10 Best Comics of the ‘90s

The ’90s aren’t looked at as a halcyon time for comics, especially compared with the ’80s. The ’80s saw the comic industry mature dramatically; DC put out some of the greatest comics of all time in Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, while Marvel was wowing fans with books like Uncanny X-Men, John Byrne’s Fantastic Four, and more. Meanwhile, DC decided to pillage the British Isles for talent. The indie comic market became a force, and Marvel started their own creator-owned/mature readers/creator owned imprint Epic. Comics in the ’80s were amazing, and that decade’s shadow made the ’90s look way less impressive. It didn’t help that Marvel decided to go style over substance in the ’90s, setting the scene for Image Comics and cursing ’90s comics forever as pretty looking but vapid.

However, there are some amazing comics from the ’90s. Some of these came from Marvel and DC’s superhero lines, but indie books and DC’s Vertigo imprint carried the decade when it comes to quality comics. While there are a lot of very bad ’90s comics, there are also some comics that are listed among the best comics of all time. These ten comics are the best of the ’90s, showing just how much powerful the comic industry was in the decade of extreme.

From Hell

Alan Moore is considered one of the greatest writers in comics history. His career at DC Comics in the 1980s was huge and changed everything, but the disposition of the ownership of Watchmen saw Moore walk away from mainstream comics, starting a long and fruitful career in the world of indie comics. In 1989, a book that would be considered one of the greatest horror comics ever debuted from Moore and artist Eddie Campbell: From Hell. From Hell ran from 1989 to 1998, with the vast majority of its issues hitting in the ’90s. From Hell tells the story of Jack the Ripper’s rampage through Whitecastle, this story positing that royal surgeon Sir William Gull was Jack. From Hell is amazing. Moore meticulously researched the period and provided readers with an engrossing story, one that had as much character as history. Campbell’s black and white art fit the time period, capturing the darkness of those Victorian nights and giving the book a haunting look that will remain with readers forever. The book is being re-released in color, but fans should definitely check out the original black and white version to get the full effect of the story. From Hell is a masterpiece and easily one of the greatest comics of the ’90s.

Strangers In Paradise

The indie comics market of the ’90s was defined by early Image Comics, but there was a burgeoning indie scene that gave readers all kinds of amazing stories beyond generic superheroes from the most popular artists in comics. In 1993, writer/artist Terry Moore launched one of the defining indie comics of the ’90s — Strangers in Paradise. The book started out as a love triangle between Francine, Katchoo, and David, wowing fans with its humor and beautiful artwork. However, this book was more than just a slice of life romance comic, expanding its scope to become a thriller/crime comic as more was revealed about the characters in the book. Strangers in Paradise lasted until 2007, spending seven years in the ’90s and seven in the ’00s. It’s a book that would feel at home in modern day Image or Boom!, and showed that comics in the ’90s could be more than people in tights whomping on each other.

Bone

Comics were long for children, but the ’80s changed all of that. Comics were getting more mature, and Marvel and DC Comics started to look at older audiences. Superhero comics were still ostensibly for younger readers, but there were very few books out there that captured the whimsy of the early Disney comics by Carl Barks. Jeff Smith changed all of that in 1991 with Bone. Bone was a cartoon in comic form that followed the Bone cousins — Fone Bone, Phoney Bone, and Smiley Bone — on their adventures after leaaving Boneville. Bone embraced comedy and fantasy, and is perfect for readers of all ages. Smith’s art and writing is phenomenal, and Bone lasted until 2004, putting out 55 issues of pure gold. The fact that Bone has never been adapted into an animated series is a mystery, because it is a brilliant comic.

Sandman Mystery Theater

Sandman Mystery Theater, by Matt Wagner, Steve Seagle, and Guy Davis, is the first of several Vertigo books on this list. Sandman Mystery Theater took advantage of the popularity of The Sandman, a book that would have been on this list if it wasn’t for Neil Gaiman’s crimes, using original Golden Age Sandman to tell perfect crime noir detective stories in 1930s New York City. It mixes all of that with a healthy dose of horror and suspense, as well as a touching romance between Sandman Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont. Sandman Mystery Theater is a constantly gripping title, pulling readers in with its brilliant storytelling and larger than life characters. It’s a warts and all look at New York City at the tail end of The Great Depression, and DC in 2023 released a massive compendium collecting the first half of the 70 issue series. Go and order one right now so the publisher will release the other half of this masterpiece.

