John E.

Me: Hey dad! Did you hear about the Dark Knight Returns #1 cover? Came in at two-point-four mil with the juice. That’s too bad. Dad: What’s the problem? Me: Well, the pundits and experts were saying it was going to blow past the previous record in a bidding war that never happened. It was pretty anticlimactic. Dad: Was it published by Marvel? Me: Um, no. It’s a DC comic. Dad: Is Spider-Man in it? Me: Uh, no, Dad. I just said it’s a DC book. Dad: Well, there you go. There’s your answer. Me: But it’s an iconic cover! Dad: No one’s saying it’s not, son. But if you’re asking me, two-point-four mil is a lot of @?$!#ing money for a lighting bolt… Me: Buh— Dad: …without Spider-Man.

What I want to know is where are all the Robert Pattinson emo Batman memes that I was expecting. I need to be told how to feel about this DKR1 auction with pathos!!!! “I don’t understand what happened, Alfred.” ”You can only cut bid once per lot, Mastuh Bruce.” “You disabled my bid button on purpose didn’t you. DIDN’T YOU?!”

As I understand it, the B&W inked art was photographed for printing. In order to be photographed it was taped down. Because the photographer had to photograph 22 pages with a large queue of 22-page books behind them, it was faster and more efficient to take a box cutter and cut the art free then it was to peel off the tape. So the photographer’s assistant would slash it and quickly tape down the next one and repeat. What I find funny is that the title, page # and artist name (if any of those were present) were kept intact, I’m sure for future reference but I always thought of it as disinfecting the needle or razor before self-harm. What I find weird is that you never find covers slashed like that. So how was the process different for covers? Or were they treated with more dignity because they were covers?

I swim in the swallow end of the pool so it’s easier for me to borrow from myself and pay myself back later with art sales. (I think it was Xatari who said here earlier that he funds his hobby with hobby money and not family money. Same here.) More than once I’ve read here collectors lament selling pieces they didn’t want to sell but did chasing that grail only to find out they were blown out of the water. That to me is a step back. But even reading comment and comment about being blown out of the water after these auctions has me ask, why take the risk? But yeah, if someone chases $30K pages I understand why they need a bigger fund. And of course if you’re selling then deadweight in your collection beforehand I get it. But I’ve no longer have much art to spare/sell without that trade-up being guaranteed to me.

I hope it’s not anything I’m eyeing else I’m in trouble. to you.

I must be doing it wrong because I don’t sell until I actually win the art But I also don’t buy the equivalent of a new car every two months either, so I guess I afford to do so. Afford. Tee hee ☺️. I’m so full of irony this morning.

I know exactly the feelings you’re sitting on, and as such, you’re likely dealing with FOMO. Knowing you through your posts and your collection over the years, I say to continue buying with an art collector’s taste. Continue listening to your gut. Let someone else pay “A-level” money for “C-level” examples. (Assuming that the page has nothing else going for it other than being part of the first appearance issue.)

Sorry for the confusion here — this is not my art. I don’t sell art on eBay anymore. These are my general observations of art I see on eBay that is overpriced because everyone thinks they can get Heritage Auction hammer prices outside of Heritage. When they find out they can’t (particularly on eBay), they take it down and try somewhere else, like ComicLink.

Just my personal observations, nothing scientific. The 7 Stages of Art on eBay Stage 1: a $1300 FMV page pops up on eBay for $2800. Stage 2: The listing immediately accrues 11 watchers. John E. is one of them because he’s curious to know if anyone takes the bait. Stage 3: After 48-36 hours, John E. receives an email informing him that the seller is giving him a special, private offer as a watcher. He can now save anywhere from 5%-40%. Stage 4: After 48 hours John E. receives notification that his special offer has expired. Stage 5: John E. receives notification that an item he is watching has been discounted by 30%-40%. Stage 6: John E. receives notification that the item he has been watching is no longer available. John E. checks the seller’s sales history but the art is not part of it. Stage 7: Artwork is shipped off to Comic Link.

You are correct; these are not color guides. They are photographed blue line reproductions of the original B&W line work to be hand-colored and sent to the printer. So these are the actual published pages in the same way Lynn Varley’s hand-painted color art for the Dark Knight Returns are the published pages. You can even see the photographer’s crop lines. This is info I got from Dinesh Shamdasani’s CAF gallery and he of all people should know. The Turok pages are likely under $100, maybe between $100-$150 on a really good day at auction. The cover is a cover, so $200-$400 on a good day? Valiant is pretty niche so there’s not a whole lot of demand that is going to drive the price up. The B&W line art is what the devoted Valiant collectors are really going to spend their money on. There are quite a few Dan Parent devotees out there and you don’t see a lot of his painted work on the market. Then you have that bad girl factor that can help. This is the type of art you’ll see in a Comic Link focused auction that may fetch between $100-$200. But this is rough ballpark with a volatile OA market within a broader nervous economy. These all could be more, or they could be less.

Back in 2018 Steve told me doesn’t represent Travis anymore so I wouldn’t expect anything to come out of that “list.” Also, TC is notoriously known for his lack of output, but I’m sure you knew that already.

