AKA Rick

That LeBron James "King of the Rings" Marvel Comic book was a special insert that's hard to find in high grade since it was secured inside of the ESPN magazine with rubber cement which can cause discoloration and an oily residue o the back cover http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/8485675/lebron-james-stars-first-ever-espn-marvel-comic-book-espn-magazine Oddly enough, there were other LeBron James comic books, some featuring artist James Jean as variants for DC Comics and Powerade back in 2005.

The only problem with collectibles as investments over stocks is that it's much harder to liquidate and realize maximum value/profit potential with collectibles. If you have a comic worth $10,000, you're going to have to find a buyer willing to pay $10,000. If you have a stock worth $10,000, generally it's easy to sell the stocks for that price through your broker. It becomes a bigger pain point if you have $1,000,000 invested in collectibles across 10,000+ pieces and have to figure out a way to sell them either individually to maximize profit, through auctions, or wholesale 'em out to dealers offering lower prices so they could then resell 'em... whereas if you had $1,000,000 in stocks, you'd be able to log on, click a few buttons and for the most part get cashed out quicker. So, from a timing of liquidation standpoint, it's easier to draw out money from stocks than the perceived value of collectibles. Some stocks also give dividends, where comic books are built upon a medium which, yes goes up in value but the material itself (paper) continues to age and potentially diminish in value if not properly taken cared ot. The upside of collectibles is 1) You can enjoy 'em, more so than looking at a stock certificate or a list of positions you own on a computer screen. 2) If you sell 'em, the taxation issues are tougher to source, and there's lots of cash transactions that occur that some circumvent capital gains through. 3) If you have something truly "hot" and put it up for auction, it can easily outperform the market value and you may be surprised by astronomical profits 4) They're generally not subject to huge bankruptcy styled swings in value, where the market rarely crashes unless you're investing on speculation (i.e. those variant covers and other "get rich quick" schemes)

I'd say 'tho Tony Moore is the co-creator and was part of some epic storylines, Charlie Adlard is the artist most recognized for the look and feel of The Walking Dead. Tony Moore's art is bright to Charlie Adlard's darkness, and Adlard has a far greater mood setting style suitable for The Walking Dead, and ultimately 'tho has a larger body of original artwork in the market, sold benefit from anything Tony Moore's art does in terms of sales precedent. I think Tony Moore will always have a place in collector's hearts as the originator and his pieces, since so limited will be "grail" type obsessions to possess, but Adlard still remains very relevant and highly collected. I'd be interested to see if any creative changes are in the future, be it Kirkman leaving writing duties and/or Adlard moving out, and who would replace them.

Go to BAGS UNLIMITED they have all sizes of mylars for original art and documents (showing specific dimensions for size customization) They've become a good go-to place for supplies.

If only reliant on the comic book and future of the characters, it is the 1st Appearance of Abraham Ford Rosita Espinosa and Eugene Porter And although Abraham was a strong character and part of the potentially pinnacle era of the story arcs, before he was eliminated, he's still a memorable character. I think the comic itself may have peaked. But, since it seems a lot of fans put a lot of faith and stock into the media be it TV or movies and characters 1st appearances, there's room for increased popularity, demand and value. I think the character of Abraham could be one of the most popular depending on how he's written for actor Michael Cudlitz on the TV show, and since Kirkman said the TV show and the Comic Book don't necessarily parallel each other, Abraham isn't necessarily destined to be written off. I think actress Christian Serratos who portrays Rosita on the TV series has the potential to be the most attractive girl in the cast and inherently a huge fan favorite, elevating the popularity of the comic book character. I think Eugene is going to be a bigger role character in the comic than initially seen as an afterthought. He's also featured in the TV show, portrayed by Josh McDermitt. So, that issue has 3 characters in the comic and TV show, but I think it's probably priced on speculation and potential already, so the thing to go for for The Walking Dead would probably be the "one of a kind" original artwork more so than the heavily produced comic books with large print runs.

