Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 119, where we take a look at comic books I own (and in some cases ones that I let get away), both new and old, often with a nostalgic leaning for those feelings of yesteryear.

For each of the comic books I include in this blog (except for digital issues), 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), with a maximum of seven issues. Repeat guest hosts are permitted and encouraged. 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 119…

Cool Comics News!

Welcome to 2018! I hope all of you had a fantastic New Year’s weekend, with plenty of comic books and superhero movies to keep you company. Is there anything comic book related you’re looking forward to over the next twelve months? Feel free to share in the comments section below.

Cool Comics in My Collection

#567 — Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1, Marvel Comics, February 2018.

Jean Grey’s been missing from the Marvel Universe for a number of years (which I didn’t know), then she’s a younger girl and back in the Marvel Universe. Or something like that, with her own title. To be honest, I have no real idea what’s gone on with her since I quit reading new comics in 2003, but now, at the end of 2017 and the beginning of 2018, Marvel is bringing her back in a five-issue mini-series. To get to the bottom of all this, I did some searching on the Internet, which further confused me. Jean was killed, then regenerated by the Phoenix Force. Then she begged Wolverine to kill her. Whew! I don’t know what’s been going on. When Previews came out showing December solicitations, I decided I wasn’t going to get this mini-series. Then January confirmed it for me, as each week a new “Phoenix Resurrection” issue is coming out. Yet when I saw that the line-up of team members for X-Men Red (starting in February) will have Namor, and is being led by Jean Grey, I decided to jump on that bandwagon (Namor taking orders from Jean Grey should prove an interesting read). And then curiosity got the better of me and I decided, last week at my comic shop, to pick up this issue, Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1, and I’m glad I did, as it had some fun moments in it, sparking memories of when I first started reading the X-Men long ago when I was in college. And for me, the memories are what makes this hobby worth it. The cover price of Phoenix Resurrection: The Return of Jean Grey #1 is $4.99, while the current value is $5.

#568 — Darkhawk #51, Marvel Comics, January 2018.

I don’t have much history with Darkhawk. Just three back issues and an annual I picked up in the Nineties, along with some appearances in The New Warriors. So he’s a bit of a stranger to me. When I saw he’d be having a one-shot as part of Marvel’s Legacy (and listed as issue 51, since his original series ended with #50), I passed on the title, because like so many other comic fans, I need to maintain a budget. But last week, I went to Kenmore Komics & Games (my local comic shop!), dug around in some sale boxes (ranging from 25 cents each up to a dollar…hard to beat deals like that), and found this comic for just $1 (plus the store was having a 20 percent off sale!). It was fate, right? I pulled the issue of Darkhawk carefully from the dollar box, as if it were some sort of secret amulet…okay, Darkhawk fans get it. For first time readers, the issue does a nice job of giving us some backstory. I don’t know if there will be more Darkhawk in the future, but it was fun getting a chance to read this one-shot at a discounted price. The cover price of Darkhawk #51 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#569 — Alpha Centurion Special #1, DC Comics, 1996.

Does anyone out there know what month this comic book came out in 1996? Typically, the indicia will tell the month (often two months ahead of the actual month you can purchase it) and year, but the Alpha Centurion Special just lists 1996. I searched it out online and found one source that had January, and another had June. Not that it really matters, but for those who like to pinpoint dates, this comic, based on a hero introduced during DC’s Zero Hour (I remember him, but no specifics), may prove difficult to pin down. By the way, I was at a bookstore over the weekend and looked this up in the new Overstreet Guide, and it just had 1996. Strange. (Wait, fearless readers, this might be solved! I just found out that, according to the website “Mike’s Amazing World of Comics,” it came out on July 31, 1996. Mike seems to have a reliable website, so I’m thinking this date may be the real deal.) Anyway, this is the story of a hero out of time, a Roman representative to an alien race. The story rated “Okay” on my Cool Comics Meter (I don’t really have a Cool Comics Meter…should I develop one for 2018?), and considering it’s from my long box collection in which each comic cost me about $0.047, I can’t complain. The cover price of Alpha Centurion Special #1 is $2.95, while the current value is $3.

Cool Comics Classics

#570 — The Avengers #38, Marvel Comics, March 1967.

On January 10, this comic book turns 51 years old. Think about how many things have come and gone in that time; yet you can still go to your local comic book shop and buy new Avengers comics. I realize that there are much older titles and characters, but when you hold a piece of history like this in your hands, it gets you to thinking…and that’s where my thoughts went. To me, it’s rather impressive that despite all the highs and lows the comic industry has seen, there are still fans out there keeping this fun hobby alive. This is the oldest issue of The Avengers that I’ve ever bought or owned. I was just a wee lad when this issue originally came out, and I had no idea of the existence of most superheroes. This particular copy isn’t pristine, but I bought it to read. It’s got Hercules in it, whom I like, and the price for this back-issue classic was right ($5). I Iove being able to read long runs of titles, but sometimes you need to treat yourself to individual issues that have meaning to you. Whether you go to conventions or local comic shops, back issues are easy enough to find, but deciding what is right for you—within budget—is where the fun comes in. I love flipping through old issues at my local store, finding great deals, then enjoy spending time in the past. Sure, I read a lot of digital comics these days, and you can get some killer deals, but there is something special about buying and reading a comic book that is 30, 40, or even 50 years old. Who owned this issue before I did? Why do they no longer have it? What kind of meaning did it have for them? Wondering is part of the fun. If you’ve never done this, I strongly recommend giving it a try. The cover price of The Avengers #38 is 12¢, while the current value is $140.

Recently Read Digital Comics

These days, most of my DC Comics reading happens digitally. I’ll never catch up with everything that’s out there (due to time and expense!), but when DC has nice sales around the holidays, it’s a great opportunity to pick up some new collections. Titans Vol. 1: The Return of Wally West, contains Titans Rebirth and Titans issues 1-6. Although this is a Titans title, the Wally West version of the Flash is definitely the star of the show. A villain has trapped Wally in the Speed Force, but it backfired on him. Yet somehow, after years have gone by, the Flash escapes. Unfortunately, the villain awakens, and he’s out for revenge. The first issue shows us a world in which the Flash is a stranger to the other Titans, but one-by-one he is able to jolt them back to awareness. This was a fun collection to read, and I enjoy the characters, but I don’t rank it as high on my list as Super Sons, as far as Rebirth comics go. With that said, however, I will probably buy Volume 2 at some point in the future because I like the team chemistry. The writing and art were appealing to me also. If you’re a Titan’s fan and you’ve been away from them for a while, this is a good place to start over.