Welcome to Cool Comics in My Collection Episode 30, where we take a nostalgic look at seven comic books I currently own. This week is a special tribute to characters from my youth, Harvey Comics. And while I wasn’t a reader of the comics, I knew most of the heroes of these pages from their cartoons. Maybe you remember them, too.

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 30…

Cool comics in my collection #190: Richie Rich #80, April 1969.

Harvey Comics weren’t a part of my childhood, but I was aware of them via cartoons and other neighborhood kids who would be the occasional issue. I did get a few Richie Rich digests when I was a little older, around 14 or so, and I talk about that a bit in CCMC #196 below. Why now? Why not! As regular readers know, I’m trying to mix it up a bit in my comic book reading and collecting, and doing a week of Harvey Comics proved to be fun. Obviously they are more juvenile than the typical superhero stories, not to mention westerns and war comics. But sometimes it’s fun to find your inner child and just enjoy these comics for kids. And who didn’t want to be Richie Rich when they were young? Or even today, for that matter! One of the interesting things about the Harvey Comics is that each one starts off with a one-page short, before delving into slightly longer stories. Often there are guests too, which makes it fun. In this issue of Richie Rich there are two stories featuring Little Dot, and one with Little Lotta, which was my favorite. But perhaps the coolest page of all was an ad to join the Kellog’s Banana Splits Club. All it cost was a cereal box top and 25 cents, and you’d get all sorts of goodies like a membership card, a 16-page booklet, an official pennant, an autographed club picture, and more! My wife was a card-carrying member of this prestigious club. I bought this comic earlier this year at Kenmore Komics for $2.50. The cover price of Richie Rich #80 is 12 cents, while the current value is $25.

Cool comics in my collection #191: Baby Huey and Papa #15, January 1965.

I don’t know how the giant baby phase started, or even why it proved to be popular, but maybe just because it’s fun and something different than the norm. Baby Huey can be a walking disaster, but at the same time make you laugh at his antics. This comic proved to be fun reading and the ten-year-old hiding inside me got a kick out of Baby Huey’s simple attitude during his adventures. Other guest stories in this issue include Buzzy the Funny Crow, and Herman and Katnip. I wasn’t at all familiar with these characters, and if they appeared in any cartoons I saw, those memories must have been deleted from my brain. Their stories were just okay, especially compared to the Baby Huey tales, which were lots of fun. . I bought this comic earlier this year at Kenmore Komics for $2. The cover price of Baby Huey and Papa #15 is 12 cents, while the current value is $28.

Cool comics in my collection #192: The Friendly Ghost, Casper #25, September 1960.

Casper has been around since 1939 and is a pretty familiar character. He’s been in books, comic books, cartoons, and even the silver screen. I have memories of watching Casper cartoons as a kid, and many of you probably do also. I like reflecting back on those Saturday morning cartoons, which were such a huge part of my childhood in the sixties and seventies. The comic contained several shorts and a guest story that featured “The Tuff Little Ghost Spooky.” I can’t say I remember Spooky if he ever appeared on the cartoons. His story was so-so, but Casper’s were actually pretty entertaining. I bought this comic earlier this year at Kenmore Komics for $3.50. The cover price of Casper #25 is 10 cents, while the current value is $70.

Cool comics in my collection #193: Devil Kids Starring Hot Stuff #15, November 1964.

First a ghost and now a devil? What was Harvey trying to do to us kids?! Fortunately, the heroes of these comics and cartoons were pretty peaceful, and Hot Stuff tried to be a good little devil. This issue features a few Hot Stuff stories, along with a couple that star another character I wasn’t familiar with (or at least couldn’t remember if he was ever on Saturday morning cartoons), Stumbo the Giant. Back when I was a kid, I don’t remember seeing anyone in my neighborhood with any Hot Stuff comics. I remember one girl who read Richie Rich, but I don’t recall seeing her with any of the other Harvey Comic characters. I recently bought this issue at Kenmore Komics for $3.50. The cover price of Devil Kids Starring Hot Stuff #15 is 12 cents, while the current value is $35.

Cool comics in my collection #194: Little Audrey and Melvin #42, October 1969.

Little Audrey appeared in the Harvey cartoons, from what I read, but I don’t recall seeing them. This comic has several adventures with both Little Audrey and Melvin, and unlike the previous Harvey Comics this week, there are no guest appearances, just the title characters. The stories were entertaining, and probably would have been more fun back when I was ten years old. According to Wikipedia, by 1960 she was the most popular female Harvey character, but later faded behind the likes of Little Dot, Wendy, and Little Lotta. You can find some full featured Little Audrey cartoons on YouTube. I bought this issue a few weeks back at Kenmore Komics for $1.50. The cover price of Little Audrey and Melvin #42 is 15 cents, while the current value is $20.

Cool comics in my collection #195: Wendy The Good Little Witch #67, June 1971.

Wendy is a very familiar character to most people, regardless of age. She’s been around since 1954, most often teamed up with Casper. Remember the 1998 movie Casper Meets Wendy? It featured Hilary Duff as the good little witch. Much like Casper, who lives with ghosts who try to scare people, Wendy lives with witches who are bad, but she is good. The Tuff Little Ghost Spooky has 2 solo stories in this issue, as does Casper. Wendy may be on the cover, but she doesn’t fill much of the interior. I don’t know if this is the case in most of her comics or not. Also, her costume looks sort of like a Forever Lazy, and she has no problem going around in public casting her spells in it. I bought this issue at Kenmore Komics early in 2016 for $6. The cover price of Wendy The Good Little Witch is 15 cents, while the current value is $20.

Cool comics in my collection #196: Richie Rich Digest Stories #1, October 1977.

When I was young, I didn’t buy any of the Harvey Comics, but in my early teen years, I did pick up a few digest issues. They were easy to hold when reading in bed, and I liked the way they stacked so easily on my bookshelf. Another advantage is the longer page count. So I bought this issue when I was fourteen, and now I know why my eyes have progressively gotten worse over the years, because the print is so small I can barely read it today! This digest issue also has stories featuring Little Dot and Little Lotta. All of these Harvey Comics have complete stories in them. Granted, they aren’t long and complex like many super hero comics, but you can buy any of these issues (at least from my experience) and read complete, entertaining stories. I bought this comic in my hometown of Martins Ferry, Ohio, off the rack. The cover price of Richie Rich Digest Stories #1 is 75 cents, while the current value is $12.

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