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If you haven't read Ben Hatke's Zita the Spacegirl, you are missing a treat. The series follows the adventures of Zita, a young girl who makes a terrible, impulsive mistake that leads to the loss of her best friend. Zita has to undo that mistake. Adventures ensue. Here's my latest purchase from Ben. It's from the second book "The Return of Zita the Spacegirl.” I think any adult would enjoy them and I know that young readers will. Check them out! Link to CAF: https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1870644

New Art Day - Scribbly #13 Unused Cover and Recreation from the Harlan Ellison collection by <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheldon_Mayer">Sheldon Mayer</a> Yep, it's daughter inheritance spending day! Instead of my amazingly frequent commissions of variant covers for Sugar and Spike #100, I offer a real, Golden Age cover by Sheldon Mayer himself and a revisit of that cover as a commission for Harlan Ellison. These two pieces hung in the section of the Ellison home/art museum known by many as the restroom. Yep, it had a place of great honor where virtually all guests would see it. I've learned a bit about the piece from friends of Harlan and comic historians. For example, Bob Heer realized that the cover idea, though not the art, was used on <a href="https://www.comics.org/issue/71601/">Buzzy, America's Favorite Teen-Ager number 33</a>. You can see that cover and find a link to his blog about the cover in the Description for this piece so click the image below and read all about it. For those that don't know, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scribbly_the_Boy_Cartoonist">Scribbly</a> was a boy cartoonist and an echo of Sheldon's real life story. It's my favorite work of his and I wish there was a collected edition. Sigh ... The Scribbly strip started in Dell Comics and moved to DC later. While at DC, it introduced a number of interesting characters including the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Hunkel">Golden Age Red Tomato, err, Red Tornado</a>, a initial member of the Justice Society of America. Anyway, Scribbly was a wonderful filler feature for years before gaining its own title in 1948. This cover would have been done in 1949, but it was rejected. The recreation is funnier by far and truer to the character. Look closely and see why he got in trouble. Click the image for more details. https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1864663

I just use a canvas/fabric shoulder bag. Works okay for one post at a show.

That splash means a lot to me and I’d sacrifice a lot of comics and my page from that issue for it, but not $50k

I can't speak for JLA 21-22, but there were three from JLA 29 (my first comic) that sold for a small pile. They had been owned by Don and Maggie Thompson since the pages were given to them by Julius Schwartz during an office visit! Maggie told me that they were in a desk and forgot for more than 50 years. She found them while cleaning up after Don's passing. Wow. The splash for that one was not very splashy, but it went for way more than I would want to / could pay for it - just over $50K! Here's the image: I was 8 and I stared at thing with my brother for a long time trying to understand who everyone was and what they did. Here's a link to the full set of pages. Maggie and Don's are the first three on the list. I'd have thought the battle page would have gone for more than the splash. Shows what I know about comic art pricing.

I skipped Walt's line on Saturday because I was 30th or later and vowed to do better on Sunday. I was 12th for a sketch after the guys at the front of the VIP line complained to the con management about exhibitors in front of us. Thanks James Pella! Once they were gone, I was close. I think next time, I may wear a flag with my name on it because I miss people all the time that I've "met" on the boards.

Updated the listing for the LA Comic Art Show with it's new name and a good link. The name has changed a couple of times now.

The book is ambitious to say the least. The context he provides is useful though the prices have moved a bit.

Just remember to bring a variety of reference.

I think that they are interesting. I own them, but haven't spent a lot of time with them. They are full of information and are obviously a labor of love. Books get out of date fast. Everything I think I know is on this CGC OA thread.

New Art Day - Faux Sugar and Spike 100 Cover by Walt SimonsonAs many of you know, I'm a Sheldon Mayer fan. Sheldon was a long time editor and staffer at what is now DC and as such he selected Superman from the submittal pile for Action 1, helped create many of DC's GA characters (Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, etc.). Eventually, he decided he wanted to tell stories rather than teaching others how to tell stories. In this role, he created his most famous creations - Sugar Plumm and Spike Wilson.That series reached issue 98 before eye trouble prevented him from working. A decade or two later, DC created a 99th issue using material he'd done for non-US publication after surgery corrected his eyesight. But the kids have never had a 100th issue. While I wait for that issue, I decided to create a number of variant (alternative) covers for it. The latest is from Walter Simonson! This is a huge deal for me since Walter doesn't do commissions with very limited exceptions. However, he does do free signed head sketches of significant detail for con goers.But I never had one done since I haven't had an interesting idea despite the number of times that I've met him. This year, I did.I thought that I could obey the rules and get a new S&S 100 faux cover by requesting Sugar and Spike sliding down his signature. I had three days available for the three items (Sugar, Spike, and signature as a slope/slide).It took only two passes!I present Sugar and Spike sliding down Mt. Simonson!

Re: Addicted Yep, welcome to the club!

Patrick has a Facebook page - Comic Art Trends. Check it out. I do own the books. I might post a few photos of them.

Got a link?

While at the Baltimore Comic Con with Kathy, I, quite unexpectedly, found myself in line for an Alan Davis sketch. I had two sketchbooks:* Sheldon Mayer related characters * Artist’s ChoiceAfter some debate, (GA DC characters by Alan does have some appeal), I went with the Artist’s Choice. In that book, I let them draw whatever they want (PG-13 or less) and they have to write why they drew that on the back.Click the image for the full story! Thanks to Larry Tun for suggesting a stop in the line and to Paul Greer for facilitating it all.https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1866241

An unused preliminary without a doubt!

You are braver than I. I don't want to make a commitment that I can't keep even when I know they can't fulfill their side.

I'm one of those with only one site blocked and you can guess which one. I'd buy from them, but only in person.

I'm not courageous enough for that. Maybe they would use the HA mechanism to make me an offer on my cover and so that they could sell it to me? : :

I did enquire after I made that post. Here's the response from Steve (full response in spoiler text, emphasis is his): MAYER, SHELDON - Sugar and Spike #92 cover, MAYER, SHELDON - Sugar and Spike take up water…skiing? 100% original artwork! Published version was a stat with touched-up inks. - $11,950 = ON SALE FOR ONLY $9,950 He clearly didn't check his inventory or they have an exact copy. The description is accurate for my piece. The quoted amount is only 3.2x what I paid at auction in January. I think I'll write back and point out the January sale and mention that I know that they've had their ad up for longer than that. We will see.

Re: Harlan's name raising the sale price I know it has zero impact on my bids for art. Pedigree for comics is more of a big deal, I think.

They crack me up. On this link, you will find them selling a cover that I own. Bought it off Heritage. I assume that they are too busy to take it down. Every once in awhile I enquire about it. No response.

Yep. I collected links and put it together. It’s my thing.

The one I wanted went for what I thought was a fair amount, but I tend to collect in a small niche. I was lucky that the other one or two interested folks either weren’t enthralled or were absent.

I won something! That seldom happens and I won it at a price that I think is fair. One of the benefits of liking things few others do.