Top 20 Comic Books of the 70s 

A fun and entertaining video as usual. I grew up in the 70's and they were definitely exciting

Very enjoyable! I realize that you're looking at the overall cultural significance of the comics, up to the present day, but let me throw a few cob-webby thoughts at you... I started seriously collecting comics in early 1974, at age 12. At that time, Amazing Spider-Man 121/122 and 129 were already a big deal. Ditto Conan the Barbarian #1 -- as you stated, the sword-and-sorcery genre was HUGE for a few years but petered out. (In my opinion partly due to Barry Smith's exit from Conan after issue 24, also partly due to the fact that Marvel eventually adapted all of the old Robert E. Howard Conan stories and the subsequent newly scripted stories became a "monster of the month" pageant pretty quickly.) Neal Adams was a hot artist, his Batman and Green Lantern/Green Arrow stuff was popular, though collectors were especially focused on comics where he drew the interior art (Adams did sooooo many covers for DC comics back then.) Hulk 181, X-Men 94 and Giant-Size X-Men #1 were not so hot right out of the box, at least not to my recollection. Swamp Thing was a popular character, though I don't recall House of Secrets #92 being especially sought-after. Ditto the first appearance of Darkseid in Jimmy Olsen 134 -- collectors coveted the first issues of Kirby's Fourth World books, the issues that followed weren't such a big deal. The first appearances of Ghost Rider and Thanos were barely a blip on the radar, at the time. Werewolf by Night #32 -- not sure anyone cared about that comic at all at the time it hit the stands, apart from WbN fans. Two comics that I would have included on the list -- First up, Fantastic Four #102 (cover-dated September 1970), which was Jack Kirby's last issue as regular penciller on the title and -- in my humble opinion, at least -- marked the end of the Silver Age for Marvel. (BTW, the first issue of Conan the Barbarian was cover-dated October 1970, which makes me doubly convinced that FF #102 ended the SIlver Age for Marvel.) Second, Howard the Duck #1 (cover-dated January 1976) -- today, this probably seems like an idiotic choice, but here's why it was a big deal: Speculators bought up scads of copies from distributors, to the point where it was difficult/impossible to find copies on the newsstands -- I know, I looked all over my town and couldn't find a copy, even though subsequent issues were widely available. Within a couple of months, copies of issue #1 were being offered by mail-order dealers for 50 cents apiece, then $1, then $1.50, and by the time the issue was a year or two out of date, you'd be hard-pressed to find copies for less than $5 a pop. To my knowledge (and I might be wrong) this was the most egregious example of speculation run amok up to that point in comic history. (I do recall reading a few years back that a similar phenomenon happened with some of the Kirby Fourth World stuff for DC, but I have no first-hand experience to reference.) Finally, just for your edification, one of my fave strips from that era was the Archie Goodwin/Walt Simonson Manhunter reboot, which appeared in seven consecutive issues of Detective Comics issues 437 (cover-dated November 1973) through 443 (cover-dated November 1974). As super-hero strips go, it was first-rate -- gritty, off-beat, with imaginative artwork, page design and even lettering. I'm truly surprised that those issues are not particularly valuable today. Check 'em out, if you aren't familiar with the material.

Amazing post and love all your picks. And I'm honored to own them all in my PC. Well done and keep up all good work.

Bernie Wrightson's Swamp Thing is one of the most beautiful comics ever made, IMO. Iconic 70s art.

Thanks buddy 👍😁, geeky unity. I'll be sure to put a link to your youtube etc in my comic. I Haven't read any 70's comics yet (that I can remember) but I recently started looking through my dad's comic collection in the loft and oh boy there is a lot, easily over a thousand from various periods (mostly 90's since he probably bought peoples collections when they realised they weren't gonna be worth lots). I've seen some old ones in there, but they tend to be obscure stuff that I've never heard of. when I've got the time I'm gonna have to have a proper search through them and figure out exactly what everything is and get to reading them.

I bought the Jim Starlin Warlock comics, and the Gene Colan Dr. Strange comics. Also, the Jack Kirby New Gods, and the Neal Adams Kree/Skrull War.

Thanks for the stroll down memory lane.. I read or possess 13 of the 20 comics listed in your broadcast.. my favorite were the drug issues of Green Lantern /Green Arrow written by Denny O Neil and drawn by Neal Adams.. I'm proud to state I am possession of the issues purchase as a teen.

Fantastic. I grew up on the Marvel of the late 70's and into the 80's. great Journey into mystery going back to that period. Thanks man.

