The Story of The Great Comic Book Crash

How speculators and publishers caused the comic book industry to implode.

Every industry, particularly in entertainment, goes through its ups and downs. Motion pictures faced a slump when television became a staple in every home, and the coming of video games similarly affected television. Streaming services such as Netflix have all but destroyed video/ DVD rental stores and had a pretty big impact on sales of those items as well. Print media has been suffering for years due to the demand for people’s attention being pulled in so many different directions. However, not all forms of entertainment have suffered purely due to the introduction of new technology. Some did it to themselves.

In order for the story of the Great Comic Book Crash (™) of the 90’s to be told, some context of the industry at the time must be given. From their earliest beginnings in the 1930’s comics were bought for a dime, read, passed around to friends and then, eventually, discarded. It was never considered that they might have some kind of future value. So, landmark issues such as Action Comics #1 or Amazing Fantasy #15 were thrown away, or sold at boot sales, or given away to younger siblings. They were, in essence, lost.

Jump to the 1980s and comic books were experiencing something of a rejuvenation…