Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 193, 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. I hope you have as much fun reading about them as I had writing about them!
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 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.
Did you know that you can be a guest host for Cool Comics? It’s your chance to show off some of your favorite comics in your personal collection! 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. To submit your completed blog (or if you have any questions), 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 193…
Cool Comics News!
Over the weekend, on my social media sites, I listed myself (in the little bio areas) as a Comic Book Commentator. But does such a title even exist? I couldn’t find any evidence during an Internet search, but my guess is that others have made this claim before. Regardless, I think it’s an apt description of what I do. Cool Comics is not a review site, and even though I wouldn’t mind being known as a Comic Book Historian (I have a long way to go!), it doesn’t fit. Cool Comics is not a comic book news site either, although I do have this Cool Comics News! section in which I give you interesting tidbits. So, what exactly is Cool Comics In My Collection? Each week I post some covers of comics in my personal collection and talk a little about them. Sometimes I tell you about the creators, or perhaps a smidgen of the plot, and occasionally I’ll bring up the time or place or moment in my life when I bought or read the comic and what it means to me now. Hence, “Comic Book Commentator.” I think I like the sound of it.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Kermit versus Miss Piggy! 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
#949 — Exciting Comics #2, Antarctic Press, May 2019.
A few months ago, Exciting Comics #1 was listed in Recently Read Digital Comics, a section of Cool Comics that hasn’t seen much action lately. And I liked Exciting Comics. I liked it enough that since my local comic shop couldn’t get me a physical issue (the print numbers were rather small, from my understanding) I ended up ordering it from Midtown Comics in NYC. Yes, it’s on my pull list now, and the second issue was just as much fun, continuing all three of the stories contained in the debut. The original Exciting Comics came out in the Forties, and though I wouldn’t mind getting my hands on some of those, I’ll settle for the fun stories coming out now from Antarctic Press. The creators (Blackjaq: writers Bradley Golden and John Crowther, with artist Carlos Tron; Crimson Scorpion: writer David Furr with artist Joseph Olesco; and Madam Mask: writer David Doub with artist Spike Jarrell) have got me hooked on all three stories in this awesome anthology, and I’m excited to see what comes next! The cover price of Exciting Comics #2 is $3.99, while the current value is $4
#950 — Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1, DC, July 2019.
If you’re planning to read the Event Leviathan limited series from DC, then you don’t want to miss this special issue. Seriously. Just look at the bottom of the cover where it states, “The Epic Struggle to Control the DC Universe Begins Here!” Now tell me you can resist buying this one. Okay, it’s not cheap (and not many comics are cheap these days), but you get a lot of bang for your buck(s)! Look up from those mesmerizing words at the bottom of the cover and check out that action. Superman has some kind of green glowing contraption strapped to his chest and appears to be…gulp…dying (okay, we went through that back in 1992, and we aren’t going to be fooled again…or are we?), while some of your favorite heroes are coming to his rescue. Or is it too late? You’ll have to read it for yourself to find out! The cover price of Superman: Leviathan Rising Special #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#951 — Nth Man #11, Marvel, April 1990.
Are you a fan of obscure comic book heroes and titles (I have a soft spot for Omega the Unknown, although it seems that he’s not so unknown anymore)? If you get a kick out of collecting small runs of titles that don’t get much mention, then perhaps Nth Man is one you’ll want to check out if you’ve been as oblivious to it as I have. To be fair, the short-lived series was published just before I started my third phase of comic collecting, and I don’t remember ever having read a thing about it. If not for 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), he’d still be a complete stranger to me. And yet…a couple weeks ago I was scrounging around in some quarter bins and came across five or six issues. And the only reason I took any notice was because I’d already planned to read this comic for this episode. Did I buy any? Well, issue 1 was there, and for a quarter, I figured I’d grab it and perhaps add it to a future Cool Comics episode. The cover price of Nth Man #11 is $1, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 5)
#952 — Hope, Source Point Press, May 2019.
