The 1990’s were not exactly the greatest decade for comic books. After the creative strides that expanded the medium in the 1980s, the early 90s witnessed cynical attempts by the industry to resell and repackage earlier titles and then gimmick after marketing gimmick followed by a huge spec bubble and an almost total collapse of the industry.
For collectors these were NOT good times. But in this post I’m ignoring the downside of the 90s and focusing on the positive.
There was some great and really creative work happening in this decade of frosted tips and boy bands. Some of the new characters introduced back then actually deserve to be remembered and might, if used properly, stage something like a comeback.
If that happens then these obscure 1990s comics will be worth owning and pulling out of old long boxes. With the focus on unjustly obscure 1990s characters as the theme, let’s take a look at the top three 1990s heroes who could- theoretically- make a comeback or even appear on the big screen.
X-Man #1 (March 1995) – First Issue of X-Man
We can start with the most popular book of the early 1990s. That book was the X-Men and at one point it seemed like the Marvel’s Mutant were the only thing Marvel Comics was putting out. X-Men v2 #1 was the most successful and widely sold comic in history (see my post The X-Universe Legacy: X-Men Offshoot Books from the 1990s for details). By 1993 there were at least 9 monthly X-Men or X-Men related titles regularly hitting the shelves: X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Men 2099, X-Force, X-Factor, Wolverine, Gambit, Cable, Sabretooth, Deadpool (and I’m sure I’m missing some). Yet, more would follow. Even if it seemed like the last thing Marvel needed in 1995 was another X-book, this was the 1990s: so, enter X-Man. This title was an attempt by Marvel to follow up on the obvious X-Men craze. Given how many average or bad Mutant books there were at the time, this one wasn’t so bad. Nathaniel “Nate” Grey is Cable in our universe and, of course, the son of Cyclops and Jean Grey. But this 'Cable' is from an alternate Earth. He is also an Omega level mutant (that means he’s super-powerful) operated on my Mr. Sinister and a product of the ‘Age of Apocalypse'. X-Man #1 was a dollar bin book up until about 2013. Surprisingly at that time, it began to sell in graded condition for around $50.00. The highest sale of a graded 9.8 has been for an eBay sale on 12/06/2018 that sold for $125.00. If Marvel decides to go in a different direction with their 'X-Men' reboot (and I think they will), introducing Nate Summers as X-Man is a possibility.
Sleepwalker #1 (June 1991) - First appearance of Sleepwalker
The Sleepwalker concept is straight out of the early nineties attempt to merge horror and sci-fi. Think of Sleepwalker as a hybrid of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. Created by Bob Budiansky and Bret Blevins, the Sleepwalker’s were an extra-dimensional police force charged with protecting human dreams. Through an unfortunate accident Rick Sheridan is inhabited by one of the creatures. When Rick sleeps the Sleepwalker can materialize. It’s not as goofy as it sounds - this was actually a good comic. Once again an obscure book, but sales over the last few years have been impressive. Sleepwalker #1 has a current FMV of $80.00 in 9.8, dropping to $55.00 in 9.6 grade, and $46.00 in 9.0. There are already a total of 327 of these on the CGC census. Although there’s no 'Sleepwalker' film on the horizon, I think this is a character who can still attract readers and viewers.
Darkhawk #1 (February 1991) - First appearance of Darkhawk
Some might say that Darkhawk (Chirstopher Powell) has already made a comeback. A book that you couldn’t give away for free a few years ago currently sells for up to $200.00 in graded 9.8 condition. Love him or hate him, Darkhawk has his devoted fans. That’s why it’s not crazy to think Marvel might bring him to the MCU. At least there’s been demand (see here).
Like various members of the Guardians of the Galaxy before him, if Darkhawk does appear, you’ll want Darkhawk #1 in your collection.