Kirkman stated that Negan is a 99% certainty for the show and he feels Jon Hamm would make the perfect Negan I think Andrew Dice Clay would play a better Negan

I think Walking Dead popularity (including for the original art) is less about the art and more about the story. Personally, I like Adlard hands down above and beyond Moore for this book specifically in the way it sets the mood as horror drama. Moore wasn't able to capture the ominous tone and emotions as well, in my opinion. Similar to Frank Miller's "Dark Knight" - I'd say there's many better Batman artists in technical rendering than Frank Miller, such as Neal Adams, Jim Aparo, Marshall Rogers, Tony Daniel, David Finch and of course Jim Lee, but the Frank Miller artwork fit the Dark Knight story. I think the only other artists I'd like to see do Walking Dead other than Adlard that come top of mind right now would be Sean Philips, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller and Tim Sale.

I've seen them take a splash page and turn it into a cover and sold it as a cover. They did that with Thunderbolts #130. It originally sold from the artist's rep for under $150 as an inks over blueline (so, not even original pencils), I'm not sure how much they ended up selling the piece for since it's marked as "Sold" and I think they even implied (Pen and Ink) as original art, not disclosing the inks over blueline hybrid original art status. http://www.coollinesartwork.com/featured.asp?Piece=292432 This piece as initially the end page of THUNDERBOLTS #130 page #22, then that issue went into a 2nd printing and the end splash page was used as a Variant Cover. So, they put up the stats etc to turn it into what looks like the cover, which is in truth what it is/was/ended up being. They love to remix and modify artwork when they can, but I don't think they're doing anything to the original art other than adding elements like titles and stats. As a purist it's near sacrilegious to add anything to the original piece and these modifications should be done as a translucent overlay instead of a pasted on stat, then you retain the original art as well as get the aesthetics of a similar look to the published piece. At least they're not reprinting original art and calling them production pieces and trying to sell 'em.

It's the complete package between the writing and the artwork. Some argue the same of Frank Miller's artwork originally back in the 1980's where it was seen as film noir by many, yet a muddy mess by others, so without the stories to support the artwork, it may not be as valued and sought after as it is today. It's like lyrics and music to a song, they work in synchronicity. I think the speculators market for Preacher pages is pretty strong since it stands alone well as it is without the media hype of Hollywood backing by AMC for a show which may or may not become a reality and even them, may or may not meet critical acclaim by fans nor popular ratings by general audiences. It's still a series that seems highly respected by comic fans. It's similar to what I heard Mike Mignola say one time in a Q&A session. Someone posed a question about Hellboy and asked how he felt the movie(s) changed his comic book work. He said to paraphrase, the books exist and existed the same way as they were when released, and the movie(s) don't change that at all, so if you enjoy the books, read the books and you can continue to enjoy 'em. So, in that same way, nothing that Preacher does or doesn't do via Hollywood can change in a detrimental way, the legacy which has already been built

The Giant Sized X-Men #1 reimagined cover (artwork by John Cassaday) for Wizard Magazine sold on comic link via live auction for about $5,000 today.

You do touch upon one motivation which resides with a small sector of the hobby, which some collectors may call "Status" - - the bragging rights to say, "there's only one that exists and I own it!" and in their eyes they become the envy of their peers eyes and it makes them feel a certain way call it an ego boost or what have you. Of course the majority of collectors just buy for themselves (after all, who can afford just to buy to be a braggart), but you'll see a few of these people even on sites like CAF who used to try to boost views of their gallery with a "look at me!" agenda more so than a "hey, I just wanna share" intention of camaraderie. Then there's what/who I think are referred to as the "black hole collectors" who buy and stash away without ever wanting to draw attention to themselves, their purchases and collection. That's in part, circling back to part of the original posting's subject, why some art might have a "where is it now?" status, where the owners simply don't want to be known and some pieces do exist, but are privately held.

