Key Collector Comics

100 Copper Keys

🗝 The Top 100 Comic Books From The Copper Age 💎 Thank you for utilizing the eBay links when making ANY purchase and contributing to the continued develpoment of Key Collector Comics

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Uncanny X-Men #221

Marvel ⋅ 1987

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Uncanny X-Men #221
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$75

Key Facts

1st full appearance of Mr. Sinister

[July 2022 - Javier Bardem rumored to be cast as Mr. Sinister in an unknown MCU project]

Dark Horse Presents #10

Dark Horse ⋅ 1987

View Details
Dark Horse Presents #10
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$45

Key Facts

1st appearance of The Mask, as Masque

Wonder Woman #9

DC ⋅ 1987

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Wonder Woman #9
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Barbara Minerva as the third Cheetah

Amazing Spider-Man #294

Marvel ⋅ 1987

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Amazing Spider-Man #294
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

Kraven's Last Hunt story arc part 5

Death of Kraven the Hunter, by self-inflicted gunshot wound

X-Factor #24

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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X-Factor #24
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

1st cover and second appearance of Angel as the Horseman, Death

In X-Factor #38, Beast gives Warren Worthington III the new codename Archangel

Worthington appears in full as the Horseman, Death in X-Factor #23 and in multiple cameos leading up to the issue

Hellblazer #1

DC Vertigo ⋅ 1988

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Hellblazer #1
 
Low
$5
Mid
$18
High
$70

Key Facts

Premiere issue of John Constantine's first ongoing titled series

1st appearance of Papa Midnite

Incredible Hulk #340

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Incredible Hulk #340
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$215

Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Todd McFarlane

Amazing Spider-Man #298

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Amazing Spider-Man #298
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

1st cameo appearance of Venom, creeping over Eddie Brock's hands

First cover art by Todd McFarlane on the Amazing Spider-Man title

1st team appearance of the Life Foundation led by Carlton Drake

1st appearance of Carlton Drake who discovered there were five symbiote seeds that could be extracted from the Venom symbiote

The Tick #1

New England Comics Press ⋅ 1988

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The Tick #1
 
Low
$35
Mid
$120
High
$415

Key Facts

Special edition, limited to 5,000 numbered copies

Batman: The Killing Joke #1

DC ⋅ 1988

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Batman: The Killing Joke #1
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

The Joker shoots and paralyzes Barbara Gordon, she later becomes Oracle

First printing: neon green text and $3.50 cover price

Amazing Spider-Man #299

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Amazing Spider-Man #299
 
Low
$12
Mid
$45
High
$140

Key Facts

2nd cameo appearance of Venom

A copy of Amazing Spider-Man #299 is seen in the movie Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988) being read by Jeff Conaway

⚠️ Debatable Firsts: Todd McFarlane explains in an interview that he considers The Amazing Spider-Man #299 the first full appearance of Venom but various comic book resources changed it to The Amazing Spider-Man #300

View additional images by tapping the cover image and swiping left

Excalibur Special Edition #1

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Excalibur Special Edition #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$8

Key Facts

1st team appearance of Excalibur: Captain Britain, Meggan, Rachel Summers as Phoenix, Kitty Pryde, Lockheed, Nightcrawler

Back cover appearance of Widget who is later introduced in Excalibur #1 Note: there are two first print versions: the version pictured here is more scarce and doesn't display a price on the cover. The other shows a price of $3.25

Everything $3.50 and above are later printings

Vampirella #113

Warren ⋅ 1988

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Vampirella #113
 
Low
$30
Mid
$90
High
$300

Key Facts

Harris begins publishing Vampirella magazine

Amazing Spider-Man #300

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Amazing Spider-Man #300
 
Low
$60
Mid
$180
High
$600

Key Facts

1st full appearance of Venom

V for Vendetta #1

DC Vertigo ⋅ 1988

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V for Vendetta #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25

Key Facts

10-issue series about a bleak future where a mysterious anarchist known as V, opposes the British government wearing a Guy Fawkes mask

Guy Fawkes Day is celebrated on November 5th in remembrance of the night in the year 1605 when he and his co-conspirators attempted to jumpstart a political/religious revolution by blowing up the Houses of Parliament

Wolverine #1

Marvel ⋅ 1988

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Wolverine #1
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

Premiere issue of Wolverine's first ongoing solo series

Debut of black Wolverine costume

Miracleman #15

Eclipse ⋅ 1988

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Miracleman #15
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

Death of Kid Miracleman

Caliber Presents #1

Caliber ⋅ 1989

View Details
Caliber Presents #1
 
Low
$60
Mid
$180
High
$600

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Crow

[April 2022 - Bill Skarsgard will play Eric Draven in the Crow reboot]

