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Brian,

 

Would you please tell us how many submitted entries and how many voted? I think it'd be interesting to see how involved the comicart-l was.

 

Best,

 

Alex

Wow, I got the most votes ever! I'm astounded.

 

Covers: 3 Alex Johnson Plutona by Emi Lenox

Pin-ups: 2 Alex Johnson Katy Keene Fashion Book Magazine 22 page 16 - Bill Woggon (pencils) and Cassie Bill (inks)

Commissions: 11 Alex Johnson Nick Pitarra vs. Supergirl by Nick Pitarra

 

I'm surprised.

If I were picking best of show, this would be it.

 

Yeah, building the house around it might sound extreme, but it's not.

My rule when voting is that I pick the pieces that I would most like to own.

 

I build my list by going through the category and opening the ones I like the most in a new tab. Then I order the tabs from most favorite to somewhat less favorite.

 

 

Published/Unpublished: Covers

Gary Land - Ross Andru’s Wonder Woman 154

I know that Ross’ art is an acquired taste and there is no doubt that his WW covers (and stories) are among the oddest of the odd, but how can you pass on this cover? It has WW rescuing Steve Trevor from the clutches of Volcano Man! If this was a 50s Marvel monster cover, everyone would be all over it. [Okay, may be not.] Still, I love those goofy stories and covers and I’m really glad to know that some survived.

 

BTW, Gary Land and Ron Sonenthal have collections that are just full of pieces that I love. I wouldn’t be surprised if I pick more from either one of them.

 

 

Jim Halperin - Bernie Wrightson’s Swamp Thing #1

Yeah, well, I don’t really know what to day other than - Wow! I’m thrilled that this survived and I loved the cover the moment I saw the cover. Bernie Wrightson is amazing. Though it’s not obvious so much from this page, Bernie’s people are amazing. They look like people from the swamps should look. That run of ST still resonates with me - terrific stories and art that was astounding especially given the print quality of the day.

 

Thanks for sharing, Jim.

 

P.S., If you like speculative fiction (SciFi if you will), I strongly recommend Jim’s book, The Truth Machine It’s exactly what speculative fiction should be; take an idea and see what it does to society. In this case, a “Bill Gates” analog develops a truth machine and very, very interesting things happen. Intriguing story and well written.

 

 

Daren Domina - Gil Kane’s Iron Man #49 Cover (1972)

Yeah, I know. How could I put Gil Kane ahead of all the other greats in this section? It’s simple, I’ve always admired Gil’s cover for their dynamic composition and I’m a sucker for his women. This cover has both.

 

Good composition, I like the parallel diagonals of Iron Man swooping down from left to right in line with the girl. Gil had a long run of great covers for Marvel and this is an excellent example

 

Michael Browning - Joe Kubert’s Atom and Hawkman 44

I’m so glad we get five choices. It would be really, really hard for me to pass up this cover. Kubert’s Hawkman is the best and the Gentleman Ghost was an interesting villain.

 

Roger K. - Giordano’s Wonder Woman 201

One of my favorite periods of WW (after her original run with Marston/Peter, of course) was her “Diana Rigg” period. The Sekowsky/Giordano combination was fun and I found the stories interesting and wide ranging. While I can’t be sad that Lynda Carter got the TV show, it did cause the end of this run and I was sad for that. This cover is a classic of the period even if Mike didn’t contribute to it.

 

 

Runners Up

It’s so hard! My runners up were two Neal Adams covers and a Frank Brunner one. That’s serious talent.

 

Miki Annamanthadoo - Neal Adams’ Adventure 372

I loved the original run of the Legion of Super-Heroes in Adventure; the Shooter/Swan combination was terrific. While I prefer (and preferred) Swan’s covers to Adams' generally (I know, I know), Adams’ were always striking and I always remembered them. Congrats on this Miki!

 

Paul Handler - Neal Adams’ Lois Lane 91

Another striking Adams’ cover. Did he do any other kind?

 

Joe Schaffer - Frank Brunner’s Man-Thing 16

Frank Brunner’s work - even the monsters - is beautiful.

 

 

 

Published: Splash Pages, Pinups

Jared Simmons - Sprang’s Secrets of the Batcave

I love this piece. It is perfection.

 

Neal Adams had a huge impact on “fixing” Batman, I know that and I loved the work. Englehart/Rogers/Austin’s (with a few drawn by others) run in Detective remains the best Batman story to my mind.

 

But Sprang is THE Batman artist for those that remember his era. I doubt that he drew a story that I didn’t like. This piece captures so much of that era of Batman, the not-so-dark Knight.

