Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 247, 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 247…
Cool Comics News!
If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you may have seen me mention that there will be some upcoming news about Chakan, the forever man, and now I’m spilling the beans…with the permission of Robert A. Kraus, the creator. And here it is: plans are underway for a Chakan Kickstarter campaign! This will be an all-color trade paperback comic, weighing in at around 100 pages and featuring a quintessential tale of the grey warrior, along with additional art deliciously drawn by a variety of illustrators. This exciting story will be seeing print for the first time via the Kickstarter, and yours truly has been named editor of this future classic comic! Once the campaign is live (we expect it to be later this summer or sometime in the fall), we’ll be sure to let you know how to find it on Kickstarter, but we wanted to break this news now so that you can start filling your piggy banks with loose change, because there is no way you’ll want to miss out on this monumental event!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is The Joker versus Miles Morales: Spider-Man! 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 I’m featuring a piece of art my son did years ago (mom saved a bunch of them!). This character doesn’t have a name, it’s just something my son made up (my son’s name is also Ed Gosney, by the way). And while he isn’t doing much art these days, he is attending Ohio University and majoring in Video Game Design. So maybe someday some of you gamers will be playing a game he’s worked on or developed!
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
#1256 — The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1, DC, June 2020.
While I have yet to read the Catwoman 80th Anniversary edition, the issue celebrating the different Robins was featured here in episode 235 and is much less violent, bloody, and creepy than Joker’s. But violent, bloody, and creepy are to be expected from the Clown Prince of Crime, a man so demented that he murdered one Robin and crippled Barbara Gordon, along with many other despicable acts. When you think about it, why in the world did such a horrible character even get to celebrate with an anniversary edition? Of course, we know just how popular Batman is, and hence, his rogues’ gallery is one of the best, if not the best, in comic book history. And since the Joker is a criminal, he’s attempting to steal your comic book pennies straight from your pockets! Seriously though, the character has been popular for 80 years, so why not? And this issue features a treasure trove of creators, including Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Denny O’Neil (who sadly passed away the day after this comic was released), Peter J. Tomasi, Paul Dini, Tony S. Daniel, Brian Azzarello, and many more. This issue isn’t for everyone due to some of the disturbing stories, but it is certainly well-executed (a fitting descriptive word, consider everything, don’t you think?). The cover price of The Joker 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10. The Key Collector Comics value is $10.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1257 — Stephen Darklord #1, RAK Graphics, January 1987.
One day while on a hunting expedition in a quarter bin, I came upon Stephen Darklord, The Survivor! Honestly, I had no idea who this guy was, but when my eyes moved to the top left corner of the cover, I was excited to see the R.A.K. GRAPHICS logo! Yes, Robert A. Kraus (RAK), the creator of Chakan, the forever man (and for more on Chakan, scroll back up to the Cool Comics News section if you skipped it!), is also the creator of Stephen Darklord. Having gotten to know the man himself (as mentioned above, I’m currently editing for RAK), this made it a very special quarter bin conquest, as I didn’t have any of Stephen Darklord’s three issues in my collection at the time. It’s a bit darker than some of the comics you may be used to, but also filled with great characters and emotion. And for those who don’t know, RAK is both the artist and writer of these stories. The cover price of Stephen Darklord #1 is $1.75, while the current value is $2.
Halloween ComicFest Cool Comics
#1258 — Miles Morales: Spider-Man #0, Marvel, December 2019.
This Halloween ComicFest (HCF) issue from Marvel is a reprint of Ultimate Fallout #4, which happens to be surging on the secondary market, even as I’m typing. The original came out in October 2011, and just happens to be the first appearance of Miles Morales. With his own Spider-Man comic and the hit movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, this issue is quickly heading towards the “I can’t afford that one!” category. Oh, and a video game announcement also has something to do with the surge in sales. Comic Book Realm has it listed at $300, and Key Collector Comics has the high price at $450, along with a note that on June 14, a copy graded at 9.8 sold for $1,500 (and a variant cover edition went for $4,150). Wow! If you were collecting comics in 2011, you might want to check your collection for this one. And besides the steep climb in value, it’s probably also hard to find a copy. But you know what? I’ve got a free copy of the HCF reprint! It may not be the original, but it’s still a Cool Comic. The cover price of Miles Morales: Spider-Man #0 is free, while the current values are $20 on CBR and $1 on ZKC. The Key Collector Comics value is $20.
Cool Comics Kids
#1259 — Richie Rich #25, Harvey Comics, August 1994.
