Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 29, where we take a nostalgic look at six 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.

I want to give a big “Thank you!” to last week’s guest blogger, Gary Wilton. I’m having fun seeing what other people come up with on their cool comics list.

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 29…

Cool comics in my collection #183: Tom Mix Western #7, July 1948.

“THUNDERING HOOF BEAT A TATTOO OF THRILLS ACROSS THE WESTERN PLAINS Starring THE MOST FAMOUS COWBOY OF THE WEST!” That’s a real mouthful, but Tom Mix was as big as they come in the early days of western movies. If you look him up on IMDb (Internet Movie Database), you’ll see that he has 281 acting credits. The reason I know his name is that he gets mentioned several times in the old TV show The Beverly Hillbillies. Tom lived from 1880 to 1940, but is immortalized via movie magic, and comic books, too. I bought this old Fawcett Publication issue for $10 at Kenmore Komics and was excited to find it when I decided to dedicate an entire episode to Western comic books. Also, this is now the oldest comic book in my collection. It will turn 68 this summer! When it comes to this genre of comics, my education was sorely lacking, but I made up for it and learned how enjoyable these funny page cowboys can be. This was a great old comic and I will try to add more issues to my collection. The cover price of Tom Mix Western is 10 cents, while the current value is $275.

Cool comics in my collection #184: The Sons of Katie Elder #1, September 1965.

“TROUBLE AHEAD…WHEN FOUR ENRAGED BROTHERS SHOOT IT OUT WITH THE TOWN THAT TURNED AGAINST THEM!” I’ll be the first to admit I’ve never seen this movie, but that didn’t stop me from buying the comic to add to my growing collection of westerns. The cover of this issue is a photo featuring stars John Wayne, Dean Martin, Earl Holliman, and Michael Anderson, Jr. Other actors you might recognize include Dennis Hopper, George Kennedy, and James Gregory, to name a few. One of the things I liked about this comic is how the artist showed the hitch in the walk of the character by John Wayne. Anyone who has watched a Wayne movie knows what I’m talking about. Underneath the Dell logo and the price in the top left corner it says, “Movie Classic.” Dell probably licensed to put out others, so I’ll be on the lookout. I bought this a couple of months ago at Kenmore Komics in Akron, Ohio, for $8. The cover price of The Sons of Katie Elder is 12 cents, while the current value is $200.

Cool comics in my collection #185: The Outlaw Kid #6, June 1971.

“SIX-GUN SHOOT OUT!” The Outlaw Kid is the beginning of a string of “Kid” heroes in western comics I’ve added to my collection. Why all the Kids? I don’t really know, but if you have the answer, please leave a comment below. Lance Temple is a Civil War veteran and a lawyer, and he fights the bad men of the west as the Outlaw Kid. The Kid originally made his comic debut in 1954 and rode into the hearts and minds of western lovers until 1957. Then from 1970 to 1975, he was resurrected again, mostly in reprints. This issue contains four stories of his exploits, and I enjoyed getting to know him and seeing that the Outlaw Kid is really one of the good guys. I bought this issue at Kenmore Komics for $3. The cover price of The Outlaw Kid #6 is 15 cents, while the current value is $14.

Cool comics in my collection #186: The Mighty Marvel Western #17, June 1972.

“AMBUSH AT BLACKSNAKE MESA!” The Mighty Marvel Western features The Rawhide Kid, Kid Colt, and Two-Gun Kid. See, I told you there were lots of Kids in these western comics! Much like the aforementioned Outlaw Kid comic, this issue contains various “Kid” stories that are reprints from an earlier age. Of course those comics are out of the range of my budget, so these reprints from the seventies are quite handy in exploring the Old West. Here we are treated to two stories of The Rawhide Kid and one each of Kid Colt and Two-Gun Kid. This issue cost me just $1.50 at Kenmore Komics, making it an inexpensive foray into these western heroes. I enjoyed these adventures and wouldn’t mind adding additional issues into my collection. The cover price of The Mighty Marvel Western #17 is 20 cents, while the current value is $20.

Cool comics in my collection #187: Cheyenne Kid #85, July 1971.

“BLOOD BROTHER.” After reading about four western characters named “Kid” from Marvel, now we get Charlton Comics own Cheyenne Kid. Charlton published comics from 1945 until 1986, but never gained the popularity of a Marvel or DC (DC bought some of the Charlton characters in the early eighties, including Captain Atom and Blue Beetle). The only Charlton Comics I remember owning during my first phase of comic collecting were a couple issues of The Phantom and Fightin’ Marines. This western from 1971 had some decent stories in it, but the art looked older and it reminded me of earlier comics, leaving me to wonder if this material wasn’t reprinted from a previous decade or two. But the cover claims that it’s “All New Stories & Art.” The style was just different from typical seventies fare. The interior has an ad for selling GRIT, billed as “America’s Greatest Family Newspaper.” I tried that for a while in my younger days, going door to door to earn more pennies to buy more comics. I’m certainly glad those days are past! All in all, it wasn’t a bad read. I picked it up at Kenmore Komics for just $1.50. The cover price of Cheyenne Kid #85 is 15 cents, while the current value is $9.

Cool comics in my collection #188: Bat Lash #7, November 1969.

“WANTED–DEAD OR ALIVE!” Bat Lash had a decent plot with a frustrating ending…made even more so by the fact that it was the last issue in the series. I liked the art and the writing, and if the back issue prices are any indication, this is a short-lived western series that people want to add to their collection. I certainly wouldn’t mind adding issues 1 through 6. While DC has perhaps the most famous of the western comic book heroes in Jonah Hex, DC has tried to do more with Bat Lash, resurrecting him a couple of times in the 21st Century. But it’s a different world we live in today, I before long, there probably won’t be many people desiring to add Western Comics to their collections, which is too bad. I came late to the show, but developed an affinity towards these hombres from our past who represent a big part of our history. I know I’ll continue to look for more western comics. I bought this one a couple months ago at Kenmore Komics for $4. The cover price of Bat Lash #7 is 15 cents, while the current value is $60.

Cool comics in my collection #189 (One That Got Away): Zorro #1, January 1994.

“PREQUEL IN A HOSTILE LANDSCAPE.” When my third phase of comic book collecting started up in 1993, Topps (yes, the same company that gave us sports cards for decades) decided to give comic books a go. Zorro happened to be one of the characters they set their hopes on, and it really wasn’t a bad comic. I bought this issue at a shop in Atlanta, Georgia, when it first came out. The adventures of Zorro are pretty different from the typical cowboy western comics I have listed above, but I liked it enough at the time to buy and read several issues. When my collection became overwhelming and I had to make decisions of what to keep, Zorro didn’t make the cut and was sold at a garage sale. The cover price of Zorro #1 is $2.50, while the current value is $3.

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