Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 60, 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 60…

Cool comics in my collection #363: Wonder Man #1, September 1991.

This past Saturday I held my panel on comic book nostalgia (Reflections on Our Collections) at Con on the Cob in Richfield, Ohio. It was a lot of fun, and while there were plenty of available seats, those who attended seemed to enjoy this opportunity to discuss why we love comics. One of the more interesting topics revolved around our love of comics that aren’t popular, but for various reasons each of us has fond memories and a desire to complete those collections. In other words, the New Universe, Ultraverse, Milestone, and other comic worlds felt the love on Saturday. That’s part of what makes it all fun. We don’t all have to like the same thing, yet we all have that comic book love. And that’s why I decided to go with Wonder Man this week. The issue (all his issues, actually) is worthless as far as resale value goes, but do I care? No, I don’t. I like Simon Williams, and have most of the issues in this run. And someday I hope to have all of them. And who knows, maybe he’ll become more popular after Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 comes out in May, because when you look at the movie on IMDB, you can see that Nathan Fillion will be playing Simon Williams. YES! The cover price of Wonder Man #1 is $1, while the current value is $1.

Cool comics in my collection #364: Marvel Team-Up #28, December 1974.

It’s really hard for me to stay away from the awesome comics of the Seventies, and you can see why with this cool team-up issue featuring Spider-Man and Hercules. And while Spider-Man is ultra-popular and probably the face of Marvel, Hercules isn’t the first character most collectors think of, and certainly not the movie fan base, since we haven’t seen the Lion of Olympus…the Prince of Power…on the big screen with Thor, Iron Man, and Captain America. And we may never see him in a Marvel movie. But you know what? I like Marvel’s version of Hercules. And having him team-up with Spider-Man just seems like icing on the cake. And for those who don’t know, the majority of issues of Marvel Team-Up feature Spider-Man, but there were a few in which he didn’t appear. These were great fun to read as a kid, and I treasure the memories they bring back. The cover price of Marvel Team-Up #28 is 25 cents, while the current value is $12.

Cool comics in my collection #365: Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1, February 1992.

Warlock is my third cool character featured this week that doesn’t get enough credit. His role with the Infinity Gems (which are all over the Marvel Cinematic Universe) is extremely important in the comic book world. Or at least it was back when this issue came out in 1992. The Infinity Watch members act as guardians of the different gems, and this was a fun comic to read, especially if you read and kept up with all the different Infinity mini-series (The Infinity Gauntlet, The Infinity War, The Infinity Crusade…etc.). And several of the characters ended up in The Guardians of the Galaxy movie (Drax, Gamora, and Thanos), so if you liked it, you may be interested in reading these. So if you’re interested in the underlying subplot in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and want to learn more about the gems via the comic books, this is a comic series you should consider looking for. The cover price of Warlock and the Infinity Watch #1 is $1.75, while the current value is $6.