Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 34, where we take a nostalgic look at six cool comic books I currently own, and one that I let get away.

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.

Have you considered being a guest host for Cool Comics? You can do a theme or just pick any of your comics for inclusion (this blog is for all ages, so please keep that in mind), as long as there are seven comics in your episode (you can still own all seven, or do it like me and include one you no longer own). Send your completed blog to edgosney62@gmail.com.

If you have any questions or comments, please scroll to the bottom of the page to where it says, “Leave a reply.” I hope you enjoy seeing these as much as I do writing about them. And now, Episode 34…

Cool comics in my collection #218: Warlock #4, February 1973.

“MAKE WAY FOR THE DEMON CALLED TRAX!” Will Adam Warlock ever make an appearance in the Marvel Cinematic Universe? Hints have been given with his cocoon, but we have yet to see this interesting artificial construct. I didn’t read any of his comics until my third phase of collecting, which started in 1993. Part way through the run of Warlock and the Infinity Watch I started buying it, and then greedily bought up the earlier issues. I still need a handful of issues for that run. So one day while living in Atlanta and looking through back issues, I found this issue from the seventies at a good price. Warlock is a very cool character, and if you haven’t read any of his comics, I highly recommend them. The cover price of Warlock #4 is 20 cents, while the current value is $15.

Cool comics in my collection #219: Spider-Woman #1, April 1978.

“ORIGIN ISSUE: ALL THE WORLD AGAINST HER!” If you’ve ever wondered about the origin of the very first Spider-Woman, this issue contains the story. Things haven’t been easy for Jessica Drew. The High Evolutionary was her father’s partner, which led to her gaining her powers, then later she was held captive by HYDRA, who brainwashed her. I remember when this came out, and at the time I was buying very few comics, and definitely passed on it. But about 15 years later, I found a back issue copy for 50 cents in Atlanta, Georgia, and decided to buy it. She definitely isn’t Spider-Man, but seventies comics are my favorite era, so this is a good addition to my collection. The cover price of Spider-Woman #1 is 35 cents, while the current value is $20.

Cool comics in my collection #220: Frankenstein #12, September 1974.

“FROZEN IN ICE FOR HALF A CENTURY, HE COMES ALIVE–TODAY!” At this point, I own just two issues of Marvel’s Frankenstein comic from the seventies, and intend to add to this collection over time. As I’ve said here before, I wasn’t into monster comics at all, yet, strangely enough, I loved monster movies and monster magazines. I remember walking into a little party store/candy shop/newsstand named Slicks, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, and seeing Frankenstein, Tomb of Dracula, and Werewolf by Night, but basically ignoring them for the superhero crowd. And don’t get me wrong, I still love the superhero comics, but now I hold a special affinity for these seventies monster comics. I bought this issue earlier this year at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, out of the back issue boxes for $6. This is a great issue, as Frankenstein emerges from ice into our modern world. I look forward to buying more! The cover price of Frankenstein #12 is 25 cents, while the current value is $14.

Cool comics in my collection #221: The Amazing Spider-Man #124, September 1973.

“THE MARK OF THE MAN-WOLF!” Way back in 1973, the very first Spider-Man comic book I bought was issue #125, the second part of this story. So years ago when I found a nice copy of #124 for about 50 cents in Atlanta, Georgia, I grabbed it! I loved the Man-Wolf (even though, as I stated above, I didn’t buy monster comics) and really wanted this issue for a while. Besides, I really love to add to my seventies comic collection, particularly The Amazing Spider-Man. I used to own hundreds more issues of Spider-Man comics, with adjectives like Spectacular, Sensational, and, well, just Spider-Man. But when my collection became too monstrous, I had to decide what to keep and what to get rid of, and even though I love Spider-Man, there are many other heroes I wanted to keep around, so I just kept a few early Spectacular issues and all of my Amazing issues. The cover price of The Amazing Spider-Man #124 is 20 cents, while the current value is $150.

Cool comics in my collection #222: The Champions #7, August 1976.

“THE MAN WHO CREATED THE BLACK WIDOW!” Okay, so we do meet the man who created the Black Widow in this issue, but we don’t really learn anything about him. The Champions is another of those cool seventies comics that I neglected to buy in my misspent youth. It lasted just 17 issues, but had a fun lineup consisting of Hercules, the Black Widow, Angel, Iceman, and Ghost Rider. And though I never touched an issue way back when, I’m making up for it now, and need just two more to make my run complete. I bought this particular back issue at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, for just $1.50. The cover price of The Champions #7 is 25 cents, while the current value is $20.

Cool comics in my collection #223: Cage #1, April 1993.

“MARVEL’S HOTTEST ACTION HERO RETURNS!” In case you think I’m stuck in the seventies, I thought I’d through in a nineties comic to help dissuade you a bit. I’ve been a fan of Luke Cage for several decades, though I never started buying any of his comics until my third phase of comic book collecting (1993-2003). And since then, I’ve bought back issues of Power Man, Power Man and Iron Fist, and Cage. He’s probably a little more in the limelight now that his character is going to have a show on Netflix, so it may be a little harder to find back issues at good prices at your friendly neighborhood comic shop. I bought this issue when I was in the Army, serving in Atlanta, Georgia, for 50 cents. The cover price of Cage #1 is $1.50, while the current value is $3.

Cool comics in my collection #224 (one that got away): The Uncanny X-Men #158, June 1982.

I never bought an X-Men comic until my second phase of collecting, while I was in college in the early eighties. This particular issue features the first time Rogue appears in the X-Universe. I really enjoyed reading X-Men comics, but during my third phase of collecting, it seemed that there were just too many related titles, and when I decided I needed to get rid of a few thousand comic books, I sold nearly my entire X-collection, including this issue. There are probably a few that I now wish I’d kept, but hindsight and all that, as we well know. Being that my blog attempts to put a nostalgic feeling into all this, yes, I’m feeling nostalgic, but not so much about the X-Men as I am my friendships at Ohio State, back when I bought this comic. The cover price of The Uncanny X-Men #158 is 60 cents, while the current value is $10.

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