mike Parobeck (p) First issue of the well-regarded miniseries that revived interest in the JSA for the modern era. Apr
Lobo's Back #1 Keith Giffen (w), Simon Bisley (a) First issue of the sequel to 'Lobo: The Last Czarnian'. Infamous for its graphic violence and dark humor. May
New Titans #79 Marv Wolfman (w), Tom Grummett (p) First appearance of the new Phantasm (Danny Chase). Part of the 'Titans Hunt' storyline. Sep
Robin II: The Joker's Wild! #1 Chuck Dixon (w), Tom Lyle (p) First issue of the second Robin miniseries, featuring Tim Drake. Released with a hologram cover. Oct
Superman: The Man of Steel #1 Louise Simonson (w), Jon Bogdanove (p) First issue of the fourth ongoing Superman title, launched as part of the 'Triangle Numbers' era. Jul
War of the Gods #1 George Pérez (w), George Pérez (a) First issue of the Wonder Woman-centric crossover event celebrating her 50th anniversary. Sep
Wonder Woman (vol. 2) #58 George Pérez (w), Jill Thompson (p) 'War of the Gods' tie-in. Death of Hermes. Sep

DC COMICS: 1992 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
Adventures of Superman #497 Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett Death of Superman Crossover (Part 4) Dec-92
Armageddon: Inferno #1 John Ostrander, Tom Mandrake 1st appearance of Abraxis, 1st appearance of the Lords of Order and Chaos in their current forms Apr-92
Batman #489 Doug Moench, Jim Aparo Knightfall (Part 1 - Prelude), Bane breaks into Arkham Asylum Feb-93
Batman: Sword of Azrael #1 Denny O'Neil, Joe Quesada 1st appearance of Jean-Paul Valley (Azrael) Oct-92
Batman: Shadow of the Bat #1 Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle 1st appearance of Victor Zsasz, 1st appearance of Jeremiah Arkham Jun-92
Catwoman #1 (1st Series) Jim Balent, Kelley Puckett 1st solo series for Catwoman Feb-93
Deathstroke the Terminator #15 Marv Wolfman, Art Nichols 1st appearance of Pat Trayce (the new Vigilante) Oct-92
Eclipso #1 Robert Loren Fleming, Keith Giffen 1st appearance of Bruce Gordon as Eclipso in his own series Jul-92
Flash #73 Mark Waid, Greg LaRocque Return of the Golden Age Flash (Jay Garrick) Feb-93
Green Lantern #25 Gerard Jones, M.D. Bright 1st appearance of Kyle Rayner's Power Ring Jun-92
Justice League America #69 Dan Jurgens, Rick Burchett Death of Superman Crossover (Part 2), 1st appearance of Doomsday (cameo) Dec-92
L.E.G.I.O.N. '92 #43 Alan Grant, Barry Kitson 1st appearance of the new Brainiac Jul-92
Robin III: Cry of the Huntress #1 Chuck Dixon, Tom Lyle 1st appearance of Ariana Dzerchenko Dec-92
Superman: The Man of Steel #18 Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove Death of Superman Crossover (Part 1), 1st full appearance of Doomsday Dec-92
Superman #75 Dan Jurgens Death of Superman, Polybagged with extras Jan-93
Team Titans #1 Marv Wolfman, Kevin Maguire 1st appearance of the Team Titans Sep-92
The Hacker Files #1 Lewis Shiner, Tom Sutton Early exploration of cyberpunk themes in comics Aug-92
Wonder Woman #63 George Pérez, Jill Thompson 1st appearance of Circe in her modern form Jun-92

