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alxjhnsn

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Posts posted by alxjhnsn

    Was Buck Rogers artwork really worth more in the 70+80s than today?

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

     

    On 3/9/2020 at 7:44 AM, Mephisto said:

    Maybe if you adjust for inflation? (shrug)

     

    On 3/9/2020 at 2:10 AM, Brian Peck said:

    If its like most of the other strips and art a couple hundred bucks. You could get Kirby Marvel covers for a few hundred back in the 70s.

    Per this inflation calculator, $2000 today has the same purchasing power as $416 in 1975, a.k.a., a few hundred bucks like Brian said.

    Interestingly, per this chart, the Dow in 1957 was about $4200 and it's about $20,000 today.
    image.thumb.png.dbd70860e840d46f28a10c60d6659589.png

    I conclude from this that selling the art in 1975 and re-investing the proceeds in the market was a break even investment relative to holding the art at $400 a strip. Of course, this is hypothetical, but it seems that from 1975 to 2020, the Dow and inflation are similar. 

    Art ID again Please On 3 more Pieces!!

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    Re: DB 94

    Looking at the Comic Artist Database on the CAF gives these artists with the initials DB:

    Pretty sure it's not Dave Bullock; he usually signs "Bullock" and it's not really his style.

    Beyond that, click a link and see if they look similar.

    Good luck.

     

     

    The OFFICIAL "This week in your ORIGINAL ART collection?"

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted · Edited by alxjhnsn

    4 hours ago, Panelfan1 said:

    Added a painted cover by Kyle Baker.  Bizarro 1. Inspired by Uncle Fester cartoon by Charles Addams.

    Had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Baker at sdcc many years back. I asked him if he could draw a small cowboy Wally sketch for me. He said 'sure'. I passed him an 11x17 art board. On it he drew a 2 inch full body image of Wally with his feet touching the bottom edge of the page.  I learned the meaning of not to say 'small' sketch ever again.

    His sense of humour - is why I appreciate Kyle Baker - but I have to add that this piece of art seems to have been done in many layers- but is so smooth that when I first got it I wondered if it was a print. Looking at it at an angle made it clear this was the real deal.

    See it on my caf HERE.

    Enjoy.

     

     

     

    I have a theme that features various artists doing faux covers for the non-existant Sugar and Spike #100.

    I've wanted Kyle to do one forever, but never got a response when I asked. I was a Patreon for awhile thinking that he might offer commissions on occassion. Sigh... it never happened.

    Someday!

     

    Your house is on fire and you can grab two pages, which ones do you grab?

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted · Edited by alxjhnsn

    First one is easy.

    Superman by Curt Swan
    989044043_SwanCurt-Superman.thumb.jpg.7d43eda504335150da4c09e7f907a05d.jpg

    The second is harder.
    Sheldon Mayer Sugar and Spike? Kaluta Shadow & Margo? Colan DD & BW? Kubert Sgt. Rock? Cardy Teen Titans? The page from my first comic purchased by my wife for my birthday? The sketchbook that Kathy and the girls spent 3 years building?

    I don't know; I'd probably die in the fire deciding.

    Thoughts? Heck, what you take? It's all here sorted by Most Comments.

    New to OA Collecting, Advice, tips?

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    The last line of my advice on pricing comic art says, 

    Quote

    One last comment, if you are looking to buy or sell, spend the time to learn the market. That might take 6 months, but it's worth the time.

    If that topic interests you, here's the write-up. For those that have seen it before, it has been updated to address both buyers (original scope) and sellers.

