J. Scott Campbell - Gen¹³ #1
In February of 1994, Image Comics released Gen¹³ 1. The book followed in the long tradition of teen team books, but it had as much in common with MTV's The Real World as it did with the X-Men. The title, written by Brandon Choi and Jim Lee was big on both action and social issues.
Gen¹³ quickly became a wall book thanks in part to the stunning artwork from J. Scott Campbell. In his early 20's at the time, Campbell had only previously worked on WildC.A.T.S. and Stormwatch. He is still a star artist today, well known for his covers for The Amazing Spider-Man and his work in the video game industry. A CGC 9.8 copy of Gen¹³ 1 sells for around $100.
Joe Madureira - Uncanny X-Men #312
Joe Madureira began his career with Marvel at the age of 16 as an intern. By the time he was 17, he was already penciling books in a style reminiscent of Arthur Adams. And by the time he was 20 years old, Madureira had become the regular artist on Marvel's most popular book, Uncanny X-Men.
Collectors couldn't get enough of Joe Mad's Adams and Manga-influenced style and everything he touched became hot. Madureiera eventually left penciling to work on video game development, but he sporadically returned to work on certain books. X-Men 312, Madureira's first work on the book, sells in a CGC 9.8 for around $50.00.
Michael Turner - Witchblade #1
Like J. Scott Campbell, Michael Turner never worked for DC or Marvel before becoming a superstar artist. He was discovered by Marc Silvestri and immediately went to work for Top Cow, Silvestri's Image Comics imprint. It wasn't long before Turner created Witchblade, which became a best-selling comic in the mid-90's.
Following Witchblade, Turner would go on to create the series Fathom and then create covers for DC Comics. Sadly, Turner passed away in 2008 after a long battle with cancer. Copies of Witchblade 1 are readily available online and sell in a CGC 9.8 for around $150.
Alex Ross - Kingdom Come #1
Alex Ross was working at an advertising agency when he first broke into comics. He brought a new style to the work of comics, with fully painted interiors. He first become known to the comics world when he worked on 1994's Marvels with Kurt Busiek.
Two years later, Ross painted all of the interiors for Kingdom Come, written by Mark Waid. The miniseries was a hit and collectors went nuts over the brilliance of Ross's work. The series is well remembered today and still quite collectible. A CGC 9.8 copy of Kingdom Come 1 sells for around $200.
Mark Bagley - Amazing Spider-Man #361
While the character of Venom was one of the hottest of the 1990s, his first appearance actually came in 1988. And eventually, Eddie Brock became more of an anti-hero. So Marvel created a souped-up version of the symbiotic monster who had no ambiguity about his nobility.
Serial killer Cletus Kassidy became Carnage and terrorized Peter Parker and everyone in his orbit. The character was first drawn by Spidey art legend Mark Bagley. While Bagley was a veteran at that point, Carnage remains one of his most prominent collections. The first appearance of the character, Amazing Spider-Man 361, sells for $500 in a 9.8.
