Grailpages: Original Comic Book Art & The Collectors by TwoMorrows Publishing

Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

by Steven Alan

Payne

A plea from the publisher of this fine digital periodical: TwoMorrows, we’re on the Honor System with our Digital Editions. We don’t add Digital Rights Management features to them to stop piracy; they’re clunky and cumbersome, and make readers jump through hoops to view content they’ve paid for. And studies show such features don’t do much to stop piracy anyway. So we don’t include DRM in our downloads.

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TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. (& LEGO! ) TwoMorrows • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 • E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • www.twomorrows.com

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Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

by Steven Alan

Payne

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GRAILPAGES ORIGINAL COMIC BOOK ART AND THE COLLECTORS by Steven Alan Payne Book Design by Michael Kronenberg Cover Design by John Morrow Proofreading by Eric Nolen-Weathington

TwoMorrows Publishing 10407 Bedfordtown Dr. Raleigh, North Carolina 27614 www.twomorrows.com • e-mail: twomorrow@aol.com First Printing • April 2009 • Printed in Canada Softcover ISBN: 978-1-60549-015-1

Trademarks & Copyrights Batman, Black Canary, Black Condor, Flash, Green Arrow, Guardian, House of Mystery, House of Secrets, Justice League of America and all related characters, Justice Society of America and all related characters, Legion of Super-Heroes and all related characters, Lois Lane, Man-Bat, Newsboy Legion, Preacher, Superman, Swamp Thing, Teen Titans and all related characters, Weird War TM & ©2009 DC Comics. Annihilus, Avengers and all related characters, Beast, Black Knight, Black Widow, Captain America, Captain Mar-Vell, Chameleon, Cyclone, Daredevil, Deathlok, Defenders and all related characters, Doctor Octopus, Dr. Doom, Dr. Strange, Elektra, Falcon, Fantastic Four and all related characters, Green Goblin, Hawkeye, Hercules, Hulk, Iceman, Inhumans and all related characters, Iron Fist, Iron Man, Kangaroo, Ka-Zar, Kingpin, Loki, Mad Thinker, Magneto, Mandarin, Man-Thing, Monstrollo, Mr. Fear, Power Man, Quicksilver, Red Guardian, Red Skull, Scarlet Witch, Schemer, Sentinels, Sentry, Silver Surfer, Sinister Six, Spider-Man, Sub-Mariner, Super Skrull, Thor, Tomb of Dracula, Ulik, Vulture, Wolverine, X-Men and all related characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc. Haunt of Fear, Vault of Horror, Weird Fantasy TM & ©2009 William M. Gaines Agent Love and Rockets and all related characters TM & ©2009 Hernandez Brothers Cerebus TM & ©2009 Dave Sim Doc Savage TM & ©2009 Conde Nast Conan TM & ©2009 Conan Properties Intl. LLC Vampirella TM & ©2009 Harris Comics Editorial package ©2009 Steven Alan Payne and TwoMorrows Publishing

Dedication This book is dedicated to all the professionals who caused my imagination to bloom, who gave me an appreciation of the written word and the drawn image, and who set my moral compass pointed in a direction I still have not strayed from. And it is dedicated to Tai and Taylor, two amazing little girls.

Special Thanks To all the collectors and dealers who so generously gave of their time, and shared their art collections for this book. And to all the other collectors out there — may you someday find your own Grailpages.

pg. # 2

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CONTENTS FOREWORD & INTRODUCTION by Steven Alan Payne......................................................................................................................................4 CHAPTER 1 Overview: What is Comic Book Art?........................................................................................9 CHAPTER 2 Collecting By Artist.............................................................................................................................................21 CHAPTER 3 Collecting By Covers, Splash Pages, Panel Pages and Sketch Pages .................................................................................................53 CHAPTER 4 Long Term and Discerning Collectors...............................................................................71 CHAPTER 5 Mega-Collectors......................................................................................................................................................79 CHAPTER 6 Theme Collections .............................................................................................................................................93 CHAPTER 7 Blue Chip Collectors....................................................................................................................................101 CHAPTER 8 Skyrocketing Prices........................................................................................................................................113 CHAPTER 9 Overseas Collectors......................................................................................................................................121 CHAPTER 10 Collectors of the Modern Age .......................................................................................................127 CHAPTER 11 Industry Professionals Who Collect.....................................................................................137 AFTERWORD Grailpages......................................................................................................................................................................141

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FOREWORD

by Steven Alan Payne

“You buy, you sell, (and then) you buy the same thing again. The quest is often more important than the object itself.” - Michel Maillot

f there’s one thing comic art collectors love to do, it’s dis-

ing at this as a leg up to garnering more public awareness and sup-

cuss. Discuss their collections, discuss the state of the

port for the hobby which has come to mean so much in their lives.

hobby, the stature of the hobby, the future of the hobby.

And I felt that openness not just from collectors, but from

Steve Welch presides over a roundtable discussion of sev-

those who labored in the industry. They poured forth stories of

eral collectors in the Chicago area who meet for dinner,

their years sweating through ponderous work assignments in the

similar to dinners held by West Coast and East Coast original art

’60s and ’70s with their intent solely on supporting their families

collectors alike. There are virtual meetings on Yahoo, and dis-

by securing the next gig, without awareness that they were, in

cussion boards on eBay and community websites.

the process, creating a new art form.

As soon as I announced the compilation of this book I was in-

From these varied and numerous sources I got a picture of

vited to several group meetings, some held at conventions, and

an industry that began in the 1940s. There were studios of artists

some ad hoc arrangements by individuals welcoming me into their

— young men fresh out of art school, and cartoonists with years

homes or offices where a veritable museum of comic artwork is

under their belts — like the image of newsmen of old, replacing

proudly hung on their walls. Collectors were inordinately open, look-

teletype machines and typewriters with drafting tables and quills. The volume of work that was turned out in the ’40s was tremendous, with the various studios sending the large publishing houses dozens of books a month in return for salaries of $10 and $15 a week to their staff artists. By the ’60s and ’70s comics had begun paying by the page rate, with an average around $50 per page. These artists, many survivors of the studios of the ’40s, supplemented their income by doing two or three books a month. They were hustlers. To most of them it wasn’t about making art, it was about the next gig. Jobs weren’t secure. Healthcare was non-existent. It’s the energetic accounting of the birth pains of an industry. In and of itself, comic book art has no remaining worth. It is a work-for-hire enterprise which, once the artist is paid and the art reproduced, becomes of negative value. The characters portrayed in the art are still the property of the publisher, an issue recently with the advent of the slew of comic book-inspired films, but the physical art is not, and can be bought and sold and used for private exhibition. The returning of the art to the artist was facilitated after much arbitration, which artist/inker/editor Dick Giordano explained to me like this: “I believe DC first started returning art at the time that ACBA

Fantastic Four #109 (Apr. 1971), cover, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Joe Sinnott.

(Academy of Comic Book Arts) was formed in the early ’70s. There was some concern that it would turn into a union and DC felt that returning the art might forestall more problematical demands later. Marvel soon followed with a similar form of art return that did not

pg. # 4

acknowledge that the artists owned the work. In 1976 a new

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is, and hopefully answers why it is collected. In it I talk about the

With their art now once again theirs, most artists decided to sell,

creators and their lives, about the art and its influence on collec-

first at conventions and then through art dealers, and as the hobby

tors, about the soaring prices that threaten to alienate some col-

became more sophisticated, those that still had art sold through

lectors, and through it all make a collage that reflects this hobby

agents and auction houses. In the beginning art sold for $20 - $50

to the participants as well as makes it accessible to those who

a page, but with the recognition of the art form and the growing ap-

are unfamiliar with it.

praisal of its worth, that has changed dramatically. Al Williamson

I also want it to be a testament to the great works of comic art

summed it up best when he said, “If I’d known how much they

that are out there, a sort of ark of an era in comic book history.

(comic art) would end up being worth I’d’ve saved it all!”

Currently these pages are collected and appreciated in individ-

Once while selling comic art on eBay I was amused when a

ual collections. But these works, and the stories of those who

non-collector e-mailed me about a couple of “pages” of comic

created it, need to be recorded, and given their proper stature

book art I had for sale. She was very polite, and stumblingly in-

as a uniquely American creation.

quired as to whether or not I was ripping pages out of comic books

For this book, I’ve tried to break down the collectors into their

and selling them one at a time for $300 and $400! I’m greeted

type of collections, a taxonomic ranking with an orderly genus,

with that sort of unawareness from friends, from co-workers, from

class and kingdom. At the very least I’ve applied an ad hoc as-

even some comic book readers – anyone who is not intimately in-

signing of collectors to a category, to try and give some sem-

volved in the hobby. But more counterproductive is the disregard

blance of order. Otherwise, with some collectors topping 1,000

many have for this hobby, for the art of comic books in general.

individual pieces, this book would be a jigsaw landscape of

I’ve come to see that comic books and jazz bear a resound-

random assignations of indecipherable intent. Hopefully no one

ing analogy. Similar to comic books, jazz was, in a different era

is offended if I’ve narrowed my focus to only a portion of their

considered not an emerging art form, but only the cacophonous music of Negroes and hop heads. Jazz’s original sculptors hewed it out of heartfelt passion, a cobbled together mix of African and European music with roots dating back to the 1880s, which by definition of its fusing of disparate cultures makes it wholly American. Comic books bear a similar parentage, being part one thing and wholly nothing, and through the confluence of necessity and creativity, emerge as something unassailably original. Outright resistance to an enlightened view of comic art is evinced in the opinions of far too many of the general public who maintain that comic books are only the playthings of youth. Comic art is not just misunderstood, it’s much worse than that; comic art is ignored. The roar in the ears that “this is comic book art” drowns out the objectivity needed to regard the art in overview. Michael Chabon’s pastiche work The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay depicted a comic book creative team, culled in part from actual stories in comics’ early years, and for the public at large is probably the only real peek they’ve had into this wonderful business. A concession has to be made that comic book art was never meant to be held in esteem. The pen and ink works were always considered a disposable art form for a disposable medium. As

Tomb of Dracula #14 (Nov. 1973), pg. 27, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Tom Palmer.

such, little care post reproduction was taken with the originals. Horror stories abound of pages lost by office workers, and printers using the original works as floor mats. From that origin arises the need for this; a book of the collec-

tor and his passion. It is an introduction to what comic book art

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collection. It would take many volumes to display all the works in

collectors, a shot at bragging rights, to say who spent the most

the possession of all the collectors I interviewed.

on a page. Like a successful man with a trophy wife, are we proud

The book’s tone is intentionally personal, eschewing the for-

of the purchases we make for the astronomical sums we pay and

mality of a purposefully academic study. Despite the candor of

the bragging rights that entails? Are we boasting about the cost

myself, collectors and industry professionals there is no attempt

on our purchase thereby elevating our status in the hobby more

to mock or belittle any aspect of this hobby. The book seeks only

than we’re trying to acquire memories?

to get a little distance, and with distance the perspective this

After speaking with two dozen collectors I’d have to say no. For

grants. I wanted to take the lid off the box and examine each of

the most part we buy for the most mundane of reasons. It follows a

the pieces found inside, some favorably, some with disfavor. But

similar refrain in collectors from the US and abroad, our story col-

none so harshly that I felt content making final judgments and

lective. And it goes like this: I bought comics when I was young.

sending anything off to the headman.

They stirred my imagination. And the artists excelled in an industry

One of the sensitive topics I touch on in collecting comic art is

where they could have been mediocre. And I’m able to collect this art.

costs. It’s sometimes spoken about like a family indiscretion. Like a

For the memories. To honor an overlooked art form. And that is it.

secret we all know, and through its avoidance will dwindle into in-

In summation, this is an attempt to introduce a broader pub-

significance. But everywhere you turn in the market, there is a page

lic to comic book art when that broader public still struggles with

that breaks the previous record in highest priced for an artist.

accepting fantasy artists like Frank Frazetta. But it’s a first step.

Are the precipitously ascending prices really doing anything to

Camelot had an address, and it was on Madison Avenue. And

establish legitimacy to the hobby? Are we trying to buy respect?

the grails produced there have spread throughout the world. This

Or is it ultimately going to be revealed to simply be a conceit of

is who we are.

INTRODUCTION PREY IN THE DRY SEASON by Steven Alan Payne “The nostalgia factor is what is at the heart of this hobby…” – Tim Townsend

S Steven Alan Payne

pg. # 6

tarting with an illogical premise and moving logically to an illogical conclusion, I decided after losing my corporate job to be a comic art dealer.

be, I felt, the perfect collusion of kitsch and nostalgia. But then I lost my job. And in the ensuing months out of work I went through my savings like a wildfire. Of my financial future I

I’d rediscovered comic book art a few months earlier, after I no-

knew little and feared much. Being over a year out of my field re-

ticed the office manager at my job had hung on her office wall an

duced my charm at interviews. At this point salvaging my career

original art Garfield comic strip, her favorite read on

seemed as impossible as trying to reconstruct a cow from a gal-

the morning commute, which her observant husband

lon of milk and a pound of hamburger.

had purchased and framed for her as a birthday gift.

I started thinking outside of the box, since the box was clearly

Seeing it made my mind fishtail back to the 1,000 or

empty. Whatever I had learned I tried to do differently. Try a new

so comic books I’d amassed as a teenager. I easily

angle. Try it this way and that. Test the elasticity of my abilities.

recalled the names of the artists on those books, like

So I found myself at my first comic convention in over 20 years.

recalling the names of favorite grade school teach-

The atmosphere at the convention was just a striped awning away

ers. I’d bought a couple of pages of original art back

from a market bazaar. One dealer of original art had a corner table

in 1979 at the ComicCon (now WizardWorld) in my

and worked it like a Las Vegas croupier. He had comic pages in

native Chicago, only to sell them a few years later to

plastic Rubbermaid tubs bound in dog-eared Itoya portfolios, and

buy some vintage comic books. I began kicking

the art, for him, was selling like tickets to a hot Broadway show.

around the idea of buying a couple of pages to dec-

I got into conversation with another dealer, Mike Burkey, who

orate the new apartment I’d just moved into. It would

had an inverse system to his speech; smiling when he spoke seri-

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ously and telling jokes with a mournful expression. He had several

up in the propagation of my stock. Backing out now would be

sloppy piles of comic book art in slippery magazine bags which he

like trying to correct an explosion.

constantly adjusted. I shuffled randomly through the art, focusing

I had noticed that in the early days, many of the auctioneers

on nothing, impressed by everything. (I was later to discover Burkey

on eBay did little other than name the artist, mention the size of

was to comic art what Al Pacino in Scarface was to cocaine.)

the page and offer shipping charges. But I had the advertising

Someone from the crowd behind us veered over, attracted by a

background, and when I pitched the pages I filled them with

page of art on the table. The two men’s attempts to talk were like the

artists’ bios and detailed analysis of what the page expressed.

Wright brothers’ first flight – a long and uncertain running start, taking

Three months later I’d sold them all, and grossed nearly $10,000.

off for just a brief moment and then over before you knew it. But in that

It’s become a tale I’ve told around a thousand dinner tables.

brief time $8,000 had changed hands, for a Steve Ditko page from

The money led to other purchases, and other likewise lucrative

Spider-Man. No one else around the table was even looking, inured.

sales. But somewhere throughout there blossomed a flower of re-

My illogical conclusion was, with an uncertain future and an

gret in my heart. I’d sold pages from books I’d loved as a child.

unambiguous mountain of debt, to take a stab at dealing art. Like

That ushered me into the collecting phase of my career,

the research scientist from a thousand comic books who injects

where I continue to pursue comic art, some to storybook happy

himself with his own serum, I experimentally bought $3,500 worth

endings, some financially out of my reach, and others some-

of comic book art with the intent of reselling it on eBay. I wanted

where out there in that great nether region of private collec-

to bring back prey during the dry season.

tions. Still, I often regret the ones I sold.

Concerned friends beseeched me not to predicate my finan-

I once spoke with letterer Tom Orzechowski, and asked him if

cial future on the vicissitudes of a fad. But I needed something.

he collected any pages of comic book art. He said in his view, at

Sitting unemployed in my apartment was verging on turning into

one point he owned them all. Good philosophy. At least I can

The Shining. More germane, at this point I had all my savings tied

always say I had them.

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CHAPTER 1 OVERVIEW: WHAT IS COMIC BOOK ART? “Being a collector is a very strange thing, probably some mental illness…” – Michel Maillot

Collectors Hari Naidu and Bill Woo

r. Srihari (Hari) Naidu is an interventional cardiologist who specializes in angioplasty and stenting at New York-Presbyterian Hospital (Cornell). He’s won numerous awards including the Bristol Myers-Squibb forum of excel-

lence. He’s also a Sigma Xi Scientific Research Society Award winner at Brown University, his alma mater. “I can go to almost any city in this country and find someone who would welcome me with open arms. I have had people pick me up at my hotel and treat me to dinner, show me around and take care of me in a foreign city.” In Chicago he was treated to the same deferential. A local lawyer picked him up and ferried him to a Northside bar where for Dr. Naidu the drinks were on the house. None of this bonhomie he enjoys, however, has anything to do with Dr. Naidu’s profession. Hari Naidu has a deep passion for collecting original comic book art, a passion he shares with collectors across the world. For those outside the hobby, put simply and in block letters, original comic art is the original art crafted by a confluence of writing and artistic talents, which is then reproduced in a reduced format for the production of comic books. It is a series of sequential images, much like the frames of a movie, that tell a tale through snapshot images of a story. They are the bastard child of the pulp magazines and comic strips, outcasts of literary and artistic circles alike. And even though a patina of respect first for their longevity and now for their cross-over film appeal has released comic books from their ignominy, the art itself, ironically, is largely overlooked outside of the subculture of comic art collectors. Comic art collecting is a tenacious hobby tangential to comic book collecting, which has escalated voraciously in

Silver Surfer #14 (Mar. 1970), pg. 1, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Dan Adkins.

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Once art is done for hire, for many it is no longer art. To these critics, art is something done not for monetary or statuary gains, but emerges from an uncontrollable urge to create, much like some mad god’s dream. But by that definition many held in the embracing arms of art’s warm esteem will have to be let loose. People like Norman Rockwell, whose bucolic, visual anecdotes were done for the publication Saturday Evening Post, N.C. Wyeth and the inhabitants of his color-soaked cherubic realms, or the diminutive Henri ToulouseLautrec, whose garishly colored, wildly kinetic fever dreams were done as promotion for the Moulin Rouge. Either these talents and many others will forever be barred from the realm of art, or the definition has to be broadened and ameliorated. Given the high dollar value of ’60s and ’70s comic book art, it comes as no surprise that claiming a greedily large wedge of the pie chart demographics of collectors are professionals like Dr. Hari Naidu, marking a loftier assemblage for what is thought of as a cloistered, idiosyncratic market. If it really is a cloistered, idiosyncratic market. “Compared to the market for say automobiles, yes,” Ed Jaster, ex-Chicagoan and Director of Acquisitions at Heritage Comics clarified. “But as a collectible, (comic book art) collecting is a significant hobby.” His claim is backed up by his company’s tallies. In business since the 1960s, Heritage Galleries and Auctioneers began auctioning comic book artwork on their website, www.heritagecomics.com, and at live auctions at conventions in 2001. Based out of Dallas Texas, they are the third largest auctioneer in America with sales exceeding $350 million annually. 30% of Heritage’s Pop Culture revenue is from comic art sales, about $8 million dollars. Ed has sold a John Romita Spider-Man cover for $75,000, and his personal best, a 1939 Superman cover that sold for ABOVE: Saga of the Swamp Thing #21, (Feb. 1984), pg. 21, pencils: Steve Bissette, inks: John Totleben. OPPOSITE: Batman #608 (Dec. 2002), cover, pencils: Jim Lee, inks: Scott Williams. Characters TM & ©2009 DC Comics.

pg. # 10

esteem of a true collectible. Original comic art had at one point

$135,000, both rivaling the costs of the minor works of rec-

been traded for old comic books. Old comic books still remain

ognized artists like Sickert or Remington or even Picasso. Dur-

a viable collectible, especially when copies of Captain Amer-

ing the summer of 2002, Heritage grossed $5 million at their

ica #1 sell for as much as $8,950. But somewhere down the

signature auction held in Chicago. Included amongst Her-

line someone made the quantum realization that buying a comic

itage’s sales was a John Romita cover for Amazing Spider-

book gave you one out of 100,000, but original art on the other

Man #69 that fetched $41,400.

hand was one of a kind.

The buyer of that piece was Bill Woo, a 46-year-old comic

Commercial art, production art, copy art — it has been given

book shop owner from Delaware. Though not the most expen-

many names, most intended to be polite euphemisms for some-

sive page he’s ever bought, that honor going to the cover for

thing detractors feel can be easily dismissed. Just as there are

Fantastic Four #55, his collection has made Bill, along with

those who do not believe dinosaurs were actually living crea-

others like Dr. Hari Naidu, rock stars in the field of comic art

tures, who don’t believe that man ever set foot on the moon, the

collecting. The Heritage buy was a novelty for Bill, whose 30

whole act staged in the Mojave desert, there are those who do

prized pieces, like much of Naidu’s prodigious collection, were

not believe comic book art collecting is a worthwhile hobby.

largely culled from a less public forum.

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“The real big deals are done behind closed doors,” Woo

agreed Dr. Naidu. “Instead it will be sold privately.” Hari further

hinted, “where most people only find out about it when it’s

states, “in a private transaction a seller can usually get a bet-

done.”

ter price. Dealers may often be the last to know that something

Other collectors like Glen Brunswick echo that sentiment.

is even available.”

After doing an initial purchase of his first grail, Glen settled on

One collector and artist on the Uncanny X-Men line, Tim

what he really needed to know about collecting comic art. “Net-

Townsend, revealed that a great amount of his early collection

working was the key in the days before the Internet and eBay.

was amassed “when art was still relatively inexpensive.” This

Most of the highly desirable covers never come to market or

gave him a deep well to draw from once prices on comic art

even reach the art dealers at all. They are traded among a

began to skyrocket. “I was able to turn multiple decent pieces

select group of collectors, and I was determined to get to know

into single really nice pieces, and then several really nice pieces

them all.”

into single amazing pieces.” He adds, “I’ve acquired probably

“eBay used to be an important venue for buying and selling

90% of my purchases through private offers of either cash,

comic art, but the quality art typically won’t make it onto eBay,”

trade, or trade and cash. I buy very little off of eBay these days and avoid the big auction houses all together. I refuse to pay the absurd auction fees.” Though they drive their own year-round online auctions, Ed Jaster says of competitor eBay, “We view eBay as a complimentary business. We list our Signature Auction lots on eBay through eBay live,” he explained. “We also use eBay to recruit new customers by selling lower end material. Most collectible dealers I talk to see eBay as a place to advertise for new clients, not sell high-end material.” “I have mixed feelings about eBay,” echoes Anthony Snyder (www.anthonysnyder.com/art), owner of one of the roughly twenty or so Internet dealerships in comic art which carry inventories at any given time of thousands of pages of comic book art. Celebrating his tenth year in business, this 40-something photographer is one of the better known names on the dealers market. You’ll find him at the conventions, behind a table with the omnipresent dog-eared Itoya portfolios. “[eBay] opened up the comic art market to everyone. I don’t think of [comic art] as a ‘niche’ market anymore because everyone can buy and sell there. It has made maintaining inventory much more difficult on the other hand, and driven up prices on good stuff. My personal collection has skyrocketed in value but that’s again a double-edged sword, that when I sell things I can never replace it.” Many eBayers pride themselves on their powers of perceptions, their predatory abilities, and their gifts for objective sight. They lay in wait as the final seconds of an auction tick away, their bid already entered but held in limbo, mouse poised over the “Enter Bid” key to try and make a last bid, snatching from an often unknown competitor the prize he’d thought was his. They call themselves “snipers.” Collector Jaume Vaquer, covered later in this book, related how he sniped a John Romita Captain America splash on

pg. # 12

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eBay. “[In] the last seconds of that auction, with a dial-up slow connection, holding my newborn son with one arm and putting my bids in with the other, fighting all the while with another sniper…” As snipers all know, there are no mulligans in eBay, you either win it or you don’t. Though Hari and Bill don’t know one another, except through their collections, these elder statesmen of the hobby typify the zeitgeist. “So what makes me buy?” Dr. Hari Naidu asked himself. “Well, I think I am not unique in stating that I collect for a variety of reasons. There are sentimental collectors who collect primarily art from the books they read and loved as a child, and are nostalgia-driven. Then there are collectors who collect purely based on the artist and the artistic merit of the piece, an admittedly subjective term. Finally there are collectors who do both, which is where I fall in.” Captain America With a stellar collection, 90% of which culled from private col- #255 (Mar. 1981),

pgs. 20-21, art: John

lectors, Hari often makes “keep me in mind” offers on items that Byrne. he’s interested in, waiting sometimes for years, because your fa- Characters TM & ©2009 vorite page, like Edmond Halley’s Comet, may not be around

Marvel Characters, Inc.

again for quite some time. He recently got an item he patiently waited three years for. And he’s waited longer on other items. “Conventions are not usually a good place to find quality art these days,” he speculated. “There are typically three or four dealers but they usually don’t bring high-end material. Instead, most dealers are actually collectors who deal art to fund their own buying; thus they sell what they don’t want. So, it’s unlikely that they have something for sale that I’d want. Instead I have to try to find out what they have in their collection and try [over time] to get them to part with it.” Hari admitted the likelihood of this occurring was slim. “It happens, but rarely, as dealers usually are big fans as well.” Covers generally command the highest tribute. Splash pages come in second. A panel page featuring the main char-

The Amazing Spider-

acter, logically, will go for more than one featuring a supporting Man #143 (Apr. character. And a page with pivotal action goes for high dollars. 1975), cover, pencils: But collecting an entire issue, well, that’s a costly coup. Viewed Gil Kane, inks: John from outside the hobby it’s like trying to dissect a tesseract. But the initiated speak about it in a verbal shorthand reminis-

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

Romita.

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cent of twin-speak. Bill Woo bought the entire issue’s art to X-Men #1 by Jim

double-page spreads!”

Lee then wrote off the purchase as a business expense. Al-

A wealth of Bill’s collection involves the death god Thanos,

ways a fan of Lee, Bill met his idol at a convention and after

an antagonist that grew up in Jim Starlin’s cosmic Captain Mar-

talking to him learned that it was Lee’s intention to put the pre-

vel run. Bill has pages from various books depicting the char-

viously mentioned mutant tale up for auction at Sotheby’s. Jim

acter rendered by a series of different artists. “What I feel are

conceded to an agreement that if Woo was the winning bidder

the best examples from each great artist in the field.”

on the art he would come to Woo’s store – at Woo’s expense

The collector is the end market, with art often residing in

– for a signing. “It was great advertising for a new store and it’s

private collections for decades before it is seen again. It be-

tax deductible so I thought…why not? I ended up winning it

comes that unique piece in the doctor’s waiting room. The tro-

and loved original art since. At that time everyone thought I was

phy in the temperature-controlled basement. The admired work

crazy to pay $44,000 for [the comic art], but now look who’s

hanging in the living room.

laughing? X-Men #1 holds the record for the highest printed

Regardless, thoughts of reselling do wander into the minds

comic book at 8.8 million copies, done by the best artist of our

of even the staunchest collectors. An aficionado who’s amassed

generation and it was drawn at the peak of his career.

a half-million dollar collection spoke of buying a page of art for

“Hell, even Jim had his agent contact me a couple years back trying to buy the art back from me.” And though our inter-

pg. # 14

four gallery pin-ups and all 44 interior pages, including three

$700 only to sell it four years later for $15,000 — a boast that sounds apocryphal to anyone outside of this subculture.

view was through e-mail, I could almost hear Woo’s voice rise

Every collector has his viewpoint on this hot-button topic.

in excitement. “A Jim Lee X-Men cover can fetch $30,000+

“How can you not wonder? If I was leaving my collection to my

alone today. Imagine, I have the inside quadruple gate cover,

kids,” Bill Woo elaborated along that refrain, “I definitely want

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them to have something that I know they will be able to sell for

Image has come a long way since its early days, and has

at least what I paid.” And he added, “Hopefully, if I do my home-

welcomed very new and innovative talents and ideas into the

work, they can make a little profit.”

fold. But in its beginnings, stellar amidst their talent pool was

With some of the formulas growing tired in comics by the

Jim Lee, fresh off his stint on the X-Men. He has survived today

’90s, Marvel began promoting its books often by the talents

as one of the more sought out modern comic artists this side

rather than the characters, with disastrous side-effects.

of Alex Ross. His style was rooted to a solid drawing technique.

Eschewing pencils and erasers for agents and press peo-

He straddled the line between the flash and striking imagery

ple, a small coterie of artists who got their feet wet at Marvel

that characterized the late ’80s-early ’90s art styles, but was

took the popularity they’d received and created their own com-

better than most because there was something hearty behind

pany, the ironically titled Image Comics, born in 1992. “Image”

the flash. Jim Lee has survived to become, to many younger

was ironic since many of the characters were retreads of the

fans, “the Jack Kirby of our era.”

very characters these artists labored on at Marvel. Hulk artist

Bill is on the pulpit about Lee. “To see the interior of this

Dale McKeown created Pitt, X-Men artist Jim Lee created the

book [X-Men #1] in its original form blows you away, since the

super-team WildCATs, and on and on. The success of these

color and the lousy paper this book was printed on didn’t do

books was often predicated upon readers’ appreciation and

justice to the art.”

tolerance for a given artist.

pg. # 16

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Going further, Woo would nominate McFarlane, the often

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controversial artist of Spider-Man for Marvel and creator of Spawn “the second best artist of our era, after Jim Lee.” Bill would tell you if you asked him that the Lee X-Men #1, his Hulk #340 cover by Todd McFarlane, and the Batman #608 cover by Lee are the pride of his collection. But above and beyond the Lee and McFarlane art, Bill’s Thanos art is a central theme around which his collection is twined. Deliberately he’s acquired about 90% of all covers to books that Thanos has appeared in, as well as setting sail on a lifetime odyssey to complete Thanos Quest, books #1 and #2. Yet not too far from his heart are the older artists, the foundation-builders, and Bill has tried to get an adequate representation of their work to include in his collection. One in particular, the startling cover to Iron Man and Sub-Mariner, illustrated by Gene Colan, was an acquisition Bill wanted for his brother who got him started in collecting comics back in Iron Man and SubMariner #1 (Apr. 1968), cover, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Bill Everett.

the ’80s. “His favorite character is Iron Man. I remember when he bought this very comic book with me, and I know he still owns it to this day.”

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“I am actually making much more money now,” stated Dr. Hari Naidu. With the additional income he is outpacing, or at least staying in the race with the ever increasing costs of comic art. “But I don’t have nearly as much free time to devote to the hobby. That has been the limiting factor for me.” Still, he expresses gratitude for entering the hobby when prices were more subdued, which has allowed him to acquire a few pages “My favorite piece is the cover to Crisis #8, which is famous as the ‘Death of the Flash’ issue. Crisis came out right during the peak of my collecting and I remember issues #7 and 8 as the climax of the series, where Supergirl and Flash [respectively] die. The cover itself is amazing,” he described, “drawn with deep black and reds and depicting the Flash holding the Psycho-Pirate, and it is easy to tell that it’s a dramatic and climactic point in the series as well as the Flash mythos. I couldn’t wait to read it, and to this date that cover is one of my all-time favorite covers.” Hari has been interviewed numerous times about his collection, including write-ups in Smart Money magazine, and Forbes. Those articles he views as “targeted to pure investors.”

ABOVE: The Amazing Spider-Man #69 (Feb. 1969), cover. art: John Romita.

GRAILPAGE: The Amazing Spider-Man #40 As an image of authoritarian oppression, this cover by John Romita Sr. provides a decisive, unequivocal argument. Almost

like some Communist Era propaganda on the repressive evils

RIGHT: Crisis on Infinite Earths #8 (Nov. 1985), cover, art: George Pérez.

bears down on the proletariat Spider-Man, holding him in sub-

of capitalism, the Kingpin, the embodiment of capitalist excess, mission by a simple arm lock. Despite his concealing mask, Romita gives Spider-Man a sense of pained helplessness through the body’s rigid attitude. The expression on Kingpin’s face can’t be called elation as much as entitlement. Capitalism, at its worst. From the collection of Bill Woo, who also provided the covers that appear in the foreword and introduction.

pg. # 18

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Yet and still he believes the hobby is relatively virgin from pure

Black Widow led to a slump in the stories. Further adding to

speculators. “For the vast majority of buyers, this is still a hobby,

the slump was Colan’s defection from the book. DD might have

and there always remains a real emotional or nostalgic attach-

floundered after that in superhero hell, bouncing from creative

ment to the subject matter.

team to team, none assigned long enough to gain control. Then

“The vast majority of art remains affordable. As the ‘first tier’ artists’ prices climb to the stratosphere, folks will start collect-

Roger Stern took over the book, with a relative newcomer named Frank Miller.

ing the ‘second tier’ artists. This is the same thing that happens

Tall, lanky, terse in speech, Frank Miller injected DD into a

in all hobbies; blue chip items are for the very wealthy. For ex-

New York that looked like something crafted by Will Eisner.

ample, not everyone can afford a first appearance of Spider-

New York became a city full of con men and petty crooks, and

Man comic book, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t collect

even the established villains like the Gladiator and the ludicrous

Spider-Man comic books! In the same way, just because you

Stilt-Man became sad moralizing denizens lost in the vast un-

can’t afford a John Byrne X-Men page doesn’t mean you won’t

caring world of this Eisner-like New York.

still try to get a page by Cockrum, Smith, Silvestri, Lee, Romita

The rise of Frank Miller doesn’t need to be charted, but from

Jr., or any number of other great artists whose pages are to var-

early on he was a talent never content to rest on past, or even

ious degrees sought after.”

current, achievements. He refined his style on the book, even stepping into writing chores where he revealed an equal if not

GRAILPAGE: Daredevil #176

greater facility than his artistic abilities.

DD’s return to New York, and his eventual break-up with the

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CHAPTER 2 COLLECTING BY ARTIST “I think the most important thing is to have a very personal ‘voice’…” - Jaume Vaquer

THE RELUCTANT SUPERSTAR

Gene also admired another characteristic of John’s. “He could draw anything. And he would draw anything. He didn’t

arvel comics, the preferred diet of most art

care what they wanted him to do.” But for John Buscema, who

collectors, gave the malingering superhero

hated drawing futuristic machines and space ships, and the

industry a life-giving transfusion in the early

countless superheroes whom he described as men wearing

’60s, as well as introduced a new sensibility

their underwear outside their pants, Conan was an oasis, a di-

to the writer/artist relationship. As such these

version from professional apathy.

pages hold a preeminent place in the field of collecting. The

Hal Foster had Prince Valiant, Burne Hogarth had Tarzan,

industry was the Wild West then, with each direction Marvel

and the fine illustrator Alex Raymond had Flash Gordon. But

Comics took uncharted territory.

John Buscema, the logical successor to those talents, lacked

In the ’70s Marvel went through another alembic as artists like

one thing, a character that he would forever be tied with, some-

Gene Colan and John Buscema, with their more realistic style,

thing he could leave his stamp on. In his work on the Fantastic

replaced in Marvel’s aristocracy Kirby’s and Ditko’s more comic-

Four he was forever in Kirby’s shadow – that was and always

booky approach. And what Stan Lee began with superhero angst,

will be Kirby’s book. His Spider-Man would be compared to

writers like Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway and Roy Thomas

Romita’s. He shone under Tom Palmer’s inking on the

turned into full blown dementia. Every issue was a Mardi Gras.

Avengers, but was one of many artists who passed through

Every month, the artists and writers at Marvel Comics would

the book as frequently as members of that illustrious team.

receive stacks of the company’s monthly output. When Gene

Consciously or unconsciously he was searching for his

Colan received his books he would run to them and quickly pull

Tarzan, his Flash Gordon. Despite his talent, without that

out issues drawn by John Buscema. “First to see how gor-

seminal linking, he would be remembered as a remarkable

geous they were and then to torment myself. I always admired

illustrator, but nothing more.

John Buscema the most.”