Preacher

Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon made names for themselves on Hellblazer, Vertigo’s consistent number two book in the ’90s. The writer/artist team were nearly perfect together and they teamed up for a comic that went further than any Vertigo comic that came before them. Preacher is the story of Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher who is possessed by Genesis, a half-angel, half-demon entity that even God Himself feared. Jesse, along with his once and future girlfriend Tulip and Irish vampire Cassidy, go on a search to find God and hold him to task about his creations with the power of Genesis. Preacher is a vulgar, blasphemous, over the top violent masterwork with a surprising amount of heart. People get hooked by the humor and violence, but they stay for the beautiful love affair between Jesse and Tulip. It’s also one of the first comics to call out toxic masculinity, making it ahead of its time.

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The Invisibles

Grant Morrison made a name for themselves with their work at DC in the late ’80s and early ’90s, wowing readers with Animal Man, Doom Patrol, and Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth. Morrison worked on various Vertigo books as well as DC’s superhero line, and gave readers the wildest Vertigo book in the ’90s in 1994: The Invisibles. The series revolves around a cell of Invisibles, occult freedom fighters, battling against the forces of the ultimate conspiracy, and the secret kinds of the world, known as the Outer Church. The Invisibles is peak Morrison, taking readers on mindbending trips through ’90s culture. This book defines the ’90s as an era, telling one of the most complicated — but rewarding — comic stories ever published. It’s one of the more difficult Morrison books, which is saying something, but it’s definitely worth a read.

The Avengers (Vol. 3)

The Avengers didn’t have a good time throughout the ’90s. Marvel went all in on the X-Men and Spider-Man and the Avengers were left behind. Marvel chased the trends with the Avengers, but nothing saved the book, not even getting superstar artist Rob Liefeld, at the hottest point of his career, on the book with “Heroes Reborn”. After “Heroes Reborn”, Marvel decided to take the Avengers back to basics, bringing in the writer/artist team of Kurt Busiek and George Perez for Avengers (Vol. 3). The Avengers have had some great adventures, but Avengers (Vol. 3) topped nearly everything that came before it. Busiek’s encyclopedic knowledge of Avengers history came in handy, picking a classic roster of Avengers, one that combined the best members in the team’s history with some excellent new additions, and pitting them against the biggest threats from the team’s past. Perez’s art is gorgeous; the late great George Perez is one of the greatest comic artists of all time, and his work on Avengers (Vol. 3) is easily the best work he did since his heydays in the ’80s. Avengers (Vol. 3) is everything an Avengers book should be.

Infinity Gauntlet

Event comics were invented in the 1980s, and an argument can be made that they peaked immediately, with 1985’s Crisis on Infinite Earths perfecting the formula. Marvel and DC spent the rest of the ’80s trying to replicated the success of stories like Crisis and Marvel Superheroes Secret Wars, but never finding it. However, 1991 would see Marvel put out a comic that has gone down in the annals of event book history — Infinity Gauntlet, by Jim Starlin, George Perez, and Ron Lim. The story of Thanos becoming God thanks to the Infinity Gauntlet, and the battles against him, is the perfect superhero story. There are universe shaking battles in this six issue series, and even over thirty years later it remains an entertaining read. This is peak Marvel, and a highlight for the publisher in the ’90s.

Starman

Legacy is a huge part of the DC Universe, especially in the years after Crisis on Infinite Earths. Without the multiverse, DC had heroic legacies stretching back to the Golden Age of comics and the publisher embraced this. DC’s Golden Age characters didn’t always get the best shake in the first half of the ’90s, but all of that changed with the 1994 premiere of Starman, by James Robinson and Tony Harris. This book focused on the legacy of Starman, whose son David takes up his father’s costume and cosmic rod and is killed by the Mist II. David’s brother Jack takes his place, beginning a series that made DC’s Golden Age heroes into one of the most interesting aspects of the DC Universe. Starman is a brilliant superhero comic, taking the concept in entirely new directions, and showing that superheroes could be complex, fully realized characters. Jack Knight is one of the defining characters of DC in the ’90s, and DC should definitely reissue Starman so a new generation can experience what the readers of the ’90s did.

JLA

Grant Morrison was known for writing weird books, but the Scottish writer got DC like few writers have before or since. Much like the Avengers, the Justice League also wasn’t doing so hot in the ’90s, but all of that would change when DC launched JLA, from Grant Morrison and Howard Porter. JLA is the best superhero comic of the ’90s, presenting the Justice League battling the greatest threats in the universe. Morrison was able to capture the grandeur of the Justice League, reminding everyone that this was the greatest superhero team ever. Porter’s art was amazing; Porter didn’t follow the superhero art tropes of the ’90s, but nor did he copy the greats of yesteryear. His distinctive, detailed art made JLA into the best looking DC book on the stands, and took Morrison’s insane Justice League stories and rendered them perfectly. Morrison’s work on JLA is brilliant, and they’re not only the great writer that worked on the series; Mark Waid also wrote several stories so Morrison could catch up on deadlines. JLA boasted two of the best writers that DC ever employed, so it’s no-brainer that it ended up being this great.