ESeffinga

^This.

Exactly.

Leaving off the threads here on this board talking about it since November 1, and all the way through the auction, at which point everywhere else in the industry was talking about it... https://www.newsarama.com/48259-original-art-for-wrightson-s-frankenstein-cover-for-marvel-sells-for-1-2-million.html https://bloody-disgusting.com/news/3597790/late-bernie-wrightsons-original-frankenstein-art-marvel-cover-just-sold-1-million/ https://www.google.com/amp/s/comicbook.com/comics/amp/2019/12/13/marvels-frankenstein-cover-wrightson-auction-1-2-million/

Well, I could say that last bit about a LOT of art people spend 5 and 6 figures for, and even cheaper material including Phantom Stanger pages, but it doesn’t mean others don’t park their money there. I don’t have to like it or agree with it, or even totally understand it. It’s all relative.

While still a glutton for punishment (hello, art collector), I refuse to abuse myself like this again.

As someone who follows that market super closely, I don’t think it’s out of bounds at all? Is it on the high side? Sure. I would have thought in the 8-9K range, since not the main Sandman title, but it also is painted and it is a beautiful example image for the golden era of Sandman pages, by the original author and one of its award winning artists. I don’t think the fact that it is from the Books of Magic mini-series (which was much loved by Sandman fans) is too much of a minus. And I have been offered money in this ballpark for my Sandman pages, years ago. So, this much, at this point, in this Sandman market? I don’t know what $3500 comps you are trying to use, but you are way off base, if you think this should be in that ballpark. If you are referencing the Shakespeare only page, that’s like comparing a page from a Spidey book of spidey in action vs a random J Jonah only talking to a phone page. That’s dumb. I think Morpheus Vess pages in Sandman proper, tend to be in the 10-20k range when they trade hands privately today. I can’t speak to the auctions, because I have found far more fluctuations, and I attribute that to who shows up on that day. If I remember right, Saunter sold 2 pages of issue 19 with no Morpheus on either page, just his black text balloons, for 10-12k each about a year or two ago, when he was raising cash for something.

Thanks for posting that story along with the piece. That was a fascinating read. Especially as someone that’s never followed the messiness if hero books and who worked with who on what before they were booted or replaced by someone else, etc. What a web to untangle.

How many of those accounts are tracings of porn with Wonder Woman garb badly drawn on (or on the floor)? Or 8th grade level drawings of Wolverine, adding new meaning to the term “mutant?” Besides which, I know folks that have huge pricey collections that DON’T pony up for premium membership. And the vast majority of the collectors who do pay the premium that I know personally fall far short of that 5M in assets mark. All anecdotal, but I think the number of folks that are really into OA, and I mean REALLY into it is a lot smaller than folks think. I’m not talking the occasional buyers. Thats probably a huge pool. I’m talking about the folks that really have their hearts in it. Willing to go to the mat for the work. Then there is the great market divides. Americas, European, and Asian. Some cross pollination of interests, but in the Americas market, the “arty” single author creative is an outlier niche with a tiny fan base relative to the big machines of men in tights ever pummeling each other, dying, being re-cloned or rebooted by next creative team ad nauseum. Where as in the Asian and European markets, it’s all about those writer/author creators. The ones in the US are the names we talk about as having some bit of “in” with respect to the art museums. Burns, Clowes, Crumb, Tomine, Ware, etc and so on. And their work is generally had “cheap” compared to those corporate owned titles/characters in the American art market.

Clearly you are unfamiliar with Bill Wray's series of paintings inspired by scenes he had seen at cons, of cosplayers doing these things. A google search will find a bunch.

Grape Ape: old thread farmer.

He was a kid. Barely into his 20s. Which would make things somewhat forgivable, with immaturity and all. Except today he is 50, and he still peddles reprints of his early work. It’s his claim to fame after all.

Sounds to me like nobody really likes the thing. They think they will, and then move it along. Always a bride’s maid...

To me, that’s just silly fun and I have no beef with that at all, no matter how weird it is. I’m thinking more of things like rape party, or the illustration of the dad setting his enormous engorged member on his very young daughter’s head, at the family barbecue. But hey, naked Boo Berry is fun too, right?

Rape. Incest. Cannibalism. Not in the horror comic way but either it was more sadistic, or it was infantile done for attention in that look at how “cool” I am kind of way. I’ve not read it all, but I’ve seen more than enough. Not subjects he utilized for thought proving or dramatic purpose. He did it because he got off on it. He was a turd. He’s tried to play up his CBLDF victory by positioning himself as an Indy “artiste”, when he was just a insufficiently_thoughtful_person peddling garbage who was lucky that some legal folks were willing to defend us all, by defending him. I’ve no position on his current work. Maybe he has achieved Travis Charest level skills. Though I sincerely doubt ot. If you Google Boiled Angel and find some certain pieces of it, I don’t think you’ll have to ask.

