GreatEscape

Fantastic Four Giant Size #3 (1974)— an epic opening title DPS by Rich Buckler and Joe Sinnott features the 1st app of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (War, Pestilence, Famine and Death) returning after centuries to wreak havoc on Earth once more! Link

Here's something fun for Memorial Day weekend... My all-time favorite Cerebus page, the famous strip-tease scene from issue #10! Red Sophia seductively sucks a bottle and strips off her top but Cerebus is unfazed...and his response is priceless No other Cerebus scene has been written about or laughed at more. Featured in numerous blogs (ie, “A Moment of Cerebus"), fanzines and news journals, and discussed in "A Very Brief Modern History of the Chain Mail Bikini." Creator-artist Dave Sim later remarked, “When Red Sophia whips off her chain-mail bikini top and Cerebus deadpans, I just hoped that it would sell enough copies that I could keep it going.” Well, it certainly worked...Cerebus went on to 300 issues, one of the most successful independent comics ever published. Enjoy! Link

Yes, I'm content with my collection and the fairly consistent approach/focus used to ensure a high level of personal enjoyment given changing budget and time constraints. Naturally, I have several regrets not buying more early on and/or letting go key pieces over time but thankfully put all proceeds to acquire pieces that fit better at the time. To quote the 'Stones. "You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, well, you might find, you get what you need."

Apparently, ComicConnect has pulled the Comics Interview #31 Frank Miller Dark Knight cover (planned for Auction #50) likely as a result of the DKR1 consignment....consignor has one of two thoughts: (A) Yikes, no way I'm competing with that! Two DKR covers is too many for June. or (B) Wait for Heritage's record-breaking sale...then ride the wave in September.

Even worse, looks like a fake board with “Dr. Strange 32” written at bottom plus a fake Romita signature to complete the snooker. Uggh. If so, ComicConnect should pull this down for the fake signature alone.

On the comics side, in addition to the lack of back cover scans, I’ve alway been frustrated how you can’t select “Golden Age” or “Silver Age” like Heritage. To be fair, ComicConnect has same problem). So buyers scroll through Marvel Mystery and Marvel Spotlights to find what they focus on. Symbolic of CL’s aged platform and/or ignoring opportunities to enhance collector experience. Heritage makes things easy and effortless…and has earned its recent success. Have faith…in the past, CL did follow Heritage in catalogs, differentiated auctions (Focused, Featured) and their previews are quicker to post scans (vs. Heritage “scan not available”). Let’s hope current ‘best practices’ like auction archives, lot tracking, closing times convenient for Euro buyers, etc will soon follow.

I have no problem with Jim bidding on HA lots assuming he gets no insider info (ie, Live proxy bids, phone bids placed in advance of Live session). That said, I can't help picturing Jim's OA bankroll growing getting some share of HA's ~20% take on each and every lot sold. Yes, he 100% deserves it and I'd argue Jim's passion for OA only strengthens our hobby.

…the Spidey cover was gobbled up by a big fish.

X-Men #271 Jim Lee & Scott Williams 1/2 splash with Wolverine and Psylocke, outstanding composition….$360k (with BP)

Miracleman co-creator/artist Garry Leach past away last week, so wanted to share this to honor his work. Mick Austin’s Warrior #16 cover painting perfectly captures the magic and majesty of the hero with God-like powers, flying over Washington DC in twice-up scale. Link

True, but the buyer would feel quite differently if after 3 years, the same-specs TV and sound system is valued at $7k or $3k.

Thanks fishbone! High bid is 1.5 kidneys with a BIN at 2.5 kidneys lol...

Jim Aparo BATMAN #325 (1978) has a full-figure image of The Batman and the Bat-signal: Link

The climactic battle scene DPS from Infinity Gauntlet #6 (1991) is a grand display of cosmic power. Thanos' granddaughter Nebula unleashes the full power of the Infinity Gauntlet while taking on the collective might of the Elders of the Universe, ancient gods who rank at the very top of Marvel's power scale. The Elders include Galactus, Uatu the Watcher, the Stranger, Mistress Love, Master Hate, Lord Chaos, Master Order and Kronos. Twice-up DPS, 24” x 18” image. Link

Sidebar question....Anyone know why HA takes so long (weeks in some cases) to post scans of items where they've already developed detailed descriptions with measurements, etc.? Is there a theatrical / teaser value in waiting to add scans aka "big reveal"? HA needs the high-quality scans in advance to produce the quality catalogs anyway. ComicLink posts scans + descriptions simultaneously for their auction previews, why can't HA? Given the multi-million-dollar profits that Heritage OA auctions, just hire 3-4 people dedicated to scanning OA consignments as they arrive...and comics, video games, etc.

Honoring Frank Miller’s birthday last week, I posted the memorable Cadillac hit-and-run twice-up DPS from SIN CITY: FAMILY VALUES (1997). A key moment (quite shocking) and TPB cover scene, the DPS was used for the Dark Horse promotional poster. Link

So awesome, congrats Dan! A fantastic Byrne DPS, only 2 DPS in his Champions run and a full-team image that most covers can't match.

Hello everyone! My "Best of 2021" entries (all acquired in 2021) are: Published/Unpublished Comic Book Covers 1. Buscema MARVELS GREATEST #35 Cover (1972) Fantastic Four, Silver Surfer Origin! Link Published/Unpublished Interior Panel Pages 2. Dave Gibbons WATCHMEN #6 p21 (1986) Rorschach Origin + Inkblot Cover Scene Link Published/Unpublished Comic Book Pin-Ups, Illustrations, Trading Cards 3. Mike Mignola HELLBOY DARKNESS CALLS #1 (2007) Pin-up, Frontispiece, TPB splash, Poster art! Link Published/Unpublished Media artwork (Music, TV, Movie) 4. Dave Stevens BETTIE PAGE Movie Star News cover (1990) + GIRL OF MY DREAMS statue art, Iconic! Link Published/Unpublished Other 5. Simone Bianchi MARVEL SIRENS X-Men SDCC Poster Art (2012) Phoenix, Elektra, Psylocke, Medusa, Storm, White Queen Link Thanks for looking and I appreciate your consideration and votes!

Would MSH Secret Wars #8 cover > Hulk #181 cover?

Sorry, the bid is now $2 million (before BP), and climbing! WOW

Congrats to the consignor. The large Spidey and panel design give a splashy feel to the page but certainly a big number.

She (auctioneer) is very good at coaxing higher bids.

Power Man & Iron Fist #51 (1978) cover-- the 2nd issue of this historic team-up-- features both heroes in an epic street fight by Ernie Chan. Love the incredible 3-D effect and 70s vibe! Link

Wonder Woman #32 cover (1989) by George Perez. This week, our prayers are with George and his family for strength and courage in his personal battle against cancer. Link

Proud to add this action-packed Iron Man #40 (1971) cover by George Tuska. Link