Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection episode 409, 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 409…
Cool Comics Stuff!
This episode we’re taking a look at the COLLECTORZINE crew at a recent store signing. From left to right: Ed Gosney (yup, that’s me), Bobby Jenkins, Robert (RAK) Kraus, and Michael Savene.
Cool Comics Battle of the Week!
The Cool Comics Battle of the Week is Blade versus Superman! 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 Dawn of Justice with Batman and Superman! 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
#2061 — Blade #1, Marvel, September 2023.
Cool Factor: While we may or may not be getting a new Blade movie in 2024, we did indeed get a new ongoing Blade comic book…which we all appreciate even more (I think I’m right, since you’re visiting a blog that focuses on comic books). Fresh off his appearance in the limited series featuring his daughter Brielle Brooks, Blade gets set-up, and now it seems that the bad guys will triumph…but I think the daywalker will find a way to save the day in future issues!
Comic Book Credits: Bryan Hill (writer), Elena Casagrande (artist/cover artist), Jordie Bellaire (color artist/cover artist), Joe Sabino (letterer), Carlos Lao (production), Michelle Marchese (assistant editor), Wil Moss (editor), and C.B. Cebulski (editor in chief).
Price and Values: The cover price of Blade #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5. The Key Collector Comics value is also $5.
Facsimile Edition Cool Comics
#2062 — Superman #1, DC, December 2022 (Original Cover Date: June 1939).
Cool Factor: Want to own a copy of the 1939 edition of Superman #1, but don’t feel like plucking down a bunch of cash? And I mean a bunch, because for a nice copy, the current value runs from $1.1 million to $3.1 million. If that’s the case, welcome to Facsimile Edition comic books! Now you can get all the stories, all the art, and all the ads for a fraction of the cost. These early adventures of Clark Kent are a lot of fun for the historic-minded collector, so grab your copy now at your local comic shop, if you can still find it.
Comic Book Credits: Cover – Joe Shuster and Leo O’Mealia; Superman stories – Jerry Siegel (script) and Joe Shuster (pencils/inks/letters); for a listing of story titles, characters, and reprint information, please see the entry at the Grand Comics Database.
Price and Values: The cover price of Superman #1 Facsimile Edition is $6.99, while the current value is $7. The Key Collector Comics value is also $7.
Cool Comics Celebrates FCBD (Week 12 of 2023)
#2063 — Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures/Avatar the Last Airbender, Dark Horse Comics, May 2023.
Cool Factor: This Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) edition is a dream come true for some, as it contains both a Star Wars story AND one from Avatar, the Last Airbender! And while most of you have probably seen at least one Star Wars movie (I know, some of you have seen every minute of every movie, TV show, and animated series in existence…not to mention you’ve read the books and the comics and play the video games), not as many have watched the Avatar series, which is well worth your time. Now go grab this FCBD issue if you can still find a copy (if you missed out last May)!
Comic Book Credits: Cover – Harvey Tolibao with Kevin Tolibao; Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures – Starlight Coda: Daniel José Older (script), Harvey Tolibao (pencils/inks), Michelle Madsen (colors), Jimmy Betancourt &Tyler Smith (lettering), and Robert Simpson (senior editor); and Avatar the Last Airbender – Amy Chu (script), Kelly Matthews & Nichole Matthews (art and colors), Richard Starkings & Jimmy Betancourt (lettering).
Price and Values: The cover price of Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures/Avatar the Last Airbender is free, while the current value is $1.
Cool Comics for the Young at Heart
#2064 — Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Adventures #2, Disney Comics, July 1990.
Cool Factor: This issue of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Adventures pays tribute to the old west, and as a reader of such great novels as Lonesome Dove and Blood Meridian (could you imagine a graphic novel of Blood Meridian featuring Disney characters? Who would you cast as the Kid or the Judge? Since this is a Duck-centric comic, I’m going with Donald as the Kid and Uncle Scrooge McDuck as the Judge – and if it ever happened, which it won’t, it sure wouldn’t be for kids!), I appreciate being invited on this trail ride.
Comic Book Credits: Cover – William Van Horn (pencils/inks) and Gail Bailey (colors); Rootin’ Tootin’ Duck – John Lustig (script), William Van Horn (pencils/inks), Jo Meugniot (colors), and John Clark (letters); Desperado Duck – Karl Dester (script) Bob Foster (U.S. script), Victor Arrigada Rios (pencils/inks), Jo Meugniot (colors), and John Clark (letters); The Limber W Guest Ranch – Carl Barks (script/pencils/inks/letters) and Jo Meugniot (colors); and Bob Foster (editor) and Len Wein (editor-in-chief).
Price and Values: The cover price of Walt Disney’s Donald Duck Adventures #2 is $1.50, while the current values are $3 on CBR and $4 on ZKC.