I'd rank in the influences in decision making process in this order: 1) Personally does it resonate with me aesthetically. Usually by artist name, as I collect certain artists. 2) Status. Not in the typical what others think or anything related to prestige, but more so if it's published. That's my quirk. I'd rather have a good rending that's published over a great rendering that's unpublished by the same artist. That's although I do like custom commissions, don't place high personal value to acquiring them. 3) Nostalgia. This usually relates to character content and flat out "no right, no wrong" just personal preference 4) Pricing. I don't mind buying a nice rendering for $100 by an unknown street artist, but I'd not pay $1,000 for that same piece if I feel it's not a good business decision. I would never go into debt to buy what I can't afford. Keeping in mind "you can't own everything" so being somewhat selective in making purchases. 5) Does it display well as a stand alone piece. Covers and splashes typically do, but if a panel page, is the layout of the sequential art good. Huge bonus points if it's artwork with dialogue in it, and more so if the dialogue is well written. If a page has The Thing saying "it's clobberin' time" or has the Green Lantern reciting his oath, those can make more mediocre renderings more appealing. 6) Investment potential. If at the right price or has the key elements of historical significance or nostalgia with others, and it's borderline with me and at the right price. I'd prefer "1st Appearances" over "Death of's" and also epic storylines like "Kree Skrull War", "Hush", "Identity Crisis", "Judas Contract", "Kraven's Last Hunt", "Dark Phoenix Saga", etc. - - any time you spend over $300 on 2 oz of 11" x 17" paper, it is sort of an investment to a degree, so not that reselling it is a motive the the ability to liquidate it if need be certainly is or should be a consideration.

Prelims come in varied conditions, some are really unrecognizable characters in layout form, more for storyboarding. So, the term can produce various qualities. Some artists prelims look really detailed and can often even be mistaken as the original final art. I've seen prelims by Mike Choi, Aaron Lopresti, Carl Barks, Tony Harris and Ryan Sook. Some prelims are done on 8" x 10" typing paper or smaller, and some are on full sized 11 x 17 (maybe are subsequently light boxed in the final rendering process as well). Some are done on the back of the final piece too, it's always fun to see extra artwork on the back of the OA. Prelims by big named artists like Carl Barks, James Jean or Frank Frazetta of course command high dollars, even if doodles. I've seen modern day prelims by Michael Turner and J. Scott Campbell sell for fairly good solid prices. Generally however, most everyday artists sell them at fractions and some nearly give them away or actually do give them to fans (either outright or as a gift with purchase). There's no guide or rule to price and value. I would say, generally, they're less desirable and to some, are not even considered worth collecting with the thought being either they're unfinished or there's a better (final / published) version that exists that they want instead. As a general fan of the process, I'd say they're most collectible when possessed with the final version (just like pencils and inked blue lined pairings on separate boards), much like a color guide would also be a nice addition along with the actual published publication/printed piece.

I think this question is good and the answers are complex. I'd say Jim Lee art, although expensive today, might be a better investment for the long term. If you have $10,000 to spend on either artist and were to pick art to resell in 10 years, you may in fact be better off with Jim Lee since there's more buying power and the odds of his art going up at higher percentages are decent if you get his run on X-Men or Batman "Hush", but anything else is probably riskier since he has a lot of mediocre titles out there. The mediocre stuff that's cheap may be the good buys are well, the Divine Right, WildCATS and other stuff that's available for $300 or less today could be tomorrow's $1,000 pieces, a good ROI. With Jack Kirby anything from the 1960's associated with Stan Lee's storytelling writing is pure classic. He's the creator or co-creator of the majority of the Marvel universe. His prices are pretty high, and just when you thought they were at their pinnacle, they continue to rise. It's hard to say if his art has a lot of room to grow and explode or will they go up with the rate of inflation. It's hard to say if the aged art collectors who grew up on Kirby won't die off and the new generation will appreciate Jim Lee, J. Scott Campbell, etc. - - or if there's a middle layer era of Byrne, Miller, Perez, Simonson, etc. that will emerge stronger first. It's like sports and sports cards. Some older fans love Wilt Chamberlain, other middle agers like Michael Jordan, then young adults like Kobe Bryan, now younger fans follow LeBron James. Then there's just fans of the game who like 'em all.

