rsonenthal

CAF has a nice service, and a free sign up to HA.com gets you access to their past sales. Wait, where's Alex Johnson? We need his helpful guide!!

Wait. What?

Marshall Rogers was taken from us much too soon, passing away in 2007 at age 57. Rogers had memorable, albeit short, runs on Detective, the Silver Surfer, Mister Miracle and Doctor Strange. Because the runs were all so short (not really by today’s standards, but definitely short in comparison to artistic team runs at that time), it’s often hard to find pages, so I was very happy to see a splash from Issue #51 pop up in the most recent Heritage Auction. Rogers with inks by Terry Austin teamed on Doctor Strange from issue #48-53. The run was much like the team’s run on Detective. Too short, but really well remembered. This splash has the good Doctor in astral form taking on Baron Mordo with the help of Morgana Blessing and Dormammu (wait! Dormammu helping?? – Yes. Go read the run!!). The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23244 As some of you know, I am a Hawk and Dove fan. This kooky title was created by Steve Ditko and Steve Skeates and debuted in Showcase #75 and I was lucky enough to pick up a DPS from Issue #1 last year. Ditko handled the artistic chores for Showcase 75 (their origin), issues 1 and 2, and then left the book. The book follows two brothers that are given powers by the Lords of Chaos and Order that seem to follow their personalities. Don is a pacifist by nature and becomes Dove. Hank is a fighter and turns into Hawk. This is a great page from Showcase 75, their origin issue and it’s got both brothers in action and in costume and bickering! The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23245 Finally, Terry and the Pirates…. I really like the war time strips, and Caniff was a master of light, shade, and emotion. Two neat pieces. First, a daily from April 7, 1944. Although Terry is in the strip (hanging outside the window), the focus in on Lady Singh and Burma. Yowsa! And, finally, a Sunday strip. I’ve been looking for the right Sunday for some time, and this one fits the bill. From August 13th, 1944, Caniff packs so much into one Sunday, it’s amazing. There are two distinct story lines going on, and panels 4 and 5 are almost a story unto themselves. Willow walks in at the wrong time to see Terry and Burma sharing a moment. It’s hard to see in the printed strip, but here you can see the surprise in Willow’s face, followed by the long shot of her leaving the hut unnoticed. It’s really neat the way Caniff could throw so much into two panels. Just classic. The link to the daily: http://cafurl.com?i=23246 The link to the Sunday: http://cafurl.com?i=23247 As always, feel free to stop by and take a look around at anything else that looks interesting. Ron