When you think superhero comics, Dirk Manning is not a name you’d associate with the genre. Yet the writer of the sensational horror tales contained in Nightmare World and other cool comics has me convinced that he can pen any kind of stories he wants to and make them as compelling as anything else you’ll find at your local comic shop. Hope #1 came out as a Free Comic Book Day offering, and if you didn’t get this one, you probably want to see if you can find a copy somewhere. Yes, I liked it that much. It’s a different kind of superhero comic, and in the first issue he puts the hero in a situation that will surprise you and have you screaming that you need issue 2, and you need it now! Also, K. Lynn Smith’s art perfectly captures the mood. The facial expressions are spot on, allowing the reader to really feel the emotions of the characters. I “Hope” you can find yourself a copy if you missed out on FCBD. The cover price of Hope #1 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#953 — Muppet Babies #3, Star Comics (an imprint of Marvel), September 1985.
From the time I was a boy and first saw the Gene Kelly movie Jack and the Beanstalk, I’ve had a bit of a fascination with the legend. Have you ever seen that particular movie? Part cartoon, part live-action, it’s also a musical, and when I was young, it was magical. I still have the soundtrack and often get one of the songs stuck in my head. Thoughts of that old film came to mind while reading this issue of Muppet Babies, because as you can see from the cover, we get the Muppet version of what might happen if a giant beanstalk led to a land of giants above the clouds. If you’re looking to get some comic books for young readers, you may want to find some discount boxes and do a little digging, because I found this old gem for just a quarter. It seems like everyone loves the Muppets, and when you combine it with a favorite old tale, you’re bound to make some young readers happy. The cover of Muppet Babies #3 is 65¢, while the current value is $5.
Cool Comics Classics
#954 — G.I. Combat #247, DC, November 1982.
Yes, it’s D-Day, so in honor of those who braved the beaches of Normandy (and let us not forget the paratroopers and pilots, along with all the ships and their crews involved…Operation Overlord was a massive undertaking, and if you don’t know much about it, you should take some time to learn the actual cost of freedom), we salute you with this issue of G.I. Combat. The classic comic starts off with The Haunted Tank in “Hitchhikers to Hell,” written by Robert Kanigher and illustrated by Sam Glanzman. Next up is The Mercenaries (Soldiers of Fortune) in “Blood Money,” again written by Robert Kanigher, with art by Vic Catan, Jr. This is followed by Act of War, which tosses a little Shakespeare our way. It’s written by George Kashdan with pencils by Luis Dominguez. Of course we also get a war spy story, as OSS Super-Spy tells of “The First Kamikaze,” again written by Robert Kanigher and art by Eufronio Reyes Cruz. In closing, we are presented with another Haunted Tank story, this one titled “Dog Tag for a Ghost,” once more written by Robert Kanigher and penciled by Dick Ayers. I’m a fan of anthology style comic books, so if you like to get the complete story in one sitting, and you appreciate military comic books, you can’t go wrong with this title. The cover price of G.I. Combat #247 is $1, while the current value is $16.
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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Views: 278
Spector says
How about Comic book Wizard in training? You are doing a fine and apt job as a commentator/historian, or whatever title fits the bill regardless.
That FCBD Hope book was such a terrific read, I did not put it down once I started reading it. I expect the character/book to do well in the direction that it is going.
Love those big DC dollar books! A lot of bang for the buck. Even though the current value is around $16, I think it is a solid investment. Still a low price for the size and age of the book that you get. One day (maybe another 20 years from now), collectors will be scammering around to find high grade copies of these.
Ed Gosney says
Spector, I truly appreciate the kind words and support! I do what I do for readers like you.
I’m glad to hear that you also picked up Hope. It will be interesting to see where it goes from here.
Yes, those DC dollar books are pretty awesome! I’m sure that there are collectors out there trying to get their hands on every one published.
Atom says
Comic Book Commentator. . .I like it!
Your Cool Comic Classic this week hit me right in my Bronze Age comic love sweet spot! G.I. Combat is one of my favorite series of them all, and when I see “Haunted Tank, Robert Kanigher, and Sam Glanzman” in the same sentence, I don’t need to know anything else. . . I want to read that comic! Those dollar books are PACKED with stories and well worth picking up.
BUT. . .
You’re making me feel sorta old calling a comic from 1982 a “classic”.
Just kidding, thanks for another great post and for keepin’ comics fun!
Ed Gosney says
Atom, I agree that 1982 doesn’t seem that long ago, so how could a comic from that period be considered a classic? How many decades old is that? I don’t want to think about it, so I’ll just ignore it and read some more comics.