DC COMICS: 1993 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #500 Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett 1st appearance of the Cyborg Superman (Hank Henshaw), Steel (John Henry Irons), Superboy (Kon-El), and the Eradicator (Last Son of Krypton). White bag edition. Jun, 1993
ANIMANIACS #1 Dana Kurtin, Dave King 1st comic appearance of the Animaniacs. Dec, 1993
BATMAN #497 Doug Moench, Jim Aparo Iconic cover by Kelley Jones. Bane breaks Batman's back. Part 11 of the 'Knightfall' storyline. Jul, 1993
BATMAN #500 Doug Moench, Jim Aparo 1st appearance of Azrael as Batman (Jean-Paul Valley). Conclusion of the 'Knightfall' storyline. Oct, 1993
BATMAN ADVENTURES #12 Kelley Puckett, Mike Parobeck 1st comic appearance of Harley Quinn (Dr. Harleen Quinzel). Sep, 1993
BATMAN: VENGEANCE OF BANE #1 Chuck Dixon, Graham Nolan 1st appearance of Bane. Origin of Bane. Jan, 1993
HARDWARE #1 Dwayne McDuffie, Denys Cowan 1st appearance of Hardware (Curtis Metcalf). 1st Milestone Comics publication. Apr, 1993
ICON #1 Dwayne McDuffie, M.D. Bright 1st appearance of Icon (Arnus) and Rocket (Raquel Ervin). May, 1993
JONAH HEX: TWO-GUN MOJO #1 Joe R. Lansdale, Timothy Truman 1st appearance of the zombie Jonah Hex. Aug, 1993
LOBO #1 Alan Grant, Val Semeiks 1st issue of Lobo's first ongoing series. Nov, 1993
MONARCH #1 Roger Stern, Phil Jimenez 1st appearance of the new Monarch. Feb, 1993
SANDMAN #50 Neil Gaiman, P. Craig Russell Iconic issue focusing on the story of 'Ramadan'. Jun, 1993
SHOWCASE '93 #1 Doug Moench, Klaus Janson 1st appearance of Killer Croc's new design. Jan, 1993
STATIC #1 Dwayne McDuffie, John Paul Leon 1st appearance of Static (Virgil Hawkins). Jun, 1993
SUPERMAN #75 Dan Jurgens, Brett Breeding 'Death of Superman.' Polybagged with extras. Jan, 1993
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #22 Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove 1st appearance of Steel (John Henry Irons). Jun, 1993
VERTIGO PREVIEW #1 Various Preview of the new Vertigo Comics line. Includes interviews with creators. Jan, 1993

DC COMICS: 1994 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #509 Jerry Ordway, Tom Grummett 1st appearance of Superboy (Kon-El) in a comic book story, previously appeared in a pin-up. Feb
BATMAN #505 Doug Moench, Mike Manley 1st appearance of Jean-Paul Valley as Batman. Knightfall storyline continues. Mar
BATMAN ADVENTURES #18 Kelley Puckett, Mike Parobeck 1st appearance of the Phantasm in comics. Based on the animated movie 'Mask of the Phantasm.' Mar
BATMAN: LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT #59 Dennis O'Neil, Bret Blevins Beginning of the 'Knightquest' storyline. Apr
CATWOMAN #1 Jo Duffy, Jim Balent 1st issue of Catwoman's first ongoing solo series. Feb
DAMAGE #1 Tom Joyner, Bill Marimon 1st appearance of Damage (Grant Emerson). Apr
GREEN LANTERN #48 Ron Marz, Bill Willingham 1st appearance of Hal Jordan as Parallax. Beginning of the 'Emerald Twilight' storyline. Jan
GREEN LANTERN #50 Ron Marz, Darryl Banks 1st appearance of Kyle Rayner as Green Lantern. End of 'Emerald Twilight.' Mar
IMPULSE #1 Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos 1st appearance of Impulse (Bart Allen). Apr
JSA #1 Len Strazewski, Mike Parobeck 1st issue of the Justice Society of America's new series. Apr
ROBIN #1 Chuck Dixon, Tom Grummett 1st issue of Tim Drake's first ongoing Robin series. Nov
SANDMAN #57 Neil Gaiman, Bryan Talbot Beginning of the 'World's End' storyline. Jan
SHOWCASE '94 #3 Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett 1st solo story of Superboy (Kon-El). Mar
STARMAN #0 James Robinson, Tony Harris 1st appearance of Jack Knight as Starman. Start of the iconic series. Oct
SUPERBOY #1 Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett 1st issue of Superboy's first ongoing solo series. Feb
SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL #30 Louise Simonson, Jon Bogdanove 1st appearance of Steel (John Henry Irons) in his own costume. Feb
ZERO HOUR: CRISIS IN TIME #4 Dan Jurgens, Jerry Ordway Beginning of the Zero Hour event, a major DC crossover. Sep

