Houses both Sinister & Haunted, Spawn, & the Dread Count Duckula!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 212, 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 here, I list the current secondary market pricing (with the exception of digital issues, which don’t have collectible value). This is according to the websites ComicBookRealm.com (CBR) and Zap-Kapow Comics (ZKC), using the comic book grading scale of 9.4 (if both sites have the same price, you’ll find just one price for that issue). Not all my comics meet that grade. Some are probably better, and some are certainly worse. But to simplify it, that’s the 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 212…

Cool Comics News!

In case you missed this from last week’s episode:

Want to win a pair of one-day passes to The Akron Comicon? Who wouldn’t, right? So how do you enter? First, you need to join the Cool Comics In My Collection Facebook Group, because that’s where the contest is taking place. Then look for it in the announcements (and note that the deadline to enter is Saturday, October 26, noon EST). Once there, all you have to do is write one little sentence in the comments, and you’ll be entered in the drawing! Cool Comics wants to give a big thanks to the owners of The Akron Comicon for this awesome prize!

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Spawn versus zombified Deadpool! 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

#1061 — Secrets of Sinister House #1, DC, December 2019.

One of the secrets of Cool Comics…oops, sorry, this is supposed to be about the Secrets of Sinister House, not the boring aspects of how I go about writing my blog each week. But while we’re on the subject, I’ll just mention that I plan out a couple episodes ahead, or at least to the extent that I can until I see what contemporary comics are being released over the next couple of Wednesdays. And the gist of this? Secrets of Sinister House #1 was not on my pull list at my local comic shop and was a last-minute decision to buy and use here. I love these October-themed issues, but this one comes with a hefty price tag. Yet after thinking it over, I decided to grab this one, because I typically love these anthology comics. And while some of the stories were far better than others, it was worth it. We get tales with a vampiric Batman, the Atom, Harley Quinn, Zatanna, Martian Manhunter, John Constantine, and more. But my favorite was one in which a family moves into a spooky old house in a cryptic story called, “House of the Dead.” This one felt just right for the season, and I’m not going to reveal any more about it in case you haven’t read this comic yet…if you were fortunate enough to find a copy. The cover price of Secrets of Sinister House #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10.

#1062 — Spawn #301, Image, October 2019.

Sometime in 1993, when I entered my third phase of comic book collecting, I found out about Image Comics. I decided I needed to see for myself what this upstart comic book company was all about, so I bought a lot of the early issues of many of the titles, but I stuck with Spawn the longest. I had to search comic shops in the Atlanta area to find the first several issues, since it had started publishing in 1992, but I eventually did, and I read the title up through # 34. I no longer have those issues, and Spawn hasn’t been on my radar for long time. Yet I knew issue #300 had released, and that the next one, #301, would be a record-breaker for a creator-owned title. I still didn’t think I’d pick it up, and when I went to my comic shop last week, they didn’t have any on the shelves. But the day after, I was in another comic shop in downtown Akron, Ohio, because my wife now has some crafts selling at the shop, and we were dropping them off, when one lone Spawn #301 (with a variant cover…there were lots of variant covers) happened to catch my eye. I decided that since it was the only one left, I’d purchase it just to revisit Todd McFarlane’s creation, with no intention of putting it in Cool Comics. Yet after reading it, I knew it belonged, especially so since we’re in the month of October. Spawn is still very much a popular character, and this record-breaking issue is further proof of why. The cover price of Spawn #301 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

#1063 — Marvel Zombies 3 #1, Marvel, December 2008.

I missed out on Marvel Zombies 1 and Marvel Zombies 2…and also this third series (and let us not forget MZ4, MZ5, and in 2015, what amounts to MZ6), as these were published during one of my comic book sabbaticals. But quarter bin diving has its rewards, and I found this lone copy while searching through hundreds of deeply discounted comic books. Also pretty cool is that I snagged one with a variant edition cover. When I think of Marvel Zombies, I think of Simon Garth, and my knowledge of him is extremely limited. I remember seeing publications featuring him during the Seventies (particularly those old Curtis black and white magazine-sized comics), but back then I didn’t have any interest in zombies. Speaking of which, does anyone remember the old Kolchak: The Night Stalker episode that featured a zombie? It was episode 2, airing on September 20, 1974 (I used the Internet…my memory isn’t that good!), and I was less then a month away from turning twelve. It was creepy, but not Night of the Living Dead or The Walking Dead creepy. But do you know what’s really creepy? A zombified Deadpool. Or any infected heroes and villains. This was a fun October read, and I’ll be keeping my eyes opened (as long as I can keep the ghouls at bay!) for more Marvel Zombies issues when I go digging into the world of old and used comic books. The cover price of Marvel Zombies 3 #1 is $3.99, while the current value for the variant cover issue is $5.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#1064 — Ultimate X #3, Marvel, August 2010.