I really enjoy your videos! I can’t help but ask if pop culture is your benchmark, how does a top 70’s comic list go without mentioning the First Star Wars comic !! I know it’s subjective but Star Wars has arguably produced more nerds like myself than any of those others.

I bought ASM 129 when it first came out. One of my favorite covers. Wish I had kept it!

Hey Dante. Great upload. However you should cover some Charlton comics if possible. I love E Man , Captain Atom, Yang and think of all those classic horror titles Midnight Tales, Ghost Manor etc. Hope you enjoyed visiting Europe. Speak soon. Louie

In regards to Ras Al Ghul, I know people like to say Raysh Al Ghul because Batman the animated series but I had a chance to talk to Neal Adams himself and since he is one of the creators of the character I asked him which name was what they went by when they wrote Batman 232 and it was Ras Al Ghul as in (Rawz)

Decent list. My list would include Star Wars 1, Amazing Spiderman 123, Hero for Hire 1, New Gods 1 and Eternals 1....last 2 because of Kirby.

Just bought a house and it had a box in the attic with 300 1970s comic books. Green lantern and space odyssey 2001 and planet of the apes red sonja x men so on.. not sure what to do with them. Seem to be in good condition but that's yet to be determined lol.

Frank Miller’s first seminal first issue as artist on Daredevil 158? Came out May 1979.

HOLY SHINOLA !!! I OWN 17 OUT OF 20 AND 2 OF THE 3 HONORABLE MENTIONED!!!!

Conan,Turoc Son of Stone, MARS Patrol, Mighty Sampson, Dial H For Hero,some I remember.

3 Marvel UK titles: The Mighty World of Marvel 1972 (currently on volume 7), Captain Britain Weekly #1 1976 (first appearance of Captain Britain the twin brother of the X-Man Psylocke) and Doctor Who Weekly 1979.

Great video..I was surprised you left out a lot!! How about the comic that sold over a millions copies in the 70s...STAR WARS?!?! And how about Spider-Man Vs. Superman? Frank Miller's Daredevil? Iron Man's Demon in a Bottle? All are vastly superior over "Man-Bat" and "All-Star Western" for Honorable Mentions!! LMFAO

No avengers, avengers vs. squadron supreme, or Michael story?

First appearance of Wolverine is The Incredible Hulk #180. Nobody get this right. However I love your videos!!! All good.

I wasn't born in the 1970's but I got several cool issues from this era, but my favorite is never on these bronze age lists for some reason. Always been big on iron man, of course #55 makes it but not all of us can afford that masterpiece but to me #128 is maybe the best comic of the 70's. Demon in a bottle is my fav comic I got, and I got a steal on it too lol

I'm a huge Werewolf By Night fan and I'll try to explain the popularity of that issue. 1) First Moon Knight, obviously. The reason this was so hot was Moon Knight was basically designed as Marvel's answer to the Neal Adams' Batman. He was a dark, violent character with a similar look but in white. While WWBN #32 and #33 are just issues of Werewolf for the most part, they did show this character for the first time and got him enough press to warrant his own backup series in Rampaging Hulk (later just The Hulk) magazine. This series was way more violent and dark than was going around in those days. And it led to his own series in the early 80's, which was loved for it's dark, gritty stories and off-kilter artwork. Moon Knight's popularity soared! Which made this book extremely valuable and sought after. 2) Nowadays, I feel like the book is still valuable mainly....Due to tradition. Back in the 80's and 90's, it was just one of those bronze age books to have. And though Moon Knight's cultural significance comes and goes, the book has maintained a desired status among collectors. It's that issue of Werewolf By Night that frustrates us WWBN collectors because we may not give a crap about Moon Knight, but his early appearances in this series make the end of the series hard to collect.3) Finally, Moon Knight as a character has huge rises and falls in popularity. Moon Knight was a huge character in the 80's. In large part due to the fact that Marvel wasn't putting out a ton of new characters at that point, so it gave new collectors new books and characters they could get whole collections of. This waned when Marvel took several books, including Moon Knight, the Micronauts, and Ka-Zar and made them part of the direct sales only titles to try to get a foothold in that market. But, in reality, it just killed those books since drug stores, newsstands, and grocery stores were the more popular venue for comic purchases in that day. Moon Knight soared to popularity when artist Stephen Platt started doing art and covers for the book right before his 90's series was cancelled. But, when that didn't immediately resuscitate his career, he went to seed again. It seems the story of the Knight of the Moon with Multiple Personalities is reaching a popular point again, so expect prices of this issue to stay high for some time to come. Until then, we'll just have to either shell out some hard cash, or enjoy the trade paperback reprints of Werewolf By Night, which are great reads for horror fans, especially fans of H.P. Lovecraft. Keep up the good work. I'm digging your videos!

