X-Men #137, 9/80, Marvel (The story that started comicdom's "Death Craze")

Daredevil #168, 1/81, Marvel (1st Elektra)

Gobbledygook #1, pre 6/84; Mirage, (1st app. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

Crisis on Infinite Earths #1-12, 85/86, DC (1st appearance of revamped Modern Age DC universe) (#7, Death of Supergirl) (#8, Death of the Barry Allen Flash)

Batman: The Dark Knight #1, 3/86, DC (Beginning of Frank Miller's landmark revision of Batman)

Maus, 1986, Pantheon Books (1st comic book to win the Pulitzer Prize) (Depicts the horrors of the Holocaust through the eyes of artist Art Spiegelman's father)

The Man of Steel #1, 6/86, DC (Beginning of John Byrne's update of the Superman mythos)

Watchmen #1, 10/87, DC (Beginning of Alan Moore's revisionist look at superheroes)

Batman: The Killing Joke, 1988, DC (Batgirl Barbara Gordon is crippled by the Joker)

Amazing Spider-Man #300, 5/88, Marvel (1st Venom) (full app & story)

Sandman #1, 1/89, DC (1st app. new Sandman)

X-Men #1, 10/91, Marvel (1st comic to reach a print run of 8 million copies)

Youngblood #1, 4/92, Image (1st Image comic)

Spawn #1, 5/92, Image (1st app. Spawn)

Superman (2nd Series) #75, 1/93, DC (Death of Superman) (Huge Media Coverage)

Deathmate Black, 9/93, Valiant/Image (1st Gen13 story)

Starman #0, 10/94, DC (1st app. of Modern Age Starman)

Strangers in Paradise #1, 11/94, Antarctic (1st issue of Terry Moore's series)

DC Vs. Marvel #1, 1996, DC (1st issue of landmark company crossover)

Kingdom Come #1-4, 1996, DC (Fully painted Elseworlds series about the future DC universe)

Superman: The Wedding Album, 12/96, DC (Marriage of Clark Kent and Lois Lane)

Heroes, 12/01, Marvel (Pinup tributes to the rescue workers of the Sept. 11 tragedy; art and text by various. The first of many tribute books from the comic industry.)