Gift Ideas for Comic Book Lovers!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 115, where we take a look at comic books I own (and in some cases ones that I let get away), both new and old, often with a nostalgic leaning for those feelings of yesteryear.

For each of the comic books I include in this blog (except for digital issues), 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 115…

Cool Comics News!

What? It’s December already? Time to start shopping for that comic book person in your life. Do you buy them a nice collected edition you think they’ve never read? Some individual issues you keep trying to convince them to read? Decisions, decisions. And when I think about it, sometimes the wisest present is buying them a gift card or gift certificate from their favorite Local Comic Shop. Any other ideas? Now it’s your turn to help all of us out by letting us know what you like to get for your comic book loving friends and family members in the comments section below!

Cool Comics

Cool comics in my collection #550: Batman Eternal #1, July 2017.

This week I opened another DC Walmart 3-Pack, this one with issue #1 of Batman Eternal as the top comic. While it’s considered as having a variant cover, there isn’t much difference. The issue number moved from left to right, along with the style it’s done in. Several Batman Eternal issues have shown up in these 3-packs, and I’ve enjoyed them, although the number ordering is odd, considering they just now put out the first issue. As I’ve said here before, I don’t know a lot of the current creative teams, but it seems that almost everything Scott Snyder writes is good. The art is by Jason Fabok. Batman covers are most likely a good seller when placing these in Walmart, since he’s one of the most recognizable characters in comics. The cover price of Batman Eternal #1 is $2.99, while the current value of this variant is $5.

 Cool comics in my collection #551: Justice League Dark #33, September 2014.

The insertion of Justice League Dark #33 into this 3-pack provides yet another curiosity of the decision-making process that went into the comics included in each pack. Previously, #36 came out, I think in the wave just before these more recent sets. Why go backwards? We’ll possibly never know. But I will say that Justice League Dark provides an opportunity to showcase some of the characters who aren’t as well known as Superman, Wonder Woman, etc. A series that incorporates Deadman, Constantine, Zatanna, and Swamp Thing (along with some others) is certainly not typical of the regular Justice League titles we’ve read over the years. And I like it. I’ve read a number of comics written by J. M. DeMatteis, but the artist, Andres Guinaldo is unfamiliar to me (which tends to happen when you’re away from the hobby for as long as I was). His style works well with the story being told and I was pleased with the visual aspects. The cover price of Justice League Dark #33 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

Cool comics in my collection #552: Sinestro #9, March 2015.

The comic at the bottom of the Walmart DC 3-Pack was Sinestro #9, which didn’t exactly leave me jumping for joy. I used to read Green Lantern on and off from 1993 to 2003, and I’ve never much liked Sinestro. I understand the concept of a hero turned villain, but still, I just never clicked with him. Anyway, I’d previously read the Sinestro: Futures End, which I got in a 3-Pack also, and that’s my total experience with Sinestro in his own series. He leads a Yellow Corps, but I can’t tell you much more than that. For not having any sort of background on the story, I’d say Cullen Bunn did a good job with the writing, because I still found it entertaining, and Brad Walker’s pencils looked good. Props to colorist Jason Wright, because it was a joy to read and view the bright colors, especially with his use of yellow throughout. There were two covers to this issue, and the one I have, pictured here, is a variant Ethan Van Sciver Flash 75th Anniversary Cover. The cover price of Sinestro #9 is $2.99, while the current value is $3.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

Cool comics in my collection #553: Eagle #2, December 1986.

I don’t have a lot of experience with black and white comic books. I’ve read a few of Jeff Smith’s Bone collections (before they added the color) and the first part of Art Spiegelman’s Maus, but I’ve always preferred my comics to give me the Sunday Funny feeling I got as a kid, with full colors and cool characters. So when I pulled this copy of Eagle out of my long box of cheap comics (I paid $20 for a box of 419 comics), I’ll admit I was a little disappointed to find out it was black and white. Produced by Crystal, a company I’d never heard of before, I learned that Eagle ran for 16 issues, then went over to Apple Comics, who published #17 through #23. Not a lot by numbers, but considering the fact that it lasted from 1986 to 1990 in a world dominated by DC and Marvel, this title didn’t have a bad run. The story proved to be a fun read, and I wouldn’t cry if more of these issues fell into my lap. The cover price of Eagle #2 is $1.50, while the current value is $2.50.

Cool Comics Classics

Cool comics in my collection #554: Marvel Team-Up #48, August 1976.

In my opinion, every comic published in the Seventies is a Cool Comics Classic, and Marvel Team-Up has to be near the top of the list of my fondest comic book memories. Admittedly, I didn’t buy this issue when it came out, but found it in a cheap back issue box in the Nineties. This issue has both Iron Man and Spider-Man on the cover and features the first appearance of Jean DeWolff, yet the secondary market value is rather low. What does that mean for you? An affordable price, if you like to collect bronze age first appearances (this is the first appearance of the villain Wraith, also). Okay, maybe it’s not the first appearance of Mary Jane or Gwen, but for the price and history, it’s not a bad comic to have in your collection. The cover price of Marvel Team-Up #48 is 25¢, while the current value is $8.

Recently Read Digital Comics

When you don’t continually read comic books (yes, that’s been my profile over the years), you’re inevitably going to miss out on some good storylines. And that’s one of the reasons I appreciate digital comics so much. They’re easy to find (no digging around in back issue bins with mounting frustrations of not being able to find certain issues, and sometimes not wanting to pay the asking price) and usually much cheaper to purchase. For example, with tax included, I paid a whopping $1.49 for this Planet Hulk Prelude. It contains issues 88-91 from The Incredible Hulk Vol. 3, and you’d be hard-pressed to find all four issues at a lower combined price. After seeing the movie Thor: Ragnarok, and hearing that there are many similarities to Planet Hulk, I decided it was time to see for myself. This prelude shows us why and how Hulk later finds himself on the planet Sakaar. If you’ve read it, do you agree with the decisions made by his friends back on Earth? Let us know in the comments section below.

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