JadeGiant

what are his rates?

What does the “letter of prominence” actually say? If all it says is that the art is over 30 years it is not really providing any value to the artwork. It does look aged with the markers bleeding on the piece so it was likely a fan piece done possibly 30 years ago but that doesn’t make it worth anything more due to the age. I would also like to know how they know it is 30+ years old – they probably know who did the art and covered it with white out to try and create a question of who did it. I certainly hope you did not pay a lot of money for this and certainly not Ditko-level money.

I almost pulled the trigger on some art I thought was on eBay but it wasn't there - just on the dealer site

Not directed at your post - more of a general comment

I can’t stand the sentiment that fall along the lines of ‘inkers just being tracers’ as it obviously diminishes the talent and artistic skill that goes into a good inking job. I don’t hear that nearly as much these days which is a good thing as inkers seem to be getting more credit for their contributions. I personally have grown to learn what my preferences are in terms of the artists that ink over my favorite pencilers. The inkers that retain the look of the pencils while adding subtle improvements is what I most appreciate. I am also not a fan of the sentiment that the inks are better because they are the ‘printed original artwork’ as it feels like that is taking more credit than should be from the pencilers. Sure, the page was scanned and printed from the inked page but man, to be dismissive of the pencils is a leap way to far for me and this is what I get from the notion that inks are better because they were the final piece of art used for the comic. In the end, it is personal preference and each to their own. Personally, I will always lean toward the penciled page for me. Maybe it is the long lost aspiring artist within me (like many, I wanted to draw comics) that appreciates the notion of being able to turn a blank page into a beautiful image and how hard that is to do well. This is not a hard/fast rule as there are exceptions to everything. For example, the digital age has caused many penciled pieces to look somewhat incomplete when they are working with an inker that can close the gap on where the penciler didn’t feel the need to complete due to the working knowledge the inker has when finishing their pencils. These pieces often suffer from a pencil perspective.

under 30 crowd are not likely to participate here - I am sure there are much more out there than these numbers bear out

I did not "get" Kirby when I first discovered comics. Later on I realized the pure genius of his work. I would love to have a piece of his art some day. Similarly, Trimpe's art didn't click right away but I came to love his art as well (more quickly than with Kirby).

I have several pieces that I have received offers above cost as well. I think this is one of the things that keep the commission hobby so strong. We often think of the homerun pieces that would be easy sells at or above our cost and it keeps the fire burning for more (and more expensive) commissions. Problem is that while you will do well on a few, you will lose considerably on others and the overall cost of all your commissions don’t bear out the same (gains) results. Across the board for ALL commissioned art, you are lucky to break even, at least in my experience. For me, that is OK as I don’t think about resale but rather think about getting a piece that means a lot to me and I will enjoy looking at through the years. It is also why I cap my commission cost per piece because, at a certain price point, cost does make me look differently at a piece.

Are those published covers? I will give you $478K if so!

I get your point. I agree that the character and title make a big part on demand but I think the contribution made by the artists (writer and illustrator) are a MUCH bigger contributors than I perceive you to believe. When you have a great artistic team on a staple character, they can bring the title itself to new heights. I don’t buy into the notion that any artists on ASM would yield the same results. Replace Ditko and Romita with Heck and Gene Colan (not a slam on either as I appreciate them as artists as well) and the quality of the title would not have been the same. Comics are a visual medium – the artists play a huge role in the popularity and demand. Regarding Romita … there is a reason that Stan wanted him on ASM as he helped to create the Marvel brand while he was drawing ASM. He was touching up a ton of work to give the look that Stan/Marvel wanted and it was his look that was ALL OVER Marvel marketing and advertising during this period. Stan knew how important Romita’s look was to Marvel and their flagship title and is why Romita was the man for the job for such a long time. IMHO, you can’t overestimate the Romita impact on Marvel comics during this period and even today.

Agreed, I am very familiar with Erik's love of Herb's art and he is probably the most knowledgeable on his iconic run on the Hulk (he absolutely blew me away at a dinner last year at his ability to know almost everything about any issue during the run). I think my point was more along the line as he doesn't buy/trade for Herb's art as much as he once did. I would love to add a Godzilla and Shogun Warrior pages to my collection. I feel very fortunate to have a few scraps in the way of Hulk pages that fell from the table where the big boys eat.

