Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 178, 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 178…
Cool Comics News!
I often talk about number one issues in our Contemporary Cool Comics section, because I like to let you know when a 
new series is out that you might be interested in. And this past week saw a couple new series start that I’m not including, but I’ll mention them here. Savage Sword of Conan #1, the second ongoing series from Marvel featuring the barbarian, became available February 13, along with Avengers: No Road Home #1, which will consist of 10 issues, coming out weekly. I liked both, but in Avengers: No Road Home #6 we are promised that Conan will be having some interaction with at least one contemporary Marvel hero, and that sounds like fun, so I’ll give you my impressions the week after it comes out. Happy reading, everyone!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Wolverine versus the Hulk! 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
Contemporary Cool Comics
#860 — The Flash #64, DC, April 2019.
Do you watch The Flash on the CW? I do, yet for some reason, I haven’t been reading the comic book version. I had to draw the line somewhere, yet for someone who enjoys the show, it probably does seem odd I haven’t been reading it. But maybe it’s because I get my Flash fix on the small screen. So why did I buy this issue? Because it’s part of a crossover with Batman, and I don’t like being in the dark. And for parts 2 and 4 of “The Price of Innocence,” a couple Flash issues are becoming…yes, I’m going to say it…Cool Comics In My Collection. You know what? Flash and Batman work well together. From the Batwing’s speed challenging Flash in a race to the Caribbean to Bruce and Barry admiring each other’s crime scene investigation skills, it’s a lovefest featuring the two greatest detectives as they attempt to thwart the bad guys. While I wasn’t reading new comics when they crossed paths earlier on in “The Button,” I did read the digital version, and perhaps we need to see more of them together in the future. The cover price of The Flash #64 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
#861 — Oblivion Song #12, Image, Feb 2019.
Many of you have asked, “Are you still reading Oblivion Song?” And the answer is a resounding YES! Okay, truth be told, no one has asked me that, but now, after 12 issues, I thought I’d bring it up once again, since the last time we visited it was with the release of #1. Aside from a few ashcans, I rarely have Image comics in my episodes, because this is the only ongoing title of theirs that I buy. You’ll be seeing a few more crop up in the coming weeks or months via Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap, but for now, I’m here to tell you that I really enjoy the sci-fi adventure that Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici continue to bring us month after month. It’s fun, poignant, sad, and exuberant! The writing is tight and meaningful, and the illustrations transfer you to Oblivion in a believable way. If you want to try something different from the typical superhero stories (which make up the majority of what I read), you may want to give this series a try. The cover price of Oblivion Song #12 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#862 — Tempest #1, DC, Nov 1996.
A handful of episodes ago in Cool Comics News, I made mention of Back Issue magazine’s Aquaman special, which just so happened to cover this Tempest mini-series. Admittedly, I don’t have much of a background with Aquaman or Aqualad…or Tempest, if you will. I have nothing against DC’s heroes of the ocean deep, but when spending my cash, it hasn’t gone swimming much. But Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap isn’t about my decisions, instead it’s typically the result of the haphazard, mish-mash craziness of 419 random comic books jammed into a longbox I bought for just $20. Consisting of just four issues that came out late in 1996 until early 1997 (cover dates, that is), Phil Jimenez drew and wrote this titanic tale that gives you more details than you ever knew you wanted to know about a guy named Garth. The cover price of Tempest #1 is $1.75, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 41)
#863 — Worlds of Aspen, Aspen Comics, May 2018.
I admit I know next to nothing about Aspen Comics. From my perspective, their number one star is Fathom, who was born in the pages of Top Cow, an imprint of Image, back in 1998. I had the first three issues, which I picked up for about 50¢ each, but they are now long gone from my collection. Fathom’s creator, the late Michael Turner, was president of Aspen MLT, and while I notice the solicitations in Previews each month, I’ve never given them much of a look. But now I have one in my collection, thanks to Free Comic Book Day. This Worlds of Aspen freebie gives us a look at two new series, Dissension: War Eternal and Nu Way. Both were fairly entertaining introductions, but if I had to make a decision to read only one, I’d go with Dissension: War Eternal. If you have a chance to grab a handful of comics for absolutely nothing the first Saturday of May, perhaps you should step out of your comfort zone and explore companies and characters you’ve never experienced. The cover price of World of Aspen is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#864 — Mickey Mouse #233, Gladstone, December 1987.
I was excited to find this Gladstone Mickey Mouse comic in a quarter bin at my LCS a couple weeks ago, mostly because I wanted something a little newer for my Cool Comics Kids section (lately it’s been Seventies heavy…mostly because I found several dozen kids comics from that era in the same quarter bin). And wow, late Eighties! Still old stuff to many of you, but completely different to more “seasoned” collectors. So I open the cover when I pick this up to read it and immediately notice that the art looks old. I mean REALLY OLD. Turns out that during that period, Gladstone was reprinting old newspaper strip adventures, and this issue contains an ongoing story that ran from September 30 to November 15, 1935. The story, “The Pirate Submarine,” continues into the next issue (and no, I don’t have that one). The original story in the strip ran until January 4, 1936. The adventure was later captured in a Big Little Book in 1939. I love the old style of Mickey art and had a lot of fun exploring something from so long ago. The cover price of Mickey Mouse #233 is 95¢, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Classics
#865 — What If? #31, Marvel, February 1982.
