Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection episode 316, 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 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). Not all my comics meet that grade. Some are probably better, and many are certainly worse. But to simplify it, that’s the scale I use. 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 316…
Cool Comics Stuff!
A couple days ago, Adam Lawson, writer of the successful crowdfunded graphic novel, The Eighth (see Cool Comics In My Collection episode 243), on Indiegogo, launched his newest campaign, this time for a graphic novel aptly titled Kids & Monsters. Weighing in at 72 pages, this hardcover graphic novel is oversized, fun, and exciting! Adam allowed me to read the first 22 pages, and it was a blast! The art, dialogue, and colors work so well together that you may forget you’re reading and instead feel like you’re watching a movie. I’m really looking forward to getting a copy of this, and I hope you take some time to go to explore the campaign to see all the cool things you can get.
Want to know more? Here’s some info that Adam sent along:
Monsters live in backpacks like genies do in lamps!
Kids & Monsters is the tale of three kids who get sucked into an ancient war between Monsters and Beasts that mirrors their parents looming divorce. Nothing is more frightening to a young teen than the possible “destruction” of their family. This trio is going to try and navigate the war at home and the one raging between the World Within and the World We Know. With the help of Monsters who live in backpacks (their keeps), will they be able to stop the Red Beasts and save their family?
Kids & Monsters is TV writer Adam Lawson’s third graphic novel. The book will be published through his small publishing company Gifted Rebels, which delivers both tabletop games and comics.
The Creators: Story/Letters: Adam Lawson (The Eighth, Kill Journal); Art: Maxi Dall’o (Lost Pages, Jack Irons); Colors: Mike Spicer (Beta Ray Bill, Murder Falcon, Wonder Woman: Dead Earth)
Adam, thanks for providing the preview and all the information for our readers, and I look forward to making my pledge and reading the entire story of Kids & Monsters (yes Cool Comics Crowd, click on the title, watch the video, explore your options, and don’t let this awesome graphic novel slip through your fingers — the deadline will be here before you know it).
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Jughead versus Goofy! 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, Cool Comics is excited to show Ed Griffie’s awesome October Scarecrow! 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
#1596 — Archie Halloween Spectacular, Archie, December 2021.
Some of my earliest comic book memories are reading Archie Digests around Christmas time, but I can’t remember if I read any Halloween-themed issues in the Octobers of my childhood. I may have, but I don’t really have the time to go digging around in comic boxes this week, so we’re settling on an iffy “probably not.” Nowadays there are plenty of scary Archie comics if you enjoy the Horror line (and I do know that there were darker Archie comics in the past…I just didn’t read them when I was young), and while some are interesting, I prefer the type of tales you get in Archie Halloween Spectacular. This anthology (as the cover tells us) features an “ALL-NEW LEAD STORY!” The rest, obviously, are some fun adventures from yesterdays’ gone by…and I have no problem with that. The comic is more affordable than most that are published currently, and it allowed me to feel like a kid again. Pumpkin Problemo! is written by Bill Golliher, with pencils by Bill Galvan and featuring Jim Amash on inks, Glenn Whitmore on colors, and Jack Morelli did the letters. Dan Parent handled both the writing and pencils on Season of the Witch, while Bob Smith (inks), Glenn Whitmore (colors), and Jack Morelli (letters) all pitched in. Next up is The Problem with Pumpkin, which is brought to us by Bill Golliher (story), Jeff Shultz (pencils), Jim Amash (inks), Glenn Whitmore (colors), and Jack Morelli (letters). Lastly, Halloween Horror is brought to us by George Gladir (script), Stan Goldberg (pencils), Al Milgrom (inks), Jon D’Agostino (letters), and Barry Grossman (colors). The cover price of Archie Halloween Spectacular is $2.99, while the current value is $3.
Dynamically Discounted Cool Comics
#1597 — Tomb of Dracula #70, Marvel, August 1979.
Even though I found this in a quarter box, it hurts that a previous owner cut out the UPC label…it’s blasphemy! Yet this wasn’t a part of my collection, so I grabbed it for the dynamically discounted price. The story is all there, and that’s what really “Counts.” I’ve mentioned here before that when I was buying comic books in the Seventies, I really didn’t have an interest in horror comics, and now I’m making up for lost time. I’ve only read a few issues of Tomb of Dracula (and I don’t own many of them), but as I was searching my unread quarter boxes for a fun October read for this slot, I couldn’t resist, regardless of the fact it’s the last issue in that run. I really had a great time reading it and look forward to many more in the future. The fantastic cover is by Gene Colan (pencils) and Tom Palmer (inks/colors). The interior creators are Marv Wolfman (script), Gene Colan & Tom Palmer (illustrators), Jon Costanza (letterer), and Michele Wolfman (colors). The cover price of Tomb of Dracula #70 is 60¢, while the current value is $50. The Key Collector Comics value is $20.
Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 9 of 2021)
#1598 — Vampire: The Masquerade Winter’s Teeth #1, Vault, August 2021.
Back in the Nineties when I was heavily into my third phase of comic book collecting (1993-2003), role-playing, dice, and collectible card games were soaring in popularity. Though I didn’t play it, I was aware that Vampire: The Masquerade was quite popular, and then, before you could sink your teeth into a fresh source and get rejuvenated, the show Kindred: The Embraced made its appearance on the small screen. And obviously I had to watch Pony Boy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell…that’s his character’s name from the movie The Outsiders…just in case you didn’t know) hunt down vampires. But these weren’t your ordinary run-of-the-mill vampires. They belonged to clans and were organized, although not all the clans got along. Unfortunately, the show didn’t make it past eight episodes. But it’s worth watching if you get the chance. Needless to say, I enjoyed revisiting this universe via Free Comic Book Day. The issue contains two stories, the first being Winter’s Teeth, written by Tim Seeley and drawn by Devmalya Pramanik, while The Anarch Tales is written by Tini Howard & Blake Howard, and drawn by Nathan Gooden. Addison Duke did the coloring for both, and the issue was lettered by Andworld. The cover price of Vampire: The Masquerade Winter’s Teeth #1 is free, while the current values are $0 on CBR and $1 on ZKC.
Cool Comics for the Young at Heart
#1599 — Walt Disney’s Autumn Adventures #1, Disney Comics, Autumn 1990.
This Walt Disney treasure will warm your heart, despite the cool breeze of autumn. Packed with plenty of stories, characters, and creators, Disney Comics gives us this wonderful comic that’s the perfect fit for fall and all the amazing colors of the season. We get eight stories with lots of our favorites, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Chip ‘N’ Dale, Li’l Bad Wolf, Pluto, Scrooge McDuck, Huey, Louie, and Dewey. And there are so many creators that it’s easier for you to just click HERE to see for yourself. If you want to feel like a kid again and you love all things fall (and especially Halloween and Thanksgiving), you can’t go wrong with this issue! The cover price of Walt Disney’s Autumn Adventures #1 is $2.95, while the current values are $4 on CBR and $3 on ZKC.
Twentieth Century Cool Comics
#1600 — Ghosts #105, DC, October 1981.
When it’s October, I like to explore my DC spooky anthology comics of old (in our last episode I talked about Secrets of Haunted House #29), and a scary issue of Ghosts fits the bill nicely. We start off with a creepy cover, coming to us from Joe Kubert (pencils and inks) and Tatjana Wood (colors), before being greeted by Squire Shade, our host (script by Robin Snyder, pencils by Howard Bender, and inks by Adrian Gonzales), on page 1. From there we get four complete tales that may find you digging out your old nightlight for your bedroom! The stories include Honeymoon in Hell; Plant You Now, Dig You Later; Wishing Well; and My Soul Belongs to Daddy. There is also a one-page prose story (Imagine) and a quick, goofy Do’s & Don’ts for Ghosts that also takes a single page. By the way, if you’re a fan of movies that make you think twice before descending the steps to your basement…or ascending to your attic, you may have already seen the movie Wind Chill, but if not, check out the trailer below. The cover price of Ghosts #105 is 60¢, while the current value is $8.
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/
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