Ed Gosney's Blog, page 45

Songs and Origins of Comic Book Heroes

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 22, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 22…

Special message to my readers before you start!

I want to mention here that I’d love for you to join me at Cleveland ConCoction 2016 at the Cleveland Sheraton Airport Hotel March 12, as I’ll be hosting a panel on comic book nostalgia. Look for a blog about this event in the coming days.
Cool comics in my collection #148: Thor #199, May 1972.

“DEATH TO THE LEGIONS OF PLUTO!” Issue #199 of Thor has an action-packed cover with plenty of bright colors, and seems to be screaming out to us to pick it up and read it…now! If you like your mythology mixed in with your superheroes, then Thor is definitely the comic for you. This issue features some of the mainstays of Asgard, including Balder, Fandral, Hogan, Hildegarde, Odin, Sif, and Volstagg. And don’t forget Thor himself, wielding the mighty Mjolnir! There’s a lot to like about these early Thor comics, especially if you’re tired of the same old stories of superheroes taking place in New York City and want a change of venue. I’ve been a fan of Thor ever since I saw the cartoon version  from 1966, but didn’t really start collecting his comics until 1993, when I was in the Army and living in Atlanta, Georgia. I picked this one out of the back issue bins at a store called Titan Comics and Games, located in College Park, Georgia. This location is now closed, but they do have a couple stores left. I have great memories of picking up my weekly comics there every Wednesday, listening to the conversations other customers had with the staff, sometimes arguing about how one hero could beat another. I bought this issue for $1. The cover price of Thor #199 is 20 cents, while the current value is $80.
Cool comics in my collection #149: The Amazing Spider-Man #117, February 1973.

“THE DEADLY DESIGNS OF THE DISRUPTOR!” Issue #117 of The Amazing Spider-Man features a cover every bit as action-packed and exciting as Thor #199. As I get older, I have a deeper appreciation for the look and feel of comic books from the sixties and seventies, and this cover doesn’t disappoint. If you like to pick up back issues of Spider-Man and reminisce about the old days, this one has you covered with Gwen Stacy, Aunt May, J. Jonah Jameson, Norman Osborn, and Robbie Robertson. I discovered Spider-Man as a child from the cartoon series that ran for three season from 1967 to 1970. I’m sure you know the one I’m talking about. It has that iconic theme song  that you just can’t get out of your head! When I was young, the cartoon was magic. Maybe it doesn’t hold up well when compared to superhero cartoons of the last few decades, but in my mind, this was gold. As for the villain in this issue, the Disruptor never became a household name, but they can’t all get elected to the Villain Hall of Fame (or mayor, in his case). I bought this comic at The Paradox Bookstore in Wheeling, West Virginia, where I could get back issues for just a dime. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #117 is 20 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #150: Captain Marvel #4, August 1968.

“ENTER: THE SUB-MARINER!” I’m really enjoying these covers this week, and who can blame me on this one when we see Captain Marvel (in his older green outfit) battling Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner. This is definitely a clash of Titans! Mar-Vell, the Kree who becomes the hero known as Captain Marvel wasn’t a comic book I paid any attention to in the seventies. But in the nineties I grew more interested and started raiding back-issue boxes at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, around the year 2000. But in 2003 I quite buying comic books. I owned many thousands and ran out of storage room, so I shut off my collecting cold-turkey. Then in 2011 I started reading back issues and decided to fill in some gaps on my older collections. So in January I made a couple trips to Kenmore Komics and picked up Captain Marvel #4 for just $4. So where’s the theme song for this hero, you’re asking? (I have links in the two comics above that take you to YouTube…it’s fun stuff, so go back up and click on the brown text.) Unfortunately, the powers that be never gave Captain Marvel his own cartoon, but there is a cool video about his origins  that you don’t want to miss. The cover price of Captain Marvel #4 is 12 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #151: Iron Fist #6, August 1976.

“THE SHOCKER YOU NEVER THOUGHT YOU WOULD SEE…DEATH-MATCH!” While this cover isn’t as exciting as the others this week, we do see Iron Fist in action. Danny Rand, aka Iron Fist, is another comic hero who was not on my radar during the seventies or early eighties, but I definitely took a liking to him in the nineties, and picked up this back issue at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, in a back issue box. I became an even bigger fan when I collected Heroes for Hire, a comic book series that started in1997. I was excited to learn a while back that Iron Fist might be getting a show on Netflix, but so far nothing has come of it, and I’m not holding my breath. In Iron Fist #6 we see the origin of Misty Knight, so that makes this issue even more collectible. And here is another hero without a cartoon theme song. If the Netflix show does someday appear, then I’ll have to put his theme here, but like Captain Marvel, true believers will have to settle for this origin  video from YouTube. The cover price of Iron Fist #6 is 25 cents, while the current value is $50.
Cool comics in my collection #152: Power Man #18, April 1974.

“HAVOC ON THE HIGH IRON!” Okay, we’re back to a much more exciting cover, with vibrant colors and enough action to cause you to pick up the comic, walk to the counter, and slap down your cash! Luke Cage wasn’t on my radar in 1974. I didn’t start caring about Power Man until the mid-nineties, then like so many other comics and heroes I discovered later in life, I started digging through back issue boxes to find affordable issues of his early adventures. I especially loved picking up the team-up comic of Power Man and Iron Fist, which this comic series eventually morphed into, but I was greedy and wanted the solo issues also. I found this one at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia. And here is yet another hero who we’ve been told will have a comic series on Netflix. Some of you might be saying, “He’s already on Jessica Jones,” but she came after my third comic phase (I’m now sort of in phase four, and it’s very irregular, consisting of nothing but back issues, some graphic novels when I find them on sale, and my subscription to Afterlife With Archie), so I don’t really know her character. From what I’ve read and heard, the series is very good. But I’ve also heard that there is a lot of adult content, and tend to prefer my superhero shows and movies to be more family friendly (call me old-fashioned…go ahead, it won’t hurt my feelings!). So Power Man doesn’t have a theme song. Since this is multi-media week, here is a cool YouTube video on his origin . The cover price of Power Man #18 is 20 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #153: Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #3, May 1978.

“HEED THE WARNING OF THE FROZEN DEAD…KISS NOT THE LIPS OF KILLER FROST!” No doubt this cover doesn’t match the excitement of the others this week, but we do get chills (pardon the pun) just thinking that this new villainess might put out Firestorm’s flame. If you’ve been watching The Flash TV series, then you know all about Killer Frost from Earth 2. But in this comic back in 1978, Killer Frost was actually Crystal Frost, a woman who accidentally gets locked in a freezer and quickly comes to learn that she can kill with a kiss. There have been a few different Killer Frosts now in DC Comic history, but this is the original. I didn’t buy this comic off the rack, but instead in a back issue box. When the second Firestorm series (The Fury of Firestorm) came out in 1982, I had just entered my second phase of comic book collecting, and I immediately took a liking to this strange hero who consisted of two people (Ronnie Raymond and Professor Martin Stein). And when I entered phase three of my comic book life, I decided to hunt down all the back issues I could find of Firestorm (and I was able to get them all…the original 5 issues, the next series that consists of 100 issues, and all the annuals that came with it). And now that Killer Frost has made her debut on television, this issue may get more notice than usual. How about the media, you ask? Though Firestorm didn’t have his own cartoon, he eventually joined the Super Friends. This video  is fun to watch, so don’t miss out. If you want to know more about his origins, you can probably find one on YouTube, and the same goes for most of the heroes I write about. The cover price of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #3 is 35 cents, while the current value is $25.
Cool comics in my collection #154 (One That Got Away): Green Lantern #48, January 1994.

“The RESURRECTION of COAST CITY!” And thus starts Emerald Twilight, Part 1, a story that leads to madness and sadness. Can you see the look of pain and despair on Hal’s face on this very green cover? Unbelievably, Hal Jordan becomes the enemy by abusing his Green Lantern powers. This was a dark time to be a Hal Jordan fan, and DC tried to soothe things over by introducing a new Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. I hadn’t bought any Green Lantern comics until my third phase of collecting (1993 to 2003), but I knew who the Green Lantern was and had heard of Hal Jordan. I bought this issue at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, off the rack. It didn’t take me long after I started reading comics again to add Green Lantern to my monthly list. But again, when space became an issue in my home many years later, I had to make decisions of what to keep and what to part with, and Green Lantern comics ended up being sold at a garage sale. Okay, here’s the part you’ve been waiting for, the fun video clip of the Green Lantern ! The cover price of Green Lantern #48 is $1.50, while the current value is $12.



Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I'd love to hear your story!

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books


















Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Practice















Buy Book









Kindle



























Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle























PhoneThis field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

It’s Super Team-Up Week!

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 21, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 21…

Special message to my readers! I’d love for you to join me at Cleveland ConCoction 2016 at the Cleveland Sheraton Airport Hotel March 12, as I’ll be hosting a panel on comic book nostalgia. Look for a blog about this event in the coming days.