Roy Thomas, writer and eventual editor for Marvel, spoke of

Stunning praise from a man of Gene’s talent. He detailed for

his first time seeing John’s work on the Avengers #41. “I was

me what he liked about John’s work in simple, respectful words.

knocked out by how well he could draw. And after seeing the

“Very natural, very real. I’ve seen him work and he’s very confi-

splash – just the splash – of his first Avengers I decided to try

dent in whatever he did. He didn’t struggle over a thing. And he was fast if he needed to be. He could do lots of work in one day. If you wanted him to he could do three pages. And they were wonderful pieces of work. I loved John’s work. I admired it so much in fact I thought he was far better than I was! So I used him as something

and keep him as the regular artist.” And that association lead to something better, to what would fulfill John’s ambition and tower most notably in his career. In the late 1960s Lancer Books began publishing the short

to scrutinize carefully and try to remember how his work looked. But

stories of a highly creative and largely forgotten writer from OPPOSITE: Conan the Peaster, Texas named Robert Ervin Howard, featuring his titanic Barbarian #91 (Oct.

you know, you inevitably come back to your style, whatever it is. It’s

character, Conan of Cimmeria. Enhanced by covers from the

an impossible thing to dodge. You try to look like someone else but

miraculous ’50s comic illustrator turned painter Frank Frazetta,

you wind up looking like yourself, which is as it should be.”

the books caught the eye of Thomas, the second major writing

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talent, Barry Smith. Within a few issues of doing the book, Smith evolved from being a forgettable Kirby mimic to a genuine stylist. And when his financial and time requirements grew beyond the bounds of Marvel’s tolerance, after a brief stint by Howard fan Gil Kane, John was finally given the reins. John Buscema’s adaptations of the Howard tales were every bit as lush and adventurous as the author had intended. Though he complained about never having the time to do his best work, complained about the inkers working on his pencils, complained about the poor quality of the printing, John had found his immortality. And in his work, and the work of his collaborators, the essence that makes comic book art truly art can be seen. It is the reason collectors collect. The relationship between an artist and an inker are like that of a beautiful model and her makeup artist. The artist provides the raw structure, the layout, the underlying direction, while the inker, far from just laying down a layer of black India ink, highlights and heightens the gridwork, sometimes moving the finished piece to levels neither artist could achieve individually. An artist and inker working at cross purposes are often like listening to two erudite speakers talking at the same time, conversing on totally different topics. Snatches of brilliance can be discerned, but without a harmony of purpose it just becomes so much noise. It was the duty of the editor to bring together what hopefully would result in a beautifully illustrated page. But that didn’t mean the artist would be happy with those decisions. Envision the likelihood of two cars colliding and as a result producing a beautiful piece of sculpture. This very thing occurred on the pages of The Savage Sword of Conan when John Buscema was first inked by Filipino talent Alfredo Alcala. Everyone seemed pleased by the Buscema/Alcala pairing except for Buscema himself. Respectful of Alcala’s talent, John nonetheless descried how Alfredo embellished his pencils. Conan the Barbarian #43 (Oct. 1974), pg. 15, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Ernie Chan. OPPOSITE: Savage Sword of Conan #23 (Oct. 1977), pg. 5, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Alfredo Alcala. Characters TM & ©2009 Conan Properties Intl., LLC

pg. # 22

talent to emerge from Marvel Comics in the ’60s. Howard’s

John’s style was dependent upon good design, strong form,

creation was a larger-than-life barbarian, whose mythical world

and a painterly approach to brushstrokes. Alcala’s inking filled

combined the adventure stories of Talbot Mundy with the vis-

up all the negative space with a world of detailed inking.

ceral horror of his contemporary, the pulp horror stylist Howard

“Noodling” was John’s derogatory dismissal of it.

Phillip Lovecraft. The Conan tales were lush adventure stories

Hired during Marvel’s push to develop foreign-born inkers

with hair-raising supernatural elements. Hard to categorize,

whom they could pay a lesser page rate, Alcala boasted an

they surfaced every decade or so to the acclaim of small but

ability to handle 80 pages a week. And though he and John

loyal readers only to re-submerge without a ripple.

worked on only a limited number of projects, Alcala used every-

On Thomas’s insistence, Marvel secured the rights to do

thing from his characteristic detailed inking, ink washes, and

the comic adaptations of the stories of the brooding Cimmer-

even ink and charcoal to highlight some of the best adapta-

ian. But despite John’s demands to handle the art chores he

tions of Howard’s classics Marvel produced.

was passed over when Marvel tried to recoup their $150

Roy Thomas admits admiring Alcala’s collaborations on

licensing fee to the estate of Howard by hiring a lower paid

John, though ultimately he cited Tony DeZuniga as his favorite

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Savage Sword of Conan (Jan. 1974), pg. 28, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Tony DeZuniga.

Hurry Harry was a young man named Balthus, a settler like the rest, new to this forest of magic and silent warriors. The tale was set at the verge of an uprising in the Pict nation, fomented by the ire of twin sorcerers, one not of this world. The art on this tale is lush, some of John’s best layouts. There are

three splashes from the tale that are probably amongst John’s best depictions of the Cimmerian. And the inking by Tony contained a dimension, weight and fullness that exceeded any of his other works. According to Tony the original pencils to the two-part adaptation were largely lost, and Roy requested that Tony lightbox from copies of John’s original pencils. Which explains why, from time to time there have surfaced in the art collecting arena penciled and un-inked pages to the book. John’s loose pencils were not an issue for Tony, an artist who viewed an inkers’ incumbent position as the finisher. “Pencils [just] give you a start on what to do with the page.” A few of the pages on “Beyond the Black River” were actually inked by Tony’s good friend Alfredo Alcala, to help Tony meet a deadline. “Alfredo was one of the best comic artists. He did so much detail that I think his work was greater than his pay. We were friends and we always had fun.” Tony would have enjoyed doing more complete pencil/inked work himself, like the exemplary job completed on Savage Sword of Conan #3’s back-up Conan tale. “But it’s up to the editor to decide. And [the decision] is fine with me.” inker for Buscema on Conan in the black-and-white format.

This page from Conan #96 is redolent with an impression of

Ernie Chan was his preference for the color comic. And fur-

violent, hidden cults and Lovecraftian idolatry. Conan is assertive,

ther, on superheroes, “probably [inker] Tom Palmer, though

even while tied as he insolently struggles against the largely un-

[Dan] Adkins was also good.”

seen menace approaching, represented only by the growling and

On hearing Roy’s appreciation of his work on the black-and-

barely restrained cheetah. The expression on the animal-attired

white magazine, Filipino born Tony DeZuniga chimed in on his

witch-doctor reveals his malevolent glee over his captive’s help-

evaluation of John and his work. “John was a nice guy and a

lessness and horror more effectively than if we were to see the at-

good artist.” He followed it with the caveat, “except that he crit-

tacking force. And the gallery of indifferently anticipating warriors

icized everybody! But at the end, he’s still the best.”

observing Conan’s pitiable discomfort gives the scene a subhu-

Tony related a tale about the creation of one of their best collaborations, and one of Tony’s personal favorites, the Howard adaptation of “Beyond the Black River” that ran in issues #26-27 of Savage Sword of Conan. Inspired by James Fennimore Cooper’s Leatherstocking Tales of early American settlements and the uneasy alliance be-

pg. # 24

man brutishness. The glow silhouetting Conan from the altar flames provides light but little warmth or comfort. The inker on this page and the bulk of John’s run on the color Conan comic, delineator Ernie Chan, who changed his name from Chua after moving to the US, provided me this remembrance of working on John’s comic art:

tween naïve settlers and resentful Native Americans, Howard

“John’s loose pencils had so much information, there wasn’t much

transposed the tale to the borderlands of “civilized” Hyperborea

of a guessing game to inking them. I had so much fun embellishing

and the unsettled realms held by Picts. In this world Conan

them,” Ernie confessed. “John’s pencils influenced me a lot.”

assumed the role of Deerslayer, an understanding mentor to

He contrasted his work on John’s amazingly fluid pencils

the settlers who still blundered about in the brush, slowly

with working over an artist not as talented. He felt in those sit-

becoming men of the forests. And Conan’s sidekick, replacing

uations the contributions of the inker were underrated. “What

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Captain Marvel #18 (Nov. 1969), pg. 19, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Dan Adkins.

I mean is, when a good inker, one who can pencil too, inked over a poor penciler, he tends to correct the penciler’s mistakes. The outcome though is that the penciler usually gets the credit for a job well done, not the inker!” But that was never the situation when working John’s pen-

cils. Throughout his long run on the color Conan Ernie credited John’s work as the force that kept him excited about the book. The two had very little social contact. “We lived not far from each other. He was in Long Island and I was in Queens. We seldom bumped into each other at the Marvel bullpen.” He did recall one meeting, however. “I remember visiting him once at a drawing class he was teaching in a hotel room somewhere in Manhattan. I was with Alfredo Alcala at that time and he introduced us to his students. We had a little question and answer with his class.” Ernie went on to a marvelous career in his own right. The daily Conan strips he did are hot sellers. “At the time I was doing the strip it was affecting my regular comic book production. Even though I didn’t want to, I had to give it up.” Ernie does commissions, and even has a website, www.erniechan.com. “I am having fun doing commissions. It supplements my pension. And I am also enjoying a lot of leisure time!” Regarding collectors and their appreciation of the art Ernie had this to say: “I love it! It’s like seeing the fruits of the efforts I put in through the years.” Renoir was quoted as saying, “If painting were not a pleasure to me I should certainly not do it.” John Buscema may not always have been happy as a comic artist, but he did it to support himself

enjoyed doing. This was the second dinner on John’s visit to Paris

and family. And he did find professional enjoyment in Conan. In one

that he and Michel shared, and neither time was Michel allowed to

of the last interviews he ever did, John summed up his career this

pay the bill. “Can you imagine when someone you admire reveals

way, unintentionally echoing Renoir’s sentiment: “I always liked

himself [to be] even better, and becomes your friend?”

doing Conan. Anything Conan.”

Michel’s relationship with John began two years earlier, and

John Buscema died on January 10, 2002 of stomach cancer.

included an enviable stroke of fortune. It began when Michel

There are collectors who in whole or in part have substan-

Maillot met a man named Paul Michel Dolean at a French comic

tive holdings of John Buscema’s art. Following are examples

book convention in the mid-’70s. Paul bought comics in Great

from two collectors.

Britain and sold them in France, eventually getting a shop near Porte de Champeret in the northwest section of Paris in the

Collector Michel Maillot

early ’80s. He and Michel, who worked close by, continued

“This guy was not only a great artist but he was also a great per-

their relationship, with Michel visiting Paul’s bookshop, or his

son,” is how Michel Maillot described his very personal relationship

house in the suburb of Versailles where Paul lived with his girl-

with John Buscema. Michel Maillot is a 51-year-old IBM systems

friend, “and a lot of small dogs with awful breath!”

manager living in Paris, with a Jones for soul, funk, pop and rock

Amidst the nights of video games and conversations on comic

music, and his collection is in large part dedicated to John Buscema.

books Michel and Paul, who was now a publisher, conceived of a

He recalled a time when John came to Paris in 1985, and John, his

portfolio with plates drawn by the biggest name US talents, the

wife Dolores and Michel had dinner near the Paris Opera House.

World Famous Comic Book Artist (WFCBA) Portfolio.

John discussed his work plotting, drawing and inking Thor Annual

Like something out of Kerouac’s On the Road, Michel and Paul

#13, one of the few characters beside Conan that John truly

arrived in New York to visit some of the artists they were soliciting

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RIGHT: Conan the Barbarian #95 (Feb. 1979), cover sketch, art: John Buscema.

for the WFCBA Portfolio. They were to visit first with some artists in the New York area and then drive to Florida in a car secured from a classified ad that needed delivering to that state. Their first stop was John Buscema’s home, but the two lost their

way. Michel had to call John who pulled up “in a big American car” and led the way. Now at John’s home, the French collector in the company of Dolean made their request for him to draw the plate for the portfolio. In the midst of conversation Michel expressed his appreciation for John’s astounding work on the cover of Conan the Barbarian #140. John then left the room and returned with the cover, which he offered as a gift to Michel. And before Michel could scoop his jaw off the floor, John had already proposed to offer another cover to Paul Michel. Given several to choose from, on Maillot’s advice, Dolean chose the unpublished cover to CTB #149 which Maillot purchased years later from the current manager of Editions Déesse and friend Frederic Manzano after Paul Michel’s sad passing. John again made a gift to Michel of his art, this time on John’s trip to Paris in 1985 where the two met at Montmartre where the painters and portrait artists sit in a sort of loose market as they have since the days of the impressionists. The setting, for Michel, was perfect to receive the amazing work of art that graced the cover of CTB #171. And yet again Michel was presented with a gift, this time the plate for the WFCBA Portfolio. At that point he and John were corresponding through the mail, and the gift was in response to Michel’s expressed admiration of the work.

invention of the time machine to get some of these pages. Michel does some trading and selling to fellow collectors, though not on eBay because of the exorbitant fees. “Most of

One of the things Michel and John discussed was the

the time I know the guys, so there is no problem.” Most of his

Conan the Rogue project. This was John’s attempt at doing

pages he keeps in Mylar bags in a big box, “like some Treasure

Conan the way he wanted. Serving as plotter, artist, inker and

Island coffin,” and he removes the pages for viewing, trying to

colorist, it was finally a chance for John to involve himself more

imagine the hands creating those treasures.

fully than in his more frantic early days at Marvel, where volume

With such an amazing array of John’s undeniably best

overrode quality. Michel spent a couple of days at John’s house

works, I proposed the scenario to Michel of being able to save

in 1985, already a year into the project which eventually took

only one in the case of a conflagration at his house. But bounc-

seven years to complete. John had been paid in advance, but was

ing between the CTB #140 cover, and the #91 cover, and the

unsatisfied with the results of his early attempts. John wanted

WFCBA plate, he finally realized he’d probably burn with them.

something for his children and grandchildren to look at and be

Two pages Michel admires, John’s amazing cover to CTB

proud of, even after all that he’d contributed to comic books.

#96 and #137 are in the hands of John’s family, two adequate

The current prices on comic art are baffling to Michel. “Is it

tributes to the man’s tremendous talents. Otherwise, Michel

only trades and partial cash deals between dealers? Is it be-

would love to get his hands on a page from Silver Surfer #5 by

cause some very rich collectors had wars on pages? The fact is

John. That’s a hint, in case no one recognized it.

that right now you either have something to trade, or you can’t buy a Kirby FF or Ditko Spider-Man or a Silver Age cover, be-

pg. # 26

GRAILPAGE: Conan the Barbarian #95

cause if you’re a normal collector you just have to look at them

The sketch page makes it clear that the layout is simple; two

on the Internet.” Short of a rich uncle dying and leaving you an

figures huddled into a ball in the center of the page. The fact

unconditional fortune, most collectors will have to wait for the

that both figures are in almost the same pose, only inverted like

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servitude, looks on in abject apathy born of having seen the scene repeated endless times with each new rebellious slave brought on board. And in the foreground, a slave cowers aside to reveal the action behind, his face racked with the fear of an authority that can take even a life this wretched on a whim. Significantly Conan is not seated as he is being assaulted, but is rearing up, a massive figure in the center of the page, symbolic of his undying defiance of a state that is antithetical to his wild nature. The sheer power of this cover is overwhelming. This cover was produced in the 1980s, past the accepted prime of John’s run on the magazine, however this cover shows a maturity of both theme and composition that can stand with any of John’s best.

Collector Shawn Fritschy “Tom Field is one of the reasons I’m so involved in this hobby,” Shawn Fritschy said, speaking of an association with a fellow collector that began when they met at a local Boston convention several years ago. Tom introduced Shawn to Comicart-L, an early website where collectors could communicate with one another and post their collections. From that website and the connections he made there Shawn Fritschy, a banker living in Connecticut who enjoys mountain biking, camping and fossil hunting, was able to quadruple the size of his Ka-Zar collection to over 300 pages. “I have one portfolio jammed with early ’70s Ka-Zar pages that I’d go back into a burning building for.” Shawn became involved in the hobby of collecting in February of 2002, ironically one month after the death of his favorite artist and collecting focus, John Buscema. “I was looking through some of my childhood comics at my parents’ house where I grew up in southern New Hampshire and my girlfriend Marie, who is an artist herself, looked at me and said, ‘Did you ever think you could find the original art that made those Conan the Barbarian #140 (Nov. 1982), cover, art: John Buscema. Characters TM & ©2009 Conan Properties Intl., LLC

images on a playing card, draws a parallel between the thin

comics?’ Shortly after, I made my first purchase from Mike

line separating the savagery of the barbarian and the displaced

Burkey, a great ink wash page with Ka-Zar from Savage Tales

prehistoric creature.

by John Buscema and Tony DeZuniga.”

The clean brush strokes on the page define this very fertile

After purchasing his home in 2004 where he resides with his

time in John’s career where he was ably drawing and inking

girlfriend, an umbrella cockatoo named Coda, a goldie lorikeet

the covers to Conan. The image feels quiet, almost calm, but

named Baby and a cat named Pepper, Shawn discovered that his

at the same time is bursting with detail and bestial strength.

next door neighbor was comic artist Tod Smith, Kubert School graduate. “We’ve become close friends, needless to say.”

GRAILPAGE: Conan the Barbarian #140 The atmosphere is claustrophobic, dank. Through the wooden

of disbelief is antithetical to concise comprehension. The evalua-

planks overhead can be faintly seen slices of light, and therefore

tion of a decided good over an unequivocal bad is an obfuscation

freedom. In the ships cramped confines is a scene of misery and

of understanding the nuances that drive human interaction.

slavery. In the background an emaciated slave, dulled by years of

pg. # 28

Everything in comics is backwards to adult life. The suspension

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

Perhaps it’s this association with a supposed unwillingness

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to grow up that has led to the general populace’s befuddle-

Savage Tales #6 (Sept. 1974), pg. 2, pencils: John Buscema, inks: Tony DeZuniga.

ment over the whys and wherefores of a comic art collector’s passions. They associate it with an adherence to the playthings of childhood, with a disdain that ranges from obliviousness at its most benign, and derision at its most malignant.

This has manifested as a conflict for Shawn. “The majority of people in my life couldn’t care less about my collection. Most think it’s ‘neat’ or ‘cool’ but say, ‘What do you spend your money on that for?’ I made the mistake of sharing my excitement with my family and telling them what some of the art costs. Now, if anyone asks what I paid for a piece of art, no matter what it is, I say ‘five bucks!’” Ka-Zar #6 was seven-year-old Shawn’s first comic purchase. For a blond kid who loved dinosaurs the concept of the Savage Land was captivating, and even now Shawn describes that first issue he read as his grail, “particularly the page one splash with Ka-Zar diving off a cliff. “My brother gave me a stack of monster comics – Ghost Rider, Man-Thing, Werewolf by Night, [Monster of] Frankenstein – that I really loved.” They led to other artists Shawn is passionate about, including Berni Wrightson, Mike Ploog, and Jack Kirby, “most particularly the Demon and Kamandi. All these artists were great storytellers,” Shawn implied, “as well as artists and draftsmen.” Amongst current artists, Shawn appreciates Ray Lago’s work. “Everything Ray draws is incredibly beautiful to me.” But

people I’d ever want to be around. One of my best friends in this

Shawn went on to lament, “today, stories are written first, and

hobby started a biotech company – that would be Kasra Ghan-

then given to the artist. I liked it better when the artist was given

bari — while another was in a thrash metal/punk band with full

more freedom.

sleeve tattoos [Dave Gutierrez]. Jeff Singh is an ER doctor in

“Since 2005 I have become a sketch hound. I try to avoid

Toronto whom I’ve never met in person. And Lars Teglbjaerg, a sur-

the dealers, unless they have something reasonable, which is

geon from Sweden. When I head to conventions in NYC, Boston,

rare, and stick to eBay for published pieces. I’ve gotten John

Philly or Baltimore I have friends to meet up with. Not to mention

Buscema Ka-Zar pages for as low as $50 to $100 that a

the artists I’ve become close with. The more down-to-earth the

dealer would gouge out $200 and up. eBay is the great equal-

artist, the more I want to patronize them.”

izer,” Shawn asserted. “Dealers exploit collectors’ desires, especially when they know you want something.

Shawn and Tom Field became disconnected when Shawn moved from his native New Hampshire (where Tom resides) to

“That being said, I have a ridiculous amount of fun running

Connecticut. “Ironically I have become close friends with Dave

around artist’s alley at conventions becoming a juvenile delinquent.

Gutierrez,” referring to the inker who has become a collector’s

My first sketch I ever got at a show was a Wonder Woman with

favorite for inking Gene’s pencil commissions. Shawn and

Coda (his pet cockatoo) on her shoulder, by Adam Hughes. What

Dave, along with other collectors like Lars and Lee Benaka,

a way to start! I have over 100 examples of pieces with Coda from

have become part of a circle that could be compared to six

greats like Ray Lago, Travis Charest, Ted McKeever and even Neal

degrees of separation with Tom Field being the beginning. “It’s

Adams.” Shawn has even established a separate gallery on

all about the reasons I stay in this hobby, it’s all about

ComicArtFans called “Coda’s Gallery.”

surrounding yourself with good people, one of the things I’ve

“One of the best things to come out of my comic art hobby,”

become good at. By the way, I’ve been meaning to reconnect

Shawn declared, “are the relationships I’ve established. My circle

with Tom for a few freakin’ years now. Tomorrow I’ll e-mail him!”

of immediate friends is the most diverse and interesting group of

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THE MAN IN THE SHADOWS

of frame. Colan’s deep affection for acting, for film, has gifted

Some of the most classic ex-

his art with a sense of cinema unmatched anywhere.

amples of flow in storytelling can

As John Buscema’s work was the human figure in motion,

be assessed from viewing John

Gene Colan’s was the human spirit, captured on the faces of

Buscema’s art. His images appear

his subjects. Gene’s art was done up close, personal, almost

RIGHT: Gene Colan BELOW: Tomb of Dracula #21 (June 1974), pg. 26, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Tom Palmer.

as snapshots taken at key mo-

uncomfortably intimate. His incredible ability to draw faces and

ments during a story. Along that

to express emotion characterized and separated his work from

line, but subtly different, Gene

others. The emotion he captured wasn’t the cartoon stock re-

Colan’s panel pages appear as

actions of shock and anger, but the finer emotions running be-

frames of film, some blurred with

tween those extremes.

motion, some just catching the back of a figure as he leaps out

John Buscema was often called the Michelangelo of comic books, because of his affection for the human form. But if he was Michelangelo, then Colan was Caravaggio, with his intense relationship with the absolutes of light and darkness. Until November of 1967 the comic workload was produced on paper measuring a breathtaking 14"x20.” But the costs of production occasioned the reduction of the original size to a more manageable 11"x17,” which gained the nickname of oneand-a-half-up, referring to the pages now being only approximately 1.5 times larger than its published form, down from twice the published dimension. Most artists took the change in paper size in stride, some even developing new styles as a result of the change. Others, on the dark side of the equation, suffered from the more cramped confines panels were restricted to. “The artists I think adversely affected were Jack Kirby and Ross Andru,” Roy Thomas offered. Gene began doing some of his best work in the mid-’60s, when the larger size paper was still in use. “John Severin asked me to try the larger size out,” Gene recalled. “After a while I began to realize I could show more and express more with big pages. I found small size very restricting.” And in those restrictions he felt that backgrounds suffered. “Everything had to be compressed.” And with the compression, his figures were often narrowed down just to the explosive close shot, where the flicker of emotion was easily read. As time went on Gene reflected an even greater emotional intensity despite the limitations of panel size. And it was what gave books like Tomb of Dracula their strong emotional power. Marv Wolfman had as good of a grasp on Bram Stoker’s character as Roy Thomas had on Robert E. Howard’s. The Tomb of Dracula stories were an amalgam of the horror and the adventure that made the Dracula novel such compelling reading. And all the subtexts of eroticism made it to the comic book as well. The recherché art and storytelling actually made you feel pity for the character who would qualify as singularly the most ruthless serial killer in history. Gene’s emotive depiction of shadows, which seem to flow

pg. # 30

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and swirl, his adroit uses of blacks adding depth and mystery to the scene, all of it made the book a moody tribute to some of the horror classics of directors James Whale and Todd Browning. Gene’s art was muted by colors, and is best appreciated in its original black-and-white renderings, like a fine old black-and-white movie from Universal Studios. There’s a certain irony in having a man named Wolfman writing a book on Dracula. Does Marv Wolfman retain any of the art from the books he labored on? “Lots. Not as much as I once did, but still lots.” That statement, by the rules of this book, establish Marv as a comic art collector. With the perspective of years Paul McCartney once said about the music he did with the Beatles that reading the lyrics now “is like reading poetry.” No longer crushed by deadlines, looking back at the art and his work on the book, how does Marv view the book he and Gene shared? “I think we had some really good stories, but I’d really love to redo the dialogue as it’s overly heavy and there’s much too much of it. I think I could say the same things with half the words today.” Unlike Gene who fought tooth and nail to get the Dracula book, Marv was less intent on helming the writing chores. “I think Marvel thought it was a dead end comic – in six issues there had been three writers and I was writer #4.” Nonetheless, he felt he was a tailored fit for the book. “I liked writing horror so it made a good match.” Marv came to the book without a wealth of preconceptions. He claims to, at the time, have never seen a Dracula movie and had only read the novel years before. “But I did like the novel a lot and used that as the basis of my stories. Since I never saw the movies it helped me give it a unique look as I wasn’t just doing what others had done.” Tomb of Dracula was for Gene what Conan was for John Buscema. When posed that hypothesis Gene smiled and nodded agreement. “With Dracula I got to draw so much.” Even in

double-jointed superhuman power, Daredevil’s moves were a Tomb of Dracula #55,

his long and fertile run on Daredevil, Gene’s full ability as an il-

practiced ballet.

lustrator was not uncorked until Dracula.

(Apr. 1977), cover, pencils: Gene Colan, There is no better time in the history of the book than Dare- inks: Tom Palmer.

Gene modeled his Dracula off of Jack Palance who donned the

devil’s alliance with the Black Widow. Those stories depicted one

cape and fangs of the count in a 1973 television production of the

of the most mature male/female relationship in all of comic book

story, adapted by legendary science fiction writer Richard Mathe-

history. Matt and Natasha had an easy/uneasy combative love. It ex-

son. “I thought he was perfect,” Gene alluded to actor Palance.

hibited all the signs of life – growth, movement, decay. Few writers

“That face. Where are you gonna see a face like that?”

in comics have made a more convincing and bittersweet relation-

Gene Colan was the uncontested champ of Daredevil. His

ship than the one crafted by Daredevil scribe Gerry Conway.

swirling shadows became almost a visual rebus for the world

Gene and I had a phone conversation in March of 2008, and

of darkness the blind hero moved through. Gene’s pliant,

talked about these characters he drew, as well as the many inkers

graceful movements for the character stressed that Daredevil

he’s worked with in his career. Gene of course had his highest

was the most athletic of any character. While Spider-Man was

praise for Tom Palmer, and spoke about how comfortable he was

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when he knew a book would be inked by Tom. “I knew I was in the

and clear. “Stan just hired me, put me in the bullpen and let me

hands of a good inker. We sort of dovetailed together.”

do my thing. I was green, but Syd Shores was a great mentor

He talked about his lifelong fascination with film. “All the great

to me. At some point though Stan did ask me if I would draw

films were done in black-and-white. Even though it’s black-and-

more like George Tuska. Although I admired George and liked

white it seems more real than color. I don’t like color. black-and-

him very much, I wasn’t about to change who I was as an artist

white gives you a good sense of composition. I love the whole

and what my artistic pursuits, influences and goals were to be.

idea of movie making.” His descriptions of black-and-white film

I immediately declined and he never approached me again!”

are essentially one of the appeals of the original comic art with its

Gene also talked about a home he once had in Vermont,

stark black ink on white paper – bereft of coloring you are forced

and the beauty of a land constantly under the threat of a huge

to follow the artists’ lines and intent, focus on the composition. “It

snowstorm. “The more snow, the better.” Albert Camus said,

draws you in,” Gene agreed.

“A work of art is a confession.” In Gene’s confession is a clear

“I’ve been blessed to have had Stan [Lee] in my life. I know

key to the ingredients in his art: the mood, the atmosphere, the

he genuinely admired my work.” Unlike most artists brought

emotion. Even when he described the time he served in the US

into the Marvel bullpen Gene was not required to learn Jack

military in the Air Force, moving from training at Keesler Field

Kirby’s style which Gene described as bold, highly entertaining

in Mississippi to Manila in the Philippines in 1944, he described his time there as a great place for an artist to be. Gene’s ambitions at one point led him to aspire to a career in acting. But those ambitions lapsed after a point, and put him on a different footpath. “I wanted to be spectacular. And I had to go where my talent led me. And that was to comic books.” As a penciler, how tough is it for you to see your work buried under an inker who didn’t know how to work your style? Gene Colan: How tough? I didn’t like it, but I just moved on. I don’t think I complained to anybody. Some of them, by the time they got through, it didn’t look like my work. I’m thinking of Pablo Marcos when he inked your Conan story… GC: Some inkers, they can be very strong when they follow you, and put so much of their touches on it that you can’t tell it’s your work. How much say so did you have on who inked you? GC: After awhile, some. I tried to get a particular inker or two. Frank Giacoia. Oh, and Vince Alascia. I don’t know if you know the name. No, I don’t. GC: You know Syd Shores, don’t you? Syd, yeah, of course. GC: Well, Syd should have been up there with everyone else. He was a hell of an artist. Unfortunately he passed away too early in life. Vince Alascia was his primary inker. He worked across the way from Syd in the bullpen. He worked mostly on westerns then. And Vince would ink it. I loved his style. He had a nice, easy style. He did maybe one or two jobs of mine. Did you like George Klein’s inking on your work? GC: Yeah, George was good. George was better on the superheroes I thought. And how about your Tales of Suspense collaborator Jack Abel?

pg. # 32

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GC: Jack Abel was an excellent artist. He had a very light touch.

Were you in any way competing with Steve Ditko’s ground-

A smooth, streamlined touch. I thought that was better for the

breaking, ’60s head-trip work on the book?

superheroes, too.

GC: Not at all. I wasn’t influenced. I never met Steve Ditko.

The conversation moved on to an appraisal of the characters Gene worked on, and his impressions of them. And Gene had a lot to say about the characters he was most associated with.

It didn’t seem like a lot of people got to meet Steve Ditko. GC: I know, it’s a strange situation. I never met the man. Nor could I tell you what the man looked like. I don’t think he really existed. I think Steve Ditko was made up.

Did you enjoy working on Dr. Strange?

GC: Oh no! [Laughter] He existed alright!

GC: I loved it. I could expand my thinking. On that job I could

In Daredevil Matt and Natasha had probably the most real

do things I thought I could never do.

relationship in all of Marvel. Was that important to you, to

Some of the pages are amazing the way they flow from panel

portray a real couple in love?

to panel – you kind of broke the fourth wall there. You played

GC: Well I felt that there had to be that taking place. I looked

with panel sizes, probably more than on any other book.

at the characters and I felt it had to be in place. I went with my

GC: I tried to. Oh, I was so influenced by film I tried to get the

feelings on that.

same effect with panels. It’s impossible, but I kept trying. I did

How did your training on romance comics come into play?

away with some of the panels as borders and I would have just

Did they school you on how to draw emotion?

one illustration kind of segue into another where the panels

GC: Very much. There was always an effort from early on in the ro-

overlapped a bit. Surely Dr. Strange was a wonderful experi-

mance books to try and portray a pretty woman. That wasn’t easy

ence for me. I could do anything I wanted with it. I was able to

for me. But I did catch on after awhile and I liked doing it. And it

expand my thinking with that more than any other book.

seemed to fit in very well with what I later did with the superheroes.

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Tomb of Dracula #33 (June 1975), pg. 1, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Tom Palmer.

On Tomb of Dracula you utilized shadow better than on any other book. I once had a page from that book on my wall, [ TOD #21 pg. 26] and you drew possibly the most evil expression I’ve seen on Dracula’s face. You really understood

and transmitted the evil of that character unflinchingly. That was a book you fought to get, because they were going to give it to Bill Everett. GC: That’s right. So why did you fight for it? GC: Well, Stan had promised it to me, and evidently he forgot he had also promised it to Bill Everett before me. I don’t know what the real story was, but he was going to give it to Bill instead and I said “Stan, this is tailor-made for me ’cause I love atmosphere.” I decided to do on my own a mock-up page for Dracula, and I used Jack Palance as the model for Dracula. And sure enough he played the part on television. I thought he was a natural for it. I made up a sheet that I drew and inked, and I sent it on to Stan just in case he would change his mind, and he did. And thank goodness he did. Not that Everett’s take wouldn’t have been interesting. GC: Oh my God, I loved Dracula. It’s an atmospheric story and I love that kind of thing. You did that one Conan story in Savage Sword. Did you feel Conan was a character you could have added something to? GC: Conan? No. It wasn’t my cup of tea. It was Buscema’s. He did the best work on it. I’m sure that after several years on the book you began get-

You seem to like drawing in the larger twice-up format. Your

ting a little tired of DD, but when he was moved to San

more recent art has been done in that format. When Marvel

Francisco did this revive your interest in the character?

dropped to the one and a half-up, how did you adjust? Do you

GC: Yeah, it did. Because San Francisco is a whole different place.

think your art suffered, or did it bring something out in you?

Whenever I portray a character in a place I try to get to that spot

GC: Well, at 1½ I felt it was easier to work on, there wasn’t

and either collect photographs of it, or take my own pictures. I must

that much area to cover. But after awhile I wanted to expand, I

have been there at that time too, because I took a lot of pictures.

wanted to stretch, if I had a big scene I wanted to be able to

You did such a good job, when I eventually moved to San Fran-

display it and have it look good. And at that point I wanted to

cisco many years later I could’ve used your books as a map!

go back to a larger page. It meant a little extra work, but in the

GC: [Laughter] I wanted the reader to feel this is a real place,

long run it looked better than the work on a smaller page.

in case they’d been there. And that’s how I felt about every-

You did a few western paintings a few years back; they used

thing. That it had to be authentic. If it was a gun, or a military

to be on your website. Do you get a chance to paint anymore?

operation with uniforms and weapons. Whatever I did I wanted

GC: Oh, I’ve done a few paintings over the years. I’ve made

it to be as close to reality as I could possibly get.

the time for them. I have them hanging up in my home.

In that case, you must have had quite an extensive

I’ve described Buscema as Michelangelo and you as Car-

reference library.

avaggio. A fair analogy for you?

GC: Well I did, and I have most of those still together. But a lot now

GC: [Laughter] Yeah. He was very dramatic, Caravaggio. Great

has been through books. I have a tremendous library of books that

sense of light and dark.

contain different things that I could always use. And books with war stories, from WWII, the Korean War, and the present war.

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He thanked me at the end of the interview, stating it was an honor. Gene, the honor was all mine.

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Collector Mark Howland

has. “A love of symmetry, I guess.”

Collector Mark Howland, 54, is involved in one of the most dif-

Mark joked about the amount of time such an endeavor

ficult lifelong tasks any collector can commit himself to. He is trying

could take. “I may be riding a wheelchair and collecting Social

to collect every page from Daredevil #37, drawn by Gene Colan

Security before finishing.”

and featuring the villainy of Dr. Doom. It started with the purchase

Mark is a school teacher in a secondary boarding school, liv-

of a page from that issue off of eBay. It was an issue he remem-

ing in Wareham, MA. He collected comics as a kid in the ’60s,

bered reading quite well from the ’60s. He even had a copy of the

but like most people, somewhere down the line the books dis-

conclusion of the two-part tale [issue #38] signed by Gene Colan,

appeared. He didn’t know people collected art from the books

the only artist of the old canon Mark has ever met.

until a few years ago.

“I liked it so much that when I saw a consecutive page [from DD #37] on ComicArtFans I went after that. Then I went after

“Living in a boarding school is like living under a rock without the benefit of oxygen supplied by the moss.”

two other consecutive pages which were in CAF collections.”

The hardest obstacle for any collector trying to do what

And 15 months later he had five pages from the story. Net-

Mark is doing is encountering collectors who have a page but

working has been a big factor in his quest. Beyond checking all

because of their own nostalgic connection to it are unwilling to

the auction websites – eBay, Heritage, Weiss, and of course,

part with it.

the art dealers – he’s put out word to other collectors about his enterprise, knowing full well he may never fulfill it. Part of the fulfillment of putting together a complete issue for Mark is seeing the sequential story depicted in the pages he

“There are times when people say no, and that’s the way it is,” Mark summed it up. But rebutted himself saying, “Sometimes it’s just a matter of making the right offer. “Collectors and collecting are funny,” Mark philosophized.

