Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 278, 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 278…
Cool Comics News!
This month and next, Future State is a big deal for DC, so we’re covering it again this week in our Contemporary Cool Comics segment, but don’t despair, Marvel fans, as we take another look at King in Black in our next thrilling episode!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Captain America versus Captain Canuck! 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!
Ed Griffie’s art is some of the coolest stuff around, and being that I’m a big fan of Firestorm, Cool Comics is excited to show off this awesome image! Ed is a lifelong comic book fan who started drawing Kawaii and Chibi style versions of pop culture icons and superheroes about five years ago. Through Facebook, his work came to the attention of Daniel Hare, the owner of vintage toy and comic bookstore The Toys Time Forgot, who offered him a guest spot at Free Comic Book Day. Since then, Ed has been a regular at local conventions and comic bookstores, where he offers bookmarks, coloring pages, trading cards, and color prints featuring his unique artwork. You can check out his full catalog of work at toonist27.deviantart.com or contact him at edgriffiejr@gmail.com to commission an original piece of your very own.
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
#1406 — Future State: Dark Detective #1, DC, March 2021.
What? Another Future State comic? Yes…for the second week in a row, our Contemporary Cool Comic is showcasing DC’s newest initiative, because…it’s too big to ignore. This week, besides this Dark Detective issue, DC also released the following Future State titles: Green Lantern; Justice League; Kara Zor-El, Superwoman; Robin Eternal; Superman/Wonder Woman; and Teen Titans. Several of the titles have higher page counts than typical weekly comics, and therefore a higher price point. But for the extra buck (or two or three), they do pack plenty of story between the covers. To be honest, I think my favorite title this past week was Green Lantern, which isn’t a comic I’m currently buying, but this special was worth it. However, Dark Detective has a wider appeal for most fans (because…Batman), whether serious or casual. Included is a backup story featuring Grifter, and it turns out I liked it better than I thought I would. The cover price of Future State: Dark Detective #1 is $5.99, while the current value is $6. The Key Collector Comics value is also $6.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1407 — Captain America #290, Marvel, February 1984.
Captain America was a part of my childhood, as I’d race home after school to watch reruns of the old Marvel cartoons from the Sixties, with Cap’s show being one of my favorites. The neighborhood gang would often act out superhero battles based on these cartoons, and I usually wanted to be Captain America. And when I finally started buying comic books, my love for the character continued to grow. I don’t often find Captain America comics in quarter boxes, and especially ones from periods in which I wasn’t reading the title, so I was more than happy to find this issue from 1984. This issue features the first appearance of Mother Superior, daughter of the Red Skull. J.M. DeMatteis did the writing (I was fortunate to meet him and get his signature on my Cool Comic bag at Cincinnati Comic Expo in 2018), while Ron Frenz did the penciling. The cover price of Captain America #290 is 60¢, while the current values are $6 on CBR and $8 on ZKC. The OPG value is $10. The Key Collector Comics value is $5.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 27)
#1408 — Canuck Beyond and Captain Battle, Chapterhouse, May 2020.
Is it just coincidence that this episode we have both Captain America and Captain Canuck? I like to think there’s more to it than meets the eye, and of course I had fun pitting the two against each other in our Cool Comics Battle of the Week! We really have Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) to thank for it, though. If it weren’t for FCBD, I’d have never even read any Captain Canuck comics…and as it is, I’ve only read the one from FCBD 2019 and this one. So, my question is, just how popular is Captain Canuck in Canada? In the United States, Captain America is extremely well known, especially considering all the blockbuster movies he’s been featured in, along with hitting the comic scene way back in 1941. But Captain Canuck was born in 1975, so he’s no spring chicken! The other guy in the issue, Captain Battle, is no one I’m familiar with at all, but after a little research, it seems he was a Golden Age hero and now Chapterhouse is giving him a chance to breathe on the page once again. The cover price of Canuck Beyond and Captain Battle is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1409 — The Flintstones #1, Harvey Comics, September 1992.
The Flintstones (a modern, stone-age family) have appeared in Cool Comics just twice now. The first time was in episode 25, which was so long ago, some might call it…here it comes…the stone age (okay, I can hear the groans from here…sorry). By the way, if you click the link and visit Cool Comics in March of 2016, you’ll notice that the value of that issue is $28. And now it’s listed at $42. Woo-hoo! Also, if you loved Saturday morning cartoons from way back when, you might get a kick looking at the other comics I featured that week. But now we’re on to a more modern look at Fred and his family and friends, with this first issue from Harvey, under their banner of Harvey Classics. I love the idea that the company published such kid-friendly comics; however, this title and others barely made it three years. The good news is that many comic shops will put titles like this in their discount bins, which is perfect for building up your Cool Comics Kids library. The cover price of The Flintstones #1 is $1.25, while the current value is $4. The OPG value is also $4.
Cool Comics Classics
#1410 — Phoenix #1, Atlas/Seaboard, January 1975.
For some reason, the cover of Phoenix #1 didn’t have me anxiously awaiting the story inside. As I make my way through the Atlas/Seaboard comics I’ve been accumulating (there really aren’t many, and I hope to someday have them all…although I doubt if I’ll ever get my hands on the four Vicki issues – I don’t want to pay a high price for comics I’m not really interested in), I haven’t felt much compulsion to read this one for some reason. But (it seems like there’s always a “but”), it turned out to be much more fun than I anticipated and now I can proudly state that I’m a Phoenix fan! From the harrowing, wild beginning to the discovery that we’re not alone in the universe, this fun science fiction story might make an interesting move or ongoing series…in the right hands. The cool part is that this is a real possibility since the movie rights have been acquired. The writing for this comic was done by Jeff Rovin, while Sal Amendola handled the art. All I can hope for now is that the other three issues are just as entertaining to my 12-year-old mind. The cover price of Phoenix #1 is 25¢, while the current values are $20 on CBR and $10 on ZKC. The OPG value is $22. The Key Collector Comics value is $10.
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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