Cool Comics from the 20th Century
#2065 — The Destructor #2, Atlas/Seaboard, April 1975.
Cool Factor: From the looks of this cover, our hero the Destructor appears to be on the verge of defeat! But the true defeat was his cancellation after just two more issues. And while four issues is considered a flop, this series made it longer than most of the Atlas titles. It’s really a shame that these comics that gave us some great creators and interesting characters came to such a quick end. As I read these Atlas/Seaboard comic books, I’ve been trying to space them out to make my collection last a bit longer, and I’ve really been enjoying this trek back to the Seventies.
Comic Book Credits: Archie Goodwin (script), Steve Ditko (pencils), Wally Wood (inks), Bhob Stewart (colors), Dave Hunt (letters). Larry Lieber (cover pencils/editor), Frank Giacoia (cover inks), and Gaspar Saladino (cover letters).
Price and Values: The cover price of The Destructor #2 is 25¢, while the current values are $16 on CBR and $8 on ZKC.
Cool Comics Reader Reviews!
Marvel Feature #1
By Matt VanAuken
I had the pleasure of meeting Roy Thomas, at Planet Comicon, in Kansas City, about two years ago. Admittedly, I’m a longtime DC guy, but I did bring along Marvel Feature #1 presents The Defenders. Roy said he always liked the Neal Adams cover, gladly signed it, and there was a good number of people behind me. Handing it back, he asked why I liked The Defenders. He wrote that issue (artwork from Ross Andru inside, inked by Bill Everett, and lettered by Sam Rosen).
I needed to let my comic idol know my answer and I honestly brought up a number of things, such as the diversity of characters (some of whom left The Defenders only to return a few issues later), good action sequences, plotlines, and that it was a unique series compared to the more well-known titles like the X-Men. He thanked me and I told Roy how much I appreciated his time.
Which brings me to The Day Of The Defenders (the title of this issue grabbed my attention), which begins in Greenwich Village when Dr. Strange receives a telepathic message from his enemy and mad scientist, Yandroth, who appears to be dying in the hospital that Strange’s astral form visits. Yandroth tells the astral Strange that if he dies, a weapon of immense power, called the Omegatron, will detonate all nuclear weapons, and obliterate Earth.
Yandroth ends up succumbing, and knowing he’s got very little time, Strange’s astral form returns to his body, and he goes to seek help. Flying to the coast, Strange informs Namor of the matters at hand. The Sub Mariner agrees to reluctantly get involved but does so mainly to prevent horrific damage to the oceans. Namor feels the Silver Surfer would assist both of them and Dr. Strange plucks him from outer space, but the Surfer is knocked out while flying through the atmosphere, due to his board hitting a barrier that cannot be seen.
Dr. Strange’s astral projection then seeks and finds the Hulk. Both do their best and explain the situation to a confused Hulk, then the three quickly head to an otherwise inconspicuous lighthouse at Point Promontory, at the “rocky New England shore” in Maine. The lighthouse was protected by magical and physical obstructions because the Omegatron was in the beginning stages of detonation, as Dr. Strange warned earlier, “if atomic fire lights the skies, before the sun may.”
The story quickly wraps up, while Hulk and Namor fight one another due to seeing hallucinations. The good Dr. Strange conjures the Fourth Dimension and slows time down so much for Omegatron that it basically ends up in suspended animation. The mighty heroes depart, wondering out loud whether, or not, they’ll meet up again. Hulk is the last to speak out loud and “doesn’t like it,” referring to his prior stint with The Avengers. And of course, they’ll meet up again…in the following issue!
This issue has a cover date of December 1971, and I bought it over 30 years ago from a local comic shop (that’s no longer in business) for about $6. I’m amazed how much it’s worth nowadays, because I just enjoyed reading it. The series had five Giant Sized issues, one Annual, and 152 regular issues (with an entirely different team and three X-Men). The finale was double-sized with a cover date of February 1986.
Matt was born in Texas, but his parents moved to Nebraska when he was three years old, and he’s lived there ever since. In elementary school, Matt had a speech impediment that caused him to dislike reading. His Mom, however, figured it was better to read something, rather than nothing, and turned to comic books. Most of his collection is from the late 1970’s through the early 1990’s, and he has great interest in JSA and their World War II adventures, plus other diverse characters like Jonah Hex & Swamp Thing, along with lots of Batman team-up issues from the original Brave and The Bold series. Some of Matt’s favorite Marvel series include Alpha Flight, The Defenders, Rom, and The Micronauts. Additionally, he enjoys Jon Sable, The Rocketeer, and American Flagg. Matt’s been married for 22 years and has a 21-year-old-son and a daughter who will soon be 19, along with two Pomeranian dogs, which happen to be brother & sister.
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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