Robin Turns 80, Manhunter’s on the Loose, & Nova Blasts Off!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 235, 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

If you have any comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a Reply.” And now, Episode 235…

Cool Comics News!

Dr. Omnibus, the writer of our new Cool Collected Editions segment of the blog, is offering a chance for one of our newsletter subscribers to win all three trade paperback volumes of The Umbrella Academy (free U.S. shipping…if you are international and want to enter, you pay the shipping). So if you aren’t signed up, make sure you do it now before you miss out! Then, sometime during the week of April 20, we’ll send out a special newsletter announcement that will be your gateway to entering the contest!

Free Comic Book Day postponed! You’ve probably already heard this news, but if not, I’m sure it doesn’t surprise you. Besides our battle with this worldwide pandemic, businesses are facing difficult times, and the comic book industry, though full of heroes both real and fictional, is no exception. Some comic shops are setting up opportunities for you to purchase gift cards to help them out in the interim, along with shipping comics, or hand delivering, or offering curbside service, but the fact is that even Diamond and their workers are being affected, so new comics are on a hiatus. Some of us have lots of unread comics at home, while others out there may be digging around for something to reread. If you don’t mind digital editions, there are lots of options there, also. Are you doing anything different for entertainment in light of this unprecedented reality we’re living in? Please let us know in the Comments section below.

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Robin (your choice as to which one!) versus Mark Shaw, Manhunter! 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 we’re featuring another fantastic piece of art by the one and only Aaron Archer! This giant tortoise (or maybe turtle, but I’m thinking it’s a tortoise) makes me think of Terry Pratchett. What kind of stories or other images does it conjure in your mind? I really like this piece and am constantly amazed at the creativity I see from these wonderfully gifted artists. Aaron, thanks allowing Cool Comics to show off some of your super cool art! If you want to see more from Aaron, visit his website.

You can have a piece of your art featured right here in Cool Comics Creations! Just send an electronic file in an email featuring one of your drawings, whether you’re a professional or amateur, (it can be just pencils, or inks too…or full color if you prefer) or a picture of a craft or sculpture that you’ve done, and as long as it’s family friendly (and not controversial…let’s try to keep this fun), you’ll be a part of an upcoming Cool Comics episode. We also want your name and any other background information you want to provide, such as a website or a way you can be contacted about your art (who knows, maybe someone will make you an offer for the original!). And then email it to edgosney62@gmail.com.

Cool Comics In My Collection

Contemporary Cool Comics 

#1195 — Robin 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, DC, May 2020.

While Action Comics and Detective Comics each received deluxe hardback “80 years of existence” extravaganzas, now we’re seeing a spate of smaller, 100-page editions coming out as tributes to supporting characters, and even bad guys. DC recently put out big editions celebrating certain issue numbers, but since I don’t purchase many DC titles, instead of spending lots of dollars (these things aren’t cheap) on stories with ongoing continuity, I’d rather get these special editions that pay tribute to the characters with all-star creative lineups and great stories that show us the character through the years. And for the money, I feel that this Robin issue did a great job, featuring stories with Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown, and Damian Wayne. Do you have a favorite Robin? If so, it probably is dependent on when you first started reading comics, or a certain Robin matching a certain time in your life. I bought The New Teen Titans issue when Dick Grayson turned in his Robin togs and became Nightwing when it came out, and while I love and respect the character, I actually like Tim Drake better. Although, admittedly, Damian Wayne has been growing on me, and I enjoy his interactions with Jon Kent. I’ve you’re a fan of Batman’s sidekick, then you probably can’t live without this issue (and if you’re a fan of multiple covers, this one has 10 to choose from). The cover price of Robin 80^th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10. The Key Collector Comics value is $10, and it was the Key of the Week last week at Gotham City Comics and Coffee in Mesa, AZ (who wouldn’t want to have some coffee with their comics!).

#1196 — The Resistance, AWA Studios (Artists, Writers & Artisans), March 2020.