This art day is special for me. Like all of you (I’m sure), I have a mystical list of art that I’m looking for. Some pieces come easy, some will never, ever happen, and some are just hard to find. This is one of those. The ‘Nam was a Marvel comic that came out in the mid 80’s and dealt with (in the first year anyway) one soldier’s experience in Viet Nam. At that time, a tour of duty was one year, and the book followed one soldier through that year. It was the brainchild of Larry Hama and Doug Murray, both Viet Nam veterans. At the time, Hama was the editor of Savage Tales. Savage tales was a revival of an action/adventure anthology book that had war stories, space battles, western gunfights, etc. Hama reached out Murray and asked him to do a couple of Viet Nam stories, but to do it from a foot soldier’s perspective; to use his own experiences to bring a sense of realism to the stories. The first story, which appeared in Savage Tales #1, was titled “5th to the 1st - The ‘Nam 1967”. Written by Murray and pencils and inks by Golden. The second story, titled “5th to the 1st – The Sniper” appeared in issue #4. Both stories revolved around the same unit, but there wasn’t a central character or any real continuity to the stories. There was a third story in the 5th to the 1st series, titled Tunnel Rat. All were penciled and inked by Golden. The Tunnel Rat story actually appeared in the Issue #9 of The ‘Nam, and the original art to the story was broken up and sold at a HA auction some years ago. After The Sniper, then editor Jim Shooter approached Hama and asked him to create a new title; The ‘Nam. In fact, as the story goes, Shooter took a mock up of a GI Joe cover with the title “The Nam” on it, and asked Hama to give him a proposal. The book Murray proposed had to be within the guidelines of the comic code, which meant not addressing drug use or swearing, and Murray wanted to stay away from politics and keep the book in an almost real time, so that the reader got to experience a tour of duty along with the main character. In fact, each story came with a glossary to explain some of the terms used by the characters. Jorge Khoury, contributor to CBR.com in an article written in 2008 summed it up best when he said “The ‘Nam” handles the very sensitive subject of the controversial Vietnam War with confidence and morality while never being preachy. From the fresh-faced draftees to the Vietnamese citizens, the fair and objective scripts by Murray richly chronicled all sides with tremendous honesty and insight. “The ‘Nam” isn’t a story about right or wrong, it wasn’t a pro-war or anti-war fable, but an involving tale about human character and the obstacles man faces in war.” In terms of art, Michael Golden was set to jump to DC to take over Batman when he was approached by Hama. In the interview with Khoury, Golden recalled, “Well, the original premise of the book was that it was a historical representation of the war, as opposed to sort of like Sgt. Rock, where everything was fictionalized, at best. And I guess that that’s what drew me to it in the sense that it wasn’t going to be just a war book. It was historical representation.” Golden stayed on as penciler for the first year, with Armando Gil (who also inked Golden on the wonderful Avengers Annual #10), Pepe Moreno, Wayne Vasant, Bob McLeod, Bob Camp and John Beatty handling the inking chores. Golden left the book after that first year. The ‘Nam proved more popular than anyone expected, lasting till issue 84. Murray left pretty early on when a new editor decided to bring the book into the Marvel universe, and not continue the real time pace of the book. So, here we are. I’ve been looking for the right Golden piece from this run, and I now have something really special. The link below takes you to the complete six page story of the “5th to the 1st - The Sniper”. Pencils and inks by Golden. Not to diminish any of the work by Gil or Beatty, or any of the other inkers on the run, but Golden’s inks over his pencils are just amazing. This story was clearly important to Michael. The detail in the pages is spectacular, and a great example of a great artist in his prime. For your viewing pleasure, The Sniper: http://cafurl.com?i=23213 As always, feel free to take a look around at anything else that look interesting. Ron

You're allowed. And, the recognition is well deserved.

I think this thread proves the opposite.

That was my point. It’s not just how well the story is told. The story matters to the value.

That's an interesting perspective. If I could add on, I would think the strength of the story matters, no? Consider a well laid out page of Spidey fighting Tombstone as compared to a less well laid out page from the issue where Gwen Stacy was killed. Shouldn't that matter in this hobby?

I think Mark Evanier wrote about this issue. Ditko started it, but it’s Joe Orlando mostly.

Joe Orlando I think, more than Ditko (if my memory is correct).

Fred Ray was born in 1920. By age 20 he was working for National Comics (the forerunner of DC comics). Shortly thereafter he took over as the primary cover artist for Superman on Superman and Action comics. Although primarily a cover artist for Superman, he also wrote and drew the adventure comic, Congo Bill, which premiered in Action Comics #39 (1941). I was able to grab this splash from Action Comics #48 from 1942, and at this point, Congo Bill is fully involved in the war in the Pacific. Read the page, which quotes the Marine’s Hymn (The Halls of Montezuma). Just a great piece full of history. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23178 For an interesting side note, Congo Bill eventually found a magic ring which allowed him to transfer his consciousness into the golden gorilla - Congorilla. And, this was a real treat. I have an editorial cartoon by Bill Mauldin from the 1970’s and have been looking for a Willy and Joe piece from World War II. I hadn’t found one – till now. Heritage had this listed as a Korean War piece, but thanks to Rob Stolzer, I now know that this piece is an unpublished prelim for a Willy and Joe WWII comic that appeared in in the June 11, 1945 issue of "Stars and Stripes." The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23180 And now for something completely different, Terry and the Pirates by Alex Toth?? Toth did work the Dragon Lady Press in the 80’s. DLP was publishing reprints of Terry and the Pirates, but also Johnny Hazard, Alley Oop, and other adventure strips. Toth handled the covers on the Terry reprints, and while this is clearly Terry and the Pirates, it’s also clearly Alex Toth! The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23179 As always, please feel free to take a look around. Ron

