It’s Monster Mash Time at Cool Comics In My Collection!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 214, 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 (except for 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. And for those who enjoy the additional fun of knowing some of the more important issues in your collection, I recognize each Cool Comic that is listed in Key Collector Comics

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 214…

Cool Comics News!

For those of you who don’t care for scary or monster comics, take heart, because today is Halloween, which means that October draws to a close and Cool Comics won’t be featuring as many horror titles until…next October! And if you aren’t a fan of the frightening, I still hope you enjoy the other comics featured in this issue that aren’t so scary. By the way, if you’re going to Akron Comicon this Saturday, you may see me wondering around in a Cool Comics In My Collection shirt, so make sure to say hi.

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Casper versus Scooby-Doo! 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

#1074 — Marauders #1, Marvel, December 2019.

If you’re an X-fan, then you’ll appreciate that my coverage of Dawn of X didn’t end with last episode’s X-Men #1…but if you’re not a fan of Marvel’s Merry Mutants, just remember that there are other cool issues covered in each edition of the Internet’s favorite weekly comic site (it’s okay to dream, right?). This is the first issue of the X-Revamping by architect Jonathan Hickman that is written by someone else, with that writer being Gerry Duggan (and art by Matteo Lolli). If you are a fan of Kitty Pryde and Lockheed, not to mention Storm, Nightcrawler, Iceman, Wolverine, Emma Frost, Bishop, and Pyro, then give this series a try. It’s a bit different from what’s gone on so far, with the catalyst being that for some reason, Kitty Pryde is unable to traverse Krakoa’s portals. And if that sounds confusing, then start with House of X and Powers of X when the collection is published. The cover price of Marauders #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is $5.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#1075 — Simon Dark #10, DC, September 2008.

This is it, fearless readers, the last issue ever (probably…but one never knows these things for certain, right?) of Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap! Next week Cool Comics introduces a new category, so we bid a fond farewell to this part of Cool Comics that’s been with us for many months. And since it’s Halloween, I wanted to get something a little on the spooky side out of 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), and when I saw “THE DEMON PLAGUE!” scrawled across the top of this comic, that was good enough for me. Going into this comic, I’ll be the first to admit that the name Simon Dark is not one I’m familiar with. It came out five years after I’d quit my third phase of comic collecting, and I’ve never seen anything about it anywhere else. Perhaps you’re a fan and were sorry it didn’t last. I’ll say this, it’s sort of creepy, which made it a good pick for Halloween week. The cover price of Simon Dark #10 is $2.99, while the current value is $3.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 26)

#1076 — Casper’s Spooksville #1, American Mythology Productions, May 2019.

Each May when I get my set of Free Comic Book Day issues, I check them out to see if there are any that fit well for certain times of the year. And there are always several that work well for October. And while I could have used something spookier in this episode, such as Vampirella, which I used in last week’s episode, Halloween doesn’t have to be just horror. If you’ve had the experience of Trick or Treating as a kid, you possibly started at a pretty young age. And during those more innocent years, we often preferred our spooks to be a little less lethal, and Casper fits the bill nicely. If you’re old enough, you may remember watching cartoons about the Friendly Ghost, and if that’s the case, I hope this FCBD issue brings you some great memories. I appreciate companies such as American Mythology Productions that remind us that comics are for both kids and adults. The cover price of Casper’s Spooksville is free, while the current value is $1.

Cool Comics Kids

#1077 — Scooby-Doo 50^th Anniversary Giant #1, DC, November 2019.

My favorite Halloween memories are of when I was young and when my kids were young. Sure, it’s fun to be older and less afraid to watch scary movies, but the magic of dressing up like someone or something else and getting free candy for minimal work is hard to beat. And with that line of thinking, it makes perfect sense to feature this special 50^th edition of Scooby-Doo for our Cool Comics Kids Halloween entry. If you bought this issue at your local comic shop, you have a different cover, because I grabbed mine at Walmart. From what I can tell, that’s the only difference in the comics, but I haven’t really kept up with what’s going on in the world of DC 100-Page Giant Walmart exclusive editions that are now also selling at comic shops…so maybe the only thing exclusive are the covers. This comic is perfect for younger readers during October, as it contains nine stories, with the first three being completely new (and you guessed it, the last six stories are reprints…but since I’m not a regular reader, they were all new to me). This was a fun read that you may just want to get for the kids in your life (or yourself). The cover price of Scooby-Doo 50^th Anniversary Giant #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

Cool Comics Classics

#1078 — Supernatural Thrillers #1, Marvel, December 1972.

A few weeks ago, I decided to flip through some back issues of horror titles at my local comic shop. It was early October, and while I have plenty of good scary stuff I can use during the month, I found the first issue of Supernatural Thrillers at a great price and couldn’t resist. The story, by Roy Thomas, is adapted from a piece of short fiction by Theodore Sturgeon, a name familiar to many readers of Science Fiction, Horror, and Fantasy, and features a swamp creature. Again. At last count, I’ve had four swamp creatures in Cool Comics since episode 159: Swamp Thing, Man-Thing, the Lurker of the Swamp from The Occult Files of Dr. Spektor, and now It (“The Thing That Couldn’t Die!” according to the cover). So the question for the day is, has anyone ever dressed up like a swamp creature for Halloween? If you have, please let us know in the comments! The cover price of Supernatural Thrillers #1 is 20¢, while the current values are $45 on CBR and $30 on ZKC.

#1079 — Frankenstein #1, Marvel, January 1973.

This is a comic I’d wanted to get for a while now. First issues are always cool to have (especially when it’s a series you really like), and having read the collected digital edition of Frankenstein, I wanted to have the original #1. But at a good price. I’d seen it for around $100, but I didn’t want to go that high. Then, at a small show this past Summer, I found a fairly nice copy for just $18, and faster than you could shout, “It’s alive!” it was mine, and I knew I’d use it for this Halloween episode. For some reason, Marvel, in the indicia (the fine print that tells you about the issue and publisher), calls this comic “Frankenstein.” Yet on the cover it’s listed as “The Monster of Frankenstein.” Which is more technically correct, as far as the story goes. Later, the cover listed it as “The Frankenstein Monster.” Go figure. But Frankenstein is all you need to call it, according to the fine print. More important is that this feels like a continuation of Mary Shelly’s novel, and if you like the original, you may find that you love this comic as much as I do. This first issue is written by Gary Friedrich and drawn by Mike Ploog, but for its mere 18 issues, Frankenstein ended up with several different creators. The cover price of Frankenstein #1 is 20¢, while the current values are $125 on CBR and $60 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/

Never Miss an Episode of Cool Comics!

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