    Spoiler

    Whether you are pricing to sell or buy, you might want to explore the following resources

    • The website Comic Art Tracker can help you find art and look at current asking prices for similar pieces.
    • The OA auction archive at Heritage Auctions – This archive presents the results from all of their OA auctions.. Once you sign-up and get an id, you can search for pieces by your artist and see what they have sold for.
    • The CAF Market Data - More auction results (more than 1,000,000) are available if you join the Comic Art Fans site, pay for Market Data access, and access eBay and other auction sites as well as Heritage.
    • The Comic Art Database. It contains transaction records entered by the owners of Comic OA.
    • Dealer sites. Dealers, generally, post their art with fixed prices though there are exceptions. There is a list of dealers on CGC OA board and the Dragonberry site has a list as well. The CAF site will search the inventories of several dealers for you. [Of course, Comic Art Tracker is better.]
    • Blouin Art Info which tracks sales at major art auctions. It can turn up some Comic OA as well. Look for the “Art Prices” item on the top right of the screen
    • Jerry Weist's Comic Art Price Guide - Heritage published a third edition of it. In my opinion, it's a good history book and might be useful for comparison work, but it was out of date a year before it was printed.
    • A topic  on the CGC OA boards, A-level panel page valuations by artist/run - thoughts/additions/changes?, holds a discussion that relates to your question. It provides some "generally agreed upon" ranges for popular runs by popular artists on popular characters.
    • The Biggest OA Prices thread tracked some of the largest sales in the OA space. While that particular thread has stopped; it's probably worth reading for the discussions. Meanwhile , the information is still being updated - just with a different mechanism.
    • Dealer quotations are valuable. To get one, you approach a dealer with the art (in person) or image (by email) and ask what they would offer for it. If they make an offer, remember that they need significant margin especially if they feel that the piece will not sell immediately. You might double their offer to reach a retail price. Of course, this is a very hard to manage approach. An excellent list of dealers can be found on Comic Art Tracker here. Check a few and use those that seem to carry art like you are trying to sell - some dealers do specialize.
    If you are pricing to sell, there are a couple of addition resource types:
    You can get a list of Auction Houses on the ComicArtTracker site here and dealers here. ComicArtTracker has the most comprehensive list on the internet.
     
    Another source of original art valuation opinions would be to ask on Facebook pages and the CGC Marketplace. However, prepare for odd/funny answers, unsolicited offers, and the usual social media snark. That said, here are some links from Facebook:
    I do not claim that this is either exhaustive or useful.
     
     
    Even with the information above, new buyers and sellers often find that OA is too hard to price. I agree that it is difficult. However, I think that there is a valid reason. Each piece is unique. Uniqueness make art sales generally and OA specifically non-linear. Examples of how piece can differ in ways that impact pricing include:
    • Content: Consecutive pages could and do sell for radically different amounts based on their content. 
    • Page Layout: In general, you might say:

     Covers > 1st Page Splash > Other Splash > 1/2 splash > panel page

    However, that's not always true either. The right panel page can be much more compelling than a bland splash.

    • Penciler vs. character: There are "A-list" artists, but not all of their books/characters have the same value. Kirby FF pages generally go for more than JIM/Thor pages which go for more than Cap pages (2nd run) which go for more than ...
    • Pencilers/inkers combinations - Kirby/Sinnott FF pages rank above Kirby and anyone else on FF, but a Kirby/InkerX FF page might be more or less than a Kirby/Stone Thor page. Hard to tell.
    • Production Technique:
      • Classic - pencils, letters, and inks all on the same page
      • Recent - pencils and inks on the same page - no lettering
      • Modern - pencils and inks on different pages - no lettering
    In general, Classic > Recent > Modern
     
    When looking at a "split" Modern page, consider what it might be worth if done in Recent style and then split the cost with 60% of the "Modern-style" page going for the pencils and 40% going for the blue-line inks. Why? The penciller tells the story and that's the page (s)he handled. The inked page has the advantage of being the published page, but even so most prefer the pencil page.
     

    Finally, you should join the comic book OA community. The main points of Internet contact are:

    The main points of physical contact are probably:

    • Dedicated Comic Art Shows
      • Comic Art Con (Spring/Fall) - A twice yearly show originally in northern NJ, but moving to NYC. The domain seems to have lapsed, but the show owner has a page for it here.
      • NYC Comic Art Expo - Annual spring show, nothing but art people (dealers, individual sellers, and buyers) and a few local artists. Held at the Penn Hotel opposite Penn Station
      • Torpedo Comics Collectors Convention (née LA Comic Art Show) - Annual art show one week before SDCC to leverage the dealer’s visit to the west coast
    • Conventions with High Dealer Attendance
    • Shows with a comic artist focus
      • Heroes Comic Con - Not a lot of comic art dealers, but a huge number of artists who generally will draw and have portfolios to sell
      • Baltimore Comic Con - Similar to HeroesCon.