DC COMICS: 1995 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
The Batman Adventures Holiday Special #1 Paul Dini, Bruce Timm 1st appearance of Harley Quinn's hyenas, Bud and Lou. Story adapted into an Emmy award winning animated television episode. Jan-95
Batman #515 Doug Moench, Kelley Jones 1st appearance of the Troika. Iconic cover art by Kelley Jones. Feb-95
Showcase '95 #1 Alan Grant, Tim Sale 1st appearance of Damage (Grant Emerson). Jan-95
Green Lantern #59 Ron Marz, Darryl Banks 1st appearance of Kyle Rayner in the classic Green Lantern costume. Feb-95
The Flash #100 Mark Waid, Mike Wieringo Death of Savitar. Wally West returns from the Speed Force. Apr-95
Azrael #1 Dennis O'Neil, Joe Quesada 1st issue of Azrael's first ongoing series. Feb-95
Underworld Unleashed #1 Mark Waid, Howard Porter 1st appearance of Neron. Major DC crossover event begins. Nov-95
Impulse #1 Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos 1st issue of Impulse's first ongoing series. Apr-95
The Power of Shazam! #1 Jerry Ordway 1st issue of the ongoing series, reintroducing Captain Marvel to the modern DCU. Mar-95
Sovereign Seven #1 Chris Claremont, Dwayne Turner 1st appearance of the Sovereign Seven. First creator-owned series published by DC. Apr-95
Starman #0 James Robinson, Tony Harris 1st appearance of Jack Knight as Starman. Origin retold. Oct-94
Starman #1 James Robinson, Tony Harris Beginning of the critically acclaimed series. Nov-94
The Spectre #31 John Ostrander, Tom Mandrake Iconic glow-in-the-dark cover. Jul-95
Book of Fate #1 Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis 1st appearance of Jared Stevens (Fate). Feb-95
Man-Bat #1 Chuck Dixon, Flint Henry 1st issue of Man-Bat's first solo series. Feb-95
Total Justice #1 Christopher Priest, Ramon Bernado 1st appearance of the Total Justice team. Based on the Kenner toy line. Oct-96

DC COMICS: 1996 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
The Power of Shazam! #13 Jerry Ordway, Peter Krause 1st appearance of a new version of Spy Smasher (Katarina Armstrong). Mar 1996
Superboy #25 Karl Kesel, Tom Grummett 1st appearance of Empress (Anita Fite). Mar 1996
Kingdom Come #1 Mark Waid, Alex Ross 1st issue of the classic Elseworlds series. Features the 1st appearances of many future/alternate reality characters. May 1996
Supergirl #1 Peter David, Gary Frank 1st ongoing series for the Matrix/Linda Danvers Supergirl. Sep 1996
Superman Adventures #1 Paul Dini, Rick Burchett 1st issue of the series based on 'Superman: The Animated Series'. Nov 1996
Total Justice #1 Christopher Priest, Ramon Bernado 1st comic appearance of Kyle Rayner in his Parallax costume, as seen in the Kenner toy line. Oct 1996
JLA #1 Grant Morrison, Howard Porter 1st issue of Grant Morrison's iconic run, featuring the 'Big Seven' Justice League lineup. 1st appearance of Züm. Jan 1997
The Flash #118 Mark Waid, Oscar Jimenez 1st appearance of Savitar. Oct 1996
Adventures of Superman #540 Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen 1st cameo appearance of the Atomic Skull (Joseph Martin). Oct 1996
Impulse #19 Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos 1st appearance of Inertia (Thaddeus Thawne). Dec 1996
Final Night #1 Karl Kesel, Stuart Immonen 1st appearance of the Sun-Eater. Death of Ferro. Nov 1996
Green Lantern #80 Ron Marz, Paul Pelletier 1st appearance of Fatality (Yrra Cynril). Nov 1996

