Fantastic Four is Back, and What Happens When Warlord Fights Kull?

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 151, 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 151…

Cool Comics News!

Several times throughout my life I’ve made comic books an important part of who I am, only to end up turning my back on them. It was never that I didn’t like them, but other things sometimes got in the way, like school, work, storage space, etc. But since I’ve started blogging about my Cool Comics, I feel like I’ve scooped out a small place where I belong. Then I had the opportunity to create a comic book nostalgia panel, and the experience was so much fun I’ve repeated it at several venues. Also, I’ve had a few short stories published in Superhero and Supervillain anthologies, and while not the same as writing a comic book, they were a blast. I’ve also been attending cons the last couple years and have met some incredible people who are part of comic book lore and legend. It’s a neat community. And now I even have my own official logo for the blog, which is extra cool! Yet, as life seems to rush by faster and faster, and the realization comes that I’m just one of thousands in a sea of fans who write a comic book blog, I must enjoy my brushes with the four-color world where I can take them. In January of 2017, I was blessed to have a short story published in an anthology named The Jurassic Chronicles (part of a series of Future Chronicles books). There are a few big names in it, and one of them, Seanan McGuire (a multiple award-winning author), is now writing comics for Marvel. Which I think is very cool. Now, if only Seanan would guest host an episode of Cool Comics!

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Warlord versus Kull the Conqueror! 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

#719 — Fantastic Four #1, Marvel Comics, October 2018.

While the Fantastic Four comic book (billed as “The World’s Greatest Comic Magazine!” yet again!) has been missing for several years, the situation is different for me, since I went from mid-2003 to mid-2017 before buying new stuff again. And though I’d heard the title was no longer around when I wasn’t actively collecting, it didn’t mean that much to me at the time. But as I’ve been reading Marvel 2-In-One, featuring the Thing and the Human Torch, I started getting excited about the possibility of Marvel bringing all four back together again. But Reed, Sue, and the kids were dead. Benjamin Grimm said it, so it must be true. Then this issue came out, and I started hoping almost as much as Johnny Storm has been hoping. Wait, what’s that? The Fantastic Four signal in the sky! Could it be? Johnny flames on and races to a rooftop! Does he find Reed and Sue? Nope. Only a couple punks from the Yancy Street Gang. And once more, our hopes are dashed. Reality starts setting in that they really are dead, but then…well, you’ll see when you read it for yourself, if you haven’t yet. It may not be quite what fans were wishing for, but issue #2 could be, right? The cover price of Fantastic Four #1 is $5.99, while the current value is $6.

#720 — Teen Titans Giant #1, DC Comics, July 2018.

Although Teen Titans Giant #1 released way back on Sunday, July 1, it appeared, at least at first, to be the difficult to find issue out of the four exclusive DC Giants that are being offered at Walmart. I tried three different Walmart stores, all within driving distance during the first couple weeks, then looked just occasionally when it seemed that I would never find it, and I read that people were selling this issue on eBay for a lot more than cover price, and it was listed on Comic Book Realm for $18. Word spread that there weren’t as many published as the other three titles. I figured I’d never get my hands on one. But last week I happened to find a couple at one of the stores, and now the Walmart that is closest to my home has about five copies of this issue. Leading me to think it’s not all that rare. I believe that my local Walmart has not been putting their DC Giants out when they are supposed to, based on what I’ve read about the distribution, but what can you do? At any rate, I was glad to finally get this issue. The only reprint in any of the four Giants that I’ve previously read is the Super Sons run in this one, but the story is so good that I’ll continue to reread it, as long as I decide to keep getting these giant issues. The cover price of Teen Titans Giant #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $8.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#721 — Warlord #106, DC Comics, June 1986.

From 1993 to 2003, I’d often buy back issues of certain of comic books when I could find them at great prices (usually 50 cents for less). Warlord was a comic I’d never read, but had some interest in. When I was younger and collecting in the Seventies, barbarian-type comics like Conan didn’t interest me at all, and really not so much in the Eighties when I collected again for a short period. But as I got older, I started gaining more interest in Sword and Sorcery comic books, and eventually found myself with six issues of Warlord. Alas, my comic collection had grown too large, so I had to sell off several thousand issues. And Warlord, having never been read, didn’t make the cut. And yet he popped back into my life, via the legendary longbox I purchased at my local comic shop for just $20, which contained 419 comic books inside, just waiting to be discovered. Being that this is issue #106, it takes place at a time the series had been going on for a while, so there’s a lot of backstory that I don’t know about, yet I enjoyed this for what it was. I’m sure there are a number of Warlord fans out there who could sing the praises of this series, and I’m glad to have finally participated. The cover price of Warlord #106 is 75¢, while the current value is $4.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 15)

#722 — Relay #0, AfterShock Comics, May 2018.

Anyone who is delving into Relay from AfterShock Comics will want to get their hands on this Free Comic Book Day issue, which serves as a springboard to the series. Relay is a science fiction story that will remind you in several ways of the 1968 movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, and probably a few other films or books in the genre. I love it when companies other than the big 2 (or even big three, considering Image does well and puts out a lot of science fiction series) produce stories that keep you wanting to find out more, and that’s what Relay does. Though I’m not buying the series, I’ll keep my eye out for the release of the collected series (probably on digital, as that helps solve some of my storage problems, and they are less expensive). And by the way, this issue is currently free on comiXology if you didn’t pick it up on FCBD and want to take it for a test drive. The cover price of Relay is free, while the current value is $1.

Cool Comics Classics

#723 — Kull the Conqueror #7, Marvel Comics, December 1984.

What, two barbarians for the price of one? I recently dug this issue out of a quarter box at my local comic shop, considering that I now have a soft-spot in my heart for barbarians. Though created by Robert E. Howard, Kull doesn’t have the fan base that Conan (another Howard creation for those who may not know, but I realize most of you probably do) has, whether it be the box office, comic books, or even action figures. Wait a minute, you might be saying, movie? Yes, in 1997, Kull the Conqueror tried and failed to take the movie world by storm. It starred Kevin (Hercules) Sorbo and featured others such as Tia Carrare and Harvey Fierstein. It has a rating of 4.8 on IMDB, and I’ll admit I’ve never seen it, so who am I to judge? Marvel and Dark Horse have put out a few short series featuring Howard’s Conqueror, but Conan is whomping poor Kull when it comes to sheer numbers. I thought this comic was pretty cool, and I wouldn’t mind reading more of his adventures. The cover price of Kull the Conqueror #7 is 60¢, while the current value is $4.

Recently Read Digital Comics

Somewhere between 1989 and 1992 I discovered First Comics, not in a comic book store or at a newsstand, but in a Big Lots…or maybe it was an Odd Lots. First Comics started in 1983, but I hadn’t bought any new comics since 1982, so it was interesting to me to see these titles and characters I’d never heard of before. Sold as three packs in plastic bags for about a dollar (I can’t completely remember, but maybe you saw these also), I picked up a few packs of them that contained Nexus, Badger, Dreadstar, E-Man, Grimjack, Jon Sable, and Whisper comics. The problem was, I had no background information and none of the comics were number one issues. But it was a fun excursion during one of my comic dry spells. It turns out that Nexus existed before First Comics came to be, but what did I know? This digital freebie from comiXology, Nexus Greatest Hits, has commentary and highlights covering some of the First Comics issues and the Dark Horse run, as an introduction for bringing the character back via Rude Dude Productions. Any Nexus fans out there?

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