Rick2you2

I would have kept the DD.

And that would be what piece of yours, and why?

I'm going to stick with what I wrote, but add an addendum. First, this is from the US Patent and Trademark Office: A trademark typically protects brand names and logos used on goods and services. A patent protects an invention. A copyright protects an original artistic or literary work. For example, if you invent a new kind of vacuum cleaner, you would apply for a patent to protect the invention itself. You would apply to register a trademark to protect the brand name of the vacuum cleaner. And you might register a copyright for the TV commercial that you use to market the product. Yes, Woverine's image may be trademarked, and art can be copyrighted and trademarked at the same time. Trademarking art, however, is more intended for commercial use, like the GEICO Gecko, than artistic protection. So, if an artist used a model for his rendering of a new picture of Wolverine, it would be a copyright violation even though it may also be a trademark violation.

It would, but it's not that massive. I'm a bit specialized on what I buy for me. But as luck would have it, I won something last night which will let me illustrate my point. My steady gf, one of those un-named names I mentioned, grew up loving Brenda Starr in the newspapers. There are quite few Sundays, weekdays and book pages which come up pretty regularly, but she pretty much turned up her nose at them because they weren't in color. Well this 11 x 14.5" drawing turned up on Comic Link, and I showed it to her. She loved it, even while she had no interest in the Brenda Starr comic book page which was also for sale and went for double the price: That image, framed, will look great on a wall. It has sparkle and color while drawing the viewer in. Artistically, it's only so-so. The black orchid makes no sense to where it is pinned and the breast shape is unnatural. But on a wall, for the average viewer, who cares?

Nice page you bought. While this is a little late, I wanted to add something. A great piece of OA is not necessarily a great piece of interior decorating. At least some people just look at them as black and white lines on a board which I know they think are basically dull (I won't name names here, but I speak from personal experience). So, in my view, OA for display is best when it has a big splash or action scene. On the other hand, really nice panel pages are something I like to study up close, sometimes in pairs or groups for comparisons. So for me, panel pages are best kept in a book.

Or, it could be the activity of a smart seller. Posting a small number of pages up will drive up demand for those pages (because there isn't much out there). If a lot are posted at once, the pool of potential bidders is quickly watered down as they spend what they want to spend. They don't have time to decide if they want to buy more at that auction, but, if they wait a week, they may buy more. And, there may be more people who discover the auction the next week. Let me add that the seller(s) seem to be selling in loose categories by hero, and by early vs. later work. So we get a run of Spectre pages, then Batman, then Aquaman and some GL, then more GL. That sort of pattern.

There are a bunch of later Aparo pages coming up in Clink next month.

The artist retains the copyright to the picture, so he can re-use it if he wants to do so elsewhere. The artist's drawing of an image, however, is probably a copyright violation, if it is something like Wolverine, where Marvel would hold the copyright.

As I recall, there an estate website where a lot of his art . http://www.theartistschoice.com/aparo.htm I had assumed I found it too late to matter.

I certainly like Aparo; I bought one of the pieces which came up in the past several months. But one of the things I have noticed is that a distinctive style, like his, can create a fan favorite even though the artist isn't particularly better than other artists. For examples, look at the work of Grey Morrow or Jack Sparling (particularly, his pre-1960's stuff) which I think is overlooked in pricing but is very, very good. Aparo's work is very well suited to mystery, horror and darker characters (including Batman, Phantom Stranger and Spectre), but honestly, I'm not over-awed about his work on more conventional heros like GL or Aquaman. So while the GL page which went for $4.2K is very nice, I don't see why--except for generic market forces which drive up favorite artist prices.

Has anyone been paying close attention to various sub-trends for all the Aparo art prices which have come up lately? Some seem to be really high; others, not so much. I'm also a little surprised if everything is moving higher because so much has come on the market as of late. Anyway, just curious.

The good part about a contract which is in writing is that it sets the ground rules. For examples of terms: (1) The buyer should [or should not] expect a preliminary layout, of which the seller/artist will offer no more than 3 after final communications with buyer on the general scope of the commission, unless one or more layouts fail to meet the initial criteria set by buyer during initial discussions. In that event, to the extent a layout is rejected, the seller will furnish a subsititute layout. (2) The seller will not proceed with the final commissioned piece based on the layout selected by buyer without getting final written approval. The final layout shall adhere to the selected preliminary layout, except to the extent that the buyer requires specific changes within the overall preliminary layout that the seller agrees are realistic and within the general layout. (3) The seller will complete the work within ____ days after approval of the preliminary layout, unless a reasonable extension of time is needed by the seller for one or more of the following reasons: (4) Even if the seller is entitled to a reasonable extension of time, the buyer shall be entitled to cancel the contract and receive a full refund if the commissioned piece, prepared in a manner which is a fair equivalent of the seller's comparable commissioned work, is not recieved by the buyer within ____ days.

