Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 54, where we take a nostalgic look at comic books I currently own, and in some sad cases, ones that I let get away.

For each of the comic books I include in this blog, 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 54…

Cool comics in my collection #345: Book of the Dead #1, December 1993.

Since it’s October, I’m going to go with scary comics and monster comics for the month. First up is Book of the Dead, with a nice cover featuring the Man-Thing and Frankenstein’s Monster in the top left corner. This is one of the earlier comics I picked up in Atlanta, Georgia, when I started collecting them again after a decade away from the hobby. Four comics made up this mini-series, and all I bought was this issue. I don’t remember why I didn’t get the others, but at least I have this issue. One of my current goals is to collect the Frankenstein short run of comics that Marvel put out in the Seventies, so I can appreciate that this comic contains the character. The Monster is so iconic, whether in the form of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s original vision, or the 1931 film version featuring Boris Karloff. I’ll take them both! And by the way, if you’re a reader of books, also, Dean Koontz’s Frankenstein series of books is a fun read for fans. The cover price of Book of the Dead #1 is $1.75, while the current value is $4.

Cool comics in my collection #346: Werewolf by Night #7, July 1973.

I didn’t buy any of the Seventies run of Werewolf by Night in the Seventies. I remember seeing his comic on the shelves, along with the usual superhero crowd of Spider-Man, Superman, Batman, and Captain America. I always thought the covers were pretty cool, but monsters were meant for movies, models, and magazines, not comic books, I told myself. Mistakenly. Yes, this is one of the regrets of my childhood. If only I could go back in time with a pocket full of quarters…. And now the back issues sell for a pretty penny. Still, you can pick them up in decent condition for prices that won’t break the bank when you want to step back to your childhood. Only there’s nothing like being twelve years old and coming home from the comic shop with a bag full of adventure. The cover price of Werewolf by Night #7 is 20 cents, while the current value is $60.

Cool comics in my collection #347: House of Secrets #126, December 1974.

I’ll be the first to admit that some of the DC titles in the Seventies scared me. Like this one, House of Secrets. They had creepy, supernatural stories. Give me Frankenstein’s Monster, Dracula, the Wolf Man, and the Creature from the Black Lagoon any day over ghosts, witches, and evil spirits. Well, at least back in my younger days they scared me a lot. Now, not so much, but comics like House of Secrets set my nerves on edge sometimes. I didn’t buy this one new, but picked it up at a used bookstore in Wheeling, WV, called The Paradox Bookstore. It’s a great place to explore, and when I was a kid, the owner sold back issue comics for just a dime apiece. When the leaves begin to turn and there’s a chill in the air, when the sun sets much too soon and you pick up your step to walk a little faster as the evening comes quicker, you may just find yourself pulling out a box of old comic books and looking for something scary to read. But if you start hearing noises at night when you try to fall asleep, don’t say I didn’t warn you. The cover price of House of Secrets #126 is 20 cents, while the current value is $20.

Fun Stuff!

This Saturday, October 8, the comic book nostalgia panel I created earlier in the year will be a part of Imaginarium 2016. First presented at Concoction in Cleveland this past March, then a few months later at OddMall in downtown Akron, Ohio, the panel is now moving further south to Louisville, KY! There are six of us sitting on the panel this time, and it should be a lot of fun. I’ll have some books and comics to give away to those in attendance. Below is a description of what this panel is all about. Maybe I’ll see some of you there!

Comic Book Nostalgia: Reflections on Our Collections

For this panel, we will discuss when and why we started collecting comics, early comic book memories, the love and care of our comics, and what a “valuable” comic means to a collector. Sometimes we buy and collect titles not because they are going to help send our children to college, but because we find the stories and art compelling. And sometimes we want to put together an entire run of a title simply because of the memories they invoke in us. For whatever reason you collect comics, you will feel nostalgic as our panelists discuss their comic book memories, from childhood to adulthood, including the sometimes heartbreaking decisions of having to cull their comic book collection.