Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 239, 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 239…
Cool Comics News!
Cool comics come in many shapes and forms, often from big publishers, but also Indie creators. And one of the current tools used to both fund and announce comics that you might miss out on is Kickstarter. Writer Gerard J. Jones has a passion for comics and writing, and now you can get onboard with Episode 1.0 of his new 12-part series called Driver.Eight from Limitless Comics. I was fortunate enough to get an early look at the digital edition of Episode 1.0, currently on Kickstarter, where you can support this comic at several different levels, including a digital copy, paper version, variant covers, stickers, trading cards, etc. I ended up liking Driver.Eight more than I thought I would at first glance and look forward to what comes next! If you want to learn more about this cool comic, click the link (the word Kickstarter in bold font), watch the short video clip, explore the cover variants and sample art, then make your support selection today!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Batgirl & Starman versus Guardians of the Galaxy! 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 week Cool Comics brings you another fantastic piece of art by the one and only Aaron Archer! This is an awesome drawing of Chakan, the forever man. Aaron has illustrated several of the Chakan graphic novellas, and this drawing makes it easy to understand why. 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
#1216 — Batgirl #11, DC, July 2017.
Our Contemporary Cool Comics segment is looking a bit different now since no new comics are being issued. And just so you readers of Cool Comics are in the know, we divide our time periods in a more simple manner: comics published in the year 2000 and beyond are considered contemporary, while those published before the turn of the century can fall into several other buckets, including Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin, Cool Comics Kids, and Cool Comics Classics. Hence, sometimes be seeing some older stuff (perhaps dating all the way back to the year 2000), along with occasional indie comics, such as Prowl from our last episode. When it comes to DC’s Rebirth, none of these comics are really that old, so they fit in well when placed in our Contemporary bucket. Like so many of the back issues you typically see here at Cool Comics, the answer is yes, I did get this out of a quarter bin. When Rebirth hit the stands, Cool Comics existed, but I didn’t start buying new comics until a little over halfway through 2017. Lots of these have good stories, so I like to grab them when I find them at such a great price. And while I’m not the biggest Batgirl fan around (although I admit that I had a crush on her in the Batman ’66 TV series when I was a wee lad), I was happy enough to get several of her comics for a fraction of the original cost. The cover price of Batgirl #11 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1217 — 1st Issue Special #12, DC, March 1976.
Until recently, I didn’t know much about 1st Issue Special. I’d seen mention of it in an article or two in Back Issue magazine, but a few months ago, as I was scrounging around in a quarter bin at my local comic shop, feeling perfectly safe with no worries about social distancing, I noticed an older DC comic with STARMAN in bold letters on the cover, and just above that the title “1st Issue Special.” Obviously I wasn’t going to make a mistake and leave it there, so the issue practically jumped into my clutching fingers and nearly deposited itself on top of my stack of comics that was growing so big I was afraid I might not make it out alive if they tumbled down on top of me! The title ran just 13 issues, from 1975 to 1976, and at that time I was pretty much just buying Marvel (with the exception of DC 100 Pages for 60¢ issues…see our last episode for more on that). “If only I’d bought all of these when they released,” I say to myself now, but if we questioned all of our comic book choices from yesteryear, it would steal some of the fun and thunder from us today when we discover these lost treasures! Presented by Gerry Conway as writer/editor, with artists Mike Vosburg and Mike Rover, this is a fun story of a character you may (or may not) think hasn’t gotten enough appearances in the DCU. I liked it and wouldn’t mind seeing more of Starman. The cover price of 1st Issue Special #12 is 30¢, while the current value is $14. The Key Collector Comics value is $10.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 51)
#1218 — The Overstreet Guide to Collecting 2019, Gemstone Publishing, May 2019.
