Sideshow Bob

With rock speculation rampant and the concept of fragmented ownership taking hold, the conditions are ripe for a very literal pyramid scheme.

Sounds like fractional ownership is an option.

I particularly adore that your avatar is Gordon Gekko's adopted son Bud. It's just too perfect. Blue Horseshoe might love Anacott Steel, but not as much as you clearly love your adopted dad Gene. All warm and fuzzy inside after seeing this amazing story of OA friendship.

In 2021, I opted for the first time to establish a truly disciplined approach to my OA goals. I put together a powerpoint of all the art I'd like to own, pouring over all the books I love and the covers/splashes I found exceptional, from Flaming Carrot Comics to Dark Knight Returns and everything in between. Screenshots from Comixology, photos from issues and trades, and image grabs from CAF and elsewhere. Honestly, it was a wonderful experience to rediscover some storylines and dive a little deeper on titles I respected but hadn't taken time to fully soak up the art, to then evaluate my readings both through a critical lens and the warm embrace of nostalgia. The resulting effort is essentially a flip book of all the art I truly enjoy (at this time). So, in 2022, my pact with myself will be to limit my hunting/bidding/buying to those items in my flip book wantlist, while remaining opportunistic. The expectation is that 2022 will have less purchases but generally a higher price point.

Quick recap: Never found the color guides I was looking for, but found a Bolland KJ prelim page and a pencil prelim from a Star Wars movie poster. Still no Detective #526, and decided to sell off my Batman #366 pages. Got a key nostalgia cover (Punisher #1) which was definitely not from DC. Added a couple killer commissions, but have gotten very picky on adding more. With the OA market surging, I sold a lot of quantity, and bought only a few pieces but at significant prices. Framed a number of pieces. And best of all, I made a bunch of new OA friends. Yay!

I have pulled out several legit keys from my collection and put them up for grabs at the ComicLink 12/14 auction. Its going to be competitive with these, so early bids are encouraged! Don't miss out before these fall into black hole collections! Auctions end Tuesday night! One of the best 1/2 vertical splash Joker images by Capullo/Glapion that you will find, in battle with Batman and The Batman Who Laughs. CLICK HERE Claws-out Wolverine in every panel, drawn hilariously by Mike Mignola for What The--?! CLICK HERE Killer Newton/Alcala splash page where Batman officially greets Jason Todd for the first time as Robin, with Joker defeated underfoot. Key page from a key book (Batman 366)! CLICK HERE for this key splash; CLICK HERE for the title splash from the same book! Early and stunning YTLM splash page with Yorick tied up in chains with Beth appearing in a dream. The ink work to get each link shown on the chains is INSANE! OMG, just CLICK HERE to appreciate the majesty of the work on this fantastic splash (with word balloons). CLICK HERE for another brilliant frame-worthy early YTLM splash page with the whole traveling crew. Grell's classic Longbow Hunters, with Green Arrow and Shado in costume taking down bad guys. XL size in 11x18". With only three issues of this ground-breaking series, not many costumed pages exist, let alone in an action sequence this good. CLICK HERE

This should be in Marketplace, not here. This thread is for specific pieces, not general solicitations.

looks like its been corrected already.

I was overjoyed to get one of the painted covers from Mike Grell's Longbow Hunters. And I paid out the nose to convince the seller to let me buy it. But a year later, I realized it wasn't working in my collection, and I sold it at Heritage thinking there were at least two other people ready to jump at the chance to own it. I was sorely mistaken. Lost half my purchase price after fees. Learned to be a little more deliberate and have a plan for what I was going to buy, something beyond just the joy of winning.

But this emphatic statement that its a joke is also on social media, so therefore it also can't be trusted? Calgon, take me away!

The Marshall Law interior, which was a partial splash, blew past my number as well. Thought for sure I was going home with it...

Epic...

I'll bus ride in with you!

I get it Felix. To see such a blatant rip-off after what Bill has done with DD is a bit over-the-top. What Bill has done has been transformative and the fact that he did it during a pandemic is even more impressive. He gets both my adoration, as well as my premium CAF member dues. Maybe its the business side of me talking and not the hobbyist, but I look at online claim shows as just another evolving sales channel which no one actor is allowed to monopolize. But I totally see your side on this too, since these are people we know too.

If I was a dealer, and saw a successful sales channel like Dueling Dealers allowing for additional sales every week, I'd want to get in on that too. But with DD seemingly reserved only for Burkey and Anthony, I'd find the most expedited way to replicate it. Copying is the greatest form of flattery... I don't begrudge the Dealmakers in what they're doing, as they are merely responding to the marketplace, until we hit full saturation and eventually over-saturation. I am curious if they can replicate the model of reducing prices until they hit current FMV to get sales, as my impression is that they have a smaller inventory and therefore less product turnover than Anthony or Burkey, plus there's a tendency for these dealers to set a price that can only be characterized as the projected value two years from now (Breyfogle Detective for $15k?). So let's see what happens. I'm rooting for them, am ready to type "CLAIM" and am particularly happy to see our European friends finally get better hours for a claims show. GLTA! Bob

Within minutes of that happening, there will be a spike in appeals to Congress to reinstate "art" under the Sec 1031 like-kind exchanges definition.