Cool comics in my collection #141: The Champions #6, June 1976.

This comic, The Champions #6, is one that I bought at Kenmore Komics back in January for $2. I’m now at the point in which I need just issues #1 and 2 and I’ll own the entire 17 issue run. It’s a small collection, granted, but it fuels my need for seventies comics. The main problem now is the price. Issue #1 is valued at $50, and one of my goals in collecting these old comics is to get them for less than the value. I don’t mind buying comics that aren’t in perfect condition, as long as the condition and value are in concert with one another. This particular issue of The Champions is missing Ghost Rider because of whatever is happening in his own comic book during this time period. And while continuity is nice, when you read these 40 years later, you don’t care as much and prefer to have the entire team in the issue, especially since their team is rather small. The other members of The Champions are Hercules, Angel, Iceman, and Black Widow. This team blends a couple X-Men with a SHIELD/Avengers icon in Black Widow, and Hercules has also been a member of the Avengers. The cover price of The Champions #6 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #142: Marvel Triple Action #15, November 1973.

When I was a kid, I had no idea that Marvel was doing a lot of reprints in the seventies, and Marvel Triple Action just happened to be one. This comic originally came out as The Avengers #21, from October 1965. It would certainly be nice to have the original, but at a current value of $300, Marvel Triple Action will have to do. In this story we have Captain America, Hawkeye, the Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver on the side of good, while the baddies are composed of Baron Zemo, the Enchantress, the Executioner, and Power Man. Who is he? That’s what it says on the cover. Doesn’t look like Luke Cage, does he? And he’s not. He’s Erik Josten, and in another comic he actually fights Luke Cage for the rights to the Power Man name. And no surprise, as he loses. Poor Erik turns out to be a guy who just can’t seem to keep a name, as he’s also been known as Smuggler, Goliath, Giant Man, and Titan. Not all that easy to keep up with. If you’re familiar with the Thunderbolts comic, he’s known as Atlas on that team. Sheesh! So if you’re a fan of good old Erik, and don’t want to shell out lots of cash for his first appearance, you can get this reprint for much less. I bought this comic off the rack at Slicks in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The cover price of Marvel Triple Action #15 is 20 cents, while the current value is $6.
Cool comics in my collection #143: Marvel Team-Up #21, May 1974.

This issue of Marvel Team-Up features Xandu, and while magic is definitely in the air, spelling is very important, because he’s not Xanadu and Spider-Man isn’t wearing roller skates (I wonder if Xandu ever faced Dazzler…just think of the possibilities!). Marvel Team-Up was usually a pretty fun title to pick up back in the seventies because more often than not, Spider-Man was in it, and it was cool to see him in action with other heroes. In this issue our favorite wall-crawler fights the forces of darkness alongside Doctor Strange. And unless you’ve been avoiding most media, you know that there is going to be a Doctor Strange movie starring Benedict Cumberbatch, due out this November. I wonder if that will make this particular comic go up in value? Come on, it’s got both Spider-Man and the Master of the Mystic Arts! Though regardless of monetary value, Marvel Team-Up comics are definitely cool comics, and I can remember discussing different issues with the neighborhood kids. For some reason, I skipped a few issues, and one of my friends bought one that had a genetically engineered being named Woodgod who looked like a Satyr. I missed out, and always remember wishing I had bought it. But then again, Spider-Man and Doctor Strange are icons, and most people today have no idea who Woodgod is. I bought this comic off the rack at Slicks in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The cover price of Marvel Team-Up #21 is 25 cents, while the current value is $13.
Cool comics in my collection #144: World’s Finest Comics #223, June 1974.

In keeping with this episode’s theme of team-ups, I next went with World’s finest Comics #233, which has Batman, Superman, and Deadman, along with Commissioner Gordon. In the other corner we have Morgan Edge and Joe Chill. Yes, that Joe Chill, the guy who killed Thomas and Martha Wayne in front of their young son, Bruce. This is one of those wonderful 100-Page comics we saw so many of in the seventies. This issue has reprints of older issues of World’s Finest Comics, Strange Adventures, Adventure Comics, and Detective Comics. All in all, there are seven stories in this issue, well-worth the money. I got this comic at SupeRX Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, when it was new. As I’ve mentioned before, my father was a pharmacist there and could get an employee discount, so I paid even less than the already great bargain price (at least a bargain by today’s standards). And if you look at the cover, you’ll see a couple other appearances in this huge comic: Aquaman and Robotman. You’re probably already familiar with Aquaman, but Robotman is a not a household name. His origins date back to 1942, in issue #7 of Star Spangled Comics. He was a regular human who had been shot, and his brain was placed in a robot’s body. The cover price of World’s Finest Comics #223 is 60 cents, while the current value is $55.
Cool comics in my collection #145: Legion of Super-Heroes #292, October 1982.

And speaking of team-ups, it seems like nobody has more members than the Legion of Super-Heroes. Here’s a list of some who appear in this issue: Brainiac 5, Colossal Boy, Duplicate Girl, Lightning Lad, Mon-El, Phantom Girl, Sensor Girl, Shrinking Violet, Bouncing Boy, Chameleon Boy, Cosmic Boy, Dream Girl, Element Lad, Karate Kid (not Daniel LaRusso, and this Karate Kid came first), Lightning Lass, Saturn Girl, and Ultra Boy. Keep in mind there are more, Superman being one of them. This issue happens to be The Great Darkness Saga – Part 3. I’ve had parts 1 and 2 in earlier blogs. If you like the villain Darkseid, then The Great Darkness Saga is a must, whether you collect the individual issues, buy the trade paperback collection, or go with the comiXology version. I bought this comic during my second phase of comic collecting, when I was a student at The Ohio State University. This second period didn’t last much more than a year, but I purchased some fun comics during the time, and I’m really glad I bought and kept this issue. One of the places I bought my comics was a little shop that I believe was on Neil Ave. right near campus. I believe they carried greeting cards, magazines, and comics. I don’t remember the name of it, and I’m not completely positive of the location (this was back in the early eighties). If anyone reading this actually knows the place I’m talking about, I’d love if you’d mention it in the comments section near the bottom of the page. I’ve got some great memories of those days, no doubt. The cover price of Legion of Super-Heroes #292 is 60 cents, while the current value is $8.
Cool comics in my collection #146: The New Mutants #87, March 1990.

The New Mutants started up just as I was ending my second phase of comic book collecting and ended right before phase three started, while I was in the Army in Atlanta, Georgia. During the mid-nineties, when I started reading Cable and X-Force comics, I came to learn about The New Mutants, so I decided to buy back issues when I was able to find them at good prices. I went to a comic book show when I was there and someone had comics for a dime apiece, so I bought lots of back issues, and that’s how I got this comic that has the first full appearance of both Cable and Stryfe. The character of Cable became popular, so Marvel did a second printing (I have a copy of this one also – it has a gold metallic cover and is currently valued at $6). I am fortunate to have found this issue at such a great price. The lineup of characters in this issue is long and varied. Here’s an example of heroes and villains you’ll find between the pages of it: Balder, Cable, Forearm, Moonstar, Reaper, Stryfe, Volstaag, Boom-Boom, Cannonball, Fandral, Hogun, Mystique, Rictor, and Wolfsbane. And a lot more. Wait a minute, you’re saying. Volstaag? Fandral? Yes, The New Mutants are on Asgard. Kind of weird. But fun. If we had the same old stories each month, we’d get tired of them, so it’s good to see heroes in different environments. The cover price of The New Mutants #87 is $1, while the current value is $125.
Cool comics in my collection #147 (One That Got Away): X-Men #25, October 1993.

I’m ending the week on another team-up issue, and this time with one of the most popular teams of all, the X-Men. During the nineties it seemed like there were 2 or 3 x-family titles out each week, and that’s probably not much of a stretch. X-Men, Uncanny X-Men, X-Force, X-Factor, Excalibur, and lots and lots of mini-series. In X-Men #25, there was a BIG event that changes two characters forever! Or at least until the writers decided to put things back together again. Wolverine and Magneto get into a fight (what’s new?), and Magneto gets really angry and rips the adamantium right out of Wolverine’s body. Ouch! Even with his healing factor the old man’s prospects don’t look good. Poor Wolverine is so torn up he looks more like that team up north after my Ohio State Buckeyes pound them on the football field (I’m an OSU grad, what did you expect me to say?). Obviously Professor Xavier isn’t happy and provides payback by wiping Magneto’s mind. Later, as many of you are aware, we find out that Wolverine still has claws. Bone claws. And of course there are dozens of characters in this particular issue even besides X-Men such as Mr. Fantastic, Scarlet Witch, Nick Fury, the Thing, and Quicksilver. I bought this comic off the rack at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia. When I got to the point that I had too many comics and realized I needed to cull my collection, this issue got sold at a garage sale. The cover price of X-Men #25 is $3.50, while the current value is $8.