While it’s probably the rare comic book reader who wants to make this a selection on Free Comic Book Day (remember, most shops limit free comics, typically allowing you to choose just a certain number…such as two issues, or in some cases up to five…it’s left to the discretion of the shop), this is my second year getting this issue and I appreciate it for what it represents. Plus, they make it fun, and comics are supposed to be fun and entertaining, right? While we get some comic book style information about collecting, this 2019 volume also gives us six pages of an article called, “Remembering Stan Lee.” And while that still may not have been enough to get you to choose this issue, I’m able to get my hands on the entire collection of FCBD comics, and I actually enjoy this one. The cover price of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting 2019 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1219 — New Terrytoons #26, Gold Key, June 1974.
I remember seeing some Heckle and Jeckle cartoons when I was a kid (it aired from 1969-1971 on NBC), but to be honest, I couldn’t recall if I liked them or not. The comic series is called New Terrytoons, and until I looked it up, I had no idea why…but if you want to know more of the story, click the Paul Terry link (first line of the article) at the Heckle and Jeckle Wikipedia page. Also of interest is that this comic anthology series features different characters, so Heckle and Jeckle aren’t the headliners of each issue. And now I have to pose this question: Is it just me, or are most cartoon birds a little on the obnoxious side (these two, Woody Woodpecker, the Road Runner, and even Tweety sort of bother me)? Still, I did enjoy the comic book, and it has a variety of other characters such as an elephant named Silly Sidney and a mouse family featuring Hashimoto-San. If you’re building a Cool Comics Kids library, it might be fun for them to see some of these classic characters from way back when. The cover price of New Terrytoons #26 is 20¢, while the current values are $16 on CBR and $10 on ZKC.
Cool Comics Classics
#1220 — Marvel Presents #11, Marvel, June 1977.
Back Issue #119, dated April 2020, is the most recent issue, and had special coverage of the Guardians of the Galaxy, mostly focusing on the original group of Guardians. That’s right, before Star-Lord, Rocket, Groot, Gamora, and Drax, the Guardians consisted of characters like Charlie-27, Martinex, Nikki, Starhawk and a couple names non-followers might know, such as Yondu and Major Vance Astro. If you haven’t kept up with the Guardians and just know them by the movies, you might be surprised at some of the characters who have been part of that crew in the comics. It took a couple decades from their beginnings to finally getting a title of their own, and you can see that this comic is named Marvel Presents, one of the many anthology titles Marvel published in the Seventies (and I do love them!). While I was reading my copy of Back Issue, I saw a cover I really liked, one of the main reasons being that in the bottom corner it says, “The Psychic Vampires of Arcturus!” Seventies comics have some of the coolest things written on their covers, no doubt, and I knew I had to find a copy of this issue once social distancing would allow us to return to our beloved comic book shops. Yet I discovered that within the confines of my filing cabinet of magical unread comics, I already have it! For those who like to know such things, this issue was written by Roger Stern and penciled by Al Milgrom. The cover price of Marvel Presents #11 is 30¢, while the current value is $12.
Cool Collected Editions with Dr. Omnibus
Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore Vol 1
Dr. Omnibus score: 8.75 out of 10
Before I started reading this, I had read approximately five total issues that had Swamp Thing in them. He was not the focus of the story in those issues, so I had no idea what to expect from Alan Moore’s run on Saga of the Swamp Thing. What I did know is that Alan Moore wrote Watchmen and V for Vendetta, both of which I love, so I had high hopes despite my complete ignorance.
The Book Itself
In late 2019, DC released an Absolute edition containing the first 12 issues of Alan Moore’s run on Swamp Thing. Well, when it came out, people were finding that it had a common defect in the binding, which was causing these things to just fall apart, not to mention they recolored/modernized the art and ruined the feel of the series for the Absolute. So, despite loving that format, I opted to just pick up the trade paperbacks. It’s your run of the mill trade paperback, and has old-school newsprint pages, true to the paper from the singles. There is very little backmatter (bonus material in the back) in this volume, making it very bare bones.