I didn't think they were unprecedented results. Early pages with Yorick are about $1,500-1,700 if they are ever available. Better examples (with Ampersand or title pages from early issues) have traded hands for much more than that. You can't get near a page from #1 for less than $10k, if you can find one. To me, this is just the auction houses catching up to the private market with quality material up for public sale for the first time in a while. The Hulu release later this year certainly doesn't hurt... Full disclosure: I have a lot of early YTLM pages as I think they are awesome, but I am currently selling some through CL to lighten up my collection. But I am not trying to hype up my sales here...

Hey Scott. I thought $20k would be the max on it, but there has been increased chatter of people placing real value on first appearances (or "birth pages", shudder...) so there was a decent chance of some upside action. It really takes two to put a value on it at the hammer value and be willing to hit the bid button, and sometimes only one shows up. But at $31k, its just too expensive for this to be a speculator taking a punt on future value of a first appearance; seems rather to be someone with a strong modern collection with this as a very good anchor piece. Plus, the Hush art is next level (kudos...) and the story holds up...my teenage daughter thinks its the greatest story ever and has dog-eared her copy of the TPB. Not going to lie...had a bottle of wine last night after that result rolled in.

I think its two different sets of collectors on Y:TLM. The interiors really focus on Brian K. Vaughn's writing and Pia Guerra's super clean lines, where the early covers are a different kind of sumptuous majesty that J.G. Jones put out into the world. That said, while I adore the interiors, I'm not exactly chasing the covers. Usually, its the inverse of that, but that's why its a hobby that can fit a lot of people.

Thanks Stefan. These two (the Hush first appearance and the Camelot 3000 splash) plus the two early Y:TLM pages and the Sean Murphy White Knight/Joker cover and 'Tec #27 pages (including the two incredible DPS) are all going to fund one cover that for me hits "grail" status. So fingers crossed that everyone is awake tonight after the three-day weekend and hits the bid button... Bob

Two major pieces coming out of my collection on Tuesday night: First appearance of Hush (Batman #609) by Jim Lee/Scott Williams. https://www.comiclink.com/auctions/item.asp?back=%2FAUCTIONS%2FPREVIEW.ASP%3F_SORT%3DYES%26returning%3D1%26code%3D2021may%26itemtype%3D1%26f1%3Da.MaxBid%26ODire1%3DDESC%26f2%3DArtistLastname%2CArtistFirstName%26ODire2%3DASC%26f3%3Di.Publisher%2C%2Bi.IssueNumber%2C%2Bi.Genre%26ODire3%3DASC%23Item_1471230&id=1471230&itemType=1 Of modern villains, there aren't many that have had the lasting power of Hush, in Jeph Loeb/Jim Lee/Scott Williams epic saga still referred to as one of the greatest Batman stories ever. This is his very first panel appearance, even though the Hush saga started the issue before in Batman #608, waiting for this moment for the big reveal. Regular pages from the Hush run are hard to find and getting more difficult these days...here is a piece of some significance, and I look forward to seeing the collection it lands in! Camelot 3000 splash page by Brian Bolland/Terry Austin https://www.comiclink.com/auctions/item.asp?back=%2FAUCTIONS%2FPREVIEW.ASP%3F_SORT%3DYES%26returning%3D1%26code%3D2021may%26itemtype%3D1%26f1%3Da.MaxBid%26ODire1%3DDESC%26f2%3DArtistLastname%2CArtistFirstName%26ODire2%3DASC%26f3%3Di.Publisher%2C%2Bi.IssueNumber%2C%2Bi.Genre%26ODire3%3DASC%23Item_1471227&id=1471227&itemType=1 An impactful, "wall-worthy" splash page featuring a King Arthur so large, it straddles the entire page. This is done on larger paper, exceeding the standard 11x17, adding to the wow factor on this page and allowing you to see the fantastic rendering of both Bolland's very tight pencils and Austin's superb inking job. There are only a couple "A+" images from this 12-issue maxi-series, and this is likely the very best.

There are five of Sean's pieces coming up in the ComicLink auction ending on Tuesday night. Each are coming out of my collection, with much pain, but I was presented an opportunity to buy a very special single piece from my childhood and have to part with some treasured OA to finance it. Every one of these is "wall worthy". GTLA! There are three amazing selections from Sean's work with Scott Snyder on Detective #27, including two double-page splashes showing future Batman/Robin combos with new villains and alternate Gothams spread across two 11x17 pages. These are hyper-detailed, echoing outside themes like Mad Max, Robotech, Pacific Rim, and Bladerunner, with all of Sean's amazing rendering skills. Hidden in the inks of the Mad Max/Bladerunner DPS is Sean's rendition of how he and Scott decided to add an African-American Robin to the story (a first for DC); only the owner can read it as its written in the page's inks and too hard to make out from an electronic scan. Also from that issue is the splash page that was used to model Sean's Batman: Black & White statue. That 'Tec #27 story ended up as the set-up for Snyder's Super-Heavy storyline in his acclaimed Batman run with Greg Capullo. Lastly, the auction features the Joker-on-gargoyle cover from B:COWK #8 and another great Joker half-splash from B:COWK #1 with his trademark long-barreled pistol that Sean justly brought back from 1989 archives. As we say in Chicago, vote early and vote often! GLTA. https://www.comiclink.com/Auctions/search.asp?FocusedOnly=1&where=auctions&title=murphy&GO=GO&ItemType=CA

Moved to marketplace.

No issues whatsover on lots and lots of transactions.