Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 118, where we take a look at comic books I own (and in some cases ones that I let get away), both new and old, often with a nostalgic leaning for those feelings of yesteryear.

For each of the comic books I include in this blog (except for digital issues), 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 118…

Cool Comics News!

Here we are, readers, at the end of 2017. I hope it was a good year for you, filled with comic book wishes and superhero dreams! For me, it was exciting to have short stories published in four anthologies (The Jurassic Chronicles, World Domination, Collateral Damage, and Ha!Ha!Ha!), host a panel at Akron Comicon, and most of all, continue to publish this weekly blog. We never know what the future may bring our way (unless we have time-traveling abilities!), but I hope all of you have a safe and wonderful New Year’s Eve celebration and an enjoyable New Year’s Day.

P.S. – If you’re a constant reader of this blog, you’ll notice a slight difference below, as I now exclude “Cool comics in my collection #” at the start of each title. I’ve changed the heading of “Cool Comics” to “Cool Comics in My Collection,” and start each title with the cool comics number, then the title, and have now added the company name. Everyone reading this knows who Marvel and DC are, but there are some smaller companies I blog about on occasion, and they might appreciate this extra bit of free advertising!

Cool Comics in My Collection

#562: Marvel 2-In-One #1, Marvel Comics, February 2018.

Marvel 2-In-One, along with Captain America, seemed to be the two most anticipated issues coming out of the new “Legacy” direction from Marvel, according to nearly everything I read leading up to them. And neither title disappointed. How can you have a universe that built itself up from Marvel’s First Family, the Fantastic Four, and throw them under the bus…or into the negative zone, or some strange, hidden corner of Marveldom? While I was on a long layover from buying weekly comics, I’d see things on occasion about how there was no longer a Fantastic Four comic, and what a shame it is, as many of us have fond wishes of reading their adventures during our formative years. I don’t know all the details, but Reed, Sue, and their kids are missing and presumed dead, and Ben and Johnny are depressed, going their separate ways. But they need each other, and thanks to an unlikely source, they’ve teamed up once more. Written by Chip Zdarsky (Peter Parker: The Spectacular Spider-Man) and penciled by Jim Cheung, this first issue reads and looks good, and, in my opinion, has lots of “Cool” potential going forward. The Marvel Value Stamp in this issue is the Black Panther. The cover price of Marvel 2-In-One is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

#563: Guardians of the Galaxy #149, Marvel Comics, February 2018.

Remember the first Guardians of the Galaxy series that ran from 1990-1995? I’d found 14 issues, including #1, and a couple annuals, when I lived in Atlanta in the mid-Nineties, for 25¢ each. I knew nothing about them, and they certainly didn’t have a talking racoon or tree on the team. And when it came time to get rid of some comics because my house couldn’t contain anymore, I sold them in a garage sale. I hadn’t even read them yet. No big deal. Then the Guardians of the Galaxy movie came out. I loved it. I wasn’t buying comic books at the time, but I was kicking myself for having gotten rid of those 16 issues. Recently I saw that the current Guardians series (creative team of Gerry Duggan, writer, and Marcus To, artist) is coming to an end (looks like it’s morphing into a different title), and that in the last issue, #150, Adam Warlock shows up. Instead of being completely in the dark when it comes out next month, I decided to read issue 149. And while I didn’t know everything that was going on, it was no big deal, because it was fun reading this comic (but the movies are even better, in my opinion). The cover price of Guardians of the Galaxy #149 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

#564: Backways #1, AfterShock Comics, December 2017.

A few months ago, a comic from a company named AfterShock caught my eye. I’d never bought or read anything from AfterShock, but upon reading the description for Backways #1, I decided to give it a try, and how could I not, when it says, “…the BRAND NEW series of magic, mystery and mayhem that is sure to appeal to fans of Harry Potter & The Chronicles of Narnia!” That’s some pretty hefty company, for sure. And it also states that it has a rating of 9+, and I do like my comics to be kid friendly. Well, they did a decent job with this promise, with the exception of two caveats: in one panel, a character uses what’s considered to be a curse word three times in succession; and also, at the end of the comic, there is a preview for another new AfterShock comic, Cold War #1, that has a panel of art I wouldn’t want my nine-year-old to see. It’s not overly graphic, but when you give a comic a 9+ rating, I think you need to be a little more careful. As for the story (written by Justin Jordan, with pencils by Eleonora Carlini), it has an interesting start, and I see potential for a fun read. The cover price of Backways #1 is $3.99, while the current value is $4.

