Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 196, 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 these cool comics!
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.
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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 196…
Cool Comics News!
I was able to attend my first show of the season on Sunday, the Akron-Canton Comic Con. After making some great purchases (some of which you’ll see here in future episodes!), I had lunch at Hamburger Station in Akron, Ohio, with some other like-minded comic book aficionados. What shows have you gone to this year? Tell us about it in the comments section below!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Nomad versus The Huntress! 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
#967 — Uncanny X-Men #22, Marvel, August 2019.
In the Seventies I paid no attention at all to the X-Men. Then, in 1982 when I started my Second Phase of comic book reading and collecting, a friend recommended The Uncanny X-Men, and for the short time I got comic books that year, I started to understand why people loved them. After that, it took me a little over ten years to come back to comics, and when I did, I went X-Men crazy and started reading not only Uncanny, but also X-Factor, X-Force, Excalibur, Generation X, and just plain old X-Men. And let us not forget all the Age of Apocalypse twisted X-Men titles. I had boxes upon boxes of X-Men. When I thought I was finished with the hobby once and for all in 2010, I sold nearly every X title I had. The year 2017 saw me start buying new comics again, but this time I stayed away from X-titles…for a while. Nowadays it seems the thing for Marvel to do is to keep on killing mutants, along with putting a bunch of them in alternate realities or whatever it’s supposed to be (there were too many titles and I’m not reading them). Now the current run on Uncanny X-Men is coming to a close, and Jonathan Hickman, a writer I’m unfamiliar with due to my absence from comics from 2003 until 2017, is back and taking over everything X. Will that bring an end to all the deaths? Will those who were thought dead spring back to life (how shocking that a comic book would do such a thing!)? I’ll be interested to see what happens. Meanwhile, in current continuity, being a mutant is a very dangerous thing. The cover price of Uncanny X-Men #20 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap
#968 — Nomad #4, Marvel, February 1991.
When you look up Nomad on Wikipedia, it’s a little disconcerting to see just how many Marvel characters have gone by that codename over the decades. The Nomad from this comic, Jack Monroe, is considered to be the most familiar of the five, but for me, when I hear the name Nomad, I always think of the time Steve Rogers tossed aside his role as Captain America and became the hero known as Nomad. By the way, the Captain America to Nomad story took place during my favorite comic era, the Seventies, and that’s reason enough that he’s the Nomad who pops into my mind. This particular issue, #4, 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), and of course it’s the last of a short 4-issue run, so I was pretty lost as to what was going on. And yes, as the cover shows us, Captain America pops in for a quick cup of coffee with his pal who took over his old name. The cover price of Nomad #4 is $1.50, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 8)
#969 — Striker Force 7, Graphic India Pte, May 2019.
Cristiano Ronaldo is a superhero! While there may be thousands…nay, millions, around the world who get excited over this prospect, I guess I’m not one of them. Why? Because I don’t watch soccer. Yes, this is a soccer player who fights crime. In a comic book, not real life. The inside cover tells us that Cristiano was a co-creator of this concept for Striker Force 7, and aside from this Free Comic Book Day issue, I’ll probably never read another panel of a Striker Force 7 comic. I’m not saying this to be mean or that the comic was bad, but it’s not my thing. Which makes me wonder how many soccer fans actually like comic books. Because if every soccer fan on the face of the planet were to buy a regular issue of this title (I don’t think an ongoing series or graphic novel exists, yet), the company would be living large. If you are a fan of this soccer superstar, you’ll probably want to get a copy of this FCBD issue just to have it. The cover price of Striker Force 7 is free, while the current value is $0.
Cool Comics Kids
#970 — Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #437, Gold Key/Whitman, February 1977.
This is another Gold Key (but my copy is under the “Whitman” banner) anthology classic featuring Disney. And when it comes to getting comic books for little ones, it’s hard to go wrong with Disney. The only complaint kids today might have is a lack of interest and/or knowledge of some of these characters. Sure, they know those ice girls, that cool kid Coco, and even the beast and his friend, beauty, but do they know Scamp? And just how familiar are they with Donald Duck and his Uncle Scrooge? Oh yeah, Thumper and Chip ‘N’ Dale also have a story in this comic book. And it finishes up with Goofy and Mickey, and surely kids today know those two…I hope. But whether they do or don’t know these older creations, this funnybook presents a great opportunity to show them off to a younger generation. I found my copy in a quarter bin, which made it cheaper than the cover price! Good luck finding one to add to your growing Cool Comics Kids collection. The cover price of Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #437 is 30¢, while the current value is $14.
Cool Comics Classics
#971 — The Huntress #1, DC, April 1989.
