Rick2you2

Don’t have any details about it, but he was a good man who loved to play the sourpuss. A great artist and writer, as well as a mentor for other artists, he had his retirement cut short way too soon.

On 10/10/2023 at 9:15 PM, babsrocks31 said:

This stuff I'm okay with (fist, waist) as that has always been a part of Gedeon's style.

The neck is the part that usually isn't disproportionate even in his pages.

Sorry, if my comments offended, but what I now gather is a deliberate style just didn’t resonate with me.

And then there is that waist transition to her lower half.

Is she packing something where her fly should be? Maybe she’s really Batboy.

On 10/5/2023 at 7:50 PM, AnkurJ said:

Fixed it for you.

I still remember the pounding I got for suggesting that prices might be going up due to shilling. 

On 10/4/2023 at 9:16 AM, batman_fan said:

I think the biggest issue with it is Miller drew it 

But I am sure it will go for crazy money.

Details, details….

On 10/3/2023 at 10:03 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Hmmm, I don’t see that at all. 🤔 

Ever see someone jump high up, and then have to steady their anticipated landing by spreading out their arms?

On 10/2/2023 at 9:26 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

Really?  What's awkward about it?

It looks like they were on a trampoline and were steadying themselves after coming down from a high jump. That’s different than looking like they are leaping into action.

On 9/27/2023 at 3:25 PM, alxjhnsn said:

There are a bunch of different questions here. I'll try to capture them with my answer:

Is the image a racist stereotype - yes.
Is the dialog a racist stereotype - yes.

Was Jack Kirby a racist when drawing them? I don't know. I doubt that we will ever know.

Was Jack Kirby a racist all/most of his life? Again, I don't know and doubt that we will ever know, but I think he out grew it. His portrayal of the Black Panther and the Black Racer certainly violated the racist stereotype. 

Frankly, I think he must have been racist, but the more pertinent question is how racist was he and how did he act because of it. That was the generation he was from, and racism was acceptable. But that doesn’t mean he was actively engaged in discriminatory behavior or harbored real ill will against blacks. Permit me to offer an example: my mother. My mother was an educated woman. She went to college and had all her credits for a Masters degree in pure math at Columbia. Our family had friends around the world due to my father’s work. She also believed that everyone should be treated equally, of course blacks should vote, and they were deserving of fair treatment. One day, in my early teens, I was discussing something with my mother about race relations, and she said all of those right things—but then she added a caveat. She wouldn’t want a black family living next door because the neighbors’ kids might be playing under the sprinkler or in a pool and she would see their black, naked bodies. My reaction was “huh”, and when I later mentioned it to my father he didn’t believe it. Let me add that I never saw her do anything discriminatory either. 

Racism, like anti-semitism has gradients. If you ever see the movie Gentleman’s Agreement with Gregory Peck, you will know what I mean. 

Kirby was of that generation. It was as surely a part of his DNA as it was in my mother. But that doesn’t mean he personally acted badly towards blacks. Or that he wouldn’t have supported their right to vote or stand up for themselves—like T’Challa. World War 2 was a real eye opener for soldiers—black people dying for their country just like whites. His racism would be the more passive variety, allowing him to draw Whitewash like that instead of, say, making Whitewash look like Bill Robinson. That’s what people wanted to buy in the comics, like the Blackhawk Chop-Chop. So, that’s what we have.

On 9/25/2023 at 8:17 PM, Math Teacher said:

First off, I would like to say that I am sorry that you don't find the commission satisfying.

As for me, I had Steve Rude do a cover recreation based on Tales of Suspense #80, which is pictured below.

His recreation had very little debris flying around. Also, he did a photocopy of the logo of the book (understandable), but he put an additional CCA stamp on the artwork. I was very disappointed with the piece. I kept it for a while, but I finally said, "Phooey." I sold it for 50% of what I paid for it on Ebay.

