No-Holds-Barred Cool Comics Battle of the Week: Hoppy vs. Bugs Bunny!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 168, 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 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 scale 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. For any questions or to submit your completed blog, write to edgosney62@gmail.com.

The Cool Comics In My Collection Facebook group is a place where you can discuss the comics you love, your favorite titles, and the characters that keep you coming back for more. Also, creators are welcome to share news about what you are working on, including Kickstarter campaigns. Be sure and join today!

If you have any comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a Reply.” And now, Episode 168…

Cool Comics News!

If you look through the magazine Previews each month, then you know just how many different comic book companies are out there competing for your hard-earned dollars. And while many of us grew up with Marvel, DC, Charlton, Gold Key, and Archie, we also realize there were dozens more from the Golden Age to the Silver Age and beyond. The Eighties saw a wave of heroes, villains, and other kinds of four-color adventures (and black and white adventures) invade comic shops, and while many have come and gone, some have lasted and have found a place in our hearts. So why am I saying all this? Because another new company is on my radar after having read through a limited-edition sampler and solicitations in Previews. Cave Pictures Publishing looks to have some interesting comics on the horizon, starting next month with Appalachian Apocalypse, a six-issue series written by Billy Tucci (you might remember him as the creator of Shi, along with some work for both Marvel and DC). Stay tuned to Cool Comics for more on Cave Pictures Publishing.

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Hoppy the bunny from SHAZAM! versus Bugs Bunny! 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

#807 — SHAZAM! #1, DC, February 2019.

With a SHAZAM! movie coming in 2019, you knew it wouldn’t be long before DC gave the Big Red Cheese a title again, right? So was it worth the wait? I say yes, especially considering the last page of the first story in this oversized number 1 issue. An unexpected guest shows up (no spoilers here in case you haven’t read it yet), and it’s quite a surprise. With SHAZAM! we get a mix of fun and seriousness, looking at life in a way many of us never really consider. This is a character I really like, so I have high hopes for this series (I also have high hopes for the movie, starring Zachary Levi). This is a character my father read when he was a boy, and though I didn’t read the DC edition in the Seventies, I did watch the live-action Saturday morning show and bought many of the issues from The Power of SHAZAM! run in the Nineties. The cover price of SHAZAM! #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

#808 — Generation X Holiday Special #1, Marvel, February 1999.

I read a lot of Marvel X-Titles in the Nineties, but I wasn’t a constant reader of Generation X. It wasn’t that there was anything wrong with them, but they were the younger generation, and I preferred to read about the more seasoned teams of heroes. Not to mention that I just couldn’t afford every comic book that came out. I still can’t, and it’s a darn shame, isn’t it? Anyway, I found this Christmas special while digging around in quarter boxes months and months ago and knew when I saw it that I’d use it for a little yuletide reading and blogging. And let me tell you, it provided lots of fun entertainment for the 25 cents I shelled out. Holiday stories aren’t for everyone. Some don’t like the time of year, some have bad memories, and some don’t celebrate them based on their beliefs. But if you do enjoy a fun Christmas story with your heroes, this one is pretty good. The cover price of Generation X Holiday Special #1 is $3.50, while the current value is $4.

#809 — Happy Holliday’s Christmas Dance Party, Cool Yule Comics, Winter 2018.

When I was a kid in the Seventies, it wasn’t Christmas until I’d read some Dennis the Menace holiday issues. Whether they were regular comic books or digests (which were even better since they had lots of pages!), they helped put me in the Christmas spirit. And after reading Happy Holliday’s Christmas Dance Party, written and drawn by George Broderick, Jr., there is no doubt that Cool Yule Comics would also have been a good fit for me, had they been available those many decades ago. This issue, along with the other Christmas comics at the Cool Yule site, are more expensive than the typical comic book, but also much thicker. If you have little ones in your life who love this time of year, go to the website and order some of these delightful holiday specials. Better yet, get some for yourself if you want to feel like a kid again! I met George at Akron Comicon 2018 when I bought this issue and had him sign it for me. He’s been doing these Christmas comics for over a decade and hopefully will continue for many years to come. The cover price of Happy Holliday’s Christmas Dance Party is $8.95 (not listed at comicbookrealm.com).

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 31)

#810 — Shadow Roads, Oni Press, May 2018.

If you enjoy nontraditional westerns with plenty of mystery and intrigue and a dash of the mystical thrown in, look no further than Shadow Roads from Oni Press. If you’re familiar with The Sixth Gun series (I admit that I’m not, but now, after reading this Free Comic Book Day edition, I’m very intrigued), Shadow Roads is a related series that takes place after an Apocalyptic event. Interested yet? Written by Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt, and illustrated by A.C. Zamudio, Shadow Roads gives you a Twilight Zone kind of feel. And as much as I’d like to read more, I realize that I need to go back and read The Sixth Gun series first (at least someday, via digital probably…my back-issue piles, both paper and digital, are stacked fairly high right now). Have any of you readers tried either of these series? I’d love to hear some feedback on them. The cover price of Shadow Roads FCBD edition is free, while the current value is $0.

