Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 289, 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 289…
Cool Comics Colloquialisms!
When I was a kid buying my weekly comic books at the mom-and-pop shop a couple blocks from home, I never thought much about their potential values. In my neighborhood, most of my friends liked comic books enough to at least buy an occasional issue or ask to borrow some of mine. And that was just fine with me. Sometimes they’d come back a little worse for wear, but that wasn’t a concern. Instead, my friends and I would talk about the great story we’d now experienced. When I started buying comics in my third phase, Superman had just died the year before (my father found and bought me an issue of Superman #75 in the black bag…and that’s what injected me once again with the comic book bug), and I discovered the joy of not only reading comics, but also reading about them in publications like Wizard Magazine and Hero Illustrated. And it was the first time I ever really paid attention to price guides. Nowadays there are websites, apps, and all kinds of books about grading, values, and record-shattering sales. It’s a part of the hobby, like it or not. And obviously Cool Comics lists prices and values each episode. But there was something magical back in the Seventies about being young and having no concern about spine conditions, folded corners, or small tears. The story was the name of the game.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Beta Ray Bill versus Mister Miracle! 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 awesome creation features sketch cards from an Alien 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 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
#1461 — Beta Ray Bill #1, Marvel, May 2021.
Fan favorite Beta Ray Bill doesn’t often feature in his own title, so there was no way we weren’t going to showcase the almost-equine hero who wields Asgardian weapons with nearly the skill of Thor himself! This is the first of a five issue limited series, written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson, and I truly appreciate the creative parallel Johnson uses with the movie Hook. If you haven’t read this story yet, I don’t want to spoil anything for you, but if you have, and you’re familiar with the movie that stars the late Robin Williams as Peter Pan, you know exactly what I’m talking about. If you’ve never seen the movie, that’s what some of those lines coming from Bill’s TV are in reference to, reminding us of a particular character in the movie. Are we to assume, based on what Bill later tells Thor, that Bill associates with said character? If you’ve never seen Hook, you may want to give it a watch before reading this issue, if you can find it easily enough. For me, it enriched the experience. The cover price of Beta Ray Bill #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is $4.
Dynamically Discounted Cool Comics
#1462 — DC Comics Presents #12, DC, August 1979.
I’m a big fan of anthology style titles and team-ups, and when I find them in discount bins, they typically end up coming home with me. The best part is when I get them out of quarter boxes (again, I really appreciate that there are still quarter boxes available at some stores, and I know exactly how fortunate I am to have such easy access), because low prices tend to equal more volume bought, which makes the shop owner happy, as well as myself. The first time I ever purchased issues of DC Comics Presents was in 1982, during my freshman year at Ohio State. And yes, I did buy the issue that featured the first appearance of He-Man, but alas, I no longer own it. This issue, which gives us Superman and Mister Miracle in typical hero-versus-hero fashion, came out earlier in the run, but I rarely bought DC titles during this timeframe, so it was a treat to get to read this adventure after all these years. The cover price of DC Comics Presents #12 is 40¢, while the current value is $6. The OPG value is also $6.
Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 38 of 2020)
#1463 — InvestiGators, First Second, August 2020.
This Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) issue by creator John Patrick Green dares us to “Take the Plunge” into this sneak peek of his InvestiGators graphic novel. I appreciate the clever use of a plunger and magnifying glass as tools of choice of his two InvestiGators on the cover, giving us a bit of an idea that Green intends this to be a fun adventure, regardless of the age of the reader. Obviously, a younger audience is more apt to be interested in the capers of these two intelligent, crime-solving alligators, but it proved to be a fun adventure for someone like myself, whose sweet-spot of comic books resides in the Seventies. But the beauty of FCBD is that it allows us to sample something different at no cost. And if you like it, there’s more adventure waiting for you. The cover price of InvestiGators is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics for the Young at Heart
#1464 — Four Color (Goofy) #1053, Dell, November/January 1959.
If you’re a Disney fan—even a casual one—you absolutely know who Goofy is, and possibly enjoy his silliness and often very positive outlook on life. Yet I’m a bit of a late bloomer when it comes to Goofy. It seems, when I think back to my younger days, that I was a bit annoyed by him when I’d see him in cartoons. Yet today, after having read a number of Disney comics over the last couple years, I’ve come to appreciate both the humor and humanity imbued in the character. Perhaps if I’d read Disney comics during my formative years, I would have embraced him earlier on, but when I discovered super-heroes on television, and later found out that their adventures were available for a mere twenty cents, that’s where my pocket change went. Nowadays, as a more mature reader and connoisseur of comic books, I look forward to reading stories featuring Mickey’s good buddy. Additionally, finding issues from Dell’s Four Color series in quarter bins is always a pleasure for those who want to read more stories from our favorite hobby’s rich history. The cover price of Four Color #1053 is 10¢, while the current value is $85. The OPG value is $95.
Twentieth Century Cool Comics
#1465 — Ironjaw #1, Atlas/Seaboard, January 1975.
A couple years ago, as I learned more about Atlas/Seaboard comics, I decided I needed to have as many as I could find become part of my collection. During my third phase of comic book collecting (1993-2003) I’d find some in discount boxes and bought a few issues, but I never got around to reading them by the time they ended up in a garage sale. They had no real meaning to me on a personal level since I didn’t buy any of them when they first appeared on comic racks back in the Seventies. I do recall seeing comics from the Atlas line as I searched the shelves for Spider-Man, Captain America, and Thor comics, but I wasn’t about to spend my grass-cutting or newspaper delivery (or Grit salesman) money on them. Yet the nostalgia bug (an often-perilous malady!) bit me, and now most of the Atlas/Seaboard issues reside in my home. Just 14 more comics, not including the ever-elusive four issues of Vicki (which I can live without, if I never find them for a good price), and I’ll be finished. But the real joy comes in the reading of them. I had no expectations when I cracked open Ironjaw #1 and ended up enjoying this story that takes place somewhere in our future. It’s a far cry from things you’ll see in modern comic books, and may offend some readers today, but hey, it was the Seventies. The cover price of Ironjaw #1 is 25¢, while the current values are $25 on CBR and $20 on ZKC. The OPG value is $28. 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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