Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 139, where we take a look at various 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 139…
Cool Comics News!
I did a survey on the Internet this week in a couple different places, one being Twitter and the other a large Facebook comic book group. What was it about, you ask? Weddings. Specifically, if you could attend one comic book wedding, which would it be? The contenders were: Catwoman and Batman; Shadowcat and Colossus; and lastly, my completely made up wedding of Sweet Aunt Petunia and Bibbo Bibbowski. Catwoman and Batman are winning in a landslide, although not many votes have been cast. Maybe I’m not that good at doing surveys, or maybe not many people really cared. Still, I had fun putting together the survey, so I’ll probably do one again in the near future.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Han Solo versus Flash Gordon! 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
#655 — The Long Con: Advance Review Copy #1-3, Oni Press, 2018.
I saw The Long Con #1 featured in Previews and thought it sounded like a cool comic. On the cover of the Advance Review Copy I have it gives an elevator pitch for this new series as “Galaxy Quest Meets Mad Max,” and I can’t disagree. This Advance Review Copy includes the first three issues from Oni Press and includes the covers (Yes, I included issue #1 here, along with the review copy cover). I haven’t been to 
many cons in my life (a situation I’ve been rectifying over the last couple years), but if you’ve been to just one, or caught scenes of cons on TV, you should be able to appreciate this comic. The Long Con sort of gives me the same vibe that the novel Night of the Living Trekkies did (written by Kevin David Anderson and Sam Stall, this novel is pure delight, and I give it a very cool recommendation) when I read it a few years ago. If you love fandom and comic cons, you should seriously consider giving this one a try. The cover price of The Long Con Advance Review Copy #1-3 is free, while the current value is something I haven’t yet been able to find out.
#656 — Quicksilver: No Surrender #1, Marvel Comics, July 2018.
When it comes to speedsters in comic books, I believe most readers would naturally think first of the Flash. Or at least one of the iterations of the character (Barry Allen, Wally West, or Jay Garrick…take your pick). DC seems to have a monopoly when it comes to speed, as there are many other heroes and villains who can run circles around us average Joes. Marvel Comics, on the other foot (yes, you see what I did there), doesn’t feature “fast” nearly as often, and doesn’t have fleet-footed characters with much name recognition beyond Quicksilver (although Yo-Yo and The Whizzer have both been featured on the small screen, via Marvels Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Jessica Jones). As a matter of fact, if you wanted to collect every Marvel Comic book in existence with Quicksilver in the title, it won’t take long, nor will it be hard on your wallet. With all this in mind, I had no intention of getting the new Quicksilver: No Surrender six issue series. Yet when I spotted it at my local comic shop last week, I decided to give it a try. And it turned out to be a good decision. Quicksilver: No Surrender contained the perfect amount of mystery, action, and comedy. So run…run fast…to your nearest comic shop and try this new cool comic! The cover price of Quicksilver: No Surrender #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#657 — Maverick #2, Marvel Comics, October 1997.
As I flipped through the hundreds of comics in my legendary longbox, great comic book memories flooded my mind as four-color covers from various decades called to me, saying, “Read me!” It’s always a difficult decision on which to pull out and read for Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap, but I decided to go Nineties again (the last episode featured a comic from October 1996, and this time I only jumped forward one year). Maverick is a character that’s certainly not a household name, and in his comic history, he’s had several different codenames. I remember seeing his character in the old X-Men cartoon from the same period, and that he, Wolverine, and Sabretooth went on some missions together. In this comic, he’s infected with the Legacy virus, which seems like such a long time ago. Many comic book critics tend to say not so many nice things about comics from the Nineties, but I enjoyed collecting and reading them at the time and remember being impressed with how rich and vibrant the colors often looked. Anyway, it’s more fun to have positive memories, isn’t it? The cover price of Maverick #2 is $1.99, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 3)
#658 — Star Wars Adventures, IDW Comics, May 2018.