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

 

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle



























Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle



























Practice















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Gorgilla, a Gorilla Witch, & Frankenstein too

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 20, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 20…

Cool comics in my collection #134: Where Creatures Roam #5, March 1971.

This is another reprint comic I added to my collection. As I buy more comics from the seventies, I continually discover that many of the monster titles were rehashes from the sixties. But due to their age and the value of the original, even these reprints don’t come cheap. The stories in Where Creatures Roam #5 originally saw light of day in Tales to Astonish #12, published in October 1960. The current value on this one is $700, which doesn’t exactly fit my budget. I don’t know what the philosophy was behind all the reprints, but today I really appreciate being able to get some of these stories at affordable prices. Speaking of reprints, I remember when I was young and first started buying comic books. In The Amazing Spider-Man, Gwen Stacy had just died (my first “official” issue was #124), but in Marvel Tales, she was somehow still alive! Little did I know that Marvel Tales were reprints of The Amazing Spider-Man. Later, when I did find out, I was so angry at first that I thought I’d turn into the Hulk! Today I realize that it presented a great way for kids to have an opportunity to read the older stories. And if it weren’t for reprints, I never would have had the chance to read about Gorgilla! I bought this comic in January at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, for $4. The cover price of Where Creatures Roam #5 is 15 cents, while the current value is $32.
Cool comics in my collection #135: Captain America #185, May 1975.

A shocker concerning the Falcon is revealed in Captain America #185, and though it’s nearly 41 years in the past, I won’t expose the spoiler here, because many of these Captain America back issues are currently pretty affordable, and you may decide to start collecting them. I bought this comic book fresh off the rack at Slicks in Martins Ferry, Ohio, back when I was twelve years old. Do you long for those innocent times of your past? Back in those days, Captain America and Spider-Man were symbols of justice to my friends and me, and the enemy in this issue, the Red Skull, represented a dark evil our country would never let come to the fore again. Right was right and wrong was wrong. As we mature, we come to understand that sometimes things aren’t so cut and dried as we had believed. Which brings me back to that thing about the Falcon…oh yeah, I promised not to talk about that. Anyway, this issue features other familiar faces, such as Peggy Carter (…are you watching her show? It’s really good…), Sharon Carter, and Batroc. You know, the French bad guy from the last Captain America movie? If you haven’t seen them, watch them soon, because Captain America: Civil War is coming to theaters in May. The cover price of Captain America #185 is 25 cents, while the current value is $16.
Cool comics in my collection #136: Ms. Marvel #12, November 1976.

I just purchased this comic over the weekend at a fun little store in Canal Fulton, Ohio, called The Toys Time Forgot (at the time I put this link here, the website wasn’t finished yet, but the Facebook button takes you to their Facebook page). As constant readers know, I’m trying to put together complete runs of seventies comics when I can. Which basically means when they’re affordable. And after making this purchase for $9, I’m now just one issue away from being finished with Ms. Marvel. If you’re ever in the greater Akron, Ohio, area, and you love vintage toys, The Toys Time Forgot is a must for you. From Star Wars to Planet of the Apes to Shogun Warriors to Johnny West, this store seems to have everything. Games, action figures, collectible cards, newer things like Funko Pops, tin toys, Little Big Books, and plenty of scary clowns fill the shelves from floor to ceiling. The aisles get crowded fast, but you’ll find yourself completed immersed in your past as you start pointing out the treasures you had and lost as a child. A friend of mine sent me a link from The Akron Beacon Journal about a recent acquisition they made of 14,000 comic books from a collector. Which is what drove me to seek out my final two Ms. Marvels. While I was disappointed that I couldn’t finish off my set, part of the fun is in the looking. It keeps me feeling young. The cover price of Ms. Marvel #12 is 35 cents, while the current value is $14.
Cool comics in my collection #137: Frankenstein #8, January 1974.

By now you know of my love of monster comics, especially those from the seventies. During my third phase of comic collecting (1993 – 2003; I’m now in my fourth phase, which I never thought would happen…it started off with cheap trade paperbacks in 2014 at Books-A-Million, then Afterlife With Archie, and recently I’ve started to haunt back issue bins for the magic of my youth), I was wise enough to buy back issue copies of Tomb of Dracula and Werewolf By Night when I could get good deals. But I never did lay my hands on any Frankenstein comics. The series I’m after has just 18 issues, and came out from 1973 to 1975. And during my last visit to Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, I made sure to search out the Monster. I came away with two issues, and after reading this one, I’m very happy with my purchase of the comic, which cost me $8. This is the Frankenstein Monster with intelligence, who can talk and think and respond more like a human, which to me is much more interesting than the brutal monster with the abnormal brain from the Universal movie (don’t get me wrong; I love those old movies, but I read the book by Mary Shelley, and 99 percent of the time, the book is better). Another plus about this issue is that Dracula is in it. Don’t you just love when those monster friends get together and knock the stuffing out of each other? Unfortunately, the issue ended with things unresolved, so I need to search out issue 9. The cover price of Frankenstein #8 is 20 cents, while the current value is $35.
Cool comics in my collection #138: Strange Adventures #186, March 1966.

Everyone should have a Paradox Bookstore in their life. As I’ve mentioned here before, this wonderful used bookstore is located in Wheeling, West Virginia, at the Centre Market (across the street from Coleman’s Fish Market…if you are in the area, these are two must stops…get the best fish sandwich ever, then go browse the books). When I was young, Paradox was located in the downtown area, so my mother would do some shopping and drop me off at the store so I could look at all the used comic books that were just a dime. And that’s where I bought this issue of Strange Adventures in the mid-seventies. At the time, I was really into super-heroes, but one time when I was in there, for some reason, I bought several issues of Strange Adventures, and I’m glad I did. I mean, seriously, look at this cover, and the sensational words, “Featuring…The Gorilla Witch!” At the time, I was very much into both King Kong and The Planet of the Apes, so it was a no brainer to snag this off the shelf. This issue turns 50 in March. And it’s hard to believe that I bought this over 40 years ago. Where does the time go? The cover price of Strange Adventures #186 is 12 cents, while the current value is $45.
Cool comics in my collection #139: Thor #192, September 1971.

Back in the nineties, when I started my third phase of comic book buying and collecting, I really started liking Thor, so I added him to my official “back issue comics to buy” list. Sometimes I’d make a special trip to Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, just to look through some of the many back issue boxes they had. And Thor was often one of my first stops. I paid $1 for this issue, which is a bargain. Some of the Asgardian staples grace its pages, such as Balder the Brave, Volstagg the Voluminous, the Lady Sif, and Loki. And the Silver Surfer also makes an appearance in these pages. There’s a lot to like about this cover. You can’t help but be drawn in with the bright colors, but more than that, Thor looks like he’s really taking a beating. We like our heroes to win, but if it’s too easy, that takes the fun out of it. Also, I love the line directly under Thor that states, “And There Shall Come A Day…” It makes you wonder if Thor really will be able to recover from that mighty blow and vanquish his foe. I’m just a sucker for these seventies comics, and not afraid to admit it. They make me feel like a kid again, and is that really such a bad thing? The cover price of Thor #192 is 15 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #140 (One That Got Away): Y: The Last Man #1, September 2002.

This dystopic vision of a future in which all male mammals, with the exception of our hero, Yorick Brown, and his pet monkey, Ampersand, die simultaneously, is definitely worth a look if you aren’t already familiar with it. Published by Vertigo, a subsidiary of DC Comics, from 2002 to 2008, this comic provides not only fights and run-for-your-life scenarios, but also deep mysteries about how and why this seemed to have happened. As of this writing, FX is planning on making a TV show based on the comic, which was written by Brian K. Vaughan (born in Cleveland, Ohio, which is just a stone’s throw from where I live). You might know Vaughan’s name from his involvement in genre TV shows such as Lost and Under the Dome. This issue came out thirteen months before the end of my third, and longest to date, era of comic collecting. So why don’t I have this really cool comic anymore? I didn’t sell this off when I needed more living space. This came a few years before that, when I was selling some hot newer comics on eBay. I can’t remember how much I got for it (I sold all 13 issues in one lot), but I definitely made well above the cover price. And with the upcoming TV show (if it pans out), I can see the value of this series continue to rise. I bought this issue off the rack at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio. The cover price of Y: The Last Man #1 is $2.95, while the current value is $120.

 

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

 

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Orange Crik (A Short Story)















Buy Book









Kindle



























Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Why Omega the Unknown Makes Me Wistful

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 19, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 19…

Cool comics in my collection #127: Monsters on the Prowl #23, June 1973.

This comic features the return of Grogg. You might be saying to yourself, I never met Grogg to begin with, and that’s an acceptable excuse, considering that following his return he was sent to Mars. Not to mention the fact that this all happened a long time ago. Monsters on the Prowl #23 came out way back in 1973, but the stories inside are even older. It’s a reprint of Strange Tales #87, which came out in August 1961. Since I’m trying to relive a childhood I never had with monster comics, buying back issues of titles like Monsters on the Prowl makes sense. At least I think it does. Confusion enters the fray when I think about the part in which this comic originally came out in the sixties. But then again, I like comics from that era also, and most of them are out of my price range. And guess what? The Strange Tales comic in which these stories had their debut is currently listed at $700. So yup, out of my price range. Instead, I bought this one for just $2 in fair condition, at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio. The cover price of Monsters on the Prowl #23 is 20 cents, while the current value is $16.
Cool comics in my collection #128: Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #1, May 1978.

