furthur

So who is planning to attend? I will be there and always like to meet other collectors. Benno

When I bought a Jimmy Olsen page from this era, I was specifically looking for a page that had Anderson inks on Superman and Jimmy-to me that was part of the historical interest of the pages in that transitional moment when Kirby came over to DC. I am also old enough to appreciate the Don Rickles homage, so the page is kinda cool that way too,but I have my example, so I doubt I will get another from the series.

I have two of the Jones puzzles, but they weren't unopened like this one. I worked on the Zombie puzzle and discovered to my chagrin that two pieces were missing! I haven't tackled the Mummy puzzle yet, but hope for better luck!

Some of my favorites are out of print, but I would highly recommend any of the Flesk publications on Franklin Booth or Joseph Clement Coll. I also recommend 41 Illustrators and How They Worked as a good look at a lot of different and some not so famous illustrators. The Leyendecker book by Cutler is very good. I liked the Underwood publications book "The art of Jeffrey Jones" and the book on Everett Raymond Kinstler by Jim Vadeboncoeur. The complete "Various Drawings" by Mark Schultz is excellent and there was a recent book on famous Dinosaur and naturalist illustrator Charles R. Knight that I liked quite a bit. Sorry this was a bit disjointed, but hope it helps

Well, now I feel better about owning a bunch of his preliminary art since I can't afford a painting!!

I love preliminary art and it represents (in raw numbers) probably 20% of my collection. I am actively seeking preliminary work from artists I like and over the period I have been collecting I have gotten preliminary work from a number of artists who may well have just tossed the stuff in the past, but now realize there is value to collectors and hold onto it and sell it as part of their overall art sales. Its not like writing Charles Schulz and getting a free Peanuts daily in the mail that is now worth thousands, but I always ask for the preliminary work whenever I get a commission and if I buy published work directly from an artist I almost always ask if there is a preliminary that I can get as well because I think that part of the process is very interesting and seeing the difference between initial idea and final piece is often filled with information about how an artist is thinking as they create.

Just saw Bob last weekend and bought a sketch. His current motto "Make America Goofy Again" is certainly in line with the times!

I like a lot of what has been mentioned already, but I wanna give Tim Truman, Craig Russell and some others a bit of love here. Grimjack was my gateway drug to his art, though he wasn't the writer, but I liked Scout just as much or more and have avidly collected his Grateful Dead art which was primarily from the 90's and later. I would also mention that I think this was the period during which Pacific comics put out their Elric comics by P. Craig Russell and Michael Gilbert (and then Gilbert and Freeman) and then followed them with several other Moorcock stories, most notably (for me at least) when Mike Mignola did his run on Corum. I have a Grimjack Cover, two Elric covers (a PCR/Gilbert and a solo Gilbert cover) and a nice Corum page with Kelley Jones inking over Mignola-a combination that may have only occurred on that book, but which I liked quite a bit.

who spell checked that invitation. I'll have his head!!

I hope anyone reasonably local who hasn't gotten an invitation yet will reach out-my email is on the invitation. Always cool to meet new collectors in the area and I know there will be some interesting art for tastes of all sorts. Benno

Here's a sketch Joe Jusko did for my daughter Amanda several years ago after she saw the amazing work he had done on his Tomb Raider comic.

As long as you stay in the apa you will! Benno

Looking back on my goals stated back in January, I would say that I didn't do a very good job meeting them. In fact, until August, I would say that I had my least productive year in the hobby in the last 5 years. That all changed when I bought an entire collection from an estate which essentially refocused my own collection in a way that was entirely unanticipated. I certainly wont keep everything I bought in that collection, but it has made me think differently about things I already had and about crafting a more focused and meaningful collection overall-and how bad could that be? Then at the very end of the year, a couple of those goals from January (specifically the ones related to getting art from artists I know personally and want better examples from) have gotten a lot closer to reality which is a nice way to end the year.

