Rick2you2

Nah, he posted a price.

Well, of course it is art; but is it “fine art”? Decorative pottery isn’t sculpture, either, but it is also art. Just recognized earlier as such. And no, I don’t think the fine art world pays us much heed. They consider graphitti to be art, yet don’t take OA seriously.

In my view, comic art can be "fine" in the qualitative sense, but not as "fine art". As mentioned, it is part of a process to produce a finished product. With the exception of covers, pages of OA are not designed to stand on their own. They are intended to move a story along. So, an artist who respects the story line, and helps move along the story, may not be the best draftsman in the world, but he may be an excellent storyteller. With fine art, the "story" is contained on the canvas, and maybe, what the viewer also imagines. Covers stand on their own, but only in the sense they are like well prepared advertisements for the contents. I don't think they fall within the definition of "fine art" either, except to the extent that illustration art is considered fine art (and that is a subject I can't answer).

Generally speaking, I find porn to be a tough subject. I lean towards freedom of expression, but not if someone is hurt, or could be hurt, in the process. Societal values keep changing, and what used to be sort of acceptable isn’t anymore. Child brides are an example. So is some Renaissance art and Greco-Roman art. I don’t personally care for any of it, and don’t mind at all if societal mores object, but subjecting someone to jail time is different.

Correct.

My field doesn’t encompass this subject matter, so my knowledge is limited. But, my understanding is that having it can get you in trouble since it would still be considered as imperiling the minor to make it. What I find particularly disturbing involve people who are convicted of “sex crimes” of a minor sort, like lewdness, and then get marked with a scarlet letter maybe forever. For example, in a New Jersey case involving a technical matter unrelated to what follows, someone got terribly drunk and then he had to relieve himself. He couldn’t find a bathroom, so he used some bushes. Wouldn’t you know, that’s when a group of children, with a teacher present, saw him with his dong out. He is now a marked man (I think for at least 10 years). I have a problem with that.

I think I used the word “vile”.

To appreciate the character, I think the best runs are Series 2, by Wein, from around issue 10 to 26, and Series 4, by DeMatteis, from around issue 6 to around issue 18. A lot of his guest appearances, where the art can be good, don’t always have the best storylines. He would sometimes be brought in to “save the day”, or as little better than a narrator telling the reader where the plot was going.

He does make quite a few guest appearances (less so since that most recent run which DiDio poisoned). So, I can pick up things that way. For example, Sienkewiecz used him on the cover of Unexpected No. 6 with the Spectre (which I have). But yes, it makes the search much harder. He needs a really good thinking man’s writer to shine, not an action writer. Trying to get a person to alter their intentions, as compared to covering them with spider webbing, is hard to project in the visual manner which is required in most comics.

Since I didn’t look at the piece, I can only assume it is sexually vile. But, if no actual children were used in the preparation of the art, then the purpose of those laws banning kiddie porn—exploitation of children—doesn’t come into play and would likely not be illegal.

Seems pretty clean-shaven to me.

I have a Bissette/Totleben page. It wasn’t that pricey in the 1980’s. No Dillon Hellblazer. Wouldn’t even know where to look. Art is such a personal thing; its trigger on our emotions and intellect all vary. Besides, there is something very appealing to me about a character who sits on the divine dividing line between good and evil, right and wrong, trying to encourage others to do what is right instead of making that decision for them.

Mike, As you know, I'm an outlier on the subject. I regard my collection as the way to relive old memories and have new ones without reading some of the junk out there (again, and again, and again). Oh my God! The Universe is about to implode/explode/be eaten/conquered/set on fire/etc. Too much of the real world is ignored to produce an impossible story. I guess that's why I lean toward magic stories these days--no effort to comport with reality; so my suspension of disbelief can continue on. In comic world, I bet all the property insurance companies in Metropolis all fled or filed for Chapter 7 years ago. In terms of pricing, I buy what I buy for completely personal reasons. And frankly, I would prefer it if they were all cheaper so I could have it all. But, I also won't buy a BMW or Mercedes even though I could. If someone likes what I like, great, if not, so be it. So pour it on, folks. Any great images of the Phantom Stranger by little known artists at a reasonable price? Rick

I don’t understand why an artist would consider his reputation damaged by drawing comic porn, unless it’s bad art. Looking at some of the stuff on Comic Art Tracker there seems to be a lot of lousy pornography type drawings. Maybe it’s hard to draw for some reason. I would much rather have something like Mad Dog giving a Wolf Whistle to a poodle walking by.

When I was that age, I like to go to the Smithsonian and look at their mineral collection. Different hobby, obviously. Although, it was around that time I developed an appreciation for Mondrian as well Augustus St. Gaudens (he designed the $20 gold piece).

For me, it's about the journey, not the destination. A good part of the fun is the hunt, as well as the comraderie. Things I very much wanted when I was trying to get them don't earn nearly the attention they used to. Let's face it: we are just generally dealing with paper products and memories or wishes of memories. A little time won't matter. We still have our memories. The only downside of waiting is pricing--it mostly goes up. But, some things I used to want drop down on my interest list, along with my desire to buy them. So, that's not so bad either.

I was very proud of the fact that I went to the Louvre and saw the exhibits in about 45 minutes. Of course, I was only about 15 years old at the time.

I just realized why Ralph Dibney was always shown as having such a successful marriage.

Anyone know of a ready made top loader or the equivalent that can hold a double cover? Something to protect and display casually without a frame.

That was nice of him. Good PR, too.

That CAF gallery is empty since I don’t want to invite people to make offers. I did, however, just pass on an Alex Ross piece on Catawiki that went, with fees, for about $4k (although, I did come close to going in hard). It was a panel page with somewhat static images of GL and PS. I am not sure why some of his work is so high priced. I appreciate the realism, but that isn’t what makes art great. It is the feeling which it imbues on the viewer. That one left me cold.

I just received a grail of mine from Adam Archer. Really. I have always loved light-hearted versions of the Phantom Stranger. This is a character who, if he ever cracked a joke, it would be by accident. So how couldn't I love a warm cuddly Phantom Stranger? For years, I was led to believe that the Scribblenauts version was done on a computer. That meant none existed, and finding one would literally be like finding a Holy Grail. Turns out, the information I received was wrong. Adam Archer not only had done Scribblenauts Unleashed, but he has quite a few pages from the series. When I found out, it was just a question of picking out what I wanted. I went with a double cover to Scribblenauts Unleashed, Covers 6 and 7 (a rare double cover): As a bonus, Adam also sent me a cute sketch in his better known style: It has been a very good day. By the way, he is great to deal with, and if you have similar impulses to mine, I strongly recommend dealing with him. Rick

You go to “art for sale” and scroll down to the category you want. Once you have that down, you can go to the other lists and try other options.

I am still not able to open eBay listings anymore, even though I used to do so.

Just wanted to note: $420 plus shipping down to a little less than $200.