LEFT: Daredevil #37 (Feb. 1968), pg. 5, pencils: John Buscema, inks: John Tartaglione. RIGHT: Daredevil #37 (Feb. 1968), pg. 6, pencils: John Buscema, inks: John Tartaglione. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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“The thing about collecting is that the looking and meeting people and dealing is the best part. It seems human nature to enjoy the chase as much if not more than the acquisition.” A relative newcomer to the collecting field, Mark didn’t start collecting art until the late ’90s, at which point he quit collecting comics, a hobby he’d reentered a few years earlier, and even sold some of the books to buy original art. Hearing that Spider-Man #109, drawn and inked by John Romita was one of Romita’s favorites, Mark felt lucky to get a couple of pages from it. “I couldn’t afford a page with Spidey in costume, but I got, I think, the next best thing. Peter Parker in all his glory fighting the Giant One, with the Romita Sr. telltale scratchiness of motion.” His next aim is for a Romita Sr. page featuring Parker’s erstwhile love, Gwen Stacy. “That’s my next acquisition, hopefully. I grew up with Gwen and her part in the Spider-Man mythology is huge to say the least.” He’s made other recent acquisitions, and faced the usual challenge of collectors in today’s market, having to sell a Kirby page from FF #30 to afford a Buscema Silver Surfer page. “That loss hurt, but there is so little Buscema Silver Surfer art around that I had to go for it. Right place, right time, right deal.” He cobbled together a similar deal with collector/dealer Will Gabri-El who featured on his website pages from Fantastic Four #53 by Jack Kirby, consigned to him from Glen Brunswick. “I asked Will to hold the [#17] page, to give me 24 hours to see if I could get the money together. He did. I contacted Roger Clark who, just weeks earlier had shown some interest in my Kirby/Sinnott Tales of Suspense page featuring Cap and Black Panther. Roger and I agreed on a deal immediately and I got back to Will and bought the page. “Collecting really is a bug. It moves into your bloodstream and sets up house. The looking for pages is a good time, a really good The Amazing SpiderMan #109 (June 1972), pg. 19, art: John Romita. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

“What someone won’t part with today he may part with six months from now. Life is unpredictable; things change. People’s interests, financial situations, priorities have a way of changing. I have obtained pages I waited a long time to get and swore I’d never sell or trade only to sell or trade them when something else came along that I had to have or never thought I’d have a chance to own. “I think,” he deduced, “we call that upgrading. Another name is the sharp learning curve. “I have no problem with someone wanting to hold onto a page of art,” he clarified. “That’s the owner’s prerogative. In any event, I find honey works better than vinegar. Developing a relationship with people is important.

pg. # 36

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time. And then the moment comes when you find something you really like, what some call a grail, and your skin starts to tingle. ‘Calm down’ you tell yourself. But you don’t. The heart beats a little faster and flutters. It’s like love, I suppose.” Most of the newer art holds little charm for Mark. “While it’s technically brilliant, the art often lacks a soul. The figures are over-muscled in my opinion, often grotesquely so. This is not to slam modern artists. They draw competently to brilliantly. However, the nostalgia, combined with the storytelling ability and fluidity of the greats – Kirby, Ditko, Romita Sr., Colan – still inspire me. I don’t believe any artists or art today will eclipse the art of the Golden or Silver Ages in historic importance, but time will tell.”

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Collector Lee Benaka The blessings of small purchases.

as a Fishery Management Specialist. I play fiddle in a band called the Starlingtons.”

Lee Benaka, whose collection is healthily composed of

One of the collectors I’ve had an on and off e-mail discourse

Gene Colan art, has prided himself on some of the more eco-

with over the years, I was unaware of the fact that Lee had

nomical purchases he’s made, and believes that a lot of

worked, while a student at Columbia College in New York, as

splashes are a waste of money. “When I bought some of my

an intern at Marvel Comics. “I worked in the Spider-Man office

first pages in the mid-1990s they didn’t seem lower cost at the

in early 1990 when the adjective-less Spider-Man title by Todd

time. $125 was a fair amount for a panel page, I thought, but

McFarlane was being launched.” But this time pre-dated Lee’s

when I was able to sell or trade those pages for money or art

involvement in the hobby, and like Ulysses and his men with

that was worth several times the money I paid, I started to see

their ears plugged against the siren’s call, he was resistant to

this as a hobby that could possibly pay for itself.”

all the original art that was a part of his work environ. “I wish I

But then he got bitten. He impulsively bought a $400+ Frank Miller Daredevil page on eBay. “That started me down a slippery slope that has led to multiple four-figure purchases over the past several years.” That “slippery slope” lead to a marvelous coup, the full issue #48 of Tomb of Dracula by artists Gene Colan and Tom Palmer. The story tells the recherché tale of a victim of Dracula’s horror who, in light of her lover’s death, begs Dracula for a final release.

appreciated original art back then as much as I do now,” he LEFT: Tomb of Dracula #48 (Sept. 1976), pg. It was years after this internship, with interest in a George 1, pencils: Gene Colan, Pérez piece, that Lee first sought out original art. He was put inks: Tom Palmer.

confessed contritely.

in touch with an agent for Mr. Pérez by Jim Salicrup, the editor CENTER: Tomb of Dracula #48 (Sept. It was the pursuit of Colan’s art that lead Lee to a friend- 1976), pg. 22, pencils: ship with a fellow collector. “Several years ago the Colans Gene Colan, inks: Tom were running weekly art auctions on eBay and I often would Palmer.

Lee worked under at Marvel.

who’s met Gentleman Gene, as “a nice person, and his art

lose out to a bidder named ‘teglar.’ One day in November of RIGHT: Tomb of Drac2004 ‘teglar’ e-mailed me, introducing himself as Lars Teglb- ula #48 (Sept. 1976),

style is amazing, especially when paired with Tom Palmer.” Lee

jaerg from Sweden, and offering to work out some sort of a pg. 31, pencils: Gene

was born in Topeka, Kansas, but now lives in Washington, D.C.

deal that would prevent us from bidding against each other so

with his wife and two children, ages 7 and 9. “For the past eight

fiercely.”

Lee, who’s met Gene, describes him, as does everyone

years I have worked for the National Marine Fisheries Service

The two arranged to meet in person at a comic convention

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Vault of Horror #20 (Aug.–Sept. 1951), pg. 1, art: Graham Ingels.

“Acquiring the art to complete or near-complete books is not cheap, but I have been helped out a lot by very fair and even generous collectors who have seen a special value in

these pages staying together.” And then there’s Lee’s Batroc fixation, which needed explaining. “My sister-in-law and I somehow ended up laughing about the character Batroc one day,” he explained. “Especially the lettering in the comics that spelled out phonetically his ridiculous French accent. We found all of Batroc’s often-used stock expressions to be very amusing as well – ‘Zut Alors!’” And as to Batroc’s powers, “kind of silly too – he leaps and kicks some too.” It began with a page bought as a wedding gift from his sister-in-law, and has grown into a nice sized collection of original art featuring pages by Kirby, Buscema, and Colan, all featuring the French leaper in battle with various heroes. Unequivocally, Lee acknowledges his addiction to comic art, and its disproportionate value in his life. “Art is expensive and I spend too much money on it. It is hard to justify. I’ll gripe

in Florida the next year, and have developed what Lee calls a mutually beneficial friendship. “I scan Xeroxes of his art and post them on ComicArtFans and I also help him with shipping his purchases from the US to Sweden. Lars has given me several nice pieces of art for my troubles and sold me, for a reasonable price, one of the gems of my collection, a complete Graham Ingels story from Vault of Horror.” “I think it is nice to be able to see the original art to an entire comic story in one place,” Lee explained in reference to four complete Marvel comics he has in his collection. “Three of the four I bought from very considerate friends, and the fourth was acquired through eBay.” In no order of consideration, the four are Daredevil #129, Incredible Hulk #135, Iron Man #94, and the aforementioned Tomb of Dracula #48. Eschewing the covers for these books, which Benaka bemoans as often costing “just about as much as the 18-20 interior pages Daredevil #95 (Jan. 1973), pg. 26, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Tom Pakmer. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 38

combined,” Lee has never been able to assemble a book from disparate sources. “What I have tried to do is buy the majority of books in certain instances when the books were going to be split up otherwise. This is how I acquired 13 pages each of Marvel Premiere #22, Thor #243 and Justice League of America #115.

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spending $40 to get the windshield wipers fixed on my car,

ago, thinning the herd a bit through multiple eBay auctions.

and then spend ten times that on a nice piece of art without a

“Part of it was realizing how expensive the hobby was and

lot of angst. I partly justify my expenditures by selling off pieces

where else that investment could be going. But more, it was a

that I acquired years ago and realizing nice little profits. I am

realization that all these pages sitting on my shelves in portfo-

very amenable to other collectors looking to buy pages from

lios were useless – no one else could appreciate them. I

me. Because I am always buying more art, it’s good to have

wanted to get away from collecting for collecting sake and

some money come in. It’s more fun to own art than to own mu-

focus more on artwork I could hang on my walls for other peo-

tual funds.”

ple to enjoy.”

Collector Tom Field

look of Marvel in the ’70s, I asked one of the writers who worked

Given the importance of Gene Colan and John Buscema to the Tom Field knows Gene Colan. He should, he wrote the

with both men, Gerry Conway, to comment on their styles.

book on him. Literally. His book Secrets in the Shadows cov-

Though the conversation incorporated other aspects, Gerry

ered the career and life of Gene “the Dean” Colan, and cast a

Conway offered an insightful and eloquent look into these

light onto the man whose work is cloaked in darkness.

artists’ strengths. In my mind, his views on the differences be-

With most collectors there’s that fulcrum where you become

tween Gene Colan and John Buscema’s art are the most ac-

aware of, and gain an appreciation not just for the ingesting of the

curate and inclusive description of these undeniably strong

comic stories, but for the art as something that can be possessed

talents, whose styles nonetheless were diametrically different.

and appreciated. For Tom that wake-up came about ten years

“Working with Gene was one of the best experiences I had

ago, “at a time when I felt like I’d read pretty much everything I

in comics,” Gerry stated flatly. “His art on Daredevil was so dy-

was ever going to read in comics, owned pretty much all the

namic, his storytelling so fluid, and his sense of time and space

stories I wanted. At about the same time, suddenly I became

so credible, it made my job as a writer easy. Many comic book

aware of the availability of original artwork, and I realized what a

artists seem to approach the material from the outside-in, em-

treat it would be to have representative samplings of some of my

phasizing form or draftsmanship or layout or storytelling – Gene

favorite comics and cartoonists.” To use his words, “The bug bit

seemed to visualize a story from the inside-out: his characters

me. This became my new comics passion.”

clearly have an inner life. That, and Gene’s wonderful sense of

As a collector, Tom focused largely on Gene’s Dracula for many

noir storytelling, made it a pleasure to script his art.”

years, making a gift to himself of a new page every month for

Batman may have dressed as a bat, but Daredevil had the

awhile. The first Tomb of Dracula story that Tom went after was

creature’s senses. Traveling in the same shadowy world as

issue #3, of which he collected a good number of the pages. This

Gotham’s protector, DD battled a rogues’ gallery of similar an-

was the first issue of the book inked by Gene’s hands-down best

tagonists [Jester = the Riddler, the Owl = the Penguin]. Golden

collaborator, Tom Palmer. Palmer deserves an equal appreciation

age talent Bill Everett helmed his tales at the beginning, his

for the beauty of the art. No other inker has made such good

tenure giving way to Joe Orlando, then Romita for a scant eight

choices in how to develop Gene’s tough pencils.

issues (Romita pulled a similar weekend run on the FF years

As to the composite complaint of collectors: “People were

later). But less than two years from its inception, Gene Colan

bitching about the prices ten years ago and they will be ten

took the character to new heights and, with Gerry Conway,

years from now,” Tom puts it. “The prices reflect market de-

intertwined the blind hero’s nighttime action tales with heart-

mand.” And he’s right. Shaped and misshapen by market de-

breaking romance.

mands who’s to blame? Colonel Mustard in the library with the candlestick?

“After Spider-Man, I probably felt the greatest affinity for Daredevil,” Gerry fondly confessed. “The Fantastic Four and

“The hobby revolves around the trade,” he clarified. “There’s

Thor gave me a chance to write epic fantasy and science fic-

plenty of ‘entry-level’ art that one can buy at an affordable price

tion; Spider-Man let me write a thinly-veiled emotional autobi-

and then use as bait to obtain some of those more expensive,

ography. Daredevil, when I wrote it, was a film-noir romance –

choice pages.” It’s been done. Leveraging the initial investment

with Natasha Romanov a benign femme fatale. Next to Mary

through a helix storm of trades and deals to build a collection. All

Jane Watson, she has always been my favorite Marvel female.”

that’s needed is the patience and dedication. “The sky’s the limit.” Tom took a major bow out of the collecting field a short time

(This dramatic page from Daredevil #78 us shown on the next page, and is from the collection of Michel Maillot)

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for DD’s adventures because it didn’t seem like a guy who jumped from building to building would have much to do in Los Angeles with its lack of high rises. San Francisco on the other hand had those wonderful hills. And cable cars. How can you not love a city with cable cars?” Thor was a Norse mythological god who spoke Shakespearean idiom. It worked. Kirby had him for the ’60s. And though Kirby is often most known for the Fantastic Four, he did possibly the greatest Thor, followed closely by the artist who succeeded him, John Buscema. Thor was Stan’s shot at Superman, and the tales found their sweet spot when this mythological god battled against or beside technological giants like the Rigellian Colonizers, or world-spanning Galactus. Stan also played with the Norse mythology to great effect, illustrating the power of adapting myths with the introduction of the Ragnarok theme. His best move in this category involved Thor crossing over into the realm of Greek mythos and encountering the god of power, Hercules. This lead to some heady battles, some of the best Kirby ever drew. Under Gerry’s guidance, the outrageousness of two gods from separate pantheons parading about New York in the 1960s was offset by the easy camaraderie the two displayed. Not quite best buddies, he and Thor would trade friendly insults, like two guys in a gym debating who can bench press the most weight. Thor lost a lot of his comic book muscle in the ’90s where attempts were made to try and shoehorn him into the workaday world — just a thunder god with an attitude. For any writer attempting this character, understanding, preserving and adapting the essence of what makes this character work is essential to being able to write the character well. That doesn’t mean repeating things that have alDaredevil #78 (July 1971), pg. 6, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Tom Palmer. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 40

DD and company took a welcome move out of the superhero

ready been done. But a truly creative talent does-

ghetto of New York to San Francisco, where the romantic tone of

n’t need to regurgitate other writers’ words to preserve the

the story matched the romantic vistas of the city along the bay.

essence of a character. Gerry Conway understood and fol-

The move found inspiration in a long visit Gerry took to the West

lowed Stan’s structure for Thor while bringing a fresh and con-

Coast in the spring of 1971 where he fell in love with Los Ange-

temporary attitude to the character. He made him both out of

les and San Francisco, “and in an effort to spice things up – and

place on the Earth and in his native Asgard.

give Daredevil a unique look – I talked Roy Thomas into letting me

“The best stories – you might say, the only stories – come

move Matt and Natasha west. I picked San Francisco over L.A.

from characters in conflict with some aspect of themselves.

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Well, you can’t get much more conflicted as a character than

my craft,” Gerry soberly clarified. “The truth is, most of the rea-

the Thor of the ’60s and early ’70s. On the one hand, the guy

soned analysis happens afterward – I write from the gut, from

is a god – literally; on the other, he’s deeply enmeshed with hu-

instinct, from what feels right. If I can’t feel my way through a

mankind, and for a time believed himself to be human. Re-

story I can’t write it. Making the characters ‘real’ for me wasn’t

member, he was always Thor; his human identity as Donald

just important – it’s the only way I can approach my work with

Blake was a punishment enacted by Odin. But for years, he –

any authenticity. It’s easy to tell when a character doesn’t feel

and we – thought that somehow Don Blake was his real self,

real to me – the story is terrible and unconvincing. That’s not

and Thor was some kind of ‘overlay’ – a secondary self that

to say I didn’t write some terrible and unconvincing stories

only came into being when he struck his cane upon the ground.

about characters who felt real to me; but I doubt I ever wrote

The discovery that Don Blake was, in fact, a product of Odin’s

a convincing story about a character that didn’t resonate with

imagination was, at the time, mind-boggling. It certainly bog-

my inner world in some way.

gled my mind. I thoroughly enjoyed my time on that series.”

“At Marvel, artists worked from a writer’s story outline – and de-

While on Thor Gerry got to work with John Buscema, an artist

pending on the relationship between the writer and the artist, those

who stressed strong storytelling. “John was more of an outside-in

outlines could be either extremely detailed or pretty vague. With

artist. His storytelling was more straight-forward and direct. I actu-

most artists, my initial outlines were tight and detailed, but as we

ally found it more difficult to work with John’s art, fine as it was, than

came to understand each other’s approach to story, my outlines

with Gene’s rougher, more emotional approach.

would become looser. Some, looser than others. Ross Andru and

“Both men were twenty to thirty years older than I was, so we didn’t have a great deal in common. I started working with Gene when I was 17 or 18, and he was already in his 40s, I think. I have no idea what they thought about working with such a kid, but I was

I ended up plotting stories together over the phone; Gene Colan and Sal Buscema required more detail.” Gerry confesses that he has a few pieces of original art still in his possession, “but not as much as I wish.”

a huge fan of both artists and felt privileged to have them as part-

Post-comic books, Gerry went on to tremendous success,

ners in crime.” Some of Gerry’s early work with Gene was on Sub-

working prominently on Law and Order, and its spin-off SVU

Mariner, tackling a Dr. Doom/Modok/Cosmic Cube storyline.

version in both writing and producing roles. But I wondered if

Obviously a writer of small ambition.

he ever misses working in comics?

As a child I grew up a big fan of Gerry and Steve Engle-

“Of course. I also miss the feeling of falling in love for the

hart’s Captain America and the Falcon work, particularly the

first time. Life moves on. The comic book business I knew has

developmental work done on the Falcon character. Prior to

changed a great deal since I was in it, and so have I.”

Gerry, the Falcon was largely relegated to the “supportive buddy” role, but under his aegis the character became a lot more assertive. He created quite an interesting world for him, and I inquired as to why he, in his brief run on the book, worked on developing The Falcon.

THE ART DIRECTOR Collector Glen Brunswick Iconic is a word used to describe anything emblematic of a

“I guess I never can leave well enough alone. Seriously

specific industry, genre, mindset, trend or time in history. Some

though, I felt there were opportunities inherent in the Captain

iconic imagery can encompass more than one of those fields,

America/Falcon team that should be explored. Here we had

like an industry and the time in which it flourished. Marvel

Cap, the ultimate Square White Guy, teamed up with the Fal-

Comics in the ’60s was in a time of change, of campus riots

con, who had the possibility, at least, to provide a contrasting

and unrest. Marvel’s characters were feisty, the rebellious

point of view to Cap’s middle-American, probably conserva-

stepchildren of DC’s establishment era.

tive, approach to the world. In order for that to work, The Fal-

One of the more iconic covers from Marvel in the ’60s is

con needed to be developed as a character. Besides, as a

the cover to Amazing Spider-Man #68, by Spidey’s equally

writer I was tied to the legend and mythology already inherent

iconic talent, and Glen’s focus, John Romita. John Romita was

in Steve Rogers’ history. Sam Wilson, on the other hand, was

one of the all-around solidest talents Marvel ever had. He was

something of a blank slate. That made him pretty appealing.

great as a storyteller, terrific as a layout man, and earned and

“It may sound from some of my answers like I think things

excelled in his job as art director at Marvel. Best appreciated

through beforehand, and apply careful logic and reasoning to

for picking up the reins after Ditko abruptly left Spider-Man,

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Romita’s later work on Captain America, an attempt by Marvel

provided a wonderful contrast for him, indicating just how far he’d

to bring readers in to the then failing book by using the popu-

come professionally. Heady stuff!

lar Spider-Man artist, has risen in fan appreciation.

Back in the early ’90s Glen’s first ambitions in the acquisi-

“Besides just being a beautiful image,” said Californian Glen

tion of comic art was to get a classic cover of Amazing Spider-

Brunswick, owner of the ASM #68 iconic cover, “the cover

Man drawn by John Romita Sr. “I started going to conventions

evokes imagery of the Vietnam protests and Kent State. Spider-

and was offered a few ASM covers that I passed on. At this

Man’s job is to protect the innocent kids who are protesting.

time, in 1994 they were going for about $3,000 - $5,000. Cur-

But he’s also a crime fighter that must uphold the law. It’s pretty

rently these same covers are in the $30,000 - $50,000 range.

clear he’s about to get caught in the middle. You get the sense

Anyway, I figured if I was going to spend that kind of money it

that he’s about to swing out of his comic book world and into

had to be a cover I truly desired.”

a severe real-life incident that’s about to land him in a whirlpool of trouble.”

Glen was told that if anyone could help him secure the cover he wanted, it would be dealer Mike Burkey, who went

One of the greatest professional thrills for Glen, a professional

under the nom de plum of “Romitaman.” His favorite Spider-

writer of screenplays and comic books, was while on the book he

Man cover happened to be the Amazing Spider-Man #68

created for Image Comics entitled Gray Area, he was paired with

which has graced his collection now for 13 years. “When I con-

artist John Romita Jr., the extraordinarily talented son of Glen’s

tacted Mike back in ’94 he had just sold the cover to another

childhood comic art idol John Romita Sr. Glen still retains a num-

prominent collector. He told me he would try and get the cover

ber of covers and a good portion of the artwork from that series.

back for me.”

While John Jr. and he were working on the book, Glen was con-

But after a few months’ effort Burkey informed Glen of the

stantly inspired by Romita Sr.’s original Spider-Man art that hung

sad assessment that the deal just wasn’t going to happen. The

on his office walls. The art that fueled his imagination as a child

new owner loved the cover too much. “He was nice enough to

OPPOSITE: The Amazing Spider-Man #68 (Jan. 1969), cover, art: John Romita. LEFT: The Amazing Spider-Man #81 (Feb. 1970), cover, art: John Romita. RIGHT: The Amazing Spider-Man #83 (Apr. 1970), cover, art: John Romita. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

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give me the name of the new owner, über collector, and now

Romita was credited with making Spider-Man accessible

I offered $7,000 but Will declined. $8,500? Good offer, but

to the general public, but Glen felt he did more than that. “He

just not interested. Okay, Will, how about $10,000? He turned

infused his illustrations with a grace and an elegance that was

me down flat.”

not typical for a superhero book. He brought his background in

Will Gabri-El remembered that marathon bargaining ses-

romance comics to the adventure genre while sacrificing none

sion. “Mike Burkey decided to introduce myself and Glen via

of their romantic beauty in order to adapt to the Kirby-inspired

phone. Although I had little interest in selling the cover, Glen

action that Marvel books were famous for. This proved to be a

and I stayed in contact.”

perfect fit for Stan Lee’s soap opera aspects of the book.”

Hearing of Glen’s aggressive offers Mike Burkey offered a

That soap opera aspect is what made Peter Parker’s social

conciliatory purchase of another fine Spider-Man cover, one that

life as important to the book as the battles he fought in his alter

still resides in Glen’s collection – Amazing Spider-Man #71.

ego. “If you polled a fair number of Spider-Man art collectors,

“A few weeks later Will called to tell me that if I agreed to buy

I think you’ll find that it’s just as important for them to have a

two other covers besides the ASM #68 for a total of $13,000

page by Romita Sr. with Parker’s love interests, Gwen or MJ. I

he’d do the deal. Apparently he had a line on another grail cover

myself own two special consecutive pages from Amazing Spi-

and he needed the money to pick it up. I agreed immediately.”

der-Man #47 that depicts the first ever double-date with Peter,

“Glen flew out here to New Jersey from sunny California, and we’ve been friends ever since,” Will confirmed.

Harry, Gwen and MJ. “What makes a picture art is a question we could debate for

The two other covers Glen got as part of the deal were

quite awhile,” Glen offered. “For me, art has to be spiritual. It

Captain America #145, also by Romita, and a Thor cover by

has to evoke an emotional response in the viewer. Romita is

Jack Kirby. “Just [recently] I sold the Cap #145 cover alone for

an absolute master at depicting the emotional dilemma in a

LEFT: The Amazing Spider-Man #80 (Jan. 1970), cover, art: John Romita. RIGHT: The Amazing Spider-Man #71 (Apr. 1969), cover, art: John Romita. OPPOSITE: Thor #142, cover, (July 1967), pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 44

substantially more than I paid for all three!”

good friend, Will Gabri-El. Thus began a series of offers to Will.

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LEFT: The Amazing Spider-Man #54 (Nov. 1967), pg. 10, pencils: John Romita, inks: Mike Esposito. RIGHT: The Amazing Spider-Man #54 (Nov. 1967), cover, art: John Romita. OPPOSITE: The Silver Surfer #18 (Sept. 1970), cover, pencils: Herb Trimpe, inks: Frank Giacoia. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

single image. And I’m sure if you asked him he would simply say that all he was really trying to do was sell comics.”

cover to Fantastic Four #121, from April of 1972, done by John

One of the pages gracing Glen’s collection is the cover to

Buscema. “I bought that cover from a collector in the Bay area,

Amazing Spider-Man #54, a large art cover for the November

whose main focus is Silver Surfer art. At one time I think he had

1967 issue. “Spider-Man is holding up his Aunt May with his

half of the covers to the original Surfer run. As a result, the de-

right hand. Overwhelming stress has caused her to faint during

mand for Surfer covers shot up because they were mostly un-

the confrontation of the hero and villain. Spider-Man’s left hand

available.”

is clenched in a fist as he helplessly watches Doc Ock escape

This got Glen to talking about the prices on comic art in

through their living room wall. He would like to go after him to

general. “Over the past ten years I’ve seen the prices of

bring him to justice, but he can’t leave his aunt. My feeling is

quality artwork move to much higher levels than I ever imag-

that you could show this cover to someone who knew nothing

ined they would go. I think that this hobby has really taken off.

about Spider-Man at all and they would pick up on this emo-

People have been discovering and joining the hobby in ever in-

tional turmoil running through Spider-Man’s mind. It’s very easy

creasing numbers. The downside is we have a lot of buyers

for the viewer to put themselves into the hero’s shoes.”

chasing the real quality pieces when they come to market. It

With the collecting bug thoroughly worming through his

does make it much harder to buy in this environment. And it

system, Glen decided to look for other prime covers by whom

makes it harder for the new collector entering the hobby now.”

he considered the other Marvel masters of his youth: Kirby and

As a result, Glen believes we’ll see collectors coming in and

Buscema. “Oh, and I needed to have a Ditko Spider-Man page.

splurging on one or two quality grail-type pieces. “I think many

The core of my collecting focus has never really veered from

collectors could be happy with that.

this main theme.”

pg. # 46

One of Glen’s pages that really caught my eye was the

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

“I was fortunate enough to get into the hobby when prices

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same price, I’ll always opt for the vintage art. “My collecting focus in the future will most likely come from my current collection. That is to say, I intend to sell some of it off and downsize to only the pieces that mean the most to me. Having met all my collecting goals, it’s a good place to be. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not like I intend to have a fire sale. I love all the pieces in my collection. Anything I decide to move will undoubtedly go for a premium.” Glen reflected on one more piece that would sit well in his collection. “I still would love to have a twice-up Amazing Spider-Man cover by Steve Ditko. Anyone got one for sale or trade?”

Collector Greg Gee There’s usually an ideal jumping on point for everything. Like the early days of a business when it’s just getting its legs under it, before the deep regulations and the myriad intractable rules grow up as that business matures. Most businesses regale new employees with tales of how they started up: just a few guys with an idea, with a vision, who came together and formed

Iron Man Special #1 (Aug. 1970), cover, pencils: Marie Severin, inks: Bill Everett.

were insanely cheap by today’s standards. I was single and making decent money so I continued buying way past my original collecting goals. Today my situation has changed. I’m married with two children and have different priorities. I can’t afford

RIGHT: The Amazing Spider-Man #92 (Jan. 1971), cover, art: John Romita.

to put any new money into the hobby. But I’m fortunate to have amassed so many wonderful pieces. If something that I have to own does come up, I can simply sell or trade some of the pieces that I’m less attached to.” This is how he can afford to

OPPOSITE: Captain America #106 (Oct. 1968), cover, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Frank Giacoia.

continue to compete in the marketplace.

the art. Currently it seems that these modern works have begun

“An interesting trend started shortly after 2000. The current crop of hot artists or their reps discovered they could charge prices that were much higher and the collectors would still buy to reach the price range of a lot of the vintage material. So if it’s a choice between vintage art or the newer stuff at close to the

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a mighty empire. Of course, by the time the business has

shown one, and I continued reading the title through my high

grown, entering in is a frustrating and uninspired process.

school years.” Growing up an Air Force brat there were always

Such were the early days of comic art buying. A much more

comic books around his house for he and his brother, and in

amenable time in the hobby than the chaotic, sometimes cutthroat

the houses of all the friends he would visit. But the defining

business that exists today. And for an engineering technician doing

moment for Greg, and what ended up being the toxin that

contract work in the semiconductor industry, currently living in

made of him an art collector, was when a friend brought over

Tempe, Arizona, the ’90s were his hurly-burly time as a collector.

Spider-Man #’s 44 and 45.

Greg Gee has always had the blood of a collector coursing

“Right away I saw the art was different. I liked the realism of

through his veins. At 50, he grew up in the rich time abound-

the art as well as the realism of the characters. It was so easy

ing in novelty items which, through the distorting of time and

to identify with Parker and his problems, even though I was only

hazy memories, have been transmuted into memorabilia. Corgi

nine and Parker was of college age.” The type of praise Stan

Toys, Hot Wheels, G.I. Joe (the original 12-inch models) Cap-

Lee appreciates.

tain Action, and of course Batmania that swept the nation and

From there he started collecting the Spider-Man book.

left a litter of toys, action figures, lunch boxes and anything else

“Whenever I could find one I just ate it up, stories and espe-

that could be stamped with the bat logo, now kitsch and camp

cially the art. I knew then that I wanted to own original art if I

and more than one collector’s heartfelt passion.

could find a way.” The most natural way didn’t occur to him,

“Spider-Man had become my favorite title since I was first

and for that matter to most of us who collect. “It never occurred to me that I could just write in and request a page. I thought this stuff was so cool, that everyone would want it and it would never be available to a nine-year-old.” So a span of years yawned, and in 1989 Greg moved to

pg. # 50

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The Amazing SpiderMan #90 (Nov. 1970), cover, pencils: Gil Kane, inks: John Romita.

Puyallup, Washington, east of Tacoma, in pursuit of a job. By chance he met Todd McFarlane’s brother-in-law who operated a comic book store in town. “I would go in every week and pick up my comics and we became fast friends. I eventually got the opportunity to meet Todd and buy some of his original pages,

and that is how I started collecting original comic art.” By the mid-’90s that marvelous tool the Internet bowed in, and for Greg and many, many others changed the accessibility level of original comic art from something scavenged to a smorgasbord. “I contacted Albert Moy about a Batman cover he had and told him that I was most interested in acquiring a Romita Spider-Man cover. He got back to me and said he had two covers that had just come in, and one other.” The three covers are still a part of Greg’s collection, and are as follows: Amazing Spider-Man #’s 86, #90, and the twice-up cover #61. “I bought the #86 and #90 covers from Albert for the same price he was asking for the #61 cover. I had a stronger attachment to those two covers anyway because I actually had those issues growing up. The #90 book was especially nostalgic to me because I had always liked the character of Capt. Stacy, and his death in that issue was one of my favorite stories. I felt as though I had lost someone, it affected me so. The character always brought a level of suspense to the Peter Parker story, because I, as the reader, always wondered if he had made the connection as to who Spider-Man was. I feel that fate brought those first two covers to me.” Greg continued to collect along his Spider-Man theme,

established art collecting community, but from my point of view

adding the Spectacular Spider-Man #2 cover and the Annual

Spider-Man was then and still is Marvel’s flagship character.”

#6. Both were two of Greg’s favorite images, the two covers

Now that the prices on Romita art have caught up with their

representing seven of Spidey’s major villains over the first 40

nostalgic and artistic value, Greg has “stopped” collecting be-

issues of the magazine. “Both of those covers are just fine com-

cause the cost has gotten so great. “I’m also very happy with

positions, some of Romita’s best work.

what I have. I don’t understand the ‘I must have it all’ mentality.

Though not a reader of current comics, Greg still has a love

Those guys can drive you a bit crazy at times.”

of the art form. Mark Shultz, Dave Stevens, Frank Cho, all are

Fortuitously Greg’s pieces have come to his collection with-

artists Greg has tried to collect. There were others, some sent

out any long tales of protracted surveillance and apprehension.

to that sacrificial altar of the selling floor to pay for his Romita

He has always let them come to him. “I took what was available

acquisitions, but overall Greg just has a love of illustration art.

and I’ve been very fortunate with my small collection. There are

He’s picked up a few friends in the hobby, including Aaron

always personal faves that I would love to own, but I imagine

Sultan who loves Greg’s Spider-Man #90 cover. “I think he

they are deep in some longtime personal collection some-

wants to stay in contact with it…er, me. I tease Aaron.

where. If they become available I don’t think I could afford them

“I never thought it would reach this height,” Greg remarks about the costs of art now. “When I bought the first two ASM

at this point anyway. I would either have to sell something or try to make a trade, but again, I’m happy with what I have.”

covers from Albert I knew they were undervalued when you

Greg displays his pages on ComicArtFans, and is happy to

looked at the prices of Kirby art at the same time. It became ob-

show off his collection. “I love to look at comic art and I’m sure I’m

vious to me through my membership on the Comicart-L list that

not alone. I say, let those that want to enjoy it, enjoy it!”

Romita was just not appreciated near as much as Kirby by the

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CHAPTER 3 COLLECTING BY COVERS, SPLASH PAGES, PANEL PAGES AND SKETCH PAGES “Authenticity has always been a huge issue for me in portraying comic art stories…” – Gene Colan

COVERS

pen on photos that appeared in the Sunday newspaper. He had a wooden mannequin in the studio. He also drew from a Captain

he aspects of comic book art need to be understood in

Action figure.”

order to follow the mental perambulations of collectors.

Hogarth, Heath and Kubert were the contemporaries Gil

In the collecting of comic art, this declaration reigns

spoke most admiringly of according to Landgraf, as well as Lou

supreme: all pages are not created equal.

Fine and Reed Crandall. And when it came to his own work, Gil

The best covers (like this Dan Adkins cover from Will Gabri-

expressed an appreciation of inkers like Tom Sutton who inked

el’s collection) are both a summation of the story, and a highlight

him on the “Adam Warlock” series that began in Marvel

of what is to come. As a result a great deal of time and care was put into their production, from the art directors’ layouts, to the chosen artists’ designs and finished work. The cover’s purpose is to arrest the attention of the casual buyer. Books were sold by their cover, which were the visual equivalent of a carnival barker. Some artists were predominately cover artists, because their larger than life styles lent itself to the requirements. One of the most talented artists to hold down the job of fashioning covers was Gil Kane. In the ’70s for Marvel, he and then-art director John Romita produced a staggering number of covers. Gil Kane was extremely good at this freeze frame pin-up style of art (as seen in this cover from Bill Woo’s collection). It made him picture perfect for covers, where his figures loomed larger than life, often out of proportion with their background, whatever was needed to excite a passerby to grab the book off the stands. In comic books the maxim not to judge a book by its cover was the quote of the naïve. Daredevil #93 (Nov. 1972), cover, pencils: Gil Kane, inks: Tom Palmer.

For many years during the ’70s, Kenneth Landgraf, artist on the Wolverine Vs. Hercules story in the Hulk Treasury and DC’s Hawkman, worked with Gil Kane. Landgraf met Kane at the Village Comic Art Store on McDougal Street in New York. Kane would

OPPOSITE: Strange Tales #164 (Jan. 1968), cover, art: Dan Adkins.

come with art every other week, and when he did, Kenneth would photocopy everything Gil brought in to sell for his own study. Stories abound about Gil the perfectionist, which Landgraf verified. “He constantly tried to improve his work. He studied anatomy

books by George Bridgman. He would also sketch with a ball point

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LEFT: Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973), cover, pencils: Gil Kane, inks: Tom Palmer. RIGHT: Daredevil #47 (Dec. 1968), cover, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: George Klein. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Premiere, and Dan Adkins with whom he had a long associa-

Kane. Kane has worked the angles sharp as razors to portray

tion. There were other inkers Gil liked, including Wally Wood,

predator and prey in a diagonal line, with the predator perched in

who inked him on Hawk and Dove as well as Teen Titans, and

what seems like uncomfortable proximity to his aggressive prey.

Ralph Reese, who inked Gil’s work on his first, brief run on the

There isn’t a wasted inch of space, and in the best tradition of

Conan the Barbarian color title.

horror the image feels crowded, uncomfortably incommodious.

Conan was a project near and dear to Gil. Around the time

Far from being hackneyed, the full moon yawning in the

he worked on his Blackmark series, Gil had even purchased

background is totally apropos, and the image would suffer for

the rights to Conan. His covers to the book told entire tales of

its absence. The helpless female victim simply gives the image

adventure and sorcery, and always seemed to contain too

a touch of urgency. This is one of the “20 cent covers,” known

much action for one image.

for their distinctive inset image and color border scheme.

Beyond just the contributions of the artist, the letterers were

From the collection of Nick Katradis.

also vital to the covers, rocking every area not covered with essential art with explosive word balloons and arresting captions,

GRAILPAGE: Daredevil #47

as well as stylized logos. And though the latter were most often

Graceful composition marks this cover. Daredevil’s upward

stats, they still contribute to the drama that makes covers the

thrusting kick launches him bodily into a tight, pointed arch.

most sought after comic art.

Below him the stairs drop in another line. And at the point of intersection is Willie Lincoln, the man at the center of the story’s

GRAILPAGE: Tomb of Dracula #10 The lord of vampires given appropriate gravitas by artist Gil

pg. # 54

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conflict, who stands not quite stooped or defeated, but equally challenging by his refusal to back down.