    One last comment, if you are looking to buy or sell, spend the time to learn the market. That might take 6 months, but it's worth the time.

     

    Original Art DPS Thread

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    I'm going to cheat. It's not a DPS in the classic sense; it's really a 2-page synopsis of a famous Legion of Super-Heroes story - The Trial of Star Boy. Star Boy killed a criminal when he used his powers to save his life. It wasn't intentional and no criminal charges were filed, but Legionnaires don't kill.
    1530913003_SwanCurt(pencils)andLarryMahlstadt(inks)-LSH(1983)306Pg17-18(smaller).thumb.jpg.dbfa5d911ed2f253df6aae8ae80e2caf.jpg
     

    Hope you enjoy it.

    New to OA Collecting, Advice, tips?

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    @JadeGiant's advice is solid.

    If you are interested in using a sketchbook, here are some tips.

    Spoiler

    Rule #1 - Label your book with your contact information and theme, if any.

    For example, tape a business card on it with your mobile number and name. Do something to make it clear that it's yours and how to find you. Most people are honest and will try to get in touch if you give them a chance. I put a label on the front cover and on the inside.

    Rule #2 - Paper matters 
    Each type of drawing medium does better on certain types of paper.  At a con, you normally encounter pencil, pen&ink, and marker so look at the sketchbooks and choose one that matches your anticipated drawing medium. Remember, paper weight matters and heavier paper has less bleed through if the artist uses markers or watercolor.
     
    Canson has a nice summary sheet in some of their sketch books. Here are two of them:
     
    image.png.cda3d00de8248c48ff0ae9fa77996194.png 
     
    Here’s another from a different Canson sketchbook.
     
    image.png.b9a15293a95b19399ccaf49e363fb738.png
    Based on this chart, I probably should have bought a book with Illustration Bristol or Mi-Teintest Pastel paper in it.
     
    Here’s one from a Strathmore sketchbook. Sadly, they don’t give a comparison like Canson does across their selection of sketchbooks. Each sketchbook has a summary like this one.
    image.png.9c36f5c0d7451049262903b6cb72c2da.png
     
     
    Rule 3 - Binding matters.
    I've been happy with my Canson Mix Media wirebound books. Why? Because they lie flat for the artist. The square bound ones do not. My gripe though is most of the Canson sketchbooks have thin covers and I prefer a thick one.
     
    I found found a Strathmore spiral bound one, their Visual Journal series, for Mixed Media that has a nice hard cover.
     
     
    These points are covered above, but just to repeat.
    • Label your sketchbook with your name, your contact information, and your theme, if any.
    • Heavier paper is generally better (less bleed through)
    • Carry a sheet of thick paper to use as a backer for the sheet that they draw on.
    • Use a wirebound book because the pages lie flat
    • There's a lot to be said for hard covers

     

    Rule 4 - Separation matters
    Bring a smooth piece of thick paper to separate the page being drawn from those around it. Ink and color can bleed. At the minimum, it ruins a page in your book at the worst several.
     
     
    Rule 5 - Reference matters
    Artists don’t necessarily know the character you want or the costume or the pose or the setting. Bring reference. Printed reference is best. Though a list of links or images that you can email works, too.
     
    Remember, reference for the pose does not have to be for the character you want. If you like a particular “Batman on Gargoyle” pose, but you want it to feature Nightwing, don’t waste time searching for that, bring the Batman one. The artist can adapt once (s)he knows what you want.
     
    Rule 6 - Starting Strong matters
    Pick the best artist and idea that you can afford and start with that. Artists are competitive so a strong start is a challenge to the subsequent artists.
     
