ImageFan-migration

If anyone is still pondering about, or wishing to obtain, the McFarlane Toys Rick TWD Statue, McFarlane Toys just issued a new marketing e-mail with a BOGO offer: http://www.mcfarlanetoysstore.com/entertainmentcc.html "For a limited time only, we're hosting the ULTIMATE Resin Statue Sale! All resin statues are Buy One Get One Free with the promo code: FreeResin. While supplies last."

That statement is not fully accurate. There have been numerous times when The Walking Dead pages and covers were removed from the website only to reappear 6-8 months later, sometimes at a lower price point. This is a very uncommon occurrence, but it has just in the past year been evident with pages such as TWD #109 Page 14, TWD #115 Page 21, TWD #117 Page 15, and even TWD #112 Image Expo cover. Items have also previously been taken off the website when they are consigned to an art exhibit and put back up when returned. Some of the items were indeed priced very fairly (Forbidden Planet AP plate) or were unique cover worthy images (Gosh Comics plate). Both were on hold and quickly snapped up. But it is highly unrealistic that someone would have in a single day purchased the remaining cover stock which consisted of several duds including the Lobster Hand cover. If they did, then they certainly overpaid on several duds for the privilege of owning a cover. $4000 for Mr. Lobster Hand is absurd considering an extra couple of thousand can bring in a much better zombie/main character cover down the road.

Someone should start a price guide, or reference guide, to monitor Walking Dead pricing when offered for sale directly from the artist. Splash Page took down the following items: Walking Dead #122 Cover $5500 Walking Dead #123 Cover $Make Offer Walking Dead #128 Cover $Make Offer Walking Dead #130 Cover $6500 Walking Dead #131 Cover $4000 Walking Dead #132 Cover $5000 Walking Dead #133 Cover $Make Offer Walking Dead #134 Cover $Make Offer The All-American Boy Promo $Make Offer (expect to sell between $1500-2500) The Farmer's Daughter Promo $Make Offer (expect to sell between $1500-2500) The Small Town Sheriff Promo $Make Offer (expect to sell between $2000-3000) Gosh Comics Walking Dead TPB #22 Signing Plate $3000 Forbidden Planet Walking Dead AoW Complete Edition Signing Plate $1250 Walking Dead HC #11 Cover $4500 The last piece was the only one visible as" On Hold" before it was removed. It is always within the realm of possibility that some of the items were removed to be sent to an art exhibit, or taken off the market to preserve the viability of current cover pricing. It is easier to justify top dollar pricing for covers when there is a limited supply readily available for public sale.

This exciting story arc just keeps getting better. The only concern I encountered:

The most visually striking Walking Dead gallery seems to be on hiatus: www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=94540

It is apparently being used as a T-Shirt image as well.

Very nice Andrea and Rick molds. I wish McFarlane would release them with the same compact design that they produce for the SDCC Skybound Exclusive figures so that they would have identical packaging.

Indeed, as Mark stated they may or may not be published in the future. Even if they are "published" in a magazine, would it hold the same meaning as being a variant cover or actual utilized promotional poster image? They are very interesting promotional images but clearly Skybound would not have been able to use them pre-WD127. Using the images would have ruined the secrecy and disguise surrounding The New Beginning storyline. Additionally, displaying this Maggie image on their site now confirms that she is alive. Which was not a given by any means considering she could have mirrored TV-show Lori's fate.

I do not believe Mark's piece was published as part of this promotional image series. It looks to be a well done coloring job by a board member. Notice the different apostrophe and the lack of the word "monthly."

Yes still no TWD Covers Volume 2 or Cutting Room Floor. They really should put out an Artist Edition of Made to Suffer. Everything else pales in comparison.

The original art for the 127 cover looks amazing in person, one of the best pieces in a while. If anyone is considering a cover they should make a serious attempt at it as it is cleanly illustrated and the zombie hands pop off the page. Some cosplayer gal had a line that absurdly dwarfed the Adlard signature line. The brisk pace unfortunately did not allow for any sketches. The Samurai Jesus and jailed Negan were truly exemplary pieces and found a happy home with a smiling board member. Another member quickly snatched up a number of Magna interiors that were very value priced, a move that should prove wise should she become a major contribution to the story.

