Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 187, where we 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 my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are certainly 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.
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If you have any comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a Reply.” And now, Episode 187…
Cool Comics News!
What’s your favorite comic book decade? Constant readers quickly learn that the Seventies is where it’s at for yours truly, although comics from the year 1982 are also near and dear to my heart, because I started collecting again (for less than a year) after about three years away from the hobby. Not that I don’t appreciate comics from other times, because I do. But there is something about Seventies comics that really bring out those childhood memories of the excitement each week brought. If you’re so willing, please share your thoughts about your favorite comic book period in the comments at the end of this episode.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Howard the Duck versus Donald Duck! 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
#913 — War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1, Marvel, June 2019.
Guess what? No War of the Realms next week, so if you aren’t a fan, you can breathe a sigh of relief! But for now, yes, we have another issue to talk about here at Cool Comics. When I bought this issue, which is the first of three, I didn’t realize that it’s basically a War of the Realms anthology. Now longtime readers know that I have a thing for Seventies comic book anthologies, and to think I almost missed out (as I mentioned a couple weeks ago in Episode 185, after reading Marvel’s War of the Realms free magazine, I changed my mind on a few of the offerings) on some fun stuff! War Scrolls gives us a variety of creators and characters, and in this issue, readers are presented with: Daredevil in “The God Without Fear” Part One; The Warriors Three in “The Warriors Three (or Four)”; Wolverine & Punisher in “Nice Shot, Frank”; and Howard the Duck in “Waugh of the Realms.” Just below the table of contents we’re given a note to “Read War of the Realms #2 before this issue.” If you missed that, I don’t think it’s really a big deal, but I’m not going to be a spoiler and tell you why. If your budget is limited, you can still enjoy WOTR without getting this series. I see this comic as an enhancement that will take you deeper into what’s going on in the Marvel Universe. The cover price of War of the Realms: War Scrolls #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.
#914 — G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #171, IDW, October 2011.
I’m young enough to have missed out on the original G.I. Joe toy craze (it started in 1964) and too old to have cared when the smaller Joes (A Real American Hero) came out in 1982. I was more of a Mego toy kid, since they had superheroes and Planet of the Apes. When Marvel got the license and started putting out the comic in 1982, I was just coming to the end of my second phase of collecting, and when I rejoined the world of comics once more in 1993, I had no interest, since I didn’t have a history with the toys (although I was an avid toy collector for a while in the late Eighties to mid-Nineties), comics, or cartoons. Yet as an Army veteran and someone who continually looks to add comic book knowledge and experience notches in his belt, I’ve started grabbing G.I. Joe comics whenever I find them in quarter bins, which is where this one came from. The day I picked it up, I found a nice handful of IDW titles, along with a few of the older Marvel Joes. When you pick up an issue that’s had 170 come before it, you can’t expect to know what’s going on, and that’s okay. Larry Hama (writer) and S L Gallant (artist) kept my attention, and I look forward to reading more of these in the future. The cover price of G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #171 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#918 — The Kents #1, DC, August 1997.
When this 12-issue limited series came out in 1997-1998, I didn’t have much interest in it. I mean, in the world of superheroes, who really cares about Pa Kent’s ancestors? For Pete’s sake, Kal-El isn’t even truly related to him. That’s a good enough rationale when deciding what comics to spend your hard-earned cash on, but it’s not really a good defense if you’re trying to say this series is not meaningful to Superman’s worldview. But many years have gone by, and while I never gave The Kents another thought, fate sometimes has a way of giving you a second chance. This chance came by way of my legendary longbox (I bought a longbox that was stuffed with 419 comic books for just $20 a while ago; hence, Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap). While sorting through the longbox, I found not just issue one of The Kents, but 8 of the 12. Finally, I picked it up and started reading. And the answer is a resounding “YES!” Oh, you want to know the question? Okay, here goes: Did I enjoy it? I love history, and this is full of action and decisions that helped change the direction of history and gives us a look at the family of the man who helped raise Superman. Now I need to find the other four issues! The cover price of The Kents #1 is $2.50, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 50)
#916 — Strangers In Paradise XXV #1, Abstract Studio, May 2018.