    Rule 7 - Provenance matters
    Record the artist, the art and the commissioner in the sketchbook.
    1. When you pickup the art, record the artist's name, location and date on the bottom of the page that was drawn on and take a picture of the art, the artist, and, optionally, the commissioner.
    2. When you get home, do this:
      1. Go to an art supply store and buy archival see-thru Mounting Corners (see below)
      2. Print the photos as 4x6 at Walgreen's or wherever (it's really cheap)
      3. When you have your picture, mount the corners on the back of the previous page and insert the photo (see example below)

    If you should ever want to sell the page, remove the picture from its back and replace it with the picture from the back of the previous page and you have provenance. If you never sell, you have a great memory book. Try it, you'll like it.

    image.png.de49c57e56deafd7b76584e282f4dbd5.png

    image.png.f2759c88fb2f78d9d949f456d47aa917.png

     

     

    Finally, and this is really important, remember to label your book with your name and phone number! (I may have mentioned this before)

    The most important tip is to label your items (bag, portfolio, sketchbook) with your name and phone number. Most people are honest and will return lost items. 

    Also, I tend to use a portfolio on the plane (13x19 usually), but I use 11" X 17" rigid vinyl print protectors at the show to minimize weight which can be important. Both should be labeled. You could also throw a business card in the print protector for good measure. (Yes, I have lost a page due to lack of such labels.)

    BTW, you should do the same with your phone. Something like "If found, please page Alex Johnson or call Kathy Johnson at +1.xxx.xxx.xxxx." Yes, I use full international number. Kathy's usually with me at a show, but even if not, she knows artist friends at the show that would hold it for me. 

    Kirby Brand Echh splash

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    Off topic a bit, I'll admit, but the real origin of Forbush man is depicted in this wonderful drawing that I wish I'd commissioned. :) 

    It's from the collection of Bill Lait (click to see it in full). Clearly, Irving was copying the original Red Tornado. :)
    image.png.d65079f1fd28acd95d8380e3b446a5f8.png
     

    If you could easily publish a book on OA / hold an OA exhibition...

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted · Edited by alxjhnsn

    Several:

    1) I'd love to create a tribute to Sheldon Mayer of Scribbly and Sugar & Spike fame filled with text and a collection of variant covers to S&S 100 which has never been printed. DC got to 98 before Sheldon's eyes failed him (cataracts), decades later they printed a 99. Though Sheldon had successful cataract surgery and continued S&S for international publication, he never had an S&S #100. I've a few commissions that center on S&S 100. :)

    2) I'd enjoy writing a comprehensive guide to collecting comic book original art. I'm maintaining a few FAQs - who knows.

    • Popular Post
    • Popular Post

    Pricing Comic Art - Update

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted · Edited by alxjhnsn
    Added the replacements for comicart-l and cited Rabid Ferret's blog on researching comic art

    As many of you know, I've collected tips on how to price comic book art. I have recently updated my write-up to include resources that a seller might use and that are not really appropriate for buyers. I also added a section on pricing pencils/letters/inks on a page vs. pencils/inks on a page vs. separate pencils and inks.

    Feedback is welcome.

    BTW,

    • The latest write-up is always on this post. I edit the material in Spoiler tags and add a new comment on the bottom of the thread. This seems to be the easiest way to find the latest. Of course, it means older versions are gone. 
    • If you'd like a copy of this in an email, just PM me with your email address and I'll send it along

     

    Spoiler

    Whether you are pricing to sell or buy, you might want to explore the following resources