Just met Ken at WonderCon. I apologized for my wait for the trade mentality befitting of a hectic schedule and picked up his signed trades. I have to say he is one of the friendliest creators I have met in this hobby. Big props to him for being there for fans, sharing comic book talk, and being an all around nice guy. I hope they can continue making this amazing comic for a long time. Thank you again for your time and signatures Ken!

Does not matter how the story ends. To put a major spoiler page of a book that has not even been released is a major individual_without_enough_empathy move. The book has not even been RELEASED officially.

The Issue 129 tag points to a "new" way of disposing of the dead. The electric wire likely indicates an electric makeshift fence similar to a Testa Spike from Ratchet and Clank. Issue 126 preview is up and it tells us nothing other than the immediate first page reaction to the Issue 125 conclusion. http://www.thewalkingdead.com/the-walking-dead-126-preview/ The Issue 125 splash would likely have a price point of no lower than $5000. Regular Negan single page splashes are between $2000-3000. Prior Rick versus Negan splashes have had the characters standing still without any action. Most of the covers have likewise been staredowns. This is likely to be the only full page splash with Rick versus Negan action on large art board.

Did anyone even receive an Ebay mobile alert for this auction in such a short span of time? Nexus got himself quite a page.

You are correct, I do not like it and my opinion is a contrarian one. That is a very astute observation on your part. I stand by my contrarian opinion that this statue is not the best representation of the series and would not sell as well as an equivalent statue that featured a zombie attack without one of them having its brains blown out. I would purchase the latter, as would numerous people I know who purchase similar superhero busts and statues. Alas, such a statue does not exist, and looking at the Skybound track record of releasing TWD merchandise, it may never come into existence. The Walking Dead is currently missing a number of items that would sell extremely well but simply are not in existence from an official manufacturer, such as: Reproduction posters featuring key series covers Action figures of all the classic characters in a uniform packaging design Comprehensive art book that features behind the scenes info and preliminary designs Statues/busts of the main characters Instead we are provided with bandages, lunch boxes, and messengers bags produced in China. Perhaps, Skybound can next offer us some fanny-paks and school binders.

The series would have been absolutely better on HBO, but that goes for any mature content. It would have also been much better if it stuck to the original unaltered -script. In terms of having someone purchase this property, it would likewise be absolutely the best long term decision in having the property continue for generations. Disney may not be the best choice but their empire could put a Walking Dead cartoon on ABC and create Walking Dead courses in all the Disney theme parks. They would absolutely exponentially increase the availability of this series to everyone in the world.

There was no beheading of the little girls and no head rolling on the ground. I will place a bet that likewise when Tyreese reaches his end we will not see his body strewn in a similar position. Similarly, rape innuendo is nowhere close to the visceral and power rape scene depicted in the comic book. Kirkman has the dollar of every die-hard fan in this thread. People will purchase coin banks, lunch boxes, mini mates, and even bandages. There is no question about that and Kirkman will never have to compete for this dollar; it is guaranteed. What he does need to compete for is the dollar of the non-avid fan and the casual bandwagon fan that has caused the TV viewership and TPB book sales to soar. He likewise needs to compete for the attention of Disney or Time Warner, because ensuring the survival of The Walking Dead franchise into several generations would require a ubiquitous presence and continued marketing tie-ins that would last far beyong the TV series. Doing this would include a full range of sculptures and busts that appeal to not just the $20 poly-resin replica shopper but the stated $300+ Sideshow collectibles connoisseur. This first sculture IMHO is a departure from the main message of the book and not an item that would reach a sales apex to the existing WD fanbase. I firmly believe that if the scultpture instead presented a non-violent, yet still horrorful, scene of zombies, it would sell better. I know this because not a single comic reader I know IRL who is a casual WD viewer would buy this yet they all clamor for statues and busts representing Michonne and Rick that would be similar to the Sideshow and Bowen releases.