I don’t know if any of you actually like this segment of Cool Comics, but often these comics turn out to be some of my favorites to read. There are no capes or tights (well, most of the time!) or blood or worries of who might read them. And they take you back to your childhood, and I always enjoy a trip back to those days when I wasn’t worried about making car payments or cable bills, but instead I was working hard by mowing lawns, selling Grit (yes, I actually did that!), and shoveling snow so that I’d make a few dollars to buy comic books, monster magazines, and treats at the local Dairy Queen. This issue of “The Richest Kid In The World” from the Nineties contains three stories featuring our title hero, along with an adventure starring Little Dot. Additionally, as a neat aside, I noticed in the credits that Ernie Colón is credited as one of the pencillers! The cover price of Richie Rich #25 is $1.50, while the current value is $3.
Cool Comics Classics
#1260 — Marvel Premiere #38, Marvel, October 1977.
I really like Marvel Premiere (it ran from 1972 to 1981), but during my first phase of comic book collecting (1973-1978), I never bought a single issue. Back in those younger and less informed years, I wanted to read about my favorite heroes, so I had no interest in anthology titles. But thanks to digging around in quarter and back issue bins, I’ve been able to pick up 19 of the 61 issues at fairly low prices (many of them for just a quarter, such as this one)! Some have lots of value, while others…not so much, but the journey has been fun, and this issue gives me the first appearance of Weirdworld. Okay, it hasn’t exactly set the Marvel Universe on fire, but I’ve got it, nonetheless. The cover goes on to tell us that this is an epic fantasy adventure and dares to compare it with Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. While I’ll admit that I enjoyed reading it, Frodo and the rest of the Fellowship have nothing to worry about. Written by Doug Moench, with art courtesy of Mike Ploog and Alex Niño, this is a first appearance issue from the Bronze Age that’s very affordable. The cover price of Marvel Premiere #38 is 30¢, while the current value is $8. The Key Collector Comics value is $5.
Cool Collected Editions with Dr. Omnibus
X-Men: Mutant Massacre Omnibus (Marvel)
Dr. Omnibus score: 8.5 out of 10
Next up in my Marvel Mutant read-through is X-Men: Mutant Massacre Omnibus. Coming off a couple good reads with the X-Factor Epic Collection Vol 1 and X-Men Ghosts, I was expecting good things. Let’s see….
The Book Itself
Marvel has a good track record with building a quality omnibus devoid of major structural defects, and this one falls well within that category. Coming in at 900+ pages, I decided to stretch the spine twice before I jumped into this one and it held up very well. At the end of the 900+ story pages, there is a decent sized cover gallery for various issues and previous collections for material contained in the omnibus.
The Words
Containing 36 issues from 8 different series (not counting annuals as different series), this collection was written by a pretty good assortment of writers including Chris Claremont, Ann Nocenti, Walter and Louise Simonson, and a few others. I genuinely enjoyed every issue of this omnibus. That never happens in an omnibus this size. Even the Power Pack was cool. The general premise of the crossover is that a group of mutant hunters go and try to kill all the Morlocks. This leads to great undertones of classism and a lot of grief. Major spoilers ahead…Storm vs. Callisto, Wolverine vs Sabretooth, Angel dying, many X-Men being taken out by serious injuries…so much happens in this. The highlights were the Thor issues and the Fantastic Four vs the X-Men mini-series (possibly the best Marvel Comics I have read this year so far).
The Pictures
As large and stacked with well-known talent as the writing staff was, the artistic team was even more assorted and equally as talented, with art by JRJR., Bret Blevins, Rick Leonardi, Alan Davis, Barry Windsor-Smith, Marc Silvestri, Walter Simonson, Sal Buscema, Jon Bogdanove, Keith Pollard, and many more. With such a large smattering of artists, it’s very hard to grade it, but in general it was pretty good. Particularly the work of Jon Bogdanove; some of the pictures weren’t the best examples of great anatomy, but I really enjoyed his style. As per the usual, I wasn’t impressed with the work of JRJR, but it wasn’t a huge part of this book.
The Gist
I cruised through this book pretty quick; it was just awesome. Normally, I average 2-3 issues read per day, but I managed to average about 5 per day going through this. It isn’t a particularly great jumping on point, but if you did jump in here you probably wouldn’t be too lost thanks to the editorial notes that frequently recap events of relevance. If you have any knowledge of the X-Men from the Claremont era, this is worth a read.
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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