    • The website Comic Art Tracker can help you find art and look at current asking prices for similar pieces.
    • The OA auction archive at Heritage Auctions – This archive presents the results from all of their OA auctions.. Once you sign-up and get an id, you can search for pieces by your artist and see what they have sold for.
    • Ebay’s completed listings. The data is only 30 days old, but it is a place to find pricing for commonly traded artists.
    • The CAF Market Data - More auction results (more than 1,000,000) are available if you join the Comic Art Fans site, pay for Market Data access, and access eBay’s archive (much more than 30 days worth), Heritage Auctions, and other auction sites.
    • Dealer sites. 
      • Dealers, generally, post their art with fixed prices though there are exceptions. 
      • The best dealer list is available on Comic Art Tracker. You can see it here. 
      • There other dealer lists, e.g., there is a list of dealers on CGC OA board. 
      • The CAF site will search the inventories of several dealers for you. However, the Comic Art Tracker is better.
    • Art Pricing Services:
      • Terapeek is an ebay service that provides analytics on lots of ebay transactions - well beyond the 90 day limit. The rates are given on the link.
      • AskArt which for a fee will report auction prices for various types of art including comic art. Subscription information can be found here. The tracked sources are: auction houses, art galleries, and museums.
      • WorthPoint which for a fee will report auction prices for various types of art including comic art. Subscription pricing is here. A full list of their data sources can be found here. 
      • Blouin Art Info which tracks sales at major art auctions. It can turn up some Comic OA as well. Look for the “Art Prices” item on the top right of the screen. Subscription information is on the linked page. I can’t find their data sources.
    • Reference Books
      • Jerry Weist's Comic Art Price Guide - Heritage published a third edition of it. In my opinion, it's a good history book and might be useful for comparison work, but it was out of date a year before it was printed.
      • Dr. Patrick Bain’s Comic Art Trends Price Guide series which is available on Amazon.com and the Comic Art Trends Price Guide website.
        • Comic Art Trends Price Guide Modern Masters 2020
        • Comic Art Trends Price Guide Grading Companion
        • Comic Art Trends Price Guide 2019
    • Topics on the CGC Board
    • Videos and Podcasts
    • Other resources
      • Subscribe to Francesco Brisighelli's newsletter, Original Comic Art Tips. It's quite interesting as he survey's various auction sites and picks out the pieces that he believes are interesting. He maintains a website at comicart.tips and a Facebook Page as well.
    If you are pricing to sell, there are additional resources:
     
    The ComicArtTracker site as the best list of Auction Houses (here) and Dealers (here) on the Internet. 
     
     
    I do not claim that this information is either exhaustive or useful.
     
    Even with the information above, new buyers and sellers often find that OA is too hard to price. I agree that it is difficult. However, I think that there is a valid reason. Each piece is unique. Uniqueness make art sales generally and OA specifically non-linear. Examples of how piece can differ in ways that impact pricing include:
    • Content: Consecutive pages could and do sell for radically different amounts based on their content. 
    • Page Layout: In general, you might say:

                  Covers > 1st Page Splash > Other Splash > 1/2 splash > panel page

               However, that's not always true either. The right panel page can be much more compelling than a bland splash.

    • Penciler vs. character: There are "A-list" artists, but not all of their books/characters have the same value. Kirby FF pages generally go for more than JIM/Thor pages which go for more than Cap pages (2nd run) which go for more than ...
    • Pencilers/inkers combinations - Kirby/Sinnott FF pages rank above Kirby and anyone else on FF, but a Kirby/InkerX FF page might be more or less than a Kirby/Stone Thor page. Hard to tell.
    • Production Technique:
      • Classic - pencils, letters, and inks all on the same page
      • Recent - pencils and inks on the same page - no lettering
      • Modern - pencils and inks on different pages - no lettering
    In general, Classic > Recent > Modern
     
    When looking at a "split" Modern page, consider what it might be worth if done in Recent style and then split the cost with 60% of the "Modern-style" page going for the pencils and 40% going for the blue-line inks. Why? The penciller tells the story and that's the page (s)he handled. The inked page has the advantage of being the published page, but even so most prefer the pencil page.
     

    There’s another reason - scarcity. You may ask how can it be scarce especially modern art since pretty much anything drawn for a comic since the late 70s has been saved by someone. Well, that’s a good question and my friend, Rabid Ferret, explores this topic in Francesco Brisighelli’s blog. Rabid’s key point is that if one has specific types of pages in mind, one should do the research to determine how many such pages exist. In his blog post, he poses that question with regard to the Lee/Williams Uncanny X-Men run and the fan favorite Wolverine in the fan favorite action scenes (claws out). You’d be amazed at how few pages there are with the most desired characteristics. He then talks about ranking the pages. The gist is, if you have an idea of what you want, do the homework so when the piece comes up you know whether or not you should jump on it. I found the article to be quite enlightening; it also made me glad that I’m not s super specialist! 

