Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 254, 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 254…
Cool Comics News!
As constant readers of Cool Comics know, we’re a proponent of crowd-sourced comics, whether it be Kickstarter, IndieGoGo, or some other platform. Every once in a while, I get contacted by creators to help spread the word, or sometimes I’m given digital access of a comic so that I can read it and talk about it here during the live campaign. And this week SeerNova Comics dropped me a line about their newest effort, The Seer Chronicles: Issue 2. But like most of you, I prefer to start at the beginning. Well, I have to say I was much happier after clicking on the link and seeing that a revamped version of Issue 1 is also part of this! And I still wasn’t sold on supporting the campaign. But when I scrolled down the page and saw the illustrator’s name, I couldn’t support it fast enough. Cool Comics Crowd, it’s none other than Dan Gorman! Yes, THE Dan Gorman (he’s our Cool Comics Creator this episode, too!), the astonishing artist behind the Cool Comics logo. Click the link, watch the video at the top, read the description, and then, if you like what you see, make a pledge!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Daken versus Bloodshot! 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 illustrator Dan Gorman, a member of the National Cartoonists Society and one of the top sketch card artists on the planet. This card, featuring Princess Leia and Han Solo, is one of the 50 plus sketch cards Dan created for the Topps Star Wars Masterworks 2019 Set. For more about Dan and his art, please visit www.dangormanart.com. By the way, make sure you see Cool Comics News above to learn about the Kickstarter featuring Dan’s art!
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
#1291 — X-Factor #1, Marvel, September 2020.
For a while it seemed like every time you walked in your local comic shop, there would be a new X-Men-related title. Then the pandemic hit, and the comic book world played freeze tag for several weeks. And now that everything is back up and running, and we shop for our comic books much like our heroes—with masks—another new X-Book has hit the shelves. Although the title itself (X-Factor) isn’t new (this is volume 4). But the X-Factor team membership is a bit different from the one I read back in volume 1. Who’s in it? Northstar, Polaris, Daken, Prodigy, Prestige, Eye-Boy, Hope, Egg, Elixir, Proteus, and Tempus…at least for this first issue. Unless you tend to keep up with Marvel’s mutants, some of these names may not be familiar to you. The cool factor of this comic (yes, you see what I did there, astute reader!) is that it’s an investigative team, and I ended up enjoying it more than I thought I would. The cover price of X-Factor #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is $5.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1292 — The Brave & the Bold #173, DC, April 1981.
Though I haven’t read many, I really like DC’s The Brave & the Bold, which reminds me a lot of Marvel Team-Up, most of which featured Spider-Man and a guest Marvel hero, but for this series it’s Batman who teams up with another DC hero. However, the cover and inside of this issue seem to disagree, since the front tells us Batman is teamed with the Guardians of the Universe, yet on page three at the top we’re told this is Batman and Green Lantern. Not that it matters, because both are present, and Gerry Conway and Jim Aparo keep us entertained, up to the point where we find out that this story is “To Be Continued.” And I don’t have issue #174. Is there any good news to be found? We’ll, yes, because it’s available on DC Universe. Maybe I could find a physical copy, but probably not in a quarter bin, which is where I plucked this one from! This issue also contains a backup story about a character named Nemesis. I don’t know much about this guy, but collectors who faithfully bought the title each month may have something to say about him (hint, we do have a comments section at the bottom of the blog!). The cover price of The Brave & the Bold #173 is 50¢, while the current value is $6.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 4)
#1293 — Valiant: The Year of Heroes, Valiant, May 2020.
Back in March, while Cool Comics was still finishing up our coverage of Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) 2019, episode 233 featured Valiant’s Bloodshot FCBD on the cusp of Bloodshot making his big screen debut, starring Vin Diesel. Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 (which is an excuse we can use for just about everything these days, right?), I ended up seeing Bloodshot from the comfort of my house, instead…which was actually not a bad thing for me personally. And again, because of the pandemic, something else was delayed, that being FCBD 2020. But it’s happening now, and Valiant decided to use the star of the movie on their cover. The movie isn’t considered anything great, but my son and I enjoyed it. Whether you’ve seen the movie or not, this is a nice issue to grab. While some of you are longtime Valiant fans, if the only thing you’ve heard of from the company is the Bloodshot movie, this issue provides a nice introduction to X-O Manowar, a pretty fascinating character in his own right. Remember, this issue is free, so stop in your comic shop today and see if they have any issues left. The cover price of Valiant: The Year of Heroes is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1294 — Mickey Mouse #228, Gladstone, July 1987.
