Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 56, 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 56…

Cool comics in my collection #351: Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1, December 1993.

When I started my third phase of comic book collecting, the Batman Knightfall storyline was in full swing, and I jumped on the bandwagon to read all about the caped crusader and his battle with Bane, broken back and all. Then I saw that a special Halloween issue would be coming out under the Legends of the Dark Knight title, to be written by Jeph Loeb. I knew I had to have it, and the bonus is that Scarecrow, Jonathan Crane, was the featured villain. Scarecrows and Halloween tend to go hand-in-hand, and this was a beautiful comic with thicker covers, slick, glossy pages, and cool art by Tim Sale. I’m not old enough to have seen it when first released, but when I was young, I saw repeats of Disney’s The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh, and I remember how it creeped me out. It’s funny how when we are young, certain things often scare us, but we like that feeling, leading some of us to a lifelong love of horror. When handled right, scarecrows with brains are deliciously fun to read about and/or watch. And it’s a bonus when a scarecrow battles the Dark Knight. The cover price of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight Halloween Special #1 is $6.95, while the current value is $7.

Cool comics in my collection #352: Blade: The Vampire Hunter #2, August 1994.

I don’t know about you, but when October rolls around, thoughts of Universal Monsters stroll through my head, along with some of the Hammer Horror movies. And while ghosts, witches, and goblins dominate Halloween decorations, when I think of the dark holiday, the top dog in my book is Dracula. I prefer the Christopher Lee version of the Count when it comes to movies, but any of them will do in a pinch when trying to get into the spirit of black and orange. But some people aren’t all that fond of Dracula. Namely, Blade the Vampire Hunter! Many of you readers are probably familiar with this character from Marvel comics, although some might only have seen the movie versions. But most importantly, Blade wants to put Dracula and all vampires down for good! So if you’re a fan of the Van Helsings of the world, Blade might be the hero you need in your corner this October 31st. The cover price of Blade: The Vampire Hunter #2 is $1.95, while the current value is $3.

Cool comics in my collection #353: Arrgh! #4, July 1975.

If you’re old enough to remember the late Darren McGavin (you know, the dad from A Christmas Story) as Kolchak: The Night Stalker, both the movie (along with The Night Strangler) and the TV show from the mid-Seventies, then this issue of Arrgh! probably makes you feel nostalgic, as it features The Night Gawker! This is certainly not typical of the sort of comic books I bought as a kid, but I’m glad I have it. Usually if I wanted some humor, I’d find it in the pages of Cracked or Mad Magazine. Yet I have this one, and I love the old Kolchak books, movies, and TV shows, so I’m a pretty fortunate guy! If you’ve never watched any of them, it’s worth your time to hunt them down. The TV series from 1974 happens to be on Netflix, so it doesn’t get much easier than that. The Night Stalker was very influential in the creation of The X-Files, and both series are worth your time if you are monster fan. The cover price of Arrgh! #4 is 25 cents, while the current value is $25.