I have now spoken twice to the comic history class at SCAD here in Atlanta. The first time around, I struggled with what to bring and what to talk about, but once things get going, time flies by pretty quickly actually. I bring a couple of folios-one with mostly preliminary art, one with 11x17 modern art and one with some golden age material and comic strip art and discuss what I collect and why and also what I am looking for when I buy commission work. I talked some about the new digital processes and how they have impacted modern art collecting. Since these are all art students, I also put my money where my mouth is and have offered to review portfolios and to choose someone to do a commission for me. I pay what I think is a pretty good amount for student work ($200.00) Last year I got a superb commission out of the deal and I think the students enjoyed the class and the chance to see both classic and modern comic art since I collect both. Its a class, so there were enthusiastic folks and a few that were obviously bored-just like I remember school! It was a ton of fun for me though, and I will certainly do it again if asked. Benno

I have stopped using the whole grail terminology in thinking about my collection. There isn't any one piece that would "be the one thing" I want to complete my collection or for which I would gladly sacrifice something super important or valuable just to get my hands on it. Unlike a lot of folks, though I remember my initial foray into comic reading fondly, I don't remember that first book I read or any one comic that changed it all for me or the like. Sure there are books and stories I remember fondly and things I would like to own, but my triggers are mostly seeing something cool and wanting it because I like it-not thinking about something I loved back in the day and pining for it now. I realize that isn't particularly typical in this hobby, but that is how it is with me these days-which is why I am often just as happy with something for my collection that came out this year or 25 years before I was born as I am about something that I grew up reading-and often I don't know I want it until I see it.

If you have an interest in writing about original art or original art collecting you should belong to the CFA-apa because that is exactly why it exists and is the longest running amateur publication about original art collecting out there. Its been going continuously since 1985 and has just published its 102nd issue-another 400+ page opus-this one dedicated to Jack Kirby on the centennial of his birth. I know I leap on this soapbox plenty, but I'm always surprised when folks active on chat boards haven't heard of it. I did discuss it on Felix's podcast last year, but I am always happy to have a chance to plug it when I can. If you are interested in writing about original art contact me at benno119@gmail.com and I will be glad to give you more information. Benno

Very nice stuff. I just got my second commission piece from Craig via one of his indiegogo/Kickstarter deals and I am very pleased indeed. I too looked at both the Surfer piece and that Dr. Strange splash, but decided I am already plenty deep in Craig's work at this point. Though I have some vintage work, I sold my very favorite cover (from Marvel Fanfare) long ago to get a Spirit page (and a hand colored Russell piece that is featured on the back cover of his new Jungle book AE) but it still stings a little as I think it was one of his signature works from the 80's. Craig is one of those guys who is still doing really amazing work today even though he has been active since the 70's and I am always excited to see what will come next.

For some reason the comic track at Dragon Con got less space for panels than in years past so unfortunately the original art panel fell victim. I will be doing a panel with Tom Heintjes about Kirby and Eisner on Saturday night at 7 before all the nighttime craziness at Dragon Con starts so I hope you can attend. I know there will be at least a couple of comic artists on the panel as well, though I am not sure who right now.

Hey folks, are any of you coming to Dragon Con? Atlanta area collectors will, as usual be setting up an original art show. This year in celebration of the centennial of the birth of Jack Kirby and Will Eisner we will be showing off originals by both of these comic masters. We will be set up in Artists Alley -apparently near Stan Lee! If anyone is coming down (or up) for the show and has art by Kirby-or especially by Eisner-that they would be willing to display for Friday and Saturday please let me know. The art can be framed or not, you just have to let me know in advance. The art will be up on the wall, not in a folio on a table and we always have two people watching it and we have never had a problem in 12 years of doing this. Please know that we take the obligation to watch things like a hawk very seriously (plus everything is either attached to the wall of our display or hung behind a table with a person sitting there) We would love for you to participate if you have any cool art for this amazing show and tell. If not, come by and say hello. We will have Kirby originals from every era of his work-from the 40's to the 80's and Eisner material from his work on the Spirit to his ground breaking graphic novels and several points between! Please contact me at benno119@gmail.com if you can help us with a cool loan of art or if you are just planning to attend. I hope to see some of you there. Benno Rothschild

I like that Twin Earths daily quite a bit myself, but I don't know that I would go so far as to say its the best one in the entire run. There are some good ones out there. I have a friend with a single panel daily that is a real doozy.