A few Cool Comics episodes ago (episode 250), I commented on Gladstone’s Mickey Mouse #227, as it contained part 2 of a rousing adventure called The Captive Castaways, in which we see Mickey and Minnie in peril on the open sea after being captured by a nasty captain named Peg-Leg Pete. In this issue, we get the conclusion at last! Mickey proves to be both smart and resourceful, and it was a lot of fun observing how he got them out of this incredible jam. This issue also contains four other stories, a couple of which are just one-page in length, making it a nice comic book experience for younger readers who might not yet have the attention span to read it all in one sitting. Most of these adventures are reprint strips from the thirties, and if you like that style of Disney art, you may want to search some of these comics out at your local comic shop. The cover price of Mickey Mouse #228 is 95¢, while the current value is $5.
Cool Comics Classics
#1295 — Marvel Super-Heroes #34, Marvel, January 1973.
While there are probably many comic collectors out there who would never consider reprinted material to be classics, I’m sure there are a few fanatics who support my thoughts on this. And I think much of it has to do with what was on the comic stands when you first started collecting, especially if you did so as a kid. See, when I was young and went to my local shop and gazed at all the beauty and wonder on the old wooden rack full of four-color adventure, titles like Marvel Super-Heroes were brand new! Little did we know that these fantastic stories of might and wonder featuring the Hulk and Sub-Mariner had already been printed in Tales to Astonish back in 1966. Okay, confession time, I didn’t purchase this issue in 1973…I bought it sometime within the last couple years, but the point I made is still a valid point. I’ve told the story here before of how Marvel Tales confused a much younger me, because these stories had Gwen Stacy, whereas in The Amazing Spider-Man she was dead. I had no idea the comic companies gave us reruns! As a quick aside, this title didn’t start off giving us reprints, and early issues hold lots of value. But back to my main argument: yes, for some of us, this comic is a classic! By the way, the story with Hercules versus the Hulk is lots of fun! The cover price of Marvel Super-Heroes #34 is 20¢, while the current value is $10.
Cool Collected Editions with Dr. Omnibus
Injustice: Gods Among Us – Year 1: Complete Collection (DC 2016)
Dr. Omnibus score: 8.25 out of 10
Injustice started back in 2013, and for many years I wrote it off as just a comic about a video game based on DC characters. It was very much not on my radar as potentially interesting. Then in 2019 there was a He-Man vs Injustice crossover event that caught my eye, so I bought that and LOVED the premise. It piqued my interest in the main story and here we are.
The Book Itself
I bought the Year One Complete Collection, which has 13 issues. It is light on bells and whistles, has very little backmatter, and just contains the 13 issues. The cover is of a pretty high quality and the paper is thin and glossy. I was not impressed with the construction of the book though; by the time I was done reading it, the last pages seemed to be separating from the glue a bit. I handle my books with care for the most part, so I don’t think my negligence is to blame for that.
It should also be noted that there is an omnibus that contains this material, as well as the next two years’ worth of content in the Injustice line. It is, however, despite only recently having been released, already getting hard to find at a decent price.
The Story
By Tom Taylor
Wow, I loved this story. The idea is that Superman losses some people who are very close to him and takes the law into his own hands. He then starts to take it a bit further than just revenge.
This story really gave me a lot to think about. It’s about powerful people assuming more power, regardless of how the populace feel about it. It’s about a people divided and standing up for what they think is right, even when their friends may not stand with them, and perhaps stand against them.
I thought the portrayal of Batman and Wonder Woman were a bit off-character in this. But I am not the most well-read person in terms of DC, so I could be off base there. But I don’t think Batman would have let things get that out of hand before making a big move against Superman, and Wonder Woman seems to be promoting violence, but her intentions don’t seem to be in the spirit of doing what is right, and it seems she has an ulterior motive, which seems to be relating to her romantic interest with Clark, but it just doesn’t feel like her.
Aside from that, I thought this story was gold and I can’t wait to read the next four years’ worth of content.
The Art
By Various Artists
As should be expected, these 13 issues were done by a fairly wide assortment of artists. None of the art was too bad. There were a few panels where it looks like someone was on a tight deadline and forgot to draw some facial features, but overall, not bad. Some of it was amazing, especially the variants, which are collected in the back matter…wow, some great art back there.
The Gist
Like I said before, I can’t wait to read the rest of this stuff. I read this volume in two sittings, and I rarely read more than three issues in a sitting, but this reads fast and is gripping. The political implications of some of this story is just awesome. There were some parts in which a certain political agenda was pushed a bit too hard by the writer, which sometimes turns me off, but I already don’t remember what that agenda was, so it can’t have been too off-putting. Besides, I like politics in my comics, even when it’s not my personal stance. It provides me a great way of seeing things from a different perspective and growing as a human.
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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