The Avengers Fall while Speed Racer Memories Abound!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 295, 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 50^th 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 295…

Cool Comics Stuff!

If you noticed a difference in the title, you’re an astute observer and should pat yourself on the back. Though I somewhat fancy the word “colloquialisms,” I’ve never been all that comfortable in using it here. For quite a while, this section was named “Cool Comics News,” but that didn’t always seem to fit, so a change was made in episode 284 and it was renamed “Cool Comics Colloquialisms.” It survived just eleven episodes. And while I’ve given too much thought about what to name this section, I decided to keep it simple.

Some of the notable new issues that came out last week include Giant-Size Amazing Spider-Man: King’s Ransom #1, X-Corp #1, Guardians of the Galaxy #14, and Superman #31. I have an affinity for comics with “Giant-Size” in the title, as they take me back in time to the Seventies when I was much younger, and it always seemed exciting when aptly named giant-sized comics adorned the shelves of the little mom and pop store I frequented. X-Corp is yet another of the many X-Men titles currently populating comic shops. When you combine Doctor Doom with the Guardians of the Galaxy, Doom says you have no choice but to add it to your collection. Lastly, you may take Superman for granted, but as Jonathan Kent is learning the ropes from his father, treachery is afoot in the form of the Shadowbreed!

Cool Comics Battle of the Week!

The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Katana versus the Scarlet Witch! 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 comes to us from Robert A. Kraus (aka RAK), creator of Chakan and many other fantastic works of art, along with cool games he’s developed. This is the awesome image used on the Chakan Sega Genesis video game. Have you played it? To learn more about RAK, be sure to visit his website at http://www.rakgraphics.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 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

#1491 — DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1, DC, July 2021.

As longtime readers know, I love anthology comics. Whether they center around a holiday or contain a mix of shorter, complete stories, they are typically fun to read. May is Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, so DC decided to celebrate it big this year with a 100-page comic that includes tales featuring fan favorites such as Tatsu Yamashiro (Katana), Connor Hawke (Green Arrow), Ryan Choi (Atom), and Kong Kenan (New Super-Man), and introduces a new character, the Monkey Prince. Just be prepared for the sticker shock of this hefty comic book. The issue contains eleven stories with various lengths, some of which I liked better than others (but you can’t please everyone all the time, can you?). Many creators were involved in putting this comic together, and if you want to see who they are, simply click HERE. The cover price of DC Festival of Heroes: The Asian Superhero Celebration #1 is $9.99, while the current value is $10. The Key Collector Comics value is also $10.

Dynamically Discounted Cool Comics  

#1492 — Speed Racer #4, NOW Comics, November 1987.

When I was young, the Speed Racer cartoon was one of the most important parts of my life. I loved the 1966 Batman television show, the Marvel cartoons steered me to comic books, and Kimba the White Lion had me singing his theme song, but Speed Racer captured my heart. The animated show (it ran from 1967-1968) had thrills, mysteries, and taught the importance of family and friendships. I think part of the reason I gravitated towards the cartoon so much was that the lead character, Speed Racer, was voiced by Peter Fernandez, and I liked his voice. And though I didn’t realize it at the time, he was also the voice for the English-speaking version of one of my favorite movies when I was a kid, Alakazam the Great (1960). Perhaps the reason I don’t often see Speed Racer comics in discount bins is because fans of a certain age don’t want to shed these priceless relics that remind them of their childhood. Fortunately, I got this one for just a quarter. Having the experience of sitting in front of the TV and watching Speed Racer all those years ago certainly helps bring the comic books alive today. Len Strazewski wrote this issue, Gary Thomas Washington did the pencils, and Brian Augustyn served as editor. The cover price of Speed Racer #4 is $1.75, while the current value is $3. The OPG value is also $3.

Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 44 of 2020)

#1493 — Bibi & Miyu/The Fox & Little Tanuki, Tokyopop, August 2020.

While there aren’t any manga titles on my pull list, I do read a few each year. And you got it right if you thought to yourself that 99 percent of them are Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) issues. I’ve picked up a few here and there in quarter bins, but that’s a rare occurrence. To be honest, I rarely look forward to reading any of these, but more often than not, I find myself surprised that I actually enjoy most of them. No doubt these are aimed towards a younger audience (much younger, some of you might be saying!), but sometimes they take me back to my childhood days of watching Alakazam the Great (my second mention of it in this episode…I loved it so much as a kid that I can’t help myself), and who doesn’t love that nostalgic feeling of childhood? This issue comes with two stories, the first of which, Bibi & Miyu, is illustrated by Hirara Natsume and written by Olivia Vieweg, while Mi Tagawa handled both story and art for The Fox & Little Tanuki. The cover price of Bibi & Miyu/The Fox & Little Tanuki is free, while the current value is $1.

Cool Comics for the Young at Heart

#1494 — Mickey Mouse #10, IDW Publishing, March 2016.

IDW does a really nice job with their Disney comics. The covers and pages both feel just a little thicker (which is great for kids, not to mention me too!), the colors are vibrant, and we get to see great tales translated from other languages. This issue contains the following stories: Shadow of the Colossus (Part 1 of 2) written by Andrea Castellan (with translations by Jonathan H. Gray), with art by Giorgio Cavazzano; Statuesque Scholar by writer Jan Kruse (with translations by David Gerstein) and art by Maximino Tortajada Aguilar; No Good Deed…written by Lars Jensen with dialogue by Lars Jensen and David Gerstein; and Have Brain, Will Travel written by Bill Walsh, with art by Manuel Gonzales. We really get an international feel for Mickey stories, from Italy to the Netherlands to Germany. The last story is from a 1950 Sunday comic strip. By the way, the cover art is courtesy of Giorgio Cavazzano. If you’re a fan, regardless of age, these comics are worth it. The cover price of Mickey Mouse #10 is $3.99, while the current value is $4. The OPG value is also $4.

Twentieth Century Cool Comics

#1495 — The Avengers #157, Marvel, March 1977.

With the popularity of The Avengers on the big screen, along with the streaming series WandaVision, this cover (mine is the Whitman variant, you may have noticed) could give ulcers to mighty Marvel fans. Is the powerful team down and out, or merely just down for the moment? And who is the mysterious Ghost of Stone? The drama, the intrigue, the big battles, and the advertisements contained in these Seventies comics keep me coming back for more! Rescued from a quarter bin and given a good home, comic books like this one can transport you back to specific periods of time, allowing us to escape, for a brief moment, the concerns of today. Gerry Conway is the writer of this adventure, and Don Heck is listed as the guest artist, while Pablo Marcos did the inking. The cover price of The Avengers #157 is 30¢, while the current value is $15. The OPG value is also $15.

Cool Comics Reader Reviews!

Would you like to write a review of a comic book or graphic novel for all the Internet to read? 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/

Never Miss an Episode of Cool Comics!

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