Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 228, 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 228…
Cool Comics News!
Are you a reader of comic book magazines? Not black and white comics, but publications that give fans the inside scoop on their favorite characters, interviews with creators, and sometimes price guides. I remember when I started my third phase of collecting in 1993 and was excited to discover Wizard, then Hero Illustrated, and a few more I tried out. Today, I read Back Issue magazine and sometimes Alter Ego. I also tend to buy back issues of…well…Back Issue when I find them at decent prices. Do you have a favorite comic book magazine, past or present?
This episode we bring both Green Lantern and Green Arrow to Cool Comics! Okay, maybe not in the way that you were thinking, but sometimes we just need to lighten up the mood, right?
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is The Tick versus The Green Lantern! 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 Creations!
This episode’s creation comes to us from Ed Griffie, a lifelong comic book fan who started drawing Kawaii and Chibi style versions of pop culture icons and superheroes about five years ago. Through Facebook, his work came to the attention of Daniel Hare, the owner of vintage toy and comic book store The Toys Time Forgot, who offered him a guest spot at Free Comic Book Day. Since then, Ed has been a regular at local conventions and comic book stores, where he offers bookmarks, coloring pages, trading cards, and color prints featuring his unique artwork. You can check out his full catalog of work at toonist27.deviantart.com, or contact him at edgriffiejr@gmail.com to commission an original piece of your very own.
You can have a piece of your art featured right here in Cool Comics Creations! For details about submitting, see Cool Comics News! in episode 224.
Cool Comics In My Collection
Contemporary Cool Comics
#1157 — Weapon Plus: World War IV #1, Marvel, March 2020.
I remember some of the reactions a few months back when this comic was solicited; people were upset that Ted Sallis, the Man-Thing, was depicted this way. And out of my own curiosity and taking into consideration that I’ve been buying the Weapon Plus comics, I made sure to get this issue. At the time I decided to put it on my Previews order, I didn’t think about whether or not it would be included in Cool Comics, but a couple weeks ago when I gazed into my crystal ball to see what would be coming out that I could use for Contemporary Cool Comics, I decided to pencil it in…hoping that it wouldn’t really offend anyone. When I sat down to read it last week, it made me a little nervous when I saw the words “PARENTAL ADVISORY” on the cover. I guess when you take a look at the cover and see the weapon this guy is wielding, it’s no wonder they issued a warning! Yes, there is some violence, but I don’t think it’s anything “Wertham Worthy,” so to speak (well, maybe there is, depending on how you view things…so keep it away from the kiddos!). And for those of you who are concerned about poor Ted, rest assured, because this isn’t what you think (I’m trying to avoid spoilers). Personally, I found this to be a fascinating story and wonder if we’ll be seeing more in the near future. This issue also contains another tale, Activate: Project Brute Force. Some of you may be familiar with the original mini-series from 1990. If you are a fan, check this out. The cover price of Weapon Plus: World War IV #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is $5 and is listed as the Key of the week.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1158 — Shogun Warriors #2, Marvel, March 1979.
Shogun Warriors, anyone? The toys came out when I was at an age of looking more towards accumulating records and cassette tapes, and I had stopped my comic book buying in 1978 so that I could afford to buy the music, along with trips to Dairy Queen with my buddies. Admittedly, I’m not a big fan of giant robots, but at the same time, I got a “big” kick out of reading this Bronze Age beauty. Shogun Warriors #2—and I think for most, if not all, of the short-lived comic series—is written by Doug Moench, while Herb Trimpe did the pencils. Perhaps the best part of this purchase is the fact that I grabbed it out of the quarter bin (which has grown tremendously at Kenmore Komics & Games…go check them out if you can!), paying less than the original cost. And who doesn’t like a bargain? Were you, or are you, a fan? The cover price of Shogun Warriors #2 is 35¢, while the current values are $10 on CBR and $5 on ZKC.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 40)
#1159 — The Tick, New England Comics Press, June 2019.
Back in 1994, when I was just about a year into my third phase of comic book collecting, The Tick became a Saturday morning cartoon. Comics from the Nineties may get much maligned, but there were some really cool cartoons in those days. I knew absolutely nothing about the character, but my wife (who was expecting our first child at this time) and I had a blast with this irreverent look at superheroes. Yet as much as I liked the cartoon, it didn’t move me to buy many issues. I have a Tick: Big Halloween Special in my collection, but aside from that, Free Comic Book Day titles are the only other ones I own. I guess in my comic book world, a little Tick goes a long way. I really like them while reading the stories, but it turns out to be enough for the time being. Some of you probably know just what I mean. The cover price of The Tick is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1160 — Mickey Mouse #207, Whitman, August 1980.