Did you see this listing in Previews a couple months ago? AWA (Artists, Writers & Artisans), a new comic company that’s owned by creators, decided to do put together a shared world linked by the events in this mini-series. Probably at that time, it didn’t mean that much to anyone, with the exception that most comic readers are familiar with J. Michael Straczynski (writer) and Mike Deodato Jr. This neat little world they are playing in sees the rise of various super and strange powers in several thousand people. But how did these people suddenly get these powers? It turns out that there is a worldwide pandemic that’s very contagious, with a high mortality rate. No, AWA Studios is not banking on our current dilemma, because these comics were planned out quite a while ago. Art and scripts don’t happen overnight. But it’s kind of spooky, isn’t it? I originally didn’t intend on buying this comic, let alone granting it “Cool Comics” status. But after reading an article about The Resistance, I decided to give it a try, and I’m glad I did. Some readers may want to completely take themselves away from storylines such as this, considering what we’re all going through, but I found it fascinating because of COVID-19. The cover price of The Resistance #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The Key Collector Comics value is $4, and it was last week’s the Key Collector Comics Key of the Week.

Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin

#1197 — Manhunter #1, DC, July 1988.

Some of you may remember that I’ve been listening to comic book podcasts to further my education in this wonderful hobby, and one that I recently started is called Comic Book Time Machine. The show has three hosts (Matt Anderson, Ben Avery, and Daniel Butcher), and while they podcast together, they also do solo shows so that each can spend time on comics that particularly interest them. One of the guys (Daniel) is a big Mark Shaw, Manhunter, fan, and while I personally don’t have much history with the character (although if you’ve read any of the Event Leviathan related comics, you know what Manhunter’s been up to!), it turns out that while flipping around in one of my boxes of unread comics I bought for just a quarter, that I have the first issue that Daniel covered in a podcast I recently listened to. If you click the link (just click on the word “podcast” in the last sentence), you’ll notice that he posted this way back in 2014…so I have a lot of catching up to do with Comic Book Time Machine, but I’m enjoying the process. Anyway, if you’re a fan of John Ostrander, he gets co-writing credits for the issue, which I found myself really enjoying. The cover price of Manhunter #1 is $1, while the current value is $3.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 47)

#1198 — Interceptor #1, Vault, May 2019.

If you’re a fan of comic book writer Donny Cates and you missed out on this Free Comic Book Day issue, you may want to search through back issues to find it, because it’s a pretty good story if you enjoy the kind of tales he tells. And while I was “iffy” on Dylan Burnett’s art when I started this, it ended up growing on me. And rather than coming out as individual issues, Interceptor came out as a trade paperback last summer. I haven’t read it, but I imagine that since this is Volume 1, there is a Volume 2 in the works, if it sold well enough (and by the way, this was published by Heavy Metal in 2016, so you may have read it then). It’s a tale somewhat in the spirit of I Am Legend, a planet of vampires and those who battle against them. The cover price of Interceptor is free, while the current value is $1.

Cool Comics Kids

#1199 — Mickey Mouse Adventures #1, Disney Comics, June 1990.

You know what’s a good salve for living in the age of Coronavirus? Mickey Mouse Adventures. Because sometimes we need to escape the madness and tragedy for a little while. This issue is the first of a new series in which Disney started publishing comic books under their own name (instead of Dell, Gold Key, Gladstone, etc.), and I was in the right place at the right time when I found it in a quarter box. What I like even more about this issue is that the opening story is written by Michael T. Gilbert (Mr. Monster), who just happens to attend the same monthly comic book club I go to…and unfortunately it’s on a temporary hiatus because of the worldwide pandemic. This comic has three fun stories that are nice for all ages, so if you’re building a comics library suitable for kids, this is a great one to add to the collection. The cover price of Mickey Mouse Adventures #1 is $1.50, while the current values are $4 on CBR and $5 on ZKC.

Cool Comics Classics

#1200 — Nova #17, Marvel, January 1978.

