Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 135, 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 135…
Cool Comics News!
Each comic this week is a number 1. Everything has a beginning, and for the five cool comics below, these are the issues that got them started. A couple are new, a couple launched during DC’s Rebirth in 2016, and a classic Marvel anthology from the Eighties. Have you read any of them? Tell us your thoughts on any of these issues in the comments section below.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Superwoman versus New Super-Man! What do you think would happen if they faced each other in a titanic tussle, and how do you see the winner achieving victory? Let us know in the comments section below.
Cool Comics in My Collection
#635 — Apama The Undiscovered Animal #1, Hero Tomorrow Comics, April 2018.
Last summer I met one of the two writers of Apama, Ted Sikora, at NEO Comic Con, and after listening to him talk about the character, I decided to buy a copy of the first volume of 5 issues. The trade is very nicely put together, the stories were original and entertaining, and I was quickly hooked. The origin of Apama is fascinating (I’m not talking about the origin in the comic book…although it also is fascinating…I’m talking about the origin of the idea to do a comic book, and how the character existed first), springing from Ted and his writing partner’s (Milo Miller) Indie Flick Hero Tomorrow. And a plus for me is that the comic takes place in Cleveland, Ohio, and the surrounding area, and I used to work in downtown Cleveland, and still live in the Akron, Ohio, area. But beyond that, Apama is a comic that gives you that Seventies Marvel feeling, and it’s just plain entertaining. Hero Tomorrow Comics has now released issue one as a single, and while it’s rare that I read a comic book a second time, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this and experience the fun all over again. If you missed out on this last week, my recommendation is to find a copy before they’re gone. The cover price of Apama The Undiscovered Animal #1 is $3.99, while the current price is $4.
#636 — Tap Dance Killer #1, Hero Tomorrow Comics, April 2018.
The second volume of Apama The Undiscovered Animal contains our first look at Nikki St Clair, aka Tap Dance Killer, and it’s certainly different from most villain origin stories you’ll ever read. Obviously, her appearance was quite popular, and now Ted Sikora is writing a solo series featuring Nikki, with pencils by Nikolaus Harrison. This one starts out fast and wild, with Nikki escaping prison and going back to the gang of bad guys she once knew as theater friends. But after she and her friends are given a drink by someone who wasn’t who she claimed to be, they turn into criminals. There’s an interesting background as to how the idea for all this came to Ted Sikora, which you can read about in the comic. The production quality is really nice, the colors look good, and the art and writing are fantastic. I like what I’m seeing out of Hero Tomorrow Comics and hoping they continue well into the future. The cover price of Tap Dance Killer #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
#637 — Superwoman #1, DC Comics, October 2016.
When DC launched Rebirth, I wasn’t buying new comics. I had a bunch of back issues in my collection that I hadn’t read, and I was enjoying the opportunity to finally get to them. But one day, when I was in a Walmart, I saw some DC 3-Packs on sale for just $5, and I decided to buy all eight that they offered. The majority of them contained Rebirth comics with slightly varied covers, and that was my introduction to Rebirth. DC and Walmart combined on two more sets of eight variations of the 3-Packs after that, so I got to sample a variety of titles and characters (many of the other comics in the 3-Packs were New 52 issues, of which I hadn’t read any up to that point). I liked nearly all the Rebirth comics I read, but the issues were sporadic, and sometimes you’d end up reading issue #9, without having read or knowing what came in the previous 8 comics (although the covers all have #1 on them…an obvious marketing ploy). As longtime readers know, I enjoy the convenience of digital comics, and the value in buying collections, so I’ve been able to read the first six or twelve issues a variety of titles. But a few weeks ago, while flipping through a 50 cent box of comics at my local comic book shop, I found a couple number 1 rebirth issues I hadn’t read, and who doesn’t like a bargain? So, was Superwoman #1 something I’d get more issues of or buy a digital collection? Probably not, unless the price was really cheap. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as the other number 1 (New Super-Man) I was able to get that same day for 50 cents. The cover price of Superwoman #1 is $2.99, while the current value is $3.
#638 — New Super-Man #1, DC Comics, September 2016.
I took a liking to New Super-Man almost immediately. Even though Kenan, who becomes the New-Superman, starts off as a punk. The kind of punk so many of us have been terrorized by at one time or another. And yet he rises to the occasion. This comic takes place in China, which is far from the typical setting of super heroic adventures. You’re more likely to find comics that take place in outer space than in China. And maybe that’s why I enjoyed it so much. It was different and refreshing…yet the truth of the matter is, Gene Luen Yang, the writer, did a great job making me care about this kid. Would I read more issues of this one? You bet, and last Saturday I spent some time going through discount boxes at the comic book shop I regularly haunt, and found issues 2, 3, and 4 for just 50 cents each. Bingo! A few issues back, this comic was renamed New Super-Man & The Justice League of China. And while it’s not a part of my monthly comic book reading, I’ll be on the lookout for more bargain back issues of it. The cover price of New Super-Man #1 is $2.99, while the current value is $3.
Cool Comics Classics
#639 — Marvel Comics Presents #1, Marvel Comics, September 1988.
When I started regularly buying comic books in the early Nineties after an 11-year draught, I picked up a couple issues of Marvel Comics Presents in discount boxes, and a couple new issues. The problem was, this comic title is an anthology that contains multiple stories of a few pages each, with some stories lasting longer than others, but once one story is finished, another would take its place. Probably the best way to read it was to start from the beginning, but I had many other comic titles I was reading at the time and didn’t bother making room for this one. Yet when I saw this first issue in a quarter box, a wave of nostalgia washed over me, and I nabbed it. And I’m really glad I did. While these comics aren’t worth much today, they have some interesting tales and big-time creators working within the pages. The four stories in this issue are: Wolverine (writer – Chris Claremont; penciler – John Buscema); Man-Thing (writer – Doug Moench; penciler Tom Grindberg); Master of Kung Fu (writer – Steve Gerber; penciler – Tom Sutton); and Silver Surfer (writer and penciler – Al Milgrom). Good stuff. I certainly wouldn’t mind reading more. The cover price of Marvel Comics Presents #1 is $1.25, while the current value is $5.
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