DC COMICS: 1997 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
Anarky #1 Alan Grant, Norm Breyfogle 1st issue of this title. May
Aquaman #34 Peter David, Martin Egeland Iconic cover art. Jul
Batman & Captain America #1 John Byrne, Patricia Mulvihill 1st issue of this title. Feb
Batman: The Long Halloween #1 Jeph Loeb, Tim Sale 1st issue of this title. Classic series. Dec
DC Universe Holiday Bash #1 Ty Templeton, Aluir Amancio 1st appearance of the Lar Gand Superboy. N/A
Genesis #1 John Byrne, Ron Wagner Beginning of the Genesis event. Oct
Hitman #1,000,000 Garth Ennis, John McCrea Part of the DC One Million crossover event. Nov
Impulse #28 Mark Waid, Humberto Ramos Iconic cover art. Aug
JLA #1 Grant Morrison, Howard Porter 1st issue of this title. 1st appearance of Zauriel. Jan
JLA #5 Grant Morrison, Howard Porter /* PATRIOT SLAB - RIGID FIXED LAYOUT */ .comic-table-container { padding: 30px; background-color: #ffffff; } #table-title { text-align: center; color: #0052A5; font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif; text-transform: uppercase; margin-bottom: 20px; } #comic-key-table { width: 100%; table-layout: fixed !important; /* FORCES COLUMNS TO STAY AS DEFINED */ border-collapse: collapse; border: 8px solid #000000; box-shadow: 12px 12px 0px #0052A5; } #comic-key-table th { background-color: #0052A5 !important; color: #ffffff !important; font-family: 'Arial Black', sans-serif; padding: 18px; text-transform: uppercase; border-bottom: 6px solid #D21034 !important; cursor: pointer; text-align: left; font-size: 14px; } #comic-key-table td { padding: 14px; border: 1px solid #000000; background-color: #ffffff; color: #000000; font-family: Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: top; word-wrap: break-word !important; /* PREVENTS COLUMN SPREAD */ overflow-wrap: break-word !important; border-right: 5px solid #D21034 !important; } .key-red-text { color: #D21034 !important; font-weight: 900 !important; } #comic-key-table tbody tr:hover td { background-color: #f7f7f7 !important; } @media screen and (max-width: 768px) { #comic-key-table { table-layout: auto !important; } #comic-key-table thead, colgroup { display: none; } #comic-key-table tr { display: block; margin-bottom: 25px; border: 6px solid #0052A5; } #comic-key-table td { display: block; text-align: right; padding-left: 50%; position: relative; border-bottom: 2px solid #D21034 !important; border-right: none !important; width: 100% !important; } #comic-key-table td::before { content: attr(data-label); position: absolute; left: 10px; color: #0052A5; font-weight: bold; text-transform: uppercase; } }