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The inking is by George Klein, an inker with a dark moody style who, along with Syd Shores drove Gene’s pencils dramatically until the advent of Tom Palmer.

image is just beautiful and in my opinion the best of his five covers for this title.” Dr. Vassallo is a dentist working for the past 20 years on the voluntary attending staff at New York Presbyterian Hospi-

Collector Dr. Michael J. Vassallo

tal, formerly New York Hospital/Cornell Medical Center, the

Dr. Michael J. Vassallo took me on a virtual tour of his vast

same hospital where collector Dr. Hari Naidu works. Yet the

accumulation of comic art, particularly the covers that are the

two, despite their similar interests and similarly breathtaking

primary focus of his collection. As he described them to me his

collections, have never met.

words reflected his deep affection for the pieces, and ware-

“Moving up to Silver Age Marvel, my very favorite cover is

housed in each phrase you can sense a separate story about

the Tales to Astonish #93 cover by Marie Severin and Frank

each, its special meaning to him, the memory of its pursuit, of

Giacoia. This cover is incredibly clean and white with two large

opening the package as it arrived, of finding some detail on the

character images including a killer image of the Silver Surfer

art not visible on the printed image. All of this was absorbed

that is line for line as Kirby-esque as you could imagine. This

and reflected within his soliloquy.

was the first non-Kirby Surfer cover Marvel ever published, and

“First and foremost, my four Joe Maneely covers are very

Marie does a fantastic job with Giacoia’s help. The Tales to

special to me. The Astonishing #34 cover is the only Maneely

Astonish #91 cover by Gil Kane is also a favorite of mine with

pre-code horror cover I’ve ever seen and it’s an unnervingly

large killer images of the Hulk and the Abomination. My next

gruesome image. Pre-code horror at its finest. In a similar vein,

favorite cover is without doubt the John Romita Amazing

the Black Knight #5 cover was a grail of grails for me. The

Spider-Man #84 cover featuring Spidey vs. the Kingpin. A

Black Knight was the character Joe was most closely associ-

great action cover with a great Spidey villain.”

ated with and showcased some of his finest artwork. This

By the late 1980s Marvel began giving back to the artists

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their accumulated warehoused art produced in the decades

the Sub-Mariner, and the latter by John Buscema on only his

prior. Many of these artists immediately sold off much of this

third issue of the Avengers, displaying an equally expressive

material to art dealers who put it immediately up for re-sale. “I

image of the Red Guardian. “Marvel’s premier title, and my

got in at the right moment,” remarked Dr. Vassallo about his

all- time favorite, the Fantastic Four sports four covers in my

propitious timing in what launched for him a consuming pas-

collection, including #105 by John Romita; a great Galactus/

sion.

Silver Surfer cover #122, which was drawn by Marie Severin;

“Issue #96’s [Spider-Man] cover by Gil Kane is also hang-

Michael bought his first pages of comic art in the 1980s in

‘drug’ issues that was published with a comics code stamp.

a comic shop in NYC. Displayed were twice-up Fiction House

The cover actually still has the stamp on it! I owned the cover

art, and a Jack Kirby Silver Surfer pin-up. “I think I paid about

to [Spider-Man] #74 also at one time, but regrettably sold it

$55 for it. I also recall almost the entire John Byrne issue of

soon after I bought it, one of my biggest art blunders!

Marvel Two-In-One #50, the Thing vs. the Thing issue hanging

“Making the rounds of Silver Age Marvel, I have two beau-

up there for sale.”

tiful Thor covers by John Romita, one featuring the Mangog

His next purchases were done through the late Ernie Ger-

[#197] and a gorgeous Thor and Hela cover by the great John

ber. “He was putting up phone auctions to help finance what

Buscema [#190]. John Romita is well represented in my

became his Photo Journal project. His newsprint catalogues

collection and this can be seen in two gorgeous twice-up

had tons of comic and strip art for sale as well as a large pop-

Daredevil covers, #19 and #20.”

ulation of Mile High copies of Golden Age books. I won two

The Avengers are also well represented in Michael’s com-

Elzie Segar Thimble Theatre dailies in that auction.”

prehensive collection with covers from issues #40 and #43,

Michael has sold in the past and regretted it. “Usually the

the former by artist Don Heck featuring a large figure image of

sale was to finance an additional purchase, but on occasion it

LEFT: The Amazing Spider-Man #84 (May 1970), cover, art: John Romita. RIGHT: The Avengers #43 (Aug. 1967), cover, pencils: John Buscema, inks: George Roussos. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 56

and the pencil prelim to #130 by Jim Steranko.”

ing on my wall,” Michael continued. “This is one of the classic

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did not, and whatever I did with the money was not worth what the piece I sold is now worth! “I was out of active buying for a large part of the mid-1990s.

ond highest dollars in original art. On the splash to issue #86 [“The Devourer of the Dead”], John Buscema depicted Zula looming huge in the foreground,

I saw the prices soar skyward as more and more collectors en-

crouching like some scout setting a trail, with Conan on the LEFT: Man-Thing #19

tered the hobby and demand for vintage pieces grew expo-

ready behind him. John Buscema’s more studied structure in (July 1975), pg. 1, pen-

nentially. Most of my Silver Age Marvel art was purchased before the dramatic price rise. I’m pretty much out of that mar-

ket now and have concentrated on Timely and Atlas artwork,

sword arm for Conan.

they are where my greatest interests lie.”

There is a rift in opinions over splash pages. For some, they RIGHT: Action Comics are just big and expensive and not necessarily the best drawn #426 (Aug. 1973), pg.

Michael has narrowed his current collection objectives to the works of Joe Maneely.

SPLASH

cils: Jim Mooney, inks:

pages of a story. Often lacking the detail panel pages demand, they frequently focus on one or two well drawn figures with a sometimes vague background. For others who wish to keep

Marvel Characters, Inc.

The splash pages were a philosophical carryover from the cover. Having hooked the reader into buying the book by the cover, the splash page was most often a single panel of art with the titles explosively illustrated at the top, and the indicia (copyright information) a stat at the bottom. Because of its dramatic full-page image, splash pages generally garner the sec-

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framed works, they more closely approach more acceptable art forms in that they are a single work, a solitary image. A good number of collectors weigh in on the latter side of the debate. As it was put by one collector, a comic shop owner who has slowly amassed an impressive collection of John Buscema’s Conan art, particularly a series of some of the run’s best splashes, “As I think more about displaying my art in a more permanent venue, I think more and more about how important the splashes are. They just look better framed.”

Collector Kelly Borkert “I may be lost to nostalgia, but no matter the subject, what befell in those years seems more significant and interesting than anything since. Hard to believe those times are quite as bygone as they are in this new century. Comics have changed considerably over the last few decades, rarely for the better in my view.” Kelly Borkert is a 43-year-old low voltage electrician from Fresno, California who had a childhood interest in comics. “It’s been a lot of fun going nuts as an obsessed comic art collector in the past ten years. I have a similar collector’s interest in Ford automobiles from the ’60s, and vintage analog synthesizers and electronic music techniques from the pre-MIDI, precomputer days of yore.” “There are definitely some amazing books being done these days and artists of great spirit working wonders. The mainstream books usually don’t grab my interest unless they involve some older creators.” In the recitation of his thoughts, Kelly found his way to the central concern. “It seems like there has been some sort of sad atrophy in the [comic art] form as it deteriorated into meaningless, sometimes grotesque pin-up splash nonsense.” Working through the crux of his stance, Kelly reevaluated some of the details. “Maybe that’s just my prejudice, but outside of Phil Jiminez’ Wonder Woman artwork, I haven’t seen much recent work that excited me. I know from the

ing comic art collecting an exception as a hobby because of Doctor Strange #175

collecting habits of discerning collectors that artists like

the easy camaraderie of the affiliates. “Some really nice people (Dec. 1968), pg. 2,

Eduardo Risso are doing bang-up work, and there are lots of

collect. I’m thankful for the circle of great folks I have gotten to

inspired creators working in all corners of the field. Unfortu-

know through this hobby. It’s great to share an interest and ad-

nately, iconic publishers like Marvel are lacking the fire and orig-

miration for the art form with others, and gratifying to meet

inality they practically invented in the ’60s, all credit to Kirby and the other artists who made those incredible books work

Golden and Silver Age comic artists who have survived this OPPOSITE: Conan the Barbarian #86 (May long. They are always a pleasure to talk with and learn from.”

wonderfully. And to Stan Lee for letting them do what they did.”

“These days I buy very little, availability of items and in- 1978), page 1, pen-

cils: John Buscema,

the coordinator, employing an alchemy known only to him, to

mate artist and concept. In and of itself it was as much a heady

“sales at those prices seemingly the exception. For myself, the

recipe for the success of Marvel as any other individual factor.

value of pieces is best derived from completed auction results,

Kelly expressed sanguine views of his fellow collectors, find-

and even then the results are fairly discouraging from a bottom

When it came to assigning artists, Stan Lee certainly was

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

Coana Properties Intl., LLC

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feeder’s point of view, which is certainly where I’ve done most

tion unfolds. Likening it to the job done by a motion picture di-

of my collecting. Usually,” Kelly went on to reveal, “I have had

rector of photography would be the best applicable analogy.

to trade rather unfavorably for the nicest stuff I’ve gotten, but

The discord for many collectors over splashes and covers

outright cash purchases at that level are impossible for me.

versus these interior panel pages is that no image looks better

“One of my most fortunate and satisfying purchases would be the first two pages from Dr. Strange #175, a Colan/Palmer

framed than the multi-panel page, with its archetypal comic book iconography.

masterpiece that went on eBay at 3 a.m. I set the alarm (the next week) for 2 a.m., placed a bid and hit refresh for an hour.”

GRAILPAGE: Journey into Mystery #125

With the piece now his, Kelly regards this double-page splash

The inker of this Jack Kirby splash is Vince Colletta, who has en-

the centerpiece of his collection. “And if I never pick up another

countered a firestorm of posthumous criticism from fans. A long

piece, I think I’ll get by with what I’m fortunate enough to have,

time veteran, Vince understood meeting a deadline and some of

and hope only to keep them until I no longer want them. Bear

the questionable sacrifices that meant. On occasion when pressed

in mind the opening scene from Young Frankenstein and you’ll

Vince would erase some of Kirby’s monumental backgrounds, and

get my drift.”

supplant a more negative back field. He would take individually

PANEL PAGES Panel pages make up the bulk of comic book art. They are the heart of the storytelling, the frame by frame flow of the story,

drawn background characters and render them in silhouette. It was a loss of potential many Kirby adherents find inexcusable. Nonetheless Colletta’s inks meshed well with Kirby’s pencils, and are inextricably connected with Kirby’s run on Thor.

where the story is detailed, the scenario enacted and the ac-

OPPOSITE: Journey Into Mystery #125 (Feb. 1966), cover, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta. LEFT: The Avengers #170 (Apr. 1978), pg. 26, pencils: George Pérez, inks: Pablos Marcos. RIGHT: The Avengers #162 (July 1977), pg. 29, pencils: George Pérez, inks: Pablos Marcos. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

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The Avengers #154 (Dec. 1976), pg. 26, pencils: George Pérez, inks: Pablos Marcos.

broad collection of George Pérez panel pages. “George Pérez is still a guy where I will buy the comic he is working on just because I like his style and what he does with the characters. “There’s a bevy of talented people whose work I enjoy,” Robert

remarked about the new guard of talent in comics. “J.G. Jones, John Cassiday, Steve Epting, etc. These are the future Hall of Famers.” While he admires these artists, Frey ameliorated his enthusiasm a bit. “The stories do not resonate as much with me as the older ones do. Maybe I’m just old and cynical!” In Robert’s view comics have taken a page from Hollywood with some of their current runs. “A lot of what’s out there is either done for shock value or has been done before and done better. Also, due to technology things are different. I like finished pieces and a lot of the inking today is done digitally. Most of the lettering is now done on the PC. A lot of special effects are done through Photoshop, etc. So today’s industry in many ways is a lot different than what I knew when I was younger.” Robert begrudgingly parts with his acquisitions, using the money the way most collectors do in sort of an awkward pyramid-climb, trading in lesser pages for grander purchases. “Sometimes it’s disappointing to me as people who know what the art costs expect you to give it away, and often when you give them a price you never hear from them again.” But generally transactions have been amiable for Kelly with the more “serious” collectors here and abroad. As to the current prices on comic art: “Don’t get me started! I

Collector Robert Frey

don’t know how people do it. I make a good living, have no wife or

With 9,200 + songs on his iPod, Robert Frey, a 43-year-old

children and relatively minimal expenses, and I can’t do this. I think

New Yorker who has worked for the past 22 years as a com-

the prices for brand new art are insane. I think that a handful of

puter programmer/analyst, is obviously a man who collects.

people manipulate the prices on the art I tend to collect and follow.”

“My grandfather had a huge coin collection and I follow suit.

I inquired whether or not Robert thought the spiraling prices in

What can I say, I’m a natural hoarder!”

comic art were daunting to anyone making their first tentative pur-

His urges are very primal. He is nostalgia driven, like most

chases, especially those who have selected hard-to-find pages as

collectors, collecting pages from the books he purchased from

their objectives. “I think newcomers have the problem of just being

the newsstands back in 1974. Comic books began for Robert

newcomers. You have to be one of the good old boys in order to

as a compensatory tithe for a nine-year-old forced to visit the

have the opportunity to purchase things that will never be available

orthodontist monthly for painful adjustments to his braces. “My

to the average Joe. I think that the greed factor is what is going to

dad would take me and my brother to the 7-11 next to the den-

be the downfall of the hobby. Once a few people sell off, that seg-

tist’s office and he would let us buy a few comics. I bought

ment of the hobby could be in trouble.”

Captain America and the Falcon, The Avengers, Marvel Triple

The lion’s share of Robert’s collection was acquired through

Action, Marvel Double Feature, so knowing that you can prob-

regular dealers and Internet auctions, and eBay, which

ably see why I have what I have.”

prompted an amusing tale to mind. “eBay is now a worldwide

Robert’s collecting interests still center on Captain America

phenomenon, and the days of finding a bargain are definitely a

and Avengers-related characters, and one of the highlights of

thing of the past. But in the old days thing were different.”

what Robert has stocked his collection with is a marvelously

Robert did a basic search on George Pérez and landed on an auction for an Avengers Chronicles cover. “Anyway, he [the

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seller] totally butchered the description and put the auction

lationships with other collectors. This caused Glenn to reflect

under the wrong category. I must have e-mailed him three times

on a recent event in his life.

about the piece, and I am convinced he thought I was a lunatic.”

“There are a group of us in the Raleigh, NC area that met ‘in the

Defeated in his altruistic efforts to correct the dealer’s listing,

good old days’ at [TwoMorrows publisher] John Morrow’s place

Frey capitulated and entered his bid, the only bid for the mis-

to stuff envelopes for the Kirby Collector. Eventually the business

labeled cover, and won it for the low, low price of $350. “That

became too big for us to do that and John and [wife] Pam moved

piece is easily a five-figure piece now.”

across town to raise their kids and we’ve all kind of lost touch. How-

As a funny follow up, shortly after that auction the same

ever, last year three of us got together to make the yearly run down

seller repeated his mistake with a second piece of art. “I

to Heroes Con. It was a fun and nostalgic time, but on the way

e-mailed him about that and helped him correct his auction de-

back one of the guys said that he had a virulent cancer. He didn’t

scription and sell the piece. He profusely thanked me over and

say anything until the end of the day because he wanted to enjoy

over and I had to tell him ‘no, thank you!’”

the day, not knowing whether he’d ever be able to go back. He’s been through a lot but he’s still with us.”

Collector Glenn Musial

With a manageable collection, Glenn keeps his favorite

“I am more a collector of breadth rather than depth,” said

pieces framed in a long hallway and in his office at work. “I

Glenn Musial, a North Carolinian with possibly one of the most

change things around every few months.” The change comes

perfectly structured panel pages to come out of the ’70s. As a

when after a period the piece is no longer “fresh” to him. “What

comic book aficionado he exhibited all the telltale signs of car-

I’d really like to do in an ideal world is swap pieces for a year

rying the collector gene early on — order, completeness, con-

or so with other collectors.

dition of the collection — leading to him amassing complete runs on some of his favorite comic books. He began collecting original art pre-eBay revolution by read-

“I don’t sell because I like what I own more than the money I could get for them, even at today’s inflated prices. And I think that if I ever did give up key pages, I’d never be able to get

ing CBG and visiting shows until the hobby was revolutionized by the Internet. His first comic art purchases were actually consecutive pages 15 and 16 from Thor #250 by John Buscema, which he’d bought through the mail more than 20 years prior. But the punchline to what was to be an abortive start was that this first foray didn’t compel him to continue with the hobby. It wasn’t until a necessary attic cleaning which he embarked on with his two sons that Glenn not only rediscovered the works, but reevaluated their significance. And from there began a renewed interest in the hobby which he was able to share with his sons. “It was very exciting at first, but then the wildly escalating prices soured me to the hobby,” he admitted. Impacting this R&D director for SAS Institute as well was the price of college and law school for his sons, leaving his collection pretty much frozen in place, except for the occasional modest piece bought from a collector at a show. One of the early pieces he purchased was a page from the Fantastic Four Annual #3 by Jack Kirby. When the page arrived, it suffered damage from the Post Office resulting in a bit Superman #172 (Oct. 1964), pg. 3, pencils: Curt Swan, inks: George Klein.

of a crease in the page. Vexed over how to rectify this Glenn consulted “about 30 people for advice.” The unique bit of practical advice they rendered, “some light ironing on it.” One of the questions I brought up with collectors regarded

whether or not through the hobby they’ve developed lasting re-

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back into the hobby and I’m not ready to give it up just yet. I did

convergence of computers, video, networks and the Internet. “I

sell a Ditko Amazing Spider-Man page to finance a cruise to

build my own computers and networks and stream audio and

Alaska with my family. With the way prices have escalated I’ll

hi-def video through my house.” Travel is another interest of his,

probably never pull the trigger on another, and I regret selling

and he hopes to visit Italy in honor of his 50th birthday.

that page because I’m such an admirer of [Ditko’s] stuff. I

GRAILPAGE: Fantastic Four #109

ing as ‘burned’ – that is, I never really expected to get any of it back

OPPOSITE: Fantastic It’s been called one of the best examples of a panel page. Best Four #109, (Apr. 1971), pg. 19, pencils: because it tells a story in one page. There’s heroism on the page, a John Buscema, inks: last desperate hope, and bold sacrifice at the end. Produced by Joe Sinnott.

out. I bought because I enjoyed it and it didn’t matter to me if I pur-

John Buscema from one of his early storylines in his less than three

wouldn’t trade that trip for anything though, it’s one of my best memories from when the boys were growing up. “In the beginning I thought of money put into comic art collect-

away’ money on a piece.” So he began trading for awhile, but gave

LEFT: Thor #191 (Aug. 1971), pg. 12, pencils: John GRAILPAGE: Thor #191 Buscema, inks: Joe You can follow the DNA chain back to the Kirby influence in the Sinnott.

it up after a point. “It just became too much like work.

supercharged action, dynamic layouts and the mega-force explo-

chase it for $1 or $1,000, I enjoyed it just the same. At some point, I came to understand that prices were rising dramatically. This impacted me in the sense that I could no longer afford to just ‘throw

year run on the title, the figures have a classic nobility to their stature.

RIGHT: Fantastic Four

bad luck, I would welcome a price correction that made the

sions, annealed by Buscema’s anatomically balanced figures. This #106 (Jan. 1971), is a perfect core sample of a Marvel action page, the lifeblood of cover sketch, art:

hobby more accessible and fun again.”

the hero comic book. Signed by John Buscema and inker Joe Sin- Marie Severin.

“I’ll be on the sidelines for awhile. While I don’t wish anyone

In addition to comic art collecting Glenn is interested in the

nott, the marketability of such a page is heightened.

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of the artist alone, before the collusion of an inker in the usual comics’ two party arrangements. John Buscema’s sketch pages are characterized by the quick, sure, heavy lines he used, indicative of the speed he was always accredited with having when rendering a page. Several of the sketch pages shown are from the same storyline, an adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s tale “The Flame Knife.” The prices on sketch pages are increasing. A recent auction netted over $1,400 for a Gil Kane sketch of an X-Men cover. Gil Kane’s sketches are lessons in anatomy, in layout, and in the larger-than-life imagery that made comics in their expansionist Silver Age so unforgettable. One of the more interesting types of sketch pages is the first draft of a cover. A wealth of cover layouts on the market come from Marie Severin and John Romita sketches, marking their days as art directors.

GRAILPAGE: Savage Sword of Conan #32 In this sketch page by Conan great John Buscema, it is clear to see which of the men is in control. That’s conveyed by the taunting, casual manner of Conan’s stance, versus the more aggressive, out of control stance of his antagonist.

Savage Sword of Conan #32 (Aug. 1978), pencil rough, art: John Buscema.

SKETCH PAGES There is a rawness to sketches. Never meant to be seen, whether they are just random character drawings or preliminaries of published pages, they are the first step down from an

artist’s original thoughts. They often reveal a lot more about an artist’s style than the finished work. Generally done on newsprint, many collectors stock significant quantities of these pages because they are relatively inexpensive while still being examples of original comic art. Once the mis en scene had been established in the sketch page, and characters blocked out, the artist would often lightbox onto the heavier Bristol board for a more finished rendering. But more than just a thumbnail, sketch pages capture the loose free hand of the artist and allow a look at the rarely seen skills

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John Buscema did numerous cover recreations, with one of the most frequently requested being Silver Surfer #4, according to John’s agent in his latter years. Many reverse sides of John Buscema’s

works

display

sketches that border on complex art, like some version of a Kandinsky. John has even been quoted as saying that in some instances the side Though the purpose of the confrontation is unclear, a wealth of

of the page featuring the

information on the characters is unveiled. And when compared

superhero is the side that

to the published page, you can see very little of John’s original

should be hung facing

ideas on the page have been altered.

the wall. As sketches go, you

SKETCHES AND COMMISSIONS There is a distinction that needs to be made right at the top.

can’t beat the diverse samplings

from

John

A sketch is defined as something random that an artist has

Buscema. His sketches

drawn, a more complex and talented version of a doodle, such

were often a way to see

as a partial character image, a body part such as an arm or

his continuingly evolving

torso (John Buscema was so noted for his torso sketches that

realistic

the nickname ‘Michelangelo’ was born), or sometimes just an

breathtaking

perspec-

errant imagining on the part of the artist.

tives

energetic

anatomies, and

A completed work, done for commission by an artist is a com-

action. They also showed

mission, and not a sketch. These may be done in pencil, marker, or

many of his interests,

in some cases even fully inked. Many commissions are recreations

especially in his pirate

of a cover a given artist is famous for. During last years of his life,

sketches.

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OPPOSITE: X-Men One of Glen Brunswick’s #10 (Mar. 1965, unpublished cover, penfavorite pieces is this unpub- cils: Jack Kirby, inks: lished cover to X-Men #10 by Chic Stone.

GRAILPAGE: X-Men #10

Jack Kirby and inker Chic Stone. “This is one of the earli-

est known Marvel hero covers LEFT: page from unpublished Conan the Rogue, art: John a great shot of Ka-Zar battling Buscema.

in existence,” he boasted. “It’s all the X-Men in the Savage Land. It’s truly one of Kirby’s

masterpieces.” Regarding the cover Glen mused, “I’ve often wondered why this was not used as the published cover. The image is far superior to the one that Marvel wound up using and the cover has all the original stats and logos that a published cover would have. That’s unusual for a cover that was rejected.” On the subject he did have a couple of theories. “The first is that this cover was misplaced before the actual printing took place, therefore another cover had to be prepared. Another thought is that the Ka-Zar image looked too much like Tarzan and Marvel was worried about publishing it. One of these days I hope to get the real scoop from someone who worked at Marvel at the time.”

GRAILPAGE: Conan the Rogue

UNPUBLISHED ART

John Buscema spent seven years working on the story he plotted, drew and inked entitled

Exactly as it sounds, unpublished art encompasses first drafts or

Conan the Rogue. He went through multiple attempts at getting

rejected pages of comic art. Despite the crush of time constraints

each page its best, and the collecting community abounds with

this happens more often then one might first imagine, including

John’s self-rejected pages.

completed covers and first drafts of pages. Several collectors have included unpublished art as part of their collections.

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

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CHAPTER 4 LONG TERM AND DISCERNING COLLECTORS “An entirely different matter is that the majority of big collectors will have retired or even died within the next 10-20 years. What happens then?” – Lars Teglbjaerg “I just want my piece to be a choice example of what it is.” – Vince Oliva

Collector Vince Oliva

35 isn’t what it once was. $35 now might get you an appetizer at Chicago’s Lawry’s Prime Rib (no drink). It will get you a glass trifle bowl at Crate and Barrel and about enough gas for a week’s commute from the suburbs to a city job. But back

in the mid-’70s and early ’80s, $35 could get you

the splash to Spider-Man #88 by John Romita Sr. At least that’s what Vince Oliva, a Floridian with a half-century of life under his belt paid for it. “[The splash] was purchased directly from John Romita many moons ago,” remarked Vince with an open candor and more than a little gratitude. “I was purchasing whole Spider-Man books from him [at] $25 per page, $35 for the splashes.” It’s the kind of statement that, after which, you struggle to

over his parent’s company when they retired 30 years ago. Vince Oliva

retain your balance. But we’re talking about a long time ago.

He’s an avid softball player and plays in his local county league OPPOSITE: The Amaz-

Some people bought a page here and there as a novelty in the

as well as the statewide Florida Half Century League.

some it immediately became a passion. These long-time col-

ing Spider-Man #88 (Sept. 1970), pg. 1, He got into comic collecting seriously by the age of 13. He pencils: John Romita, began buying back issues from Howard Rogofsky and Robert inks: Jim Mooney.

lectors very often were able to snag treasures for nominal sums

Bell who listed in the classified sections of comic books. “As I

that are now hard to get, if not just prohibitively expensive. And

didn’t have a bank account at the time, I’d give my saved up al-

if you collect long enough and at a steady rate, 20 or more

lowance money to my mom and get her to make out checks to

years can give you quite an impressive show.

purchase the comics that I had to have.” With a business savvy

’70s when the art first became available to the public. But for

Vince has worked the hobby up, down, left and right. He’s hit it

belying his age, he then sold the books through Alan Light’s

from every angle, and been everything in the hobby. He’s been in

original The Buyer’s Guide, precursor of The Comic Buyer’s

the collecting field for a long, long time. He has cross-traded, and

Guide. “I’d get checks, $10 here, $20 there in the mail and

has numerous collections running simultaneously. With science

give them to my mom to deposit. My parents were flabber-

having found the “fat” gene, the “collecting” gene probably isn’t far

gasted that I was doing this.”

off, and a sample from Vince’s blood would go far in science’s un-

Around that time Jim Steranko came out with his History of

derstanding of the obsession. But of all his myriad collections, fore-

Comics. “I marveled at the postage stamp sized photos of

most in Vince’s esteem is his collection of comic book art.

WWII era books that I never knew existed. In it, Steranko

A native Chicagoan, Vince Oliva has lived since 1976 in

stated that the storytelling team of Simon and Kirby produced

Florida where he grew up in the construction business, taking

the most incredible 37 Captain America stories before quitting

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runs together of those rare books I started sending information the Timely company. What I didn’t know was that all of those

At this point Vince still had not gotten into original art. He’d

his mother to write a check for $25 to get issue #11 of Cap-

seen pages by Kirby from the early Hulk issues going for the

tain America only to find the issue had no Kirby art. He sold it

“astronomical” prices of $100 - $300. “Reasoning that there

for $50. And though his parents were impressed with their

was no way that I could ever get my money back if I had bought

son’s business acumen they were hesitant to finance his next

stuff like that, I passed on art. Obviously I was wrong.”

bid, a $250 purchase of Captain America #1. Buying a lesser

His art collecting started in 1981. “I purchased a complete

grade copy of the issue for $125 of his own money, he sold

Captain Marvel story from C.C. Beck for $125. It was one of

that for $250 and his parents finally started to accept that they

the ten stories he did for DC around 1972. I also bought a killer

had a business tycoon for a son.

Kirby Thor page from Journey into Mystery #87 for $75. That

“To make extra money I started loaning my rare, key Golden

pg. # 72

to the Overstreet Price Guide.”

stories were published in the first ten issues!” Vince convinced

was my start.”

Age books to Alan Light for reprinting in his Flashback series.

From there Vince contacted John Romita’s agent. “He had

Those classic reprints from my books are all over eBay now.” His

loads of Romita’s work on Spider-Man issues #39 - #100, Cap-

parents took him to his first convention where he got to meet a

tain America in Tales of Suspense, Hulk in Tales to Astonish, and

lot of the dealers who knew him by name only. “They were

Daredevil.” Through Romita’s agent, Vince bought his splashes.

amazed to learn that all along they had been dealing with a kid.

“Large art splashes were $65, interior pages $45.”

“When I got my driver’s license I began setting up at shows

Romita had been Vince’s all-time favorite. His first news-

in Chicago. It was 50 cents admission and $3 table fees for the

stand purchase was Spider-Man #57. “I picked out well over

monthly show at the downtown YMCA. As there were only

100 pages from Romita’s agent, going heavy on splashes and

about 100 different comics existing that were valued at $50

cool on interior pages. I took what I thought were the best

or more – we referred to them as ‘heavyweights’ – I was able

pages from issue #39, pages 6-11, the battle pages with

to own a great many of the classic Golden Age books. As I put

Spidey in costume. While Romita’s agent had complete books

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“A short time later I contacted Romita’s agent again to buy some more art. ‘You won’t believe it, Vince’ he told me, ‘another guy contacted me and bought everything else!’ There was somebody crazier than me out there? That’s when I first heard of Mike Burkey.” Rummaging about, Romita’s agent did find something he could offer Vince. For $100 he had two vellum blue pencil drawings of a new villain created for the Hulk, a character called the Wolverine. The price was eventually upped to $240 because of Romita’s reluctance to part with them, but Vince clinched the deal. “I’m glad that I did.” Vince had his first big sale in December of 1991 as a major contributor to the first Sotheby’s Comic Auction. Included in the auction were Marvel Mystery Comics #1-7, first issues of USA Comics, Young Allies, Sensation, Flash, Human Torch, John Romita’s character sketch of Wolverine. Wolverine TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

available, I thought that it would be a waste of money to buy that way and get stuck with lots of ‘ordinary’ pages. So I only bought the whole book to issue #94 as it was Romita’s first retelling of Spidey’s origin. Romita’s agent didn’t mind if I only took the splashes and battle pages.” Romita’s agent also had every daily and Sunday strip Romita did. “They were priced at $25 per daily and $35 for Sunday. Way too much money, I thought. Heck, they were the same price as pages that had a lot more art to them.” So Vince got out his complete collection of newspaper strips and looked through them to meticulously cherry pick what he believed to be the finest representatives, buying five dailies and one Sunday. Works of artists like Jim Lee, whose current assignment on DC’s heroes, come straight from the printing to the collector’s markets where they fetch prices in the low thousands. Something that would astound the draftsmen of the ’70s like Romita, who were often surprised that anyone wanted to buy their old pages for even $25. So, as an unexpected consequence of his voracious purchases, John Romita gifted Vince with a fully penciled drawing of Spider-Man. “John Romita was wondering why anyone would make such a large purchase of his stuff. I didn’t have an answer, other than I just ‘had to have it.’” He next bought the splash to Spider-Man #47 and the cover to issue #116. “I felt raped at $300 each, but couldn’t say no. In my opinion the #47 splash has got to be the ultimate

pg. # 74

single page of Romita Spidey art as it features a battling Spidey, Kraven, and the Green Goblin. As there is no title header at the top, the art goes completely from top to bottom of the page. A true grailpage if ever there was one.

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

and several art objects including works by Foster, Caniff, Beck, Schomburg and the Spidey #94 book. “I paid off my house and immediately started over.” Ten years later he had collections larger than ever, and in June of 2001 he made a move that changed his life. Vince made a deal

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The Amazing SpiderMan #96 (May 1971), pg. 20, pencils: Gil Kane, inks: John Romita.

with a company to sell everything. His everything included stamp collections, Gold and Silver Age comics, sports collectibles including Babe Ruth-signed baseballs, and toys. “I literally cried all the way to the bank.” But he did keep his art.

“The very essence of what I love about comics is right there in my hands. It [original art] represents the actual handcrafted work of writer and artist. Comic books themselves move me. I was really upset when Gwen died in Spider-Man #121. The story moved me. I also remember being bummed when John Romita stopped drawing the Spider-Man comic. His beautiful art moved me. “I always look for a page that will stand by itself. Pin-ups and covers generally fit that category, as will any first or final page in the story. As I display almost all of my art, I want the piece to speak for itself. “I realize that a lot of my art is valuable,” Vince declared, steering the topic toward costs in art. “But value has absolutely nothing to do with my wanting it. Actually, I have always tended to avoid pieces that were very high priced.” Vince’s interests at the moment are his guide in purchasing art. “Sometimes I want an example of a particular artist, other times I want a nice example of a particular character. I must admit, I don’t usually search for anything consciously. I’ll know it when I see it.” He wallows in the same regrets we all do, of not being able to own all the pieces we want at once. He’s had to sell or trade some pages to negotiate others. Along the way he’s become friends with some of his fellow collectors, but “life, work and the many miles get in the way.” In his two-decades-plus of comic art purchasing Vince has seen the availability of comic art increase. “The vast majority of Golden Age art was destroyed after being published. And of what remained, much of it was ‘souvenir pieces’ in the hands of non-collectors who worked in the comic or printing businesses.” Vince is now heavily into collecting items that were offered for sale in the pages of old comic books. “All of the ads that I previously ignored are now on my list. If one could have clipped a coupon and mailed away for it, I want it. Does anyone out there have the two-man Polaris Nuclear Submarine?”

Collector Aaron Sultan While writing the book I set off a chain reaction amongst the collecting community. While interviewing one collector, he’d tell me tales of his interaction with another collector, and in verifying that story I’d end up with another contributor. Often collectors would suggest others I might want to speak with,

who could perhaps elaborate on a particular artist with personal stories and accounts of interest to the community. Looking back I’d estimate I’ve gotten about a third of the contributors off of suggestions. It was Greg Gee who recommended Aaron Sultan, a happily married man blessed with a “wonderful wife” and five children, who works in marketing for a large IT company located in North Carolina. “I have been a long-time collector. Too long, to be honest, but was bitten by the collecting bug back when I was three years old. My parents, at a very young age, introduced me to Marvel Comics. We would stop by a newsstand next to our church back in the late 1960s, and after church they would allow me to purchase a couple of comic books. My interest was augmented when my mom and dad introduced me to the Spider-Man cartoon show on Saturday mornings in the apartment we rented in Hagerstown, Maryland.” The initial effect was a child’s interest in all the peripheral merchandising – toys, figures, even a Spider-Man Halloween costume. “I still have video footage of unwrapping that Spider-Man costume in the box,” he fondly clarified. “Thankfully I was able

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to reacquire the box years later after a decade of searching. It

So what did it for this discerning collector? Fast forward to

brings the equivalent of a Ditko Spider-Man page these days.”

the 1990s. While at a local comic show scanning a seller’s

Other things he rediscovered include some Captain Action

back issues, Aaron spotted a page by Ron Frenz from Spider-

stuff, a Lost in Space Remco robot, and Merry Marvel March-

Man. “It was the last page to ASM #258 where the black cos-

ing Society paraphernalia. Those chance rediscoveries in his

tume is learning to hate. Something struck me: how cool! A

parents’ attic led to searches high and low to build several col-

large-size board – why I could see detail that I had never seen

lections, including vintage 1960s Spider-Man memorabilia,

in the comic pages! Why, this was huge! Why, it could be

gumball items, Quisp and Quake and other cereal boxes and

framed! Why, this was the only one in existence! This was it!

premiums, Lost in Space memorabilia, gum cards, “and of

This was historic! I had to have this all of the sudden. A new

course, filling in holes in the comic book collection.

sense of urgency had arrived.”

“So how does this relate to original art collecting, you ask?

pg. # 76

Since then, he’s never looked back.