Another quarter bin classic! That’s right, I snagged this awesome What If? for just 25 cents. Is the condition perfect? Not by any stretch of the imagination. But it’s not terrible either, and it’s just a great copy for reading and enjoying. Nearly everyone who knows anything about Marvel Comics knows that there have been some epic Hulk vs. Wolverine battles over the years, and as a matter of fact, Wolverine’s first appearance came by way of The Incredible Hulk. What If? #31 takes us back to that exact moment, only this time around, Wolverine actually kills the Hulk! Heady stuff, I know (and if you don’t like or agree with the outcome, our Cool Comics Battle of the Week gives you the opportunity to pick your winner of this same fight!). And as amazing as this story is, the other one in this very same issue is “What If the Fantastic Four Had Never Been?” The ramifications of Reed, Sue, Ben, and Johnny not banning together to help save mankind from the forces of evil is catastrophic! If you like your comic books to tell you a complete story, What If? is a fun, alternative way to go. The cover price of What If #31 is $1, while the current value is $30.
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/
Never Miss an Episode of Cool Comics!
Now you can get Cool Comics in My Collection delivered directly to your email! Just click “Join My Newsletter” on my 
website (or click on the image of my No-Prize!), sign up, and that’s it. Pretty easy, right? Just be sure to follow the instructions on the confirmation email so that you start receiving my newsletter. If you don’t see it, you may want to check your Spam or Junk Mail folders.
Views: 307
Now that is an age old battle that I think nobody will ever tire from! Of course you will have the fans in the Wolverine camp….and those in the Hulk one…and most likely in a dead heat.
My take NOW, is completely opposite of what it has been over the course of the past 35+ years. Don’t get me wrong, I am a lifelong X-men fan since discovering Uncanny X-men #169 on a supermarket spinner rack as a lad. Loving the initial Wolvie mini-series and ongoing series since then (and many X-men books). Let’s face it, Logan is a genuine, Grade A, bonafide B.A.
On the other side of the coin, I have never really been a Hulk fan. At all. I dipped my toes in Weapon H, although not really the Hulk per se, but it did engage my interest in that direction.
Now, my favorite current title is the Immortal Hulk, and as of a week or so ago, have the entire run to present issue.
With that being said, Hulk now, has got to be Marvel’s most powerful, and unstoppable character in its universe.
Wolverine is no creampuff by any means, but any damage inflicted to Hulk would hardly slow the Hulk down. Hulk’s annoyance, gravitating towards increasing anger would spark an all out rage attack, thus removing Wolverine’s head and arms from his torso, and pele’ punt kicking the pieces across the world in different directions.
I would suspect Hydra or someone else would go on the search for the missing pieces of Wolverine once known, to dissect and look for ways to copy his DNA to create a new batch of supervillains from there.
The Immortal Hulk is very powerful, no doubt about it. But there is a new Wolverine series that just came out yesterday (it will be in next week’s episode), Wolverine: Infinity Watch, so where does, or where will, that put Logan on the power scale?
And yes, The Immortal Hulk is one of the best series out right now. There are some fun things going on in the world of comics right now, and those are the kinds I like to read.
Thanks for playing along with the Battle of the Week!
Thanks for another great post!
I agree with Spector that the current Intelligent “Immortal” Hulk would devastate Wolverine. If we’re talking classic versions of the characters. . .I give it to Wolverine. Although he has a savage nature, Wolverine can tamp it down enough to use a more strategic approach to defeat the classic “HULK SMASH” version of the Green Goliath.
I’m more than a little leery about Marvel putting Conan into their “616” current universe. I guess I’ll have to wait and see. If I don’t like it, I won’t buy more. Isn’t that a great thing about comic books? That said. . .Savage Sword of Conan is a MUST read for Conan fans, in my extremely humble opinion. The art makes me believe that the artist is channeling the spirit of the late, great Gene Colan! The story ain’t half bad either.
Thanks for keepin’ it fun!
Atom, I loved The Savage Sword of Conan! And as you said, if you don’t like something, don’t buy it. I’m hoping the introduction of Conan to Marvel 616 will be fun (did you see he’s going to be part of an Avengers team now, starting in May, I believe?), but the proof will be how readers react to it. I’ve enjoyed DC’s Doomsday Clock, wherein some of the Watchmen characters are now in DC “Rebirth” universe. The problem with that series is how late each issue is becoming. Maybe they should have had a few more in the can before they started publishing it.
Anyway, I like to have fun when reading comic books, and once they stop being fun for me, I call it quits on the title. But keep in mind that stories that are serious, horror, heartbreaking, etc., can be considered fun, when done right.
Thanks so much for your continued readership and inspiration. For those who may not know, Atom has a terrific review blog at: http://longboxjunk.blogspot.com/
Make sure to check it out!