Back in 1976 I bought the first issue of Nova off the wooden rack of comic books at Slicks, a little corner store in my hometown of Martins Ferry, Ohio. I bought it because on the cover, at the top, it states, “In the Marvelous Tradition of Spider-Man!” And what self-respecting teenage boy could resist? Certainly not me. But I didn’t buy another issue of Nova until years later, out of back issue bargain boxes. Not that there was anything wrong with Richard Rider (Nova’s alter ego, of course), but his comic didn’t really remind me much of Peter Parker’s adventures as Spider-Man, so I spent my pocket change on other comics. Yet now, as much out of nostalgic tendencies for both my past comic book experiences and Seventies comics in general, I’m slowly accumulating more and more issues of this short run of The Man Called Nova. Sixteen more issues (there are 25 in the series) and I’ll have them all. And when I think about it, at this point it would have been pretty easy to complete it, but because Nova isn’t one of my favorites, I keep getting other comics, too. Still, it’s a Seventies comic with ties to my past, so I want to complete this, but I’m in no great hurry, because finding them on the cheap is half the fun. If you’re a Nick Fury fan, you’ll be glad to know he’s in this issue, written by Marv Wolfman and illustrated by Carmine Infantino and Tom Palmer. The cover price of Nova #17 is 35¢, while the current value is $8.

Cool Collected Editions with Dr. Omnibus

Snowpiercer, Vol 1: The Escape (Titan Comics)

Dr. Omnibus score: 8 out of 10

A couple years ago a buddy of mine told me about a movie on Netflix called Snowpiercer. I had never heard of this comic, so I looked into it and found it was a French graphic novel from the early 1980’s called Le Transperceneige. I finally watched the film and it was awesome. Fortunately, in 2014, the comic was translated into English, so I found them last year and they have been sitting on my shelf for a few months. Now they are making a show based on the comic. It is my understanding that the show is a prequel to the comic and is set to air on TNT starting May 31. In total, the comic is collected in four volumes. Volumes 1-3 are the main story, while Volume 4 is a prequel that just released in 2019. So I plan to read all of these before the show starts up this year.

The Book Itself
Typical of European comics, this is a hardcover that has dimensions a little bigger than a standard comic. Without actually measuring, I would say it is 10 percent larger. There is no dust jacket, but it has a graphic cover with a design that matches volumes 2-4, so these look pretty great on the shelf. This volume features no extra material, just the 110-page story.

The Words
By Jacques Lob

The story starts several years after an apocalyptic event in which the world has found itself in a new, man-made ice age. In an effort to survive, a large number of people hopped on a luxury passenger train and set it in motion. The train never stops, and the people have been forced to figure out how to survive with just what is on the train. The premise sounds a bit silly, but once you get into it, you can see that much thought was put into it and it is very much a believable premise.

The main conflict in the story is one concerning classism, which is something that will likely remain topical for a very long time. But I am not going to get into all that drama. The point to me bringing that up at all is that such a divisive theme is capable of creating strong feelings in the reader. As I have said before, strong feelings are what I want in a story, and this delivers.

This story also dabbles in discussions of drugs, other political themes, and contains some nudity, so I would use discretion in sharing this with younger readers.

The Art
By Jean-Marc Rochette

This comic is presented in black and white and has a fairly simple, yet effective, style. The anatomy and perspective are great. I have grown accustomed to a more detailed style, but in a way, this simple technique lends itself well to the story – it kind of feels like someone on the train, in the lower classes, drew the book to fill their time.

One thing of note in the art department, though…the lettering was not great. At times it was difficult to identify who each word bubble belonged to. They just pointed all over the place. If not for context, it would have been very tough to sort it out. The typing itself was a bit flat as well. The use of dull, uninteresting fonts really made this look cheap and poorly done.

The Gist
While it is plain to see that the movie took inspiration from the comic, the plots were remarkably different. But that’s great. An accurate adaptation of this story would not make for a fun movie. The comic was good, but don’t go into it expecting anything too much like the film. I also heard that Volume 1 is hands down the best, so while I will 100 percent be reading through the next three volumes, I can’t say I am very excited to do so. The exception being Volume 4, aka the prequel. I expect good things out of that.