    Finally, you should join the comic book OA community. The main points of Internet contact are:

    • Yahoo's comicart-l mailing list has passed because Yahoo has discontinued the service. However, two new lists have risen to replace it. I have joined both and I post to both most of the time.
      • On groups.io, we have comicart-l@groups.io (Sign up by clicking here and look for the word subscribe.) At this writing, there are 98 members.
      • On Freelists, we have comicartl@freelists.org (Sign up by clicking here.) At this writing, there are 307 members.
    • The Comic Art Fans website
    • The CGC OA Board 
    • The Facebook Pages listed above

    The main points of physical contact are probably:

    • Dedicated Comic Art Shows
      • Comic Art Con (Spring/Fall) - A twice yearly show originally in northern NJ, but moving to NYC. The domain seems to have lapsed, but the show owner has a page for it here.
      • NYC Comic Art Expo - Annual spring show, nothing but art people (dealers, individual sellers, and buyers) and a few local artists. Held at the Penn Hotel opposite Penn Station
      • Torpedo Comics Collectors Convention (née LA Comic Art Show) - Annual art show one week before SDCC to leverage the dealer’s visit to the west coast
    • Conventions with High Dealer Attendance
    • Shows with a comic artist focus
      • Heroes Comic Con - Not a lot of comic art dealers, but a huge number of artists who generally will draw and have portfolios to sell
      • Baltimore Comic Con - Similar to HeroesCon.

    One last comment, if you are looking to buy or sell, spend the time to learn the market. That might take 6 months, but it's worth the time.

    I recognize that this is simply a general description and each piece of art and each seller is unique, but I think this information can be useful.

    The Official Commission Collecting Thread

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    2 hours ago, dirtymartini1 said:

    Oh wow. Thank you for the suggestion. She is super talented. Soon as I saw some of her stuff, I thought wow, Cursed Pirate Girl in color! 

    In spoilers for those that don't want to read about Janet and Jeremy. :)

    Spoiler

    Welcome. I think should would be perfect for a project like you posted. I do have a page from her Sea Sirens (A Trot and Cap'n Bill Adventure) with Amy Chu. It's the first of a series. Click to learn more about it.
    image.thumb.png.94cfd9f795b22105f96589b952d8e469.png

    As to CPG, I'm a fan. Click on the image to learn more about each piece.

    My first "con sketch" from Jeremy.
     image.thumb.png.212f9208fb8ad890b4fe19314c77635a.png

    My second "con sketch" from Jeremy
    image.thumb.png.0257b78c93ae81fbe4144053ac960253.png

    The first CPG commission Jeremy ever did!
    image.thumb.png.21ccd31db851d6ccffead628c56dc2d7.png

     

    The Official Commission Collecting Thread

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    2 hours ago, dirtymartini1 said:

    My 1st commish. Happy and relieved. It came out great and didn’t take years. Here it is. by Bill Carman. 

    If you care to read the hows and why, please check out my CAF link.

    https://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1609981

    phantomtollbooth (1).jpg

    If you ever want to do another, you might consider Janet K. Lee. She did The Return of the Dapper Man as a decoupage project and pen/ink and painted project. Very talented, very nice, interesting approach to her art.

    Donnelly Brothers / CoolLines Art FAQ

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    1 hour ago, MYNAMEISLEGION said:

    Spencer: high ethics, horrible communication and website and general sales/inventory management. But- fair pricing 

    Donnelly’s : very responsive, but corrupt AF for all the reasons this thread mentions and ridiculous pricing.

    That's an interesting thought. Perhaps the FAQ should be organized by the topics we feel are important in dealers. What are the most important characteristics for a dealer?

    Are the characteristics you look for in a rep the same?

     

    Donnelly Brothers / CoolLines Art FAQ

    in Original Comic Art

    Posted

    I have no axe to grind with them and my conversations with Rich have been pleasant.

    I'm just tired of folks posting about them. An FAQ can provide a nice summary and terminate those threads (okay, that part may be a dream).

    As for singling them out, I'd be happy to write an FAQ on other dealers if there's enough interesting to discuss. [I will admit that a book of FAQs on OA collecting is an interest.]