Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 279, 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 279…
Cool Comics News!
Most comic book fans miss being able to go to conventions (although there have been a few smaller ones…still nothing is the same as it was, but we remain ever hopeful!), which provide opportunities to meet artists and writers, whether they be world famous, locally famous, or up-and-coming. But conventions also give us the chance to discover new stories, or stories that are new to us. Yet with these opportunities put on hold, there are other cool ways to discover great talent and exciting stories without leaving your house, and one of those venues is Kickstarter. Last April, I was fortunate to get an early look at a Kickstarter that began a new 12-part series titled Driver.Eight, and I’m happy to report that Gerald J. Jones and the rest of the creative crew now have Driver.Eight Episode 2 available as a Kickstarter! When I saw it become available, I backed it, and a few days later Gerald contacted me and sent me an early electronic copy. If you read Episode 1, you won’t want to miss what comes next in this near-future science fiction adventure. But even better, if you did miss out on the first issue, it’s not too late, as you can back a category named “The Catch Up!” which contains both issues one and two. There are several different levels available, from just digital to t-shirts to variant covers, and more. Click the link and check it out today while the campaign is still active!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Popeye versus The Flash! 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 features sketch cards from The Walking Dead trading card series, courtesy of illustrator Dan Gorman, a member of the National Cartoonists Society and one of the top sketch card artists on the planet. 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
#1411 — King in Black #3, Marvel, March 2021.
So how are things going with the King in Black event at Marvel? Not so good from a hero perspective, but very entertaining for fandom. Well, at least that’s my opinion on it. I haven’t read all the crossovers and specials, but I’ve sampled a few, and I like what I’ve read so far. We first dipped our Cool Comics toes into this series in early December, and with this extra exciting cover of Thor battling Knull, there was no way we could let the week go by and not feature this one! And after three issues in, it still looks dreadful for the good guys. Donnie Cates (writer) and Ryan Stegman (penciller) have been dishing out a lot of punishment to characters both good and bad, but at this point, readers must be wondering how in the world any sense of normality will ever return to the Marvel Universe (then again, what’s normal when you have a world full of superheroes and supervillains?). Some collectors don’t like crossovers, but there’s no denying that when done well, the reading experience is deeply rewarding. The cover price of King in Black #3 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is also $5.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1412 — The Wedding of Popeye and Olive #1, Ocean Comics, 1999.
This special wedding edition of Popeye and Olive Oil is full of the fun and history of the sailor man himself, from goons to the wiffle hen! Popeye cartoons were often aired and often repeated during my childhood, and to me they were a constant source of entertainment. Though this version of the brawny spinach eater has a much shaggier head of hair, if you’ve got a history of reading or watching any of his adventures, this comic is one you may want to add to your collection. Lucky for me I just so happened to find it in a quarter bin! But that’s not all, folks. Notice the signature just below Olive’s name on the cover? Yes indeed, it appears to have been autographed by the writer himself, Peter David (yes, THAT Peter David). I looked up some of David’s signatures online, and this looks like it’s the real deal. I’d never heard of the company before (Ocean Comics), but I’m glad they decided to publish this fun wedding issue. The cover price of The Wedding of Popeye and Olive #1 is $2.75, while the current value is $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 28 of 2020)
#1413 — Donut the Destroyer, Graphix, August 2020.
Are donuts evil? In Donut the Destroyer, a Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) issue from Graphix (an imprint of Scholastic), Donut is frantically trying to make it on time to her first day of Hero School. Her parents aren’t happy about this, to say the least. Oh, not the part about her being late, but rather that she wants to be heroic, and they wonder where they went wrong. It must be tough growing up in a supervillain household, but Donut is trying to change the course of her destiny. So back to my original question: are donuts evil? They taste delicious and look pretty on the outside, but once you pop them in your mouth, your body is flooded with sugar, carbohydrates, and things most of us can’t even pronounce! Plus, they can be downright addictive. As for Donut the Destroyer, can she truly change her ways? Like a variety box of Tim Horton’s Timbits, this FCBD issue gives us a sampling of what the graphic novel has in store for readers. The cover price of Donut the Destroyer is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1414 — Ghostbusters: Crossing Over #2, IDW, April 2018.
I’m not a buyer or reader of Ghostbusters comic books. And to be honest, I’m not a superfan of the movies, and I’ve never watched the cartoon. However, I do admit that at one time I owned some Ghostbuster action figures that I found on clearance many moons ago (my wife and I sold them on eBay some years later). So why this comic book? It was included in a collection of comics I bought at my local Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, and I had no idea this was in the package when I purchased it. There were ten comics in a bag for $5.99, and I liked what I saw in front and in back…so the eight issues in between were mysteries. I remember how much my nephew Jack loved Ghostbusters when he was little, so I thought this would be a good edition for my Cool Comics Kids library collection. Because when we put together comics for the young ones in our lives, the intention should be to get stories that will be appealing to them, rather than us. If we end up liking them too, then that’s like adding sprinkles to your donut (see #1413 above…we have a possible team-up issue for the future!). And you know what? It’s a decent enough story to be cool, as characters from the movies, cartoons, and comics all meet. The cover price of Ghostbusters: Crossing Over #2 is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The OPG value is also $4.
Cool Comics Classics
#1415 — The Flash #260, DC, April 1978.
