Caltex98

OK, here are my Best of 2018 nominees (CAF Lowry gallery): Published Splash Pages, Pinups: Oscar Hjelmgren - A.M.O.K. title page - Herman Hedning 8/2014, p51 Very detailed title page from an A.M.O.K. episode which pays hommage to the science fiction-movies from the 1950's. Published Interior Panel Pages: Joëlle Jones - Batman #39 - p15 A page with Selina Kyle in her civil duds which let Ms. Jones show off many of her talents: Expressive faces, body language and myriads of details from the restaurant interior. All brought to life by her meticulous inking. I'm impressed! (And she did draw herself on the far left in the first panel due to "running out of ideas".) Published Strip Art: Al Capp - Li'l Abner - 1955-12-30 Ever since I started collecting OA "for real" I have wanted a Li'l Abner strip. And since this strip is from 1955 there is a possibility that Frank Frazetta was involved in its creation. But one can never be sure! Unpublished Commissions: Bill Galvan - Surfin' with Sabrina - front and back cover What if Sabrina Spellman used her magic to join Josie & the Pussycats during the height of the american surf music craze in the early 1960's and then put a spell on the legendary Bob Keane so he would give them a recording deal on his Del-Fi label (home of The Surfaris, The Lively Ones and The Centurions)? I passed the question along (with some very brief suggestions & guidelines) to Bill Galvan who responded "I think that sounds like a great commission idea!" Sabrina's bikini is designed to be totally in fashion 1964 (even though her aunts Zelda and Hilda settled for something more modest) and her appearance is in part modeled on Annette Funicello surfing in the Beach Party movies. On the back cover Josie, Valerie and Melody are carrying a surf board, Beach Boys style. Unpublished Sketch Covers/Convention Sketches: Natalia Batista - Are, the highway robber At the 2018 Gothenburg Book Fair Natalia Batista made this beautiful commission of one of the characters from her graphic novel series Sword Princess Amaltea - Are the highway robber. She is a member of the notorious gang led by Loki which makes the roads in the world of Amaltea very unsafe. Even though Natalia drew her in a somewhat relaxed pose it is pretty obvoius that she is the enforcer of the outfit. Don't mess with her (unless she wants you to)! Runners up. Published Splash Pages: Dan Parent - Archie Meets Batman '66 #3 - p11 A great splash page from Archie Meets Batman '66 issue three where the villains of Gotham City has taken over Pop's Choklit Shoppe and made it their temporary headquarters. (It was digitally inked by J Bone so this is the only physical copy. Modern times are here!) Published Interior Panel Pages: Mike Parobeck - El Diablo #14 - p14 A page layout which shows Parobeck's genius: Easy to read and the drama is underscored by the expressive body language and the leaning angles. Note how the first and last panels interacts, framing the scene in time. Unpublished Commissions: Fernando Ruiz - Julie Newmar as Catwoman Fernando's take on the first and foremost Catwoman - Julie Newmar! Unfortunately the strokes applied with a "glitter pen" doesn't show in the scan. Like Alex said, this topic is one of the highlights of the year. Let's see what everyone else has got to show!

UNPUBLISHED Fernando Ruiz Commission - Julie Newmar as Catwoman Click on the picture to see it on CAF.

PUBLISHED Dan Parent Archie Meets Batman '66 #3, page 11 Click on the picture to see it on CAF.

UNPUBLISHED Agnes Garbowska Commission - Little Harley Quinn Click on the picture to see it on CAF.

PUBLISHED Fernando Ruiz Archie #613, page 8. Click on the picture to see it on CAF.

PUBLISHED Dan DeCarlo Josie #25, page 1. Click on the picture to see it (and the other 7 pages) on my CAF.

PUBLISHED Tony Strobl Donald Duck #73, "Riverboat Shuffle" restored panel. Click on the picture to see it in my CAF.

PUBLISHED Mike Parobeck El Diablo #14, page 14. Click on the picture to see it in my CAF.

PUBLISHED Dan Parent Archie Meets Batman '66 #3, page 13. Click on the picture to see it in my CAF.

Even though Amanda Conner has drawn 100+ covers with Harley Quinn I believe she only sells a limited selection every year not to flood the market and keep the prices up (she revealed how many in an interview I can't find right now, maybe in Washington Post). One can argue if this is the right tactic, but if the character's popularity doesn't fade that is one way of getting the most $$$ for your artwork. She used to have Albert Moy as an agent, but now she sells her artwork by herself through the Paperfilms website and the prices have gone up significantly. I remember Albert selling the Power Girl covers for four figures but nothing compared to what her Harley Quinn covers cost now. I suppose she isn't pressed to sell so she can hold on to it until someone is prepared to pay what she is asking for it. And I also like to think that the scarcity of her older artwork for sale has something to do with collectors and fans buying out of love and not for speculation and keeping it. I can only speak for myself, but unless someone is offering me a ridiculous amount there is not very likely that it is ever leaving my own collection. One reason is that it would obviously be very hard to replace without overpaying someone else. As always a piece of OA is worth what someone is willing to pay, so if Conner's newer artwork doesn't sell for what she is asking for the prices will eventually go down if she wants to move it. Overpriced? Maybe. But only time will (as always) tell.

