Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection episode 379, 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 379…
Cool Comics Stuff!
While I haven’t been reading the Batman vs. Robin limited series, I made sure to grab issue #4 since it leads into the upcoming Lazarus Planet storyline. The other pictured cover is the last entry of the Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths series (#7), which brings us to Dawn of the DCU, as the cover makes sure to tell us. I’ve never been as big a reader of DC titles as I have Marvel, but Superman and his pals look to have some great stuff coming up in 2023!
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Mary Jane Watson versus Lana Lang! 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!
In this episode, Cool Comics shows off Ed Griffie’s version of Doc Savage, the Man of Bronze! 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 (or an original piece of art that you own) 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
Cool Comics from the 21st Century
#1911 — Mary Jane & Black Cat #1, Marvel, February 2023.
Cool Factor: It’s always fun when Mary Jane and the Black Cat get together, but this issue sees a bit of a change in the dynamic. If you don’t want to know and have been avoiding all discussions about this issue, then maybe you shouldn’t look any further until you’ve read it. Everyone else with me? Okay, here we go: Mary Jane now has powers. How did she get them? How do they work? Is she a superhero or supervillain? This first issue doesn’t tell all, but if her powers last, you may want to add this issue to your collection. And before I forget to mention it, this crosses over with all the Dark Web clone craziness, in case you hadn’t noticed by the cover.
Comic Book Credits: Jed MacKay (writer), Vincenzo Carratú (artist), Brian Reber (color artist), Ariana Maher (letterer), J. Scott Campbell (cover art), Adam Del Re (senior designer), Tom Groneman (associate editor), and Devin Lewis (editor).
Price and Values: The cover price of Mary Jane & Black Cat #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is also $5.
Media Tie-In Cool Comics
#1912 — Bone #20, Cartoon Books, October 1995 (Original Source: Comic Strip).
Cool Factor: Are you a fan of Bone? The comic strip Thorn made it’s first appearance in The Lantern, the weekly student newspaper at Ohio State University, and I was a student there when Jeff Smith started his legendary work. I always enjoyed reading it each week but didn’t realize until years later that Bone became a comic book. Rather than buying individual issues, I started acquiring collected editions. However, I ran across this one in a quarter box at my local comic shop and couldn’t resist adding it to my collection. Reading it reminded me that I still haven’t read the entire run, and certainly need make sure I do at some point.
Comic Book Credits: Jeff Smith (script/pencils/inks/letters/cover pencils/cover inks/editor) and David Reed (cover colors).
Price and Values: The cover price of Bone #20 is $2.95, while the current values are $8 on CBR and $6 on ZKC.
Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 34 of 2022)
#1913 — The Best Archie Comic Ever! #0, Archie, May 2022.
Cool Factor: Archie has long been a part of my life, and though I’ve ignored him and the Riverdale gang at times, they’re always there, waiting for me to join them in some crazy adventures. This Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) edition is put together in a cool way, switching to various highlights and iterations throughout, such as Agent A.R.C.H.I.E. and Pureheart the Powerful. Whether you’re an Archie purest or prefer the modern-day twists that often take place in the newer storylines, this is a fun FCBD issue, and I suggest adding this to your Archie box of comics.
Comic Book Credits: Cover – Jamal Igle (pencils/inks/colors); Script – Fred Van Lente (pages 1-2, 4, 21), Thomas Pitilli (pages 3, 5, 13), J. Torres (pages 6-11), Micol Ostow (page 12), Stephanie Cooke (page 14), and Evan Stanley (pages 15-20); Pencils – Tim Seeley (pages 1-2, 4, 21), Thomas Pitilli (pages 3, 5, 13), Gretel Lusky (pages 6-12), Lisa Sterle (page 14), and Evan Stanley (pages 15-20); Inks – Tim Seeley (pages 1-2, 4, 21), Thomas Pitilli (pages 3, 5, 13), Gretel Lusky (pages 6-12), Lisa Sterle (page 14), and Evan Stanley (pages 15-20); Colors – Matt Herms; Letters – Jack Morelli; and Editing – Jamie Lee Rotante (editor), Stephen Oswald (associate editor), Vincent Lovallo (assistant editor), and Mike Pellerito (editor-in-chief).