That looks great!! Thanks for sharing the photos Felix! Ron

My picks are generally based on finding pieces that I would want in my collection. I don't usually pick up unpublished pieces, so seeing all of those is really a treat. Thanks to everyone for participating! My votes: Covers Rom 3 (Miller) - Michael Diaz Avengers 195 (Perez) – Robert Frey Adventure 439 (Aparo) – My name is Legion Amazing Spider-Man 98 (Kane) – Gene Park Cloak and Dagger 3 (Leonardi) – Jeremy Radisch Splashes/Pinups Submariner 2 (Buscema) – Sam 06 The Twelve 11 (Weston) – Robert Brown Iron Man 91 (Tuska) – Daren Domina Iron Man 55 (Starlin) – James Halperin Doctor Strange 46 (Golden) – John Sisson Interior Panel pages Daredevil 11 (Powell) – Comicart B The Shadow 4 (Chaykin) – John Cogan Master Comics 1 (Alfred) – Aaron N Spirit 1948 (Eisner) – Benno Rothschild Avengers 5 (Kirby) – J Sid Strip Art Flash Gordon 1936 (Raymond) – Ronan Killack Skymasters 1959 (Kirby) – Ronan Killack Secret Agent Corrigan (Williamson) – Felix Lu Krazy Kat 1920 (Herriman) – Jeff Singh Modesty Blaise 7394A (Romero) – John Stuart Commissions Robin (Booth) – eewwnuk Batman and Spectre (Dragotta) – Sideshow Bob Maleficent (Simonson) – Alex Johnson Wonder Woman 111 (Cho) – Gary Land Little Benno in Slumberland (Carmen) – Benno Rothschild Convention Sketches Batman and Catwoman (Sale) – Dean Abraham Hanami Picnic (Sakai) – Eltanin C Lone Ranger (Kaluta) – Tim Finney Spacegirl (Rivera) – Justin Leigh Leiter Who Ghost There? (Sook) – Michael Rankins Unpublished/Published Other Noir (Grindberg) Ray Cuthbert A Town called (Chantrell) - Terry Doyle Indiana Jones (Struzan) – Rabid Ferret Blazing Saddles (Stivers) – Brian Peck Miss Lace Trio (Caniff) – Jeff Singh Ron Sonenthal

As always, I look forward to this event, if for other reason than to see all of the great art that I somehow missed because I was wasting my time with my family, or working, or some such silliness. I don’t know that I thought about it when I was buying this past year, but I actually focused on two artists and not surprisingly four of my Top 5 are from those two. To cut to the chase, my entries are as follows: Published Covers: Brave and the Bold by Nick Cardy – Batman and Deadman, what more do you really need to say?? I loved this story. As I’m hopeful you all know, Deadman would usually take control of someone’s body without any problems. But, this was Batman. And, given that Deadman wasn’t used to being in such a highly tuned body, he almost succeeds in getting Batman killed. Great story and great cover. Link: http://cafurl.com?i=23135 Published Splashes, pin ups: Hawk and Dove #1 by Steve Ditko – Hawk and Dove first appeared in Showcase 75, and was a true product of the 60’s. Two brothers, imbued with the powers of two deities; one a pacifist, and one a fighter. That allowed the characters to have long discussions about the war, fighting against “the man”, and how much the older generation didn’t understand the younger generation. Ditko was a co-creator of Hawk and the Dove, and put a lot of love into these issues. This DPS has so much Ditko, and I don’t know if I can think of many other Ditko double page splashes. So happy to have this one. Link:: http://cafurl.com?i=23136 Published Interior pages : Strange Tales by Steve Ditko and George Bell – Ditko Doctor Strange. Doesn’t get much better than this. Strange facing off against Mordo with the Ancient One’s life hanging in the balance. Ditko’s work on Doctor Strange (another character that he co-created) was special. Ditko’s time at Marvel was comparatively short, and his Spider-man and Doctor Strange work were done at his peak powers. Link: http://cafurl.com?i=23137 Published Strip art: Terry and the Pirates by Milt Caniff – I’m relatively new to the Caniff train, but I’ve fallen for it like a ton of bricks. This piece is pure magic, as Caniff focuses on Burma in a (certainly for newspapers in the 40’s) super sexy strip. There are a lot of great Terry and the Pirates strips out there, but his Burma strips are just wonderful. Link: http://cafurl.com?i=23138 Published/Unpublished Other: Miss Lace from Male Call by Milt Caniff – Yep, another Caniff piece. But, this one is different. It’s not from the syndicated Terry and the Pirates strip. Instead, it’s from “Male Call,” a strip published only in military newspapers. Caniff created this special strip for the boys overseas during WWII and, given the audience, he was able to make it a little more racy. A key character was Miss Lace, and this was a Christmas specialty piece. Link: http://cafurl.com?i=23139 As always thanks to Brian and Bill for putting this together!! Ron Sonenthal