Great report as usual Dante. FYI, Jared Leto has already been cast as Morbius in an upcoming Sony movie. I agree with you about Moon Knight's first appearance. While he is a cool character, he's nowhere near the level of Wolverine and the like. I think WBN #32 is (over)priced high just because it is still a first appearance of a semi major character, and had a pretty low print run.

The x men wouldn’t have been the X-men without 108, the first John Byrne issue.

Awesome video! The 70s equals great era for character introductions( Saber tooth, Wolverine,Grey Beast, Moon-Knight,Thanos,Darkseid) great horror characters( Ghost Rider, Morbius, Man Bat, Swamp Thing,Raz Al Ghul, Blade), and so much awesome Neal Adams & Jack Kirby art!.... And yes, I love the infinity war movie too! Its a feel good film in all the best ways!

You forgot the most significant, Star Wars #1. Your list is a lot of spec and retconning of what was important back then. You also forgot Peter Parker 27 and Daredevil 158.

I got 2 out of 20 both are complet and in very good shape for 20 cents each I paid when I was 12 years old,right of the shelf,the good old days

You are not old e3nough to remember the seventies. Wolverine was not popular from the get-go. He was actually going to be killed off in the X-Men, but by then Byrne had shown up and championed the character, but the takeover with Wolverine can actually be observed, with Nightcrawler and Colossus getting some focus (Nightcrawler even appearing in Spiderman, tho once again, he was pushed to the back the next issue for . . . . .Punisher). But again, it took awhile, but there are issues and pages that are fascinating to read now, very early on, because Wolverine isn't dominating them.

Swamp Thing also had 2 movies and a TV series.

I don't know if you guys remember when Superman got sick and gold from the metalmen shrank down to save him. And if I'm not wrong wasn't there a a old Batman comic where he had a wooden leg and flash made him appear in several places at once. It was in the 15 cent run of comics. As a child I used to spend my time at the barber shop the guy had a bunch of comics to keep you busy as a kid waiting for a haircut.

When did UPC symbols start appearing on comics?

astonishing tales 25 1st Deathlok also war of the worlds/kilraven was a great run too.

I used to have one of those Farrah Fawcett posters- “O-o-o-o, “Nipply”! :€)

Bro...Organize your cables! lol :)

Its not from the 70's but the first app of ghost rider is in Tim Holt #11.

Giant size x men 1. Ghost rider marvel spotlight 5. And x men 94!!! For the win

You should have added Marvel Tales Starring Spider Man.

for the werewolf by night it's worth so much when it contains the the jewelers ad

Iron Man #55, was also the first Starfox. There’s never any love for Starfox 😂Really enjoyed

Log yesterday i got 32 comics of the 70ths but the Dutch version and 1 French for my marvel dc collection I paid 50 euros for it

Beast was not always blue after that. He was back to flesh in mid late 80s and other times

Amazing Spider-Man #96 for it's huge cultural relevance and impact on the industry as a whole?

I want that Beast comic

HOO BOY! You could have made this a top 200 list and I would have been okay with it . A couple of quick asides ..Hank DID become human again for awhile around the time of the beginning of the X-Factor title in the mid 80's . And the appearance of Morbius in ASM#101 was just before the code loosened up the restrictions on depicting "human" monsters and opened the floodgates for Tomb of Dracula , Werewolf By Night etc ..Morbius was kind of like Marvel kicking the tires of the idea of the monster in comics .The rest as they say is history . Kind of disappointed that Nova # 1 didn't make the list .Just kidding , you WOULD need to expand the list to 200 for that . The 70's really were a great decade for comics (I came into the hobby in 1975 and haven't looked back)and I hope you do a few more (at least) follow up lists to this one . As I've said , I'm a huge fan of videos like this and 70 s comics are right in my wheelhouse . And I should save this next line for if you do a list for the 60 's , but this video beats comics drama all hollow .

I am glad you mentioned at least one comic from Jack Kirby's Fourth World series, but the best comics were the New Gods, especially "The Pact." That is probably one of the best comics of all time in one of the best comic book series of all time. It revealed so much of the evil character of Darkseid and the beginning of all the comics in the Fourth World series, including Mister Miracle and the New Gods featuring Orion and High Father. It tied the whole series together.