I have had many other commissions done by other artists: Metal Men #1 by Mike Esposito, Flash #117 by Joe Giella, Brave and the Bold #66 by Ramona Fradon, Spectre #1 by Tom Mandrake, Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 by Pat Olliffe, Justice League of America #4 by Jerry Ordway, Showcase #55 and Amazing Spider-Man #16 by Tom Cook, X-Men #4 by Bruce McCorkindale, Tales of Suspense #49 by Bob Layton, and Avengers #7 by Giorgio Comolo. I have been happy with all of them, except the Steve Rude piece.

If you would like to see all of my original artwork, go here: Math Teacher's Original Artwork.

Not the right artist for that recreation. The styles aren’t comparable. The original is pretty busy; I think you would have been happier with an artist who does very detailed work.

On 9/24/2023 at 8:08 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Dropped a pretty penny on an established artist commission, and while it's a fine illustration, done in his style, was incredibly on-time and clearly he put 100% effort into it: it just doesn't do much for me.

I will readily admit, I approved one of the two prelims - so it's definitely on me for not elaborating or asking for an adjustment. I totally take responsibility for how I feel about the work, because I could have probably said something. But, I didn't - and now I have a very 'meh' commission piece. I learned this lesson the hard way, and won't be making it again. I'm not going to mention the artist, because this issue is 100% on me.

But, back to the original question: do you have a piece that you're just not in love with that you got as a commission? Do you tuck it into a portfolio and not look at it? Do you try and sell it? Would love to hear different perspectives.

I have one in particular that falls in that category. After a year after he did it, he fessed up and said he “never got” the character. Yeah, it showed.
I keep it in an Itoya, knowing full well that the lost money on resale would add insult to injury. Instead, I just pretty much ignore it beyond the experience of meeting the artist. Now, I’m just pickier about who I ask.

On 9/25/2023 at 11:47 AM, cstojano said:

At first I thought you were right, then I wondered how you are meant to depict someone of African descent in a comic, then I decided it would be done by the colorist and not the inker. 

 

Or...is this actually a kid in blackface??

Don’t forget the pop-eyes. Maybe the Spirit’s l’ll buddy took a side gig.

On 9/22/2023 at 2:11 PM, delekkerste said:

If you weren't aware, the latest collectible to get the backward-baseball cap wearing speculator pump is graded record albums. 

The pumpers are actually referring to debut albums as things like "the Black Sabbath rookie".  

I wish I was joking. 

Tomorrow’s Hummels today.

On 9/20/2023 at 11:09 PM, tth2 said:

Sometimes there's a reason why art was affordable/cheap in the first place.

True, but from an objective perspective, I remain unimpressed with a lot of Silver Age art. The illustration skills of the artists could be high, but the nature of panel page design wasn’t so hot. That didn’t start improving significantly, I think, until the Bronze Age. So, what you have been seeing on a lot of Silver Age art, IMO, is nostalgia-based pricing.

Let me add that for cheaper art, at least some pages are down. Burkey had a page he sold on DD for $200 about a year ago after it had been sitting on his website for a few years. It just sold on Heritage for $192, including Buyer’s Premium. I didn’t even want it, and I can be pretty omnivorous when it comes to PS-related art. 

On 9/20/2023 at 6:35 PM, SergeAnt said:

Apologies if this has been asked somewhere before.

I'd like to get a commission but I'd like to have the right materials before I begin. 
-What paper do people recommend for commissions? I'm assuming the answer is smooth bristol but there seem to be different weights online (300/400/500) and I'm wondering which is most ideal for a quality pencil/ink commission that would maybe be colored at a later date. If there's a different, better paper I'd love to hear thoughts, as well as a specific brand to use.
-How thick should the paper be?
-Are there resources to get custom sized paper? I'd prefer 14x20 paper but it appears as though none of the places I've searched have that size specifically so I assume you'd need to buy a larger size and have it cut down, but I'm not sure where to get it cut.

Thanks for any help provided!

Usually the artists provide the paper/Bristol board, and different sizes affect the price. If you go to a show, you can get them to draw on what you have.

.

On 9/18/2023 at 3:56 PM, MOStateSuperman said:

While I don't know if alcohol was involved here, what other remotely passable excuse could there be? 