The Sandman #1

DC Vertigo ⋅ 1989

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The Sandman #1
 
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150

Key Facts

1st appearance of Dream aka Morpheus

1st appearance of Unity Kincaid

1st appearance of Roderick Burgess

1st appearance of Ethel Cripps

Batman #428

DC ⋅ 1989

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Batman #428
 
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40

Key Facts

"A Death in the Family" part 3

Death of Robin, Jason Todd, killed by the Joker

Batman #427 ended on a cliffhanger that placed Jason Todd in the blast zone of an exploding warehouse

DC set up a poll for readers to cast their vote of whether Jason Todd should survive the blast by calling one phone number, or die by calling another

10,614 phone calls were made with Todd's death having been decided by only 72 votes more than the opposite outcome where he would've survived

DC had prepared both scenarios to go to print (tap cover and swipe to view unpublished pages)

Crow, The #1

Caliber ⋅ 1989

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Crow, The #1
 
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2k

Key Facts

2nd appearance of the Crow

First solo series featuring the Crow

First, second and third printings are identical to one another but can be differentiated by the date printed on the inside front cover (First printing - February 1989)

Uncanny X-Men #244

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Uncanny X-Men #244
 
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$70

Key Facts

1st appearance of Jubilee, a Chinese-American teenager with the ability to emit fireworks from her fingers

Amazing Spider-Man #316

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Amazing Spider-Man #316
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$110

Key Facts

3rd appearance of Venom

1st full cover appearance of Venom - head appears in and inset of issue #315

Captain America #354

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Captain America #354
 
Low
$5
Mid
$18
High
$60

Key Facts

1st full appearance and cover of John Walker as U.S. Agent, appeared briefly in West Coast Avengers #44

[September 2022 - confirmed for the Thunderbolts movie]

Batman #436

DC ⋅ 1989

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Batman #436
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

1st appearance of Tim Drake, later becomes Robin

The Sandman #8

DC Vertigo ⋅ 1989

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The Sandman #8
 
Low
$10
Mid
$35
High
$110

Key Facts

1st appearance of Death, Dream’s sister

Uncanny X-Men #248

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Uncanny X-Men #248
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10

Key Facts

First published artwork on the X-Men title by Jim Lee

Thor #412

Marvel ⋅ 1989

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Thor #412
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

1st full team appearance of the New Warriors: Firestar, Kid Nova, Marvel Boy, Namorita, Night Thrasher and Speedball

1st full appearance of Night Thrasher

Terminator: The Burning Earth #1

Now ⋅ 1990

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Terminator: The Burning Earth #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

First cover art by Alex Ross

New Mutants #87

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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New Mutants #87
 
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100

Key Facts

1st full appearance of Cable

1st full team appearance of the Mutant Liberation Front: Stryfe, Wildside, Reaper, Fourarm, Thumbelina, Strobe, Tempo, Zero

Ghost Rider #1

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Ghost Rider #1
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30

Key Facts

1st appearance of Daniel Ketch as the second Marvel Ghost Rider, possessed by Noble Kale

1st appearance of Deathwatch, a demonic entity

X-Men Annual #14

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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X-Men Annual #14
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

1st appearance of Gambit

⚠️ Debatable Firsts: this issue is often cited as a cameo of Gambit which would imply that the appearance is brief although he appears in 15 panels throughout the book with at least 10 instances of dialogue

This includes a full page-and-a-half interaction with Storm where she addresses him by name and refers to him as a thief (see images by tapping cover and swiping left)

Later Gambit appears in his classic suit and then again in an X-Men uniform

This issue went on sale June 19th whereas X-Men #266 went on sale July 10th

Uncanny X-Men #266 was written as if it were to be published prior to the annual

CGC recognizes this issue as a cameo appearance of Gambit and Uncanny X-Men #266 as his first full appearance

Thanos Quest #1

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Thanos Quest #1
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$35

Key Facts

Thanos gathers the Infinity Gems from the Elders of the Universe

Gem 1: Soul Gem taken from The In-Betweener

Gem 2: Power Gem taken from The Champion of the Universe

Gem 3: Time Gem taken from The Gardener

Spider-Man #1

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Spider-Man #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$18

Key Facts

Polybagged with a silver cover

Todd McFarlane begins including images of Felix the Cat in the interior art of many issues after meeting someone suffering from post-traumatic stress who carried around a Felix the Cat doll

The man told McFarlane that he was not a fan of superhero books, therefore he didn't purchase Spider-Man comics, McFarlane asked if he would start reading them if Felix the Cat was drawn into them and the man said, "yes"

Uncanny X-Men #266

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Uncanny X-Men #266
 
Low
$20
Mid
$85
High
$215

Key Facts

2nd appearance and first cover of Gambit

1st chronological appearance of Gambit in-story / in-continuity

X-Men Annual #14 went on sale three weeks before this issue and is often considered the first cameo appearance of Gambit