 

Just amazing. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel seeing that one my wall. Jared, if you remodel and it does fit the decor, please let me know and I’ll come pick it up.

 

BTW, your MTE Dr. Strange piece is also stunning.

 

Gary Land - Lou Fine’s Black Condor

Have I mentioned that I admire Gary’s taste in comic book art? I haven’t, well, I should.

 

Beautiful work. So little of his work survives that it is a crime. It’s not The Ray, but it will do.

 

B. Carter - Norm Breyfogle/Steve Mitchell’s Detective Comics 617

I missed most of Norm’s Batman work due a comic book hiatus. This DPS makes me realize what I missed. Wow! No one I hear so many good things about his Batman.

 

Drake Tungsten - Bernie Wrightson’s Unused Page from Jenifer

Bernie is the best and Jenifer is a terrific tale. I wonder why Bernie rejected the page, but I know why Drake didn’t.

 

Miki Annamanthadoo - Swan/Abel Adventure 372

As much as I love Swan’s Legion (and it is my favorite), I equally dislike what Jack Abel did to his pencils. That said, what a great splash. It draws you in and starts at a place that makes you wonder what is going on. The fact that Miki found the entire story and the cover astounds me. What a find!

 

 

Runners Up

Ankur J - Don Heck’s Wonder Woman 320

Who says Don Heck can’t draw? He did a great job here. I’ve always felt that Don, like Dillin, always did fine work, but not distinctive work that garnered the attention that the stars got. However, they told a good story and the art was solid and at times like this outstanding.

 

Alex C - Dan DeCarlo’s Stripper from Humorama

The caption says it best - “that girl has something about her you like right off.” Definitely off-model for an Archie artist.

 

Charles Beaumont - Frank Miller’s Ronin #1 pgs. 16-17

The setting for one of the best things that Frank has done in my opinion. I think enough of the series that I bought the humongous Gallery Edition and hauled it to Dallas Fan Expo after buying a VIP badge so I could stand in a long line to get him to sign (initial really) my copy. It’s quite a story with remarkable art in that transition from DD to DKR.

 

Jared Simmons - Frank Brunner’s MTE #6 (Dr. Strange)

Yes, Ditko’s Dr. Strange is fascinating, but Brunner’s was jaw dropping beautiful.

 

 

Published: Interior Panel Pages

This category was horribly tough this year. Even with my odd tastes, I picked 30 pieces on my first pass through the gallery. 30! Whittling it down to the 5 that I’d want the most was really, really hard. I like panel pages the best. I left off pages by Stevens(!), Kirby, Kubert, Heath and Kubert(!), Adams (GL and X-Men), ...

 

Never the less, I persevered and offer my choices for your consideration.

 

 

Sam 06 - Jack Kirby/Vince Colletta’s Thor 137 page 10

I want a Kirby Thor and if I do get one, it won’t be better than this one. Ulik the Troll and Thor in an knockdown brawl. The last panel is worth the price of admission. Yep, this would do nicely. (Your other one is great, too, but I’ll take this one, thanks!)

 

Michael Browning - Frank Miller's Daredevil 181 page 31

Flat our wonderful story telling. Great closeup. Varying perspectives and a movement that defines the character. Wow. This page blew me away.

 

ephiny22 - J. H. Williams, III’s Detective Comics #860, p. 18 & 19

This DPS is amazing. I didn’t read the comic,but I get the drift of the story and, wow, the art is beautiful. Amazing work.

 

Brian Peck - Dave Steven’s The Rocketeer, Volume 2, Cliff’s New York Adventure page 29

I love the layouts, the faces of the people, the flow of the story, the Bulldog Cafe, the ink, everything. Just a beautiful page from a beautiful story.

 

Rabid Ferret - Don Rosa’s Nobody’s Business (2nd story by Don)

I first found Don’s art in the pages of the RBCC (Rocket’s Blast and Comic Collector). It was years later that I discovered that he’d started drawing the Ducks. I think his work is genius. He’s just starting out here and page is already beautiful and funny. You don’t have to rabid to like this page.

 

 

Runners Up

Really there are too many to list, but here are a few that I really think deserve recognition.

 

Peter Venkman - Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer Vol. 2

Another great example of Dave’s work. I went with the other because I liked the unusual layout and the people, but I’d happy take this well paced, high tension piece. Beautiful work.

 

Andrew Hanna - Gene Ha’s Shadows and Light #2 (Black Widow)

I love the way that Gene choreographed the Widow’s drop from above and her expression when she finds the book empty - all of her work work for nothing.

