koollectablz

I guess I see this differently as I see him presenting his work more as an 'idea' with the actual final images not meaning very much more than them being striking images. He copied comic book panels - that was his art, his final pieces (the Russ Heath one inc) are just the way of presenting his 'art'. It really didn't matter whatsoever what panels he copied, what mattered is that he did it, no one else, that's his talent. Now I can see people then countering that with 'anyone could do that!' - but yeah, well they could, but here's the kicker... they didn't did they... Just as placing a moustache on the Mona Lisa and exhibiting a urinal is artistic, so is doing what he did. Undoubtably Russ swiped art when drawing his panels, every artist does. The difference being, that was his artistic sphere, his work sold in the millions for 10 cents each time. Roy's sold one each time for millions. I'm not even a Lichtenstein fan, but talent is talent. But hey that's my opinion, your mileage may vary.

Lichtenstein took panels from comic books and painted them blown up. Warhol took soup cans and painted them in multiples. Hirst put a shark in formaldehyde. All art. Lichtenstein did not take four million dollars from the wallet of Russ Heath. If he hadn't produced this particular piece, no one would have, not me, not Russ Heath. Should Lichtenstein have given some of the proceeds of his sales to the artists who's work he copied? Totally up to him. Should he be condemned because he didn't? Absolutely not.

Every single artist has at some point in their career copied another one. I'm a big fan of the Hero Initiative, but this is just a sour grapes side swipe.

No don't misunderstand. The example I used - the Gene Day 'Dr Who' cover has not had the borders added with an overlay. They have been taken from either a blank piece or a damaged or valueless piece and added deliberately to defraud. I'll say it again so no one can mistake me - they have added and altered the piece on purpose solely for financial gain and to cheat an unsuspecting customer. How do I know? I asked if any work whatsoever had been done to the piece (as I knew it previously from CAF and watched the auction on Heritage) mentioning the borders quite specifically and was told the piece was all original and that the borders were attached to the art and always had been. As for the price? It's a free country they can choose to charge whatever they like. Likewise I and everyone else can choose to shop elsewhere.

Wow a thread I can pitch in on!!! Art as it was purchased by cool lines for about $700 at a heritage auction: http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=30877&GSub=3980 Art now for sale, after it's magically acquired new borders: http://www.coollinesartwork.com/featured.asp?Piece=290482 Yuppers! Roll right up for actual misrepresentation before your very eyes! Price I was quoted by cool lines after I specifically asked whether they had added borders and was told no... $7k That's a 10x mark up! Great work if you can get it. Course you need to commit fraud and lie to potential customers... But hey, that's collecting original art for you!!

I personally think the latest couple story arcs have been really quite poor and add into the stunningly atrocious artwork and it's setting up for a serious lull. For a zombie comic, there's no zombies. That said, you can understand why, after a while the only way you can really go is to have the group just come up again and again against other groups and maybe kill off a character or so. Ultimately boring. Negan is just another governor, who cares. Rick got his hand chopped off, what shall we do now? Shoot Carl in the face. If the character doesn't die I reckon every one of them will have at least one limb missing or hideous injury each. I Reckon Andrea is due to get her nose cut off. Bit silly really.

That's the only cover lately that makes me want to actually read the comic! More power to him - great piece of work!

I'm jumping off reading this now. At first it was great - really cool to see the characters develop and yeah, even die. But all that's happening now is its the same plot again and again, just moved on to a different locale. They move on, they settle down, up comes a new threat, some characters get killed. rinse and repeat. Plus the actual zombies are very much bit part players now. Hate to say it but the most exciting comic of the last ten years is actually quite boring. Plus, the art is atrocious! If the guy can't keep up a decent quality due to time constraints then draft in some help. Sometimes it's a bloody good thing Rick only has the one hand just so's you can tell who he is.

I dunno, like the other guy I have no horse in this race (cool phrase) but it certainly seems to me that Spencer could very easily walk away from the whole sorry mess without anything coming back to him. JR is an adult who is free to make his own deals that Spencer has naff all to do with, and really why should he. That he's willing to try (Spencer) and sort this situation out is extremely commendable and I for one will certainly remember his efforts for a long time whether or not I ever have any dealings with him. Fair play to the man. As for JR, I think I'd have reported him to the police by now, or at least tried to lodge a civil complaint against him. What the French guy has paid for and recieved is criminal. JMHO.

Weirdly I'm with the guy earlier in in the thread that said he's now more likely to deal with metro than before now. I've read a few anti-metro threads but this Frank guy seems on the up! Well done Frank. And to the OP - 2 years! Are you having a ducking laugh? I've had staples go rusty in less than that time when they were perfect when first purchased. Mind you I do keep my comics in a shed in the garden. 2 years! .

That's 25 years away, at the rate of one a month. I waited long enough for Who to come back on the telly, I can wait for #1000 to roll around.

They should have saved a cover like that for #1000 and probably got either Frazetta (too late) or Alex Ross (you never know) to do it.

They tend to turn up fairly often: http://compalcomics.com/catalogue/lot63.htm Not as popular as you'd think really.

Time to write which book ?? Years ago I wanted to do the definitive guide to collecting DC but Paul Levitz said they'd never allow it, as they had lost the rights to so many titles. How could they not allow it? Wouldn't you just be producing a guide like Gerber or Overstreet and just stating your opinions?

I'm waiting for Moore or Miller to reinvisage the Dirt-minator for the 21st century. Then the original promo release will get it's deserved boost in value.

Ian, got any letters printed in any of your D.C.s?

I have boxes full of comics that were genuinely part of my collection which I then upgraded. And put the prior copy in a box. In some cases they're the copy I had since I was ten. I have my original Justice League 7 which I upgraded for a nice copy, but the original looks like a rag in comparison. Eight year old boys don't know how to look after their comics properly. And what a sorry state the world would be in if they did.

Ian, do you collect those hardbacked compilation DCs that consist of about 5 different titles bunched together to make a kind of monthly 'best of' DC?' My dad used to get them from Lewis's in the 60s. I can remember him having one with a JLA cover with the insides five different copies of Adventure - not consecutive either! Very similar to the British hardbacked Classics Illus in feel.

Theres no way that this isn't one of the greatest achievements in comics - anyone who thinks any different I'd class as a complete insufficiently_thoughtful_person or just utterly consumed by jealousy (and this coming from someone who considers Ian to be somewhat far along the eccentric spectrum - and I mean that in the nicest possible way). I also like the idea of getting restored copies - least then you can get them out once in a while and enjoy them without worrying that a bang to a corner has cost you a few thousand dollars! In fact the only problem with the whole achievement is that within those 35,000+ glorious issues you must contend with the knowledge that you're also got an awful lot of pure unadulterated tripe stored away. Fantastic collection, superb achievement.