Just another suggestion. Sometimes, things are mis-spelled when listed. So, I once found a very nice Phantom Stranger wash drawing which was listed as the Phantom "Strangler." When you have some free time, consider doing word searches for variations. Out of curiosity, I ran "Fantom" in Comic Art Tracker and it generated a few pages of comic art (which I know you don't want, but one is offered as an example) over here: UMBERTO SANDY S - TABLE authentique pour L'HOMME masqué Try it in the future. You may get lucky.

I agree with you. I used to have a Spirit splash page of his which was destroyed by flooding: my greatest loss.

I don't know if they are part of these issues, but there are some pages listed in Comic Connect which are coming up.

Why not split the difference and show puppies and kittens getting gored?

"Even though Eisner’s (and the Spirit’s) contributions to the genre are invaluable, the passage of time has lessened their recognition somewhat, as current American OA collectors mainly focus on superheroes from the Big Two publishers." It could also be a function of supply and demand. Eisner kept almost all of his artwork when he was alive. So, there is a lot of it which is available on the market. That should logically result in lower prices.

Thanks. Some neat stuff was sold.

Don't need one to consider a 1-2 year wait on a commission to be too long without a terrific reason. Artists are professonals who should treat their clients that way, just like they expect to be treated that way. And when it comes to how legal matters proceed, I have a sustantial amount of expertise on ithe subject.

Taking the refund may not be a happy solution, but it's the best you can realistically expect. If the artist hasn't done what he is supposed to do, he isn't going to do it later, and certainly not with a "bump up" in size or complexity. If you aren't happy with an artist, post it. There is another website with a thread containing recommended or not-recommended artists.

I'm sorrry to say this, but I think you have to take a share of the blame for this failure. Yes, some of the most creative artists can be the busiest, and they need the most time. But there comes a point where delay smacks of fraud: the artist was never going to get around to it. If an artist is going on a 1-2 year mark, and he wasn't in the hospital or had some other horrible trauma, you should have given him a firm date and told him if he didn't meet it, you wanted your money back. Allow a little slippage (1-2 weeks), and demand your money back, in writing. And if you don't get it, you still have some options. One is to complain here or in some other forums. Another is to go to the website of the state where the artist is located, get a small claims court complaint form (I'm guessing the commission falls within that range), fill it in, send in a check and sue him. That should get a response. If not, the odds are high he will not go to court and you will get a default against him. Then send him the judgment and tell him to pay. That ought to take care of it. If not, you still have some options which depend on the circumstances. I will bend over pretty far for a person who I think is trying, but I won't take from anyone, no matter how "creative" and "brilliant" they are.

Clear communication is also a great steppingstone to a divorce ("No dear, I think your mother was right and you were wrong.")

I'd like to know that, too. And is there phone or internet bidding?

An apology is one thing. How do you plan to fix it going forward? Let's consider some specific suggestions of mine: 1. You didn't know what you wanted, and then pushed the boundries of the commission parameters of a busy artist. In my view, you are likely to get a better quality product if you minimize the extraneous detailing or step up to the plate and pay more. Time is money, and you were essentially asking for something for free. 2. I like to get a rough idea of when an artist expects to be done with a piece at the time of commissioning--not a firm deadline, just something general. If the general time period expires, send a note and remind him. If he needs more time, fine (unless it's like some of those nutso stories of artists waiting years to finish). Good, high quality dealers like Felix won't fail a customer. 3. Artists and dealers are professionals engaged in a commercial transaction. Try to bring the level of emotion to the transaction as though you were buying a new toaster. Stay enthusiastic, as you should, but don't badger people. 4. People ought not buy what they cannot afford. It makes people a little crazy and warps their judgment. Bluntly, I don't think you wanted to sell those comics, and that tainted your behavior. 5. Never burn your bridges even if you aren't 100% happy with what you received. Odd's are, excess enthusiasm leads to excessive expectations. A good artist (and rep) will do their best, and that's all you really have a right to expect.

Is there a listing of items for sale? How does one bid if not there?