As the Crow Flies, Ghostly Tales Abound at Cool Comics!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 265, 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), along with the 50^th Edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide (OPG) using their 9.2 NM scale. 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 265…

Cool Comics News!

Last week we had two birthdays and a wedding…all of us comic book lovers! Maybe that’s part of the reason we love October so much. My birthday was on October 14 (and hey, it was a Wednesday, so of course I got new comic books), my son (also known as Ed) had his big day on October 16, and the Saturday before, October 10, my oldest daughter, who happens to love comic books too, got married to a comic book loving guy! And while our family was busy, Cool Comics continued to roll off the presses…well, I guess that’s not quite accurate, but for some of you it showed up in your emails…at the click of your mouse. Entertainment is an important element to many of us, and regardless of what’s going on in our lives, Cool Comics works hard to always be there for you, each Thursday!

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Beast Boy versus Spider-Woman! 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 Darth Vader, 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. Additionally, Dan is the artist of the Cool Comics logo!

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, an optional picture of yourself to go here, 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

#1341 — DC the Doomed and the Damned #1, DC, December 2020.

DC is really scratching that Halloween itch between last episode’s Legend of the Swamp Thing Halloween Spectacular #1 and this dark and chilling anthology, loaded with ten stories that might just prompt you to leave on your nightlight for the next couple weeks! Okay, the stories weren’t that scary, but they certainly provided me with some October thrills that I was more than happy to experience. Stories included a diverse cast of characters, including Madame Xanadu and Man-Bat, Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Woman and Raven, Solomon Grundy and Ra’s Al Ghul, Superman and Swamp Thing, Orphan and Orca, Aquaman and Frankenstein, Beast Boy and Klarion, and Baytor and Darkseid. For the budget-minded collector, you may want to skip this because it isn’t cheap, but if you love Halloween specials, you may consider it worth every penny. The cover price of DC the Doomed and the Damned #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10. The Key Collector Comics value is also $10.

Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin

#1342 — Spider-Woman #32, Marvel, November 1980.

This Cool Comics Quarter Bin find is worth all 25 pennies just for the cover. While some may find it a bit cheesy, as a fan of Universal Monsters I absolutely love the black and white photos…not to mention my love of Jack Russell, Werewolf by Night! And while the story is okay, I still feel the best part of this one is the cover. The funny thing is, when I was flipping through one of my boxes of unread comics (that I bought for just a quarter, of course) and came across this one, I don’t even remember really having noticed the cover, both when I bought it and when I catalogued it. But the moment I saw it a couple weeks ago, I knew it was perfect for this October episode of Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin! The cover price of Spider-Woman #32 is 50¢, while the current values are $8 on CBR and $6 on ZKC. The OPG value is $8.

FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 14)

#1343 — Dark One #0, Vault Comics, May 2020.

The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) edition of Dark One #0 gives us a special peak into a new comic book world conceived and created by bestselling author Brandon Sanderson…although he didn’t write the actual preview…and from what I’ve been able to find, the graphic novel coming out next year is also NOT written by him. I’m guessing Vault Comics is hoping that having Sanderson’s name attached to the project will help sell more copies, and after all, it spawned from his mind. It’s a fun read if you like fantasy, as it takes the reader from events that happened centuries ago to present times. And it’s just spooky enough to fit in well with our other October themed four-color fun. The cover price of Dark One #0 is free, while the current value is $1.

Cool Comics Kids

#1344 — Wendy, the Good Little Witch #33, Harvey Comics, December 1965.

This Wendy, the Good Little Witch comic is perfect for the younger readers in your life who want some Halloween fun without all the frights. Though none of the stories center around late October, it still gives you the cool feelings you get in anticipation of dressing up and getting free candy. The stories include a Wendy one-pager, Wendy in Don’t Rush Me, another one-page Wendy tale, a cool comic ad for Cheerios featuring Bullwinkle, Wendy in My Son the Sorcerer, Casper the Friendly Ghost is featured in A Great Help, then a Wendy two-page prose story with a couple pieces of art, and it finishes off with The Tuff Little Ghost, Spooky, in Bewitched and Bewildered. Back in 1965, Harvey really gave you your money’s worth in these comics! Unfortunately, my issue has several pages that are loose from the staples, but considering that I found this in a quarter bin, who’s complaining? The cover price of Wendy, the Good Little Witch #33 is 12¢, while the current values are $35 on CBR and $12 on ZKC. The OPG value is $35.

Cool Comics Classics

#1345 — Ghostly Tales #119, Charlton Comics, January 1976.

Any comic from the Seventies is good in my book, and when they’re on the spooky side and it’s getting deeper into October, then I feel like I hit the jackpot! A few months back while flipping through some deeply discounted comics at my local shop, I came upon this beaten up copy of a title I wasn’t familiar with. I’ve read a few dozen Charlton Comics in my time, and most of them were military titles, to be honest. But when I saw the name Ghostly Tales on the cover, which shows us mummies on the attack…well…there was no way I was going to put this back into the box. There’s nothing overly special about it, but it does have some fun characters in the three stories, including a werewolf, and I’m a sucker for werewolves. Charlton Comics were far from popular in the Seventies, but now that I’m a lot older and a little bit wiser, and that pang of nostalgia for days-gone-by hits me where I live, I find that there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this horror anthology. The cover price of Ghostly Tales is 25¢, while the current value is $22. The OPG value is also $22.

Cool Moments in Graphic Lit with Dr. Omnibus

The Crow

If I think of the term “Halloween comic,” the first book to come to mind is The Crow. I first read this about two years ago. I had seen the movie when I was a kid/teenager and didn’t think much of it; it was fine, but not my cup of tea.

But holy cow, this comic is amazing. I had low expectations due to my opinion of the movie, but also knew that many considered it required reading, and I’ll try to read anything that falls into that category, regardless of my assumptions.

The art is pretty inconsistent; so much so that I wonder if some of this was added in or redrawn years later. Despite the inconsistencies, a lot of this book has beautiful art, and the parts that aren’t beautiful are good enough. But for me, the awesomeness that is The Crow has little to do with the art: it’s the love story and heartbreak that make it great.

Through flashbacks, we get glimpses into Eric and Shelly’s lives before the catalyzing events of this series. Seeing these sometimes-inconsequential exchanges really help drive home the love these two shared, and therefore accentuates the pain of loss and makes the reader understand the thirst for revenge.

I suppose I’ll rewatch the film and see if I feel differently about it now that I am familiar with the source material, and it’s been about 25 years. Who knows? Either way, I am now in the camp of “this is required reading” for fans of graphic novels.

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 your review, along with a cover image of the comic. Additionally, you may provide a picture of yourself and any other biographical information you want published in Cool Comics. Send all this 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/

Never Miss an Episode of Cool Comics!

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