This very first issue of Firestorm climbed a little in value, most likely due to the character being a regular on Legends of Tomorrow. If you like your comics to have value, it often doesn’t hurt when they are portrayed in movies or on TV. Although the Firestorm on Legends isn’t much like the early Firestorm that DC put out in 1978. I didn’t start reading Firestorm until my second period of collecting comics, when I was going to The Ohio State University (they make you put the “The,” and if you don’t, they won’t stop bothering alumni to make donations). The first series started in 1978 and lasted just 5 issues, then they gave him another chance in 1982 and that series made it to 100, along with some additional series that came out in the 21st Century. I have all 5 of the original series, and the complete set of 100 from the second series, plus the five annuals that came out. I haven’t yet decided if I want to collect any of the newer series. I bought this particular issue in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-1990’s, during my third phase of comic collecting. The back issues of Firestorm were extremely inexpensive most places, and I like the character when I was in college and decided to pick up the entire run. Again, we collect things for different reasons, and Firestorm takes me back to campus. The cover price of Firestorm, The Nuclear Man #1 is 35 cents, while the current value is $35.
Cool comics in my collection #129: Where Monsters Dwell #11, September 1971.

Yes, it’s another Marvel monster comic that came out in the seventies, but was a reprint from the early sixties. This issue of Where Monsters Dwell features Gruto, and it’s a fun little tale that reminds you of a Saturday night horror feature you might have seen as a kid (at least if you have a little age on you, like me), and also not unlike an Episode of The Twilight Zone. Gruto comes to Earth but is injured and can’t remember his mission, and a newspaper reporter who needs a good story or will lose his job is the first to find this horrible looking alien. Things get out of control and lies are told, but the question is, will mankind pay the ultimate price? There was also a backup story about digging the deepest mine ever, and what is found there. Ambitions like these usually don’t have fairy tale endings. If you are fortunate enough to own Journey Into Mystery #67 from April 1961, then you don’t need to buy this issue of Where Monsters Dwell. That issue is currently selling at $400, which is a nice increase from the original 10 cent cover price. But on my recent trip to Kenmore Komics I snagged this issue for just $3. Thinking about it, I’m currently in my 4th phase of comic collecting, but instead of getting monthly issues of new titles, I’m having a blast visiting the past and getting fun issues from my childhood. The cover price of Where Monsters Dwell is 15 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #130: The Amazing Spider-Man #116, January 1973.

I love the way the old comics from the seventies had titles splashed across the cover, like this one: “Suddenly … the Smasher!” Seems like Spider-Man is going to have his hands full, but Peter is more worried that something is going on between his girlfriend, Gwen Stacy, and his nemesis, Flash Thompson. But don’t worry Spider-Fans. As it turns out, they are just friends. I bought this issue at The Paradox Bookstore in Wheeling, West Virginia, in the mid-seventies for just 10 cents. The Paradox Bookstores is one of those great used bookstores that offers comics, magazines, and of course all kinds of books. I’ve bought many science fiction and fantasy classics there over the years, but when I was a kid, my main ambition, when I was fortunate enough to get to the store when shopping with my mother, was to go in there and buy great back issues for just a dime. Many of you probably also have a store like this in your past. The memories are precious (cue up Gollum, because you know you want to). And problem is that I never had enough dimes with me to buy all that I really wanted. Spider-Man played a pivotal role in my childhood, and his adventures became my adventures, as great stories often tend to do in our minds. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #116 is 20 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #131: Marvel Premiere #28, February 1976.

Folks, this is the comic you’ve all been waiting for, the debut of The Legion of Monsters! Imagine it: Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Morbius, and Werewolf By Night all contained within the same story. Now with the title The Legion of Monsters, you’d think these guys formed some sort of supernatural team to combat the forces of…well, I guess they are considered the evil ones. And they do end up fighting Starseed, a guy who is sort of good. And some of them fight each other. Morbius wants to drink blood, so he goes after Werewolf By Night, then Starseed, and Ghost Rider tries to help Starseed, and…and they really don’t put up a united front, for a bunch of monsters. I was really excited to pick up this back issue at Kenmore Komics on my recent trip. I dished out $15 for this beauty, and don’t regret it. I believe it’s the most I’ve ever paid for a back issue (I used to buy so many comics, I couldn’t afford to spend much on back issues, but now that’s where my focus is), and it was a lot of fun to read. The monsters of the seventies bring back wistful memories, when some of my neighborhood friends and I would buy monster magazines and talk about the great old movies. The cover price of Marvel Premiere #28 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #132: Omega the Unknown #1, March 1976.

I was 13 years old and walked into Slicks, a little corner store in Martins Ferry, Ohio, that catered to the young and old alike, with candy, Yoo-hoo, Hostess Fruit Pies, monster magazines, comic books, and beer. My eyes immediately gravitated to the comic books. Upon sighting the cover of this first issue of Omega the Unknown, though I didn’t know who he was (no one did…he was Unknown), I knew I had to buy this issue and see if I could know him. In some ways, it was kind of upsetting to see a young kid, like myself, in a hospital bed while a strange purple guy and a fraternity fashion reject (I don’t have to explain this, do I? But if you don’t get it, ask me in the Leave A Reply section at the very bottom of the page) go at it, shooting rays and such. It’s funny thinking back to moments like this, where something seems so important to our lives, and how just nine months later, we don’t seem to care anymore. Because that’s what happened. After buying issue #9 (July 1977 cover date), I pretty much quite buying comic books until 1982 when I was in college. The new friend at Ohio State who talked me into collecting again found out about my love for Omega, and broke the news to me that I could have had the entire run if only I’d stuck it out for one more month. And later, during a break at school, that friend found issue #10 and gave it to me as a gift. So why do I love a hero who seemed to fall short, not even reaching a year’s worth of issues? There’s not an easy explanation. Those of us who collect and read comics do so for different reasons, and some titles resonate with us, while others don’t. One man’s trash is another man’s treasure, as the saying goes. There are some comic titles that I will eventually put into my cool comic blog that most probably won’t like, but you know what? I do like them. And that’s what it’s really about. Enjoying the moment. The cover price of Omega the Unknown is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #133 (One That Got Away): 2001: A Space Odyssey Treasury #1, November 1976.

Once upon a time, I owned 18 treasury sized comics. It was a mix of both Marvel and DC (I know DC didn’t call them Treasury), and most of them came from the SupeRx drug store in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where my dad was a pharmacist and could get me a discount. It was quite an eclectic mix of comics, but they were just too big to store nicely with my collection, so I sold them a few years back. This past week I’ve been listening to a lot of classical music, and a particular piece, Also sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, tugged my memories back to this comic book. There are a lot of young science fiction fans today, with the renewed popularity of Star Wars, Star Trek, and Doctor Who, but I wonder how many of them have seen this 1968 cinema classic, directed by Stanley Kubrick? It may move too slowly for today’s audiences, but I remember being mesmerized by it. Eight years after the movie came out, Arthur C. Clarke’s vision of the future showed up in this oversized comic, and I owned a copy. At least for a while. The cover price of 2001: A Space Odyssey Treasury #1 is $1.50, while the current value is $40.

 

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Orange Crik (A Short Story)















Buy Book









Kindle



























Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Fun New Comics & One Big Regret

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 18, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 18…

Cool comics in my collection #120: Kid Colt Outlaw #180, March 1974.

Last week I wrote about a couple military/war comics, and talked about how few I actually owned. So now I’m taking us in a somewhat different direction with a western comic. This is the first comic of that genre I’ve ever bought, and I just picked it up a couple weeks ago. As a kid, I pretty much stuck to super-heroes, and when I bought as an adult, it was still mostly the same (with the occasional science fiction comic). Western movies weren’t watched in my house when I was a kid. I remember watching the old Flash Gordon serials and Tarzan movies on the weekends with my father, and plenty of Star Trek reruns, but John Wayne didn’t get dialed in. It’s not that I hated them, I just didn’t have any real exposure, until I saw Lonesome Dove and read the book. And The Big Country. And True Grit. And Open Range. So now I’m a fan. Obviously, I need to add some westerns to my cool comic collection, so I picked up my very first, Kid Colt Outlaw for $2 at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio. Funny thing about this issue is that it blends in some science fiction with one of the stories contained in it, as you can see the monster (alien) on the cover. This issue is actually a reprint of #107, which came out in November 1962, but that’s okay with me. While the stories weren’t great, I still enjoyed reading them, and thought about the pleasure they did bring to so many who grew up loving westerns. Also, it was pretty cool to see Howard Stark filming a Kid Colt movie in this week’s Agent Carter episode. The cover price of Kid Colt Outlaw #180 is 20 cents, while the current value is $14.
Cool comics in my collection #121: The Amazing Spider-Man #200, January 1980.