Terry Moore’s black and white comic Strangers In Paradise started publishing in 1993, seemed to be finished in 2007, then started up again in 2018, including this Free Comic Book Day issue, which is also available at the full price of $3.99. Admittedly, this is the first one I’ve ever read, so needless to say I didn’t understand the motives behind the actions all that well. And keep in mind that this is for a more mature audience, so you probably don’t want to be sharing it with the kiddos…and they probably wouldn’t care about it anyway. I can’t say I’ll never read a copy of Strangers In Paradise again (because it may pop up at FCBD once more in the future), but I won’t be looking for any. While it may be for you, it’s not my cup of tea. This was the last “regular” FCBD offering, and next week we close out the 2018 giveaways with a couple books thrown in for specific purposes, so tune in if you want to know what they are. But don’t fret, I’ll be back in a few weeks with FCBD 2019 comics! The cover price of Strangers In Paradise XXV #1 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#917 — Donald Duck #264, Gladstone, July 1988.
While Mickey Mouse may be the face of Disney, the ducks are no slouches when it comes to popularity, and as I’ve mentioned in Cool Comics Kids before, Donald’s nephews have really been growing on me, not to mention Donald himself. This issue of Gladstone’s Donald Duck (which I rescued from a quarter bin) gives us stories from 1988, 1986, 1952, 1948, and 1938. The opening story, “Recipe for Disaster,” takes up about the first half of the comic, and the remainder consist of a few short one page “gags” and some quick stories. Oh, and I’ll also mention that there are a couple Carl Barks credits in this issue. Who is Carl Barks, you ask? He’s the Lord of the Quacks! Okay, I didn’t mean to offend those who know the name like the back of your hand, but if you’ve never heard of him, just do a Google search. This is a nice edition to any comic book collection, and especially so for younger readers. The cover price of Donald Duck #264 is 95¢, while the current value is $8.
Cool Comics Classics
#918 — Star Spangled War Stories #141, DC, November 1968.
Way back in Episode 92 of Cool Comics In My Collection, we included an issue of Star Spangled War Stories (Cool Comic #449)…but it was a newer rendition, from 2014. And now, at long last, we are presenting to you, dear reader, an issue that is ancient of days for Cool Comics Classics! While Seventies comics will always hold a special place in my heart, adding comics to my collection that are even older allows me to appreciate the deep, rich history that is our favorite hobby. This issue focuses on Enemy Ace, The Hammer Of Hell! Hans von Hammer is a German World War I flying ace (no, he doesn’t battle Snoopy!), so if you are used to reading your war comics from the perspective of U.S. forces, this gives you a whole different look. Written by Robert Kanigher, with art by Joe Kubert, this issue is worth way more than the dollar I paid for it (yes, you read that correctly, I paid just one dollar). The cover price of Star Spangled War Stories #141 is 12¢, while the current value is $150.
Recently Read Digital Comics
While not a comic book per se, The Complete Peanuts Vol. 1: 1950-1952, more than deserves to be mentioned here. Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang (Charles Schulz was not a fan of the name Peanuts, which you’ll find out in the interview at the back of the book) are American icons, and Schulz melted the hearts of Americans (and around the world) from coast to coast with his daily strips. If you love the cartoons and have perhaps read a few of the books (many of you probably remember getting Peanuts paperbacks via Scholastic book orders), not to mention the lengthy syndicated comic strip, this volume from Fantagraphics Books will lead you down a path of pure joy. Yes, the characters are a little different, and Charlie Brown is a bit of a trickster at times, but as you read through this first volume, you’ll see how Schulz started shaping these kids into the ones recognized today. And you don’t have to stop here. There are many more volumes in this series, and while it can get expensive to purchase, you can always check with your local library or go the Kindle route. I read this first one for free through the Amazon Prime Reading program through the Kindle app. If you’re a Prime member, there are lots of comics and graphic novels offered that won’t cost you an additional penny.