A topic I am very familiar with, as a supporter of the CB LDF as this was all playing out in the courts, we got regular newsletter updates. Diana’s “art” was the juvenile equivalent of a horrific junior high schooler. Both in execution and intellectual capacity. He was a turd, and so was his “work” but the CBLDF stood up to protect free speech rights for comic artists and all of us who read them. Long and short of it. His comics were not ever worth discussing here. So it was only ever of interest as an intellectual legal exercise. Over time he has sought to soften his image, to explain away much of his early comics as Some form of artistic exercise with allegory, and challenging authority, waking people up, etc. Truth is, he was an insufficiently_thoughtful_person kid who drew ridiculous and occasionally abhorrent things for his own amusement. Pheh!

Putting up a number of smaller pieces from my collection. Contact me at yellowmusicroom@aol.com for the fastest response. I do check the boards, but not as often as I do that email account. Also, I know it's the Holidays and money can be tight this time of year, so if you are interested in something, but need to split payment up into 2 or 3 chunks over a month or 2, that can be discussed. No trades. Paypal is fine, and we can work out the best shipping costs, based on piece, size and your location. Hit me up with any questions. PHIL HALE - Wash Head 1 - $700 11.75” x 15.75” oil paint on wood panel PHIL HALE - Wash Head 2 -$700 11.75” x 15.75” oil paint on wood panel PHIL HALE - Ziggurat - $1850 16" x 16.5" oil paint on wood panel PHIL HALE - Life Wants to Live - $550 17.25" x 12" pencil on 19th century litho paper. Published in Hale's book Life Wants to Live. This was a study for a painting, used in both the Life Wants to Live and Enemies shows. THe pinholes in the paper are from Hale tacking the piece up during the show's construction. PHIL HALE - Life Wants to Live - $500 10.5" x 15" pencil on 19th century litho paper. Published in Hale's book Life Wants to Live. This was a study for a painting, used in both the Life Wants to Live and Enemies shows. The pinholes in the paper are from Hale tacking the piece up during the show's construction. PHIL HALE - Drawing 1 - $140 8.25" x 11.25" pencil on paper. PHIL HALE - Drawing 2 - $90 8.25" x 11.25" pencil on paper. PHIL HALE - Drawing 3 - $140 8.25" x 11.25" pencil on paper. PHIL HALE - Drawing 4 - $100 8.25" x 11.25" pencil on paper. Matt Gordon - The Witchboot - $325 8.25" x 11.625" pencil on moleskine paper. Matt Gordon - LeBunn Motors Razorclam - $250 8" x 10.5" Pencil, ink, colored pencil and watercolor on moleskine paper.

Totally makes sense. I used an old AOL screen name for my forum IDs for a number of years in the early days, but a member of a guitar forum that I was very friendly with took to calling me Eric Bunchanumbers. It was true. Hard to say. Too long. And when I joined up here and several other boards thereafter, I just went for ease of recognition on all platforms. I’ve no need for any anonymity or secrecy/security that a screen name supplies. Besides, I’m an art collector, not a superhero with a secret identity like the Purple Ape.

So you will have something exciting to remember the experience by. It’s a value added service. Truth is, ANYbody that intentionally chooses to buy/ship original art from post-Thanksgiving to Christmas is a dyed in the wool thrill seeker/adrenaline junkie. It’s like people jumping out of airplanes for a fun experience. I don’t get it personally, and I don’t begrudge them their choices. I just know they are different. I tend to ask people to just hold stuff and ship after the holidays. Less stress for everyone!

First initial. Last name. I prefer people know where I am and what I say. It’s been helpful in building a collecting network, when I’m easy to spot. Also keeps me honest and polite, by and large.

I dunno what Gene is all sad for. I think that drawing is hilarious! 🤣 Its so, the opposite of sexy or titillating. Maybe just sad he clearly needed the money, judging by the age/drawing quality? Elderly artist needs money. Willing to draw whatever? Now I’m sad too. 😞 Thanks Gene!

And last weekend a guy sold 3 bananas with a bit of duct tape for roughly $400k. Its all perspective.

Finally got around to watching the Gahan Wilson documentary Born Dead, Still Weird. It’s on Amazon for the folks that are interested. I’ve found it charming. Only ever familiar with the artwork, but new nothing of the man or his history. Given his recent passing, I knew I needed to finally get around to watching this. Very glad I did.

This is “fine art” we’re talking about here. It works the opposite of comic book land. They don’t discount the closer they get to the end of the show. In fact if they sell one, the next available costs more. They had 3. The first went for 120k. The last went for $150k. Because if you are gonna pay a crazy amount for a banana duct taped to a wall, that will never make it home with you while still “fresh”, wouldn’t you at least want the honor of knowing you paid the MOST for said banana?

When doing projects, it is not unusual to have to present multiple concepts to the client. It gives them a chance to see a number of ideas, and they can give their input and or point the direction of the final, without all the effort that goes into doing a truly finished piece, only to find out it’s not what they want. People use the terms preliminaries conceptuals or studies pretty interchangeably.