Damian Starr is a long-time collector of comics who, in recent years, has converted his focus to reading—almost exclusively—trade paperbacks, hardcovers, and Omnibus editions. Additionally, he is a frequent contributor to the MCBCFA Play Network YouTube channel (check out his Dr. Omnibus playlists). To add one more layer to his geekery, he is an amateur comic author and co-founder of Illuminatus Comics.

Cool Comics Reader Reviews!

THE LONE RANGER – ISSUE 0

Dynamite (Free Comic Book Day 2007)

By Steve “Atom” Baum

A bit of introduction. I’m Steve “Atom” Baum and I write comic reviews that nobody ever asked for. I don’t usually write reviews of comics that would be of interest to collectors for how much they are “worth.” To me, the “value” of a comic is in the enjoyment of it.

Most of the comics I review come straight from the bargain bins. The reviews I do are often the first, last, and only reviews that have been, or will be, written about the comics at hand.

If you like what you see here, then join me on a journey through the forgotten depths of those dusty longboxes full of dollar back issues in the rear of your local comic shop and visit my blog LONGBOX JUNK where you’ll discover HUNDREDS of reviews you never asked for!

And now an exclusive “Short But Sweet” Longbox Junk Review for the Cool Comics Crowd!

–This Issue takes place between issue 6 and 7 of the regular series–

WRITTEN BY: Brett Matthews
ART BY: Sergio Cariello
COVER BY: John Cassaday

This is a Free Comic Book Day giveaway flipbook with Battlestar Galactica on the other side, so the Lone Ranger story is only 8 pages long. Before we get to it, the less said about the BSG tale the better. I don’t want to be too negative here, so I’ll just say that unless you’re already a big BSG fan, the story in this issue won’t change your mind one bit. ‘Nuff said about THAT.

The Lone Ranger, on the other hand. . .

THE COVER:
VERY Nice! A dynamic shot of the Lone Ranger leaping into action. It has great colors, great composition, and is definitely frame-worthy. It really captures the feeling of a moment frozen in time in the best way that comic art can. Just a superb cover all around!

THE STORY:
The Lone Ranger and Tonto chase two bandits. After the vigilantes take down the first, the remaining outlaw takes refuge in a local school, taking the schoolteacher and students hostage. As the Ranger reflects on what his father taught him about doing the right thing, he braves the outlaw’s trap, rescues the innocents and receives a reward for his heroism.

THE REVIEW:
This story is silent except for the Lone Ranger’s thoughts until the final page. It’s a very short and extremely simple tale, but the inner monologue running through it about the Ranger’s father teaching him as a young man how to tell right from wrong and to stand up for those in need serves as a great introduction to the character of The Lone Ranger and what makes him a hero, without rehashing his origin in the limited space. It’s really one of the best character introductions I’ve seen in comics, and perfect for a Free Comic Book Day issue aimed at new readers.

I really enjoyed the “silent storytelling” method used here, and the art definitely carries the heavy load that such a method requires. The facial expressions are very well done for such a short story that’s mostly action. My favorite moment is the look on the Ranger’s face when the schoolteacher he saves plants a big kiss on him for thanks.

Overall, a VERY well-done story in such a short space. It’s one-shot storytelling at its finest, featuring a great introduction to a classic character for new readers set on a framework of exciting western action. I couldn’t ask for anything more out of a comic book than what this little story delivers!

I can heartily recommend pulling this one out of the bargain bin if you spot it. It’s just a great look into what makes the Lone Ranger a hero and a character that has lasted through the years. Too bad the Battlestar Galactica story on the other side is pretty disappointing, but I guess nothing’s perfect, and this story more than makes up for it

So until next time, remember that comics are worth more than money!

Would you like to write a review of a comic book or graphic novel for all the Internet to see? Our Cool Comics Reader Reviews section is looking for fans just like you to submit reviews of 500 words or less (introductions about yourself don’t go against the word count), along with a cover image of the comic, to edgosney62@gmail.com. Please keep in mind that we reserve the right to decide what will and won’t go in the blog, so keep the language clean, pick out a comic that won’t cause controversy (we try to have fun here!), and start tapping away on your keyboard!

 

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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