Well, I must admit for years I had absolutely no interest in these

“Next stop, find a vintage Romita or Ditko piece. After all, I

clunky black-and-white pages. Dating back to the mid-1970s

am a Spidey collector, right?” But his inquiry to dealers was

and attending the Marvel Con in New York at the Commodore

met with ridicule. “There’s a guy out there that wants and col-

Hotel, I remember seeing Jack Kirby, John Romita and others

lects all the Spidey Romita art,” he was warned. “And he does-

sitting there with stacks of pages for sale at $5 - $10 each,

n’t sell any of it.” Not deterred, Aaron’s patience and

and passing it right by. Not me,” Aaron haughtily declared. “No,

perseverance paid off. “I found a piece of treasure.”

not me.” What had his eye at the time were things like a VG

The “treasure” was a page from Amazing Spider-Man #63

Amazing Spider-Man #4 for $20. “Invest in a Kirby/Sinnott

by John Romita and Don Heck, and easily holds all the virtues of

small art cover of Fantastic Four for $20? Not on your life!”

an uncontested treasure. “It featured the old and new Vultures,

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LEFT: The Amazing Spider-Man #87 (Aug. 1970), pg. 11, pencils: John Romita, inks: Jim Mooney. RIGHT: The Amazing Spider-Man #127 (Dec 1973), cover, art: John Romita. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Kraven and Spidey all battling, all action — even had the old Vulture in his lab assembling new wings! “How much?” I asked

when Aaron fixed on getting a Romita cover, and a few years

the owner of the page. Didn’t matter what he said, I would buy.

later he contacted the marketing executive. “Will you sell the

And unfortunately it’s kinda been that way ever since.”

cover? No.” Aaron tried back a year later. “Will you sell the

That initial purchase launched Aaron on a Romita tear. “I

cover? No.” It took more persistence and patience, but he fi-

wanted any vintage pages I could find. What followed? Pages

nally acquired the cover, “and it’s one of my gems to this day.

from ASM #59 with Mary Jane, ASM #77 with the Lizard trans-

“So here’s the irony – at the same time, for whatever reason,

forming, ASM #86 with the first Black Widow costume ap-

Romita Spidey covers were somewhat plentiful. I remember

pearance, pages with Gwen, Captain Stacy, JJJ, ASM #107,

within one year being offered the covers to ASM #90, #85,

and even my favorite book of all time, ASM #87. I was able to

#70, #97, #102, #127, #128, and many other in the #110-

nail down the Doc Ock unmasking page with flashbacks to

175 issue range. They were all similar price — $5,000 roughly,

ASM #12. I was on a roll!”

give or take. Oh, those were the glory days.”

Then his goals turned toward acquiring a cover. “Years earlier I had purchased a Quisp figural ring, one of the hardest [to find] and most expensive pieces in all of cereal

He worked a deal with his friend Greg Gee on the ASM #127 cover he still has to this day. And then there’s that Spider-Man #90 cover his friend Greg Gee owns…

premium fandom. The purchase came from a guy in Chicago that was a marketing executive for fast food products. During the Quisp purchase, he mentioned that he had a Spider-Man cover by Romita, issue #89 featuring Doc Ock!” But that was pre Aaron’s nipping by the art bug, so it was filed away as a memory and summarily passed over. This memory resurfaced

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CHAPTER 5 MEGA-COLLECTORS “I often wonder how the guys that have thousands of pages get to enjoy the entirety of their collection.” – Glen Brunswick

Collector Nick Katradis

barrassment of riches? You don’t go from zero to 1,200 pages overnight.

ave you seen my collection?” inquired

“I try to structure my collection, which is now over 1,200

Nick Katradis, when I idly remarked on

pages, as a representative sample from every significant artist

just one aspect of the prodigious

from the 1960s all the way up to 2006.” And generally when a

sweep his collection encompasses. “I

page is purchased by Nick, owner of his own mortgage bro-

have a vast collection of prime Bronze

kerage company in New York, it is off the market for good.

“H

Age covers. 1960s Silver Age covers. 1980s covers. 1990s

Married now for 16 years and the father of three, Nick was

covers. 160 pages and eleven covers of Steve Epting’s fantastic Captain America art. I have the complete 14-page story from 1964’s Strange Tales #107, a classic tale of Sub-Mariner vs. Human Torch. And about 125 pages of twice-up art, including spectacular Tales of Suspense splashes and Tales to Astonish splashes. The point I’m trying to make is, when did my collection become Sal Buscema Cap art?” Necessarily rebuked, I took the time and reassessed Nick Katradis’ collection. Originally too focused on the trees to admire the forest abounding, I started my attempts to categorize Nick’s monumental collection by assigning him as an aficionado of Sal Buscema’s Captain America. And while not some imagining on my part, a presumptive portion of his collection is dedicated to Sal’s Cap. Part of an attempt to assemble uninterrupted the contents of every issue spanning the key years of Nick’s appreciation of this character that ushered him into comics. Nick’s collection actually burgeons on yet an-

OPPOSITE: Captain America #4 (Apr. 2005), cover, art: Steve Epting.

other facet of collecting; the mega-collector. What is the line crossed that

LEFT: Nick Katradis RIGHT: The Incredible Hulk #143 (Sept. 1971), cover, art: Herb Trimpe.

bloats a collection into the mega-collection, the pebble that presages the landslide? 50 pages? 100? 200? More important, what is the psychol-

ogy that leads to such an em-

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LEFT: Captain America #153 (Sept. 1972), pg. 27, pensils: Sal Buscema, inks: Jim Mooney. RIGHT: Captain America #119 (Nov. 1969), cover, pencils: Gene Colan, inks: Joe Sinnott. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

born in a small town on the island of Chios called Kardamyla. Nick

my comics in 2002 I had amassed a personal collection of al-

and his parents relocated to Brooklyn in 1970. Within two years,

most 30,000 comics, of which 12,000 were Gold and Silver

the then 11-year-old Nick was buying comics off the newsstand,

and Bronze.”

starting with Captain America and the Falcon #153.

pg. # 80

After selling the comics for months on eBay, Nick bid and

“I read and collected Disney comics even in Greece from

won his first page of original comic art, a page from Thor #306

the age of five. Every young child in Greece read Mickey and

featuring Thor in battle with Firelord. The pebble that presaged

Donald Duck. When my parents went to ‘hora,’ or the market-

the landslide. “It felt great when I finally received it in the mail

place, I could not wait to go with them so I can buy some

and I looked up the page in the actual comic. So I began to se-

Mickey Mouse books.” By the time his parents were ready to

lectively buy art on eBay, usually art under $100, mostly even

leave for the US, Nick and his brother had 5,000 comics. “I

under $50. As my taste grew I began to bid on covers, mostly

wanted to save them because my dad didn’t sell our house in

from the early ’90s as I did not want to spend a lot of money

Greece. But my dad and older brother suggested we get rid of

on the older, more expensive art.”

them. So one month before we left for the US, my older brother

Then came his first Heritage Auction purchases in 2002 of

and I burned them all in the back yard in a massive fire that still

a Ken Kelly cover and a Joe Jusko Spider-Man/Wolverine paint-

burns in my psyche sometimes.” And it was that fire, he sur-

ing. Afterwards Nick began bidding on ’70s covers. “My 1970s

mises, that ignited the fire to collect with such diligence.

appetite was officially awakened.”

“I stopped reading comics in 1994 around the time that

His ambitions more focused, there followed Sal Buscema

most publishers started to implode and the quality of the

and Captain America. “I have probably the largest 1970s Cap-

comics fell off a cliff. I stopped reading but I started to more se-

tain America art page collection by Sal out there, and very

riously collect Golden Age and Silver Age comics, as well as

proud of it.” The primary breadth of Nick’s Cap interest spans

the 1970s titles I read growing up. By the time I started selling

the fertile Englehart and Sal Buscema years. “I own over 100

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LEFT: Legion of Super-Heroes #1 (Feb. 1973), cover, art: Nick Cardy. RIGHT: Superman’s Girlfriend Lois Lane #105 (Oct. 1970), cover, pencils: Curt Swan, inks: Murphy Anderson. Characters TM & ©2009 DC Comics.

pages of Sal’s Cap art from this period, including the covers to

his pages for me is like being a kid again, with all my comics

issue #152 and #163. My collecting focus has moved to com-

spread out on the floor before me. I get lost as each page fires

pleting issue from the ’70s, but it’s not an easy task.”

off a separate neuron taking me back to that summer day, the

Sounds like a comic book plot on world domination, doesn’t it? As a consequence, we’ve all noticed over the years that

store I bought the comic from, and paging through the book, being lost in the magic of it.

a collector dedicated to buying every page of a given book

Nick’s collection shapes up and confirms the necessity for

sparks panic buying in other collectors content to possess just

the preservation of this art, and the need to present it to a

one good page from a given artist’s run. Pages that less than

broader audience. Nick, an evangelical on collecting original

a year earlier went for $200 can rocket to a stratospheric $900

art is fully in agreement with that point, but never slights the

under these incentives.

personal side of collecting.

Like trying to get a final value for pi, that’s a problem without a

“After a long day it’s nice to come home and after all the

solution. You can’t tell a collector that if he has the means, he does-

business is done to sit down after the kids are asleep and play

n’t have the right to buy every page from a given book. Right?

with our comics and art. It helps take the pressure off after a

Thwarting Nick in his quest, beyond just those random collectors snagging the occasional page, is the likewise dedicated

long day.”

Colorado Kid. However Nick counts the Colorado Kid as a

THE WORKHORSE

friend, not a rival in their twin designs on the sentinel of liberty.

Were it not for Superman, Captain America would be the

Nick’s other favorite artists include John Buscema, Jack Kirby,

most perfect superhero. The conscience of a nation rests on his

from whom he has a beautiful splash from Thor #152 – I mean

shoulders. At his inception, he was riding high on the shoulders

beautiful! – and a couple of great Ditko Spider-Man pages.

of patriotic fervor. During war, as in no other time, a nation is

But that’s just the tip of his collecting iceberg. Viewing all

focused on its essential nature, and the defense of this ideology.

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tween these long assignments, you were apt to see the occasional cover, the fill-in issue, all bearing Sal’s name. Where did he get the time? “Sal was versatile,” was how Steve Englehart encompassed Sal’s enormous and facile output. He agreed with the assessment that Sal was Marvel’s workhorse, praising and elaborating that title. “You got it exactly right. I could devise any story for any character, and Sal would not only draw it, but draw it easily, without strain.” He went further in his appreciation of Sal’s work, to trace a lot of his success at Marvel to having Sal as a co-creator early on. “I never had to tailor my creations to fit what he could do. He could do anything, so it really freed me up to dream.” And Sal could do everything, from gritty depictions of the streets of Harlem in the Captain America #140 (Aug. 1971), pencils: John Romita, inks: George Roussos. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

What made Captain America work at its inception went beyond the seminal quality of a character who embodied the spirit

ers issues which he and Englehart made legendary.

of America during the US’s involvement in the war in Europe.

“What I wanted was to be able to come up with a good

It lay with the dynamic art that filled the book, the work of duo

story and convey it to the artist who would grok everything I

Jack Kirby and onetime Fox editor Joe Simon. For two decades

was saying and put it on paper with his own sensibility. That’s

their collaborations became synonymous with slam-bang ac-

the bottom line: nothing got lost, and hopefully something was

tion comics, rewriting the rules for how comic books were to be

gained. If I could have that [with Sal], if he and I were on the

done. Captain America hosted dizzying perspectives, cine-

same page mentally, emotionally, and talent-ly [laughter] I did-

matic techniques and the characteristic exaggerated sense of

n’t care what I had to do on my end.”

action which supplanted the wooden figures that filled most of

Steve and Sal’s older brother John worked on few projects

the fledgling comic book industry. Yeah, that’s the Kirby style.

together, “so I’m not a John expert.” But Gene Colan and Steve

But when Marvel revived this ’40s hero in the turbulent ’60s

worked together on Dr. Strange, propelling it jointly to a

he was anachronistic and hard to get a handle on. He was

monthly schedule. Dr. Strange was perfect for the 1960s. He

given new direction in the ’70s with a new partner, the Falcon,

was Charon, leading you on a journey through the rivers of the

who lead this anachronism into the heart of what real America

mindscape. Steve began on the book collaborating with Frank

is, far from the austere virtues of the dream. Cap became a

Brunner, and when Frank was not able to keep up with the

symbol again, this time for an America in doubt.

schedule, Steve got a chance to work with Gene, whose con-

There was a period of “musical artists” on the book, including a stint by the omnipresent John Romita. But Cap eventually tumbled into Sal Buscema’s unrelenting hands.

fessed enthusiasm for the character was evident in every panel. “I preferred Gene because he was into each job, while John [Buscema] did work a little more from a distance. I also prefer

Sal had the honor of delineating Cap’s exploits during one

Sal to John, for the same reason. I loved John’s early stuff on

of its most influential periods. Working with first Gerry Conway,

Avengers, when he had a quirky style; once he was tapped to

then Steve Englehart, Captain America emerged into a figure

become the next Kirby and told to become godlike, the stuff

of conscience in the early 1970s.

became impressive and imposing, but not so alive. Gene on

Sal Buscema was the workhorse of Marvel, plain and simple. When he got on a magazine, he stayed on it. And in be-

pg. # 82

’70s to the surreal worlds of Dr. Strange in the early Defend-

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the other hand was living right inside the world he was drawing, with all its atmosphere.”

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For any collector, the Captain America of the ’50s storyline stands out. It was Steve’s first Cap storyline when he began what was to be a several-year run on the book. “Roy Thomas suggested the idea when I took over the book. I then developed it from the idea.” Steve was a conscientious objector in the Vietnam era, and it was in part this sensibility that helped him remold Captain America, which was on the verge of cancellation. “Cap’s having a conscience was the key to his character for me. First, because it was

to delve into.” And this led to him taking the ball from Gerry LEFT: Captain America Conway and making the Falcon into a full blown character. #147 (Mar. 1972), pg. 1, pencils: Sal

not to get inside his head. But second, his origin was as a New

“Black heroes were notoriously sketchy in those days and I felt Buscema, inks: John a commitment to work with him rather than make him the back- Verpoorten.

Deal liberal, so of course he had a conscience.”

drop. And then beyond that, he did live in an interesting world.

a time of intellectual ferment, and it was, shall we say, brain-dead

The Falcon was grit and backbone and in contrast to his more illustrious partner who was going through a crisis of faith and awareness, he was clear and purposeful. At times Captain America seemed only a partner to him, as the Falcon trucu-

RIGHT: Captain America #117 (Sept. never treated the two of them as ‘opposites’ in any way. Rather, 1969), pg. 20, pencils: Falc was Cap’s partner, period – and Falc’s world was just part Gene Colan, inks: Joe Sinnott. of the tapestry of America.”

I never saw it as the ‘counterpart’ to Cap’s Whiter world – I

lently acted in Englehart’s stories as a ferryman for Cap through

Though he doesn’t consider himself a collector in the tech-

an America of the disenfranchised, a world in which Cap was

nical sense, Steve does harbor original art. “I have a bunch

not necessarily the most welcome.

from my early days, when writers got art, and some other stuff

“All my characters interest me. I’m sure I got into writing to

I picked up along the way – all of it related to something I did.”

explore character, and whoever ended up in front of me, I tried

Steve’s tenure at Marvel sent him from the earthy world of

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LEFT; Captain America #153 (Sept. 1972), pg. 28, pencils: Sal Buscema, inks: Jim Mooney. RIGHT: Captain America #155 (Nov. 1972), pg. 11, pencils: Sal Buscema, inks: Frank McLaughlin. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Captain America, to the ethereal worlds of Dr. Strange, and on

Collector The Colorado Kid

into world-spanning tales with the Avengers. He did one of the

“It gives me some degree of anonymity,” explained the Cal-

longest and most involved origins in comics history with the

ifornia born Wall Street portfolio manager for two Mutual Funds

“Mantis” origin. And it mattered not to Steve which one of these

about the nickname he is known by. A collector with a stunning

particular spheres he happened to be assigned to. “Since it

quality of Sal Buscema’s great works on Captain America, The

starts for me with the characters, I don’t really care – but epic

Colorado Kid began collecting in 1976 while at a friend’s

stories of whatever kind allow me to spin very large and com-

house. They decided to walk across the street to a garage sale:

plex webs, which I also like. So I could do an epic Cap run as

“I found a beat up copy of Captain America #153 for a

easily as an epic Green Lantern.”

nickel and snapped it up. The art was amazing and the storyline was killer. I was hooked. My brother and I would get up at

GRAILPAGE: Captain America and the Falcon #153

5 a.m. every Saturday and go to the flea market, literally running

A page from 1975 by Steve Englehart, Sal Buscema and

through the isles looking for old comic books. I remember one

Jim Mooney, depicting the Falcon as he sees all his firmly held

day coming across an entire pick-up truck full of 12-cent

beliefs in his partner deliquesce in front of his eyes, as he pulls

Marvel comic books on sale for five comics for a quarter! What

back Captain America’s mask to reveal…well, if you read

a great memory!”

comics in the ’70s you know this story of the Captain America

The Colorado Kid frames photocopies of the art he has col-

of the ’50s. And if you don’t, I’d hate to spoil your surprise.

lected and keeps the originals in a vault at the bank to protect

The page is largely composed of close shots, focusing on the

them from the elements. Far from collecting solely as an in-

Falcon’s shock, and the insolent reaction of this exposed “hero.”

vestment, he rarely sells his art, only occasionally to finance

From the collection of The Colorado Kid.

pg. # 84

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other acquisitions. “The bottom line for me is I collect memo-

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ries. Even now, when I pull out a piece of art I can remember the day I first read that book – where I was and exactly what I was feeling. When I pull out an original sheet of art I literally can remember the excitement and smell of the comic pages as I rifled through the books for the first time. To own a piece of original art from that book is to own a piece of history and bring back a piece of my childhood.” That philosophy is why the soaring prices of art don’t bother him. “What price would you pay for a memory? Would you bring a day in your life as a child back for $1,000? $5,000? When you are the only one who has that piece of art you are the market maker. The buyer can go nowhere else, so you are the market. Therefore you can charge whatever you want or keep it forever. That’s powerful.” Though caught in bidding battles with other collectors over time, The Colorado Kid doesn’t feel any real rivalry with anyone. “There’s enough original art to go around. I think most collectors enjoy the company of other collectors in the hobby even if we are in pursuit of the same art. We have to stick together. There really aren’t that many of us! “I’m actually surprised it took me so long to begin collecting original art. I remember talking with Matt Schiffman one day about ten years ago. I was a heavy Golden Age comic collector and focused specifically on Schomberg war covers because historical art was cool to me and Schomberg’s art was intoxicating. There is something about seeing Cap and Bucky taking out Hitler or torching the Axis of Evil that seems right. Much of that art came at a time when we were taking tremendous losses in both theatres of the war. You can even see how the art became more and more graphic as the war dragged on and everyone wanted to see it come to an end. Anyway, I had just bought several Schomberg gems from Matt and asked him

high grade Silver Age Marvel runs.” Then he discovered origi- Captain America An-

if he had picked anything up for himself recently. He told me

nal comic book art.

that he mainly collected original art. I remember thinking, ‘Hmmm, that’s interesting.’ It all started then. “Once you have a piece of the original art, it’s easy to see

nual #1 (Jan. 1971), cover, pencils: Marie “It wasn’t until actually seeing and holding two consecutive Severin, inks: Frank Gipages from ASM #13 [Spidey fighting Mysterio] that the pas- acoia.

sion for this hobby really took root! Imagine being able to hold

why it is so much more important than owning the actual comic.

the very drawings used to create

And once an art collector, you can never go back.”

such incredible stories that allow us

to escape from the mundane and

Collector Will Gabri-El

venture into the unknown. Not only

Will Gabri-El knows how to hustle. In college he began cut-

that but each hand-created drawing

ting classes all too regularly to buy and sell comic books, often

is unique, one-of-a-kind, a work of

traveling between stores in Philly, New Jersey and Delaware. “I

art — this is what appeals to me and

would see a book priced at one store and recognize that a

made me fall in love with this hobby!

profit could be made by selling it to another store or at a con-

Finding these one-of-a-kind works

vention. By hustlin’ like this I was able to build up near complete

of art is a bit like archeology or

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Will Gabri-El

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treasure-hunting long lost artifacts. “I’m a 12-year-old comic geek trapped in the body of a grown man,” is how Will, now one of the elder statesmen of the hobby, still describes himself. Will talked about that first purchase of comic art that put him down this road. It was a Gil Kane page from Amazing Spider-Man #102 featuring the Lizard and a six-armed Spider-Man secured back in ’91 through CBG, while Will was still in college. “A very nice page which cost about $80, all I could stretch to afford back then.” A ravenous collector from the beginning, Will sold from his comic book collection to further his collecting goals, and “got packages [in the mail] almost every week!” Just two years after his first purchase of that $80 page, Will was bidding on and winning The Amazing Spider-Man #40 cover that was auctioned at Sotheby’s, breaking the five-figure cost barrier for him. At about this time in his collecting career, Will found himself in the middle of a trade negotiation that marked an inspiration point to rally his attempts to enhance his then-less than voluminous acquisitions. It’s become one of my favorite collector stories. “I was quite new to the hobby, when an interesting opportunity arose,” Will began what he has come to call “The Snowstorm

Story.” The opportunity was to ride shotgun with his friend Stu who Captain America was attempting to work a deal with a collector just outside of NYC #102 (June 1968), whose collection was, in Will’s words, “legendary and considered to be among the very best. Problem was that Dr. Stu couldn’t pick me up until the afternoon, which meant we’d probably be getting back late and it was expected to snow badly that evening. “We arrived mid-afternoon to a nice, older home in the suburbs and our host was waiting at the door, beckoning for us to come in. We anxiously hastened in and were led to a room at the back of the house, along the way noting artwork laying across a couch and tucked under a chair. After introductions and pleasantries we settled into some good ol’ fanboy folio flippin’ and weren’t disappointed!” What they saw was a trust of

cover, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Syd Shores. LEFT: Captain America #249 (Sept. 1980), cover, pencils: John Byrne, inks: Joe Rubinstein. OPPOSITE: Justice League of America #197 (Dec. 1981), cover, pencils: George Pérez, inks: Mike DeCarlo.

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there. Underneath the chair were several complete Kirby stories including two pre-#10 X-Men stories along with the Tales of Suspense story that had Iron Man battling Sub-Mariner. We spent awhile flipping through these stories just blown away by their beauty and how historic these were! But we had been there a few hours already and Stu wanted to get down to business and try to work out a deal with our host. Before any trade talks took place our host remembered another piece he wanted to share with us and went digging in a closet. From underneath a hatbox he pulled out the Steve Ditko pin-up to ASM #23 which showcases Spider-Man in shadow surrounded by small vignettes of all the people the webhead had encountered, friend and foe, in his first two years as the wallcrawler – wow!” When Stu and the collector began their negotiations, Will’s opinions were solicited. “Up to this point I felt like a fly on the wall witnessing two prize fighters sizing each other up, but now was my time to be heard. Can’t say I remember much of what I said that day other than displaying that I knew comic books and could reason out trade values in a deal. Stu was after the JIM #114 story and wanted to trade his Captain America #1

The New Teen Titans #21, (July 1982), cover, art: George Pérez.

old Ditko ASM pages, Kirby Avengers and Fantastic Four pages including a complete FF tale inked by George Bell. “There were several Atlas pre-hero stories, the highlight of which was ‘X, The Thing That Lived!’ We went on to see a large

pg. # 88

art Dan Adkins Tales to Astonish cover, a small size Kirby/Sinnott Fantastic Four cover along with a really cool Kirby Marvel’s Greatest Comics cover of the Fantastic Four. I was simply blown away.” Their host boasted of some of the pieces that he didn’t have at home, and Will took special note of a Daredevil #43 cover he mentioned. They moved back into the living room, and as Will attempted to take a seat he found it piled with comic pages. “I picked up no less than three Frank Miller Dark Knight pages just laying

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ibility. Not an ideal situation, but we were so blown away by what we had seen that day that the hydroplaning, slipping and sliding down the highway was less important. It was after midnight before I got home and probably 2 a.m. for Stu, but that didn’t matter. We had been to the ‘Mountaintop of Comic Art’ and Stu had come away with a nice prize, and I was inspired in my quest to collect art. I didn’t know how I would ever get some of the kinds of pieces we had seen that day but knew I would try like hell to make it happen. “Come to think of it, we were so excited by all the great art we saw that we didn’t even eat dinner that night.” Since that pivotal time, Will has probably worked more deals with art seller Mike Burkey than anyone else, an estimated 500 transactions in 15 years, including Will’s Amazing Spider-Man #242 cover and the cover for Marvel Two-In-One #7, and by the mid-’90s Will came to the realization that he was as actively selling original art as any dealer, and decided to become one since it would only stand to grow his personal collection. In the beginning he relied on shopping pieces via phone, through friends and acquaintances, sending images via fax or by mail, and setting up at the occasional convention. “As the Internet grew in popularity and more people gained access to it, I ran eBay auctions monthly and decided to launch a website” (www.comicartpage.com) which he updates monthly, to facilitate sales, further network with other collectors, “not like I didn’t already,” to enjoy the hobby even more and even display his own want list. With his collection at one point swelling to an enormous 800 pages, Will has shaved it down to under 200 pieces, still a prodigious mega-collection. He mostly keeps them unframed, in portfolios. “I prefer to be able to see, touch and smell my artwork.” However with Will you get the impression that the comic art is only part of his enjoyment of the hobby. Before his first Thor #152 (May 1968), cover, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 90

comic book for it. I don’t recall the details but he left with that

purchase of comic art in ’91, Will received a Wolverine draw-

story along with a couple pages from Avengers #2 and left be-

ing by George Pérez in ’81 as a gift from his mother who pur-

hind his Captain America #1 comic book along with a few

chased it from George who was making a local comic shop

pages of art and some cash. I vowed to visit our host again and

appearance. “I still have it today and it’s priceless to me!” He

return with something to tempt him for his DD cover, a vow

speaks just as affectionately of the friends he’s made, includ-

which I made good on a couple years later, but my collection

ing (the previously mentioned) Dr. Stu Deitcher, Glen

had to grow quite a bit more before I could step up to the plate.

Brunswick, and a few other “key” collectors.

“It wasn’t until we were leaving that we realized it was now

“Having a common interest such as original art provides a basis

after 9 p.m. and dark outside, which was okay – time flies when

to be friendly once you get to know people. Stu introduced me to

you’re geeking out and having fun – but in those few hours over

then-convention promoter and now original art dealer Hans

12 inches of snow had fallen and covered the car! Worse than

Kosenkranius way back before I got my first page and we’ve been

that, it was still coming down heavy and we had about 100

friends ever since — both even attended my wedding ceremony

miles to travel. We drove in heavy traffic, behind snow plows

about ten years ago. We all used to carpool to various conventions

and salt trucks between 10-20 mph the entire ride with low vis-

and occasionally meet up on lazy Sundays. Hans and I share a

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booth every year at Wizard World Philadelphia.” Besides his transactions with Mike Burkey, Will’s collection of John Byrne art has burgeoned with the help and friendship of Jim Warden, the exclusive agent for Mr. Byrne. “For several years I had probably the largest collection of John Byrne artwork with more than 500 pages which included about 40 covers mostly from his work in the early 1980s. This was no mistake, I truly followed and admired John’s work on Captain America, Fantastic Four and of course X-Men among the many other titles he’s worked on. I just couldn’t seem to get enough of it and bought up everything I could get my hands on! Over the years, as I was able to get more desirable pieces I pared my collection of Byrne art down considerably to about 125 pieces, mostly consisting of a few complete stories and a handful of my favorite covers.” Comic art dealing isn’t Will’s only business. He also co-owns with his wife a business called Grown-Up Goodies, an adult toy company that specializes in in-home party demonstrations for women. “Think Tupperware,” Will explained. He also invests in real estate, when not spending time with his three daughters. As a dealer Will had this to say about prices. “Prices continue to rise because of increased demand and awareness of our hobby. There are pretty pieces of artwork for sale at almost every price level, it’s a matter of finding what you enjoy and reconciling it with what you can afford. If you collect the most sought after and classic artists such as Kirby, Ditko, Romita Sr. or more contemporary favorites like Jim Lee or McFarlane your wallet or 401k plan could find itself empty! This is why most collectors tend to be active buyers for maybe four or five years before either getting their fill of examples or just becoming too discouraged by prices that have often doubled by the end of those five years. It’s hard to pay twice as much for a page from say Fantastic Four #57 as you did for a similar page from the

many characters that have anchored themselves within pop cul- Marvel Two-In-One

same issue three years ago, and some collectors just walk

ture, the ’70s and ’80s seasoned and refined these characters #54 (Aug. 1979),

away and marvel at what’s already in their folios. Others are

we’ve grown to know and love although they’re still going strong

gluttons for punishment and if finances are limited must find

cover, pencils: George Pérez, inks: Terry today. Given this, it seems difficult today to match the importance Austin.

new and creative ways to acquire the art they collect. Most of

of the ’60s or thrill of the 20 or so years that came after that. How-

the time this means either buying fewer pieces or trading/sell-

ever there are many modern artists who are worth collecting — I like

ing some art they already have for more desired artwork.

Pacheco, Jimenez and Van Sciver just to name a small few. Unlike

“To some degree high prices are discouraging,” he had to admit.

their predecessors, most modern artists are acutely aware of the

“But often when a new collector gets ‘the fever’ there is no stop-

values their artwork can command and often price their works in

ping them! The thrill of hunting one-of-a-kind originals is intoxicat-

line with what many more seasoned artists’ works sell.”

ing and exciting and once you’re hooked there is little turning back. Overall the hobby of original art collecting is growing.” Being a child of the ’70s Will’s favorite time period in comics rests somewhere between 1965-1985. “The ’60s gave birth to

Still actively a collector, Will’s focus over the last two years has been on Silver Age artwork, particularly on “The King” Jack Kirby. “Lately I’ve managed to snag some incredible examples.” The thrill of the hunt survives.

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CHAPTER 6 THEME COLLECTIONS “It’s amazing what can happen to prices when a few collectors focus on a particular segment of the market…” – Glen Brunswick

Collector David Gearheart

items are one of a kind, and more important, history.” Nearly half of David’s collection gravitated to him from other TOP ROW: Tales of

can’t sell a son or a daughter,” is how David Gear-

“I

collectors, either from direct offers, or through casual conver-

heart of Chicago describes his inability to part

sations that led to them offering him pieces of their collection

with his comic art. “The art is like children to me.

based on his interest. He keeps up his associations with other

The art can be on that level.”

collectors via the online boards and at some shows.

Taking to heart the words “be fruitful and multiply,” David has

On the price of comic art: “Some titles/runs/characters/

over 20 children of the same litter: Iron Man pages mostly by

artists have gotten ahead of themselves, but other have room

George Tuska, part of a theme that runs through his collection.

to grow. New collectors can start tomorrow and find some

Clocking in at a relative youngster for the collecting field at only

good, affordable examples of their favorite characters or artists.

30 years old, David started reading Iron Man in the late Bob Lay-

The key is keeping your eyes open, talking to fellow collectors

ton era. “But over time I did pick up back-issues and discovered

and dealers about your interest, and being patient.”

Suspense #52 (April 1964), pg. 11, art: Don Heck. Tales of Suspense #47 (Nov. 1963), pg. 8, pencils: Steve Ditko, inks: Don Heck. Tales of Suspense #47 (Nov. 1963), pg. 19, pencils: Steve Ditko, inks: Don Heck. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Tuska’s fantastic work along with that of Don Heck and Gene

Patience served David well while he searched for a Gary Gianni MIDDLE ROW: Tales of

Colan.” David’s favorite storylines in Tuska’s long run on the title

Indiana Jones and the Sea Devil splash. “I looked for it for two Suspense #47 (July

were some of the early issues where George was paired with the

years and spoke with Mr. Gianni about it on several occasions. He 1964), pg. 14, art:

smooth inks of long-time comic artist Johnny Craig.

said he doubted that he had it, but if he did it would cost X dollars.

David began collecting about a decade past, along with a lot of other collectors who were ushered in by the ready availability of the Internet. “Quite late for the pieces I am looking for. I have been quite lucky finding a few pages from stories I love the most, but like most collectors, it’s the luck of the draw. “I saw a comic page from an “Iron Man”/Tales of Suspense story I read two days prior. I said to myself, ‘Man, that’s ironic

Don Heck. Weird War Tales #31 (Nov. It showed up on eBay by chance a few months later for less than 1974), cover, art: Luis Mr. Gianni quoted me on it, and for less than the owner paid for it! Dominguez. The House Best of all, no one bid against me. It was the first true piece I sought of Secrets #118 (Apr. 1974), cover, art: Luis out, found, and was able to afford easily.” Dominguez.

David has a few pieces he’s currently seeking, including the splashes from his favorites, Iron Man #7 and #8. “This hobby has

to see an original page from a book I just read and enjoyed.’

gotten very competitive. If one of your ‘competitors’ has a lot of BOTTOM ROW: Weird money and collects the same stuff you do, it makes it hard. But, if War Tales #23 (Mar.

So I bought it for what I thought was an obscene amount of

you do your research and ask around, you can still find stuff. No one

money, $330. At the time I had no frame of reference, did not

can corner everything, no matter how big their pocket book is.”

know what it was worth, but it was so cool to be holding the page from a book that blew me away when I read it.”

Iron Man had the most political origin next to the FF’s, as Stark’s pro-war munitions industry landed him wounded in the clutches of the

Over the next couple of years he continued to purchase,

“Commies.” Don Heck got him started, but handed the baton to Ditko.

and classified the amounts he paid as “a ridiculous amount of

Then started a changing of artists as frequent as armor upgrades,

money. Looking back, I wish I would have bought every page I

beginning with Kirby, back to Heck, Syd Shores, and in the ’70s

passed on. Complete books were selling for less than what

George Tuska, another artist trained over the instructional pencils of

one page is selling for now. It should have been obvious that

Kirby who aped Kirby’s boxy style but developed a picture perfect

these works would continue to grow in value because these

image for this transistor-age knight. Comic books have always been

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1974), cover, art: Luis Dominguez. Indiana Jones and the Shrine of the Sea Devil #1 (Sept. 1994), pg. 24, art: Gary Gianni. The Invincible Iron Man #57 (Apr. 1973), pg. 1, pencils: George Tuska, inks: Mike Esposito and Frank Giacoia. Characters TM & ©2009 respective owners.

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at their best when the characters are used as primary-colored

storyline because I traded with another collector of early

anthropomorphisms of ideologies. Iron Man struggled through

Defenders art who got all my art from the Guardians of the

alcoholism, broken hearts (literally) and professional collapse, but of

Galaxy storyline and I received a bunch of pages from the Sons

late Tony Stark’s more conservative, right wing political views have

of the Serpent story and a Starlin piece I really wanted.”

made him the antithesis of the more liberal Captain America. And

Only about a quarter of Weng’s collection comes from col-

though this has lead to what some consider a new golden age in

lector deals. Being in Asia, he’s a little out of the usual baili-

comic book storytelling, it is somewhat of a disappointment to long-

wick of art collecting, and thus hasn’t fostered a cache of close

term fans that their hero has now become the goat – put bluntly, he’s

relations with other collectors.

everybody’s bitch. But the marvelous thing about comic books is that

“I developed a strong liking for the Captain Marvel character and

death and disgrace are just launching pads for ambitious comebacks

the cosmic storylines involving Thanos,” Weng offered as introduc-

down the line. The name Iron Man doesn’t just refer to the armor he

tion to several nice Jim Starlin pages that are another facet to his col-

wears, but also to the indomitable man inside the armor.

lecting. “Starlin was the artist on most of those and that is what

The Mandarin, Iron Man’s quintessential foe, was an offshoot of the Sax Rohmer character Fu Manchu, and by his very name

drove me to collect those pages. I was also a huge fan of the Avengers and to a lesser extent the X-Men, growing up.”

conjured images of Eastern mysticism and magic despite the fact

Among his collection is a beautiful Neal Adams X-Men page,

that his powers came from an advanced alien civilization, the

a pricey and rare addition to a collection because of the small

aliens behind the myth of the Chinese dragon. It was the con-

number of issues Neal drew. “I’ve found that I am now a lot more

trast of the ancient Mandarin that made him the most appropriate

careful on what I spend money on. That being said, the cool thing

villain for the high-tech, Western creature of science.

about this hobby is that when you pass on a piece there is always a chance that something else you like will come along.”

Collector Weng Keong Tam Weng breeds chinchillas. Everybody needs a hobby. He’s also an avid player and collector of board games, particularly the new “Euro Games” that arrived on the market in the past decade. And, of course, comic art, with a definite lean towards the Defenders, and a concentration on issues #22-#25, the issues Bob McLeod inked. “When I was a kid I loved the early Defenders stories that were typically along the lines of ‘Whoops, there’s a crisis and Dr. Strange needs some help to deal with it. Let’s see who he can find to help out.’ The early issues of Defenders all seemed to rotate around those lines and I fell in love with that.” Weng earns a buck as an international tax accountant. “This is my busy season,” he deflected me with on my first venture to contact him during the month of March, but somehow squeezed in the time to answer my questions. “I do tax work for US citizens working outside the US and for non-US citizens coming into the US to work. There are a lot of very unique tax issues that come from being an expatriate, and multinationals engage the Big 4 accounting firms to provide tax assistance to their expatriate populations.” Weng, who describes himself as 80% theme collector and 20% art collector, grew up in Southeast Asia but did his colThe Defenders #24 (June 1975), pg. 26, pencils: Sal Buscema, inks: Bob McLeod. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 94

lege grad work in Texas before moving to Singapore to start his career. Sal Buscema wasn’t a factor for Weng in his attraction to the Defenders art. “It just happens that he drew many of the stories I have a strong nostalgia for. “Actually I have a lot of pages from the Sons of the Serpent

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INTERVIEW WITH BOB McLEOD In a process Henry Ford would have approved of, comic books were constructed assembly line style. From a writer’s script, an artist would layout and delineate the images in pencil, passing his contribution on to a different artist to apply the black India ink to the penciled lines, imbuing the art with a

ing on commissions! I’m constantly turning people down be- LEFT: The Defenders

fusion of both artists’ styles. Although most target the penciler

cause I have so many commissions already waiting. I’m so far #24 (June 1975), pg.

as the primary artist’ the contributions of the inker shouldn’t be

behind on them, due to editing [TwoMorrows Publishing’s]

devalued’ as their style can enhance or interfere with the in-

Rough Stuff [magazine].”

tentions of the penciler. Knowledgeable collectors seek comic

27, pencils: Sal Buscema, inks: Bob McLeod.

