Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 266, 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 50th 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 266…
Cool Comics News!
It’s Halloween week, so Cool Comics is coming at you full force with holiday fright, just the way it should be! From a Child Eater to Madam Satan to Werewolf by Night…and even Hot Stuff, Cool Comics strives to sizzle your Samhain!
Kickstarter alert! Cool Comics readers, writer extraordinaire Ted Sikora is back at it again with another Kickstarter, this time featuring Punchline and the Vaude-Villains, familiar to all fans of Apama and Tap Dance Killer, so be sure to click the link and consider supporting it!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Madam Satan versus Werewolf by Night! 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 show off the cool art of John R. Smith! This fantastic piece features Spider-Man’s Rogues Gallery, a timely piece to make your Halloween a little scarier! If you want to see more of John’s awesome creations, be sure to visit his Facebook page at Smittys Art Stuff…especially if you want to acquire some of his awesome art! Additionally, his eBay page contains some cool collectibles you may want to add to your personal collection, along with some of his original creations.
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
#1346 — Stranger Things Halloween Special, Dark Horse Comics, October 2020.
The great thing about Stranger Things is the way the series connected with so many different generations of fans. For older viewers, like myself, there is so much Eighties nostalgia, along with giving us the perspective from the lives of some of the grown-ups in the show. And teens aren’t left out either, as some of the characters could have just as easily been cast in 90210, Saved by the Bell, The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis (okay, I realize I’m dipping way into the deep end of the pool now), and countless other sitcoms featuring those awkward high school years. But the heart and soul of the show is the group of four, Mike, Will, Lucas, and Dustin, all around that magical age of 12. Later they are joined by Eleven, then Max. For anyone who disliked high school student Steve Harrington in season one, you’ll be hard pressed to continue to dislike him in season two. Anyway, if you’re a fan, you can’t live without this Halloween Special that delves into the secret of the Child Eater of Hawkins! It takes place shortly before the very first episode, and if you like the show, you’ll certainly get a kick out of this comic book. The cover price of Stranger Things Halloween Special is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The Key Collector Comics value is also $4.
#1347 — Madam Satan #1, Archie, December 2020.
Things get a little scarier as we move to the world of Archie. Until just a few years ago, I wouldn’t have imagined writing that sentence, but now we have a whole big world of Archie Horror with werewolves, zombies, and other demonic entities that do much more than go bump in the night. And yet, when doing a little research on Madam Satan, I found out much to my surprise that her first appearance was in 1941! While many fans today prefer the more innocent fun and frolic Riverdale stories from their childhood, MLJ (which later transitioned to Archie) has a dark past! I’ve read several of the Chilling Adventures of Sabrina comics a few years ago, but I’ve only seen the first episode of the streaming series, so I don’t have a lot of background on the character, but for what it is, the story was pretty interesting, and certainly on the spooky side for those who like their Halloween with a little more fright in it. The cover price of Madam Satan #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The Key Collector Comics value is also $4.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 15)
#1348 — The Richard Fairgray Monster Showcase, Golden Apple Comics, July 2020.
I sort of remember that I liked Blastosaurus last year when I read the Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) issue from Golden Apple Comics, and this year’s offering was probably even more fun…at least as far as I can remember! The first story features Blastosaurus in “There’s No Such Thing as Monsters,” in which other members of the community, who just happen to be monsters, have grievances against our dino hero. But then things take a turn for the better, and at the end, for the outright weird, and I had a blast(osaurus!) reading it. It’s followed by a tale called “Black Sand Beach” that doesn’t take much time to read…but don’t rush it, as the art is fun to really look at. Then the last couple pages have some shorts that are cool, too. Monsters and Halloween…a great pairing for Cool Comic October nights. The cover price of The Richard Fairgray Monster Showcase is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1349 — Hot Stuff, the Little Devil #129, Harvey Comics, July 1975.
While some parents may be concerned about their kids reading comic books with a devil in them…especially in October…Hot Stuff stories shouldn’t give you cause to worry. I can understand and respect that some just wouldn’t want their young readers to think this Little Harvey character is okay, and if that’s the case, just don’t purchase it. But for those who have good memories of Hot Stuff from their childhood, this issue is a fun read, and I recommend it for your Cool Comics Kids library. We get four stories featuring Hot Stuff (one story is just a one-pager, but that’s okay for those who aren’t used to reading for long periods of time yet), a couple facing pages with two prose stories, and it finishes up with an adventure featuring Stumbo the Giant. There are still lots of Harvey fans out there, so grab this one if you can find it! The cover price of Hot Stuff, the Little Devil #129 is 25¢, while the current values are $9 on CBR and $6 on ZKC. The OPG value is $9.
Cool Comics Classics
#1350 — Werewolf by Night #1, Marvel, September 1972.
I was fortunate to pick up this copy of Werewolf by Night #1 sometime in the early days of the pandemic for just $12. Wisely, I refrained from opening it the day I brought it home and stored it in my filing cabinet of unread comic book adventures, waiting until a late October day. But the story wasn’t new to me. I’d read the digital version last year. But this was special because now I owned this comic book that I’d long desired but didn’t want to pay too much to make it mine. And I’m super happy about the condition, considering the low price I paid. So, when I finally read it, I made sure my hands were extra clean, and I carefully flipped each page, enjoying this trip back to the early Seventies. I’ve always had an affinity for werewolves in movies and literature, and writer Gerry Conway and penciller Mike Ploog did a great job bringing Jack Russell, the Werewolf by Night, alive on the pages! The cover price of Werewolf by Night #1 is 20¢, while the current value is $275. The OPG value is $285. The Key Collector Comics value is $280.
Cool Moments in Graphic Lit with Dr. Omnibus
Doc Macabre by Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson
I was partaking in a BOGO sale at a nearby pop-culture store a couple months ago and happened to see the name Wrightson on the spine of this book, so I grabbed it and decided to give it a shot, despite having never heard of it. For a net price of $4, I had little to lose, and that is a small price to pay to see some Wrightson art I was not aware of.
This is possibly the “campiest” book I have ever read. Overall, the story is not very original and is little more than a vessel to pay homage to as many classic horror tropes as possible. It starts off with a clear homage to Night of the Living Dead.
From there we meet the main character, who seems to be a mash-up of a modern-day Van Helsing mixed with the Brothers Grimm. If you are unfamiliar with those two properties, it means he is a monster hunter who uses fancy gadgets to overcome the monster of the day and charges a handsome fee for his work.
The gadgets he uses effectively fold in a more significant sci-fi element into this horror story than one would normally expect.
The main character, Doc Macabre, also shares many parallels with Sherlock Holmes, an eccentric genius with all sorts of weird quirks and an ego beyond that of a mere mortal.
Overall, this feels like a sloppy attempt to make something fun, but it just blends too many elements to be effectively pulled off. It even integrates some Scooby-Doo themes.
Additionally, Wrightson’s art was subpar compared to his earlier works; the extreme detail just wasn’t there. Most of the time I could barely tell it was Wrightson. It makes me wonder if the colorist covered more detail than he should or if Wrightson just wasn’t feeling it and phoned 
this one in, so to speak. There were a few panels, though, in which you could see a glimmer of the greatness I had come to expect from Bernie.
If you do decide to pick this up, do so knowing that this is not a true horror book.
Damian Starr is a graphic literature enthusiast and comic author. His current project can be previewed here.
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/
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