Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 188, 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.
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. And don’t forget the prizes. Yes, Cool Comics gives away cool prizes. 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 188…
Cool Comics News!
No capes, no spandex, and no Marvel or DC this week. “What?” you ask? Well, as if you didn’t know, Saturday is Free Comic Book Day, and while Marvel, DC, and other companies will be flaunting their heroes, this is also a great opportunity to try something different. I’m sure that many of you have already read non-superhero comics, but if you haven’t had that experience, this is the time to do it! Also, many comic shops use this date as an opportunity to have sales and celebrities in their stores. That’s right, some of your favorite comic book creators may be closer than you think, so be sure to check the websites of stores in your area to see who just might be there. Also, click the FCBD image to learn more about it and see what’s being offered this year.
Below, in our FCBD the Cool Comics Way category, we come to the end of the 2018 issues just in time to start showing off the freebies for 2019!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Wacky Witch versus Granny from the Beverly Hillbillies! 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
#919 — Jughead the Hunger vs. Vampironica #1, Archie, June 2019.
While there are those who just want their Archie comics in the classic vein, I like mine with a little “bite” to them, in which they actually open up that vein and start feeding! Recently we saw the end of two entertaining Archie Horror series, Jughead the Hunger and Vampironica. But the good folks guiding the course of America’s favorite teenager decided it was time to give fans something to chew on, and so we get the interdimensional crossover of the Archie Century, Jughead the Hunger vs. Vampironica! Way back when in the Seventies when I watched Chiller Theatre with host Bill “Chilly Billy” Cardille, my favorite scary movies were the old Universal monster features that had Dracula, the Wolfman, and the Frankenstein’s monster together in the same film! And to an extent, that’s the feeling I’m getting just from the idea of this series. The first issue is a bit of a framing device to show a Riverdale that’s post-Vampironica…or is it? I have a feeling issue 2 will present us with the “other” Riverdale, the one that recently had a werewolf problem. I still appreciate classic Archie, since I grew up reading a good number of them, but these horror twists are lots of fun. The cover price of Jughead the Hunger vs. Vampironica is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#920 — Colonia #1, Bad Habit Books, 1998.
When I pulled this completely unfamiliar title out 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), at first glance I thought it was going to be based on something in history. And I like history, so I was okay with that. But my first clue that things were a little cockeyed here should have been the kid riding in a treasure chest. When we start reading, the captain and his crew will make you think of pirates, but soon we see some people dressed in ordinary modern-day clothes. And all vestiges of common sense fly out the window when Jack, the boy in the treasure chest, sees a fishman…or a man made up of several fish…walking around on an island. There’s also a duck that talks, but that’s nothing new to comic book readers, right? Jeff Nicholson, who both wrote and illustrated this unusual black and white tale, takes us on a trip that would make Alice (in Wonderland…or Through the Looking Glass) proud. This is the only issue I have, and while I’m not on a search to find more, if I stumbled upon them while scouring through quarter boxes, I’d purchase them to find out more about what is going on. The cover price of Colonia #1 is $2.95, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Weeks 51 and 52)
#921 — The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Comics 2018, Gemstone, May 2018.
If you go into a comic shop on Free Comic Book Day, and they limit how many of the free issues you are allowed to take (most comic shops have a limit so that others have a chance to get some fun freebies), would you include this one if, for example, you could take five for free? Probably not, is my guess, but it’s actually both entertaining and educational…along with being self-serving, but that goes for all the titles (and that’s why they are free…try this free issue of Spider-Man, see how much fun it is, then come back to the store and buy new issues when they come out!). If you’re curious about how comic book grading works, this contains a guide, so you may want to check it out. This FCBD giveaway is heavy with the words and light on the pictures, so keep that in mind. Regardless if you got this one or not, you must admit the cover is clever. The cover price of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Comics 2018 is free, while the current value is $1.
#922 — CBLDF Presents Defend Comics: FCBD Edition 2018, Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, May 2018.
Can you believe it? We’re finally wrapping up Free Comic Book Day 2018 with the 52nd issue, which is both an informational publication about the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and an opportunity for more writers and artists to strut their stuff. This all ages edition provides several short pieces such as “Claudette Shuts-Up” by Jorge Aguirre and Rafael Rosado; “Chasma Knights” by Boya Sun and Kate Reed Petty; “Tiger vs. Nightmare” by Emily Tetri; and several more. In the back, there is an ad by First Second Books (where the stories came from) about further adventures of these tales. Across the page from it, there is an opportunity to financially support the CBLDF. If you want to learn more about the organization, the inside front cover gives a listing of corporate members, a mission statement, staff, board of directors, their website, etc. Again, this isn’t the freebie that most people are looking for, but if you are interested in helping the CBLDF, it’s not a bad place to start. The cover price of CBLDF Presents Defend Comics: FCBD Edition 2018 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#923 — Wacky Witch #19, Gold Key, July 1975.
In the Seventies, Gold Key published lots of great comic books for kids, many with familiar characters. But Wacky Witch? I picked this one up for a quarter knowing absolutely nothing about this original Gold Key creation. Though her comic didn’t last as long as most licensed comics the company put out (just 21 issues), she’s still part of the history and charm that brought delight to so many readers back when a quarter could buy you some great entertainment (and a quarter still can at my local comic shop!). On the first page of the comic book, Gold Key (or Western Publishing Company, if you prefer) has a tiny little rectangle at the bottom left that contains the characters in Wacky Witch’s universe. It’s just 1 inch by 1 and-a-half inches, and the drawings and names are, I guess, made for younger eyes. But then again, that was the target audience. Like the majority of comics aimed at younger readers, there are several shorter stories contained within, including, “You Don’t Have to be a Copy Cat,” “Keeping Up With a Neighbor Can Get You Down,” “The Day a Curl Became a Cure,” and a couple more. Part of the charm is looking over the ads, and thankfully, like so many from that period, we are presented with the chance to buy our own Sea-Monkey kingdom. The cover price of Wacky Witch #19 is 25¢, while the current value is $12.
Cool Comics Classics
#924 — The Beverly Hillbillies #7, Dell, December 1964.
When I was growing up, everyone—and I mean everyone—knew who The Beverly Hillbillies were, and most could sing the intro…you know, about a man named Jed. Now I didn’t see the show when it originally aired, but it was born the same year as me, so I was a little too young. But TV in the Seventies was rife with syndicated reruns, so it gave us kids a chance to also enjoy the crazy antics of the Clampetts. You can still find reruns of old shows from yesteryear if you flip around your cable stations enough, or perhaps find a streaming service that has what you want. I’m sure today there’s a large segment of the population who have no idea who these hillbillies are and have missed out on a really fun show, but each generation, I guess, has its own “Beverly Hillbillies.” The comic adaptation is spot on with characterization, the art is very fitting, and I really got my money’s worth as I paid just a dollar to relive this part of my childhood. I wish I could tell you the writer and artist, but I’ve not been able to find out who they were. The cover price of The Beverly Hillbillies #7 is 12¢, while the current value is $105.
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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I saw the Jughead the Hunger vs Vamperonica book at the counter of the LCS with the new variants that came in last week. It was a superb variant, that looked like an old VHS tape with all the artistically drawn in creases and nicks and even the “be kind to rewind” sticker on the front. Naturally I had to get it…but gifted it to my wife. They didn’t have a second copy…but may be looking for one for myself. I am getting antsy to read it, and may have to pry it from her over the weekend to do so haha.
Having read the previous two series, I think this will be a fun mashing of Archie Horror worlds. As I said in the blog, this was a bit of a setup issue, but fun nevertheless!