What are the thoughts to the "Pairing" as of WD #115 of Charlie Adlard (Pencils) and Stefano Gaudiano (Inks) as far as collectability and investment potential? They're currently sold as paired sets by Splash Page on their website as all know. In one breath it's nice to get 2 for 1 (so to speak, but not really given the pricing) and see the creative process of pure pencils and then the published inks. Plus, the 11" x 17" sized art board used, bigger art in a standard format. In another breath, if they're ever split up, each individual piece seems incomplete. I'm sure eventually pages will be split up and sold individually in the secondary market. With the "All Out War" storyline (yet to be completed, so it could be remarkably epic or a shark jumping flop) launching with that issue, I wonder if there's going to be high interest. It seems like there's still lots of pages from #115 and #116, so I'm not sure if the issues of the fact that they're a lot available for purchase is: a) they're priced higher than market bears currently for the art and is priced for impulse "gotta have it" purchases vs priced "to sell" at attractive affordable rates. b) the rendering isn't that great as far as subject matter in the storyline yet. I read the story is starting off slow, so maybe it's the lack of characters in action. c) the art is in 2 pieces, penciled and inked and also not pure Adlard artwork, so feels to some collectors incomplete even though it's a complete paired set.

If you don't have this already, there's still time to get in the back door before the Netflix deal is known to everyone. A $100 sales price would be around cover price roughly, so this should in theory be worth at least $200-300 possibly depending on the grades, potentially.

I'm I mistaken but did these pages have a "Buy it Now" option for around $5,000 each when the auction began?

I think I'm conditioned to reading Charlie Adlard's rendering of The Walking Dead and his zombies, so to a degree, Tony Moore's zombies come off a little less frightening and almost cartoonish caricatures from my perspective, but again, that's just my opinion as a reader. My favorite artists of zombie work includes Sean Phillips "Marvel Zombies", Greg Land "Ultimate Fantastic Four where the Marvel Zomibes were introduced" and of course Charlie Adlard's run on The Walking Dead. Not a knock on Tony Moore (as it's still a nice piece), more so than kudos to Charlie Adlard for what he's done for the series in my opinion.

The great aspect about published artwork, is regardless of who drew it, it was the final rendering used for publication, so in that way there's less an issue of fraud (other than artist credit attribution), and it retains a certain level of value and interest regardless. There are and were a lot of "Studios" in the history of comic art where a primary artist used other artists in various capacities such as for doing the backgrounds or inking and even of course to a degree "ghost penciling" (lip synching for artists). I think I heard that Pat Lee's studio had his work done by others but attributed to him, so if/when you're buying artwork by Pat Lee, as credited to him, it may not actually have been drawn by him, is what I hear. I know Ed Benes used to be part of Mike Deodato Jr's studio in Brazil (as was I think Al Rio), and then now Ed Benes has a studio (from which Fred Benes and Mariah Benes is a part of) where a lot of the artists styles are similar to the studio owner. I think Neal Adams had the Crusty Bunkers in the 1970's, but mainly an inking team if I'm not mistaken and were credited as such, so is a different scenario. I think that's where publishers often differentiate with an attempt at accuracy crediting "layouts" or "breakdowns" as opposed to "pencils" and using terms like "finishes", "embellishments" instead of "inking", I suppose.

From what I remember, the exception to the statements are with Daredevil #183, where the original story "Child's Play" (the then controversial angel dust drug issue) was slated to be released as Daredevil #167, but ended up being shelved. So, if you look at the original artwork for Daredevil #183, some (not sure if all) of the pages actually say Daredevil #167. The facts that I'm missing and am curious to know more about is, was "Child's Play" originally slated for Daredevil #167, presented/released as Daredevil #183 (which then continued to #184, a 2 part story)? Or was the original "Child's Play" (Daredevil #167) re-worked, being re-written, as I speculate (then adding "The Punisher") so that it was possibly spread from a single story (as the original #167) into a two part story (released as #183 - 184) with some original art by Frank Miller, and then additional pages which were done to add to the tale, but fall into the "looser Miller pencils" work. Daredevil #173-184 Looser Miller pencils, Janson inks and spots blacks. 179 Janson starts colouring as well.

