Good comics of the '90s?

[Hybrid]

As the title says, the '90s tends to be remembered with disdain for the Dark Age, the loads of crappy comics that came out of it, and the industry almost dying. That was true, but like anything else, there's some good stuff that came out of it. Here is where we'll honor those stories, because if you make a good comic in an era where bad was the norm, shouldn't that also be recognized?

Off the top of my head:

The Amazing Spider-Man (pre-Clone Saga)
Astro City
The Authority
Avengers (Busiek's run)
Black Panther (Priest's run)
Bone
Captain Marvel
Daredevil
Deadpool
Death of Superman
Hellblazer
Hellboy
JLA (Morrison's run)
Kingdom Come
Knightfall
The Long Halloween
Marvel Knights (the entire line)
Marvels
Nightwing
Planetary
Preacher
Sandman
Sin City
Spawn
Spider-Girl
Stormwatch
Thunderbolts
Valiant Comics (the entire line)
Young Justice

Granted, quite a few of them came from the tail-end of the decade (Authority, Black Panther, JLA, Thunderbolts, Spider-Girl) and others were in direct response to the crappy comics of the era (Kingdom Come), but still.

Anything else worth noting?

[C_Miller]

James Robinson's Starman and Mark Waid's Flash are some of my favorite comics of all time regardless of decade.

[Gray Lensman]

The 90s is maligned since the most visible stuff seemed go be in competition to out-edge each other, but the same forces that helped drive that also put out some all time great stories as well.

[shooshoomanjoe]

I actually liked the clone saga.

[Mister Mets]

As the title says, the '90s tends to be remembered with disdain for the Dark Age, the loads of crappy comics that came out of it, and the industry almost dying. That was true, but like anything else, there's some good stuff that came out of it. Here is where we'll honor those stories, because if you make a good comic in an era where bad was the norm, shouldn't that also be recognized?

Off the top of my head:

The Amazing Spider-Man (pre-Clone Saga)
Astro City
The Authority
Avengers (Busiek's run)
Black Panther (Priest's run)
Bone
Captain Marvel
Daredevil
Deadpool
Death of Superman
Hellblazer
Hellboy
JLA (Morrison's run)
Kingdom Come
Knightfall
The Long Halloween
Marvel Knights (the entire line)
Marvels
Nightwing
Planetary
Preacher
Sandman
Sin City
Spawn
Spider-Girl
Stormwatch
Thunderbolts
Valiant Comics (the entire line)
Young Justice

Granted, quite a few of them came from the tail-end of the decade (Authority, Black Panther, JLA, Thunderbolts, Spider-Girl) and others were in direct response to the crappy comics of the era (Kingdom Come), but still.

Anything else worth noting?

Definitely agree with Astro City, Busiek's Avengers, Bone, Hellboy, Morrison's JLA, Kingdom Come, The Long Halloween, Marvels, Planetary, Sandman, Sin City and early Valiant.

Some others...
Stuck Rubber Baby
Maus
Understanding Comics
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen
From Hell
Earth X
Savage Dragon
Peter David's Incredible Hulk
Superman For All Seasons

I do still think it was a mediocre decade. The good stuff came with some bad. It is worth noting that much of the good was standalone work, paving the way for better stuff in the next decade when Marvel also upped its game.

[Electricmastro]

Felt like listing companies other than Marvel and DC for the sake of giving others more variety to choose from:

America's Best Comics - Tom Strong, Promethea

Archie Comics - Sonic the Hedgehog

Bongo Comics - Simpsons Comics

Claypool Comics - Soulsearchers and Company, Deadbeats

Dark Horse Comics - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Ghost, John Byrne's Next Men, X

Eternity Comics - Robotech: Return to Macross

Harris Comics - Vampirella

Image Comics - Spawn, Savage Dragon, WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams, Supreme, Stray Bullets, Glory, Age of Bronze, Backlash, Kiss: Psycho Circus, Bone

Milestone Media - Hardware, Static, Icon, Blood Syndicate

Now Comics - The Green Hornet

Top Cow Productions - Witchblade, Tomb Raider: The Series, The Darkness, Cyber Force, Rising Stars, Ascension

Topps Comics - X-Files

Valiant Comics - X-O Manowar, Magnus Robot Fighter; Solar, Man of the Atom; Bloodshot; Turok, Dinosaur Hunter; Shadowman, Harbinger, Rai, The H.A.R.D. Cops, Ninjak, Archer & Armstrong

Warp Graphics - ElfQuest

WildStorm - Gen 13, Stormwatch, Wetworks, DV8, Deathblow, Astro City

[K7P5V]

Felt like listing companies other than Marvel and DC for the sake of giving others more variety to choose from:

America's Best Comics - Tom Strong, Promethea

Archie Comics - Sonic the Hedgehog

Bongo Comics - Simpsons Comics

Claypool Comics - Soulsearchers and Company, Deadbeats

Dark Horse Comics - Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Star Wars, Ghost, John Byrne's Next Men, X

Eternity Comics - Robotech: Return to Macross

Harris Comics - Vampirella

Image Comics - Spawn, Savage Dragon, WildC.A.T.s: Covert Action Teams, Supreme, Stray Bullets, Glory, Age of Bronze, Backlash, Kiss: Psycho Circus, Bone

Milestone Media - Hardware, Static, Icon, Blood Syndicate

Now Comics - The Green Hornet

Top Cow Productions - Witchblade, Tomb Raider: The Series, The Darkness, Cyber Force, Rising Stars, Ascension

Topps Comics - X-Files

Valiant Comics - X-O Manowar, Magnus Robot Fighter; Solar, Man of the Atom; Bloodshot; Turok, Dinosaur Hunter; Shadowman, Harbinger, Rai, The H.A.R.D. Cops, Ninjak, Archer & Armstrong

Warp Graphics - ElfQuest

WildStorm - Gen 13, Stormwatch, Wetworks, DV8, Deathblow, Astro City

Great list, Electricmastro.