 

I lean towards egotism and ignorance. After all, what could possibly be more important than secondary figures on cancelled TV shows?

On 7/28/2023 at 8:55 AM, KirbyCollector said:

It takes a while to figure out the landscape. Also, when you watch the show and a dealer presents something which is marked up 100-200%, the other dealer, Bill or someone watching will often comment on "what a deal it is" and sometimes even state it is underpriced. For complete newbies watching, you would think "2 dealers and Bill (or a prominent poster) agree, that price has to be right" and buy -- without realizing Bill, Anthony and Mike are all in financial relationships with each other to their own benefit... or the person who posted is seeking to boost their own OA values... or the person who posted is secretly a huge friend of one of the dealers and gets a far better price on art than you ever will. Figuring out ALL of that takes a long time.

It really shouldn’t take that long. It’s one show, shared production costs, and friendly competitors. And there is no fighting between them that’s worth anything. Since it’s called Dueling Dealers, what I would watch is where a 4th person offers the piece to all three dealers, and the one who bids the highest wins. That should happen sometime after Hell freezes over.

Preferences for Caniff or Reed Crandall? Steve Canyon/Terry and the Pirates or the Blackhawks? 
 
I wouldn’t kick either one out of my collection.

On 9/12/2023 at 2:19 PM, ZenAmako said:

I went to the charity art auction this year.  I've really only dabbled in original comic art and it seemed like there were some pretty hardcore collectors there.  A Thor piece by Walter Simonson (the cover of the Modern Masters book), which was presented by Simonson himself, sold for $20K.

I had my eye on a color illustration of Sam & Max by Steve Purcell.  I used to own an awesome page from the first Sam & Max comic, which I sold about 10 years ago on eBay for something like $600 when I needed money.  I wanted another S&M piece for my collection, but this one sold for a whopping $10K.  I knew I wasn't getting this when the gentleman running the auction bid $3K before the auction had even started.

There were quite a few other nice pieces as well, like a J. Scott Campbell Hera and an original Bloom County strip.

Anthony's Comic Art and ComicConnect were there in the exhibitor's hall.  ComicConnect had the original art for the Batman: White Knight page by Sean Murphy that was censored (the Joker/Harley bed scene).  It was $13K.

I did see some good pieces, but not many I could afford, sadly.

 

 

Welcome aboard. New blood is always appreciated.

Hellboy is a fan favorite, and like many fan favorites, that dictates pricing. The thrust of my comment, however, is addressed to older pieces being worth more because they are vintage. Early non-Hellboy pieces are not nearly as costly. In his case, he hadn’t developed his style in the earlier pieces.

On 9/5/2023 at 5:11 PM, Will_K said:

Doesn't it, always come back to Ross Andru with you ?? 

He’s just so easy. I could also go with Aparo and Green Arrow vs. Aparo and Aquaman, or next level, Spectre. Or Byrne and X-men//FF v. Byrne and Next Men…you get it.

Apart from Alex’s excellent general advice, don’t forget to consider how badly you want to sell it, whether it will have limited fan interest, and which way is the market headed. Most things go up, but not everything, and picking a price also requires recognition of how different artists and combinations on particular books make a big difference. Ross Andru on Spider-man will do a lot better than Ross Andru on the Phantom Stranger, so when doing comparisons, be careful. 

On 9/5/2023 at 8:28 AM, Bronty said:

Well put.   I don't know the OP and I mean this respectfully but I think people sometimes use words like "stunning" as a stand-alone adjective like that to describe art when they aren't quite sure what else to say?

 

My personal favorite is when someone on eBay says something is “rare”. Maybe it’s rare because no one wanted one?

On 9/4/2023 at 11:18 PM, tth2 said:

No kidding.  It seems like you're mostly paying for an immaculately rendered stone wall.

It is a very nice wall, too nice if it pulls my attention from the central theme of the picture. But the question remains: what the heck is this about? Is she supposedly looking in the mirror and realizing her hair has the frizzies?

What makes it “stunning” as compared to well-detailed and weird? Is there a theme to the piece I am missing?