Bob grew up reading Mad magazine rather than Marvel, and

book art that is a function of all the participant creators and the

his heart always remained in the humorous comics. “I started RIGHT: The Defenders

character they developed. The same character drawn by a dif-

out at Marvel working for Crazy magazine, and that’s where I 3, pencils: Sal belonged. I loved drawing Teen Hulk and the movie satires. But Buscema, inks: Bob

ferent team fetches vastly different sums of money. But many of the general comic reading public remain un-

#24 (June 1975), pg.

I realized the comic business was becoming all about super- McLeod.

knowing, uncaring, or indifferent to the contributions of an inker.

heroes and I wouldn’t get any respect unless I could draw

An issue of concern with some inkers.

them. So I taught myself how to draw dramatic comics by

“I wanted to be Mort Drucker, not Jack Kirby,” says Bob McLeod, much sought out on the commission circuit, who admits with a certain chagrin, “I have a list of over 40 people wait-

studying the two artists I considered the best, Neal Adams and John Buscema.” Bob’s inking idol was the versatile and stylish Tom Palmer.

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Bob believes the only thing that can show fans an inker’s true input is to show the pages before and after inking. Bob worked on John Buscema in Conan, and found John’s pencils to be some of his favorite to ink. “I’m an artist, and inking is just one of the skills I’ve learned to do comics. So since I know how to create a scene from a blank sheet of paper it’s no problem for me to finish up loose pencils. I prefer inking breakdowns because I can finish the art in my own way, rather than following the penciler’s style. Tight pencils cause the ink line to be less spontaneous and not as artistic.” Bob was able to use his full skills while inking Sal Buscema’s pencils on the Defenders, particularly on the much lauded ‘Sons of the Serpents’ storyline (as seen in these pages from Eelco Veldhuizen’s collection). “Sal Buscema’s breakdowns leave a lot of room for the inker to take over. Some inkers take over more than others. Because I’m also a penciler I basically just used his layouts and tried to make the drawing my own, and my style is much more subtle and more rendered than Sal’s. I like what Janson did with Sal,” Bob admitted, referring to Klaus Janson, the inker who worked on the Defenders just prior to Bob’s tenure. “I was just beginning to feel confident in my inking at that time and was studying Tom Palmer intensely. I was trying my best to make that job as interesting as Palmer would have. I think I fell short of that goal, but I was able to have a lot of fun with it.” The sometimes staggering prices of comic art have caused Bob to avoid collecting. “Art selling for tens of thousands may suddenly be worth a fraction of its current value in a few years. But some historic pages will always be in demand from art collectors. There is still very good quality original art affordable for the average collector though, if art is what they want rather than collectible covers.” The Defenders #24 (June 1975), pg. 18, pencils: Sal Buscema, inks: Bob McLeod. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

Often, in Bob’s opinions, the general comic reading public does-

Bob is flattered with the thought that his work in comics is

n’t fully appreciate the contribution an inker makes to an artist’s

appreciated and collected. “This is a wonderful business in that

work. “Certain art collectors do know the contribution inkers

way because your ego is constantly getting stroked. It’s very

make because they closely examine the art. But art collectors

gratifying and makes me want to do more.” He felt there was a

represent only a small subset of the fan audience. The vast ma-

downside in that sometimes the good stuff is not always dis-

jority of fans have difficulty discerning different inking styles.”

cerned from the mediocre stuff. “My New Mutants work is far

Over the years there’s been a lot of sway in opinions be-

from my best work. What would really make me happy is if there

tween the contributions of various pencilers and their inkers.

was a big demand for my work on Crazy, or for my Superman

Some say Alfredo Alcala enhanced John Buscema’s pencils

or Spider-Man or Star Wars work.”

on Savage Sword, and many, including the man himself, John

Still, Bob concedes that a lot of his work on New Mutants

Buscema, believed Alcala smothered his style. Conversely

met with his approval. “It’s great that it’s still being collected

there are few who would debate Tom Palmer’s ability to adapt

and enjoyed by new readers.”

Gene Colan’s mélange of gray and black pencil tones into concrete black ink lines.

pg. # 96

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INTERVIEW WITH DICK GIORDANO

the pencil artist did that was good work was still there when I

It has always been my goal to be certain that everything

Taking the thread from Bob McLeod about the general fan’s

finished the pages and that I should help him the best way I

confusion over the role of an inker, Dick Giordano, former DC

can when he falters. And that is why all the best inkers are com-

editor, artist and inker best known for his work with Neal Adams

petent artists as well as embellishers!

on Batman, and his amazing work over Ross Andru’s pencils

I enjoyed much of your work, but I have to say I was floored

on the newly rediscovered DC/Marvel crossover Superman vs.

by the detailed job you did on the adaptation of Bram

Spider-Man, talked with me about an inker’s role, his career,

Stoker’s Dracula in Dracula Lives.

and his views on original art collecting.

DG: Thank you.

Dick Giordano: I do agree with Bob as far as appreciation of

Was Dracula sort of a sweet spot in your career? An oasis

the inker’s role in the production of a comic story is concerned.

maybe from assignments you were less enthralled with?

But a lot of that comes from ignorance of exactly what the inker does. I’ve talked to a number of people in the past who thought the inker did the coloring! Your description of the inker’s relationship to the penciler would be far more accurate in the past, before computer colorists started being the “makeup artist” and the inker’s skill set was reduced, primarily to preparing the black-and-white drawing for computer color. A coloring book line is often sufficient. There are, of course, exceptions to this harsh view, but now the general reading public is even less aware of the inker’s role in the production of a comic story. In a gross generalization, do you think that some of the current artists are less concerned with storytelling and more concerned with doing pin-up and poster-style pages, not necessarily good for the serialized medium of comics? DG: Yes, what you said! Many of the “hot” artists and their fans seem to place very little value on the importance of storytelling. Though your styles are vastly different, as an inker you share a quality with Tom Palmer in that whomever you inked you always seemed to draw out the best in that person’s work. You worked on John Buscema and others who did loose pencils. With what you brought to a penciler’s work, do you prefer looser pencils? DG: John was not particularly interested in drawing detailed panels. He confined his efforts to storytelling, action and composition, and Marvel encouraged him to focus on those objectives because he was able to do more pages if he left the majority of the rendering decisions to the inker. In most cases, John was paid less for doing “layouts,” an industry term for pencil work that lacked finished detail. The inker would have the difference between John’s pencil rate and his layout rate added to his ink rate so that he could afford to spend the extra time necessary to finish John’s layouts and in the process make the work more personal. If you haven’t already figured it out, I much prefer loose pencils to extra-tight road maps. More of me is in the work that way.

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later as a freelance contributor. Roy and OPPOSITE: Legion of I (we became friendly when I took over Monsters #1 (Sept. as EIC [Editor in Charge] at Charlton and he was writing a book for us) would meet as often as we could for lunch, and

at one of them we discussed our mutual LEFT: Detective love for the Bram Stoker classic. This Comics #407 (Jan. eventually led to his suggesting that we 1971), pg. 2, pencils:

Neal Adams, inks: Dick

DC Comics.

chance! Dracula had been the first horror novel I read as a child and became my favorite! I was saddened to see Dracula Lives cancelled before we were more than a third of the way through the material. And delighted when 35 years later Marvel asked if we had any interest in completing it. Roy and I jumped at the chance and the rest, as they say, is history. Then I guess you enjoyed the shot you had at another book outside the realm of the traditional superhero in the adaptation of Robert E. Howard’s “The Jewels of Gwahlur” in Savage Sword #25. Buscema and Kane were hard and fast fans of the sword and sorcery genre. Did it hold as much appeal for you? DG: Yes. It was a whole different set of drawing dynamics. What superhero material did you enjoy, then? DG: The superhero material that I enjoyed working on most was the non-powered Wonder Woman stuff with Denny DG: Shhh! I never was a super-hero fan…but don’t tell any-

O’Neil and Mike Sekowsky and the Green Arrow series written

one! I faked it for about 30 years because that was where the

and originally drawn by Mike Grell and later by Dan Jurgens.

work was! When I first started in this business in the early ’50s

How does it make you feel when you see how respected

none of the companies that I worked for published super-

your works are by the art collecting community?

heroes and/or book length stories. So I spent my time drawing

DG: I feel happy that I am being remembered fondly. I often

Westerns, romance, detective, hot rod, sci-fi, mystery and

don’t share in the financial rewards – I’ve seen pages that I

horror stories, mostly in eight- to ten-page segments. A bit later

sold into the collecting community decades ago for $50 go for

I did full-length books on a variety of subject matters including

$1,200 on eBay.

TV and movie adaptations for Dell. I was quite happy with the variety of genres I was able to work on.

Commissioned drawings have become a decent revenue stream for me, though.

Later, I began working for DC, first on staff as an editor and

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CHAPTER 7 BLUE CHIP COLLECTORS “The comic art hobby has an effect; to get the rush you go for higher prices…” – Jaume Vaquer “Jack Kirby is the Marvel Universe. I think as long as those characters exist, and are popular, Jack Kirby will be popular.” – David Schwartz “I am of the Kirby faith…without Kirby, where would we be?” – Kelly Borkert

Collector Steve Welch

the new talents entering the business. So many artists cut their

“W

teeth doing finishes over Jack’s layouts. And so many others

ho am I? I’ve been asking myself that for years.

entered the field as imitators of the Kirby style.

Only a good therapist can help me sort that out.”

Steve likes Kirby’s FF. He also likes his pre-hero art. But

When I spoke to Steve Welch he was engaged in bidding

Steve’s a great guy, the kind that wouldn’t begrudge someone

on page 15 from Fantastic Four #40 by Jack Kirby which was

who outbid him on this auction. Beat him out for a page and

three days from its end date on eBay. To anyone who knows

he’d still invite you for dinner.

him it’s the worst kept secret that Steve is trying to put together

Looking more like he should be in California, the tanned

the big battle scene between the Thing and Doctor Doom from that issue that spans pages 14-20. He already has three consecutive pages – 16-18 – and his hopes in this auction are to expand that to four consecutive pages, putting him that much closer to his monumental goal. There was no genius to Stan Lee in the creation of his superheroes. The Fantastic Four was a pastiche commingled from Carl Burgos’s 1939 creation the Human Torch; any of a dozen Timely comics monsters, including the Heap, becoming the Thing; Mr. Fantastic, a less capricious Plastic Man; H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man given a sex change for the Invisible Girl; and the template for the comic descended from DC’s meandering Jack Kirby story “Challengers of the Unknown.” Challengers of the Unknown was an exciting concept but it needed just a little tinkering. That is where Stan Lee’s genius did manifest. Boy, did it get tinkered. The Fantastic Four premiered in 1962, with the concept of

Fantastic Four #40 (July 1965), pg. 15, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta.

COTU shot into the stratosphere, literally. No longer the survivors of a plane crash, the FF walked away from a manned orbital space flight irradiated and mutated into superhuman beings. Their tales of scientific adventures were driven by Marvel’s who’s-who

OPPOSITE: Fantastic Four #40 (July 1965), pg. 18, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta.

of talents. Their co-creator Jack Kirby is most associated with the title, though John Buscema, Walt Simonson and John Byrne were notable torch bearers. But the FF will always be Jack’s book. Jack defined Marvel in the ’60s, either as the artist on a

book, or because of the influence his style had on developing

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Steve Welch, sporting the Reed Richards graying above the

published several years before the X-Men even existed just

ears as well as a comic book physique, is a hard-core scuba

jazzes me for some reason. It’s like seeing a draft of the Dec-

diver, along with his wife. They are trained in and dive with

laration of Independence. And almost as historically important!”

rebreathers rather than standard scuba. They also collect Mex-

Steve admits to being a fan of a number of modern artists,

ican folk art and he’s a pinball enthusiast who has a couple of

“but I haven’t actively pursued works by them because I’ve been

pinball machines of his own, both with monster themes: Elvira

focusing on my Kirby addiction – ahem! – I mean collection.”

Scared Stiff, and Monster Bash.

someone, Steve makes the acknowledgement that any indi-

course monster movies.” His affection didn’t distinguish be-

viduals opinion on “art” as an overview mean absolutely noth-

tween classics like King Kong, and the unapologetically cheesy

ing. “Art appreciation is so subjective that I can’t make broad

B-movies of the ’50s with their host of egregious giant ra-

sweeping statements about what’s worthy or unworthy art. I

dioactive bugs and space-faring conquerors. “I’m a big fan of

know it’s a cliché to say ‘if you collect what you love it will never

Ray Harryhausen,” technical effects director of the movies 20

matter if it loses value.’ But those are very true statements. I

Million Miles to Earth, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, and

just happen to love Kirby. When I started buying Kirby art it was

It Came from the Sea.

not terribly expensive. Now it is.

The bagatelle Kirby and Ditko monster anthologies that bulked

“I think there are some artists today who are doing and cre-

out the ’50s Marvel lineup were in essence homage to the soph-

ating very significant things and who will be the blue chips of

omoric but addictive double-billed ’50s monster features. “Basi-

the current generation,” Welch forecasted. “Every generation

cally the comic book equivalent of them. I always loved the stories,

will have its favorite artists. I know a lot of younger collectors

even though there are about seven different plots that get recycled!”

who don’t have the appreciation that I do of Kirby and Ditko,

Steve collected the comics and put together high-grade runs of all

and that’s cool. Someone who grew up reading Marvel comics

the titles. “I love the stories. Specifically the Kirby and Ditko art. So

in the late ’70s and early ’80s is probably going to want Sal

when I began collecting original art I always thought, boy, would it

Buscema art more than I do, and that’s okay. There are so many

be amazing if I could ever get a Fin Fang Foom page. In fact, when

talented artists in the business today and a lot of people ap-

I joined the CGC boards in 2004 I had as my most wanted col-

preciate their art. Some of it will become very valuable and

lectible Strange Tales #89’s Fin Fang Foom splash page. Whooda

some of it will not. If I knew what that was, I wouldn’t tell you –

thunk I’d end up actually owning one a couple of years later?”

I’d just buy it all up. After all, when I’m 70 Jack Kirby art might

The pre-hero monsters were a fertile bed for later harvest-

not be valuable any more. Who knows, right? Walking Dead art

ing in Marvel’s superhero characters. The name he and others

might be going for $15,000 for an interior page by that time, in-

have applied to these pre-hero inspirations for the superhero

stead of Kirby/Sinnott FF.

revolution of the ’60s and ’70s are “prototypes.” “They provide insight into the incubation and development of key aspects of the future Marvel Universe.”

pg. # 102

Of the belief that any and all art is worthy of collecting to

“When I was a kid I loved dinosaurs, monsters and of

“…Okay, maybe not zombie art… (not that I’m dissing the artists on the series!) “The art is really moving into the stratosphere. You can find

Steve gave an example, citing a clear prototype from Tales

reasonable Silver and Bronze Age art,” Welch pleaded, “if you

of Suspense #6, “The Mutant and Me!.” “There’s a story where

aren’t talking about the blue chips like Kirby, Ditko, Adams,

two businessmen are debating the existence of ‘mutants’ –

Steranko, etc. Severin pages are still reasonable as are some

people with extraordinary powers. One of them has a theory

Colan pages. Heck art was reasonable but has been going up

about their existence while the other kind of pooh-poohs the

lately, partly due to the pre-movie Iron Man hype. I think you’ll

idea. Later in the story the man who doesn’t believe in mutants

see less new blood buying in the blue chip Silver Age markets,

gets locked in one of his safes and just before he is asphyxi-

unless it’s speculators or people who can afford those prices.

ated he unknowingly phases through the wall of the safe, thus

Who knows what the ceiling is? You’ve got people who used

saving his life [Shadowcat or Vision prototype, anyone?] and

to spend $15,000 on a comic [book] now realizing they can

then realizes that mutants do indeed exist and he is a mutant!

use the money to buy art.” He went on to observe, “I see comic

So right there you’ve got the prototypical essence of the X-Men

collectors paying $300 for a 9.9 Ultimate Spider-Man #1 and

and Marvel mutant mythos, with a little Hulk essence thrown in

I just shake my head. But hey, that’s their preference and if that

(transformation occurs under stress). Seeing that kind of thing

makes them happy then more power to them.

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“They’re becoming too expensive for straight-up cash deals,” Steve Welch further conceded when I previously talked to him at the WizardWorld convention in 2007, thinking as he was at the time about a Don Heck Tales of Suspense splash he’d seen at the convention and confided that he coveted. “You’re seeing more cash-andtrade deals for the big ticket pages. There’s a great thing on the CGC boards: What can you get for $30,000? Not a question I thought I’d be asking myself ten years ago.” “There’s been a lot of discussion on various online forums about whether some of the prices on the web sites are ‘real’ sales or partial cash/partial trade,” Steve augmented his point a bit. “Just because a dealer says an item that was listed as $10,000 is now ‘sold’ doesn’t mean he got 10K cash. It could have been trade, or a combination of both. But just when people start to justify the high prices as being inaccurate reporting, you see original art sales on Heritage, eBay and ComicLink that are through the ceiling!” This brought to mind an interesting conversation Steve Welch and I once had about the practice of lower cost “substitutions.” John Buscema blue chip art would be his Avengers work with inker Tom Palmer. Boil off everything else and the strength of John’s work is in his ability to draw the human figure in motion — a skill equally on display in John’s Conan art, which became a smart option for fans interested in John’s work and not slaves to the dictates of fads. Likewise Gene Colan’s Dracula art has become a lower cost, equal quality alternative to the higher priced Daredevil art. Welch understood what I was describing, nodding through the last part of the question, and offered an elaboration. Given full creative control as editor, writer and artist at DC, Jack produced a series of interWorld.” He later produced titles like the futuristic OMAC,

An inadvertent but not unwelcome side-effect of substitu- Tales to Astonish #65 tions is also known as getting ahead of the curve. I first bought (Mar. 1965), pg. 1,

Kamandi and The Demon.

Buscema/Alcala Conan art back in 2002 when you could get

connected titles under the umbrella sobriquet, “The Fourth

“People realize they can’t get some of Jack Kirby’s classic

it for $150 a page. Now that the herd has been diverted to a

Silver Age stuff. So they’re looking at his Fourth World and his

greater appreciation of Conan, those pages are worth six or

Machine Man pages and even Super Powers stuff – things

more times their original costs. Cool.

that five years ago nobody would have touched as being considered second or third tier compared to his Silver Age

And for the record, Steve won the FF #40 page he was bidding on. “I’m still giddy from it!” Way to go!

Marvel work. People are shifting from what they can’t afford to looking at things that maybe aren’t his Silver Age stuff and saying they can afford this.” Unintentionally he echoed a sentiment understood and expressed by Hari Naidu previously.

GRAILPAGE: Tales to Astonish #65 Jack Kirby divvied up the lion’s share of the artistic workload of Marvel’s emerging pantheon of heroes in the ’60s with

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Tales of Suspense and the Avengers’ Don Heck, and SpiderMan and Strange Tales artist Steve Ditko.

An artist is his work, it’s their métier, an aspect of which Gerry Conway addressed when he described drawing from

Concurrently, Steve Ditko’s rise and eventual departure from

“the inside out.” All artists draw from the inside out to a degree,

Marvel paralleled Jack Paar’s ascension and eventual sudden de-

it’s what shapes their artistic imprint, that interface between

parture from television. Along with other problems with Marvel, after

their skills set, their perceptions of the outside world, and their

a falling out over the identity of the Green Goblin, Steve Ditko left

recycled representation of that world. We call it their “style”.

the character that he will forever be associated with, much as Jack

So to understand Jack’s work and his importance to comics,

Paar became disenchanted with television when one of his jokes

you have to know Jack. “Jack and Roz were incredible people,”

was censored. Ditko ended, for many years, a long association with

was the recounting I received from David Schwartz, who became

Marvel, one that stretched back to the 1950s.

a personal friend of Jack and Roz Kirby in the ’80s. “Everyone

Along with the webspinning sensation, Ditko was tossed Dr.

who’s in the collecting field has heard stories about how Jack

Strange, whose tales were in keeping with the Lucy-in-the-Sky-

and Roz were, about how nice they were, how open they were to

with-Diamonds culture of the 1960s, making the Master of the

fans, how decent they were, and how they welcomed fans into

Mystic Arts big at college campuses like San Francisco’s Berkley.

their home and really treated them all like they were family. When

For many collectors, Steve is equally lauded for the pre-hero

they’d come out they’d feed them, they’d take time away from

work in Strange Tales, Amazing Adventures, Tales to Astonish and

Jack’s obviously cramped schedule to spend time with them. And

Tales of Suspense, all featuring monster stories, twist-ending Twi-

all of those stories were not only true, they were probably under-

light Zone-style thrillers, and sci-fi tales. This teamed him for the

statements about how great these people were. These were the

first time with writer/editor/omnipotent comic entity Stan Lee.

kinds of human beings we all aspire to be. They really cared about

This splash is from Tales to Astonish #65, one of the few

the fans who appreciated Jack’s work.

times Ditko delineated the Hulk. His take on the jade giant, dur-

“Nowadays, an artist stands to generate money from the

ing this titan’s early years, was less awesome than Kirby’s Hulk,

fans. In the ’60s and ’70s the art really wasn’t being sold. The

but carried an expression of rage that was all too human.

only incentive Jack and Roz had to connect with these people

From the collection of Vince Oliva.

was the human connection, that these people had really cared about Jack’s work.”

Collector David Schwartz

pg. # 104

The Kirby house, as David described it, was apropos of

In 1961 Marvel Comics had just created a ripple in the

Kirby’s work: productive but relaxed. “He’d give visitors a tour

comic book industry that hadn’t been felt since before Freder-

of his house, and he’d take them around and show them the

ick Wertham’s Seduction of the Innocent. There are stories of

artwork on the wall and explain what each piece meant to them,

how comic books were created; the Superman newspaper

and why he drew it. It was like you were visiting a museum and

strip, cut and pasted onto large paper, pulp magazine publish-

Rembrandt was there to take you around!”

ers trying to save money on paper and on salaries opting for

He sweetened his recounting with a photographic recol-

the shorter, illustrated tales. But any real fan knows comic

lection of Kirby’s in-home Sistine Chapel. “You walked in, and

books were created by Jack Kirby.

to the left of the door was a penciled piece of Odin. It was an

The Tonight Show’s Johnny Carson acknowledged Kirby’s

oversized piece. And as you walked into the living room, to the

pervasiveness in the culture, albeit through an unintentional

right was a big penciled face that was Jack’s interpretation of

and embarrassing slight. On one of Jack’s innumerable side

Moses. There was a trilogy of paintings that depicted God and

jobs he designed the graphics for a pair of 3-D glasses. Mis-

humanity. Also in the living room he had framed the cover to

taking their labeling that declared them the work of the “King

Kirby Unleashed, the cover to a portfolio he’d done in the early

of Comics” for “King of Comedians,” Johnny attacked with the

’70s. As you walked over to his studio, he had a Boys’ Ranch

full force of his cynical wit. He disparaged Kirby as some

double-spread that was of a bear rushing. He had a Sky Mas-

comedic hack reduced to designing 3-D glasses in despera-

ters color piece. A couple of pictures of himself and celebri-

tion over a failing comedy career. On a subsequent show

ties. And if you walked out toward the kitchen, there was a

Johnny humbly informed his viewers of his FUBAR from the

Captain America pin-up from Avengers #10 on the wall and a

night before, contritely extolling Jack Kirby’s virtuous career and

Hulk poster that Herb Trimpe redrew and Jack had done the

apologizing earnestly for the error.

original of. He also had on the right, on the wall, the cover to

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Fantastic Four #100 for a long time until it was purchased. In the hallway, to the left, was the cover to Captain America #102 and Fantastic Four #68, and then if you kept walking, on that wall, was an ink drawing of four of the Marvel heroes. And Jack had stories for every piece.” So who is David Schwartz? He writes and produces television commercials. “I’ve been in the television industry most of my life. My brother Howard and I collected comics together when we were kids. The two of us, last year, realized we had been going to comic book conventions for 35 years. It’s our time together. “For about ten years, from 1982-1993 I used to write animated cartoons for television. I counted it up once and I wrote about 75 different episodes of cartoons including Alvin and the Chipmunks, Jonny Quest, G.I. Joe and the Addams Family – more than I can remember. “What made me collect art? Well, I think there were two things.” There’s a certain tone of satisfaction and pride in David’s somewhat bubbly but equally confident voice, as if he had been right all along to pursue his interests from the cusp of the collecting age. “It was probably at the 1972 New York Con, I was 14 years old. I came across a Hawk and Dove page by Steve Ditko that someone was selling for $8. At the time $8 was a lot of money. You could buy a Spider-Man #1 for $20. But I was fascinated by it. And so I bought it. I don’t know how they got it because in ’72 DC was still shredding their art, for all I know. “There was also a Jack Kirby page from the FF that found its way into a comic book shop in my neighborhood, believe it or not, for $10, and I bought that as well – probably in 1973 or ’74. Looking back on it, I must have had a real love for it because at that time it was a huge amount of money for me as a kid. It was fascinating to me that this was what the artist actually drew. Then I got into art collecting.” Committed, David sold a lot of his comic book collection at

transcended the inertia of routinely conversing with the comic X-Men #133, (May

conventions and got heavily invested in collecting the art. “I

icon he’d so admired, David became impressed by the man’s 1980), cover, pencils:

started buying X-Men pages for $60 a page. I went to New York to the dealer’s house and I held the cover to X-Men #133

[now part of Bill Woo’s collection]. The cover to X-Men #133

taking care of his family. Jack was a very caring and responsi-

is that issue where Wolverine’s slicing up a lot of bad guys.

ble person. Taking care of your family was of the utmost im-

And I wanted an X-Men cover, but I thought, they’re still doing

portance to him. That’s Jack.

it at the time, I’ll wait for one that had more of the team on it! It was probably not the wisest thought I ever had.” Then in the ’80s Kirby entered his life. Or David entered his. Or they shared time together, which would probably be closer to Jack’s humanistic assessment. Prosaically, once David had

John Byrne, inks: Terry

Marvel Characters, Inc.

“I was fortunate enough to be there [in 1987] when Jack got all of his artwork back from Marvel, so being kinda there I was able to look through the stuff when it got there and pick out my favorites.” If a struggle for innovative and creative freedom against “the

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man” is an indicator of a true art form, then consider that from

one makes a decision on getting something significant, you’re

Kirby’s perspective, getting his art back from Marvel became

talking thousands, often over $10,000. It’s not where you just

part of his moral goals, allowing Jack to provide for his family

go, ‘Hey, that’s really cool, I really like that.’ It’s like, ‘hey, that’s

even in his retirement. His hero depictions, perhaps, were just

really cool, I’ll have to check with my investment banker.’”

manifestations of the inner man. So, surrounded by the resurfacing of the hundreds of pages released from Marvel, what did David gravitate to? None other

Dr. Lars Teglbjaerg calls

than his favorite character, the Rawhide Kid, a character who has

himself the Doctor of Hor-

fallen victim to the sometimes pitiless revisionists, but who at that

ror. He’s also the Danish

time was a square-jawed apotheosis of the uniquely American

King of comic art collect-

Wild West mythos, much like the actors of John Ford’s films, like

ing. Known by his sobri-

a John Wayne, and, well, Red River’s Montgomery Clift.

quet of “teglar” on eBay

Jack’s style – how do you describe it? Boxy? The Volvo of

where he was notorious for

comic art? Not rubbery and loose like Ditko’s pliant figures. Re-

his ravenous appropriation

alistic? Not really. Though Kirby could draw emotion in the eyes

of anything Colan, this tall,

that could be read as easily as the looming captions of prose

lean 57-year-old has lived

overhead. Jack’s art style was not dependent upon those fac-

and practiced medicine in

tors any more than Picasso could be confined or judged by the

Sweden, except for a four-

standards of the Renaissance era.

year stint in New Zealand,

Jack was the creative force, ostensibly, of a substantial amount of Marvel comics. That’s where his mind was at, in that creative place. “He never dealt with the financial part when you

“which was very important,” Lars Teglbjaerg he emphasizes, “as I got to buy Marvels off the newsstand.” But it wasn’t until his first visit to a US convention where he

bought his art,” David was witness to. “Jack didn’t know what

bought the first volumes of Russ Cochran’s EC Library that he got

the values were, he didn’t know much about the selling of it. He

into comic art.

just drew it, and it mattered to him, and he loved people ap-

“That led me to subscribe to his auction catalogs. In 1983

preciating it. I’m sure if it were up to Jack he’d be giving it all

I went back to the United States for my second San Diego

away. ‘You like it? Here, have it!’”

Convention and on my way home I stopped at the Chicago

David says, sincerely bummed out and bemoaning the demise

Con to pick up some of my first EC originals from Cochran.

of more reasonable times, “there are pieces that are worth more

One of the stories was ‘Spawn of Mars’ by Wallace Wood. Re-

money, and pieces that are worth less money, depending on the

markable artwork.

characters and the whims of people who are collectors. But for

“Near Russ’s table was a dealer who also sold original art

me, I’m just thrilled to basically be able to own some of that creative

and from him I picked up a couple of Miller DD pages and a

effort that Jack did, the actual drawings that Jack did.”

dynamite Kirby page.”

Perversely ascending costs have alienated the very fans Jack so

That dynamite Kirby page was the twice-up art from the

uncompromisingly welcomed. Buyers have been written a bad

Fantastic Four #58 with the Thing in battle with a revitalized Dr.

check, with Jack’s good will the promissory note. According to

Doom who had stolen the power cosmic from the Silver Surfer.

Schwartz, Jack left to his counterpart Roz to scrub the numbers

It was going for $135, and the dealer evinced shock when Lars

on art sales. But now the costs have led to a “let them eat cake”

immediately bought it. It’s been a perennial favorite with Lars

response that cuts collectors into haves and have nots. Not that

and has been hanging on his wall ever since.

collecting can be an unrivalled democracy, but as a pyrrhic testi-

It helped make up for an oversight committed when he vis-

mony, the fiduciary evaluations of Jack’s more notable works sub-

ited the San Diego Comic-Con for the first time in 1980. One

vert the true good will Jack showed for his fans.

of the first pieces of art he saw was the Jack Kirby cover to

Many seem to fatuously believe that the inflated prices, like Super Delegates in a democratic election, set up a firewall

pg. # 106

Collector Lars Teglbjaerg

Thor #252 going for $100. “I must admit I was tempted,” he acknowledges, “but thought that it was a lot of money!”

against speculators. “A lot of the fun of impulsive collecting,

Any guesses as to what it would go for today? Whatever your

especially on established things, is gone. Now, anytime some-

supposition you’re probably right, since there is no set price on

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collectibles. Pricing exists in the nebulous realm of speculators. Very few people could have been far-sighted enough to realize that comic book art would evolve into a market with a

even as a five-year-old I quickly learned to recognize his duck stories. The original art for those comics is almost non-existent, but drawings and sketches are still possible to get.

higher price tag than almost any other pop collectible. These

“Carl Barks will never be surpassed in my book,” Lars con-

would be the same people who invested in Phizer stock at the

cluded. Classics Illustrated was another of Lars’ childhood fa-

first mention of something called Viagra, or who bought Apple

vorites. “Artists like Henry C. Kiefer, Alex A. Blum, Maurice Del

stock when iPod was just a misspelling. I remember personally

Buorgo, Rudy Palais, Gerald McCann, Lou Cameron and Nor-

seeing at the 1979 Comicon in Chicago the cover to the Spec-

man Nodel should be more celebrated than they are today.”

tacular Spider-Man #2 – an amazing John Romita painting –

Lars didn’t encounter EC until 1980, “but I instantly felt that

going for the startling price of $250. And then seeing it again

they were unique.” EC roared across the landscape like some

in 2002 at the renamed WizardWorld where it sold in a Her-

massive engine of conquest in the ’50s, spewing out books

itage auction for $62,250.

like Weird Science, Tales from the Crypt, and Vault of Horror,

Lars saw the humor in that, and blames the escalation on

and engendering some of Wertham’s most virulent criticisms.

the injection of investors into the hobby. “Naturally there are

But the cast of artists and writers, the range and unfettered

many collectors my age with a good income who can afford it,

boldness of the tales and the consistent high artistic standards

but I can’t see how young collectors with limited funds will be

of EC, along with the scripts and the editorship of Feldstein,

able to compete for the bigger name [artists].

made it superior to any other comics at that point.

“I can’t understand the fixation with superhero art,” Lars

“All of the EC artists were extremely talented, but Wallace

queried. “And if younger collectors could look a bit further than

Wood, Jack Davis, Graham Ingels, Bernie Krigstein and Johnny

that, they could get just as nice art for a lot less money.”

Craig are my favorites. The genius of Harvey Kurtzman could

As a child of the 1950s, Lars has been concentrating on collecting art from that era. “Carl Barks was my first love, and

not be denied.” One of the jewels in the crown of Lars’s collection is one of

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Kurtzman’s anti-war stories, “The Big If.” Lars managed to score the entire ten-page story. “The last couple of years I have also discovered the 1950s Harvey romance art by artists such as Warren Kremer, Bob Powell, John Prentice, John Sink, Jack Sparling, Lee Elias, Al Avison, Joe Certa and others.” The Internet has made purchasing comic art in the US a non-issue for Lars. But nonetheless the collecting and displaying of his prodigious collection has at times been facilitated by his friendship with Lee Benaka. “Lee struck me as an unusual gentleman, a feeling that was confirmed when we met in Orlando in 2005. Lars and Lee are the Lennon and McCartney of comic collectors!” Lars’s favorite piece, without doubt, is the large size, post-code FF #58 page. “The art is greater than life and belongs in a museum one day. Comics will never have another artist like Kirby!”

Collector Albert Moy Dealers’ tables abound at conventions, and are a great venue for experienced, and even novice collectors. Most dealers are familiar with the regular faces they see every year at the conventions. Dealer Mike Burkey, known on his website as Romitaman because of his affection for John Romita Sr.’s work, likewise recalls his favorite clients by the artist they’re interested in. The atmosphere at most conventions is familial, like friendly relatives who rarely get together. The great thing about buying at a convention is the haggling. There’s a spontaneity lost on the Internet that just can’t equal the face-to-face encounter. Often dealers will cut deals simply so they don’t go home without a few good sales. But you can’t count on jaw-dropping deals. For some of the more amazing works, ones that’ll bring a tear to your eye, you can drop more than I used as a down payment on my first condo.

art for himself. “I would find out what most dealers want and The Flash #215 (May

The market’s just too competitive, and haggling too much, or

buy whatever I can find at shows and CBG to either sell or 1972), cover, art: Neal

waiting and walking away from a dealer’s table to come back

trade with dealers. Collectors at that time were harder to find

later can often result in the page being snapped up by some-

and harder to get to know.”

one more willing to pay the posted price. Albert Moy is such a familiar face at the conventions he might as well be featured on the program covers. Albert has a

main reason he started to collect. “I would always buy any 1973), pg. 8, art: comic that Neal drew.” Peanuts strips were another draw for Albert who used to

fers a healthy and heady variety of some of the most mouth-

read them to his mother and father, translating them from Eng-

watering comic art. Overall the impression most have of Albert

lish into Cantonese.

“That’s good to know,” Albert responded, taking the char-

OPPOSITE: Swamp

Neal Adams was the artist Albert first sought out, and the Thing #2 1972–Jan.

very successful website, www.albertmoy.com, on which he of-

is that he’s fair, and an easy man to deal with.

Adams.

Someone once told me that collectors always have the best collections, and anyone surveying just the tip of Albert’s collect-

acterization with modesty. A New Yorker, Albert entered the

ing iceberg would have to concur. Avengers King-Size #2,

collecting market in 1982, and much as collector Hari Naidu

Avengers #99 — I’m naming just a few highlights from his posted

forecasted, followed the logical segue to seller to afford to buy

collection — and Hulk vs. the Inhumans by Jim Steranko! Given his

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bird’s-eye view on the hobby as a seller, Albert’s managed to amass a collection that, if all other collections bit the dust, his could survive as a representational sampling and would speak kindly to many of the major talents who graced the industry. “This (Avengers King-Size) was a cover I always wanted to own. I first got the comic long ago when my uncle bought this comic for me at a comic shop. I picked this book because it had many pages to read and had a cool cover. I first found this original when I went to a collector’s house and saw his collection. He never would sell it to me, said it would stay in his collection. Some years past I saw it up for auction at Heritage. I bid as strong as I could but was outbid by another collector. Years passed again, then from nowhere a collector contacted me and told me he bought this cover and would sell it if the offer was right. This time I told myself this will not slip through my hands. I made the collector a nice offer and he took it. Had to pay more than what I wanted to, but hey, you only live once!” Covers are not the full wealth of his collection, though as an investment Albert acknowledges eyecandy, senses overriding covers are the best value. There are steady customers that Albert gives first crack when he receives work by an artist he knows they’re interested in. But some of the pages he has in his collection he lists as “not for sale”. I couldn’t help but inquire that, as a dealer, was that written in stone? “Well, I did sell the Steranko once and bought it back,” Albert spoke of the Moby Dick of his collection, the cover to Hulk King Size #1. “I guess everyone has his price.”

