Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 129, 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 129…
Cool Comics News!
Have you seen Black Panther at the theater yet? If not, you may be one of the few left who hasn’t, as it’s now eclipsed $1 billion worldwide. This is a fun time to be a superhero fan, as there have been lots of movies and TV shows to watch over the last few years. I enjoyed Black Panther, and I’m now excited for Avengers: Infinity War.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
This week our Cool Comics Battle pits the Legion of Super-Heroes vs. the New Teen Titans. What do you think would happen if they faced each other in a titanic tussle, and how do they pull off the victory? Let us know in the comments section below.
Cool Comics in My Collection
#612 — Infinity Countdown #1, Marvel Comics, May 2018.
Marvel doesn’t want you to forget about their next big movie (Avengers: Infinity War is coming out in April), so in the world of comic books, we’re getting an infinite amount of infinity. There are infinitely too many of them for me to buy them all (this is getting stale, isn’t it?), but I am getting this Infinity Countdown series, because even at my age, I enjoy getting excited for the movie (not to mention what’s happening in the comic book version of the Marvel Universe). The Infinity stones are spread throughout the galaxy, and different forces are fighting for possession. And just who is that on the cover, with the claws extended? You’re right, it’s little ole Wolverine, possessor of the Space stone. This series has a fun cast of heroes and villains, and you knew the moment you saw the cover you wanted to have it, didn’t you? Get to your local comic shop before they run out! The cover price of Infinity Countdown #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.
#613 — Oblivion Song #1, Image Comics, March 2018.
In Episode 126, in the Cool Comics News section, I mentioned how my local comic shop granted me a preview of this new series. Now, just a few weeks later, I think I enjoyed rereading issue #1 more than the first time through it. A second reading gave me a better understanding of what was going on, and I could appreciate the struggles and conflict happening within the pages. Interestingly, this is written by Robert Kirkman, writer of The Walking Dead. Up to this point, I’d never read one of his comics, but I remembered having downloaded a free copy of the first issue of The Walking Dead on my tablet via comiXology and gave it a read (see Recently Read Digital Comics below). There is a definite similarity in style and method of storytelling, and reading that digital comic gave me a better appreciation of his newest effort here in Oblivion Song. I found this story intriguing, and I’m looking forward to future issues. The cover price of Oblivion Song #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#614 — Legion of Super-Heroes #111, DC Comics, January 1999.
The $20 longbox full of surprise comics I bought a little over a year ago contains a wide variety of titles, companies, and publishing dates. This issue of Legion of Super-Heroes transported me back 19 years ago, a time in which I was regularly buying monthly comics, but not this super team. Yet so much was immediately familiar to me when took it from the box. The cover, the vibrant colors, and the feel of the paper. My memories of collecting in those days are sweet, but 1999 also marked the year that my wife was diagnosed with stage 3 cancer. She’s doing great today, and while that period of our lives brought about an uncertain future, it made us stronger going forward. Speaking of stronger, is there any way in the world that Karate-Kid could best Mon-El in a fight? Read this issue to find out for yourself! The cover price of Legion of Super-Heroes #111 is $2.50, while the current value is $2.50.
Cool Comics Classics
#615 — The New Teen Titans #4, DC Comics, February 1981.
The poor New Teen Titans. First, I put them in battle against the Legion of Super-Heroes, and now in this issue they come face-to-face with the Justice League of America! This Cool Comics Classic issue came out during a time that I wasn’t paying any attention to comic books. I was a senior in high school, and way too cool (or at least thought I was) for silly childhood reading. Yet once I was in college, one of my roommates (there were 4 of us to a room my freshman year at Ohio State) straightened me out and showed me the error of my ways, and I became a regular reader of The New Teen Titans, starting with issue #19. Yet after ten delicious issues, I started dating a girl, and my comics took a back seat. I even sold some to get date money…YIKES! No worries, though, Teen Titan fans, as I didn’t sell any of those comics. Today, my son is in possession of them. But for now, I once more have a New Teen Titans comic in my collection (found in a quarter box at my LCS!), and I’m channeling those feelings from 1982. The cover price of The New Teen Titans #4 is 50¢, while the current value is $14.
Recently Read Digital Comics
As I mentioned above in Cool Comics #613, I read Oblivion Song without having read Robert Kirkman’s most famous work, The Walking Dead. I’ve espoused the advantages of digital comics in general—and comiXology in particular—here in Cool Comics in My Collection for over a year now, and I don’t see my opinions changing anytime soon. Why so gung-ho over it? Because you can read classic (or highly overpriced) back issues for a fraction of the cost. Listen, like most everyone else who enjoys the medium, I wish I could go back in time to 2003 and purchase an original number one issue of The Walking Dead. It came out just a couple months after I’d ended my longest phase of comic book collecting (1993-2003), so I missed it, but to be honest, would I have bought it in the first place? Probably not, as it’s extremely rare that I buy or read black and white comics, not to mention it doesn’t contain guys in capes or shooting webs. I’m not completely stuck on superhero comics, but they are what enticed me into reading them in the first place, and are still the majority of what I purchase. I’ve never watched a single episode of The Walking Dead TV show (am I the only one left?), and my initial impression upon reading the first issue is that I get why the story grabbed so many people. Not to mention that it took me by surprise when I saw the kid whack the sheriff with a shovel, because in my own novel, Transmutations, I have a young teenager named Shawn who fights off the monsters with a shovel. Kirkman did it before I did, and though my shovel-wielding kid is just coincidence, I’m following in good footsteps.
Back in Episode 105, I praised Batman: The Long Halloween, written by Jeph Loeb and drawn by Tim Sale. I found myself having trouble setting the story aside for long, and once I was finished, I wanted more. And even though it took me a while to finally read it, Batman: Dark Victory is the follow-up series. Containing 14 issues (#0-13), Batman: Dark Victory finally adds Dick Grayson to the mix, and if you enjoy the Batman mythos, you’ll certainly appreciate the art and storytelling in these issues. And again, I was able to purchase the entire series in one inexpensive collection via Amazon, reading it on my comiXology app. If you haven’t read The Long Halloween or Dark Victory, I strongly recommend them, because even if you aren’t a regular Batman reader, I think you’ll appreciate these stories.
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The Legion would wipe the floor with them… No contest!
Rob, you’re probably right, but depending upon the situation, the Teen Titans could give them a run for their money!