DC COMICS: 1998 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
JLA #22 Grant Morrison & Howard Porter 1st appearance of Prometheus (new version). Sep-98
Green Lantern #100 Ron Marz & Jeff Blem Iconic die-cut cover by Darryl Banks. Jul-98
Batman: No Man's Land #1 Bob Gale & Alex Maleev #1 issue. Kick-off to the 'No Man's Land' storyline. Mar-99
Action Comics #744 Stuart Immonen & Jose Marzan Jr. 1st appearance of the Superman Squad. Jul-98
Detective Comics #726 Chuck Dixon & William Rosado 1st appearance of the new female Ventriloquist (Peyton Riley). Oct-98
Young Justice: The Secret #1 Todd DeZago & Todd Nauck 1st appearance of Secret (Greta Hayes). Origin of Young Justice. Jun-98
Hitman #34 Garth Ennis & John McCrea Critically acclaimed 'Ace of Killers' storyline begins. Oct-98
Starman #45 James Robinson & Tony Harris Iconic 'Grand Guignol' storyline conclusion. Aug-98
DC One Million #1 Grant Morrison & Val Semeiks #1 issue. Start of the 'DC One Million' event. Nov-98
Supergirl #23 Peter David & Leonard Kirk 1st appearance of Bizarro Supergirl. Aug-98
The Flash #138 Mark Waid & Pop Mhan 1st appearance of the Black Flash. Jun-98
JLA: Year One #1 Mark Waid & Barry Kitson #1 issue. Retelling of the Justice League's origin. Jan-98
Superman Adventures #27 Mark Millar & Aluir Amancio Iconic cover featuring Superman and a kitten. Nov-98
Batman & Superman Adventures: World's Finest Paul Dini & Joe Staton 1st comic appearance of Livewire. Oct-98

DC COMICS: 1999 KEY ISSUE CATALOG

Issue Creators Why It Is A Key Cover Date
Action Comics #753 Joe Kelly & German Garcia 1st appearance of La Encantadora (pre-White Magician version) May
Adventures of Superman #567 Randall Frenz & Ron Frenz 1st appearance of the Prankster (new version) May
Anarky #1 Alan Grant & Norm Breyfogle 1st issue of the ongoing series May
Aquaman #50 Erik Larsen & Eric Stephenson New creative team (Erik Larsen) Dec
Batman #563 Doug Moench & Kelley Jones 1st appearance of the new Batmobile Mar
Batman: Harley Quinn #1 Paul Dini & Yvel Guichet Harley Quinn's origin is retold and integrated into the mainstream DC Universe Oct
Birds of Prey #1 Chuck Dixon & Greg Land 1st issue of the ongoing series Jan
Catwoman #72 Devin Grayson & Jim Balent 1st appearance of the new Catwoman (Trixie) Aug
Detective Comics #730 Greg Rucka & William Rosado 1st appearance of the new Batgirl (Cassandra Cain) Mar
Flash #145 Mark Waid & Brian Augustyn 1st appearance of the new Flash (Walter West) Feb
Green Lantern #109 Ron Marz & Jeff Johnson 1st appearance of the new Green Lantern (Alex DeWitt) Feb
JLA #28 Grant Morrison & Howard Porter 1st appearance of the new JLA headquarters (the Watchtower) Apr
JSA #1 James Robinson & David S. Goyer 1st issue of the new ongoing series Aug
Legion of Super-Heroes #118 Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning 1st appearance of the new Legion (the 'Reboot' Legion) Oct
Nightwing #29 Chuck Dixon & Scott McDaniel 1st appearance of the new Tarantula (Catalina Flores) Mar
Robin #62 Chuck Dixon & Staz Johnson 1st appearance of the new Spoiler (Stephanie Brown) Mar
Starman #50 James Robinson & Tony Harris 1st appearance of the new Starman (Farris Knight) Feb
Superboy #60 Karl Kesel & Tom Grummett 1st appearance of the new Superboy (Kon-El) costume Mar
Supergirl #32 Peter David & Leonard Kirk 1st appearance of the new Supergirl (Linda Danvers) costume Aug
Superman #144 Dan Jurgens & Steve Epting 1st appearance of the new Superman costume Mar
Superman Adventures #27 Mark Millar & Aluir Amancio 1st appearance of Livewire in a comic book Jan
Wonder Woman #142 John Byrne 1st appearance of the new Wonder Woman (Artemis) Mar