Resold in May of 2017 for $17,925.

For a final update for 2017, I’ve added a few more Jeff Hawke examples. Jeff Hawke was created by Sydney Jordan, and ran in England from 1955 to 1974. Much of it was co-written by William Patterson, but some episodes were written by Harry Harrison (the Stainless Steel Rat and Make Room! Make Room! – you probably know that one better by the movie “Soylent Green”). I’ve included examples from a couple of different episodes, including Out of Touch (written by Harry Harrison) and Winner Loses All. That should pair with my other example from Pass the Parcel. Me? I think the artwork is great, and you had me at Sci-Fi from the 50’s and 60’s. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23106 And, now for something not completely different – Modesty Blaise. Modesty Blaise was created by Peter O’Donnell and Jim Holdaway in 1963. Although the strip ran till 2001, Holdaway passed away in 1970. After his death, Enrique Badia Romero drew Modesty for 8 years, leaving for a bit to work on his own strip (AXA), and then returned in 1986 to continue the strip until it’s finish in 2001. The back story is a bit much to go into here, but essentially Modesty is an independent agent working on behalf of the British Secret Service. Modesty employed her “talents”, which included weapons, hand to hand combat, and once in a while, the occasional nude scene. For those of us who were fans of Mrs. Peel (look it up if you have to), these just bring back some wonderful memories. I’ve added three great strips by Romero, Feel free to enjoy! The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23107 As always, please feel free to look around. Ron Sonenthal

There really should be more pages from Ditko's time on Strange Tales on CAF. If you do the math, I'm not sure there is much difference in the total output of Ditko's Doctor Strange and his Spider-man. Yet, for some reason, the Doctor Strange artwork is extremely hard to come by. I was thrilled to grab this page from issue 125. I think we would all rather have Ditko inking Ditko, but I think Roussos did a nice job on this page. And, the page? Well, you've got Mordo, the Ancient One, and some great images of our hero. Something that I've been looking for.... The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23088 Also, an Alex Raymond Rip Kirby daily from 1951. There was just something about the inking on this piece that made it a must have for me. Raymond was a master, and how he handled the shadows here is a course for all inkers. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23089 And, finally, a guilty pleasure. I loved the Marvel Western books, and Kane's covers made these leap off the rack. Kane drew horses in motion like no one else. To me, it's almost 3D. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=23090 As always, feel free to look around and see if there is anything else you like. Ron