It’s no secret that I’m not as crazy about Star Wars as most people seem to be (I like it okay…I saw all three of the original movies in theaters…at least I have that going for me), so it wasn’t any great thrill to discover that one of the Free Comic Book Day issues features Star Wars. But this little tale, written and drawn for all ages, is nice timing, considering the Han Solo movie (Solo: A Star Wars Story) that comes out this weekend. Seems like most people who are big fans of the franchise love the brash space pirate, but I’ve always preferred Luke (except when he gets all whiny…that I can do without). So, if you’re a fan and were fortunate enough to find a copy of this on FCBD, enjoy, because it was a decent little story (and the price is starting to go up!). I’ll admit that it has me thinking about going to the theater to see the new movie. The cover price of Star Wars Adventures is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Classics
#659 — Flash Gordon #1, DC Comics, June 1988.
My introduction to Flash Gordon came via the Sunday funnies. Eventually I started watching re-runs of the old black and white serials with my dad on weekend mornings. I cherish those memories to this day. Eventually I got some Flash Gordon novels to read, probably when I was in seventh or eighth grade. Yet by the time the Flash Gordon movie came out (1980)…the one with the Queen soundtrack…I was a senior in high school and didn’t give Flash a second thought, as I had no interest in the movie. Yet a few weeks ago, when I was flipping through some back-issue boxes at my local comic shop, I found this first issue from DC and decided to buy it since it was just 25 cents. Reading it transported me back to the days of watching Buster Crabbe as Flash on TV, enjoying it with my father, and for that memory alone it was certainly worthy of the quarter I dished out. The cover price of Flash Gordon #1 is $1.25, while the current value is $4.
Recently Read Digital Comics
Did you forget about my recently read digital comics? It’s been three weeks since I last said anything here, mostly because of other reading I’ve been doing, but also because I started a Daredevil Epic Collection and I’m having trouble staying with it. I love Daredevil, but these stories haven’t been my cup of tea, so far. Anyway, I decided to read these free issues of Project Superpowers #0 and Project Superpowers: Chapter 2 #0, to get a taste of what’s coming in July. Wait, 
you don’t know? Dynamite is launching yet another series with these golden age heroes, and I’m going to give the first issue a try, and you should too, because the price is ridiculously low. How low? Thanks for all the questions, as you’re making this so much easier for me. Ten cents. 10¢. $0.10. Crazy, right? How can you not afford to buy it? Honestly, after reading these two #0 series-launching issues, I’m excited to see more of these characters. Alex Ross did the art for the first issue, Project Superpowers #0, and the visuals are stunning. I’m betting it’s not too late to order the new 10 cent Project Superpowers #1 from your local comic shop, but if my word isn’t good enough for you to risk your pennies, then download these two digital comics from comiXology for free and give them a try.
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Views: 391
Being a lover of Longbox Junk, I agree with your take on 90’s comics. They aren’t all good. . .not by a long shot. There’s definitely a lot of comics from the 90’s that have earned their place in the bargain box, but there’s ALSO a lot of really bold art and brilliant coloring in some of those 90’s comics that deserves more credit than it gets. There were also some really epic stories being told at the time. When it comes to 90’s comics, you have to pan a river of crap, but there’s definitely gold nuggets in there.
As far as your battle of the week. . .the obvious and easy answer is Han Solo because he’s not afraid to shoot first. Of course, Flash Gordon would probably do a sweet rolling dodge and somehow manage to get Han to team up with him, so I call this one a TIE!
Atom, astute observations, and I appreciate the metaphor of panning for gold. And I think this applies to every era of comics; there are always some great reads, but there are also issues that you may feel are better left unread. But each of us is different, so one reader’s junk is another reader’s pan of gold.
I like your assessment of the battle of the week! Flash Gordon was an ever present part of my childhood, and I sometimes watch some of the old serials on YouTube.
Thanks for reading!