Each time I dig through discount boxes, I keep an eye out for comic books from the Seventies. It’s not that the stories and art are necessarily better than any other period in comic book history, but it was during this time that I first started buying them from a little corner mom and pop shop in the small town where I grew up. There, I bought Marvel Comics on a near exclusive basis; I just tended to like their stories better. But the drug store where my father worked often got in the fabulous “100-Pages for only 60¢” DC titles, and a quaint used bookstore across the river in West Virginia sold previously owned comics for just a dime each. And this is how I came to like The Flash (aside from Super Friends, of course!). I don’t often search for specific back issues, but when I come across older Flash comics, the temptation is usually too great to leave them behind. This issue (written by Cary Bates and penciled by Irv Novick) perfectly captures the type of story you could expect from the Seventies and made me feel like a kid again. And often, at least for me, that’s the goal. The cover price of The Flash #260 is 35¢, while the current values are $12 on CBR and $10 on ZKC. The OPG value is $12.
Cool Comics Reader Reviews!
I’m Steven “Atom” Baum and I write comic reviews that nobody ever asked for! I find the “value” of comics in the enjoyment of them, rather than how much they are “worth” to collectors.
If you like what you see here, then join me on a journey through the forgotten depths of those boxes full of dollar back issues in your local comic shop and visit my blog LONGBOX JUNK, where you’ll discover HUNDREDS of reviews you never even knew you wanted to read!
And now an exclusive “Short-But-Sweet” Longbox Junk Comic Review for the Cool Comics Crowd!
JUSTICE MACHINE #1
COMICO (1987)
“HEROES AND VILLAINS”
SCRIPT: Tony Isabella with Mike Gustovich (co-plotter)
PENCILS: Mike Gustovich
COVER: Mike Gustovich
THE COVER
A nicely done fold out promising plenty of robot-punchin’ action inside! It’s clean, it’s crisp, it’s got great color. This is just a really solid sci-fi cover that caught my eye and convinced me to rescue this comic from the bargain bin. Let’s get inside!
THE STORY
Our story begins with the Justice Machine. . .a government-sponsored team of heroes working under the command of Chief Prosecutor Zarren. They are on their home planet of Georwell confronting a rebel terrorist called Maxinor and his son at a hidden base outside the capital city.
During a pitched battle against Maxinor’s robotic defenders, his son is gravely wounded by a member of Justice Machine. Maxinor retreats by using a dimensional transporter after vowing vengeance.
Later, the Justice Machine make their report to Prosecutor Zarren at the Citadel of Justice. The heroes are informed that Maxinor has been traced to the Planet Earth, and that their next mission will be to follow and capture him.
As the dimensional transporter (called a dimension lock) is readied, the team go their separate ways to prepare for the dangerous mission on another world. We see them in their private moments among friends and family before they once again gather and are teleported to Earth.
The dimension lock teleports the heroes directly to Maxinor’s exact location, but he was prepared for them and takes down most of the Justice Machine with various traps and devices meant to counteract their individual powers.
Eventually, Maxinor is forced to surrender the fight when a member of Justice Machine threatens to kill his unconscious son. But when the heroes try to contact Zarren to bring their prisoner back to Georwell, they learn that they have been declared traitors by the Security Department and that Prosecutor Zarren has issued a “Terminate on sight” order for all six members of Justice Machine!
To be continued. . .
THE REVIEW
Although most of this first issue is taken up by introductions to the various characters in the Justice Machine team and their abilities, I REALLY liked the combination of science fiction and superhero elements driving the narrative. Tony Isabella mixes the two genres together in just the right proportions to give this story an unexpected and very enjoyable flair that will appeal to fans of action-packed superhero comics AND fans of more thoughtful science fiction.
The cliffhanger at the end of the issue with the team betrayed by their own government came at me from out of nowhere, taking me as much by surprise as the characters in the story themselves! It’s a pretty bold direction to go when the readers have JUST been introduced to the team as beloved heroes, only for them to be thrown under the bus by their own leaders for the flimsiest of reasons (their dystopian government suspects the team MIGHT be harboring thoughts against the regime).
The art on this comic perfectly complements the hybrid superhero/sci fi story. It’s crisp, it’s clean, it’s colorful. From page one to page done, every panel is a feast for the eyes if you’re a fan of good, classic comic art. It’s the kind of art that helps tell the story instead of trying to overpower it. In Tony Isabella’s introduction at the front of the comic, he says he took on this series because he wanted to work with Mike Gustovich. All in all, I’d say that it was a good call, because the two of them make a great creative team!
CONCLUSION
I have a bit of a selfish reason for choosing this comic to review. When I saw that one of my favorite writers, Mr. Tony Isabella, drops in on Cool Comics from time to time, I decided that eventually I was going to review one of his comics here to thank him for all the great entertainment he’s given me over the years.
I WAS going to do Black Lightning #1. . .Isabella’s most famous creation, of course. But then I decided instead to showcase some of his lesser-known work for Cool Comics readers who might not know him for anything other than Black Lightning. Hopefully, spotlighting Justice Machine will lead some comic fans toward something a little more out of the way, in the grand Longbox Junk tradition.
But putting that aside and honestly looking at this comic just for what it is, readers will find a great combination of the science fiction and superhero genres that introduces interesting characters living in a shiny high-tech world that’s rotten at the core. This is just the beginning of a great story, and it keeps getting better from here.
This series has never been collected, but I’ve found individual issues in bargain/back issue bins without much difficulty once I started looking for them, so keep your eye out if you’re looking for some solid sci-fi / superhero action.
Until next time, remember that comics are worth more than money!
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!
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