thethedew

...and yet, some dealers of note RAISE their prices whenever a piece doesn't sell ::coughD'Scough::

Anybody have any ideas about this piece? Pretty page by a Master. This is a recent eBay win. Undoubtably Larry Elmore, confirmed by the Man himself, but with scant recollection of what exactly it was produced for in the mid-1980's. Content and design screams 'Star Frontiers' RPG, sure. (Personally pretty sure it isn't a Snarfquest page, as it's executed on a comic-formatted page, not a magazine-proportioned page. But anything's possible, I guess) Assuming its Star Frontiers, is it a an ad page? If so, why isn't there space for ad blurb content? Was it part of a 2-page ad? Was it a story page of some sort included as an illustration in game materials? Or is it just a good-ol-fashioned unpublished page? If anyone recognizes it, I'd be appreciative of a little info.

Posted in my Facebook feed earlier this evening. Forgive the language, as it's directed at people outside the hobby: So, THIS happened today. This event occurred due to a conflux of two conversations, one old and one recent. The recent conversation was with IDW's Scott Dunbier, wherein we briefly discussed our thoughts on personal legacies, in particular toward the 'Comic Art Collecting' hobby and the overall Comic Book industry. The older conversation was with my late father Pete Allen, wherein he dispensed his best advice on personal cashflow: 'Whenever feasible, BUY locally. Whenever possible, GIVE locally.' Both inspired the below gift to MCAD's school library: TWENTY different comic book 'Artist's Edition' books, oversized volumes which reproduce the original art in its original size and condition, warts and all. For the most part, these mildly expensive books are currently directed at the collecting HOBBY. It was my bright idea to instead donate a diverse selection where they might have a more lasting benefit: to those students who are studying comic art. While these youngsters are all at the beginning of their careers, and as such are learning the most cutting-edge ways to produce their art, hopefully these books can still teach a lesson or two on how the Old Masters of comic art plied their shared trade. I floated the idea past recent IDW Head Cheese Chris Ryall, who indicated that he hadn't heard of this sort of specific gift to a 'comic art school' before. So maybe this is a first. Hopefully the first of many, go forth and do likewise! Fully half of the books pictured were produced by IDW and the ever-diligent Scott Dunbier, but the gift needed to be rounded out with books from other publishers. I hope Scott doesn't mind too much. One of my last copies from my stash of MICRONAUTS books went along, of course. Of COURSE. Most of these books were instant sellouts when they came out, and currently a little hard to find. The plan is to add a few more books each year as the opportunity presents itself. Lastly, I hope that this is the sort of giving which would make my late parents, my family, my friends, and the sorely missed godfather of Minnesota comicdom Dominic Postiglione proud. I hope it's the sort of thing he would have done. Love to you all! Andrew

When this happens to me, I usually just leave a comment on the gallery page, simply saying 'SOLD' I've never had anyone object or remove my comment, and occasionally they update the gallery details, or take the page down.

I know I bang on about the 'Lost Voyages' of MICRONAUTS in my collection; apologies for yet another mention. The entire series of 3 issues is unpublished, with the slight exception of a mention in the FINAL issue of MARVEL VISION. The full article can be read here. But here is the first page:

As someone who owns both 'complete' issues, and 'missing one &*%%^ page' issues - there is satisfaction in having an issue complete. And, once, ONCE, I did manage to find a pair of wayward pages to complete a book. That had its own reward - like a puzzle piece clicking into place in my heart. But, it's all unquantifiable. Only you know how you feel. Also, the longer you wait to decide, the higher the price could go. The market keeps shifting. There are quite a few collectors who can say they have a complete book. But the opportunity is ultimately still pretty uncommon.

I just have one spreadsheet, it has a Summary Page and each Itoya Binder has its own sub-page, flowing back to the summary. I DO keep track of what I paid, and in general what the page was really worth when I bought it. I should go through and update them all to current pricing estimates someday. Someday. Dates, artists, brief description. Mostly for me to keep track, and for my estate executor should I get hit by a cholesterol truck. Here's screengrabs, edited for content. Hope that understandable.

Here's one, part of an ongoing Micronauts tradition...

Pretty sure that isn't Tim Truman.

This month (June 2021), I was happy to welcome the front cover of Image Comics' MICRONAUTS 11 (2003) to my collection. This continues an ongoing effort to collect all the artwork for this particular issue. While not a 'landmark' issue by any stretch, it does include a showdown with Baron Karza, which will always scratch a Pavlovian itch for this Micro-fan. So, to recap: I have found and assembled the Front Cover, Back Cover (against all odds), and all of the interiors, save ONE PESKY MISSING PAGE. Both principal artists have combed and re-combed their stock and records, with no trace of the page being found. I've checked with the rest of the books' production team, with no joy... (but it might be worth a more thorough inquiry with those notables). It's possible the page was/has been lost or destroyed, but far more likely it was just sold or donated early on in 2003 or 2004, and is currently sitting in a pile of pages in a closet somewhere. After all this time, it could be anywhere, but still more likely to be somewhere in the Midwest, as that's where both artists lived at the time. I continue to offer a Thousand Dollars for this one page, which would probably have only cost someone fifty bucks back in the day. Details on the missing page can be found here. Thanks for any help! Here's the cover!

Lookit you, throwin' around with the fancy obscure characterizations. (Yeah, I had to look up two of them. Me = Mediocre English Major )

Personally, hope it doesn't come to that. I like that piece exactly where it is.

Hey, drag out your MICRONAUTS, kids! I'm bidding/buying!

I wasn't worried, either - I was just complaining.

Confirmation of shipment today, for what it's worth.

I think this show will be distinct from the other show, and continue to hold viewers attention, so long as the items on offer are always 'new to market' stuff that hasn't been seen before. Can't say that will translate to sales, but people will tune in if the wares are new.

Three week wait already, well into week four... my previous win in April took 3 days to ship. If they're slow because they have too many orders to prep, they need to hire more shipping gnomes.

Including you?

Truth.

...and perhaps the majority of collectors are not on the Internet? (Probably not a majority, but also probably not zero) Unknowable, I suppose.

You can order your own, like Big Boys! Clearbags Or, even better, invest in an Itoya or two! Bring 'em with ya to shows, like all the Cool Kids are doing nowadays.

Confirmed that I will NOT be going this Spring. The Fall show in September, though, has a BIG red circle drawn around it.

Concur. Even further from Newark Airport than the last place.

Here's the eBay Auction, only went for $75 bucks! Want to flip it??