Great list and I'm blessed to have all the books you mentioned in my collection. Minus the older detective comic. Good job and keep up the amazing posts.

Captain Stacy the father of Gwen was killed in another story where he battled Doctor Octopus, they changed it to the Lizard in Amazing Spider-man movie.

green lantern and green arrow was pretty great dealt with alot of issues got two view points without being overly preachy but still getting a strong message across....giant size xmen was the first appearance of wolverine without his mask I don't think he was shown without it in the hulk issues of 1974 im glad they changed his look in between his appearances in the hulk and xmen cause it needed a little work.

Wolverine started with team Alpha Flight, then went on to X-Men.

Rather than Jimmy Olsen or the one-off Iron Man book, a better choice may have been Daredevil #158 or Peter Parker, the SSM #27 (both from 1979). Both have Miller's first work at Marvel -- and on Daredevil, arguably his most iconic character. Almost blasphemous not to include one or both, given the shadow that Miller cast on everything else going forward after that.

When I saw the title of this video I thought it was going to be about the top 20 comic books by series not just a top 20 collectable single issues. For me the stories and art as a whole is more interesting than the value of a collectable, especially if the opinions come from someone who wasn't necessarily there at the time

Darkseid didn’t appear in Justice League. He was just mentioned in the film and his symbol was in Batman’s vision

Werewolf by night is marvels version of batman by he has more depth than batman. I recommend buying the book even in low grade continues to go up without movie or TV announcement.

Warren Ellis made me a fan of Moon Knight.

Sorry but first appearance of wolverine is hulk 180 :)

Oh hell no, you skipped over rick vietch swamp thing!!!

No love for Shang CHI!? Marvel Special Edition #15!! 1973 > Marvel Premiere #15 IronFist 1974

Blade is way more culturally significant than Morbius

The Beast reavealed his mutation has continued ( never truly ended) and from slightly hairy man, to grey man, he eventually became his iconic Blue....and later.....catlike....Damn artist!

I could too - it smelt like Bacon! :€)

Missing New Gods #1 and Batman 232 (1st Ra's Al Ghul), but otherwise a solid list. You got Giant Size X-Men #1, which is a correct pick :-)

Robert e Howard wrote the Conan kull red Sonya and Solomon Kane novels

Lol not based on book value? Yet if you had all those books in near mint well over $20000. If based on best comics of the 70s Lois Lane " I'm curious Black" issue.The Jim Sterling's Warlock run.

Green lantern 85 is much more important than the first appear of Wolverine.... C'mom

Marvel ruined Morbius by making him an antihero

Ras, with the long A sound.

I like the new intro cool video

Why did you not even bother to say what year these books were published to give them their proper context?

Luke Cage Hero for Hire #1 didn't even get an honorable mention?

Hmm.... Death of Gwen Stacey vs Phonenix saga.....tough!

8 harmed spider man first appeared in spider man # 100, not 101

This just gets worse. “Ron E Howard” or something was the Conan creator??? DO SOME RESEARCH. Give proper credits to creators.

Kull the Conqueror actually pre dates Conan, Kull appeared 3 years before in 1929.

Giant size Xmen roster: Warpath Storm Colossus NightCrawler Wolverine ( as a team member not the loner)

Good ist.

So I guess black cat ain’t shit then. Whatever bro

So let me get this straight. This list is the top 20 most significant books of the 70's yet somehow you missed the mother of all significant books. Where the hell is Howard The Duck #1? Jeez what a pisser. heh.....

I know this is over a year late but i feel you on moon knights book being so pricey. They have literally done nothing with him and the book continues to spike in price. Ive also always felt the same about the first appearance of the punisher. One of the lamest characters ever book wise yet that book is always pricey. Yet the first appearance of apocalypse, who was huge in the 90's cartoon and even a main villain in a movie, is only ever going for like 30 bucks. Sometimes comics are dumb to me lol

Before Gwen Stacy was killed, it's not just death in comics wasn't permanent. It didn't happen at all. She was the first non-villain, major character either of the major publishers had the guts to kill. It started the whole trend of killing characters!

Moonknight is a spec book

The 70s suck . FFS Elvis died in 1977 the real year the music died.Love comics from the 70s 👍

You don't even get most of the facts right. Before you run your mouth do some resource on your material.

I bought Incredible Hulk #181 from a drugstore spinner rack. I was seven years old. Alas, it was thrown out many years ago.