Celebrating 100 Episodes!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 100, where we take a nostalgic look at comic books I currently own, and in some sad cases, ones that I let get away.

For each of the comic books I include in this blog, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

Have you considered being a guest host for Cool Comics? You can do a theme or just pick any of your comics for inclusion (this blog is for all ages, so please keep that in mind), with a maximum of seven issues. Repeat guest hosts are permitted and encouraged. Send your completed blog to edgosney62@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a reply.” I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 100…

Cool Comics News!

Welcome to Episode 100! I’m celebrating this special landmark in the history of Cool Comics by focusing on new Marvel titles and older DC comics. Lately I’ve featured many newer DC issues via the Walmart 3-Packs, but I’ve barely cracked open any Marvel comics since 2003. Now, as constant readers know, I’m starting to get some regular monthly comics once more, and the 10-issue Generations series is a good place to start to re-introduce me back into the fold.

Also, I visited NEO Comic Con this past weekend and had a blast! Look for a special edition of Cool Comics coming next week that will give you the scoop on the con, including a few pictures, along with some of the items I picked up there.Welcome to Episode 100! I’m celebrating this special landmark in the history of Cool Comics by focusing on new Marvel titles and older DC comics. Lately I’ve featured many newer DC issues via the Walmart 3-Packs, but I’ve barely cracked open any Marvel comics since 2003. Now, as constant readers know, I’m starting to get some regular monthly comics once more, and the 10-issue Generations series is a good place to start to re-introduce me back into the fold.

Cool Comics

Cool comics in my collection #477: Generations: Banner Hulk & The Totally Awesome Hulk #1, October 2017.

For someone who’s starting to read new comics again, this series has turned out to be a good jumping on point, especially with Marvel Legacy on the horizon (don’t worry, frantic friends, Cool Comics will definitely be chiming in on this momentous relaunch!). I’ve been reading Hulk comics on and off again since the early Seventies, and this issue was definitely fun, giving me an opportunity to learn about the Amadeus Cho Hulk, but having enough Bruce Banner Hulk to satisfy my thirst for nostalgia. Speaking of which, I used to own The Incredible Hulk #182, from December 1974. I bought a previously owned copy at Paradox, a used bookstore in Wheeling, West Virginia, for one little dime, way back in the Seventies. This fantastic comic contains the third appearance of Wolverine, but more importantly, it features the story of Hulk and his friendship with a poor man named Crackerjack Jackson. It easily brought out empathy even among my neighborhood buddies, and this issue got passed around  to my friends several times. Man, I still wish I had it. Today, my comic boxes don’t contain many issues with the jade-skinned giant, but I have a feeling they’ll be “Hulking out” once the Legacy series kicks in. The cover price of Generations: Banner Hulk & The Totally Awesome Hulk #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

Cool comics in my collection #478: Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey #1, October 2017.

How fortuitous that last week for my Recently Read Digital Comics I decided to finally explore the X-Men classic The Dark Phoenix Saga, because this Generations series included a Phoenix & Jean Grey adventure. It would have been fine to read this without the background story, but sometimes we want more than “fine,” right? With The Dark Phoenix Saga fresh on my mind, this comic came alive in a way that wouldn’t have been possible, otherwise. I became a big fan of the X titles in the Nineties, during Phase 3 of my comic collecting, and while I loved them, there were about a gazillion ongoing series, and to get the full scoop it felt like I needed to buy every title and mini-series that Marvel published. Yes, I played right into their hands! But they are in the business of making sales, so I understand what they were doing. This time around I have a different mindset about what I’ll be buying when it comes to new titles. But boy, was it fun when I knew everything that was going on in the X-World. When I had to cull my comic collection a few years back, many, many X-titles flew the coop (sort of like the Hulk comics, as mentioned above). Yet I’ll always have the memories. The cover price of Generations: Phoenix & Jean Grey #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

Cool comics in my collection #479: Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1, October 2017.

My son really wanted me to watch the movie Logan with him this summer, as I hadn’t seen it. And here we go again with the perfect timing! From the previews I’d seen of the motion picture, I knew there was some young girl who has claws—yet not quite the same—similar to Wolverine’s, and is a vicious fighter. But that’s all I knew. Well, her name is Laura, and though quite young in the movie, she’s older in this Generations issue. I’m not going to say anything more here about her, because there could be someone else left in the world who hasn’t seen the movie. And if you haven’t been reading Wolverine comics that have Laura in them, but you want to read this comic, I’d suggest watching the Logan movie first. It worked well for me! Wolverine fans, I used to be (those words hurt…used to be…) the proud owner of the original Wolverine mini-series that came out in 1982. It’s a must-have for those who love the character, but most unfortunately, I sold all four issues. Why? Don’t even ask. Because I don’t want to think about it. The cover price of Generations: Wolverine & All-New Wolverine #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

Cool comics in my collection #480: Marvel Comics Digest #1, July 2017.