This would imply that his appearance is brief though he appears in 15 panels throughout X-Men Annual #14 with at least 10 instances of dialogue

Tap cover and swipe left to view images where Gambit is the main or partial focus of the sequence in X-Men Annual #14

Uncanny X-Men #266 was written as if it were to be published prior to the annual, therefore #266 would be the first chronological appearance of Gambit in-story (or in-continuity)

CGC, the grading certification company for comic books, recognizes Uncanny X-Men #266 as the first full appearance of Gambit

Uncanny X-Men #268

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Uncanny X-Men #268
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25

Key Facts

Iconic cover art by Jim Lee

Revealed that Wolverine, Black Widow and Captain America knew one another in World War II

Origin of the first meeting between Captain America and Wolverine

Creatures of the ID #1

Caliber ⋅ 1990

View Details
Creatures of the ID #1
 
Low
$20
Mid
$80
High
$225

Key Facts

1st appearance of Madman, Frank Einstein

Even before Faust and Grendel we heard from an industry insider that Madman had been optioned. Hopefully this is still the case and an announcement is coming soon

Grafik Muzik #1

Caliber ⋅ 1990

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Grafik Muzik #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$20

Key Facts

First Madman in full color

Silver Surfer #44

Marvel ⋅ 1990

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Silver Surfer #44
 
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30

Key Facts

Debut of the Infinity Gauntlet

Incredible Hulk #377

Marvel ⋅ 1991

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Incredible Hulk #377
 
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15

Key Facts

1st appearance of the Professor Hulk personality (grey/green composite)

1st appearance of Guilt Hulk, a manifestation of Banner's guilt

Amazing Spider-Man #344

Marvel ⋅ 1991

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (2)
Amazing Spider-Man #344
 
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50

Key Facts

1st appearance of Cletus Kasady, later becomes Carnage

1st full appearance of Cardiac, a doctor who vowed to find a cure for the ailment that caused the death of his brother

New Mutants #98

Marvel ⋅ 1991

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New Mutants #98
 
Price Trend
Low
$40
Mid
$120
High
$400

Key Facts

1st appearance of Deadpool, a subject of the Weapon X program

1st appearance of Copycat, impersonating Domino

1st appearance of Gideon, a member of The Externals

Darkhawk #1

Marvel ⋅ 1991

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Darkhawk #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25

Key Facts

1st appearance and origin of Darkhawk

Infinity Gauntlet #1

Marvel ⋅ 1991

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Infinity Gauntlet #1
 
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$20

Key Facts

"Infinity Gauntlet" Part 1

A popular six-issue limited series that effects the entire Marvel Universe

Thanos eliminates half of the world's population using the Infinity Gauntlet to impress the cosmic entity, Death

Bone #1

Cartoon Books ⋅ 1991

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Bone #1
 
Low
$200
Mid
$800
High
$2k

Key Facts

1st appearance of Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, Smiley Bone, Thorn and The Rat Creatures in a standard comic book

Bone previously appeared in the comic strips of the Ohio State University newspaper, The Lantern which were collected in a TPB called 'Thorn: Tales from The Lantern’ and had a print run of 1,000 copies

[October 2019 - Netflix has secured the rights to Jeff Smith's Bone but development has been discontinued as of April 2022]

X-Men #1

Marvel ⋅ 1991

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X-Men #1
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$5

Key Facts

1st team appearance of the X-Men Gold (team): Storm, Archangel, Colossus, Iceman and Jean Grey

1st team appearance of the X-Men Blue (team): Cyclops, Wolverine, Gambit, Rogue, Psylocke and Beast

1st team appearance of The Acolytes: Fabian Cortez, Annie-Marie Cortez, Chrome, Nance Winters, Delgado

Best-selling comic of all-time with sales of 8.1 million copies

Interior pin-up by Jim Lee, 'A Villains Gallery'

Evil Ernie #1

Eternity ⋅ 1991

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (1)
Evil Ernie #1
 
Low
$50
Mid
$150
High
$550

Key Facts

1st appearance of Lady Death

1st appearance of Evil Ernie

First published work in the comic book industry by Brian Pulido

Malibu Sun #8

Malibu ⋅ 1991

View Details
Malibu Sun #8
 
Low
$50
Mid
$150
High
$500

Key Facts

Preview of Evil Ernie #1

1st cover appearance of Evil Ernie

Uncanny X-Men #283

Marvel ⋅ 1991

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (2)
Uncanny X-Men #283
 
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10

Key Facts

1st full appearance of Bishop, a time-traveling mutant who can absorb and redistribute energy

1st appearance of the Gamemaster, a powerful mutant telepath

Alf #48

Marvel ⋅ 1991

View Details  ⋅  View Variants (2)
Alf #48
 
Low
$15
Mid
$45
High
$145

Key Facts

Cover art deemed inappropriate referencing an allusion to sexual misconduct

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