 

Hans Kosenkranius - Jack Kirby/Joe Sinnott’s Fantastic Four 46 page 11

I liked the FF, but I preferred Thor. However, the FF stories with the Inhumans were my favorite along with the Galactus trilogy. This page I love. Why? Because it’s fun to see a boy play tug-a-war with his dog! The work is classic; the humor tremendous.

 

Even more: Kubert’s Viking Prince (2 of them!), Moore’s SIP (an excellent example, I love the faces, too), Colon DD (one with Palmer inks), Adams (GL and X-Men), Kubert/Anderson on Hawkman (wow!), Heath/Kubert on G. I. Combat (what a great combination!), BWS in a very moving scene from Conan, Miller’s Ronin(!), McFarlane’s Spidey, Curt Swan (Legion(!) and Superman), and so many, many more pages. Thanks for sharing.

 

 

 

Published: Strip Art

N.V. - George Herriman’s Krazy Kat (10.29.1922)

Pretty much has it all including a gender and racial subtext if you want to see it. Who knows what was going on in his wonderful head?

 

Ronan Killack - David Wright’s Carol Day #110 (1957)

Carol Day strips are always beautiful and this one demonstrates his skills. Look at the rain! The shadows. The effort is incredible and the effect wonderful. You can buy the strips as e-books.

 

Comicart B - Hal Foster’s Prince Valiant #340 (panel)

Wow! That’s some serious skill being displayed.

 

Gary Land - Jack Burley’s Batman Sunday (2/17/46)

Yes, him again. You’ve probably noticed that I like pretty much anything Gary buys. I know he’s outbid me on things before. Sigh…

 

Anyway, classic Batman comic strip by a guy whose work I enjoy.

 

James Halperin - Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon

Yeah, this pretty much has everything you’d want. Lovely.

 

Ted Latner - Chic Young’s Blondie (04/11/1941; birth of Cookie)

My how times have changed. Today, he’d be fainting in the delivery room. Classic Blondie strip.

 

Runners Up

Mark Howland - David Wright’s Carol Day 135

Just a typical Carol Day strip, by which I mean it’s wonderful.

 

Jim Warden - Walt Kelly’s Pogo (12/22/1961)

A very nice example of Walt’s work. Great stuff.

 

 

 

 

Published/Unpublished: Commissions

David Dingman - Yuko Shimizu’s Little Nemo

I’m a fan of her work - all of it. I like the simplicity of this piece and I think it captures Nemo well (I’m a fan of Little Nemo, too.)

 

Leonard Richman - John Byrne’s FF vs. Dr. Doom

Sure, I loved Yuko’s simplicity, but that doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate John Byrne’s complex commissions. John does the best commissions - more ink per $ than anyone who isn’t painting the page black! and they are fun.

 

Michael Avila - Darwyn Cooke’s Flash/Superman Race

Loved Darwyn’s work; wish there was more of it. This piece captures the energy we saw in Kirby’s work. Nice job, Darwyn!

 

Mark Yanko - Joan Pelaez’ Chinese Mermaid

Just beautiful.

 

Dave W (JadeGiant) - Alan Davis / Mark Farmer’s Hulk

From the beauty rendered beautifully to the beast rendered beautifully as well. Davis/Farmer are a classic team and they did a great Hulk.

 

 

Runners Up

Charles Beaumont - Frank Miller’s Ronin

The Ronin has a story to tell, you can see that. Really nice and not easy to come by.

 

Ricky Bobby - Jack Kirby/ Ayers’ JiM 83 Recreation

Yeah, this is all right, I guess.

 

Michael Rankin - Michael L. Peters’ “Even an Android Can Fly"

I always enjoy the Common Elements commissions and the Michaels did a really nice job on this one.

 

Leonard Richman - Jim Steranko’s Nick Fury

Not much to say, but “Steranko Fury!”

 

 

Unpublished: Sketch Covers/Convention Sketches

James Bella - Terry Moore’s DK3 Francine and Katchoo

Nice idea, clever execution. I like it!

 

Richard DeDominicis - Brian Stelfreeze’s Dr. Strange

Excellent! A very striking image.

 

Robert Brown - Gary Frank’s Hyperion

Super… Oops! Hyperion. Gary drew a striking image of the Marvel Superman clone.

 

Michael Gowcharan - Various Artist’s Amazing Spider-man Spiderverse Jam

Wow! This is hard to do. Some great names and Spidey images.

 

Alex L - Art Adams’ Harley Quinn

Art is terrific and this is a great example of what he will do at a con IF you get there in time.

