The Voord

I've been collecting OA for 42 years and have sold a lot of art over the past 20 years to fund big lifestyle changes . . . for example, I paid off two mortgages early and also retired seven years earlier than my official retirement age, all funded by art sales. Sure, I regret those losses over the past 20 years but, with me, it's about prioritizing my family, so that we all benefit in a very positive way. Bottom line is that you can't (or shouldn't) take this stuff to the grave with you, so most collectors ought to have some kind of exit plan! I'm still collecting OA (on a diminished scale) and still retain many core pieces . . . but eventually most things will have to go!

Nowadays, I'm mostly collecting original Movie Poster paintings. Do I collect the corresponding printed posters? No, the printed posters are usually a lot larger than the original paintings and I just don't have the display or storage room for something approaching 100 (corresponding) movie posters, lol!, What I do collect, whenever possible, is the DVD or Blu-ray of the movies . . . ideally where the packaging covers replicate the movie poster images. Here's an interesting one . . . Vic Fair's (at time of purchase) unused comp for CHARLIE BUBBLES (1968) About seven years ago, I was asked to scan the original art for the cover packaging of a limited edition Blue-ray release over here in the UK. As such the unused comp became a published Blu-ray cover!

Another sculpting project (less paint-job) finished-off . . . The Green Goblin from The Amazing Spider-Man! For this one, I worked directly from Steve Ditko reference shots . . . so, hopefully, I've channeled a Ditko look to my work . . . you decide? Really enjoyed sculpting the Goblin . . . and will be aiming to do some more Ditko Spidey villains in the near future (Doc Ock as the Master Planner will likely be my next one). Gobby measures about 9.5" tall, cast in solid resin as a five-part kit. I'll paint-up my own personal copy soon . . .

I started collecting OA early 1982 via the Russ Cochran Art Auctions held every three months, buying heavily (mostly EC art).for over a decade. Over here in the UK, a lot of (home-grown) art was acquired as a result of doing the leg-work, chasing leads or contacting other collectors as they became known to me. With the advent of the internet things definitely changed, especially ever-spiraling-upwards prices! Nowadays, It's mostly just window-shopping for me when it comes to dealers' web-sites, as there are seldom any real deals to be had. A lot of their inventory (nowadays) seem to rely on auction wins . . . only to be heavily marked-up in price when it comes to site updates. If you want the art, your best bet is to compete heavily at auction level, giving it your best shot.

Finished . . . my 9" tall sculpture of a Voord from the first season DR WHO adventure, 'The Keys of Marinus' (1964), starring William Hartnell as the first Doctor. This was very much a personal project that I was basically sculpting for my own collection, as opposed to something that would carry mass appeal, even for DR WHO fans!. Sculpted in Monster Clay and cast in resin as a five-part kit. Quite happy with how he's turned out. The base is pretty much generic . . . though it does bear a slight resemblance to the pyramid-like structure seen in the story (as shown in the selection of photos from the filmed production). My next project, which I've already made a start on, is The Green Goblin, which will be based on Steve Ditko's drawings.

Imelda Marcos?

Arnie's clearly beating Chuck . . . well, not beating him in 'that' way

Agreed. With the comic-book, BWS was probably limited by color considerations for the finished product (and perhaps held back by unsympathetic inkers?). B&w (published) art would have allowed an artist to closely judge how the work would look in print, encouraging the experimentation you talk about. Someone like Steve Ditko could be consistently amazing (no pun intended) with his b&w work for the early Warren mags.

That BWS Frost Giants cover is stunning!

You're running two identical threads?

Clowns are cool!

Better ridiculed than ripped-off! ;) You dodged a bullet . . .

Lol!

For me, Negan killing off two main supporting characters was a highpoint (not for the gore but the sheer jaw-dropping impact), and I'd rate the Saviors storyline as best of series. Sure, Negan's introduction was brutal, but at the same time unforgettable . . . making me want to see how the storyline would play out. If I'm watching a Horror series, I expect elements of Horror, I guess!

Won these two paintings in yesterday's Ewbanks auction (UK) at what I consider to be a real steal . . . £260 and £234 apiece (whatever that works out at in US $), consigned by the artist, Brian Bysouth: LEGEND OF THE LAWMAN (1975), USA title Walking Tall part two (I'm including a photo of the printed poster for reasons of comparison): ANRICAN TAIL: FIEVEL GOES WEST (1991) The Fievel art is most likely an unused comp, as I can't locate any printed poster featuring the art. I

I was aware of the Daryl Dixon spin-off series but somehow missed any promotion for Dead City (thanks for the heads-up, Gene). I managed to secure DVD copies of both new shows and have spent the past five days watching all episodes. Looks like, at six episodes apiece, AMT were playing it safe by not committing to full-blown seasons until such time as audience reaction was known. I thought they were both good 'taster' mini-series and nicely set-up what's to follow, which seems very intriguing. Good to see WD out of the woods and into the cities! ;)

Did they ever do a MTU of Ant-Man and Spider-Man?

My Zombie fatigue was already in place before I actually started watching Walking Dead (I never read the comic-book) as a result of all the endless Zombie movies released on the big screen over the years! It was my wife and daughter who got me into the show, as I'd bought them all the early seasons on DVD . . . and as a result of them being played in the background got drawn into the show. I liked the fact that it was a character-driven series, with the human antagonists frequently more horrific by nature than those walking corpses! The climax of the Negan/Saviors storyline was always going to be difficult to top (not helped by some of the key cast members moving on to other projects in the seasons that followed). I stuck with the show, which could often fluctuate in quality, and thought something like the Whisperers storyline was quite engaging. Overall, I do think the series will stand the test of time. The spin-off series Fear the Walking Dead could be a bit hit and miss but overall wasn't too bad

Wraparound cover . . . ;)

Yes, I was thinking Dr Doom myself, lol! Hopefully, Ron will never re-release these to the Brothers D . . . I can see 'Dr Doom prototype art' pumping-up the asking price to insane levels . . .

It's a wonderful example, you must be feeling incredibly pleased to land such a beauty! Single panel dailies are always extra special, possibly the equivalent of a splash page in comic-book art. I own several single-panel Jeff Hawke dailies, so know such things are (usually) extra special to us as collectors! Dream team of Kirby and (Wally) Wood . . . and you make an interesting observation about how the Marvel Universe might have been impacted had Sky Masters continued as a long-running newpaper strip . . . Congrats, Ron!

Reminds me of a similar experience that actually happened to me in the late 1980s . . . A friend at the time was a DJ in one of the Liverpool (UK) nightclubs where I (sometimes) assisted with the playing of records . One night I was sitting on the edge of the DJ's cubicle chatting-up a gorgeous blonde and was in the process of arranging a date with her. I leaned over to whisper something in her ear, lost my balance, and went crashing sideways into a nearby table full of drinks! As I picked myself up from the debris of broken glass, doused in spilt alcohol, my gorgeous blonde friend was nowhere to be seen!

With me, I figure out an absolutely top bid I'm willing to go to and will place that top bid in the closing moments of the auction. If I lose (it happens), I then walk away in the knowledge that I tried my level best to secure the art, but it was not meant to be . . . and I have no regrets whatsoever.

Very nice . . . you even get Spider-Man's chest emblem thrown into the mix! ;)

Back cover illustration of the Spacemobile, March Of Comics, SFR Lost in Space, 1970 (I think?) Was gifted this by an American friend, Lloyd Braddy!