Congratulations on living your dream, Abel!

That’s right; I forgot about the dream connection. Yes, I liked her and want to see more of her. And soon, not just years from now. I just wanted to see her do more than just running away or be trapped in a jar like a bug. I know she finally comes around to showing off her powers at the end but it came a little too late for me.

Hey fellas, I hope you don't mind me jumping in your conversation here. I liked DS2 okay-- there was enough positives to the film to not make it the worse entry in the MCU. I agree with the pros and cons stated here. The #1 thing I was looking forward to in the film was America Chavez and how Raimi handled her was a complete disappointment. She wasn't a character; she was a MacGuffin device. I'm wondering if someone can help me figure out something here. Why was Doctor Strange so nice to America Chavez? Is it because she was the target of a kidnapping? Because she inadvertently sent her parents to another multiverse? I know that sounds like an obvious question I'm just trying to figure out what she did to earn his respect. She did bring trouble to his doorstep after all. On the other hand, Dr Strange is a jerk to Peter Parker in No Way Home. Peter, after all, in Infinity War, ditched his field trip to fight the Black Order, goes off-world as a stowaway with no idea what is waiting for him there, essentially Thanos, the most powerful being in the universe. Peter is then engaged in a fight with Thanos, holds his own I might add and almost takes the Gauntlet off if it wasn't for Star-Lord. So the team loses and Peter turns to dust for the next 5 years. He comes back, saves the world from Mysterio, only to have his identity as Peter Parker revealed to the world. He then goes to Dr Strange for help because his friends and family are now vulnerable (same sitch as America whose parents are lost in another multiverse), wherein Strange is pretty jerk-y to him. Strange then screws up the spell, blames Peter for it and is pretty mean about, tries to fix it by sending the Sinister Five back to their multiverses where they will meet their death. But in this film, he's trying to prevent death in his multiverse, and by extension others. You'd think Spider-Man has earned everyone's respect by now. Stephen Strange even makes some quip about the many "insect" named Avengers. And yet, America Chavez lifts his sling ring and it'a all "ha ha we're all good." It all just seems so very...strange.

When buyers don’t have the time or patience to separate wheat from chaff, they will simply redefine wheat and chaff.

Thanks again for the photos! I swear, when my kids grow up they are going to see the same wall art as their father at the Coolines booth.

Heritage Auctions: For all their hype and publicity, they sure know how to miss an opportunity. Hold my O’Doul’s🍺 🍀 “If you want Batman #428 to survive as a cover and 22-page story, call 1-900-Keep-It-Complete ”If you want to see Batman #428 decimated and sold in bits and pieces, call 1-900–Break-It-Up “$6.99 per call (plus 20% surcharge). Add 3% if making a call by phone. For immediate processing of your vote, pay by bank wire. If eCheck, please allow 7 business days to process your vote. Vote by consignment. No limits as to the number of times you call. The more you vote, the more it counts.”

“They have sown the seeds of discontent and turned us against each other: brother against sister, collector against dealer, housekeeper against auction house. For civil war outside of bidding war is the true motive behind their cabalic machinations.” -Abraham Lincoln, A Treatise on the Escalation of Prices Affecting Original Comic Art and Fair Market Value (1867)

“A third secret eBay account that was even a secret to yourself!”

At the bottom margin I see the initials R.B. R.B….R.B….R.B. Where have I seen those initials? And could this person have multiple personalities unknown to each other?

Bruuuuh… you left the low hanging fruit on the tree #garFieldOfDreams #OD’dOnOdie #IHateMondaysButCollectSundays #TheStripedOrangeCatStrips #I’mTotallyNermal #JonArbuckleUpIt’sGoingToBeABumpyRide

Me a few months ago: Nah, it’s already at $400 on eBay. I’m out. Oh, it ended at $640? Little higher than I expected considering there’s very little Punisher and Ghost Rider and it’s mostly TV watching. I’ll just wait for a better example for twice as much. Me today: 🥴🔫

If we all chipped in the cost of one year of CAF premium membership we can pool our money together to hire a private investigator and uncover this donor’s identity. This ain’t the Zodiac we’re looking for, people!!!! Nah, having said that, if the donor wants to remain anonymous I will respect those wishes. That is a small price to pay to be given the privilege to view the art at any time. That’s a tremendous gift to us all.

This is why I just can’t do CL if the art is not going in their premium auction. There are no descriptions. Art finishes way too late into the night. And if it follows a marathon HA auction, your lots will suffer from the buyers’ fatigue. I will give them this: your low-end items are likely to find a buyer, even if they finish wholesale, which is better than sitting stale on eBay or CAF Classifieds. But I believe if you know what you have, no one is a better salesman of your art than you, which is why I love Comic Art Live. I had run out of inventory by selling in the first three shows so I put up low value sketches and such and I was amazed how much I sold, making a few bucks. Ultimately, there still is a demand for 2-figure art for collectors who can’t collect in the high end.

Ah, I see it. Thanks, Malvin. I kept looking under “My Account.” Congrats on your wins tonight. I finally found something I liked at the right price point to give CL the ol’ practice run for a larger purchase.