 

 

Runners Up

Anthony Bryan - Walt Simonson’s Thor

Thor!

 

 

Unpublished/Published: Other

Gene Park - George Herriman - Krazy Kat Color Presentation Drawing

The crew and in living color with Ignatz about to throw an elm.

 

John Cogan - Darwyn Cooke - Selina’s Big Score Cast

This book that made Darwyn a star and here’s the cast. Nice!

 

Michael Diaz - Matt Wagner/Bill Anderson’s The Demon

Best Demon I’ve seen since the King.

 

Roger K - Roy Krenkel’s John Carter of Mars

I’ve always enjoyed K renkel’s frontispieces. This John Carter is sweet!

 

Rob L - Mark Schultz’ Jack Tenric and Hannah Dundee

Jack, Hannah, and dinosaurs! What more do you want?

 

 

I’m done. Hope this was fun for you, too.

 

 

 

 

My commission of the main cast of the strip Rick O’Shay by the late Stan Lynde was just published as the cover to the Dec 2016 issue of the Comics Review! It’s very appropriate because I asked Stan for a scene on Christmas Day in the O’Shay household. If you are familiar with the strip, Stan would often have “homey” scenes for Christmas and Easter. I really enjoyed them and asked for one when I found him selling items on ebay.

 

Rick Norwood, the editor of Comics Review, contacted me through Facebook about using it and I said sure if Mrs. Lynde agreed. She did and Rick used it.

 

It’s fun to see it in print. The cover is in the Additional Images.

 

 

P.S. It is a remarkable piece. Look at the shadows and the glow of the candles on the tree which is unpainted paper.

My goals are VERY unfocused this year. There are a few things that I'd be interested in getting, but no sure that I'd spend the money.

 

• Swanderson Superman page
  
• Swan/Klein Superman or LSH page
  
• Kirby Thor page
  
• Marshall Rogers Detective (Batman) page from his wonderful run with Steve Englehart
  

 

I also tend to impulse buy modern items.

I can't imagine what it would be that would cause me to do that.

I'm very happy with the acquisitions for this year and deciding what to offer was tough.My tastes kind of wander around so you'll find a selection of comic art, but not much from the traditional superhero books that I buy every week. (How odd!)

 

In any case, I'll give you my top five and my almost made its.

 

My decisions are final - unless they aren't.

 

 

My Top 5 for 2016:

 

40 for 60 Sketchbook - Various (Unpublished: Sketch Covers/Convention Sketches)

Talk about a loving gift! My wife with support from my daughters worked for three years to create this sketchbook for my 60th birthday..It was a wonderful surprise. Yes, it's 40 sketches so I'm probably cheating, but it was one gift and for me that's what counts.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1323102

 

Katy Keene Fashion Book Magazine 22 page 16 - Bill Woggon (pencils) and Cassie Bill (inks) (Published Splashes, Pin-Ups)

Not as well known as other Archie beauties like Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, or Cheryl Blossom, Katy Keene never the less had a long career under the hand of her creator Bill Woggon.She was later revived by John Sterling Lucas who was hand selected by Bill Woggon. Still later, she had a brief run under Andrew Pepoy. This piece has it all - Katy in a gown designed by a fan and drawn by Bill with inks by his long time assistant, Cassie.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1303254

 

Nick Pitarra vs. Supergirl - NIck Pitarra (Published/Unpublished Commissions)

I simply cannot explain how much this commission pleases me. The art direction from me to Kathy to Nick was "Nick arm wrestling Supergirl" with a little background. Wow, he wildly exceeded expectations!

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1359451

 

Plutona - Emi Lenox (Published Covers)

Plutona was a great series. Get a copy of the trade, enjoy my cover, and read a moving tale about young people, death, and the impact of one on the other. Oh, this is also the first piece of art for the book.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1309119

 

Wonder Woman - Liam Sharp (Published/Unpublished Commissions)

LIam was bored; I had a little money to burn; this happened.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1319506

 

 

Okay, those are the ones that I picked, but I left some good stuff behind.

 

Runner Ups:

 

The Autumnlands: Tooth and Nail Poster - Benjamin Dewey (Published Splashes, Pin-Ups)

Want to read a story that's a cross of Kamandi and Planet of the Apes with great art, check out The Autumnlands. You'll be glad you did. This is the first published image for the book.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1309148

 

The Manhattan Projects 11 pg 10 - Nick Pitarra (Published Interior Panel pages)

Did you know that there wasn't a single Manhattan Project? Nope, the creation of the bomb was just a cover story for what was really going on. Read The Manhattan Projects for the real scoop!

