100 Copper Keys

🗝 The Top 100 Key Issues from The Cooper Age Comic Books published from 1985 - 1992

DC Jun 1983

Omega Men #3

Omega Men #3
View Series Variants (11)
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100
View on eBay
1st appearance of Lobo, an intergalactic bounty hunter
[January 2023 - Jason Momoa speculated to play Lobo in James Gunn's DC films / December 2024 - confirmed]
Marvel Nov 1983

Thor #337

Thor #337
View Series Variants (4)
Low
$8
Mid
$20
High
$80
View on eBay
1st appearance of Beta Ray Bill, a Korbinite alien worthy of picking up Mjolnir
1st appearance of Lorelai, the sister of Enchantress
DC May 1984

Saga of the Swamp Thing #25

Saga of the Swamp Thing #25
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$5
Mid
$20
High
$65
View on eBay
1st cameo appearance of John Constantine, Hellblazer
⚠️ Debatable Firsts: it is widely accepted that this is the first cameo appearance of John Constantine but the character in question is not identified as such nor does he wear the classic trenchcoat that is seen when Constantine first appears in full, 12 months later, in Swamp Thing #37
Marvel May 1984

Amazing Spider-Man #252

Amazing Spider-Man #252
View Series Variants (21)
Low
$15
Mid
$55
High
$185
View on eBay
1st appearance of Spider-Man's black costume
Cited as being tied with Marvel Team-Up #141 as the first appearance of the black costume, this issue went on sale January 31,1984
Marvel Team-Up #141 went on sale February 14,1984
Cover art inspired by Amazing Fantasy #15
The symbiote costume was designed by a Marvel fan from Illinois named Randy Schueller who was paid $220 by Editor-In-Chief Jim Shooter for the concept
[March 2026 - the evolution of Spider-Man in the Spider-Man (Tom Holland franchise) may be building toward a symbiote bond, based on clues in the latest Spider-Man: Brand New Day trailer]
Mirage May 1984

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1
View Series Variants (31)
Low
$1.2K
Mid
$3K
High
$15K
View on eBay
1st team appearance and origin of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo
1st appearance of Splinter, the Turtles' mentor
1st appearance and death of the Shredder
First printing: 3,000 copies
DC Jun 1984 Vol 2

Firestorm the Nuclear Man #24

Firestorm the Nuclear Man #24
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
1st appearance of Blue Devil, a 16-page original story preceding Blue Devil #1
1st appearance of Bug
Origin of Byte
1st appearance of Marla Bloom
1st appearance of Edward Bloomberg, later becomes Kid Devil then Red Devil
Marvel Aug 1984

Power Pack #1

Power Pack #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
1st team appearance of Power Pack: Gee (Alex Power), Lightspeed (Julie Power), Mass Master (Jack Power), Energizer (Katie Power)
First written work in the comic book industry by Louise Simonson
Marvel Sep 1984

Transformers, The #1

Transformers, The #1
View Series Variants (10)
Low
$18
Mid
$60
High
$180
View on eBay
1st team appearance of the Autobots: Optimus Prime, Bumblebee, Prowl, Ironhide, Huffer, Cliffjumper, Sideswipe, Hound, Gears, Brawn, Sunstreaker, Bluestreak, Windcharger, Ratchet, Wheeljack, Trailbreaker, Mirage
1st team appearance of the the Decepticons: Megatron, Starscream, Buzzsaw, Thundercracker, Laserbeak, Frenzy, Skywarp, Rumble, Ravage, Soundwave
1st appearance of Buster and Sparkplug Witwicky, human allies of the Autobots
Thoughts & Images Nov 1984

Albedo #2

Albedo #2
View Series
Low
$950
Mid
$3.2K
High
$9.5K
View on eBay
1st appearance of Usagi Yojimbo
Yojimbo is Japanese for bodyguard
An animated series set in the Usagi Yojimbo universe is in production for Netflix
Comico Dec 1984

Macross #1

Macross #1
View Series
Low
$5
Mid
$20
High
$75
View on eBay
1st appearance of Robotech
Early English-translation of an anime property, based off of the Macross episode titled The Super Dimension Fortress
[April 2022 - Hawkeye director, Rhys Thomas will direct Mark Canton and Gianni Nunnari’s Robotech for Sony Pictures]
Epic Mar 1985

Coyote #11

Coyote #11
View Series
Low
$8
Mid
$25
High
$85
View on eBay
First interior art by Todd McFarlane in the comic industry, officially
McFarlane previously had a sketch published in the Comics Journal #84 fanzine
DC Apr 1985

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1
View Series Variants (9)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
"Crisis on Infinite Earths" part 1
1st appearance of Blue Beetle, Ted Kord, in the DC Universe after being acquired from Charlton Comics
1st appearance of Pariah
1st appearance of Alex Luthor Jr.
1st full appearance of the Monitor
Lyla Michaels becomes Harbinger
Marvel Feb 1986

X-Factor #1

X-Factor #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$10
View on eBay
1st team appearance of X-Factor, the original X-Men: Cyclops, Jean Grey, Beast, Iceman, Angel
1st appearance of Cameron Hodge, a human who passionately hated mutants
1st appearance of Rusty Collins, a mutant with the ability to manipulate fire
[January 2026 - an X-Factor project is rumored to be in development at Marvel Studios]
DC Feb 1986