Many of the Western Publishing comics that came under the Gold Key banner have the Whitman logo instead, as they typically were reprints. But this issue is strictly Whitman. Why? If Western is the publisher, why did some end up switching names like that? Obviously, I don’t know all the particulars, but I do know many of the Whitman comics came polybagged with three assorted issues, and often they have higher values because of lower print runs. And I think this issue is one of those. The story itself is a fun adventure called “The Lost Mine of Misery Mountains,” in which we witness Goofy sell off his house when he finds three quarters of a map that he’s sure will lead him to untold wealth. It was originally published in 1956 and is a lot of fun for fans of the Mouse. The next story in this issue is “Run-Around Rock-Hounds,” which dates from 1957. If you’re building a kids comic library, you can’t go wrong with Mickey Mouse, so regardless of what the values on these may be in today’s market, don’t give up hope of discovering your own comic book riches in quarter bins, which is where I fished this one from. The cover price of Mickey Mouse #207 is 40¢, while the current value is $85.
Cool Comics Classics
#1161 — Green Lantern #68, DC, April 1969.
Some readers may remember that many moons ago, I told you about a local comic shop in Akron, Ohio, that had an amazing dollar sale, and you guessed it, that’s how much I paid for this copy of Green Lantern #68. When you can find classics like this for a dollar, it’s a no-brainer to make the purchase, right? But I must confess that my relationship with Hal Jordan has never been on the best of terms. The most consecutive issues I’ve bought of Green Lantern came in the Nineties, when Hal went off the deep end and killed a bunch of people. And from that storyline we got Kyle Rayner, a Green Lantern I liked. John Stewart is okay, but I haven’t read many stories with him, so I don’t have a good feel for the character. Then we’ve got Guy Gardner, who I like better as Warrior, and Alan Scott from the Golden Age. Not to mention the Green Lantern Corps and all those alien Green Lanterns. The history is vast, no doubt. I think one of the things I like the most about this issue is its age. I really enjoy getting opportunities to read through these older comics, and that experience was more than worth my dollar. The cover price of Green Lantern #68 is 12¢, while the current values are $100 on CBR and $45 on ZKC.
Recently Read Digital Comics
Star Wars: Darth Vader #1 just came out yesterday, and yes, now that I’m back to reading Star Wars comics I made sure to pick it up at the local comic shop. And over the weekend I finished the digital edition Star Wars: Darth Vader Vol. 1: Vader, which collects issues 1-6. I guess my life is going to the dark side! As I mentioned in a previous episode, I didn’t buy any of the first series of Star Wars comics that Marvel issued once they regained the license. Lucky me, though, in discovering that Amazon Prime Reading has lots of digital collections of Star Wars…and not just the newer series that started in 2015, but lots and lots of old stuff, too. If you’re a fan and a Prime member, and you’ve been itching to try out digital comics, times couldn’t be better for you! Packed with 142 electronic pages of story, this series is set just after Star Wars: A New Hope. There are some fun reveals and new characters to discover, such as Doctor Aphra (who gets her own series…and some of her collections are on Amazon Prime, too!). I know it’s going to take me a while to get many of these read with all my other reading, but it’s always nice to having something fun waiting in the wings.
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 United 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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How is that person on that last page of Darth Vader #1? Clone? Body double? Droid? Hallucination? Come to think of it, who was that at the end of Star Wars #2?
My favorite era of Green Lantern is the Geoff Johns era. The Englehart era of the mid 1980s is also a contender.
Great questions, Action Ace, on the Star Wars comics! I’m looking forward to the answers.
I didn’t read the Geoff Johns Green Lantern series, but maybe someday…
Thanks for being an important part of Cool Comics!
I agree that the Tick is great. . .in small doses. Sort of like Lobo. I guess that’s my take on most humor-based superheroes out there.
Green Lantern and the vast amount of lore and continuity surrounding the Green Lantern Corps make it the DC title most like Marvel, in my extremely humble opinion. That’s probably why GL is my least favorite DC character. I don’t mind Green Lantern in small doses, but I’ve just never been able to get into the whole Lantern Corps saga. But that’s just one man’s opinion! That said. . .the cover on that issue is great! Is that Neal Adams? It looks like Adams. One of my favorite Bronze Age artists.
I think Action Ace is talking about the cliffhanger at the end of the NEW Darth Vader series. . .and it’s a doozy! It definitely has me waiting for the next issue! Marvel has been swinging for the fences with their Star Wars comics.
Thanks for another great post and thanks for keeping comics fun!
Atom, at the bottom left corner you can barely see Gil Kane’s name at the bottom of that Green Lantern cover. You really need to see a larger picture to read it. If you’re using a PC, you can click on the image above and it will give you a close-up.
I read that new Darth Vader #1 also, and issue 2 should prove to be very interesting. Can’t wait to read it!
Thanks for being an important part of Cool Comics!
Ah, Gil Kane. I see it now. I’m not a big fan of his art, but I really like that cover!
That cliffhanger in Darth Vader looks like the sort of thing that’s either going to be really good or really bad, with no middle ground. Either way, I can’t wait for next issue!