Price and Values: The cover price of The Best Archie Comic Ever! #0 is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics for the Young at Heart
#1914 — Sad Sack Comics #210, Harvey Comics, November 1969.
Cool Factor: Though I haven’t read many Sad Sack comic books, I always buy issues when I find them cheap (meaning in quarter boxes). I appreciate Harvey Comics today more than I did in my youth, and to me, the brand is synonymous with fun. Throughout comic book history there have been military and war comics, and while many of those wouldn’t be considered appropriate for young readers, or at least anyone feeling young at heart, Sad Sack is in line with Beetle Bailey and focuses on some of the crazy antics of military personnel at their post. And often the experience of reading these comics brings a smile to your face, and there’s nothing wrong with that!
Comic Book Credits: George Baker (cover) and Leon Harvey (editor) are the only available credits. This issue contains the following stories: The Lull, New Idea, Nobody Pets the Pet!, Stuck, and Change.
Price and Values: The cover price of Sad Sack #210 is 15¢, while the current value is $10.
Cool Comics from the 20th Century
#1915 — Superboy #205, DC, December 1974.
Cool Factor: When it comes to comic books, one of my collecting goals is to attain every 100 Pages for only 60¢ issues (if you’re unfamiliar with it, just look at the top of the cover I’ve included here, then Google it for more details). I started buying these at the pharmacy where my dad worked in the mid-Seventies (SuperX Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio). And since my dad got an employee discount on what he bought there, he’d use an ink pen and draw a slash across the 60¢ and then write in his cost somewhere near it so the cashiers would know his cost. Collectors today might cringe at that, but when I’m flipping through my collection and spot one that my dad marked, the memories make me smile. I was able to get this issue in Columbus, Ohio, at a comic shop near the food court close to the hotel where my wife and I stayed earlier this month for GalaxyCon. The condition of the comic isn’t that great, but it was only $3, so that got me a little closer to achieving my goal. And the old stories were fun, too!
Comic Book Credits: Cover – Nick Cardy (pencils/inks); The Legion of Super-Executioners – Cary Bates (script), Mike Grell (pencils/inks), and Ben Oda (letters); The One-Man Team! – Robert Bernstein (script) and George Papp (pencils/inks); The Outcast Super-Heroes! and Part II: The Devil’s Dozen! – E. Nelson Bridwell (script), Curt Swan (pencils), George Klein (inks), and Milt Snapinn (letters); Lore of the Legion – E. Nelson Bridwell (script), Dave Cockrum (pencils & inks page 1-2), Curt Swan (pencils page 3), George Klein (inks page 3), and George Roussos (inks – Insect Queen figure); The Forgotten Legion! Part I and Part II: The Faces Behind the Masks! – E. Nelson Bridwell (script), Curt Swan (pencils), George Klein (inks), and Milt Snapinn (letters); and Murray Boltinoff (editor).
Price and Values: The cover price of Superboy #205 is 60¢, while the current values are $65 on CBR and $60 on ZKC.
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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I Read That Book!
Please check out my newest blog, I Read That Book! Periodically, I discuss a book I’ve read in an entertaining, positive manner. It’s not a book review site, but instead a fun way to look at many of the books that have been a part of my life (and perhaps yours, too!), through anecdotes, quotes, weblinks, fond memories, pictures, and other surprises!
Views: 387
I don’t have that particular Superboy & LSH issue — but have many after that …really loved that series, with exceptional Mike Grell artwork, & kept grabbing over the years when Paul Levitz took over the writing & just called Legion of Super Heroes.
Of course, the series hit it’s apex with “The Great Darkness Saga” with Keith Giffen’s pencils very detailed & true reading enjoyment. Good stuff & fantastic reading!
Hi Matt, thanks for writing! My first exposure to LSH was The Great Darkness Saga. I really enjoy learning more about the Legion as the years have gone by, and often find some great issues in quarter bins, so I’ve built up my collection.
Thanks for being an important part of Cool Comics!