Why Is This Blog Called Key Issue Comics?

If you've been reading this blog you may be wondering, "Why the hell is it called 'Key Issue Comics?'  The only thing here is a bunch of comic reviews and links to comic related stuff."  Well, I started this blog so that I could put together lists of key issues of various comic book titles.  That was and still is my intention.  I got back into collecting comics after an absence of nearly 13 years.  Triggered primarily by a couple of articles I read about the new Wonder Woman costume and the new X-Men title.  Probably more important is that I can actually afford it now.

I enjoy reading comics and I also hope that someday someone will pay outrageous amounts of money for the ones I've collected.  So I'm always on the lookout for "REALLY good deals" on collectible books.  Like the New Mutants #98 that I found for about 80 cents.  I haven't had it graded yet but my guess is that it's probably VF/NM 9.0.  That's what I mean by really good deals.  If that book had been 40 bucks or more I probably would have passed on it.  Thanks to many generations of my family, I'm what you might call a tightwad.

Key Issues - Marvel Team-Up Vol 1 (1972)

Marvel Team-Up #1
Cover by Frank Giacoia, Gil Kane, & Sam Rosen

Marvel Team-Up #93
Cover by Al Milgrom
& Don Perlin

I decided to put together this list of key issues for the first volume of Marvel Team Up while I was trying to make sure I had all of the first appearances for the New Mutants. I thought New Mutants Vol 1 and Marvel Graphic Novel #4 covered everyone. However, the first appearance of Xi'an Coy Manh is right here in issue 100 of Marvel Team Up so head out to your local comic shop and start digging through back issues.

Marvel Team-Up #1 - Though not named in the issue, this is the 1st appearance of Misty Knight. Her other "1st appearance" will occur 3 years later in Marvel Premiere #21.

Marvel Team-Up #8 - 1st appearance of Katrina van Horn (Man-Killer aka Amazon).

Marvel Team-Up #12 - 1st appearance of the villain Moondark.

Marvel Team-Up #15 - 1st appearance of The Orb.

Marvel Team-Up #16 - 1st appearance of the Basilisk.

Marvel Team-Up #19 - 1st appearance of Stegron.

Marvel Team-Up #21 - 1st appearance of Melinda Morrison.

Marvel Team-Up #23 - 1st full appearance of Equinox.

Marvel Team-Up #95
Cover by Bob McLeod
& Frank Miller

Marvel Team-Up #48 - 1st appearance of the Wraith (Brian Dewolff). 1st appearance of Jean Dewolff.

Marvel Team-Up #53 - John Byrne's first artwork of the X-Men.

Marvel Team-Up #55 - 1st appearance of the Gardener (Ord Zynoz). 

Marvel Team-Up #65 - 1st appearance of Arcade and Miss Locke. 1st appearance of Captain Britain and Courtney Ross in an American comic.

Marvel Team-Up #66 - 1st appearance of Murderworld.

Marvel Team-Up #68 - 1st appearance of D'spayre.
Marvel Team-Up #74 - Spider-Man teams up with the cast of Saturday Night Live to fight the Silver Samurai.
Marvel Team-Up #81 - Death of Satana until she returns in Hellstorm #10.

Marvel Team-Up #87 - 1st appearance of Hellrazor.

Marvel Team-Up #89 - 1st appearance of Cutthroat.
Marvel Team-Up #91 - 1st appearance of Gorilla Girl.

Marvel Team-Up #92 - 1st appearance of Mr. Fear (Alan Fagan).
Marvel Team-Up #93 - 1st appearance of Dansen Macabre.

Marvel Team-Up #95 - 1st Bobbi Morse as Mockingbird.

Marvel Team-Up #141
Cover by Art Adams
& Mike Mignola

Marvel Team-Up #100 - 1st appearance of Karma (Xi'an Coy Manh). 1st appearance of Nguyen Ngoc Coy.

Marvel Team-Up #110 - 1st appearance of the villain Magma (Jonathan Darque).

Marvel Team-Up #117 - 1st appearance of Professor Power.
Marvel Team-Up #120 - 1st appearance of Dominic Fortune (Jerry Fortunov).

Marvel Team-Up #121 - 1st appearance of Frog-Man.

Marvel Team-Up #131 - 1st appearance of the White Rabbit.
Marvel Team-Up #138 - 1st appearance of Oswald Silkworth (the Arranger).

Marvel Team-Up #141 - Along with Amazing Spider-Man #252 and Spectacular Spider-Man #90, this is also the first appearance of Spider-Man's black symbiote costume from Secret Wars.

Marvel Team-Up #146 - 1st appearance of the Black Abbott.