Picked up two pieces in the most recent Heritage Auction. First, my latest obsession has been Terry and the Pirates, most notably the time period during World War II. Terry was created by Milton Caniff and the adventure strip ran from 1934 to 1973 (Caniff left the strip in 1946). To support our soldiers during World War II, Caniff created “Male Call.” The strip ran from 1943 to 1946, and it was only published in military camp newspapers. It was a morale boosting strip; focused on the exploits of Miss Lace, and was a bit edgier, and certainly more sexy than Terry could be (allowed given the audience). One interesting point, Caniff refused to take a fee for the strip, donating it all in service of the men and women in the armed forces. Pieces don’t show up very often, and I was thrilled to see one this special pop up in the auction. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=22969 Second, I’m a Deadman fan, and a Batman fan, and I remember the time they “teamed” together very well. It was in in Issue 190 of the Brave and the Bold (a Batman team up book at the time). Deadman’s “power” – if that’s what you call it – was to take over an individual’s body. In the story, he’s tracking down a murderer and almost gets Batman killed because he doesn’t have the same knowledge of self-defense and control that Batman has of his own body. I know how it sounds, but it’s really a good story. Anyway, the cover is fantastic and by Nick Cardy, and I read this one at the barber shop (where I did most of my best reading). The link: http://cafurl.com?i=22968 As always, feel free to look around and see if anything else interests you. Ron Sonenthal PS I’ve also picked up two more Hellboy commissions from the Cartoon Art Museum auctions. There are three more great pieces in auctions ending tomorrow. They are all great, and right now, great deals. Jump in!!

Well, I don't know if I'm ever going to catch up, but I thought I would post some pick ups from SDCC and some strip art I grabbed right before. I've included a Beta Ray Bill commission by Walt Simonson and a photo of me and Walter (thanks Scott Dunbier and IDW!!). Beta Ray Bill: http://cafurl.com?i=22950 Photo: http://cafurl.com?i=22951 My big pick up at SDCC was something that I love, but I'm not sure anyone else ever read. Did you ever read The Hawk and the Dove? I was a fan almost from the beginning. Created by Steve Skeates and Steve Ditko (yes, that Steve Ditko), it mirrored the times by having two brothers; one a pacifist and the other a hot head gain powers to combat evil. First appearing in Showcase 75, they were given their own book shortly thereafter. When I saw this piece, I found myself drawn to it for a few reasons. First, it screams the 60’s and I love the 60’s in OA. I mean the bad guys are “the Dropouts”! Second, it’s from issue 1, which was plotted and drawn by Ditko. Third, did I mention it’s drawn by Ditko?!! There are a lot of Ditko like elements in there, and the layout is almost reminiscent of his work on Doctor Strange. Finally, it’s a double page spread, and I honestly don’t know how many of those Ditko actually did. As a result, it’s huge. In any event, I couldn’t take my eyes off of it, and it moved quickly from a “what’s that?” to “I have to have that!!” Please take a look at pages 13 and 14 from The Hawk and the Dove from 1968. The link: http://cafurl.com?i=22949 Finally, in my latest obsession, I picked up three consecutive strips from Terry and the Pirates in March of 1943. They're from a great time in the strip and in this sequence Corkin is teaching Terry how to fly - in an active war zone. And, as luck would have it, the Japanese notice what they think is an easy target... The links: http://cafurl.com?i=22952 http://cafurl.com?i=22953 http://cafurl.com?i=22954 As always, please feel free to look around at anything else that may interest you. Ron Sonenthal

More to come from SDCC later. Had to post this great Hellboy by Cliff Chiang!! Picked it up as part of the eBay auctions to support the Cartoon Art Museum. I've seen what's coming for future auctions, and there some spectacular pieces. Look, bid, buy!! Great art - great cause. http://cafurl.com?i=22928 Ron

I'm claiming dibs on being the one with the axe.... Ron

I picked up an unused cover from the CBLDF auction. It's in my CAF. He donates something most years. Ron

I'll take the two remaining Avengers proofs! Ron

It's back..... http://www.ebay.com/itm/351963112216?ul_ref=http%253A%252F%252Frover.ebay.com%252Frover%252F0%252Fe11021.m43.l3160%252F7%253Feuid%253D30c3cb180ba340a48f5aaa6f5e1cd84c%2526bu%253D43165871533%2526loc%253Dhttp%25253A%25252F%25252Fwww.ebay.com%25252Fulk%25252Fitm%25252F351963112216%2526sojTags%253Dbu%253Dbu%2526srcrot%253De11021.m43.l3160%2526rvr_id%253D0&ul_noapp=true Ugh! Now, Buscema did it for him personally, six months before he passed away. Ron

How is that twice up with an image size of 10 x 15?