80TH ANNIVERSARY: THE 90S
Celebrating 80 years of Marvel! From an explosion of mutants, clones and cyborgs, to an Onslaught and a mouthy Merc, read some of the most influential stories and series of Marvel Comics in the 90s!
Marvel Comics: 1990-1999
Deathlok
In Deathlok (1990) #1
Cyborgs as a sub-genre ruled the decade. One of our favorite mechano-man stories is this sci fi horror about Michael Collins – a pacifist whose mind is dropped in a war machine.
Wolverine’s Origin
In Marvel Comics Presents (1988) #72
Read through #84 for this arc in full. Writer and artist Barry Windsor-Smith delivers a defining origin that covers Logan’s transformation into an adamantium-laced weapon.
X-Men: Blue & Gold
In X-Men (1991) #1
This record-breaking bestseller introduces two squads of X-Men led by veterans Cyclops and Storm. Chris Claremont and Jim Lee gave the X-Men a fresh start, kicking things off with an iconic gatefold cover!
Infinity Trilogy
In Infinity Gauntlet (1991) #1
Continue this trilogy with Infinity War (1992) and Infinity Crusade (1993). Thanos eliminates half of universal life in his courtship of Death. Most famous for its “snap”!
Introducing Deadpool
In New Mutants (1983) #98
The decade’s fan-favorite katana’d onto the scene as Cable’s consistently inconsistent menace. Continue with Deadpool: The Circle Chase (1993)!
Cable’s X-Force
In X-Force (1991) #1
This X-Men strike force evolved into a wet works team made up of former New Mutants. And their leader, Cable, takes off the kid gloves!
Adam Warlock
In Warlock and the Infinity Watch (1992) #1
Cosmic oddity Adam Warlock manages a team of hand-selected guardians, each the ward of an Infinity Stone.
Marvel 2099
In Spider-Man 2099 (1992) #1
Try the 2099 Reading List for more stories from this timeline! Miguel O'Hara is Nueva York’s Spider-Man. With assistance from his A.I. companion Lyla, he protects society from corrupt, overreaching corporations.
Venom
In Venom: Lethal Protector (1993) #1
Craving a hero’s sense of purpose, Eddie Brock ‘takes up the cape’ in San Francisco. Eddie’s intentions may be pure…but the Venom symbiote offers its own justice.
Maximum Carnage
In Spider-Man Unlimited (1993) #1
Try this storyline’s Reading List! Psycho Cletus Kasady assembles equally psycho allies to turn New York City to anarchy. A Spider-Man/Venom team-up!
Clone Saga
In Web of Spider-Man (1985) #117
Try this event’s Reading List! Beloved and sometimes bonkers, this saga introduced Ben Reilly as Spider-Man and fallen Peter Parker clone Kaine!
Age of Apocalypse
In X-Men Chronicles (1995) #1
Legion, Professor X’s psychic son, plunges the X-Men into a parallel timeline ruled by Apocalypse and his Horsemen. This dystopian scramble stands out for its character redesigns. Read the event in full!
Onslaught Saga
In X-Men (1991) #53
Try the event that’s credited as shifting the landscape of 90s Marvel! The psionic spawn of Charles Xavier and Magneto sets off a domino effect that deprives the world of heroes.
Inhumans by Paul Jenkins & Jae Lee
In Inhumans (1998) #1
Dynastic struggles set in the Inhuman home world. This gripping Eisner-winner pulls back the curtain on the Royal Family, revealing secrets of the crown that place the Inhumans in human conflict.
Marvel Knights: Doctor Strange
In Doctor Strange: The Flight of Bones (1999) #1
Magic meets noir. The Sorcerer Supreme trails an old enemy responsible for a ‘skinless’ man, bizarre robberies and a spate of spontaneous combustion.