The July edition of Back Issue magazine (No. 113), paid special tribute to the 30th Anniversary of Tim Burton’s Batman movie. When they do that, most articles link back to the theme, and as I read Flashback: Bat-Legacy: The Huntress, it brought to mind that I happened to have a copy of The Huntress #1 in my magical filing cabinet of unread comic books. Did I have any other choice than to put it on my priority read list? I think not, and I’m sure the majority of you agree that the timing was fitting. Though this series started between comic book collecting phases for me, I was fortunate enough to snag it out of a quarter box several months ago (I’ve found absolute gold in quarter boxes over the years, and look forward to showing you more here in the future). Written by Joey Cavalieri and with pencils by Joe Staton, I know I enjoyed this issue so much more after having read the article in Back Issue. I loved this introduction to the Helena Bertinelli version of the Huntress, and if you are a fan, this is a great issue to have in your collection. The cover price of The Huntress #1 is $1, while the current value is $12.
#972 — The Grim Ghost #1, Atlas/Seaboard, January 1975.
As constant Cool Comics readers are well aware, back in March I started becoming infatuated with the old Atlas/Seaboard comics from the mid-Seventies. I never bought any at the time but do remember seeing some on the shelves at the stores of my childhood comic haunts. And a couple weeks ago, two different Facebook groups posted this YouTube video (click it and watch…I promise we’ll still be here when you come back) of The Grim Ghost, and since I was able to snag a copy of this issue, I knew it was time to read it. There are some out there who don’t think much of Atlas Comics, and that’s okay. We like what we like, right? But now that I’ve read three of them, I have to say that I’ve enjoyed the experience so far. After an intro to the title character, we travel back to 1743 and witness a highwayman who takes what he wants, when he wants, including the lives of innocent citizens. Though he thinks himself quite clever, he ends up getting caught in a trap, and Mr. 
Dunsinane is executed and soon finds himself face-to-face with Satan! Though I rarely include panels here at Cool Comics, I just had to show you this big moment when reality hits home for the highwayman (click the image for a larger view). The cover price of The Grim Ghost is 25¢, while the current value is $20.
Recently Read Digital Comics
Aquaman: A Celebration of 75 Years contains 20 issues that swim through the decades with the king of the seas. Last December both Amazon and comiXology (Amazon is the parent company of the two) ran some downright “can’t beat” sales on these ultra-thick DC anniversary specials. The regular price of this 394-page Aquaman beauty is $29.99, and I paid just $4.99. You read that correctly, I paid just $4.99. I know that many of you out there prefer to hold the actual comic books in your hands, providing you with tactile and olfactory experiences that are hard to beat. Yet I was able to purchase a boatload of these anniversary titles in digital for the price of less than two of the hardcovers. Reading on my tablet allows for lots of flexibility, both when traveling and wherever and however I sit or rest in my bed when reading. The issues making up this collection are from Adventure Comics, Justice League of America, and of course, Aquaman titles. If you’re a fan, there’s a chance you already have many of the these in your collection, but you still may want to relive the memories with this giant tribute to Aquaman.
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: 384
Like you I didn’t pick up on the x-men until the early 80’s. I saw #169 on the spinner rack at the supermarket and was curious. I read about the half the issue standing there as I couldn’t put it down, and ended up starting about a 30 issue run from there.
I do have some of the newer books from the 2000s picked up in a big lot buy, but haven’t made my way around to reading them just yet…so thank you for the review here. The X-men have always been interesting characters over the years, and had some great story arcs. Looks like a new one is around the horizon as well…
I always thought the Huntress was a cool character, but I don’t know enough about her to weigh in on the battle this week. I did read the first issue of the Nomad book and enjoyed it, so the review is appreciated, as well as the Huntress book.
Really love that Grim Ghost book. I am sure I mentioned it to you before, but that is one book that I replaced in my collection over the past 6 months or so. Great story and art. I do remember reading something not too long ago that a movie company bought the rights to some (or all) of the Atlas books/characters and supposedly, there are some movies to become of them. I expect some heavier interest in these Atlas titles once more has been announced.
Spector, Paramount is the studio involved with the Atlas movies…if they happen. If they do them right, it could be fun.
It sounds like you have the same situation I have, more comics than you can read, from the sounds of your X-Men lot purchase. The chase is most certainly a big part of the fun.
As always, thanks so much for reading, and your comments are very appreciated!
Hi! Thanks for posting my video in your article. I almost made it to the Akron Canton Comic Con myself…I was planning to go but when Saturday rolled, I just wasn’t up for it (health issues). Anyway, The Grim Ghost is a very cool hero. The Atlas line has at least four or five characters that can be turned into great movies. Demon Hunter, The Scorpion, Targitt, The Brute, Wulf, as well as Grim Ghost could be awesome. I think the success of these movies really fall on the writer’s room which is actually headed by an Oscar Winning Screenwriter.
Darrin, I’m really enjoying your videos. I’ve watched just 8 so far, but plan on watching them all. I don’t want to rush it, but just enjoy each experience! I appreciate that you’ve taken the time to capture this part of comic book history and lore. And I hope the movies do well!
Maybe we’ll meet up someday at a future con! Thanks for reading and your comments, as they’re most appreciated.