Are you a fan of Marvel’s Ultimate line? I was when it first started, back at the turn of the century, but since then I sold my collection. As it turns out, a few showed up in my legendary longbox (over a year ago, I bought a longbox that was stuffed with 419 comic books for just $20; hence, Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap), including this issue of Ultimate X. I decided to select this one for this episode because the cover is kind of creepy, which matches the rest of our Halloween décor, but to be honest, it’s not really a horror comic, and I’m running out of scary themes in the longbox. The story is pretty good from what I could tell (keep in mind that I didn’t read the first two issues in this series, and have no idea what was going on in the Ultimate line during 2010), which should come as no surprise since Jeph Loeb is the writer. And speaking of my legendary longbox, I’m very close to ending this weekly section of my blog (you know, the whole “Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap” bit). I have one picked out for next week’s episode, but after that, I might start my new category earlier than I anticipated. It just feels like this category has run it’s course, and I’m excited to start the new one. The cover price of Ultimate X #3 is $3.99, while the current values are $4 on CBR and $5 on ZKC.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 24)

#1065 — Our Favorite Thing is My Favorite Thing is Monsters, Fantagraphics Books, May 2019.

This has to be one of the longest titles for a comic book out there, doesn’t it? I’m sure there are some longer ones, but still…This Free Comic Book Day issue is a new chapter of Emil Ferris’s My Favorite Thing Is Monsters graphic novel, so if you’ve read it or own it, this is a FCBD offering that you don’t want to miss. I have not read the aforementioned graphic novel, but still enjoyed this strange look at life through the eyes of 10-year-old Karen Reyes, a monster fan. And a funny happenstance from real life somewhat relates to this, as last month my wife and I, while visiting our son at Ohio University, decided to take a quick side trip to Point Pleasant, West Virginia, where the legendary Mothman was first sighted. They have a statue and a little museum, and we had some extra time on our hands. And it turns out that it was the Mothman festival weekend, and the place was packed with true believers. Which absolutely makes for a better story. Anyway, Karen Reyes seems to really dig the Mothman in this comic, so that made it all the more fun for me. Keep in mind that this comic is rated M for Mature. The cover price of Our Favorite Thing is My Favorite Thing is Monsters is free, while the current values are $2 on CBR and $1 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Kids

#1066 — Count Duckula #2, Marvel, January 1989.

I’m guessing there are a handful of you out there who are familiar with Count Duckula, and while I’d heard of it, I’ve never seen it. Or, in this case, read it (it started off as a cartoon). Yet while digging around in quarter bins a couple months ago, I struck Count Duckula gold and came away with a handful of issues, this one being the earliest in the series. And really, it’s not bad to start with #2 in a series like this. As loyal Cool Comics readers know, I’m turning into quite the Disney Duck guy, and I like Daffy too (and I guess I should throw in a good word for Howard!). But would I like Count Duckula? I mean, it’s aimed towards kids, right? That’s why it’s part of Cool Comics Kids. The first story is called, “Mayhem on the Disorient Express,” and as soon as I saw the title, I figured it would be at least kind of fun, since it was parodying Agatha Christie. And frankly, I got way more than I bargained for, as this was smart, funny, and just plain entertaining, even to an adult. If you’re looking to build a comic book library for the kids in your life, this is most certainly one to consider. The cover price of Count Duckula #2 is $1, while the current values are $5 on CBR and $4 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Classics

#1067 — Secrets of Haunted House #1, DC, May 1975.

Being in the right place at the right time helps when you love to find classic comics that only set you back some pocket change. Such was the case with this first issue of the DC horror title Secrets of Haunted House, which I found a few weeks ago while rooting around in a quarter bin at my local comic shop. To be honest, it’s not in good condition, but it’s good enough for me. The comic has hosts (or guides, if you will) named Cain, Abel, Eve, and Destiny (you may be familiar with them), who we see at the beginning and end, with their own little adventure. Sandwiched in between are two scary stories, with the second getting a one panel intro by Cain. And just before we join them again at the end, we are treated to a one-pager called Witch’s Tails by Sergio Aragonés. The stories were fun in a nostalgic sense of recapturing that childhood period in my life during the mid-Seventies, while the ads helped provide further evidence that the Bronze Age has the most meaning to me. The cover price of Secrets of Haunted House #1 is 25¢, while the current values are $80 on CBR and $85 on ZKC.

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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