Here's my Top 15 list:

1. Alan Moore's 1963

2. Frank Miller's The Man Without Fear

3. Garth Ennis' Punisher

4. Waid's Captain America (#444-454)

5. Alan Davis' Excalibur

6. The Power of SHAZAM!

7. Paul Chadwick's Concrete

8. Rude/Baron's Nexus

9. Jason Pearson's Body Bags

10. Xenozoic Tales

11. Avengers Forever

12. Untold Tales of Spider-Man

13. BWS Weapon X

14. Anything Peter David has written.

15. Anything from Batman Adventures (especially Mad Love).

[LifeIsILL]

Almost every DC title in the 90s was good. It's like people have amnesia or something.

1. Mike Grell's Green Arrow ---> Judd Winick's Green Arrow.

2. Chuck Dixion Nightwing

3. Chuck Dixon Robin

4. Ostrander Suicide Squad

5. Keith Giffen L.E.G.I.O.N

6. Garth Ennis Hitman

7. Garth Ennis The Demon

8. Mark Waid Flash

9. Giffen Justice League America

10. Wolfman Deathstroke

11. Wolfman/Dan Jurgens Teen Titans

12. Legend of the Dark Knight

13. Walter Simonson Man of Steel

14. Peter David Supergirl

15. Peter Milligan Shade the Changing Man

16. James Robinson Starman

17. JSA 8 issue mini

18. Legion of Superheroes

19. Ostrander Firestorm

20. Messner-Loeb Wonder Woman

21. Karl Kesel Hawk and Dove

22. Karl Kesel Harley Quinn

23. Doug Moench Catwoman ---> Devin Grayson Catwoman

If you think 2000's DC was better than 90s DC....then I don't know....you better have hell of a good reason.

[Chubistian]

Just to add to a lot of titles and storylines with which I agree that were great and done in the 90s, I think Spectacular Spider-Man by J.M DeMatteis and Sal Buscema deserves a mention. Up to this day, the Osborn Saga and Funeral Arrangements are two of the greatest works dissecting classic Spidey's villains.

[Paula_Gor]

The 90's certainly had a style all it's own, distinguishing itself from other comic eras, but it was by no means a lost or horrible era. SO MANY good books and runs came out of and many loved creators today got their start in the 90's.
As far as my contribution to the list (so many good ones mentioned here):
Peter David's Aquaman
Gen 13

[Electricmastro]

In regards to Marvel highlights from the 90s:

Jim Starlin's Thanos Quest, Infinity Gauntlet, Infinity War, and Infinity Crusade

X-Men's Muir Island Saga, X-Cutioner's Song, Fatal Attractions, Legion Quest, and Age of Apocalypse

Weapon X (1991)

Spider-Man's The Name of the Rose, Carnage (1992), and Maximum Carnage

Avengers' Operation: Galactic Storm, Live Kree or Die!, and Ultron Unlimited

Marvels (1994)

Incredible Hulk's The Trojan War

Captain America's Operation: Rebirth and American Nightmare

Heroes Reborn: The Return

Christopher Priest's Black Panther

Kevin Smith's Daredevil

Avengers Forever

[icctrombone]

Hitman. And Mike Barons Nexus started in the 80's.

[John Pannozzi]

The 90s is maligned since the most visible stuff seemed go be in competition to out-edge each other, but the same forces that helped drive that also put out some all time great stories as well.

Exactly.

I just started to read comics in the 1990s (I was born in late 1986, FYI), and even by the end of the 90s, I was still a little too young for "grim and gritty" material. So, I was little more than a bystander to the industry boom and bust.

But having witnessed a lot of 90s material thanks to back-issue bins, I feel that there was plenty of interesting material back then. You just needed to look close enough to find it.

Strangers in Paradise can be added to the list of worthwhile titles from this era.

[Kirby101]

Niel Gaiman's Sandman, one of the finest comics ever published.

[CliffHanger2]

Richard Corbens' DEN, Mutant World
Alan Davis-Excalibur
Kevin Maguire-JLA
Bart Sears-JL Europe
Flaming Carrot
Simon Bisley-Lobo,Slaine.Batman vs Judge Dredd
John Byrne-Avengers West Coast, Sensational She-Hulk
Larry Stromans' Tribe
John Buscemas' run on Wolverine
Crying Freeman
Geoff Darrow, Frank Miller-Hard Boiled, Rusty and Big Guy
A lot of good comics in the 90s the early 2000s was the real dark ages imo.