I agree with you on the "Negan" character, written in over the top for pure uncreative shock value, and is one dimensional so far. I like the overall stories and arcs, as well as character development (hated to see some of 'em go 'tho), and it's still well written as an adventure book, which, if written properly can continue to 300 and beyond, if the main character (the mystery of the zombie infestation) remains interesting even without the same cast, as old ones are transitioned out and new ones are introduced, so eventually by 300 the adventure follows a totally new group. I think the artwork will survive and sustain interest and value, especially if the legacy remains strong as a comic book. Look at The Amazing Spider-Man, with 700+ issues... there's fans of various issues, characters and artist runs, be it Ditko, Romita, Kane, McFarlane, Larsen, Bagley or whomever. I'm sure the artist duties for The Walking Dead may transition over in the future, and maybe Charlie Adlard's work will be treasured even more so, with greater respect and appreciation. No matter what, each piece is one of a kind, and not two pages are alike, and many collectors like owning multiples, so I think the collector's market can sustain keeping these pages valuable so long as the series remains somewhat relevant or the prior and current issues become legendary or iconic to be appreciated by future generations and looked upon nostalgically as the pinnacle series run by readers now in later years as well, much like how many look at Frank Miller's "Daredevil" or John Byrne's "Uncanny X-Men" runs.

My advice based on both experience and what I've heard from others. 1) Have Patience. I had to wait about a year for mine after making an arrangement at a convention in-person. 2) Do not make any payment cash in advance, if you're the type who gets antsy that you paid for something and haven't received it. With a lot artists today, you almost have to have the attitude that once you pay in advance consider that money lost and be at peace with getting something substandard to your expectations or nothing at all, otherwise you'll get high blood pressure worrying about your art. 3) Be polite, but communicate often to be top of mind. He's actually a really nice person, just by probable self-admission and by reputation, a bit disorganized. 4) The prices are "you get what you pay for" meaning his structure tends to be "what are you willing to pay?" and he then does commensurate work to what you pay. If you want it larger, or with color, multiple characters, or whatever, this is an artist who you can't negotiate a deal with, you simply have to be a fan and patron of the arts and patronize him with enough $ incentive to get the job done and to your satisfaction, I'd say a starting price for a good piece is no less than $500 5) If you're the type who lacks patience, then even if you're at a convention and see him in person, don't make cash in advance payments. The job may get started, or sometimes not, and often times does not get done. 6) If his terms are insistent for cash in advance, then you'll need to play the odds and assume the risk to garner the reward, but know once you give away the money you lose all negotiation and power and take away any bit of motivation or incentive for hiim (or any artist for that matter) to do the job in a timely manner if at all.

You can also contact Ale Garza directly so nothing gets lost in translation and you have direct communication, and make arrangements for your specific needs. He's been known to get his mojo going and crank out high quality commissions with great speed and volume when motivated (both creative and financial). I know he's doing his best to clear the backlog of previous orders as best he can while maintaining the integrity of producing fine quality work his customers and fans will enjoy as opposed to just scribbling mediocre drawings to get 'em off his plate and people off his back. He's trying to be a perfectionist and has the right heart and intentions. I know that to be true. I think in the past week he's done a lot of pieces, and continues to honor his commitments. I've not had problems, as folks may have seen by my gallery of work he's done for me since 2004.

...and here's the link to the completed commission I'd mentioned of Spider-Man's MARY JANE and GWEN STACY penciled and inked by Ale Garza he did for me right after the New Year, I think he completed it within about 2 days. I know as an artist, as most artists, he has to get the right motivation and inspiration to turn out creative pieces, but once the layouts are done, barring commitments to publishers for deadlines, it's a fairly quick process from layouts to completion. http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=971150&GSub=25916

My experiences varies, and sometimes like fine wine, the longer I waited, the better the rendering, but never longer than my patience can tolerate and he's always responded to emails and has never forgotten about his obligations, so has professional honor and integrity. A lot of times I was able to get them "same day" (or during the weekend) of a comic convention at the show. My favorite one was a deal that he and Alex Sinclair had where he drew and Alex colored, and I was able to get my piece the same day. Other times, when getting commissions requested online via email, I quite frankly wasn't in any hurry and just mentioned the next show I'd be going to and meet him there to pick up the art, usually a few months out. I'm not a fan of the mail system, so it's nicer to see him and pick it up in person. PLUS, he often totes a stack of original artwork priced affordable for panel pages, many under $100 and even some for $40, so that's an added bonus to attending conventions for the opportunity to get great deals. I saw him do a stellar "Thor" on colored paper last year at Wonder Con in Anaheim that was for another fan. He does great work at the shows. He's one of those in-demand artists you should contact in advance of a show to set-up commissions or if attending the show, come early and get on the list.