Rick2you2

I would love to see a Garfield collection.

Truthfully, it’s beyond mine as well. But then, so is spending $1,000,000 on a car to keep in your garage as a collectible, or taking a Ferrari on the road to get stuck in traffic.

"Date Night for the Martian Manhunter", by Keith Williams. My idea.

Not just EC. Good Lord, I love it, but I won’t be in the buying pool at what I can imagine are the prices.

I thought the Domínguez cover from the Phantom Stranger at $10,500 was very strong. What I would have wanted, however, was the Kaluta Spectre cover. Beautifully proportioned.

He has a number of different styles. His Torpedo, which I love, has a “film noir” feel to it. He has a beloved character, Clara, the prostitute, done in a light, humorous style. He has a more serious style in Cicca, an earlier series, and some Jonah Hex pieces, as well as other art, usually in a dark style. None of them are particularly expensive from what I have seen. He also does commissions. I just wish I understood the language.

All it takes is one broken sump pump. Trust me on this one.

In my case, there was never a lot it, and what there was of major artists, I already have representative samples of almost all of them. For example, I really don’t need an Aparo cover; I have 3 panel pages, and a fanzine cover. But, why I can’t find images of PS from Impulse? Captain Adam (missed one, once)? When they have slipped through, it’s usually because I already spent my spare cash on something else, or really don’t care for the image. And then I live to regret it for years. And by the way, I do buy outside my area on occasion. I commissioned Keith Williams for a Martian Manhunter piece I am waiting for, and I am just barely resisting the urge to buy some Jordi Bernet art. He is really terrific.

Well, not in my case. There have been pages I have seen sit for years on dealer sites, and don’t buy them figuring they will sit for more years. But then, someone else gets them and I never find a duplicate of that artist and character again. Or, I never find one I liked as much. Now, I mostly throw caution to the wind and worry about the money later (“deficit spending”). For those who cast a wide net, however, I can see that perspective.

I am positive I have seen that Black Canary image with her butt sticking out. On the other hand, he could have simply duplicated an earlier piece.

Not to me. It's how I live the time I have.

To save some money, try contacting the artists directly. You would be surprised what you can find that way. Don’t fall into the trap that has more expensive pages, or more popular pages as “better” art. Popularity is often an indicator of nostalgia, not true quality, although more expensive pages may very well be high quality. My suggestion is you focus on a particular subject, or era, or character. That helps refine your taste (which is why I would refrain from picking a single artist, at least at this stage). I generally prefer art which has well-defined drawings of characters, and would recommend published art over all other art.

I love your taste.

I used to. My current trick is to set no ceiling on what I bid, just a consideration of how much I like it. Then, worry about cost later.

No. At various times each one worked for both companies. It is a question of: artistic preference and overall industry impact. While Kirby’s work is certainly dynamic, and ground breaking, I never particularly liked that beloved-by-many fans of his Silver Age Marvel work. I mostly blame my preference on Marvel, its lousy pay scales (with the rest of the industry), and pressure on him to perform. His raw skill is unquestionable. On the other hand, Adams’ work on GL/GA, in particular, paved the way for so many later artists, while he helped get artists the right to their artwork. In one sense, he was a forefather of this hobby. Let me add that one could also throw in Will Eisner into this comparison, but his biggest contributions were during the Golden Age (except, later he also became the father of the graphic novel with “A Contract With God”). IMO, those are probably the “big three” in OA.

No retirement savings, I presume.

I don’t do that when I want to buy something. I stop whatever I am doing, early, waiting patiently for the piece to come up for the live auction, watching the other bidding, and then bid it. My better half knows not to disturb me, and I also ignore all calls, including those from my kids. I can always clean up, drink, talk or do almost anything else later. If I’m in, it’s to win, unless the price goes too high. So while I appreciate HA’s business-like approach, I am perfectly comfortable pocketing the now 12% difference.

Did Kirby create any dialog of note that wasn’t bad? Artists aren’t hired to be writers, and with some well know exceptions that is probably a good idea. Adam’s efforts as a writer weren’t too hot as I recall. His Deadman series was awful.

You get what you pay for. People have been using computers to create graphics as backgrounds for an awful long time. How else could some of these shows afford the cast of thousands used in battle scenes? But if you are looking for story leads, AI’s derivative nature guarantees an inferior product—mediocre, perhaps, but not original. Audiences aren’t stupid. After the shock and awe of great graphics wears off, they still want a great story. So no, given time AI shouldn’t win out in the long run.

I hear tell that some people even collect artwork on paper products.

I think I have bought exactly one thing off those auctions—ever.

If the differential represents the net recovery to the seller, after accounting for the reduced fees and charges of HA v. CLINK, plus $1.00, I would put up with the lesser auction “quality” and pocket the difference. In other words, people buy at Walmart and Costco instead of Macy’s. I have also found interesting odd pieces on CLINK, as compared to HA, so I confess I like it. Does Comic Connect figure into this too? I haven’t found much there over the years; not sure why.

No, it can’t. But if AI is used as a draft and reworked by a human, then it should qualify. It can’t just be a sign-off.

I’m willing to accept a mediocre site if the prices at auction tend to lower, as they are.

Ah, should have guessed. Any idea what he died of? He was “DC Man” on CAF.