Cool Comics Kids

#811 — Four Color #1064: Bugs Bunny’s Merry Christmas, Dell, December 1959.

This week for Cool Comics Kids we have another fun Christmas issue from Dell’s Four Color series. These comics can be a little confusing to track, since they have individual titles (like this one, “Bugs Bunny’s Merry Christmas”), but if you use something like Comic Book Realm, it makes things a little easier (plus, my local comic shop had a sticker on the bag that tells me it’s Four Color #1064). Even though this comic is from 1959, I didn’t break the bank in purchasing a copy. I bought mine for just $3.50. Is it in perfect condition? No, but it’s extremely readable and a fun piece of holiday comic history to have in my collection. Inside, we get a Christmas story with Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd, Porky Pig saves Christmas for a toy company, Daffy Duck looks to Yosemite Sam when he tries to win a prize, and Tweety once again foils Sylvester. These are fun ways to introduce budding comic book readers to classic stories and characters. The cover price of Four Color #1064 is 10¢, while the current value is $85.

Cool Comics Classics

#812 — Blue Ribbon Comics, Archie, February 1984.

I don’t know much about non-Archie Archie Comics, but when I saw Blue Ribbon Comics #5 in a discount box, I wanted to give it a try. Admittedly, I failed to notice Jack Kirby’s name at the bottom of the cover, and it wasn’t until I picked this up to read it that I found out the author is Joe Simon and the artists listed are Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, so that’s a cool plus. This issue introduces a hero called the Shield, and yes, if he brings to mind a combination of both Captain America and Bucky, I’m in complete agreement. Also, there’s a little Superman thrown in, as our hero, undergoing an experiment conducted by his father on him when he is a toddler, ends up becoming an orphan and is adopted by a family out in the country. The wife’s name just happens to be Martha, and she and her husband decide to raise this child they find. As far as I can tell, they didn’t contact any authorities. But our rules don’t apply to the four-color world, so I guess it’s okay. This is a fairly entertaining story, but I think that when most people see the Archie Comics name, the teenagers from Riverdale are really who readers have in mind. The cover price of Blue Ribbon Comics #5 is 75¢, while the current value is $6.

Recently Read Digital Comics

I really appreciate the Marvel Epic Collections, and like the others I’ve talked about here, I bought the digital version of Iron Man Epic Collection: Doom for the ridiculously low price of 99 cents. This collection contains Iron Man (1968) #245-257, Annual #10-11, and material from Captain America Annual #9. The story covers a period of time (1989 to 1990) in which Tony Stark has been shot and is wheelchair bound, seemingly for the rest of his life (spoiler…he ends up getting an experimental chip embedded in his spine, and now he can walk again, surprise, surprise), and finds solace as Iron Man, since the armor allows him complete movement. Then things get a little wacky when Merlin the magician brings Iron Man and Doctor Doom to the future (do you have the Huey Lewis song Back In Time playing through your head right now? Feel free to watch it via the link before you finish reading, because the oddball video sort of fits with this section of the Epic Collection). The annuals included here bring the Terminator to mind, which I’m sure was the point. This isn’t the best Epic Collection I’ve read, but then again, the price was right, and it’s always fun to take a look at comic book history.

Cool Comics Letters

After going many episodes with no Cool Comics Letters, we’ve recently hit a treasure trove by having two in a row! Last week Cool Comics found a letter by comic book writer Mike W. Barr, and this week, while reading The Fury of Firestorm #18 (with a cover date of November 1983), Cool Comics found a letter written by none other than Ed Brubaker, another comic book writer. Or at least we’re assuming it’s the same Ed Brubaker. In the letter, he states he’s, “…a lowly fan hoping to make it someday in the world of comic books.” And while we’re calling it his, and including it here, can anyone out there confirm this is from THE Ed Brubaker? (Psst!…no need to squint…just click on the letter for a close-up view!)

Don’t forget, comic book fans, that you can submit Cool Comics Letters like this one by sending me an email (see email address at the beginning of the blog) with a picture of the letter, along with a picture of the comic cover, and an explanation of who the letter writer is. If you’ve had a letter published (or even your uncle or cousin), you can submit those also!

ComicBooks For Kids!

ComicBooks For Kids! (CB4K) is a charity that Cool Comics In My Collection is honored to be working with. CB4K provides comic books to kids in hospitals and cancer centers all across the Unites States. You can check their website and see if your local hospital is included and if not, you can work with them to get them included! If you like what you see, please help them out and follow/like their Facebook page. Their link is https://www.facebook.com/comicbooksforkids/

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