Cool Comics Done Dirt Cheap

#565: Futaba-kun Change #6, Ironcat, January 2002.

This black and white comic, Futaba-kun Change #6 (Volume 7), doesn’t rate very high on my “Cool” meter, but then again, this is from my box of 419 comics that cost me just $20, so I guess I got my 4.7 cents worth. I knew exactly nothing about this comic or series when I pulled it out of the box, but looking at the indicia, I found out that Futaba-kun Change was originally published in Japan in 1990 by Hiroshi Aro. So for those who like Japanese comics, this series might be for you. A little over 50 individual comics were published over 8 volumes. Sort of like British TV shows that last about 3 to 8 episodes per season. This particular issue was sort of like a soap opera, from my point of view, with different characters having crushes, misunderstandings, and basically confusing me since I had no background on the plot and this comes in the last issue of Volume 7. Also keep in mind that while there is no rating, I wouldn’t pass this on to a child. The cover price of Futaba-kun Change #6 is $2.95, while the current value is $3.

Cool Comics Classics

#566: The Demon #7, DC Comics, March 1973.

Young Justice is one of the best cartoons I’ve ever watched. It has great action, focused relationships, comedic moments, growth, mistakes, and plenty of angst. It’s everything you could want in a show featuring teen heroes. And from that show I came to appreciate the creepy evilness of Klarion and his nasty cat, Teekl. So I decided I needed to have Klarion’s first appearance (if it was affordable, that is), and with the help of the Internet, I found out that my favorite weird witch boy made his debut in The Demon #7, written and drawn by Jack Kirby. Armed with that knowledge, next up was a trip to my trusty local comic shop, Kenmore Komics & Games, and with a minimal amount of searching (if you need back issues, this is a great place to go look) I found this gem for just $4.50. The story is a little silly, but I’m glad to have this classic in my collection! The cover price of The Demon #7 is 20¢, while the current value is $40.

Recently Read Digital Comics

A few episodes back (#115, for those who want to know), the Planet Hulk Prelude proudly presented itself here in my digital comics section. And now I’ve finally finished the fabulous Planet Hulk (Marvel Comics) monstrosity. It’s 506 pages of digital reading goodness, but it takes much longer than most digital comics of comparable size to finish, because it contains a special Gladiator Guidebook…with little tiny print that was hard to read even on my 10-inch tablet. And the Guidebook was nearly 50 pages! As for the story itself, I truly enjoyed watching the Green Scar and his band of merry aliens battle the corrupt ruling body of the planet Sakaar. The writing, art, and general storyline is one that most comic book fans would love. The collection itself contains Incredible Hulk (Vol. 2) #92-105, Giant-Size Hulk Vol. 2 #1, and portions of Amazing Fantasy (Vol. 2) #15, along with the aforementioned Gladiator Guidebook.

I’ve been watching Runaways on Hulu, and really enjoying the show, despite big differences from the comic series. And since I’d covered Vol. 1 back in November just before the show premiered, I decided it was time to purchase Runaways Vol. 2: Teenage Wasteland (Marvel Comics) (but especially because Amazon has been having a big sale on digital comics, and I got it for just $2.99). This collection features issues 7-12, and it more than proved to me that the direction the streaming series is going is probably better than following the comic book storyline. Because the comics venture into territory that would be much harder for non-comic book readers to swallow. I think. And Hulu wants a bigger audience than just comic book readers, I’m pretty sure. They want the angst-ridden crowd that’s trying to figure out how to make it day after day until the next season of Stranger Things pops up. Besides, Cloak & Dagger make an appearance, and Hulu probably doesn’t have any rights to those characters, considering that team of Marvel heroes is supposed to debut on the small screen in 2018. Anyway, I like this series and I’m looking forward to reading Vol. 3.