Issue 33 is indeed the epicenter of horror in the book. You will note however, that neither that issue, nor the rape, nor the beheading of Hershel's daughters or other similar instances carried over to the TV show. There is a large scale of horror that can go from Bernie Wrightson's Swamp Thing to the torture porn of Eli Roth's Hostel. I find that the Walking Dead falls in the middle as zombie killing is not the central point of the book. This statue is closer to the Hostel side of things. I can see it being purchased by all the die-hards in this thread, but a regular fan such as myself will want something that is display friendly and a conversation starter.

I will be the first to issue a contrarian, and likely unpopular, opinion: that preliminary sculpt of the Rick/Zombies statue is an abomination. The Walking Dead is so much more than just humans versus zombies. It is a story of family, survival, and relationships. Yet, the image chosen for the first statue is a disgusting portrayal of a zombie with its brains viscerally blown out. This statue is undisplayable in a family setting. Much like numerous zombie encounters in the TV series, this statue is a representation of a violent scene that goes beyond the point of tasteful horror depiction. It is much scarier, and representative of the original series, to have an image with the hero being surrounded by ravenous monsters without a shot having been fired (much like the cover to Walking Dead 106).

Could someone kindly elaborate on the popularity of The Saint of Killers? I do not understand why this character is the most sought after for original art. I was mostly attracted to the journey of the three main characters and their love triangle. I could similarly understand a preference for nefarious Herr Starr in a showdown with Jesse or a comedic moment.

You can not quantify what does not exist. I believe you meant fervent fan base. If the point of this thread is to predict when the apparent inflationary state of The Walking Dead comic pricing will correct itself, then the thread has a purpose. Many TWD fans would love to own more of the original comic books or art pages, but the inflationary upward market of the past two years makes for a poor investment decision at the current price points. There will be a market correction at some point. The books and art will never be worthless, but they will certainly revert back to a value that more closely corresponds to a true market value that is not influenced by speculation and hype caused by having a highly popular television show. I look forward to this correction because I will be able to own books and art that are fairly priced.

I recall my surprise the day this piece appeared on Splash Page Art. $1700 seemed like an extremely large amount at the time. Of course that is an incredible bargain in the present market, but the piece is not easily displayable in a family setting. If the choice was to be made between the first issue cover or an entire collection of 20-30 covers from the early Adlard issues, for my taste it would be an easy choice to go for the latter. Usually, I would choose "quality" over quantity. This situation would instead be akin to a museum choosing between The Mona Lisa or a selection of numerous fairly famous works by Renaissance artists. This cover is a grail image for the majority of Dead fans so they would gravitate towards it the same way most anyone would choose The Mona Lisa as a definitive art piece. I equate it to the Watchmen 1 cover, a famous image but one that does not convey the regality of the series and storytelling, thus the numerous other covers would create a better viewing experience for me.

Fully agree in this regard. One of the aspects that always drew me to original art was the artistic collaboration and creative process. The ability to see the underlying blue-line and pencil remnants contribute to the overall "team" aspect of a piece. It would have been preferential to have both of the artists working on the same art board but with print deadlines it is understandable why they chose the blue-line method. I did notice that Gaudiano adds very significant detail for zombies and backgrounds. The details in the art harken back to the pre-Issue 48 days. If only the pricing did likewise.

Two random thoughts: I. I have noticed several people disinclined to purchase AoW art due to the fact that it is separated on two different art boards. The prevalent reason is their desire to own only art illustrated by Adlard in full. What will happen if Gaudiano has his contract renewed and extends his work on TWD? If the series continues to the oft stated goal of 300 issues, it is fully reasonable to expect a different artist to assist Adlard or to replace him entirely. II. Several people have stated that the rape argument should be taken to PMs, but it is in fact creating more discussion than the ubiquitous single sentence exclamations of "wow", "congrats", or other exultations that take up entire thread pages. If people simply stop replying to a discussion they believe is beating a dead horse, that discussion will end. I do wonder though how many female participants are present in this thread and if the tone to the discussion would be vastly different if they formed a majority of the fanbase.