Once more, Spider-Man faces the Burglar who killed Uncle Ben. Spoiler alert! And the Burglar ends up dropping dead of a heart attack. Of course this guy isn’t some super villain who can give Peter Parker a run for his money, but he is the man who killed Peter’s parental figure. Peter feels plenty of guilt over the death, since he could have stopped him earlier, but decided not to. He carried around a lot of guilt for over 200 issues. As much fun as being a super-hero sounds like, when we exam Spider-Man’s life, it turns out to be extremely difficult. He has to keep his identity a secret, he’s always worried his enemies will find him out and kill those he loves (remember the Green Goblin and Gwen Stacy?), he makes no money fighting crime (although he sometimes gets good pictures to sell to The Daily Bugle), J. Jonah Jameson hates him and tries to discredit him, his love-life is difficult, and death is always around the corner. At any rate, this issue brings about some sense of peace for Spider-Man. I don’t have the issue in which Uncle Ben gets killed (and most of you probably don’t either, but wish you did!), but this is a cool comic for any collector. I bought it in a back issue rack at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-nineties. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #200 is 75 cents, while the current value is $60.
Cool comics in my collection #122: Beware #1, March 1973.

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, you know how I grew to love monster comics, but not until my later years. So when I made it to my local comic shop (Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio) last week, I made a beeline for the Horror back issues. I’d never heard of Beware before (it ran just 8 issues under that title then changed to Tomb of Darkness), but that didn’t stop me from grabbing the first issue of this series from 1973. The stories are nothing particularly scary, but they were fun and reminded me of listening to old Alfred Hitchcock record albums when I was a kid. Inside Beware I couldn’t find any information about the writer or artist, but on a particular website, it said that Stan Lee wrote the stories, Jack Kirby penciled it, Bill Everett did the cover, and Dick Ayers inked it. Those are some pretty heavy hitters in the annals of comic book history. I bought this issue for just $3, and I will pick up more in the future, if Kenmore Komics has them in stock. The cover price for Beware #1 is 20 cents, while the current value is $25.
Cool comics in my collection #123: Black Lightening #4, September 1977.

Though Jefferson Pierce, a Gold Medal winner in the Decathlon and the super-hero Black Lightning, has been around for 39 years, most people are probably not familiar with the character. Besides having his own comic, he’s also been part of The Justice League and The Outsiders. I bought this issue at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, this month (January 2016) as I was perusing their back issue boxes. They were selling it for just 75 cents, and when I saw the cover, with Black Lightning looking as if he just knocked the stuffing out of Jimmy Olsen and Superman coming on the scene, it made me laugh and I knew I had to get it. This is my first and only issue of Black Lightning, though it probably won’t be my last. I enjoyed what I read, and if I can find the first issue for a good price, I’ll definitely get it. Again, this title is from the seventies, and that’s my favorite era of comic books (it’s when I first started collecting as a kid, so it has a magical hold over me). The cover price of Black Lightning #4 is 35 cents, while the current value is $8.
Cool comics in my collection #124: Super-Villain Team-Up, October 1975.

One of my favorite comic series I bought issues of as a boy was Marvel Team-Up. Most of the time it was Spider-Man teaming up with some other member of the Marvel Universe, but on occasion, they gave him a day off and paired up two other heroes. But I never heard of Super-Villain Team-Up until my recent visit to Kenmore Komics. How I never saw this comic when it debuted in 1975, I’ll never know, but I made sure to grab an inexpensive copy (just $2) of issue #2. It turns out this series only reached 17 issues (it came out bimonthly, although the last two issues had many months in between, with the last issue having a cover date of June 1980), but it was preceded by two Giant Size issues. The majority of these star Doctor Doom, with Namor the Sub-Mariner as the runner-up. I don’t like putting Namor into the Villain classification, but he does have issues with most surface dwellers. But villain or hero, Doctor Doom tells a character that Namor is his friend, which seems like a funny thing to hear Doctor Doom say. I enjoyed it enough to pick up some more in this series (when I can get them at a good price), so you may see more issues in the future here at CCIMC (Cool comics in my collection). The cover price of Super-Villain Team-Up is 25 cents, while the current value is $12.
Cool comics in my collection #125: Justice League of America #112, August 1974.

I thought I’d throw in another 100 page comic book this week. When I had to cut my collection down, I made sure to pull all of these to keep, because they were such a big part of my childhood. Using his employee discount, my father bought this issue for me off the magazine rack at Super-X Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where he worked as a pharmacist. This has a great cover, with the Justice League Lineup on the left, and frames from three of the interior stories, the biggest one featuring Amazo, an android, standing victoriously over the fallen “Super Friends,” with a foot on Superman’s chest. Super Friends premiered on Saturday mornings the year before this issue came out. For a while, it was my favorite cartoon, and when these 100 page comics came out, it was a sure bet I’d be wanting them. This one has some great characters, such as Batman, Superman, the Flash (Barry Allen), the Atom, Black Canary, Green Arrow, Aquaman, Red Tornado, the Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), and the Elongated Man. The cover price of Justice League of America #112 is 60 cents, while the current value is $60.
Cool comics in my collection #126 (One That Got Away): Daredevil #168, January 1981.

This is another comic book I truly regret having sold. Daredevil #168 contains the first appearance of Elektra, and the value for this one has continued to climb. When I started my second phase of comic collecting while in college at The Ohio State University, a friend of mine actually gifted this issue to me. I hung onto it for about 24 years, but about a decade ago, when things were selling well on eBay, I made some nice cash for this comic. I imagine it will continue to be popular, especially considering that Elektra is going to be in the second season of the Daredevil series on Netflix. Also, the cover, art, and story were all done by Frank Miller. The cover price of Daredevil #168 is 50 cents, while the current value is $220.

 



Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

 

 

 



Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle



























Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle



























Apocalypse Weird: Last Meal















Buy Book









KindleNookKoboIbooks

Remember Getting 100 Pages for Just 60 cents?

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 17, where we take a nostalgic look at six comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects.

For each of the comic books below, I list the current secondary market value. This is according to the listings at the website www.comicbookrealm.com. They list out the near mint prices, which are on the comic book grading scale of 9.4. If you go to the website to look up any in your collection, you can click on the price and see the value at different grades. Not all of my comics are 9.4. Some are probably better, and some are worse. But to simplify it, that’s the grading price I use here. And remember, a comic book is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.

I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 17…

Cool comics in my collection #113: Thor #190, July 1971.

In this issue, it looks as if The Mighty Thor is dead. Really. Just look at that cover. And it even says, “…And So To Die!” But why? How? Thor has surrendered his life to Hela, the death Goddess, in order that mortals might live. And you have to admit it’s a nice gesture. But things never go quite as planned, and dad (Odin) gets involved, and there you have it. I’ve always enjoyed reading the adventures of Thor, whether he’s on Asgard fighting Storm Giants or on earth, helping protect mankind. Or having one of his slugfests against The Incredible Hulk. In the mid-nineties I wanted to start collecting earlier issues of Thor, so I searched the back issues at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, where I bought this one. The cover price of Thor #190 is 15 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #114: Superman #284, February 1975.

Boy, the days of, “100 Pages for only 60₵,” are long gone. When I bought this comic, I was twelve years old and picked it up at Super-X Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where my father was a pharmacist. He received an employee discount on merchandise, which made this even cheaper for me. The drug store didn’t get regular monthly comics, but they did get specials such as the DC 100 pagers and Marvel Giant-Sized specials. So I would troll the magazine rack once a week, looking behind the Mad Magazines and Tiger Beats to find gems like this one. Often I’d read them in the evening, between supper and bedtime, at the kitchen table with a bowl of cereal in front of me (typically Freakies or Cap’n Crunch). This particular issue features a Superboy Robot going against Superman. The plots of some of these stories weren’t the greatest, but the memories I have of sitting at the kitchen table and reading them overshadows what the stories were about. The cover price of Superman #284 is 60 cents, while the current value is $70.
Cool comics in my collection #115: Captain Marvel #3, July 1968.

The Kree and the Skrulls really hate each other. The Skrulls have the Super-Skrull, who has been artificially augmented to have the powers of each member of the Fantastic Four. And in the issue before this one, he defeats our hero, Mar-Vell. But don’t worry, fellow fans, because our mighty Marvel hero manages to come through in this issue! It’s kind of funny to look back at these older issues in which Captain Marvel is still wearing the green and white uniform, but the folks at Marvel comics eventually brightened him up. I didn’t buy any Captain Marvel comics when I was a kid, and started collecting back issues at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, in the late nineties. The cover price of Captain Marvel #3 is 12 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #116: Power Man and Iron Fist #78, February 1982.