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1309148

 

Captain Carrot and his Amazing Zoo Crew (Tribute to JLA 29) - Scott Shaw! (Published/Unpublished Commissions)

My first comic was JLA 29 (1st series) and I've long thought that a version of that cover using Scott's characters would be fun.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1298169

 

Cutter/Nightrunner and Skywise/Starjumper - Wendy Pini (Published/Unpublished Commissions)

I bought Fantasy Quarterly for $1 because I liked the art on Elfquest. I figured that I'd never see a second issue. That proved to be true, but Elfquest went on to become an independent comic phenomenon. Wendy's art is hard to come by. She kept all of her published work and drew a relatively small number of commissions and those are held onto by their owners. I was glad to find this one!

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1325985

 

Little Robot page 44 - Ben Hatke (Published Interior Panel pages)

Want a treat? Read Ben Hatke's books - Zita the Spacegirl, Little Robot, Mighty Jack, and more. This page is from Little Robot.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1359874

 

Rankin/Bass Santa vs. Supergirl - Dave Aikins (Published/Unpublished Commissions)

My Secret Santa sent me this. I think it's delightful.

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=13649904

 

The Complete 2016 Collection

--

My hypothesis is that they are collectors who present themselves as dealers so that they can take the tax benefits of using their "business" to support their hobby. That is, it lowers their collection costs.

 

I have no evidence to back this hypothesis, but that's the one that I have.

Lovely.

If you haven’t read The Manhattan Projects, you have missed a treat. The premise is simple - What if creation of the Atomic Bomb was simply a front for what was really going on. That is, it wasn’t The Manhattan Project, it was the Manhattan Projects!

 

For Christmas, Kathy gave me a wonderful example that features most of the cast. I’m thrilled.

 

Secret Santa opening time was today. I present you with Santa vs. Supergirl.

 

 

If you liked this, I have a few others in this theme:

• Alex vs. Supergirl by Anthony Carpenter - I'm losing!
  
• Nick vs. Supergirl by Nick Pitarra - I think Nick will do better than I.
  
• Molly Danger vs. Supergirl by Jamal Igle - I think Supergirl has the edge, but Molly's older and stronger than she appears so who knows
  
• Wonder Woman vs. Supergirl by Aaron Lopresti - Tough to call, but the boulder they are resting is about to have a bad day.

 

I really enjoy that series. Stumbled upon it quite by accident.

 

I used Chris Ivy on my Archie cover.

 

 

Scott Rosema offered to patch up my Curt Swan page with a missing bubble, but I haven't bothered. You can reach Scott as follows:

Scott Rosema

1262 E. Forest Ave.

Muskegon, MI 49442

231-799-0200

temstudio@aol.com

 

If you are interested in restorers, in the many threads on paper conservation, the names that recur the most were:

 

 

If you don’t read Ben Hatke’s books, you are missing a treat. I will admit that you may need a young neighbor or grandchild in order to have a cover story, but do it.

 

Kathy and I met Ben at a signing at Bedrock City a couple of years ago. I’d known of his books before, but hadn’t read them. My mistake.

 

For our anniversary, along with my Nick Pitarra commission, she bought me a page from Little Robot. You can see it here:

 

The Description includes a link to ordering the books on Amazon. Use it.

 

And Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm sure most of us guys are envious that you have a partner who buys you OA as a gift. Doesn't get much better than that.

 

She's awesome. She didn't always feel that way though. Check this out.

Kathy arranged a wonderful gift for our anniversary - a commission by Nick Pitarra. I think it's wonderful; not as wonderful as Kathy, but close.

 

Check it out here:

 

It was fun!

 

Never crossed my mind. Sorry.

I'll be there.

 

Gallery in my signature.

Not a new piece of art, but a new signature on an existing piece.

 

A few years ago, my daughter became a Dr. Who fan. It turned out that same year that Comicpalooza had four Drs. Who as guests. So, I did the obvious. I commissioned Thom Zahler of Love and Capes fame to do a piece with all of the Drs. Who on it and I got it signed by those four Drs.

 

Since then she's added several of the companions and, just this year, she's added three more Doctors: Peter Capaldi at Fan Expo Dallas, Matt Smith at WW Austin, and David Tennant at Alamo City Comic Con.

 

Fair warning, Tom Baker (4), John Hurt (War Doctor), and Christopher Eccleston (9), we are on your trail!

 

Welcome

One standard answer coming up. Spoilers used because I post this a lot.