GRAILPAGE: Hulk King-Size #1 of the magazine with the strength of the character. The design

suspending the battle in some nether world, making of it a OPPOSITE: The Incollage. Each body is posed differently, each set of opponents credible Hulk Special

and intent have been copied so often it has become hack-

locked in their separate battles oblivious of anyone else. Ironi-

An advertising dream, this cover incorporates both the title

neyed. But there’s nothing like seeing the original. From the collection of Albert Moy.

#1 (Oct. 1968), cover, art: Jim cally this superhero face-off is the work of John Buscema, and Steranko.

is a virtual Sistine Chapel of separate activity. From the collection of Albert Moy.

GRAILPAGE: Avengers King-Size #2 If one image was needed to sum up superhero comic books, this much copied line-up of antagonists would do in a

pinch. Wisely the background is done in black, appropriately

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CHAPTER 8 SKYROCKETING PRICES “I’m going to leave profiteering aside, not because I don’t believe it exists – it does – but my own interests are not driven by it.” – Brian Coppola “With the journeymen artists, once you lose the nostalgic appeal, you may lose a lot of the long-term value appeal.” – David Schwartz “Speculation ruins hobbies.” – Marv Wolfman

n 2007 two dubious milestones were achieved. Barry

Trading is a method for dodging the high costs of art now.

Bonds hit his 756th home run, making him – love him or hate

But that presupposes buying the hot pages years before their

him – the new home run king over Hank Aaron. And in that

inflated price. Then pages are just shuffled around like over-

year, a page of comic book artwork, the cover to Spider-

sized baseball cards, dollar value a fatuous classification. In

Man #43 by John Romita Sr. sold at auction for $101,700.

that way like the US dollar itself, post-1962 when the “Silver

The first milestone, though of greater national awareness, isn’t the

Certificate” was excised from the top leaving the dollar an

one that really concerned me. When Philip Weiss Auctions, one of

empty certificate, dependent on trust and an economy that

the principal auction houses featured on PBS’s Antiques Road-

never pauses to question.

show, sold the Romita page for a hefty six figures, it got me to think-

New to collecting? Here’s a sobering fact. General Douglas

ing, about my hobby of collecting original comic art, and about how

MacArthur said that all failed military operations can be described

that hobby has grown so unwieldy in the past few years.

in two words: too late. That is the collectors woe, to find the long

Most troubling on the minds of collectors is that unsenti-

sought out page was captured just a year ago by another col-

mental speculators are attacking the field, flashing big cash to

lector. And with the astronomical prices another problem arises:

grab some of the best art. Establishing a sort of Morlock-to-

collectors aren’t selling for fear of not being able to afford a piece

Eloi relationship with collectors, they post it on the market with

as good as what they have already. And so many of the pages

prices way above what the market will normally tolerate, but

you really want you’ll probably never get a shot at.

the dedicated will reluctantly pay. To most collectors they are

We’ve only seen the occupation of one generational sweep

carpetbaggers. Opportunists without a sense of the history or

as they’ve configured the landscape of collectibles. But when

any allegiance to the hobby.

this dynasty comes to an end, as all dynasties must, what then?

Speculators don’t view this as a long-term business, just

What about their cultural descendents? When this generation

get in, get the max amount, then cash out and retire on the

dies off and their art hits the market, will the next generation of

money made, leaving the comic book market believing

art collectors want to maintain the same kingdom, or will they,

$30,000 is cheap for a Kirby FF page.

like any conquering army, come in with their own king? Jack

Bereft of pragmatism, collectors will pony up when they en-

Kirby rules for those of us approaching our sixth decade, but

counter their “grailpage.” Faced with a page from a given book

would a 30-year-old collector want to pay $100,000 for a Kirby

that a collector has pursued with Arthurian intensity, collectors

FF page if his favorite artist growing up was Jim Lee?

will swoop on it like a gaming falcon. Flailing, trying to get

There are two possible futures. One, the hobby remains

elbow room like a basketball player recovering a rebound, they

nostalgia driven. Not a negative in and of itself. But that could

will bid against one another, cajole and offer trades to anyone willing to step aside. Perspicacious in all their other enterprises,

lead to the aforementioned scenario where each generation OPPOSITE: Fantastic Four #96 (Mar. devalues the old and reevaluates the new.

they do something that no one except the relatives of a kidnap

Option two, comic art is accepted as art by the general pub- 1970), cover, pencils:

victim do: they pay without question. Just pay through Paypal

lic. Pages don’t devalue then, since they are now the property

and hope in three days via Priority Mail you will receive your

of a broader marketplace. But, as a part of the greater art

loved one in good shape, left at your front doorstep.

forum, the truly rich swoop in and rob our nests, paying

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those pages sat around and didn’t move. “Anytime you concentrate a huge number of collectibles in the hands of only a few people, you run the risk that if those people decide to stop collecting, or get hit by a bus, that collection is going to come out and flood the market, and there won’t be enough people to warrant it. But if that art suddenly comes available en masse, it goes down in value, because there aren’t enough collectors to absorb that much artwork. “No matter how popular a given artist is, if you dump maybe hundreds of pages on the market at a given time, you’re gonna run into a situation where people will pick the pages they really like, and you’ll end up with a large number of pages that are unsold for a substantial amount of time.” Some collectors I spoke with were accepting of the cringe-inducing prices, and ABOVE: Marvelmania commission. OPPOSITE: Tales of Suspense #25 (Jan. 1962), pg. 1, art: Jack Kirby. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 114

millions for a Ditko Spider-Man. Double-edged sword. Does

others were rebellious, but all had something to say.

comic art need to garner outside respect? “I’d avoid that at all costs,” was Marv Wolfman’s evaluation.

Collector Glen Gold

“Because the more respect it gets the more expensive pages

See if you follow this: “Currently we are in a feudal society.

will be. Eventually only Hollywood guys will be able to afford

90% of people aren’t doing that well. Maybe 9.9% of the rest are

them – as is already the case – and fans won’t be able to get

treading water or doing okay. And .1% are fabulously rich, which

the better pages. I don’t look for outside respect. You either

means there’s no difference to them between spending a thou-

accept what I do or that’s an area we don’t talk about.”

sand dollars and spending ten thousand. If they want it, they’ll

Collector David Schwartz recounted an event that sent tremors

get it. But their presence affects everyone. As soon as ‘Feudal

through a small sector of the market. There is nothing more solid

Collector #1’ buys my Harvey Shingledecker double-page splash

in the collecting arena than a Kirby/Sinnott Fantastic Four page.

for $20,000 then all Harvey Shingledecker double-page splashes

That’s the Rock of Gibraltar, the Gold Standard. You can sell it at

should be worth that. And covers? $30,000, right? Well, no, be-

any time, any place, and be assured of setting a new high with your

cause my ‘Feudal Collector’ only wanted that double-page splash.

sale. But if you have more of a niche collectible, it may be harder

“But that doesn’t take into account some poor bastard who

to disseminate. “Jim Starlin’s ‘Warlock’ for example,” David offered.

sees the new prices and thinks he should buy one before they

“Very much in demand, very sought after, but not that huge a col-

get away. So he pays $30,000 for the cover. And to pay for it,

lecting base. When a page or two come out, they wind up being

he has to sell five Fee McFoo pages at inflated prices. Which,

very expensive. But let’s say 20 pages come out, you might find a

given that Shingledecker covers are now $30,000, doesn’t

situation where there were not enough people to absorb those

seem inflated anymore.

pages. About six or eight years ago, about six Starlin splashes came

“And then we find out that Fee McFoo pages are so high,

on the market all at once. At that time, splash pages by Jim were

well, those $30,000 Shingledecker covers are now $40,000.”

very rare, and if you had one you had no trouble getting a whole lot

Glen Gold offered me this theory, warning it should be

of money — $6-7,000 at that time. But when the six came up for

taken with a grain of salt. But there are strong elements of truth

sale, all of a sudden there were not enough people who could pay

in his extrapolations of how often the incentive to pay more ini-

that amount and who wanted to pay that amount of money to ab-

tiates when one person is willing to go to outrageous heights.

sorb all of those pieces that came up. So for a number of months,

Think about the prices on Captain America art eight years ago,

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until two or three collectors decided they would pay ten times

me when I was ten. Crumb I only got into the last five years, and

what had been the norm to get one much coveted page. Try

I get it – he’s a genuine artist, an iconoclast, and subversive.

going to a dealer after that and find a page that hasn’t been

So’s Kirby – it’s just a lot harder to make people believe this.”

hiked to what has, in their minds, become the new water level.

Amongst other artists Glen admires are Ditko and Colan,

“The thing is, one day this should collapse,” Glen continued.

as well as a few modern artists whose work makes him skip a

“Not all of it, but all of the mediocre stuff. I really think that the

beat like Chris Ware whom Glen called: “brilliant. So is Lynda

top 2% of stuff — maybe the top 5% — will keep going up. I just

Barry. You’d have to be a reactionary not to recognize their ge-

think that people can’t sustain the participation at such high

nius. I also love Bryan Lee O’Malley, Jeffrey Brown, Chester

prices. But that doesn’t stop them from trying.”

Brown, Anders Nilsen and so on.”

Glen Gold is a screenwriter, novelist, comic book writer, re-

Comics now, Glen asserts, are going through another

viewer and essayist, and one of the elder statesmen of the hobby.

Golden Age. “But it has to do with autobiographical comics.

He started the hobby just wanting a great Kirby/Sinnott FF page.

Fun Home is worth the same shelf space as X-Men. And vice

“In fact, totally uneducated as to the market I thought to myself,

versa. Also, art is much more widely available than it was then.”

‘Hey, if I could just pick up, say, one great Galactus page and a

But does he believe modern art should be invested in?

couple of Doctor Dooms for under $400 each, I’ll be fine.’”

“Hell, no. But I don’t think you should invest in anyone.”

When he discovered that goal, like just wanting one date with each of the current supermodels, was probably a little on the im-

“We live in a market economy,” is how Carlo Michelini prag-

trading up. “Which is part of what makes the whole process such

matically accepts the escalating price of comic art. “If some-

an addiction: the platonic page, the one that will answer all of

thing fetches a certain price, it means there is somebody willing

your desires, is very hard to get – or might not exist.” Platonic page/grailpage. What a horrifying thought that this fixation on one page that will typify everything that made an artist great, embody the wealth of all your fond memories, and work as a standalone piece of art, that this one über-page may not in fact exist except as a collage in our thoughts. Perhaps it’s an indication of why few collectors stop with just one page. Glen counts several collectors as friends. “The humanity behind the desire to collect is sort of the point of this gig.” Amongst those friends is collector Will Gabri-El who spoke of their friendship saying “For 13 or so years [Glen] and I have talked on the phone not only about artwork but swapped stories of lifestyles, real estate, women, idiosyncrasies. We finally got to meet face to face over dinner in 2007. Perhaps one of the longest phone pal relationships in US history!” A San Francisco resident, Glen includes amongst his other hobbies Japanese woodcuts of the 1880s, stone lithography, and abusing prescription drugs – kidding! (You are kidding, aren’t you Glen?) Glen sold art back in the CBG (Comic Buyer’s Guide) days, consigned things to auctions and sold on eBay. He also has sold RIGHT: Iron Fist #12 (Apr. 1977), pg. 6, pencils: John Byrne, inks: Dan Adkins. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 116

Collector Carlo Michelini

possible side, he ended up getting “almost-good pages” and

and traded privately to collectors, and would divide his collection up as having been accrued from equal parts all of the above. “Kirby is the greatest comic book artist of all time,” Glen declared. “So is Crumb. That’s not a paradox – they were working totally different fields. I collect Kirby because he spoke to

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to pay for it. I don’t think the high prices will ‘crowd out’ collectors. There is so much on offer for different prices. If you really like an artist, you can always find an equal quality, lower price piece. Take John Byrne. A strong action piece from his ’70s X-Men run featuring Phoenix or Wolverine will probably fetch anything from $7,500 to $10,000. But you can have a piece of the same quality from his Iron Fist, Champions or Marvel Team-Up runs (same period) for a fraction of the price.” Sober reasoning from this 40-year-old collector who spent 13 years in London before returning to his native Italy. With a profession in finance informing his reasoning, he goes on to ask the more interesting question, “Will these pieces that we are buying today at such steep prices represent a good investment? This is a tough one, because comic art value is connected not only to the sheer artistic quality of the piece, but also to the emotional value people attach to that piece. Will this emotional value hold?” Carlo remained hopeful that comic art will garner recognition from the mainstream art field so that its value is not intrinsic solely with the emotional. “If that happens, values will hold in the long run as well.” In and of itself, comic book art has no remaining worth. It is a work-for-hire enterprise. Once the artist is paid and the art reproduced, it becomes of negative value. The characters portrayed in the art are still the property of the publisher, but the physical art is not, and can be bought and sold and used for private exhibition. It’s a supply and demand business – basic economics – with the prices driven up on the hot buys and leveling off on the less sought after artists. It’s blowing up into a plutocracy, not governed by the seller so much as the buyer. Generally it’s an insider’s game, knowing which pages are valuable and which aren’t. It is a multi-point grading system, assembled from a given artist’s status, his association with the

when you see something you really want, you have to be pre- X-Men #51 (Dec.

character, the artist’s significance to that character, the inac-

pared to pay a premium because beautiful pieces fetch high 1969), pg. 1, pencils:

cessibility of pages from that book’s run with that artist, and fi-

prices and may not come back on the market.”

nally the images portrayed on that particular page.

Carlo adamantly believes in displaying his art, keeping his

It very much resembles the market in rare wines, where con-

splashes and best pages framed. Panel pages, in his view are

noisseurs pay thousands of dollars for a bottle of wine. You

not necessarily fit for framing and hanging, and he keeps many

don’t hear about them, but it’s going on all the time. And comic

of these in portfolios.

art, the original comic art collectible market is like that.

Tipping the scale along with most other collectors, Carlo was

That said, Carlo has made some beautiful purchases. Most

first an avid comic reader, reading the Italian translations of

prominent in his collection is his Iron Fist splash by a young John

Marvel Comics which arrived five to seven years behind their ini-

Byrne featuring John’s first professional illo of Captain America.

tial US printing. Briefly dropping the hobby in his teens he rein-

“I have learned that comic art buying is a long-term busi-

vested himself while in university, and continued collecting the

ness. I have learned you have to be patient and not rush into

books until now where he has a respectable collection of 3,000

buying something you are not 100% convinced over. And,

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books he remembers most fondly Silver Surfer #17 from his youth. “My ‘master plan’ (June 1970), pg. 3, pencils: John

from the beginning was to have at Buscema, inks: Chic least one nice piece from each of the Stone. artists I consider the masters – John OPPOSITE: X-Men #57 (June 1969), pg. Jim Steranko, John Byrne, Barry 1, pencils: Neal Smith and Gene Colan. I began fo- Adams, inks: Tom cusing on splashes because they Palmer.

Buscema, Neal Adams, Jack Kirby,

display well on the wall and were

less costly than covers.” Over time he has come to feel that the artists he loved most as a child, Buscema and Romita, while excellent, couldn’t be seen as true innovators of the genre. “So the two artists I admire most from the Silver Age are probably Neal Adams, for the unprecedented realism and dynamism of panel composition, and Jim Steranko, for the innovation and the impact he had on the medium with just a handful of issues penciled. Kirby I still do not get,” he confessed. “But you have to bow to the sheer power of his pages and the immense creativity he had.” Being European-based, Carlo acknowledged the power of the Internet. “As a general point comic art collecting would be inconceivable without the Internet. I started seeing an ad from Albert Moy on Comic Artist. I bought from him two beautiful pieces by Jae Lee from his now classic Inhumans series, just to get started.” He bought his next few comics spanning Silver, Bronze, and the Modern Age. In 1999 he

pieces from other dealers, and of course from Internet monster

opted for collecting original art, eschewing the frenzy over other

eBay, and three years ago he discovered the ComicArtFans

related fields of collecting like the CGC (Certified Guaranty Com-

website and began making offers to fellow collectors.

pany) comics, (comic books which have been professionally eval-

“I think modern comic artists are very exciting. We are

uated on a .1 – 10.0 scale based on the pristine quality of the

treated to a variety of styles — realistic, cartoon-like, manga —

copy and set at a fixed price based on their rating).

and artists can push the envelope as to the situations and emo-

A tennis buff who collects tapes of some of the ’70s’ more dynamic matches, Carlo considers himself an art collector,

tions they can depict in ways that were simply not possible in the ’60s and ’70s.”

gathering pieces that display a timeless quality, driven by the

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CHAPTER 9 OVERSEAS COLLECTORS “Growing up, it really never occurred to me that one could buy this art…” – Brian Coppola

Collector Jaume Vaquer

exhibitions of original comic art and received more sketches and met more fans. Some of these fans were collectors of orig-

ccording to Wikipedia, Majorca (Mallorca) is the

inal art. At the time, Jaume couldn’t afford to enter into the

largest of Spain’s islands in the Mediterranean

hobby but asked these collectors more about the hobby.

Sea, part of the Balearic Islands archipelago.

“When I returned home after my studies and began working

Mapquest shows it as less than 100 miles from

— and that means money! — I began my original comic art col-

Ibiza. I know it because it’s on my list of places I

lection. In 1999, I thought it was a pity there was no comic art

want to get to next time I’m in Spain. But it’s home for Jaume

museum in Spain like there is in France or Belgium. And I said

Vaquer, a pharmacist who moonlights working for Dolmen, a

to myself, ‘Okay, I’ll do my own personal museum!’ That’s me,

small publisher of comic book-related magazines. American comics have been available in Spain since forever, and Jaume’s first memories of comics go back to Carl Barks’ duck comics, the 7 Soldiers of Justice/Justice League of America saga, Frank Thorne’s Tomahawk, and of course Marvel’s output. While DC was published through a Mexican publisher in a traditional comic book format, Marvel was published in a terrible way: two to three comic books squeezed into a black-and-white 128page pocket-size. That meant that pages were cut, and panels had pieces added on. But the stories still hooked Jaume. Jaume began collecting by making a wish list of the artists or series he really wanted. “I completed the list some years ago. I now have another list where I’m trying to find pieces from some combination of artists and series — Kaluta on The Shadow or Wrightson on Swamp Thing. And I have another list of European Fantastic Four #98 (May 1970), pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Joe Sinnott.

artists that’s really behind, but I’m completing it step by step.” Since I was unfamiliar about how a Spanish enthusiast could enter the world of collecting American comic art Jaume explained. “In Spain as in many European countries (comic) artists don’t

charge for sketches. Sometimes only in their graphic albums, but

OPPOSITE: Marvel Preview #2 (1975), ad for Doc Savage, art: John Buscema.

always for free. In the ’80s, comic conventions began. In my city there were for some years an exhibition of original art and some panel discussions with local comic artists. There I got my first sketches and saw how the original art looked.”

He then went to Barcelona to University. There he saw more

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small jobs, no ambition…”

chase original art now. If you look at the prices of European

grade his collection with better examples of a given artist’s

artists’ work, well, that’s money! Try to buy a Franquin or a

works than the ones he first had. “One day I saw a nice Two-

painting by Bilal and then you’ll know what ‘high prices’ means.”

Gun Kid page on eBay. Mine! And then a good X-Men page.

Rarely does Jaume part with his art. “My collection is a big black

Oh, I want that too. And then a Fantastic Four page. You can’t

hole – insert [Jon] Mankuta [another collector] joke here!” But he’s

say you have a Kirby if it isn’t from his FF.”

on occasion done a little thinning of the herd. “Too many pages by

He admires many strip artists in his collection, like Ray-

one artist, things like that. I have traded mostly but if I have found

mond, Foster, Caniff, Gould, Kelly and McCay. And though nos-

a piece I really want, I have sold some selected pieces. Trades have

talgia, as with most collectors, is his adrenalin, Jaume is a big

been fine. I have finished with pieces I like better than the ones I had

fan of the current crop of artists. “Nostalgia aside, the art level

originally.”

is a lot better now than 20-30 years ago. Trouble is that some

Certain parts of his collection stand out to Jaume, including a

artists have fallen into the pin-up instead of storytelling. But

story around the acquisition of a John Cullen Murphy Prince Valiant

artists like Sienkiewicz, Alex Ross, Bruce Timm, Eduardo Risso,

piece. “The seller, a musician who sold the collection of a friend,

Steve Rude or Alan Davis, just to name a few…It’s always

had more strip art and sent me a list. It had lots of great pieces. I pur-

good to see new art from them.”

chased two early Peanuts, a Tarzan by Hogarth, a Herriman daily

Jaume has relied on the Internet for purchasing, though he’s

and a couple of minor pieces for $12,000. I wasn’t sure it wasn’t a

traveled as far as to Spanish and French conventions where

scam but everything went okay. I eventually sold one of the Peanuts

he can purchase art directly from the artists. The high prices in

pieces for $8,000, so it remains one of the better deals I ever had.”

art haven’t stopped him. “You can still find some really great

Living out of the US has sometimes been an imposition on

modern art for reasonable prices. So you can still enter in the

his collecting. Some sellers are unwilling to sell overseas, like

pg. # 122

original art hobby. In fact, I think more and more people pur-

That’s when he first started his wish lists, then tried to up-

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the seller of Jaume’s beautiful Doc Savage splash by John

sire to share their treasures with the outside world. Not as a

Buscema. “The seller didn’t want to sell overseas, but he let

conceit, but more an outward reflection of the inner motivations

me use the Buy It Now option. I sent the money by Western

that make one a collector. It’s the position museums are birthed

Union. The seller told me someone else had grabbed the

on, that sponsor exhibitions. And now, with the Internet, anyone

money, probably from the Western Union office, faking his sig-

with a collection of anything large or small can post a virtual

nature. I had to go to the police and phone the WU office to fix

museum. With a virtual gallery things that were not heretofore

the situation. The seller was reluctant to sell it to me after that

showcased, or things too cutting edge for the mainstream to

mess. But we got a happy ending, thank God.”

catch up with, have an opportunity to be seen by a greater pub-

His favorite page in his collection would probably be his

lic than would otherwise know they existed.

Ken Barr Doc Savage cover painting. “I loved that comic as a

With that thought, many collectors way out on the curve de-

kid. In 2003 I did an exhibition about the ’70s Marvel with art

veloped websites to host their collections long before the ad-

from my collection. The catalogue was great by the way, in-

vent of the communal comic book art community sites of

cluding all the art from the exhibition, and Roy Thomas wrote a

Comicart-L, The Lowry Gallery, or more recently ComicArtFans.

great piece for it. I used some copies of art I didn’t have, one

It’s a way to bridge an otherwise difficult to overcome gap.

of which was that cover because I have always liked it. And

That would be the story of Eelco Veldhuizen who is more than

then one day I found who had the cover and purchased it. You

a bit out of the orbit of most collectors. He lives in Nijmegen,

can’t imagine how I felt!”

which sounds like some place Thor would reside, and is actually the oldest city of the Netherlands.

Collector Eelco Veldhuizen One of the more communal aspects of collectors is the de-

Eelco is one of the mavericks who started an independent website, posting his comic art for all to enjoy. And in that way, he

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that time. His Fantastic Four stood for adventure. And they looked real, human.” Eelco cited another of his favorite aspects of the book, John’s chronicling of the tortured struggles of Ben Grimm and his always tenuous relationship with Alicia. “Really, every issue kept me in awe.” One powerful thing about John Byrne: he knows what makes comic books work. It was a quality he shared with the acknowledged king of comics, Jack Kirby. John made comics fun. That was part one of Eelco’s collection. The other side of his collection is even larger, more complete. Freud said of anger that it is something we all have within us. Shakespeare called jealousy the green-eyed monster. They were both right. The amalgam of which is the jade-skinned, one-ton megalith known as the Hulk. Concurrent with his Byrne collection Eelco has amassed one of the most complete and focused forays through the jade giant’s life held by a single collector. His collection is an archipelago of Hulk through the ’70s, passed from able writing hand to able writing hand. But they are tooled under only one artist, the prolific and tireless Sal Buscema. “The sadness of the situation of the Hulk made an impression,” is how Eelco describes his affection for the one-ton creature. “As a kid, the smashing Hulk had a great appeal. Especially with the dynamic drawing of Sal Buscema. The action scenes were so perfect. And the storytelling made the comic work so well.” A great single issue in Eelco’s mind: “Hulk #205. The Hulk fighting Crypto-Man and the death of Jarella. “A long time wish was to have Sal Buscema draw me a new cover for a Hulk issue. For several years I heard that Sal was not doing any commissions, but in 2002 it changed and he agreed to the idea and drew a new cover for Hulk #205. Even more special was to also have the original inker of the issue, The Incredible Hulk Annual #7 (Dec. 1978), pg. 22, pencils: John Byrne, inks: Bob Layton. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 124

keeps a somewhat ethereal connection with other collectors.

Joe Staton, ink the cover.”

He has a two-sided collection, with side one, a consider-

One of Eelco’s grails would be the double-page spread

able collection from John Byrne’s tenure on what was to be

from Defenders #17 that introduced the Wrecking Crew. After

John’s second most memorable comic venture, the Fantastic

getting a whiff of it on eBay the pages eluded him. There have

Four. When viewing Eelco’s website, comicartcollection.com,

been other pieces that he’s missed out on, and several that he

you are treated to page after page of scans from John’s work.

was later able to apprehend. “It is good to realize that pieces

So complete are they that I was almost able to get a Cliff’s

are often not lost forever when they disappear.”

Notes understanding of an issue or two that I hadn’t read in

The Hulk is Robert Louis Stevenson fused with a distillation

years. Excellently constructed, the site allows for easy, smooth

of a dozen interchangeable ’50s horror movies where the mon-

viewing of the pages that are broken down into manageable

ster developed as a result of the newly exploited atomic bomb,

and clearly labeled subdivisions.

which weighed heavily on the conscience of post-Hiroshima

“With his work, John made his stories really speak through

America. He’s Homo Robustus, primal anger and childish petu-

subtle details in his drawings. So different than other comics at

lance. He was cathartic in an age where superhero angst out-

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weighed superhero battles, where the battleground was in the self more regularly than in Times Square. The Hulk settled

all

outside.

What’s not to love? Done by Kirby, he was Frankensteinian. Done by Marie Severin he was a pitiable

monster,

but

Trimpe found the defining balance. And when inked by John Severin, his Hulk was something special. Later, John Byrne, doing what John Byrne does best,

captured

the

essence of all the previous

Hulks.

But

Sal

Buscema stayed on the Hulk for such an expanse of time, that the Hulk of the latter 1970s and into the ’80s belonged to Sal. The Hulk was often an opponent.

“Opponent”

means the one that’s supposed to lose. But word comprehension was never one

Hulk’s

strong

points.

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CHAPTER 10 COLLECTORS OF THE MODERN AGE “There are reams of more recent pieces out there for as little as $10-$50 that would look nice on the wall.” – Vince Oliva “I fear the market will crash when the boomers die out…” – Bob McLeod

THE ’80s: MANIFEST DESTINY

draftsmen before, but for those new talents, they were like OPPOSITE: Love and Rockets #28 (1988), cover, art: Jaime HerFrom this artistic ennui emerged a powerful underground of nandez. comics. In part homage to the great talents that broadened comic Human Diasphorism, books’ appeal, and equal part rebellion to the serialized super- pg. 62, art: Gilbert Hernandez

actors on a once powerful TV series now in its final season.

here’s the tale of Ouroboros, the world-girdling serpent that consumed its own tail, which has become an analogy for just about every industry prey to repeating past successes. TV seems, in regular cycles to repeat popular genres. Sitcoms will be on the rise one year, and

the next everyone’s a private detective. Fashion is constantly borrowing from decades past, and it’s called retro. Comics are not inoculated against this cultural virus, and the ’80s saw less innovation, and more renovation. And to dress up some of these retreads a whole new line of young Turks were given the artistic helm. And in this new age, artists like Don Heck, first on every editor’s mind as one of the solid talents, couldn’t find work. Herb Trimpe, who defined the look of the Hulk more than his genesis artist Kirby, went into forced retirement. And though John Buscema found a resurgence of popularity when he teamed with erstwhile Avengers inker Tom Palmer on the book they first worked together on, he also considered thoughts of retirement. The Buscemas and Williamsons and Romitas came from a time when illustrations were big. Magazines ran ads that were drawn more often than photographed, like the famous CocaCola paintings of Santa Claus by artist Haddon Sundblom. It was a time when artists found bountiful work and honed their skills at agencies and studios doing paperback book cover paintings, movie posters, print ads, storyboards, you name it. Then the ’60s rolled in and the ads shifted more toward photography. Advertising artists scrambled for every job and agencies became like a scene out of the Day of the Locusts. Artists were ready to pump gas, when some ran to comic books, bringing with them a diverse training background. But after two strong, unforgettable decades the superhero tales, without innovative direction, began consuming their own tail. Most of the newer artists weren’t of the caliber of the

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I’m talking of course about Love and Rockets by the brothers Hernandez. In its original incarnation Love and Rockets was a parody of spaceships and superheroes, but it grew precipitously, leaving its past behind and not looking back. The Palomar stories in Poison River portrayed the diorama of a small matriarchal Mexican village. Like Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s great novel One Hundred Years of Solitude and its somnambulant village out of time, Gilbert Hernandez produced an eerie, entirely convincing suspension of the laws of reality. His mythical village of Palomar was populated with fascinating characters whose bizarre lives interacted with the peculiarities of their society as a whole. It was a melancholy journey done with humorous sagacity and consummate style, that jumped between time agilely to tell a generational story featuring characters like Gorgo, who watched slavishly for a lifetime over the exiled Maria and her daughters, and Casimira, the rebel girl whose arm was accidentally shot off by the town sheriff, who now defiantly flails her plastic arm above her head, lit like a torch. There were discoveries of fish pulled from the river with Holy Crosses inside them, and a river bed with statues of the town’s inhabitants. And of course, there was Luba, the hammer-wielding matriarch of the stories. In his half of the book, Jaime Hernandez spun a tale of modern life, redolent of the whole ’80s scene, but timeless in its portrayal of disaffected youth pushed inexorably toward a maturity none Characters TM & ©2009 Los Brothers Hernandez.

of them yet had. Hopey embodied all the rebellious insignificance of youth, perfectly balanced

Love and Rockets #46 (1994), pg. 6, art: Jaime Hernandez.

pg. # 128

hero slugfests. This Gutenberg battalion of indy books popped

by the sagacious Maggie who had too much heart to confine to

up through direct marketing in comic book shops, offering de-

one love. She moved between Hopey and Ray, who eventually re-

constructed views on comics’ traditional men of steel. Others es-

jected the instability of Maggie’s wavering affections and plunged

chewed the whole superhero format and offered intimate and

into a relationship with Danita, who brought stability but revealed to

observant portraits of human life, of the disaffected, of the young.

Ray that he in fact was not as ready to commit as he first believed.

By far, one of the best things to come out of the ’80s was

The stories painted an intimate portrait of dizzying youth and true

a Fantagraphics book set in “Hoppers” and “Palomar.” Written

emotion, cooked up with all the real complexities of those intoxicat-

and drawn by two brothers, the book told the meandering tale

ing years. The characters aged, gained weight, ended relationships,

of two bisexuals and their falling together/falling apart romance,

made personal discoveries, and felt more real than anything this

and a town seemingly adrift in a timeless state.

side of actual experience.

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GRAILPAGES: INTERVIEW

I talked with Jaime and Gilbert about their work and its effect on the

on a short-lived comic called Mr. X.

independent market that saw a flourish of new talents in their wake.

Given how complex and interconnected your stories are, how

Jaime, there was a significant change in Love and Rockets –

far out do you have to plan them?

you went from the “rockets” part where Maggie conquers the

JH: It’s usually a single idea that reaches that far and the rest of the stuff

universe to Maggie and Hopey in love in a real world. Why did

follows the path to that idea. Example: I know someone is destined to

you decide to change the direction of the stories so radically?

die or get a new job. The rest is filling in the blanks till I get there.

JH: My part of the first issue of the comic we did was basically a

GH: I’ll be finishing a particular story and in the middle I’ll get ideas

free-for-all of all my ideas I had up till then (goofy sci-fi, punk rock,

for the next one and so forth. I deal with characters over plot, so if I

strong women characters, Latinos, etc.) and as the comic pro-

have a well-defined character I’m pleased with, he/she will often

gressed and the characters and the real life stuff grabbed me more,

take care of the hard part. Writing characters is the easiest thing in

as well as a good number of my readers (two maybe), the “rockets”

the world for my brother and I.

started to get in the way when I wanted to tell a more personal story.

I talked with an independent comic producer and it was his be-

Gilbert, how big of an influence was Gabriel Garcia Marquez

lief that every independent should give the Hernandez brothers

on the creation of Palomar and on your writing in general?

$1 for each book they sell in recompense for all you two con-

GH: Actually, I hadn’t read any Garcia Marquez until Love and Rock-

tributed to the indie market. How did the indie market grow up

ets #14 and only after others told me I was influenced by him. I did

in the ’80s, was it rebellion against traditional comics or just

see the similarities myself and can only credit this to our similar in-

recognized as a new medium for expression?

terests, Catholic upbringing and disinterest with the machinations

JH: Both. At the time, the vast majority of comics were trapped in

of most of the modern world. The closest model for the Palomar

that post Kirby-Ditko formula and we wanted to see and do some-

stories would be the Luis Bunuel film Los Olivados.

thing else. We came from a time when comics gave you more vari-

How did you two develop your artistic styles, and who were your

ety before the Marvel way swallowed it up.

influences growing up? Jamie, you’ve got a nice, clean art style.

GH: I outgrew mainstream superhero comics but still wanted to read

JH: My style pretty much just happened. I grew up on the traditional

comics. I had to create the kinds of stories I wanted to read. With the

’50s - ’60s style so it seemed like the natural way to portray my

relative popularity of L&R, other would-be creators saw that they could

stories, and I felt the subject matter in my stories was quirky enough

create the kinds of comics they were interested in. A snowball effect.

where it didn’t need a fancy style to help it.

How did you propose the book to Fantagraphics?

GH: I’m self-taught, having learned to draw and tell stories from

JH: We had published our own version of the comic and Gilbert

comics.

thought it would be cheap advertising if we sent a copy to Fanta-

You work on smaller paper than is standard in the industry. Why?

graphics’ Comics Journal to be reviewed and it turned out that they

JH: Pretty much because Bristol board was sold in 11"x14" tablets

liked it and asked us if they could publish it.

and that fit the magazine size we were working with and I became

Jamie, how much of Ray’s disillusionment is a reflection of

very comfortable with it.

things you’ve learned/experienced getting older?

And was there anything in your background you reflected in the

JH: A lot of it is. In order to help the characters age I have to look at

stories?

where my life has gone. But the big difference between Ray and I

GH: Lots of plots and subplots came about from things that happened

is that I found my niche and am married and have a family and Ray

to me, to others, from other stories, whatever sounded like a good yarn

has neither. That’s where the imagining comes in. A sort of “what if

to me. Being from a Mexican heritage I knew telling personal stories

I never had…” situation.

would be relatively new in American comics. The trick was to make the

Why did you start up Love and Rockets again after bringing it

reader interested in a story they weren’t interested in. One of the best

to a close with its 50th issue?

ways to do that was to create compelling characters.

GH: Readers and retailers didn’t want us to stop in the first place,

JH: My stories basically come from my upbringing. The people and

and after we did our own solo books for awhile everybody found it

places are mostly patterned after the world I know and that sort of

easier to find our work under the Love and Rockets banner.

makes it easier for me to imagine the parts of the work that I don’t know.

JH: Basically because very few people were following our solo proj-

Do you two work separately, or do you plan your stories together?

ects. We discovered how much power the Love and Rockets [title]

GH: Jamie and I work separately. Each of our worlds is our own.

has and since we were doing the same type material anyway it

JH: The only time I really collaborated with Gilbert and Mario was

wasn’t too shameful to start up again.

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Collector Thomas Rehhoff

grate all of the Hernandez’s involvement in popular culture. “Their in-

“Greetings from Denmark,” came from

volvement in the early ’80s punk scene spawned a lot of artwork for

Thomas Rehhoff of Copenhagen. “I try to

street flyers, record sleeves, posters, etc., but it was not known to

travel as much as possible when I’m not

the general public.” Thomas sought out and contacted people who

working as a web and e-learning consultant.”

in one way or another were involved with Los Bros. “Most were

Thomas is an unapologetic, indis-

more than willing to share material and stories. One record com-

putable, flat-out fan of Jaime and Gilbert

pany owner sent me a complete box of old t-shirts, records and per-

Hernandez. “Jaime’s penmanship is gob-

sonal Christmas greeting cards. And for that I am most grateful.”

smacking beautiful – period! I’ve never

Thomas grew up around graphic design. His father had his

seen anyone match him at what he does

own pressure print shop and Thomas learned old school the de-

with so few brush strokes. I know it’s all in the eye of the beholder,

signing of logos by hand. “Visual expression, be it in film, print or

but that’s it for me. When I look at the original artwork I own, I

digital medium has always had a great appeal for me.” So when

can see that many details are simply done in the first go without

a friend introduced him to comic books other than the Disney

the use of correctional ink. Nor is there any first draft done in blue

books he was familiar with, he found what he discovered what he

pencil. It’s just pen to paper in a 345 mph drawing spree.”

evaluated as “substance in the form of a narrative.”