First Luke Cage was a Hero for Hire in the seventies, then he was Power Man in the later seventies and eighties, then he teamed up with Iron Fist and the title became Power Man and Iron Fist from 1981 until 1986. Then even later, in the nineties, they were back again, as Heroes for Hire. Then again in 2006. Then again in 2011. In other words, you can’t keep a good hero down. I’m looking forward to the Luke Cage and Iron Fist shows on Netflix, although I’m afraid they will be pretty gritty and graphic. I like my superheroes accessible to kids, but that doesn’t seem to be the way we are going these days. It’s not a Fredric Wertham “Seduction of the Innocent” thing. I just have such great memories of reading comic books and watching superhero cartoons as a kid that I like it better when the shows and movies are made in a way that most ages can enjoy. I bought this comic in the back issue boxes at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, in the mid-nineties. This issue features the third appearance of Sabretooth, by the way. The cover price Power Man and Iron Fist #78 is 60 cents, while the current value is $30.
Cool comics in my collection #117: Batman #256, June 1974.

Yep, here I go again with one of those 100 page DC comics. When it came time to purge the majority of my comics, I really had to make some tough decisions. And while Batman was my first known comic book hero, I got rid of most Batman comics in my collection. But no way was I getting rid of any of my 100 page issues! There have been a number of Batman movies and cartoons over the years, but the one closest to my heart is the one starring Adam West that ran from 1966 to 1968. I was just a young lad of three when it started, and though I can’t claim to remember at what age I started watching, I have memories of sitting on our babysitter’s lap and watching the Caped Crusader take down crime, with all the sound effects! And then Batgirl came on the scene, and I was smitten. Ah, the good old days. These few issues I’ve kept are all I need to transport me back in time. I got this comic off the magazine rack at Super-X Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio. The cover price of Batman #256 is 60 cents, while the current value is $110.
Cool comics in my collection #118: Fightin’ Army #55, November 1963.

As a kid in the seventies, I owned a total of just four war/military comics. Three issues of Fightin’ Marines (Charlton Comics) that my mom bought me (I think she got them in a discount three pack at Super-X Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where my father worked as a pharmacist, if memory serves), and one issue of DC’s short-lived Blitzkrieg (just five issues in 1976). Last week when I mentioned this blog to a friend of mine, he asked if I had any old military comics that I write about, and I had to tell him no, that the few I had I no longer own. He knows that I’m an Army veteran, but when it comes to comics, I’ve traditionally been a spandex hero kind of reader. But I’m branching out in all sorts of directions these days, and I stopped at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, and bought this issue for Fightin’ Army earlier this week. It was kind of exciting for me, since that’s my branch of service. I also bought back issues of various other types of comics that I’ll cover here in future installments. I don’t buy any regular new comics (the exception being my subscription to Afterlife With Archie), but occasionally I’ll buy the graphic novel version of something that I just have to read (such as the Planet of the Apes/Star Trek crossover). This issue has two stories that take place during WWII and two that take place during the Korean War, and while comic readers today probably wouldn’t like them, I felt like I was a kid again. I paid $3 for this back issue. The cover price for Fightin’ Army #55 is 12 cents, while the current value is $28.
Cool comics in my collection #119 (One That Got Away): Fightin’ Marines #108, January 1973.

I figured since I had just mentioned my Fightin’ Marines comics, I might as well cover an issue here. I read this comic back when I first got it, in the mid-seventies, and sold it a few years back when I needed to make space. From what I recall, the issue focused on The Vietnam War. Then a few years later I read the book “Fighting Back: The Rocky Bleier Story.” This Rocky was a football player who ended up being drafted and fighting over in Vietnam, receiving an injury, and “fighting back” to earn a roster spot on the Pittsburgh Steelers and collecting four Super Bowl rings. After reading it, I read a number of other books about the U.S. involvement in Vietnam. As previously mentioned, I primarily collected comics for the superheroes, but I definitely remember seeing War, Monster, Western, and other comics on the racks as a kid. Now that I’m older, I enjoy picking up sixties and seventies comics of various genres, inviting in a rendezvous with the past. The cover price of Fightin’ Marines #108 is 20 cents, while the current value is $12.

 

 

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

 

 

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Orange Crik (A Short Story)















Buy Book









Kindle



























Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Practice















Buy Book









Kindle

 

A Pocketful of Dimes and a Lifetime of Memories

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 16, where we take a look at six cool comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you’ve enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects. I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 16…

Cool comics in my collection #106: The Amazing Spider-Man #115, December 1972.

What? Aunt May is ready to open fire on the Wall-Crawler, not realizing that underneath the mask he’s really her beloved nephew! And there is a definitely a strange relationship going on between Aunt May and Doctor Octopus. Hammerhead is also in this issue, along with Ned Leeds, Betty Brant, Gwen Stacy, Robbie Robertson, and J. Jonah Jameson. This issue has a really colorful cover, and how about all those webs? Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite heroes, and I picked this back issue up for a measly dime at The Paradox Bookstore in Wheeling, West Virginia, back in the mid-seventies. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #115 is 20 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #107: Captain America #183, March 1975.

In one of my previous comic entries, I featured the Captain America issue in which Steve Rogers gave up the super-hero biz in disgust. In his absence, another man rose to the occasion to take his place. And what happened to him? Just look at the cover, as Steve, now known as Nomad, looks on with the Falcon. I skipped several issues of Captain America, then picked this one up, as I was intrigued by the cover. Now I wish I had bought those issues in-between, but I was just twelve-years-old, and there were lots of other things to spend my few dollars on. For fans of the Peggy Carter series on TV (the second season will be starting January 19), she is also in this issue. I bought this comic book from Slicks in Martins Ferry, when it originally came out. The cover price of Captain America #183 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #108: The Legion of Super-Heroes #291, September 1982.

Way back in Cool Comics #3, Episode 1, I wrote about The Legion of Super-Heroes #290, the beginning of The Great Darkness Saga. And if you’ve stayed with me long enough, here’s the payout as we feature part 2. When I started buying Legion comics back in college, I didn’t really know much about them, and it was challenging just learning all the different characters. But the payoff came when the Darkness Saga started, because it was a great ride. While there are plenty of interesting heroes involved, such as Saturn Girl, Superman, Timber Wolf, Mon-El, and Dream Girl, we also get one of the greatest villains in DC: Darkseid. If you’ve never read the saga, it isn’t all that expensive to pick up at your local comic shop. There is also a trade paperback available, and even a Kindle version. The cover price of The Legion of Super-Heroes #291 is 60 cents, while the current value is $8.
Cool comics in my collection #109: The Tomb of Dracula #36, September 1975.

As I’ve mentioned before in these posts, when I was a kid in the seventies and buying comic books, I pretty much stuck to the super-hero crowd. I did buy some monster magazines, and would stay up late on weekends watching Chiller Theater with Bill Cardille out of Pittsburgh, but my comic book money belonged to the likes of Spider-Man and Captain America, for the most part. And vampires are pretty scary to a kid, aren’t they? I watched the horror movies with an older sister, but I’d usually be alone when reading my comic books, and I didn’t want to read about Dracula taking over America, like this issue has on the cover, with no one to back me up! And in case you’re a fan, Brother Voodoo is in this issue. I bought it in the late nineties, as a back issue, at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio. The cover price of The Tomb of Dracula #36 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #110: Impulse #1, April 1995.

Remember back when I talked about The Flash #92, which had the first appearance of Impulse? Obviously I like the character enough to buy some early issues when he got his own comic book, hence I have Impulse #1 listed here. The comic didn’t soar in value, and I don’t really know how many people like Impulse, but I thought he was a fun character, and I liked the way Humberto Ramos drew him. That’s something to consider when buying comic books. You can decide if you want to collect a title because you think it will go up in value, or because the character is cool to all your friends and you don’t want to miss out, or maybe you love the art and writing, regardless of what anyone else thinks. If you are buying them fresh off the newsstand, like I did with this issue at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, you never know how the public is going to react. But if you decide to buy back issues at a later date, make sure you like what you are buying, because the pricing will be different, and you never know if the value will rise or drop. This origin issue features familiar faces from DC speedster comics, such as Max Mercury, Iris West Allen, and Wally West, along with Barbara Gordon and the Martian Manhunter. The cover price for Impulse #1 is $1.50, while the current value is $6.
Cool comics in my collection #111: Strange Adventures #215, December 1968.

The issue of Strange Adventures stands out because it features the first appearance of The League of Assassins! Well, it wasn’t actually called this, but instead The Society of Assassins, and later renamed, but it’s still the first appearance. Also we meet Sensei, Ra’s al Ghul’s second-in-command, as he makes his introduction to the world of DC comics. These old comics are a lot of fun to find and collect, especially when you can get them at a good price. And if you have been watching The Arrow TV show, then you’re pretty familiar with The League of Assassins, and realize that this is definitely a cool comic in my collection. I picked up this issue at Paradox Bookstore, in Wheeling, West Virginia, when I was a kid, in the mid-seventies. The owner had back issues for just a dime, and I’d go in the store and try to find comics that looked interesting, and I grabbed this one. The cover price for Strange Adventures #215 is 12 cents, while the current value is $75.
Cool comics in my collection #112 (One That Got Away): Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1, August 1993.