Li'l Abner from December 30, 1955: Click on the picture for a much bigger scan in my CAFgallery. (Should there be som traces of Frazetta here?)

At the annual Gothenburg Book Fair in September I bought several pieces of OA from swedish comic artist Oscar Hjelmgren. Among them was this opening splash from his comic A.M.O.K. which features antrophomorphic animals and runs in every issue of the Herman Hedning comic book (it was published in issue 8/2014): It is a hommage to the science-fiction movies of the 1950's and I believe he managed to cover quite a lot in one picture. Click on it for a larger scan in my CAF gallery.

For this years halloween commission I suggested the idea that Sabrina Spellman and Elvira should go on a road trip (in Elvira's 1958 Ford Thunderbird Macabre Mobile) to Bill Galvan and this is the result. Shades of Thelma & Louise, I think. Click on the picture to see a larger scan in my Bill Galvan gallery on CAF.

Covers by Bill Galvan from Archie & Friends #146 and 147 which was a two-part spoof of the TV-show Twilight:

At the recent Gothenburg Book Fair swedish manga artist Natalia Batista found time to do this drawing of one of the characters from her three-part fantasy graphic novel series Sword Princess Amaltea: It is published in the U.S. by Tokyo Pop and well worth checking out. Click on the picture to see a bigger scan in my CAF gallery.

OK. Now I can disclose what I got from Dan: Two pages from Archie Meets Batman '66 #3. Just what I needed.

Now since the book is out I am allowed to reveal the two splash pages from Archie Meets Batman '66 #3 I got from Dan Parent at SDCC in July: In page 11 the villains of Gotham City has made Pop's into their temporary headquarters and page 13 shows Veronica hosting a pool party at the Lodge mansion with the entire gang plus D--k Grayson and Barbara Gordon attending. They were inked digitally by J. Bone. To see the final result and bigger scans of the pencils in my CAF gallery, click on the pictures.

A recent addition to my Dan DeCarlo collection is this complete 8-page story from Josie #25 (Februray 1967) with inks by Rudy Lapick (determined after close examination by Dan Parent in San Diego this year). Click on the pictures to see larger scans in my Dan DeCarlo CAF gallery.

It's nice when you can get your hands on a complete Josie-story by Dan DeCarlo with inks by Rudy Lapick from issue #25 of Josie (cover date February 1967). I have assigned all the pages to that particular issue on my CAF (which I think is a great feature that should be used more frequently) so you can see them all in better scans if you follow this link.

Inside measurements of the drawers are 598 x 420 mm.

I got more than I bargained for this year. A quick sketch by Joëlle Jones even though she had declared previous to SDCC that there would be no time for drawing at all. I guess being one of the invited special guests kept her busy with panels and signings. A commission in my sketchbook by Agnes Garbowska. She has figured out that she wants to get away from the commission list and because of that speed up her drawing so she can do it while having a nice chat with her fans (and leave the evenings free to do other stuff than stay in your hotel room drawing). She really made sure which costume little Harley Quinn should wear before she started on it. Took about five minutes to dry completely after it was finished. I have been on the lookout for some good Mike Parobeck OA for a long time, and thanks to the advice I got from my friends David G and Brian P struck a deal with Anthony on Sunday morning on these from El Diablo #9 (two pages) and #14 respectively: Looking at these pages it is really tragic that someone with such a great sense of graphic storytelling (details, body language, faces and page layouts) died more than twenty years ago, just before his 31st birthday. Think of what he could have accomplished if he had lived. Click on the pictures to see them larger in my CAF gallery. And on top of this I got two pages from the upcoming Archie meets Batman '66 #2 from artist Dan Parent. But I am not allowed to show them until the issue is out (in September or thereabouts). Censored until September. On my way to SDCC I picked up a complete 8-page Josie story from Josie #25 (cover date January 1967) by Dan DeCarlo with inks by Rudy Lapick (confirmed by Dan Parent who knows these things). They have yet to be scanned, but here is a sneak peek: All in all a very good convention (with the OA collectors dinner Thursday as an extra bonus), at least for myself.

I use the IKEA ALEX drawer unit on castors. Lined with acid free tissue paper.

A great get-together (as usual). Thanks Brian!

The last strip (#4200), published in the Dagens Nyheter morning paper April 28th: