Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 281, 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 281…
Cool Comics News!
You demanded it, and we made it happen (well, no one really demanded it, but it sounds good anyway)! Cool Comics Face Masks (for both adults and children) are now available at my merchandise store. These days, face masks are no longer accessories, as they’ve become a mandatory part of our shopping ensemble…along with just about everywhere else we visit. And now you can go about your daily business in style with a Cool Comics In My Collection Face Mask with our official logo. You’ll certainly be the envy of everyone in your LCS when you walk in to pick up your weekly pulls and the usual gang hanging around the shop sees you. By the way, I’ve lowered prices on all items in the store, so my loss in profit is your gain!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
Your Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Punchline versus Ryu! 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 week our Cool Comics Creation comes to you from Sydney Walton! This tribute cover featuring late guitarist Eddie Van Halen is from a one-shot in The Sandman Universe! The art is all hand-painted with acrylic paints. Syd said he’s been painting covers for a few years now and likes to think that he was one of the first to do so. Syd is always taking commissions, so don’t hesitate to contact him for a cool cover or other fantastic creations. You can find him on Facebook at Syd’s Altruistic Art, or contact him via email at swaltoniii@aol.com.
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
#1421 — Punchline and the Vaude-Villains #1, Hero Tomorrow Comics, 2020.
Though we’re a little behind in featuring this chaotic, crazy Kickstarter from writer and creator Ted Sikora, that doesn’t mean we don’t care…indeed, we love it so much that we feel it’s fitting that it made the official ranks of Cool Comics for our Valentine’s Day episode! When it comes to the characters populating Hero Tomorrow Comics, this issue runs the gamut, with appearances from so many familiar faces such as Tap Dance Killer, Apama, Regina (see our last episode for more on Regina and the Bloom Kickstarter!), Hawk, and of course, the star of the title, Punchline! This issue is a lot of fun, and I really like Donny Hadiwidjaja’s art, along with Ted’s great use of colors. And once the story comes to a close, readers are in for a treat with all the cool background stuff provided in this issue. Hero Tomorrow Comics continues to build out a universe worthy of the medium. Punchline and the Vaude-Villains #1 is available at Hero Tomorrow Comics for $7.99.
Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin
#1422 — Marvel Romance Redux: I Should Have Been A Blonde! #1, Marvel, July 2006.
Each year, Cool Comics pays tribute to love and romance with our episode that comes out just before (or on) February 14 (also known as Valentine’s Day, a day you want to make sure you don’t forget if you have someone special in your life), and we’ve been known to call this out in our episode titles. However, this year, Cool Comics has done no such thing, since our 2020 Valentine’s Day special was our lowest-ranking episode of the year (measured by website hits…with just 87 as of this writing; and to contrast that, we have one episode from July 2020 with over 1,100 hits). Granted, 2020 had plenty of problems, and I guess that no one was in the mood for comic book romance during the pandemic. Aside from all that, I’m still going with another one of these funny Romance Redux comics I salvaged from a quarter bin. These stories contain the art from comics of the past (you can see the original credits at the start of each tale), while modern scripters like Peter David rewrote them to fit a more twisted, romantic notion that is diabolically entertaining. The cover price of Marvel Romance Redux: I Should Have Been A Blonde! is $2.99, while the current value is $3. The OPG value is also $3.
FCBD the Cool Comics Way (Week 30 of 2020)
#1423 — Street Fighter #100, UDON Entertainment, May 2020.
My knowledge of Street Fighter is zilch. This is the third Free Comic Book Day issue I’ve read from the franchise, but considering I’ve read them about a year apart, and I haven’t learned anything about the world or characters at any other time, it’s pretty understandable. For this week’s Cool Comics Battle, I actually used one of the characters from this comic, but I have no idea if Ryu has a fan following or not. I’m sure Street Fighter is a lot more enjoyable when you know the characters, motivations, enemies, and maybe even learned some of this from the arcade game…or games (or home game version…I don’t even know if this is available for today’s gaming systems). But if you like action, this story has plenty of that. The cover price of Street Fighter #100 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics Kids
#1424 — O’Malley and the Alley Cats #2, Gold Key, July 1971.
I saw Disney’s The Aristocats at a theater during its original run. Yup, I’m kind of old. Disney movies were different in those days, but there was still magic, and young me liked Thomas O’Malley the Alley Cat. One of the things I liked was his voice, and as it turns out (and this will come as no surprise to many, and some of you who didn’t already know might start shaking your heads in recognition), the same voice-actor, Phil Harris, was the voice of Little John in Robin Hood and Baloo in The Jungle Book. When I hear him in any of these three movies, it takes me back to my childhood. So, of course when I saw this comic in a quarter box, I couldn’t ignore it. There is a tear nearly two inches long at the bottom of my issue that involves every page, and some nasty chipping also, but hey, it was only a quarter, and the memories it brought back while reading it had me quickly forgetting that this comic is 50 years old and rather beaten up. Instead, I was a kid sitting in a movie theater in Wheeling, West Virginia, absorbed by what I was watching on the big screen. It’s a worthy edition to my Cool Comics Kids Library. The cover price of O’Malley and the Alley Cats #2 is 15¢, while the current values are $16 on CBR and $8 on ZKC. The OPG value is $16.
Cool Comics Classics
#1425 — Superman #276, DC, June 1974.
When you’re doing comic book research, don’t let the covers fool you! Though this 1974 issue of Superman looks like he’s about to go toe-to-toe with Shazam (aka Captain Marvel), upon closer inspection you’ll notice that there’s no thunderbolt on the uniform of the muscular guy on the right–and that’s because he’s really Captain Thunder, from an alternate version of Earth. And when he’s not all beefy, he’s a young boy named Wille Fawcett. The setting for this story takes place a couple of years before the Man of Steel and Shazam meet. And when they finally did get together, it was in the pages of Justice League of America #137, which has a cover date of December 1976. Still, if you look up the first issue of Shazam, published by DC in 1973, you’ll find Superman on the cover. Which could confuse anyone if you’re relying on covers to give you the inside scoop. Like you, I’m glad we finally got all that straightened out! Oh, and by the way, this little adventure with Superman and Captain Thunder (who is the bad guy for the issue…even though he’s not really a bad guy…you need to read it if you want more info) is a fun trip back to my childhood, and you might experience the same sentiments if you happen to read it today. The cover price of Superman #276 is 20¢, while the current value is $24. The OPG value is also $24. The Key Collector Comics value is $18.
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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Views: 556
If I had started getting comics a year earlier that Superman #276 would have been mine!
Superman also appears on the cover of Shazam! #30 in 1977, but there’s more than meets the eye there as well.
Action Ace, good to hear from you. I like comics and covers that are “more than meets the eye.” The history of comics is deep and rich indeed.
Thanks for being an important part of Cool Comics!