Deadpool is a pretty quirky, but much-loved character in the Marvel Universe. And with a movie due out this February, his popularity may soar to even greater heights. Unfortunately for me, I no longer own this comic book. Again, I needed to “Make Room! Make Room!” just like the title of Harry Harrison’s novel (you know, the one they made a movie of and called it Soylent Green? The crackers? Charlton Heston? Edward G. Robinson? Soylent Green is people?), and I gave this comic book to my son. So he gets to reap the benefits of it rises in price. You may recognize some of the other characters in this issue, such as Juggernaut, Black Tom Cassidy, and Garrison Cain. I remember that Toy Biz made action figures of them, also. The cover price of Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1 is $2.50, and the current value is $12.

 

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

 

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle



























Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 16

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 16, where we take a look at six cool comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you’ve enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects. I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 16…

Cool comics in my collection #106: The Amazing Spider-Man #115, December 1972.

What? Aunt May is ready to open fire on the Wall-Crawler, not realizing that underneath the mask he’s really her beloved nephew! And there is a definitely a strange relationship going on between Aunt May and Doctor Octopus. Hammerhead is also in this issue, along with Ned Leeds, Betty Brant, Gwen Stacy, Robbie Robertson, and J. Jonah Jameson. This issue has a really colorful cover, and how about all those webs? Spider-Man has always been one of my favorite heroes, and I picked this back issue up for a measly dime at The Paradox Bookstore in Wheeling, West Virginia, back in the mid-seventies. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #115 is 20 cents, while the current value is $100.
Cool comics in my collection #107: Captain America #183, March 1975.

In one of my previous comic entries, I featured the Captain America issue in which Steve Rogers gave up the super-hero biz in disgust. In his absence, another man rose to the occasion to take his place. And what happened to him? Just look at the cover, as Steve, now known as Nomad, looks on with the Falcon. I skipped several issues of Captain America, then picked this one up, as I was intrigued by the cover. Now I wish I had bought those issues in-between, but I was just twelve-years-old, and there were lots of other things to spend my few dollars on. For fans of the Peggy Carter series on TV (the second season will be starting January 19), she is also in this issue. I bought this comic book from Slicks in Martins Ferry, when it originally came out. The cover price of Captain America #183 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #108: The Legion of Super-Heroes #291, September 1982.

Way back in Cool Comics #3, Episode 1, I wrote about The Legion of Super-Heroes #290, the beginning of The Great Darkness Saga. And if you’ve stayed with me long enough, here’s the payout as we feature part 2. When I started buying Legion comics back in college, I didn’t really know much about them, and it was challenging just learning all the different characters. But the payoff came when the Darkness Saga started, because it was a great ride. While there are plenty of interesting heroes involved, such as Saturn Girl, Superman, Timber Wolf, Mon-El, and Dream Girl, we also get one of the greatest villains in DC: Darkseid. If you’ve never read the saga, it isn’t all that expensive to pick up at your local comic shop. There is also a trade paperback available, and even a Kindle version. The cover price of The Legion of Super-Heroes #291 is 60 cents, while the current value is $8.
Cool comics in my collection #109: The Tomb of Dracula #36, September 1975.

As I’ve mentioned before in these posts, when I was a kid in the seventies and buying comic books, I pretty much stuck to the super-hero crowd. I did buy some monster magazines, and would stay up late on weekends watching Chiller Theater with Bill Cardille out of Pittsburgh, but my comic book money belonged to the likes of Spider-Man and Captain America, for the most part. And vampires are pretty scary to a kid, aren’t they? I watched the horror movies with an older sister, but I’d usually be alone when reading my comic books, and I didn’t want to read about Dracula taking over America, like this issue has on the cover, with no one to back me up! And in case you’re a fan, Brother Voodoo is in this issue. I bought it in the late nineties, as a back issue, at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio. The cover price of The Tomb of Dracula #36 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #110: Impulse #1, April 1995.

Remember back when I talked about The Flash #92, which had the first appearance of Impulse? Obviously I like the character enough to buy some early issues when he got his own comic book, hence I have Impulse #1 listed here. The comic didn’t soar in value, and I don’t really know how many people like Impulse, but I thought he was a fun character, and I liked the way Humberto Ramos drew him. That’s something to consider when buying comic books. You can decide if you want to collect a title because you think it will go up in value, or because the character is cool to all your friends and you don’t want to miss out, or maybe you love the art and writing, regardless of what anyone else thinks. If you are buying them fresh off the newsstand, like I did with this issue at Titan Comics in Atlanta, Georgia, you never know how the public is going to react. But if you decide to buy back issues at a later date, make sure you like what you are buying, because the pricing will be different, and you never know if the value will rise or drop. This origin issue features familiar faces from DC speedster comics, such as Max Mercury, Iris West Allen, and Wally West, along with Barbara Gordon and the Martian Manhunter. The cover price for Impulse #1 is $1.50, while the current value is $6.
Cool comics in my collection #111: Strange Adventures #215, December 1968.

The issue of Strange Adventures stands out because it features the first appearance of The League of Assassins! Well, it wasn’t actually called this, but instead The Society of Assassins, and later renamed, but it’s still the first appearance. Also we meet Sensei, Ra’s al Ghul’s second-in-command, as he makes his introduction to the world of DC comics. These old comics are a lot of fun to find and collect, especially when you can get them at a good price. And if you have been watching The Arrow TV show, then you’re pretty familiar with The League of Assassins, and realize that this is definitely a cool comic in my collection. I picked up this issue at Paradox Bookstore, in Wheeling, West Virginia, when I was a kid, in the mid-seventies. The owner had back issues for just a dime, and I’d go in the store and try to find comics that looked interesting, and I grabbed this one. The cover price for Strange Adventures #215 is 12 cents, while the current value is $75.
Cool comics in my collection #112 (One That Got Away): Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1, August 1993.

Deadpool is a pretty quirky, but much-loved character in the Marvel Universe. And with a movie due out this February, his popularity may soar to even greater heights. Unfortunately for me, I no longer own this comic book. Again, I needed to “Make Room! Make Room!” just like the title of Harry Harrison’s novel (you know, the one they made a movie of and called it Soylent Green? The crackers? Charlton Heston? Edward G. Robinson? Soylent Green is people?), and I gave this comic book to my son. So he gets to reap the benefits of it rises in price. You may recognize some of the other characters in this issue, such as Juggernaut, Black Tom Cassidy, and Garrison Cain. I remember that Toy Biz made action figures of them, also. The cover price of Deadpool: The Circle Chase #1 is $2.50, and the current value is $12.

Are You A Fellow Comics Fan?

Do have a connection to these comics and characters?

Please, leave a comment and tell me your thoughts.

I’d love to hear your story!

 

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Orange Crik (A Short Story)















Buy Book









Kindle



























Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle



























Practice















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Heroes of Our Youth: Fast, Small, Stick to Walls

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 15, where we take a look at six cool comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you’ve enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects. I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 15…

Cool comics in my collection #99: The Flash #1, June 1987.

If you watch The Flash TV show on The CW, then you know the series uses Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, and earlier this season introduced Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. And now it looks like Wally West has entered the fray. And that’s the Flash this comic book focuses on. DC likes their speedsters a lot, and this comic is a nice one to have. Wally started off as Kid Flash and has been in several teams. This issue has lots of familiar DC faces, including Barry Allen, Cyborg, Dick Grayson, Beast Boy, and Vandal Savage (who’s been in the Supergirl TV show). I didn’t buy this comic new, but from a back issue bin in Atlanta, Georgia, for just 50 cents back around 1995. The cover price of The Flash #1 is 75 cents, while the current value is $15.
Cool comics in my collection #100: Marvel Premiere #48, May 1979.

Wow, hard to believe I’ve already reached comic number 100. I started off #1 back on September 25, 2015, with Marvel Premiere #47, the first appearance of the Scott Lang Ant-Man, so it feels appropriate that #100 is the sequel to it, featuring Scott Lang’s second appearance and the death of Darren Cross, who appears as the Yellowjacket in the movie version. In this comic, Cross is the recipient of a Pym-particles equipped heart transplant. Needless to say, things turn ugly. Did you like The Ant-Man movie? I sure did, and just recently watched it again on Blu-Ray. According to IMDB, he will be in Captain America: Civil War. I bought this comic in a back issue bin around 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, at Titan Comics. The cover price of Marvel Premiere #48 is 40 cents, while the current value is $46.
Cool comics in my collection #101: The Amazing Spider-Man #300, May 1988.

