A Kung Fu Classic!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 122, 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 122…

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Cool Comics News!

Because I bombarded you with solo heroes in last week’s episode, this week I’m tossing in some teams. The first two titles are more comics that I picked up in bargain boxes at my local comic shop. Seriously, if you’re on a strict budget but love the hobby, you can get some good reading if you know where to look.

Cool Comics in My Collection

#581 — Q-Unit #1, Harris Comics, December 1993.

I remember seeing Q-Unit when it came out way back in 1993. It looked pretty cool to me, but I resisted the temptation of getting it then, as my monthly list continued to expand. Grabbing this copy out of a discount box (I can’t remember if I paid 25 or 50 cents) saved me about $2.50. Which is always a good thing. And believe it or not, it was still in the original bag it came in, along with a collector card. Some people would’ve left it sealed shut, but I bought Q-Unit so I could include it here in Cool Comics. And honestly, it hasn’t increased in value in nearly 25 years, so why not open and read it? Unfortunately, the story rated low on my Cool Meter. When you have a team book with multiple characters, alien beings, and a story that jumps right into the fray, it’s easy to both lose and confuse readers. Is that why only one issue ever came out? This reminded me of some of the early Image stuff. It was fun to get this for such a low price, but it’s more than likely headed for my garage sale box. The cover price of Q-Unit #1 is $2.95, while the current value is $3.

 #582 — Harbinger Renegade #8, Valiant Entertainment, October 2017.

When I see the name Valiant, I’ll always think of the Nineties, a period in which I started getting back into comics again. I was hungry to learn about other companies, and Valiant was one of them, so I began collecting titles when I’d find them in quarter boxes. I had a nice little stack of Valiant comics, but ended up selling them at my garage sale from about five years ago without ever having read them (except for Turok: Dinosaur Hunter, of which I bought and read the first ten issues…and I also read the Valiant-Image crossover Deathmate…remember that series?). Why am I telling you all this? Because when I went diving for cheap comic books a few weeks back, I saw this Harbinger Renegade issue, and decided to get my Nineties groove on again. And I liked it. I mean, I really liked it. Peter Stanchek is the kind of character I love to read about. Another I like is Faith Herbert. When I finished reading this and realized how much I enjoyed it, I looked it up to see how many issues were available. Eight. And this was issue #8. And the cover date was October 2017. I’ll be on the lookout for the previous seven. And to think that I had seven issues of Harbinger from the Nineties that I sold without ever having read. The cover price of Harbinger Renegade is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#583 — Harbinger #5, Valiant Entertainment, October 2012.

After having enjoyed the above Valiant comic book so much, I remembered that there were some Valiant comics in my cheap longbox. I have them arranged by company, so it wasn’t hard at all to find the few Valiant comics in there. And what a stroke of luck that one of the issues is a Harbinger comic from 2012. Yes, Peter Stanchek, one of my new favorite characters, is in this issue, along with Faith, who we see using her powers for the first time! Why did it take me so long to finally read a Valiant comic book? Were the Harbinger comics of the Nineties as good as these two I’ve recently read? One thing I know for sure is that the next time I’m searching through discount boxes, I’m buying all the Valiant comics that I find. The writing is good and easy to understand, and the art is attractive. In Q-Unit I couldn’t always tell what was going on, and it was a number one issue. With these Harbinger comics, even though they were issues #8 and 5, they both made sense. By the way, for those who keep score, the cover I got in my cheap box is a variant David Aja Character Design Cover. The cover price of Harbinger #5 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

Cool Comics Classics

#584 — Master of Kung Fu #19, Marvel Comics, August 1974.

Do you like that cover? I sure do! Throughout the Seventies, I never bought any Master of Kung Fu comics (nor Man-Thing), but finally wised up once I went away to college and purchased a few in 1982. When this issue came out in 1974, my limited comic book money was used to purchase things like Spider-Man and Captain America. I didn’t stretch the limits of my imagination much. But now I hunger for titles from the Seventies that I didn’t experience as a kid. The company makes no difference, although my heart holds a special place for Marvel Comics. Today, collectors have to pay many more times the original value to finally get their hands on these beauties. This one cost me $7, which doesn’t seem bad at all, considering it’s nearly 44 years old. And it’s in very nice condition (not an official grade, mind you, just a comment from me!), too! There are many people out there who can’t understand why people read and spend money on comic books, but if you’re reading this, then you probably get it. And all it takes is one look at this cover to know why. The cover price of Master of Kung Fu #19 is 25¢, while the current value is $35.

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