Rick2you2

People’s interest in hobbies waxes and wanes. To some extent, I think it is a function of whatever else is going on in your life. It is like a pressure relief valve from day to day stress, or satisfying a sense of emptiness or lack of direction, or maybe a substitute for a comfort food when you want to retreat to a safer place. Or perhaps, it is a way to satisfy a sense of compulsiveness we all have. You can love the field, but collecting is really about satisfying a need. If you aren’t feeling it right now, nothing wrong with that. In one sense, maybe it’s a good thing; your mind has more important things to address. Your toys will still be there when you need them. But if you still have the need and just can’t find a target, try commissions. That way you get to write the plot of a one panel story you describe to the artist which he/she executes for you.

Yup, hit all of them, and then some. Some people are collectors, others are not. When I was a kid, I also collected live turtles 🐢 (around 15 at one time) and then exotic ferns. I had tolerant parents.

Note my comment above.

A properly worded certificate or related document is part of a contract between the buyer and seller, and probably a warranty of uniqueness. Its violation, or breach, should give you legal recourse against the seller (and maybe recourse by remote buyers if you later sell it to them). And also maybe, the artists themselves.

Frankly, I will always consider it a breakthrough comic. There was nothing like it beforehand--like a big flashing light yelling "look at me!" the way it mixed sex, violence, robots and talking cats (let's not forget the wierdness of Raul) and it really did pave the way for outrageous things to follow. I think the cover doesn't do some of the interiors justice. There were pages in the book that were amazing, particularly when color was added. If I were going to toss my money on something in that range right now, I would probably take a shot.

These are a little different. They are single print runs, no copies to be made. No reprints. That's part of the deal. But, no actual ink or pencil, unfortunately.

If you read between the lines of my previous posts, I not so subtly suggest that creative artists could enhance their monoprints and the market for them by doing more than simply hitting ctrl+p. What you describe, pieces of paper with no direct artistic involvement in the production, are not prints, they are posters. (Anybody that went to art school or even took a printmaking class in high school knows this.) The fan hobby has been fooled on this point for a very long time, going back to the earliest Middle Earth and SQP days forty some odd years ago. Adding a signature to these things shouldn't add any more "value" than adding that same signature to an index card or a baseball, et al. I'm describing something else, something very different from all those guys in artists alley humping color copier 8.5 x 11 "prints" that they sign on demand, then print another batch for the next show It has little to do with numbering, though that does matter to a certain extent...but not monoprints  What would you gentlemen suggest to add to a monoprint to add to its uniqueness? Adding art to the print, say, a doodle, would change the "original" print itself. Fancy paper or a signature isn't enough. I would be more than happy to pass on your thoughts to the dealer. Maybe the artists would use them to embellish and improve their own market.

I once bought something from them and it was fine. Also, at shows, the Donnelly who shows up is a nice guy--just a tough bargainer. And, not everything he brings is priced excessively (just the stuff I really want).

People often over-value what they have. His reaction was unfortunate but understandable. I once had a similar problem involving a Tom Mandrake page. I never got it, but someone else did. I generally don't ask for a price cut unless I know I am on really firm ground, don't care if I don't get it, or am doing it face-to-face where I can evaluate reactions.

That's a nice Sabercat. Just out of curiosity, did it come with any species' identification or other information?

I can't imagine it would have the same value, but 30 years ago, people expected inked pages and word balloons, too on the same page. If the price stays really low, it may end up creating a bigger market. But it sure won't be the same.

Am I correct then, that you won't consider monoprints? I am still wrestling with the subject.

Yes. I don’t know if the hobby will eventually have a choice except to adapt.

Wow. Not one single comment in support of monoprints.

Over 50, I haven't counted for a while.

Have you tried Comic Art Tracker? As I recall, the character shows up every once in a while for sale.

Honestly, if that were the case for me, I would not buy it. This is just a hobby and I won't go into a long term payment arrangement unless there is something unique at issue. And I literally mean "unique" (I know of one such piece to me but it isn't for sale). This is not a hobby in which there is a long term profit event horzon, like stocks or even rare cars, so I wouldn't bother or be upset about not getting it, and I am not a dealer with the interest in taking the chance of profit.

To answer your question, I consider this “my” hobby which other people may not appreciate. Can you imagine what my place would look like with well over 50 Phantom Strangers, and assorted strays, over the place? Throw in the fact that the art is almost all black and white, no matter how it is framed, and it’s not great interior decorating even with normal things on the walls as well. My “other half” loves to hang everything; I think it creates visual clutter, and in this case, monotony. And, I cannot really examine the pieces when they are framed, I can just look at them. Life needs balance. So do walls.

Went to a comic book show in Manhattan around 1980. Met a young John Byrne, Joe Rubinstein, Rudy Nebres and some others, as well as a dealer selling art. Picked up an Adams Phantom Stranger cover and Aparo cover from a fanzine, as well as some sketches from the above. Went the next year, too, although I may be mixing some of the dates of procuring art up with 1981. The Byrne/Rubinstein piece (he did the inks) was the first time Byrne said he ever did a Phantom Stranger commission. I get a lot of that. The next year, I got this image from Hembeck.

I once commissioned a piece but didn’t apparently give the artist great directions. When I saw what she had done up to a point in time, I stopped her on the spot, paid her for the time she spent, gave her more money and better directions, and this time she got it right. The fault was yours for failing to act decisively when you had the chance. Artists follow your directions, and only act on their own if you give them the leeway. You only have yourself to blame unless the piece was not well executed (which can happen, but I think is rare). Or, maybe you picked the wrong artist to execute your vision. That can happen, too. I am curious what it looks like, too.

Unless you are planning to sell it in the foreseeable future, or don’t have the money to spend, it doesn’t matter what an item costs if you love it. Just belly up to the bar and buy it. I have bought things that way and not regretted it. I have more likely regretted not buying something. Then the art shows up on CAF as a displayed NSF and I get to be angry at myself for years.

Anyone else have thoughts? Any supporters? Please...

Believe me; I am wrestling with the subject. People do buy limited edition litho’s and prints which have some value, and I do love the image, so maybe it’s time to adapt? People buy original inks over blue lines, which is a half-step in that direction. On the other hand, I am choking on the idea. I have been tempted to ask for a recreation by the original artist and inker (at a higher price of course).

I think I have to eat my words on this one. If it is the only thing I can find like this, and it isn’t expensive ($350), maybe I will make an exception.

Can you just add bids sequentially to meet eBay's number off of the same ID? If not, set up a second ID and bid against yourself up to your maximum. Would that do it? Or, if you know your max will be over the reserve, why not just bid that?