This cover of this issue lets us know that it’s a Special 25th Anniversary Issue, and definitely one worth owning. Not only does Spidey switch back to his famous red and blue spandex, but this issue also has the first appearance and origin of Venom (Eddie Brock). And being an anniversary issue, familiar Spider-Man characters such as Mary Jane, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, and Harry Osborn are in it, as well as members of the Fantastic Four. And don’t forget Venom. I bought this as a back issue for $1 sometime in the 1990’s. It would be really hard to find it today for that price in decent condition, considering the historic significance. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #300 is $1.50, while the current value is $260.
Cool comics in my collection #102: World’s Finest Comics #224, July 1974.

As I’ve said here before, 1974 was a big year for me in collecting comics. I was eleven for most of the year, and I started getting some issues monthly, while buying other titles here and there. I didn’t buy many DC comic books, but I did like it when they put out the 100 page issues. They always had these at SuperX Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where my father worked, and he could get me a discount (they were cheap enough to begin with by today’s standards!). Anyway, many of the DC comics at this time came across to me as kind of goofy, which worked well for these giant anthology-like issues. This one features stories with Batman and Superman, but also includes Johnny Quick, yet another DC speedster. The cover price of World’s Finest Comics #224 is 60 cents, while the current value is $55.
Cool comics in my collection #103: The Champions #3, February 1976.

The Champions was a pretty cool team-up concept in my humble opinion. The diversity of the heroes on this team made for some neat adventures, albeit the series ran just 17 issues. I bought some back issues during the holiday break, and now I’m just two issues short of having the entire run (I just need issues 1 and 2, but one is more expensive, so it may be awhile before I find a good deal). Hercules, Black Widow, Angel, Iceman, and Ghost Rider battle Pluto and his minions to keep them from taking over Olympus. Also, this issue contains a Marvel Value Stamp of Captain America, which notches the value up in my world of fandom. I bought this comic as a back issue in Atlanta, Georgia, at Titan Comics for just 25 cents. The cover price of The Champions #3 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #104: Action Comics #381, October 1969.

Superman as the dictator of the Earth? You see it too, don’t you friends, right on the cover! And here we thought Superman was our protector. Sort of makes you think of the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Back in the old days, and the really old, old days, Action Comics was an anthology that featured different characters and teams, but with Superman pretty much as the headliner. In this issue we also get the Legion of Super-Heroes, which makes this comic more fun. Some of the Legion characters are Brainiac 5, Matter-Eater Lad, Karate Kid (no, not Daniel san), Saturn Girl, and Shrinking Violet. I picked up this issue in Atlanta, Georgia, as a back issue for about 25 cents. The cover price of Action Comics #381 is 15 cents, while the current value is $40.
Cool comics in my collection #105 (One That Got Away): Batman #497, July 1993.

Remember when this was one of the hottest comics around? If you’re younger, you probably think more about the movie when Batman went up against Bane. But in 1993, it seemed like everyone was buying Batman comics and talking about this. I remember they even had an audio version the series (Knightfall) that you could buy as cassettes. That and The Death of Superman. DC was making waves with big events. You can still buy the graphic novel of Knightfall and its follow-ups. I bought this comic in Atlanta, Georgia, when it came out, but I no longer have it. When my collection started exceeding my property line, I knew I’d have to slim it down, and most of my Batman collection ended up on the chopping block at a garage sale. The cover price of Batman #497 is $1.25, while the current value is $8.

 

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

Sign Up Here!

Get My Books

















Practice















Buy Book









Kindle



























Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble



























Counterclockwise















Buy Book









Kindle

 

Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 15

Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection, Episode 15, where we take a look at six cool comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away. If you’ve enjoying reading about my trip down comic book lane, consider signing up for my newsletter. There are perks to being a subscriber, and you’ll have the inside track to my writing projects. I welcome any comments you might have, and hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 15…

Cool comics in my collection #99: The Flash #1, June 1987.

If you watch The Flash TV show on The CW, then you know the series uses Barry Allen, the Silver Age Flash, and earlier this season introduced Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash. And now it looks like Wally West has entered the fray. And that’s the Flash this comic book focuses on. DC likes their speedsters a lot, and this comic is a nice one to have. Wally started off as Kid Flash and has been in several teams. This issue has lots of familiar DC faces, including Barry Allen, Cyborg, Dick Grayson, Beast Boy, and Vandal Savage (who’s been in the Supergirl TV show). I didn’t buy this comic new, but from a back issue bin in Atlanta, Georgia, for just 50 cents back around 1995. The cover price of The Flash #1 is 75 cents, while the current value is $15.
Cool comics in my collection #100: Marvel Premiere #48, May 1979.

Wow, hard to believe I’ve already reached comic number 100. I started off #1 back on September 25, 2015, with Marvel Premiere #47, the first appearance of the Scott Lang Ant-Man, so it feels appropriate that #100 is the sequel to it, featuring Scott Lang’s second appearance and the death of Darren Cross, who appears as the Yellowjacket in the movie version. In this comic, Cross is the recipient of a Pym-particles equipped heart transplant. Needless to say, things turn ugly. Did you like The Ant-Man movie? I sure did, and just recently watched it again on Blu-Ray. According to IMDB, he will be in Captain America: Civil War. I bought this comic in a back issue bin around 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, at Titan Comics. The cover price of Marvel Premiere #48 is 40 cents, while the current value is $46.
Cool comics in my collection #101: The Amazing Spider-Man #300, May 1988.

This cover of this issue lets us know that it’s a Special 25th Anniversary Issue, and definitely one worth owning. Not only does Spidey switch back to his famous red and blue spandex, but this issue also has the first appearance and origin of Venom (Eddie Brock). And being an anniversary issue, familiar Spider-Man characters such as Mary Jane, Aunt May, Flash Thompson, and Harry Osborn are in it, as well as members of the Fantastic Four. And don’t forget Venom. I bought this as a back issue for $1 sometime in the 1990’s. It would be really hard to find it today for that price in decent condition, considering the historic significance. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #300 is $1.50, while the current value is $260.
Cool comics in my collection #102: World’s Finest Comics #224, July 1974.

As I’ve said here before, 1974 was a big year for me in collecting comics. I was eleven for most of the year, and I started getting some issues monthly, while buying other titles here and there. I didn’t buy many DC comic books, but I did like it when they put out the 100 page issues. They always had these at SuperX Drugs in Martins Ferry, Ohio, where my father worked, and he could get me a discount (they were cheap enough to begin with by today’s standards!). Anyway, many of the DC comics at this time came across to me as kind of goofy, which worked well for these giant anthology-like issues. This one features stories with Batman and Superman, but also includes Johnny Quick, yet another DC speedster. The cover price of World’s Finest Comics #224 is 60 cents, while the current value is $55.
Cool comics in my collection #103: The Champions #3, February 1976.

The Champions was a pretty cool team-up concept in my humble opinion. The diversity of the heroes on this team made for some neat adventures, albeit the series ran just 17 issues. I bought some back issues during the holiday break, and now I’m just two issues short of having the entire run (I just need issues 1 and 2, but one is more expensive, so it may be awhile before I find a good deal). Hercules, Black Widow, Angel, Iceman, and Ghost Rider battle Pluto and his minions to keep them from taking over Olympus. Also, this issue contains a Marvel Value Stamp of Captain America, which notches the value up in my world of fandom. I bought this comic as a back issue in Atlanta, Georgia, at Titan Comics for just 25 cents. The cover price of The Champions #3 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.
Cool comics in my collection #104: Action Comics #381, October 1969.

Superman as the dictator of the Earth? You see it too, don’t you friends, right on the cover! And here we thought Superman was our protector. Sort of makes you think of the upcoming movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. Back in the old days, and the really old, old days, Action Comics was an anthology that featured different characters and teams, but with Superman pretty much as the headliner. In this issue we also get the Legion of Super-Heroes, which makes this comic more fun. Some of the Legion characters are Brainiac 5, Matter-Eater Lad, Karate Kid (no, not Daniel san), Saturn Girl, and Shrinking Violet. I picked up this issue in Atlanta, Georgia, as a back issue for about 25 cents. The cover price of Action Comics #381 is 15 cents, while the current value is $40.
Cool comics in my collection #105 (One That Got Away): Batman #497, July 1993.

Remember when this was one of the hottest comics around? If you’re younger, you probably think more about the movie when Batman went up against Bane. But in 1993, it seemed like everyone was buying Batman comics and talking about this. I remember they even had an audio version the series (Knightfall) that you could buy as cassettes. That and The Death of Superman. DC was making waves with big events. You can still buy the graphic novel of Knightfall and its follow-ups. I bought this comic in Atlanta, Georgia, when it came out, but I no longer have it. When my collection started exceeding my property line, I knew I’d have to slim it down, and most of my Batman collection ended up on the chopping block at a garage sale. The cover price of Batman #497 is $1.25, while the current value is $8.

Join My Newsletter

Like comics and science fiction? Sign up for my newsletter and get both!

 

Sign Up Here!

 

Get My Books

Something the Wind Blew In















Buy Book









Kindle



























Apocalypse Weird: Last Meal















Buy Book









KindleNookKoboIbooks



























Prometheus Stumbles















Buy Book









AmazonKindleBarnesnoble