Issue #21
Today is February 21, a perfect day to publish issue 21 of Original Comic Art Tips! Another big update today, great art courtesy of Heritage Auctions, but first let’s see what happened last week. If you like Art Adams and Godzilla Feb. 19 was your lucky day, his 2 covers on eBay went for far less than what you usually pay for his superhero work at $2.800 and $3.100. On the Sunday Auction, $334 is a pretty low price to pay for an Adam Hughes drawing if you can’t afford (like me) his published pieces. The Neal Adams Batman page ended at $1.900, this week’s page has even less Batman presence (and no Joker) so you can try your luck with a lower bid and see what happens!!
This week on eBay
John Cassaday – Astonishing X-Men Original Art
A fresh new batch of Chris Bachalo pages, this time from Spiderman/Deadpool, like this Spiderman action page, this funny chase scene and this one with big Deadpool panels. A very nice classic Fantastic Four #144 page by Buckler/Sinnott and a strange pairing in this Sal Buscema and Bernie Wrightson Namor page. A moody Cyclops/Phoenix X-Men page by John Cassaday and a Stan Lee/ John Romita Jr. Last Fantastic Four Story original. Artist Nick Pitarra is selling this Frank Quitely Batman commission, with five days left it is already at $1.500, I’m very curious to see the hammer price. A half-painted Joker page by Lee Bermejo and a nice full-painted Bloodshot cover by Stephen Segovia and we’re done for this week.
Heritage Sunday Auction
Starlin/Rubinstein – Avengers Annual Original Art
If you go back to November’s Comic Art Tips Newsletters you’ll see that the Sunday Auctions near the Signature Auction were pretty weak and it looked normal to me: no competition to the big pieces… this time is the exact opposite with very strong original art pages. I saved almost 40 links to interesting artwork, let’s try something new: I’ll highlight only the very best if you want to see more reply to this email and I’ll send you the full list privately..!
The biggest piece (already at $5k) is this Jim Starlin/Rubinstein Avengers Annual #7 half splash with Thanos, Adam Warlock, and Captain Mar-Vell, another important original is this page by Frank Brunner from Howard the Duck #1. A page with Iron-Man in every panel from #59 by Tuska, a very well drawn original from Sub-Mariner #39 by Ross Andru and a cosmic Sal Buscema Thor page. Several great Alan Davis pages like this one from X-men #86. Some pieces also by Romita Sr, like this Owl Handbook pinup. You may remember that in 2000 JR Sr inked a full Spiderman issue over John Byrne, with a little cash you could bring home this collaboration between the two artists. Another Byrne piece, this is from Batman/Captain America with an all-Cap half splash. Al Capp and Frank Frazetta Li’l Abner Sundays are sought after by collectors, here’s one.
While I wait for your emails let’s go to the second half of the Signature Auction.
Heritage Signature Auction
John Romita Sr. – The Amazing Spiderman #100 Cover Original Art
Last week the newsletter ended with the F of Frank Miller, so we are at G for George Perez (with Joe Sinnott) and the covers to Fantastic Four #195 and Marvel Two-In-One #52.Then many pieces by Gil Kane like this Star Wars cover Original Art (prices for classic SW art are skyrocketing) and this Iron Fist one from Marvel Premiere #25. Jack Kirby is very well represented with many incredible pieces: four pages from Fantastic Four, the splash to issue #99 and a full team page from issue #14. but the most important ones are this cover to Thor #154 and this page from X-Men #1. Another X-Men page, this time from Steranko and issue #51, speaking of Mutants we have many Modern era pieces: this Greg Land Phoenix splash, and this Jim Lee Juggernaut Cover. Let’s go back in time again with John Buscema, many pieces such as this Silver Surfer #11 page and this Conan Cover. A classic Spiderman splash and a modern Spiderman cover by Romita Jr. A great Hellboy 2/3 splash by Mignola and 3 pieces for an incredible Neal Adams collection: Avengers #93, Batman #232 (first appearance of Ra’s al Ghul) and Green Lantern/Green Arrow #85 (the infamous Drug Abuse issue). Don’t forget this Daredevil #9 original by Wood, the Fantastic Four #150 title splash (by Buckler/Sinnott), another Buckler classic with the cover to JLA #148, a Preacher #3 page everybody should buy and the cover piece of the auction: the Romita Sr. cover to Amazing Spider-Man #100… wow!
A quick look at Comic Strips before we go: a very early Krazy Kat by George Herriman from 1912 and a great Sunday from 1918. A Prince Valiant Sunday from 1950 and a great illustration by Hal Foster. A very rare Mutts daily by Patrick McDonnell and many Garfield originals as usual, like this very funny, early Sunday.
Before we go don’t forget to take a look at Galerie du 9ème Art‘s website on Thursday afternoon, they’ll start “AMERICAN CLASSICS, Part IV - EXPOSITION/VENTE”, the name says it all.
See you next week as usual with many auction results and news here on Original Comic Art Tips!