If you’ve been reading Cool Comics for a while, you know that I love older comics. And you also know I hold a special place in my heart for digest-sized comic books. So how in the world could I resist the new Marvel Comics Digest? Produced by Archie Comics, because they have a knack for digests (or maybe they found a stash of Pym particles?), Marvel Comics Digest will put out six issues a year, with each featuring a team or individual hero. The idea is to build a larger audience with wider distribution alongside Archie digests that appear near supermarket checkouts (at least that’s what I read, and ever since then I haven’t seen any Archie Digest comics near checkout lines, let alone the Marvel Digest issues). It’s no surprise that they decided to start off with Spider-Man, considering his popularity and the new movie this summer. You get over 200 pages of 10 reprint stories, covering a wide spectrum of years from a variety of Spider-Man comics. Beware, though, that the print is small, and I think I need to invest in some reading glasses. The second issue is out now, which features the Avengers, and a Thor issue is due in October. You get a lot of bang for your buck with these, and it’s fun to catch up on some stories you may have missed. The cover price of Marvel Comics Digest #1 is $6.99, while the current value is $7.

Cool Comics Classics

Cool comics in my collection #481: Superboy #117, December 1964.

OK, DC fans, I’m finally here! You get the special treatment this week, because Superboy #117 is featured as the Cool Comics Classic! Anytime you go to your local comic book shop (remember, mine is Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, and if you live in the area, make sure to stop and visit and tell them Ed sent you…and if they say, “Ed who?” mention the blog, Cool Comics in My Collection!) and buy a comic that originally cost less than a quarter, you’re in for a treat, in my opinion. No, the stories aren’t as sophisticated, and there is a certain amount of goofiness, but you’ll be whisked back in time and get a taste of the kind of comics your parents, or perhaps grandparents, read in days gone by. This issue contains three Superboy stories and some fun ads from 1964 that you should make sure to check out. And what else is special about it? Oh yeah, the Legion of Super-Heroes! I know there are a lot of Legion fans out there, so you may want to see if you can round up a copy of this issue for your own collection. And again, do yourself a favor and read it slowly, enjoying the journey from front to back. The cover price of Superboy #117 is 12¢, while the current value is $165.

Recently Read Digital Comics

For this 100^th Episode, I decided to read some historically important comics on my tablet. Sorry if I disappoint you for not buying the originals, but they were all “slightly” out of my budget! First up I read this short version of Detective Comics #27, featuring the first appearance of Batman and James Gordon. It’s just a few pages long (the original print copy is much longer) and comiXology has it priced at Free, which works well for all of us. While the art wasn’t as sophisticated back then, the stories contained many more words than most comic books do today (if you have an opinion on this, drop in a comment below!). In print form, Detective Comics #27 was released on May 17, 1939, and would have cost you just a dime. Today, if you can find one to purchase, it could set you back around $1 million. If you were given a copy of this, would you keep it or sell it?

This has been a big summer for Wonder Woman, as the movie adaptation has brought in over $800 million worldwide, and is the second highest grossing film in the United States (over $404 million). This is great news for DC fans, as the Amazon princess beat out Guardians 2, Spider-Man, and Logan. I saw it with some of my family on a rainy day while vacationing at the Outer Banks, and all of us enjoyed it. This issue, Sensation Comics #1, contains the second appearance of Wonder Woman. The comiXology version I read is offered Free, and contains just 16 pages from the original. And the original? It was released on December 31, 1941, and the price was 10¢. The current value is around $80,000 for this issue, depending on condition. My mother-in-law had some Wonder Woman comics back then, but I don’t know if she had any under the Sensation Comics title. Sensation Comics #1 may have been part of her collection, for all I know. This little digital title sure was fun to read after seeing the movie.

Everyone who knows anything about comic books recognizes the importance of Superman, and I’m proud to be living near his birthplace. Superman #1 became available to the public on May 18, 1939, and contained mostly reprints from the first four issues of Action Comics. But still, it contains a short origin story and the first appearances of Superman’s foster parents, who are referred to as John and Mary Kent. Also, this comic names the planet Krypton for the first time. The comiXology copy I got for Free contains the entire issue, and it was fun reading through these old stories that my own father read when he was young. Perhaps the most shocking thing I saw in this comic is a scene in which Superman casually tosses a soldier from a South American army into the air. No doubt he traveled a good distance, and while they didn’t show the landing, you can guess what the result would have been! Thinking about buying an original version of this one? You may end up paying over $1 million. And that’s just another reason I love comiXology!

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