Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 36, 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 36…



Cool comics in my collection #232: Captain America #193, January 1976.

There’s a lot of hoo-ha (I really don’t know what that means, but I thought it sounded fitting for the situation) these days over Captain America. Something about him really being a Hydra agent all along in the new comics. Storylines make or break these heroes, and who knows which direction this will take the star-spangled avenger? Maybe it’s not really Steve Rogers, but instead a Life Model Decoy. Who knows? I enjoy the nostalgic feelings I get when reflecting back on the “good old days” of the seventies, when I first started buying and collecting comic books. And even that Captain America run wasn’t without controversy. They tended to get very political under the shadow of Watergate. This particular issue features Henry Kissinger, who has Captain America and the Falcon tested to make sure they are the real deal. Regardless of what happens in the modern Captain America comic, good or bad, I’d rather read these old issues and remember what it was like when I was a boy and my heart started pumping when I saw the new issue at Slicks, in Martins Ferry, Ohio, just waiting for me. The cover price of Captain America #193 is 25 cents, while the current value is $22.

Cool comics in my collection #233: Valor #3, January 1993.

Most of the superhero comics I talk about here at Cool Comics in My Collection are from Marvel, but I did read some DC during all of my collection periods. Just not as many, and a few years back when I needed to offload several thousands of issues to create a little more living space, many of my DC titles didn’t make the cut. You might question me as to why I kept my Valor comics, yet sold most of my Batman and Superman issues, and that would be fair. But there’s no accounting for taste, is there? I really enjoyed reading the adventures of this Daxamite who is very similar to Superman, and this particular issue has Lobo, Lex Luthor, and Eclipso, so what’s not to love? I bought this comic in a back issue box somewhere in Atlanta when I was in the Army. The cover price of Valor #3 is $1.25, whole the current value is $2.25.



Cool comics in my collection #234: The Flash #14, July 1988.

The Flash is another DC comic that DID survive my giant comic cut. I bought this back issue from a comic shop in Atlanta, GA, back in the mid-nineties. This is the second series of Flash comics, and features Wally West, rather than Barry Allen, the character used in both of The Flash TV shows. Although the new series does have a Wally West, and probably many of you are wondering just when he’ll get his abilities. At any rate, I thought this issue would be a cool one to put on here, because Vandal Savage is on the cover. Yes, the evil villain from Legends of Tomorrow is torturing poor Wally West in this issue. The cover price of The Flash #14 is 75 cents, while the current value is $3.





Cool comics in my collection #235: Thor #251, September 1976.

For some reason, I’ve always liked Thor, and when I started my third phase of comic collecting in the nineties, I decided to purchase lots of back issues that I missed. I bought this issue at a comic shop in Atlanta, GA. When I first started buying comics in the seventies, I was just so-so on the character, but then he grew on me. In this issue, Thor goes searching in Hela’s realm for Odin, his missing father. If you enjoy the Asgardians, this comic has Sif, Volstagg, Hogan, Fandral, and Balder. And even though it’s a Marvel comic, you really can’t go wrong, because it’s from the seventies. I just had to say that. Thor is virtuous and Captain America a true patriot! This is my golden age of comic books. And besides, the ads really ruled back then. Sea Monkeys were on every kid’s dream list. The cover price of Thor #251 is 30 cents, while the current value is $10.



Cool comics in my collection #236: Marvel Premiere #31, August 1976.

This is the third comic this week from 1976. Interestingly enough, I only bought one of those comics new off the stands. My comic purchases started slowing down in the Bicentennial year. I was buying a few books here and there, along with monster magazines, and I needed money to go to the local Dairy Queen in Martins Ferry, Ohio, with my neighborhood friends. Plus, it wasn’t considered all that cool back in those days to read comic books. So Marvel Premiere and the fascinating character of Woodgod had to wait about 25 years until I bought this as a back issue at Kenmore Komics, in Akron, Ohio, back around 2001. I remember seeing one of my friends with a comic that had Woodgod on the cover, and I thought he looked awesome. So when I found this issue while digging through back issues, I knew I had to own it. The cover price of Marvel Premiere #31 is 25 cents, while the current value is $5.



Cool comics in my collection #237: Strange Adventures #192, September 1966.

When I think back to my childhood days, comic books played a large part. If you’re a regular reader of CCIMC (Cool Comics in My Collection), then you know that the majority of comic books I bought came from a little neighborhood store called Slicks, located in my hometown of Martins Ferry, Ohio. But my second favorite place to buy comic books was at The Paradox Bookstore, a small, privately owned establishment in Wheeling, West Virginia, that carried gently used books, magazines, and comics! The comics were a steal at just 10 cents each, and I was fortunate to add some early great Amazing Spider-Man issues to my collection. But I also bought some older stuff like this issue of Strange Adventures. This originally came out when I was just short of my fourth birthday and didn’t even know what a comic book was. But in the early seventies, I saw this cover with the scarecrow and had to have it! I loved monster movies and creepy things, so for a dime, I was one happy kids. The cover price of Strange Adventures #192 is 12 cents, while the current value is $40.



Cool comics in my collection #238 (one that got away): Tales of the New Teen Titans #1, June 1982.

A friend (whose name is also Ed) reintroduced me to comics when I went away to college, and also opened my eyes to the New Teen Titans. 1982 was an exciting time to come back to the world of superheroes, and I made sure to collect all four issues in this series. I really didn’t know much about this young team of heroes, so this series was a great way to learn more about these cool heroes, such as Cyborg, who is featured in this issue. This one came out not long before summer break after my freshman year, and I made arrangements with that friend I mentioned to buy all the comics on my list for a couple months, as I’d be away for part of the summer. He came through like a champ, and sent my comics in a nice package, including a few gifts he’d thrown in with his own money. Whenever I see the cover of this comic, I think about jazz, hockey, and Indy racing. Things that Ed loved besides comic books. He was a great friend to have my freshman year at college, and I see now, in looking back, just how blessed I was. Oh, and as this is a comic I no longer own, I thought you might find it interesting that it’s now in the hands of another Ed, my son. The cover price of Tales of the New Teen Titans is 60 cents, while the current value is $8.

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