The Words
By Alan Moore
Based purely on the fact that Alan Moore wrote this, I had high expectations. I felt a bit lost at the beginning. This book starts at issue 20, and I didn’t read issues 1-19, but enough was revealed over the first couple of issues that I wasn’t lost too long. As should be expected, this is a story with some deep themes that will span the entire run. Alan is great at creating introspective characters and making the reader really feel for those characters. He does just that with this story. This is just a great blend of horror and superhero comics.
The Art
By Stephen Bissette and John Totlebean
I was blown away by the art in this book. I have mentioned several times over the past couple of months that, generally speaking, I am not a fan of art from before the 90’s. This is one of those exceptions. The use of shadows and attention to detail are just stunning. There is so much texture on Swamp Thing, and the Floronic Man, and the backgrounds. When I finished reading this volume, I decided I would upgrade to the Absolute in spite of the binding issues, and that’s when I found out about the recoloring. It’s really a shame that they didn’t think this art deserved that glorious over-sized treatment. Truly tragic.
The Gist
This is a must read for any horror fan and anyone who appreciates highly detailed hand-drawn art. I cannot wait to read the next five volumes of this series. I am going to get the TPB omnibus collection with the Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson issues, too. I did dog on the recoloring in the Absolute edition a bit, despite not actually owning that book. The recoloring looks neat and may open the series up to a younger generation of readers, but it’s just not for me. I’ll take the classic art this time.
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!
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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Views: 345
Lots of good stuff this time!
Batgirl isn’t one of my favorite characters right now because I feel that DC sort of choked when they took a great character like Oracle off the board just to have Barbara Gordon back as Batgirl. Still. . .I read my daughter’s Batgirl comics and they aren’t bad, it’s just disappointing that DC folded their hand on Oracle.
I’m not very familiar with the 70’s alien Starman BUT. . .if you want more Starman, then let me heartily recommend James Robinson and Tony Harris’ 90’s Starman series to you. The alien Starman makes a few appearances and it’s a series that definitely has a golden Longbox Junk seal of approval! I see that it’s right there on Comixology too. It’s 80+ issues of great quarantine reading!
I never really thought about it until now, but you’re absolutely right! Cartoon birds ARE generally obnoxious! Now I can’t stop wondering WHY.
And finally, another big round of applause for Dr. Omnibus! I’ve always heard good things about Moore’s run on Swamp Thing, but have never actually taken a look for myself. Dr. O’s glowing review makes me want to finally see what it’s all about. And I also agree with him that when older comics are collected, “improving” the colors and paper might not be actually be much of an improvement. And besides. . .you don’t get that old comic smell!
Thanks for another great post and thanks for keeping comics fun!
Atom, thanks for recommending the James Robinson run of Starman. At one time I had a few issues, but didn’t continue because I was buying too many titles. Lucky for me, I have access to thousands of digital DC titles via the DC Universe app, so I may just have to add it to my reading list (they have all the issues, annuals, and specials from that run!).
When it comes to those wacky birds, Hitchcock had it right…
Dr. Omnibus is a welcome addition to Cool Comics and I’m so glad to have a regular reviewer each week (since I don’t really review, but just comment). With the good Doctor, our art, and the opportunity for Reader Reviews, we’ve really grown at Cool Comics and love giving the opportunity for others to show their brand through us (such as Longbox Junk reviews right here at Cool Comics). During this time of no new comics, I’ve had several indie creators reach out to me, hoping they can get the spotlight to shine a bit on their babies, such as Driver.Eight this week, and more coming in the next couple episodes.
Atom, your contributions, readership, and comments are so appreciated. Thanks for being an important part of Cool Comics!
I really liked the write up & loved those Alan Moore-written Swamp Thing issues, my teenage self, bought everyone & those stories — back in the day — just blew me away!
His writing was magical, even mythical, & the artwork from Totleben was beautiful & so detail-orientated. They just don’t make books like that anymore!!
Matt, I’m glad you enjoyed this trip back to yesteryear!
Thanks for being an important part of cool comics!