Booster Gold #1

Booster Gold #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50
View on eBay
1st appearance of Booster Gold
1st appearance of Skeets, the robot sidekick of Booster Gold
1st appearance of Blackguard
1st appearance of Trixie Collins, later becomes Goldstar
1st cameo appearance of Mindancer
[January 2023 - a Booster Gold TV series about a "loser from the future" who returns to the past to pretend to be a superhero is planned for HBO Max - SYNOPSIS: Michael Jon “Booster” Carter, is a member of the Justice League born in Gotham City who attends university on a football scholarship. He is expelled for gambling and becomes a superhero, although continues to irritate others with his obsession for fame and wealth. His nickname came via Ronald Reagan after he saved the former POTUS.]
Dark Horse Jul 1986

Dark Horse Presents #1

Dark Horse Presents #1
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25
View on eBay
First comic book published by Dark Horse Comics founded in 1986
1st appearance of Concrete, an average man's journey through life in a stone body
1st appearance of Black Cross, a fearless warrior in a post-apocalyptic world
DC Sep 1986

Watchmen #1

Watchmen #1
View Series Variants (5)
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$60
View on eBay
Premiere issue of a twelve-issue series that explores the dark side of superheroes from a realistic, flawed perspective
1st appearance of Rorschach, Dr. Manhattan, Ozymandias, Silk Spectre, The Comedian and Night Owl
Alan Moore based his characters off of DC's newly acquired Charlton heroes: the Question, Captain Atom, Thunderbolt, Nightshade, the Peacemaker and Blue Beetle
[July 2023 - Warner Bros. announced an animated Watchmen feature is in development]
DC Feb 1987 Vol 2

Wonder Woman #1

Wonder Woman #1
View Series Variants (7)
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25
View on eBay
Origin of Wonder Woman
1st appearance of Philippus, an Amazonian captain
1st appearance of Aella, an Amazon warrior, Reintroduction of Ares and Hippolyta
Origin of Hippolyta and Antiope
Wraparound cover art by George Perez
DC May 1987

Suicide Squad #1

Suicide Squad #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25
View on eBay
1st appearance of Warden John Economos
1st team appearance of Onslaught aka Jihad: Chimera aka Nightshade, Djinn, Jaculi, Manticore, Ravan and Rustam
1st appearance of Simon LaGrieve
Introduction of Belle Reve
[April 2023 - Steve Agee to voice John Economos in Creature Commandos]
Marvel Jan 1988

X-Factor #24

X-Factor #24
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$40
View on eBay
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
New England Comics Press Mar 1988

The Tick #1

Special Limited: 5,000
The Tick #1
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$35
Mid
$120
High
$415
View on eBay
1st appearance of the Tick in a comic book - preceded by a black and white ashcan and a gold-colored ashcan
Marvel Mar 1988

Amazing Spider-Man #298

Amazing Spider-Man #298
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100
View on eBay
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
Marvel Apr 1988

Excalibur Special Edition #1

Excalibur Special Edition #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$2
High
$8
View on eBay
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
Marvel Apr 1988

Amazing Spider-Man #299

Amazing Spider-Man #299
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$12
Mid
$45
High
$140
View on eBay
2nd cameo appearance of Venom
⚠️ 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 cite The Amazing Spider-Man #300
The Amazing Spider-Man #299 was used as a prop in the film, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark (1988)
DC Vertigo May 1988

V for Vendetta #1

V for Vendetta #1
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$4
Mid
$12
High
$45
View on eBay
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
[November 2025 - an HBO Max series is in development with James Gunn executive producing]
DC Vertigo Jan 1989 Vol 2

The Sandman #1

The Sandman #1
View Series Variants (7)
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150
View on eBay
1st appearance of Dream aka Morpheus
1st appearance of Unity Kincaid
1st appearance of Roderick Burgess
1st appearance of Ethel Cripps
DC Jan 1989

Batman #428

Batman #428
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$2
Mid
$8
High
$25
View on eBay
"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)
Caliber Feb 1989

Crow, The #1

Crow, The #1
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$120
Mid
$400
High
$1.2K
View on eBay
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)
Marvel Dec 1989

Thor #412

Thor #412
View Series Variants (2)
Low
$1
Mid
$5
High
$15
View on eBay
1st full team appearance of the New Warriors: Firestar, Kid Nova, Marvel Boy, Namorita, Night Thrasher and Speedball
1st full appearance of Night Thrasher
Marvel Mar 1990

New Mutants #87

New Mutants #87
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$10
Mid
$30
High
$100
View on eBay
1st full appearance of Cable
1st full team appearance of the Mutant Liberation Front: Stryfe, Wildside, Reaper, Fourarm, Thumbelina, Strobe, Tempo, Zero
Marvel May 1990 Vol 2

Ghost Rider #1

Ghost Rider #1
View Series Variants (3)
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$30
View on eBay
1st appearance of Daniel Ketch as the second Marvel Ghost Rider, possessed by Noble Kale
1st appearance of Deathwatch, a demonic entity
1st appearance of Barbara Ketch, the sister of Daniel who later becomes the Spirit of Violence
1st appearance of Stacy Dolan, a former cop and friend of the Ketch family
Marvel May 1990

X-Men Annual #14

X-Men Annual #14
View Series Variants (1)
Low
$5
Mid
$15
High
$50
View on eBay
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
Marvel Aug 1990

Thanos Quest #1

Thanos Quest #1
View Series Variants (4)
Low
$3
Mid
$9
High
$35
View on eBay
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
Marvel Aug 1990

Uncanny X-Men #266

Uncanny X-Men #266
View Series Variants (11)
Low
$15
Mid
$50
High
$150
View on eBay
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
[April 2026 - Lee Sung Jin (Beef) is writing the X-Men reboot script and has specifically expressed his affection for Gambit]

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