And about Gilbert:

In that categorization, Love and Rockets suited his expec-

“Gilbert is typically recognized for his great ability to come up

tations of the medium. “If you look at their use of the comic

with compelling and believable characters and storylines, but I’ve al-

medium,” he began, deconstructing for me the eloquence of

ways like his more detailed way of drawing, too. I especially like the

the Hernandez’s work, “they know how to guide and drive the

way he draws sad eyes – makes the characters seem so vulnerable.”

viewer subconsciously through the story.

Thomas is so unequivocally entranced by the brothers Hernan-

“Jaime and Gilbert concentrated on building a canvas of sto-

dez’s work he is constructing a site, www.losbroshernandez.com

ries giving the characters both life and a believable social-re-

which would not just serve as a story index, but expose and inte-

alistic background to live and act in.” The historical perspective of the book would have to encompass the sci-fi and BEM aspects. “I believe that is good, so the artist doesn’t become constrained by their creations, and have to limit their creativity, but can go out on a limb if they feel like it.” The real-time aspects of the stories have become an earmark of the tales. “I really like the soap opera concept of having comic characters that actually get older and eventually die. Since the stories are deep and believable and the characters so dug into real life conflicts of love, hate and everything in between, it really becomes the graphic novel/comic story where you just want to know what happens next week. The social-realistic aspect is for me the best thing. I’ve always been particularly fond of the ongoing stories, peeling yet another layer of lacquer off a character, or providing yet another piece to the puzzle.” Thomas made a distinction that is at the heart of the indie comic movement, as much a personal comment as a letter of intent. His fondness for Love and Rockets’ more humanistic approach was in opposition to superhero stories. “Don’t get me wrong, I like the fantastic as much as I like the realistic, but the majority of superhero comics today are just plain stereotypical,

Love and Rockets #50 (1996), pg. 24, art: Gilbert Hernandez.

pg. # 130

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and Rockets tale, there are the women. “And the often sad ex-

are his characters and their lives and choices in life. And because

cuses for men. Jaime’s women are just plain sexy,” Thomas de-

Jaime’s chosen to base his stories in the social realistic rather than

clared. “He’s got such a good take on the curves and lines of the

the fantastic, they’re relevant to me.”

female body. I love Maggie – not only as she’s drawn, but the

It’s the type of analysis, devotion, and commiseration that par-

more human aspects she represents. You want to protect her

allels the evolution of comics. As comics have come to grow and

when she gets a neurotic angst attack or when you know she’s

broaden, they have learned to display the subtler emotions, which

about to do something humanly stupid, or when she’s love-struck.”

is the realm most of us live in. Comics have shrunk from grand

Thomas’s collection includes art by both Jaime and Gilbert.

opera to the personal diary. Thus they leave us all a way to feel con-

“Where Jaime’s drawing may be better, I see Gilbert as closer to re-

nected to characters no longer larger than life, but just our size.

ality. Jaime’s style to me is more clean – the lines are straighter and

Love and Rockets part II: Gilbert Hernandez.

simpler – whereas Gilbert has a more rugged edge, which I believe

“Much of the same goes for Gilbert’s citizens of Palomar. Luba

gives his characters a more naturalistic feel. Like Jaime, Gilbert has

being Gilbert’s main character, the alma mater of his stories, knitting

a thing for women, especially the big breasted ones, where he some-

all persons past and present together in one great opus. Her story of

times loses himself in drawing the breast absurdly big. I actually once

life; starting as an orphan, raised by her cousin, to steam bath mas-

for fun wrote him and asked him to please not give Guadalupe the

ter of a back country small town that does what it can to alienate her,

same treatment as most of Luba’s family. I think he must have

until she ends up being its mayor, to living a promiscuous life ending

laughed about it, but nevertheless he answered me back and said

with a great amount of children with as many men, finally discovering

to relax, ‘Guadalupe’s breasts would not be overly big, although she

her long lost sisters and on the way having alienated her oldest

has had some children.’ That’s customer satisfaction par excellence.”

daughter, until she decides to emigrate to the US in search for her sis-

Thomas eloquently, and with a journalist’s ability to analyze

ters and daughter and finally ending with them all in L.A. and losing

motive and describe the working parts of it, said everything that

another daughter to AIDS is just storytelling on a grand scale.

needed to be said about the book. Regarding Jaime’s work:

Gilbert’s characters, like Jaime’s, are interesting because they’re not

“I think one of the main attractions for me has always been the

stereotypes, but have a life much like real people. And because

narrative depth and realistic backgrounds the main characters are

Gilbert focuses on interesting aspects of their lives, the stories to me

surrounded by. Leaving the early sci-fi oriented stories out of this,

become relevant and alive. Luba for example is hotheaded and self-

I think the minute Jaime started to base his stories of Hoppers and

ish but loves her children madly. Nevertheless she time and time again

its inhabitants on recognizable everyday themes and problems, I

abandons them to go on a wild swagger, only to come back home

was really hooked. Things I could relate to from my own life, brought

to be scolded by her cousin, who had to act the surrogate mother

to paper – I liked that. The people in the stories seem real and are

while she was out. That of course is a perfect narrative foundation to

not idealized in any way. They generally fuck up, love each other,

build on, because tensions are, in the dramatic sense, more inter-

split up, are undecided, crazy, madly in love and fight with them-

esting than stories of the sunny side of life to me. And all in a small

selves to overcome the burden of saying ‘I’m sorry.’ They’re promis-

town in the middle of nowhere, with more or less well-behaved citi-

cuous, hate hypocrisy yet are themselves hypocrites. They’re

zens and without any greater influence from the outside world.”

sexually active beings, screwing around with the explosive cocktail of love and sex. The whole specter of real life happiness and sorrows are represented in Jaime’s, and for that matter, Gilbert’s stories. The early years of Maggie and Hopey in Hoppers is a life with

THE ’90s: HELLFIRE AND DAMNATION Collector Mike DeLeRee

gangs, broken families and absence of parental figures or of being

“I used to be the guy who got to sit in the back of the air-

in a place and feeling completely out of place. And our heroines are

craft behind the .50 caliber,” said Marine Corps Huey crew

influenced by that but play it hard. But we know they’re sad inside

chief Mike DeLeRee. “I just recently transferred to a search and

and although they’re in some kind of love with each other, they’re

rescue unit, so my job description has taken a 180.

also each other’s haven of refuge. And so on and on it goes and

“I e-mail back and forth with a couple of other collectors. But

slowly one builds up feelings for these black-and-white lines on

for the most part my collecting is solitary,” Mike, who lists himself

paper. But they’re also stories about great friendship amongst peo-

and his collection under the name “not-so-nice-collection” con-

ple closely knit together. I’m really intrigued by the tangled web

fessed. He has attended an original art gathering in Orange

woven by Jaime to bring it all together. People are complex and so

County. “I was able to see some art from other collections that I

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Preacher #4 (July 1995), pg. 14, art: Steve Dillon.

veys strong emotion,” he explains. “Whether it is the love between Jesse and Tulip, the anguish of Starr, or the hate of SOK. Dillon did an excellent job of conveying all of the elements of the story.”

Mike first discovered that art was available while browsing the “comics” section of eBay, “before they split it up into a dozen sub-genres. Then in ’95 or ’96 I finally saw a page I wanted to bid on, Preacher #3, page 16. At the time, Preacher was considered a ‘hot book’ and issue #3 was ‘guiding’ for around $30. At the time I saw the page on eBay it was sitting at around $75. So the choice was easy, get a mass-produced book for $30 or try to get the one-of-a-kind page for a little more. So began the first of many, many weeks of watching a Preacher page and hoping the price doesn’t keep creeping up. I ended up sniping the page around 9 p.m. on a Sunday night for about $135. “When I first started collecting Preacher pages,” he recalled, “it seemed every dealer had some. There would be a page on eBay weekly. If it was a ‘nothing’ page it would start out at $49, if it had Starr, Arseface or Cassidy, it would be about $79, and if it had Jesse, Tulip or SOK it would start from $99 to $129. Week in, week out. It seemed the pages would never stop. Not having a lot of money, I had to pass on many, many pages. $130 a week for four weeks adds up pretty quick. Now any page will run you $250+, and if it has any of the ‘big three’ it only goes up from there.” He made an observation that serves as a summation: “Prices have got to a point that the average collector can still get a page, but not as an afterthought. They need to make a wouldn’t otherwise have access to since not all collectors

“I think the pricing of OA today has created a cycle that is

share them in person and share their remarkable stories of ac-

feeding on itself. Since collectors can only get one or two pages

quisition. I would like to get to those more, but now I live in south-

from a particular title, they want the best page that title has to

ern Arizona and as far as I know there isn’t another OA collector

offer. So as prices rise, everyone is scrambling for the splash,

for 100 miles in any direction.” He restated that the social aspect

driving up demand, making everyone scramble more, driving up

is a byproduct, collecting is his primary concern.

price and on and on. No one wants their one ‘example’ of a

Mike’s collection is constituted largely of Steve Dillon Preacher

book/artist to be a talking heads panel page. I see new people

art. Preacher was the most shocking, sacrilegious, vulgar, funny

getting into the hobby all of the time. They jump right into the mid-

and exciting series of the ’90s. Garth Ennis hit his stride on the

dle of the frenzy and are often the ones willing to pay the most for

book, mixing action-packed story with real pathos and a humorous

a page. It is hard for me to pay $XXX for a page when I have seen

view of the American myth of the lone cowboy that only a foreigner

them sell for $XX. It’s all just a matter of perspective.”

could apply. The Wild West mixed with religious mummery and adult, sexy action. Like the DaVinci Code meets Deliverance.

pg. # 132

concerted effort and prioritize their goals.

display their collections on the web, but are more than happy to

A collecting story that crossed Mike’s mind was surrounding the double-page splash for Preacher #60. “It was listed on

Steve Dillon came into prominence as an artist with this

eBay with an opening bid of $350, way more money than I was

book. With his art, everything pivoted on the subtle expressions

able to spend on a piece of art. I agonized for a week trying to

he applied to his characters, and quietly he became one of the

figure out a way to get the money. The thought of selling some

best new artists to come out of the ’90s.

of the pages I already had never crossed my mind — a page in

Mike was drawn to the Steve Dillon art and Garth Ennis writing

the port is worth more than two on the net. So, it came down

that made of Preacher such a subversive hit. “So much of it con-

to the final day and still no one had bid on it. Again it was a late

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Preacher #25 (May 1997), pg. 14, art: Steve Dillon.

Sunday-ending auction, so I sat watching and refreshing to see who would snag this beauty. The auction finally ended with no bidders. Within minutes I fired off an e-mail to the seller asking

if they would take $300 for it with time payments no less. He answered back, “You really are mister not-so-nice. Yes.” I was ecstatic. Now I just had to get the $100 a month to pay for it.” Another story that nimbly hopped to mind involved a seller who had a lot of seven pages, the most Mike had ever seen sold at the same time. He asked if the seller would accept time payments, explaining that he had quite a few Preacher pages already and wanted to add them to his collection. “Since she knew I was such a fan she agreed. I ended up sniping the pages and adding them to my collection.” Covers from the series have eluded him. “One collector was able to get them all, and from what I hear, he won’t ‘need’ to sell them anytime soon. And if he does, I think the demand will be such that I’ll most likely be priced out long before I have access to one.” So Mike has come up with a novel solution to the problem – a little thinking outside of the box. “I have decided to get a collection of Preacher covers re-imagined by various artists. In this day of Internet and e-mail, most artists can be reached fairly easily and I have only had one artist say he didn’t think his ‘style’ fit with what I wanted. Everyone else has been very receptive and the only thing holding me back from getting more commissions done is funding this project. Dealing directly with the artists is such a treat. It is especially fun when the artist is doing a re-imag-

A lot of the talents of the ’80s and ’90s grew up loving and

ining of a classic cover, but with a Preacher twist. My first cover com-

emulating comic book artists. They didn’t come into the game

mission was from Herb Trimpe and he agreed to re-do Incredible

like the old pros with years of diverse assignments and training

Hulk #181 for me. Bob Layton did Iron Man #128 and the Scarface

under their belts. Their only experience was copying over the

movie poster. I can’t look at any classic painting or comic cover now

images of Kirby and Kane from their favorite Marvel mags.

without trying to figure out how to have it re-done and by whom. I’ve

That having been said, some modern artists can command

bought pages directly from quite a few artists. I recently wrote to an

high prices. People like Wheaton’s wunderkind Alex Ross,

artist through his blog asking if he had any pages from a book he did

whose meticulously water-colored elegies to the genre fetch

ten years ago in the hopes he may have one or two. He wrote back

roughly $3,000 per page. Ross’ stock in trade is that his art

and said he had 46 pages. Quite a few more than I expected.”

and stories recall the industry’s Silver Age (the ’60s-’70s) and

Held also in his collection are pages from Lucifer from Peter

are about as progressive and risk-taking as a movie remake of

Gross and Dean Ormston. “I’ll pretty much buy anything inked by

a classic film. They have a built-in audience of the curious

Ormston that I can afford. He has a style wholly his own and there

hoping to see a spark of what inspired them so long ago.

isn’t a doubt if he has done a particular page or not. I also have quite

One of the better artists to emerge in US comics in the ’90s

a few pages from James LeMay, and am apparently the only col-

passed away on July 12, 2002 long before his star truly got to

lector of his art — or the only one willing to admit it publicly anyway.”

shine. Paired often with writer Chuck Dixon, the Argentinean

With Mike’s collection shedding a new light on Dillon’s talent,

artist Jorge Zaffino was best known in his home country and

it made me want to step up my collection of Preacher art. “If I made

overseas for his work on Wolf. His meticulous, stylish art be-

you realize you need more Preacher art, then I take it all back,” was

came known to US patrons on Seven Block, the Punisher

Mike’s truculent warning. “You don’t want any of that stuff, it’s ab-

graphic novel Kingdom Gone, and a Conan tale from Savage

solutely horrible and has no redeeming value whatsoever!”

Sword #162. It’s a true loss that more collectors didn’t have

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Fantastic Four #286 (Jan. 1986), pg. 15, pencils: John Byrne, inks: Terry Austin.

Arbor since 1986, after spending four years on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater. He’s deeply involved with instructional and curriculum development as well as programs that help educate undergraduate and graduate students

who want to be faculty members in the future. I was lucky to catch Brian in the US, as he makes frequent trips to China for a month at a time, part of several collaborations on education with Peking University in Beijing, China. “The world of collectibles creates a sort of public repository for something that would be difficult for an institution to do – who and where would anybody archive the crap that ends up scattered throughout the households of this planet?” In addition to art, Brian collects modernist sculpture and jewelry, items from China’s Cultural Revolution, bronze sculpture, silkscreen prints by the “urban artist” crowd, ancient coins, and old Chinese funerary pieces from the Han/Tang dynasty. Like unknowing ships in the night, Brian and I attended our first comic book convention at the Chicago Comicon in 1979. For me, it was my first purchases of original comic art – a page from X-Men #111 by John Byrne, signed by attendees Byrne, Austin, and Claremont, as well as a very nice Savage Sword page by Buscema, and a Kirby Fantastic Four page. For Brian, in the company of a buddy from graduate school, both up from Madison, Wisconsin, he somehow missed the art sellers and the artists with their tables set up, heaped with the newly drawn treasures. more venues to admire his work, and that Zaffino didn’t have more time on this earth. As to the now, and onward to the future, Marv Wolfman made a succinct but encompassing overview of modern comics. “I think [current comic books] are much better written and far more subtle. Sometimes I wonder if we have lost that sense

“Yowzer! I wish I had been more awake to that,” he remarked, clarifying for himself as well as me, “it was impossible to consider spending $100 on a page of art, however, given that I was earning $450 a month and had to spend $200 of that on renting a horrible efficiency apartment. Disposable income meant not eating near the end of the month.”

of wonder comics used to have, but since comics are now read

Deferring to himself as a true Marvel Zombie, from a time when

by people 20 and up as opposed to 8-14, maybe that sense of

comic book stores were few and far between and back issues

wonder isn’t as important. That said, there are so many more

were gotten via mail order, Brian became aware of original art back

comics today you do have a large number of really bad books,

at graduate school, because of ads in the back of Cerebus. “I don’t

too. But today’s craft is much superior to what was done back

know if you know this, but I’ve been anointed as the ‘Alan

then and it keeps getting better.”

Greenspan of Cerebus Original Art’ by Dave Sim because of my ‘Cerebus the Original Aartvark’ blog (cerebusart.blogspot.com)

Collector Brian Coppola “Not to get too post-modern on you, but a collection is a

annual market value report for Cerebus art pages.

narrative that reveals things about the collector. I do not see it

“As a landmark in the history of comics, you can talk about

as that much different than the drive to fill museums with col-

‘comics before Dave’ and ‘comics after Dave.’ Anyone who

lections that represent some story about whatever the collec-

takes a vision about creative work that is as complex and rad-

tor and the collection might be trying to say.”

ical as his, and then actually pulls it off, gets my vote. I was a

That succinctly expresses the story of Brian Coppola, Ph.D., a professor in chemistry at the University of Michigan in Ann

pg. # 134

where, among other things I track the public art sales and issue an

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fast and immediate fan of what Dave Sim was trying to do, in terms of being a one-man-show and creating his dream.”

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Cerebus #7 (1977), pg. 1, art: Dave Sim.

With little prompting, Brian recalled his attempts at purchasing a few select pages from Dave Sim, and the uninten-

tional infamy he garnered for himself in the act. “Back when Dave Sim was selling Cerebus pages for $200 each on the 1994 World Tour, I called him and asked if he would bring three pages for me, pages 6, 15, and 16 from issue #91. On page 6, Cerebus reflects on the problem with recalling your former life when you are reincarnated. The Big Round Glowing White Strange Thing notes that ‘There is nothing like a breast the size of your head to make you forget important stuff. You know?’ Cerebus then imagines Red Sophia in his mind’s eye. Ha! “And on pages 15-16 Cerebus nearly stomps off the edge of this large, stone, floating-in-space platform while he’s fighting with the BRGWST. Cerebus asks: ‘How does Cerebus get off of here?’ BRGWST: ‘You were almost there…just keep going.’ Ha! “Dave said he had all three and would bring them [to the convention] for me. I was not interested in the convention so I aimed for later in the day on Sunday to do the pick-up. When I got there, Dave had this really sheepish look on his face when he saw me. He had put the pages in with the others he was selling, and someone came along and scooped up the page with the breast joke before Dave recalled he was holding it for me. “One learns to count to ten in such circumstances.” Dave did set aside the other two pages for Brian, but there was still a problem. “Jim Ottaviani, nuclear engineer turned librarian and UseNet interviewer of Dave Sim saw the pages and wanted them both. I did not know it was Jim at the time. I was late,

a bit more related to parity, I guess, or maybe even commu-

so Dave was sorta-kinda agreeing to Jim’s proposal that he get

nism. Does everyone get the same shot at owning a Kirby/Sin-

one of the pages and I could get the other, if I showed up.

nott page from the FF? Nope. Did a few people see the boom

“I won’t say I threw a tantrum, but I was pretty insistent that

coming and capitalize on it? Sure. Lucky bastards.”

I should have both and I was pretty much a prick about it. Ot-

Beyond the Sim art which stands proudly in Brian’s collec-

taviani, as it turns out, is also employed at the University of

tion, there are several marvelous examples of Buscema art,

Michigan and it was years later that I encountered Jim and his

from John’s first issue of the Avengers (#41 – which he pur-

website, where he wrote about this prick at the convention who

chased from me), some Kirby, and many others. “The artist

would not cooperate on this business of the two Cerebus

whose work I admire most is much harder to say, but I would

pages. We’ve since had a good laugh about it.”

probably default to John Byrne, because the guy just under-

As a public service, I feel bound to proclaim that Brian is still

stands what a super-hero comic book ought to look like.

searching for the person who purchased the breast joke page,

“Original art, signatures, even going to a concert or a play

and is willing to pay for it, or failing diplomacy, claim his rights to

– as original art relative to a recording – taps into some com-

it and will send someone over who will break their kneecaps!

bination of sympathetic magic – this person touched this, or I

“When it comes to collectibles there can never be any

am in the presence of it – which somehow gives us a sense of

sense of ridiculous. There are only the coupled issues of value

connection. I have students every now and then who come up

and worth, which serve to level each other out over time be-

and lift the chalk I was using in class that morning. Why do they

cause in the case of intrinsic value, comic art is worth precisely

do that? Why do I have one or two artifacts from dead friends

nothing. I mean, so is a Rembrandt. There is only the value we

and relatives that I treasure unlike exactly the same item if it

assign to it, and the market assigns its worth. The question is

was sitting on the shelf at Wal-Mart? Sympathetic magic.”

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CHAPTER 11 INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS WHO COLLECT “I’m always doing my work at my best so I’m proud of every work…” – Tony DeZuniga

Collector Tim Townsend

this story still gives Tim goosebumps. “I never get tired of looking at it. I think this story exemplifies the essence of what it is

ven some industry professionals are collectors.

that drives many of us as collectors.”

Steve Englehart admits to keeping a few pages from

Tim has pondered the question that haunts all collectors: to

his collaboration with Sal Buscema on Captain

sell or not to sell. When the volume of a collection far exceeds

America and the Falcon in the mid-’70s. Though he

a collector’s ability to display it, sometimes you question

admits his collection of original art has dwindled

whether it’s worth maintaining what is easily worth a consider-

over the years, Roy Thomas still has several Golden Age large

able amount.

art pages including some unpublished JSA and Flash from the

“This is actually a mindset I’ve spent a lot of time contem-

mid-’40s, “as well as a sprinkling of work by (John) Buscema,

plating as of late. I’m not rich and I have a family. When there

(Barry) Smith, and Marie Severin.”

are real life things that need to be taken care of, real life things

Tim Townsend has spent the last 14 years working on the

that can impact and improve our quality of life on a day-to-day

enduringly popular Uncanny X-Men and X-Men books for Mar-

basis, why put these off when they can easily be taken care of

vel Comics. He has also expanded his commitments to include

by letting go of some of this ‘stuff.’”

a regular assignment on The Amazing Spider-Man. He’s found

Tim’s made strides in this direction. “I’ve sold some consider-

fulfillment through the alchemy of making his hobby into his job.

able pieces outright and not reinvested the money in the collec-

He became hooked on the work of John Byrne on his “ROG

tion. I’ve just let them go and used the money for ‘real life.’ To be

2000” back-up stories in the old Charlton E-Man comics. That

honest, it feels good. The nausea only lasts for a day or two!

started it all for him. It’s the reason he’s a professional comic

“I truly feel for the people who have been coming in to the

artist. Byrne’s work shaped and inspired Tim, which is why his

hobby over the last seven years or so. Each year prices soar to

collection has dozens of examples of Byrne, breaking Tim’s

new levels and we all sit back, laugh and talk about how the

self-appointed rule of only one or two great pieces by an artist.

bottom is getting ready to fall out. It never does. One thing I’ve

The very first comic Tim ever had, back when he was four

learned is that this years insane price is next year’s great deal.”

years old was an E-Man comic with the ROG 2000 “Wither-

Luckily for Tim, most of his art was collected when art was still

ing Heights” story in back. That was the very day Tim an-

relatively inexpensive, getting his first piece, a Jim Lee X-Men page

nounced to his mother that he was going to be a comic book

back in 1991 while still in college. He didn’t have an agenda, just

artist. Fast forward to 1994 with Tim just beginning work at

saw an opportunity to own a piece of art by an artist he loved from

Marvel Comics. He made a call to his friend and art dealer Jim

a book he loved. The money he spent was outside the budget of

Warden who was also the exclusive dealer of John Byrne’s art. As fate would have it Jim had just returned from John’s house

a typical working college kid. But soon afterward he got his foot in OPPOSITE: X-Men the door at Image Comics and found himself “making more money #129 (Jan. 1980),

that weekend where he had unearthed the complete ROG

than I’d dreamt of at that point in my life.” With the resources to go

2000 “Withering Heights” story. “I think it took me all of five seconds to stammer out my credit card number and close the deal!” The fact that he owns

cover, pencils: John Byrne, inks: Terry back and explore the options of buying more art, he began grab- Austin.

bing everything that appealed to him until he matured as a collector and focused more on quality over quantity.

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art output, “I really don’t think that can be answered for another 20 or 30 years. The ultimate tell will be when the kids that are currently growing up on this stuff become adults. Will they look back at this art and get that same feeling that we do when we look at the art from the ’60s and ’70s?” As to his own stuff, Tim sells most but keeps some of the really good works for his private collection.

Collector Dave Gutierrez “I was in San Diego,” begins Dave Gutierrez, Dave G. as he’s often known to those who have commissioned the penciler/inker to finish one of their Gene Colan commissions. Gene Colan in fact was the object of this remembrance from Dave. The events occurred three years past, while Dave sat at the illustrious San Diego Convention with Gene and Dolores Colan, and writer Tom Field. It is perhaps as perfect of an illustration of Gene’s nickname of “Gentleman Gene” as one could hope for. “Tom Field had just finished Secrets in the Shadows, a book about Gene’s life, which was first available at the convention. Tom brought copies and we all took our turn looking through it. Tom and I went out for lunch and upon my return to the show – I forgot my portfolio there – I was surprised to find Gene’s painted cover to Tomb of Dracula ‘Day of Blood’ #1 inside my portfolio! Huh? As I turned to say something I noticed an inscription written in the bottom margin basically saying ‘Thanks – Love, Gene.’ I couldn’t accept it, but, but, but it’s already written on. ‘Good Lord’ was all I could say. As I related the story to a few people over the weekend it always choked me up — still does. Gentleman Gene, always so kind to me. He sent me a DD page, courtesy of my incredible wife, for my birthday one year. ’Nuff said!” Journey into Mystery #89 (Feb. 1963), pg. 1, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Dick Ayers. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

As an artist himself, Tim has a healthy respect for the current

Dave had his first association with Gene after spending 20

crop of comic artists. “In my opinion modern comic art is every bit

years in a hardcore/thrash band before giving it up to pursue

as thrilling, if not more so, than it was in the ’60s and ’70s. The

art. His decision to terminate two decades as a rocker was

amount of energy and detail, typically speaking, is much heavier in

easy, in his words. “I was really living the lifestyle, and to be

today’s books. We spend more hours per page on average.” Tem-

brutally honest, it was killing me.” Dave began penciling a book

pering that judgment is the nostalgia factor for him. “Nothing thrills

called Lady Vampire in the mid-’90s and just happened to be

me more than to see a really nice original page from the ’60s, ’70s,

in the office one day when two penciled covers came in for ink-

even the ’80s. Nostalgia is an intangible factor inherent to each of

ing. They were by Gene Colan.

us individually that simply can not be competed with by any amount

“Gene Colan. Gene Colan? Holy $%*&! I chose one and

of modern ‘coolness.’ Seeing an original page or cover from a book

took it home with me. I think I stared at it for two days before I

you loved when you were a kid is the ultimate thrill. It’s the founda-

attempted to ink it. I kept thinking, ‘Gene Colan – wow!’”

tion upon which the hobby is built and the heart that pumps and

Getting a handle on Gene’s pencils was a bit of a challenge

drives people to continually pay more and more money for these

in the beginning, but after awhile it became fun for Dave. “After

slices of our past.”

I finished I made sure to take the trip into the office to drop it

Regarding the historical importance of the current comic

pg. # 138

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off and while I was there I grabbed Gene’s contact info. I think

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I may have called him up right away but I remember writing him

crazy. For example, last year, I think it was WonderCon in

letters back and forth for some time, and I would send him the

San Francisco and I was revisiting the old stomping grounds

stuff I was working on and a few weeks later a letter would

for the first time since we moved, and every damn piece I had

come with some notes. He was always so kind and never

the slightest interest in was about three times what I would

ripped any of my work. He would simply show me what my

have expected or could afford. It was depressing, and I just

weaknesses were and the strong points.”

came away with a few pieces I acquired directly from the

Their friendship began at that point, and Dave would fre-

artists, small stuff.”

quently contact Gene to seek out his thoughts on how he felt

Much of his favorite pieces are framed in his home. “When

Dave was doing on his pencils, or just to talk about family. “It

we lived in California I was always afraid to frame up any pieces

was and still is incredible to see Gene on my caller ID.”

in case the ‘big one’ came and sucked us out into the Pacific

Proficient now with inking Gene’s work, Dave looks forward

Ocean. We lived right on the Hayward Fault.”

to any assignments that come his way from Gene. Apart from

As he alluded, Dave has made a recent move from the West

his work with Gene, Dave has a book coming out featuring his

Coast. “My family just moved back to New Jersey from Califor-

work called Abstract Reality: The Art of Dave Gutierrez. “Very

nia about a year ago and we bought a house close to both our

excited and looking forward to that.”

families. Outside of art and collecting art I collect guitars and

Initially collecting through dealers, Dave has branched into

vinyl punk/hardcore records. Still looking for a copy of Mental

the Internet, fellow collectors, and directly from artists them-

Abuse, Streets of Filth. If anyone has a copy I’ll draw whatever

selves, “which is usually a fun and interesting process.” As to

you want for it.”

the inflated prices, well, Dave used probably the most succinct but nonetheless descriptive expletive: “Disgusting. In my mind – and my wallet – about two years ago the prices started to go

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AFTERWORD GRAILPAGES by Steven Alan Payne “The pieces that I would want right now are in the $50,000-plus price tag level…those types of prices are daunting for almost everyone.” – Dr. Hari Naidu

he universally agreed upon grailpage, the Holy

figure that out I’ll probably be able to tell you why this hobby

Grail, the Spear of Destiny, the mystery at Area 51,

holds so many in its sway.

the Holy of Holies would be any page from Fan-

As a child, comic books were the only art museum I knew of.

tastic Four #1. It is to comics what Leonardo

Buscema and Colan and Kirby were my Michelangelo, my Car-

DaVinci’s Battle of Anghiari is to the greater art

avaggio, and my Gauguin. And far from relics in a museum, these

world. Whole pantheons of myths have sprung up about the

artists were producing fresh works monthly, for my delight.

whereabouts of these pages, including the always popular

And when my experience broadened to incorporate the

rumor that they are in the possession of comic enthusiast Nico-

masters of that parallel but aloof other world of “fine art,” I

las Cage. Cage has been linked with virtually every superhero

reverse-engineered the crayon drawings of DaVinci and saw

film in its pre-production phase, to a point where the issue is al-

Buscema’s influence on him. A Bizarro/Superman view of

most a joke. Thus, understandably, given that and Cage’s ac-

things, I knew. By the time I’d grown into a teen I’d gotten the

knowledged enthusiasm for comics (his son’s name is Kal-el –

chronology correct, but still saw comics as art, much to the

he named himself after Luke Cage) it seems almost natural that

consternation of my art teachers who dismissed comic books

he be linked to the almost chimerical works.

as simply cartooning. Most of these instructors had never read

But as most collectors will never get a page from this book,

a comic book, certainly none done by the emerging talents

assuming any pages still exist, many have focused on other

from chiefly Marvel and DC in the late ’60s through early 70s.

heartfelt grailpages. So in fast forward, here are the grailpages

I saw no need to segregate my appreciations. Having been ex-

of many collectors:

posed first to the commercial art of comics, my prejudices had

Will Gabri-El: A Ditko Amazing Spider-Man cover!

been torn down and I saw comic art and fine art not as two

Jaume Vaquer: A Captain America page by Steranko.

worlds out of some DC universe parallel Earths, but as one broad

Shawn Fritschy: Ka-Zar #6 pages.

field whose finer points need a redefining. Where a Mary Steven-

Steve Welch: Spider-Man tossing off the machinery from

son Cassatt could hang in the gallery next to a Neal Adams, or a

Amazing Spider-Man #33.

Thomas Eakins and an Al Williamson were happy companions.

Kelly Borkert: An example of The Spirit.

Even now, as a man who’s stood in front of the “Mona Lisa”

My own grailpage? Beyond what I have in my collection,

in the Louvre, seen the art in the churches of Italy, viewed the

maybe page 32 from Conan the Barbarian #100. Or a page I

painted tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, I will,

missed a couple of years back and have been pursuing ever

in conversation talk one moment about a Monet, and in the

since, page #24 from Savage Sword of Conan #20. There’s

same breath about a Jose Gonzalez, much to the bafflement of

another near-miss I’m seeking, page #15 from Savage Sword

my more establishment-restricted friends.

of Conan #15, or the splash to Savage Sword of Conan #32 or #5. I could probably list 50 others, but that would defeat the

My home reflects my eclectic tastes in art, with tribal masks of OPPOSITE: Hero for the Fang next to a painting by the renowned artist Robert Hsu, an Hire #15 (Nov. 1973),

point. Arthur did not send his knights out after 50 diverse treas-

original Picasso sketch I was lucky enough to buy for less than the

ures, but for one icon, one lone focus. I was never sure if it was

price of a new car, and proudly amongst them, my Buscema

the cup that held the power, or Arthur’s belief in it. If I ever

Conan and Colan Dracula. And when guests come to my house,

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

pg. # 141

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SPARTA

COPY AREA

GRAILPAGES

“the Art Museum” it has been nicknamed, they will, given time, gravitate to the comic book art as if following some law of chaos theory, and stare and admire and eventually appreciate. There is something so dynamic about the look of an aging page of comic book art like this Romita cover from M. Vassallo’s collection, or collector Glen Brunswick’s Luke Cage cover. black-andwhite forces the eye to see the design, the shape of things. It deserves its unique classification and through it, perhaps, earns its props. More, on a human level it’s been fascinating to get to know so many people, so many other aficionados. It’s what inspired me to do this book. To them it is dedicated. This is a great hobby. A hobby I will always be a part of.

Thor #156 (Sept. 1968), cover, pencils: Jack Kirby, inks: Vince Colletta. OPPOSITE: Captain America #145 (Jan. 1972), cover, pencils and inks: John Romita. Characters TM & ©2009 Marvel Characters, Inc.

pg. # 142

Book GRAILPAGES: Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors

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Grailpages Final:Grail Pages

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FOR A FREE COLOR CATALOG, CALL, WRITE, E-MAIL, OR LOG ONTO www.twomorrows.com

TwoMorrows.Celebrating The Art & History Of Comics. TwoMorrows Publishing • 10407 Bedfordtown Drive • Raleigh, NC 27614 USA • 919-449-0344 • FAX: 919-449-0327 E-mail: twomorrow@aol.com • Visit us on the Web at www.twomorrows.com

Original Comic Book Art and the Collectors One of the driving reasons many attend the summer’s numerous comic conventions is to find the original comic art dealers, who work their tables like Las Vegas croupiers. Largely this hobby has been the province of comic book fans who’ve grown up, become settled in their careers, put children through school, and are enjoying middle age and financial stability. Not still interested in comic books, but fond of the comics of their childhood, original comic art offers a way to connect with their past, while at the same time make a sound investment. Comic art from the ’60s-’70s, the prime real estate of this hobby, sold originally in the area of $20 to $150. With the advent of the Internet, as in most all things, comic art dealing found a broader market. Currently on the über-site eBay, individuals can sell the art at prices with which they can make down payments on condos. This book offers to other collectors, and the general public as well, a peek into this exciting hobby. Contained within are a wealth of stories, with interesting and personal reminiscences from collectors who live in the US, France, Spain, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The art they present is a who’s who of comic art talents: Covers and panel pages by John Buscema, Gene Colan, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Jim Steranko, Gil Kane, George Tuska, Steve Dillon, Joe Maneely, Don Heck, Marie Severin, Frank Giacoia, John Romita Sr., Wallace Wood, Graham Ingels, and John Byrne. Some of these pages have never been displayed on any of the numerous comic art websites. To assist in seeing the hobby through another facet are interviews with several of the professionals who produced these coveted works, including writers Steve Englehart, Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, and an interview with the great Gene Colan. In addition Tony DeZuniga, Ernie Chan, Dick Giordano, and Bob McLeod reminisce about the old days, and their view on the modern direction of comics. And from the indie market, the artist/writing team of Jaime and Gilbert Hernandez talk about the origins of Love and Rockets.

To round things out are incisive comments from those who professionally deal comic art. And through the convergence of so many perspectives, a comprehensive overview of the hobby emerges. ISBN-13: 978-1-60549-015-1 ISBN-10: 1-60549-015-6

51595

9 781605 490151

TwoMorrows Publishing Raleigh, North Carolina

$15.95 In The US ISBN 978-1-60549-015-1