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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HA! Great battle. That would be one showdown that I for one would love to see. Donald has been around for a looooong time, and I will have to give him the upper hand. Howard is no slouch, and I would expect him to put out all the stops and any low blows he can get in. Donald however has generations of moves in his arsenal and I think he would have Howard down in the end. My vote, O.G. Donald for the win.
War of the Scrolls definitely has my interest. My car is at the mechanic’s right now, and I don’t know what I am looking at bill wise at the moment, or I would have picked it up. I had to scale down and just get the new Spawn and Detective comics books this week. I may have to revisit getting the scrolls at some point in the future.
G.I. Joe, what is not to love? Who would have thought that initial toy line would have gone as far as it did. I watched a Toys that made us special awhile back on Netflix that went through the whole Joe history. Very entertaining. The original Joe toys were a few years or more before my time. The 80’s launch of the small figures…I was a little too old being a pre-teen going in to my early teens….but I still bought some and enjoyed them then. The cartoon I loved as well. I had some early Marvel issues, and enjoyed the Lara Hama books. The newer stuff IDW (and whomever else) I didn’t really follow…but have picked up a few dollar bin issues that caught my interest. Such a huge Joe fanbase…still! Great work tossing that up in this week’s blog.
Wednesday my LCS had lots of quarter box goodness and I was able to get 25 issues of G.I. Joe Special Missions, and 1 issue of G.I. Joe: A Great American Hero (both Marvel). I’m really fortunate that I go to a place that has such great bargains.
How about that fowl fight! It would be interesting to watch with those two, no doubt about it! Hopefully your car bill doesn’t set you back too much. We feel your pain. Thanks for reading!
GREAT post this week!
I was going to entirely sit out War of The Realms, but when I see a Howard The Duck story tying in to it, I think I’m a bit interested in THAT comic at least. Wolverine and Punisher are also one of my favorite combos, even though I’m not much of a Wolvie fan. Those two always seem to work great together, so I’ll probably pick up War Scrolls even if I don’t get any other War of The Realms comics.
And then. . .The Kents! As a big fan of western comics AND Tim Truman, this series hits it out of the park! I don’t have the individual issues, but the trade, and it’s one of my favorites. It’s amazing that this series even exists! The art and story on this series are both in the realm of excellence. Anyone reading this who is a fan of western comics MUST find and read The Kents!
And THEN. . .Enemy Ace! I’m just as big a fan of war comics as I am Westerns and Star Spangled War Stories is one of my favorite series. Enemy Ace is such an unusual character in an unusual setting. . .a German pilot in WWI. It was a really bold creative choice for DC. I don’t have THAT issue, but all I need to see is Kanigher, Kubert, and Enemy Ace to know that it’s a good one!
As far as my favorite comics decade, I’m right there with you in the fantastic comic explosion of The Bronze Age and the 1970’s! It’s when I was growing up, and reading a 70’s comic, looking at those old ads. . .it’s like a paper time machine that takes me right back for at least a few moments.
Lots of good stuff in this week’s entry. Once again, thanks for keeping comics fun!
That first issue of The Kents showed me just how wrong I was to ignore this series…although I ended up getting the 8 issues for less than a nickle each. I’m sure I’ll be able to find the 4 I need for a complete set on the cheap.
I agree that it was a bold move by DC to run those stories from the German perspective, and they did a really good job of it. I’ll be on the lookout for more Star Spangled War Story issues when I can get them at great prices.
The first time I spent my own money on a comic book was 1973. Up to that time, my pocket change usually went to baseball and football cards, but then I started watching reruns of the Sixties Marvel cartoons after school, and that convinced me that I needed to know more.