I am a big fan of Winsor McCay, so a dozen years or so ago I got Ryan Sook to do a fun little pastiche for me using my name and caricature called "Little Benno in Slumberland". It was super cool (in my CAF gallery if anyone wants to look) and I mostly let the idea drop, though I did have two more done along the way over the last decade by Mike DeCarlo (who did a hilarious Peanuts take with me and Lucy as my psychiatrist) and Greg Theakston who did a Kirby riff. Last year I picked up where I left off and got an amazing piece from Frank Brunner and I kind of got the bug. I was asked by the head of the cartooning department at SCAD here in Atlanta to guest lecture in a cartooning class about original art collecting and I decided that it would be fun to put my money where my mouth was and offered to commission a piece from one of the students. A couple of folks sent samples and I picked Anderson Carmen to do the commission. It was a GREAT choice. I am amazed by both the creativity and the craft in this piece. I know its a little (my wife says a LOT and I cannot deny that) self absorbed as a commission theme, but I love this piece!!

My Picture is definitely from 87-it was the only year I went until the mid 2000's. I would guess you were correct about the ads appearing after the show rather than before it. Otherwise, I can't imagine that there would have been the same volume of material from DKR 1 and 4 that was at the show-it might not have been complete, but there were certainly many key pages. Of course they could have run just before the show, but because of the slowness of getting the CBG back then, the bulk of the folks who saw it may have gotten it after the show even if it ran in an issue timed to come out before the show. Just as a historical FYI, Bernie Wrightson's art to all of "Cycle of the Werewoif" was also sold at that show. I wanted to get my birthday month (November) which was an awesome piece of a cemetery , but it got nixed by my girlfriend for reasons best left for another day (though I did explain it in my article about Bernie for the latest issue of the CFA-apa which will be coming out soon!)

Thank you Felix for the shout out on the latest podcast. It was interesting to hear a bit more of the story behind the art I purchased at San Diego in 1987-hard to believe now that it was 30 years ago! Scott, I certainly didn't think that pic I shot with my disposable Kodak camera would end up being so famous in the original art world. I'm glad you were willing to pose for it though. Of course one reason I had you hold up that great Batman splash was because I wanted to remember the one that I couldn't afford to take home that day and I figured it would likely be the last time I saw it (which thus far has turned out to be correct!) One question-I know SDCC was a lot looser back then when it was in the hotel. I saw from the pic that you were set up next to Mike Thibideaux's booth. Since you were friends, did they let you set up that way so you could hang out with a friend, or was it just happenstance? I was staying with Mitch Itkowitz and he got a spot along the wall-I assume that was harder to do, but clearly a better deal as a lot of the art he had up was literally taped (inside bags of course) to the wall and you didn't really have that opportunity so it wasn't as prominent. Of course the show was a lot smaller then so a prominent spot wasn't quite as critical, just helpful to show your wares better. Benno

I just finished a super fun trade, but it was all small potatoes so no room for bruised egos. I am a big fan of preliminary art and that is often where I have the most fun with trades because its more about expanding the variety of artists that each of us have in our collections rather than how can I get something great for a lot less than I would pay in cash. The capper was "hey, I know you really liked this one, so why don't you take it too" followed by "That's so cool, thanks-why don't you pick one of these two for yourself then". A trade with low stakes between friends is my kind of two and a half hour Sunday lunch. Any preliminary art fans going to Heroes? Wanna have lunch and trade around a bit? Benno

I got pencil copies of two complete Jimmy Olsen books by Kirby from Greg Theakston several years ago. Would be happy to trade one for some art if anyone is interested. Feel free to email me offline at benno119@gmail.com