Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 37, where we take a nostalgic look at seven cool comic books I currently own.

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 37…

Cool comics in my collection #239: Walt Disney Showcase #1, October 1970.

This number 1 issue of Walt Disney Showcase, put out by Gold Key, features the comic book adaptation of the Disney movie The Boatniks, which came out in the summer of 1970. In today’s world, a Disney movie is a pretty big deal, but back in this period (the Seventies), they’d put out movies that entertained, but weren’t necessarily destined to be blockbusters. The Boatniks starred Stephanie Powers, Robert Morse, Phil Silvers, Norman Fell, Wally Cox, Don Ameche, and Al Lewis. Many of these names are familiar to people of my generation, but younger readers may not recognize them (Al Lewis, you know, Grandpa Munster?). I remember seeing this movie at a drive-in theater with my sisters and parents, laughing and having a good time, and reading this comic was a nice revisit of those memories. I bought this issue earlier in 2016 in a back issue bin at Kenmore Komics, in Akron, Ohio, for $3. The cover price of Walt Disney Showcase #1 is 15 cents, while the current value is $32.

Cool comics in my collection #240: Walt Disney Showcase #19, December 1973.

Walt Disney Showcase #19 features the adaptation of the Disney movie That Darn Cat, featuring Hayley Mills and Dean Jones, a couple of Disney regulars, along with Roddy McDowell, Elsa Lanchester, William Demarest, and Frank Gorshin. If you grew up in my generation, these are all familiar names, from The Riddler in the old Batman live-action TV Show to Uncle Charley in My Three Sons, from the Bride of Frankenstein to Cornelius in Planet of the Apes. If this doesn’t bring some memories flooding back, I don’t know what will! As for the movie, I remember that I saw it when I was a kid, but as I read this comic book, I realized I didn’t remember much of it, but it was a nice trip back in time. One of the highlights of this issue is a 16-page catalog of toys from 1973, which makes it that much more fun. I bought this in a back issue bin at Kenmore Komics for $2. The cover price of Walt Disney Showcase #19 is 20 cents, while the current value is $24.

Cool comics in my collection #241: Walt Disney Showcase #24, August 1974.

I didn’t realize until now that six movies were made about Herbie the Love Bug. Six. Sort of hard to believe. When I was a kid, I remember that I loved the first movie, but there are five more I’ve never seen, and probably never will. This comic adaptation of the second movie has some familiar names once again, at least if you’re a little on the older side, like me. Helen Hayes, Ken Berry, Stephanie Powers, and Keenan Wynn all played second, third, fourth, and fifth fiddle to the fiery little car who manages to save the day. I bought this issue early this year at Kenmore Komics for $1.50. The cover price of Walt Disney Showcase #24 is 25 cents, while the current value is $16.

Cool comics in my collection #242: Walt Disney Showcase #52, September 1979.

Anyone else out there unfamiliar with the Disney movie Unidentified Flying Oddball? The tagline on the cover states “A SPACECRAFT AIMED AT THE STARS…LANDS BACK IN MEDIEVAL ENGLAND!” I like time travel stories, so I decided to give this one a chance. The story wasn’t too bad, but I don’t think this is one of Disney’s finest movies. The cast doesn’t even have any standout actors, although it stars Dennis Dugan, and if you look him up on Internet Movie Database you just might remember him, since he’s been on so many shows. There is also a Mickey and Goofy adventure in this issue, which turns out to be just as entertaining as the main comic. I bought this from a back issue bin at Kenmore Komics for $6. The cover price of Walt Disney Showcase #52 is 60 cents, while the current value is $14.

Cool comics in my collection #243: Walt Disney Showcase #54, January 1980.

On the heels of Star Wars and Star Trek, Disney put out a spacefaring adventure movie in 1979 called The Black Hole. As a fan of science fiction, it probably surprises some people that I never saw the movie, but at the time, I was getting a little older, and this was a Disney movie after all. Different connotations back in those days. So now that I’ve read the comic book adaptation, if anyone has seen it and thinks it’s worth my time, please let me know in the comments section at the bottom. The movie had some known stars, such as Maximilian Schell, Anthony Perkins, Joseph Bottoms, Yvette Mimieux, and Ernest Borgnine, along with the voices of Roddy McDowall and Slim Pickens. I bought this in a back issue box at Kenmore Komics earlier this year for $2. The cover price of Walt Disney Showcase #54 is 60 cents, while the current value is $16.

Cool comics in my collection #244: The Fighting Prince of Donegal #1, January 1967.

Before picking this one up, I was completely unfamiliar with this 1966 Disney movie, The Fighting Prince of Donegal. But since I like history, and with Irish blood coursing my veins, I forged ahead and experienced this thrilling Sixteenth Century adventure. If the opportunity presented itself to catch this movie on TV, I’d definitely stop and watch. In looking at the entry for it at IMDB, there is only one actor I recognize, Susan Hampshire, whom you may recognize if you’ve ever seen Monarch of the Glen or The Grand. If you like all things Scottish (even though the subject here is supposed to be Irish!), watch Monarch of the Glen. Like all the others from this week, I bought it at Kenmore Komics for just $2. The cover price of The Fighting Prince of Donegal #1 is 12 cents, while the current value is $32.

Cool comics in my collection #245: Walt Disney’s Big Red #1, March 1965.

Though the name “Big Red” sounds familiar, maybe I’m just thinking of the chewing gum…or the soft drink. The movie premiered a few months before I entered this world, and unless it aired on TV during one of those Disney specials they had way back when, then I’ve definitely never seen it. When I was younger, I went through a phase of reading dog books, such as Where the Red Fern Grows, Algonquin the Story of a Great Dog, and White Fang. And when I was even smaller I was a huge fan of the Lassie TV show. Boys and dogs go way back, and I certainly felt that childlike wonder of innocence and adventure while reading about Big Red. Another buy from Kenmore Komics, it cost me just $2. The cover price of Walt Disney’s Big Red #1 is 12 cents, while the current value for this second printing of the comic is $30.

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