Are you saying that Heck drawing ASM in place of JR SR would mean that ASM art would sell at the same price is it is currently? Not sure if that was your point but, if so, I heartily disagree. Are you saying that the rising tide is completely attributable to the ASM title? I would disagree with this as well as that tide is driven in part to the writing and art during the period. I am not trying to be disagreeable and maybe I am missing the point. I will contend that John Romita Sr. is an all time great Marvel artist. You can say that he benefited from drawing a flagship character for so long and I will not disagree. I will say that ASM and Marvel are extremely fortunate to have his considerable skills on display on their flagship book for such a long, iconic period. I would say that his expertise greatly helped in the ASM rising tide (as did Ditko before him).

There are a number of Trimpe Hulk fans out there in addition to Erik that drive the market even more than he does. When Trimpe Hulk pages come up, they often sell above market and get sucked into black holes. Trust me, I know.

conjecture, IMHO

I DO NOT agree ... but each to their own.

good grief - insert any artist that is well known for drawing super heroes and this fits. SMH

This is magnificent! Congrats!

This is my personal philosophy: Buying comic art is NOT an investment. The term investment gets thrown around here a lot and it feels like it is often used as a rationalization for buying art at high prices and/or outside of normal hobby spending threshold. I know it creeps into the back of my mind. I would substitute the term gamble if I were to consider possible future financial implications. As far as the opening post, I think it is more worthy of discussion on the pieces that are not A/A+, at least for me personally as I would agree that the blue chip pieces will hold/increase in value over a 10 year period. Maybe not as an “investment” as your money is better served elsewhere most likely but a general truth none the less. The problem I see is that the big sellers/dealers want to price all/most art while applying the same rationale as the blue chip pieces. I agree with the comment about budget as this drives my buying habits as well. My budget is not increasing at the same level as current market trends. This means that I buy less and focus on those sellers that are not trying to sell at +5 year pricing. It’s still possible but makes the chase and discipline more difficult.

I chose the 6-10 option but as I think of it, I think I am actually in the 11+ category, barely. I don’t think of myself as being in the category as many long-timers as witness in my collection the lack of great bronze/silver age art that I wasn’t able to pick up at pennies on the dollar of what they are worth now.

Love the concept! I do, however, think your results might be a bit limited as I also won’t be divulging the pieces out there that I am seriously considering for purchase (and I imagine many would feel the same). I will put some thought to this.

I don’t follow either of these categories at all so value is unknown for me … I’d take the vintage Marvel key characters page for sure.

Wow, just amazing ... I would love to see this in person!

ASM 119 or 120 cover for me! Even a nice page would scratch the Romita itch for me as I consider his Spidey definitive for my taste. My prediction on the 100 cover = $555,555.55

Good luck giving your money away Simon!

There's two really nice Keown splashes.. the one I used to own from Incredible Hulk 373, with its witty banter, and you just know that Doc Samson is gonna be in a world of pain when the Hulk smashes that tank on his head. Poor Lenny can never catch a break... or a tank! ? https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/dale-keown-and-sam-de-la-rosa-incredible-hulk-373-story-page-14-original-art-marvel-1990-/a/7177-92125.s?ic4=ListView-ShortDescription-071515 the second splash is more recent and features the Hulk and Wolverine from the Avengers + Xmen series. I'm a fan of Dale's newer style (well, not so new any more because it's been around 15 years since Hulk:the End introduced this style) and this is a killer splash featuring Hulk and Wolvie so I'll definitely be watching this one. Here's the link: https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/splash-pages/dale-keown-a-x-1-splash-page-8-hulk-and-wolverine-original-art-marvel-2012-/a/7177-92126.s?ic3=ViewItem-Auction-Open-ThisAuction-120115 The Keown Hulk market has been moving lately for sure but it has been slightly unpredictable as well - hard to pin down the factors driving upward bidding so I just sum it up to a lot of people trying to add art from Dale's run on Hulk in their collection. No rhyme or reason that jumps out to me. Dale is one of my favorite artists and his stuff has never been cheap - I feel fortunate to have some nice examples that I was able to pick up prior to the recent rise. I don't think I am done buying his art so I am always on the lookout for more. At 5.5K, the 373 page is already over the price point that I would consider a purchase and I feel is an outlier. I am really curious if there are any bidders yet to move that price upward tomorrow.