Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 288, 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 288…
Cool Comics Colloquialisms!
Sometimes picking the Contemporary Cool Comic of the week is easy, and sometimes it’s downright difficult. Detective Comics #1034 had a “WOW” ending to it that left me excited to see what comes next, while The Amazing Spider-Man #62 was just plain fun…until near the end when Robbie Robertson is shocked after seeing some pictures in a folder of his son, Randy (who happens to be one of Peter Parker’s roommates), and another scene shows the reader that Randy is a target in a deadly game. And by the way, Alien #1 came out, too, and completely exceeded my expectations. But I went in another direction; still, these were all worthy comic adventures.
By the way, when you look below to find the Contemporary Cool Comics category, you’ll notice that it’s missing. As a matter of fact, each of the five regular categories have been slightly altered. And no, this isn’t an April Fools’ Day joke. It was just time to make a change. The new lineup, for those who care about such things, is as follows:
- Contemporary Cool Comics is now Modern-Day Cool Comics (comics with a 21st Century cover date).
- Cool Comics from the Quarter Bin is now Dynamically Discounted Cool Comics (comics in my collection ranging from free to any price tag, as long as it was a good deal).
- FCBD the Cool Comics Way is now Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (just a change in the title of our category in which we look at the Free Comic Book Day issues released each year).
- Cool Comics Kids is now Cool Comics for the Young at Heart (there are plenty of adults who collect these all-age comics, and now the category title better reflects what this is about).
- Cool Comics Classics is now Twentieth Century Cool Comics (not all comic books from the last century are classics, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cool—at least to some of us—so any comic with a cover date before the year 2000 could show up here).
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Nightwing versus Blue Devil! 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 has the coolest art, and with impeccable timing we present his very own version of the Teen Titans! 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 if 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
Modern-Day Cool Comics
#1456 — Teen Titans Academy #1, DC, May 2021.
I like Marvel’s Strange Academy and bought this title in hopes that DC’s Teen Titans Academy would be just as much fun. And after the first issue, the jury is still out. These kids are a little older, and therefore a little more on the snarky side, I guess. As I continue to advance in years, I find myself liking snarky things less and less. But that’s just me. Perhaps you love it, and this is the greatest comic book you’ve ever read. We all have our own opinions on what we do and don’t like, for various reasons. But the predominant personal factor of collecting comes down to deciding what I, as a consumer, decide to spend my cash on. In Strange Academy, I enjoy the scenes with the students, whereas with Teen Titans Academy, I didn’t particularly care much for the students in this first issue. The scenes with the regular Teen Titans were fine, but if I don’t like the students, what’s the point of continuing to buy the series? But like any work of fiction, sometimes a story takes a while to click with certain readers, and I guess with this comic, I’m a certain reader. I see lots of potential and have hopes that the creative team pulls it off. The cover price of Teen Titans Academy #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The Key Collector Comics value is also $4.
Dynamically Discounted Cool Comics
#1457 — Thor Annual #8, Marvel, 1979.
I’m excited that I’ve made a bit of a change to this Cool Comics category, because I have a couple short boxes full of comics that were given to me for free, along with lots of other comics that I obtained for more than a quarter that were still great purchases. Yet there’s no denying that this featured comic comes to us right out of a quarter bin, one in which I’d been recently digging (in other words, just a few short weeks ago!). Thor is one of my favorite heroes, and when this annual that had never found its way into my collection appeared before my eyes in that bargain box, well…it had me at THOR! Roy Thomas and John Buscema give us this rousing tale aptly titled THUNDER OVER TROY, an issue not to be missed by fans of Homer’s classics The Iliad and The Odyssey (sorry Simpson’s fans, but it wasn’t THAT Homer). The course is set in this Homeric tale by the machinations of that rascal Loki, but would we have it any other way? Verily, this comic book be worthy! The cover price of Thor Annual #8 is 75¢, while the current value is $12. The OPG value is $14.
Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 37 of 2020)
#1458 — Super Mercado Mix Tape, Oni Press, May 2020.
Creator Yehudi Mercado is passionate about doing comics, and while these stories aren’t aimed towards me, I appreciate the enthusiasm. This Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) issue contains a couple introductions to longer stories to get you interested, a one-page “Finish the rhyme” in a panel, and a two-page “Comics Chat” interview with Yehudi. I’ve said this before, and it bears repeating: FCBD is a great way to learn about other comics, creators, and companies. Older kids to teens are probably the target audience for this one, but it didn’t bother me to spend some time reading it, checking out the art, and learning a little about the creator and his desire to entertain. The cover price of Super Mercado Mix Tape is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics for the Young at Heart
#1459 — Walt Disney’s Spring Fever #1, Disney Comics, Spring 1991.
I thought I had an Easter themed comic in my box of Cool Comics for the Young at Heart, but I was wrong. Although I did have one that would have been perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, which now must wait until next year. Still, it’s Spring, Easter is right around the corner, and things are fresh and new, the temperatures are getting warmer, and this Disney Comic hit the spot. The cover and back form one great picture, and I made sure to give you the full view here. This thick anthology gives us ten fun stories featuring some of our favorites, such as Donald Duck, his nephews, Li’l Bad Wolf, Goofy, Chip ‘N’ Dale, Bambi, and of course, Mickey Mouse. I’m not sure how easy it is to find this issue today (it’s 30 years old!), but if you don’t have it and you love Disney, it’s a nice one to put in your collection. I was fortunate that someone let me have it for free. The cover price of Walt Disney’s Spring Fever #1 is $2.95, while the current value is $3.
Twentieth Century Cool Comics
#1460 — Blue Devil #7, DC, December 1984.
I don’t know much about Blue Devil, having owned just two issues of his comic book (the first was #17, which I no longer have, and I’m not even sure if I read it before selling it at a garage sale), along with the 16-page insert contained in The Fury of Firestorm #24, which introduces the world to Dan Cassidy, aka Blue Devil. The series lasted from 1984 to 1986 and produced 31 issues, along with an annual in 1985. I wasn’t reading comics during this period, but that doesn’t mean I’m not interested in reading them now, and since this issue was looking lonely in a quarter bin, it came home with me. By the way, this issue features Gil Kane as guest artist. There are other comics in my collection that have Blue Devil in them, and I’ll get to that in a moment. The point is that of his short-lived solo title, where we usually learn the most about our costumed heroes, my collection isn’t much of a collection. A little snooping around on the website Comic Vine shows us that Blue Devil has appeared in comic books 366 times, which is way less than many characters, but revealed to me that I’ve run across him more than I initially remembered. A few of those appearances that I know I own include Crisis on Infinite Earths, Kingdom Come, War of the Gods, and The Fury of Firestorm. And there are more, but that’s enough of a sample to see that while he’s not unfamiliar to me, I still don’t know him all that well. And that’s why I continue to search through quarter boxes. The cover price of Blue Devil #7 is 75¢, while the current value is $3. The OPG value is also $3.
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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