Rick2you2

Not if you are making money on it (or trying to). Then, it would be a side business. And yes, people do collect cars, but rarely do they have a lot of them, and it is often in the context of restoration, show, and/or amateur track racing, or, they are just into buying junk. We never buy junk. 🤭

And prices will drop by at least a third.

Sure they have a choice. They could not buy it. There is a lot of other art out there, you know, and with the epidemic nearing an end, there may be a price drop as people buy different things. In today’s Wall Street Journal, it was reported that we are coming out of this recession in a way not seen before. That may be the case here, as well.

I guess my approach is different. I don’t frankly care if I “waste” several thousand dollars on a collectable bit of art if I want it; to me, it is an expense, not an asset. Like a designer table. But, I also won’t spend 10’s of thousands of dollars on a piece even if I would like it. Thinking about value automatically takes the pure fun out of the hobby and makes me look at things differently. As for future savings, I have that covered.

Definitely on the low side; holiday weekend probably affected it. But it could also be the beginning of a price correction to pre-COVID prices. Or, people may also be coming around to the idea, at least in my opinion, that early bidding tends to drive up the final price more than late bidding. So, why give away money?

He also has the impact of gravity all wrong.

Since I don't sell what I buy, price is not particularly relevant; but I do agree that one must build a collection with patience. But, as I have said before, "quality" ought to be distinguished from desirability or collector demand. You seem more focused on the collectable value of the item than the joy which comes with ownership of a lovely piece. Joie de vivre; you will live longer, too.

I take a very different view: I distinguish between “quality” and “desirability.” I would say the majority of pieces that are published by the Big Two are quality pieces, in that the anatomical work is appropriately blown out of proportion, characters move sorta realistically, and the artist moved the story along, with the better ones using various tricks of the trade to add emphasis or interest where appropriate. But, I don’t necessarily want to buy it if it doesn’t trigger nostalgia or has a dull subject matter. That’s a matter of desirability, particularly where the artist is a name artist. Different people like different things, allowing for prices to be based on the latter, not the former.

Which should be flashing a warning sign on prices. People will eventually look at what the price is, realize they can have a very good Byrne piece without an X-man or other high flying figure on it, at a relatively low price, and shift their line of sight. Nostalgia and rarity have their limits—particularly when we can now go on vacations and out to dinner again without fear. I don’t think this is the big bubble about to burst, but some air is going to come out of the tires.

A silent scream. Reinhold's ink wash.

To be frank, it hasn’t affected me very much. The higher end stuff has gone up a lot, and hot artists will appreciate anytime, particularly with vigorous rep’s, but I can regularly find nice things at reasonable prices. The pin-up I had posted earlier by Jack Sparling was a bit over $700. A comparable piece by Sparling I had been eyeing about a year and half beforehand actually went for a little more. Just buy the art instead of the artist.

WTF? Not Jusko’s, I hope.

He should not have been caught in the helmet (unless he wanted to be). He has a power level even to the Spectre’s there days. The art, by the way, was all computer generated. Otherwise, I would have some by now (I had looked into it). It was quite good.

That's usually the case in the character's stories, too. He can't lead (because of what he is), but he can direct and assist. That makes him difficult to write well, but can produce wonderful stories.

Count yourself lucky. In my little niche, all I usually get are gas fumes.

...but then, an eruption, as hot lava spills down the side of a mountain, threatening to engulf all the forests and people in its path. Without missing a millisecond's beat, and from out of the depths of the blue ocean, comes a wave of quenching water that melts the lava, saving the town...

If you want his work that badly, this was just listed on Comic Art Tracker for $250.

No rants, no flames, at least not from me. I like his work, it’s stylistic and expressive, as well as being popular.But last year, I wasn’t willing to pay $2k for it, and I wouldn’t do so now. There are quite a few artists who won’t charge an arm and a leg for their work, even though they could get more for it (unless Albert represents them). But more importantly, there is a tremendous amount of talent in this industry, and has been for years. Want a bargain? Get a commission from Romeo Tanghal, who you will find on Facebook. Or a lot of the name artists who show up at shows. They generally love their fans (well, some of them don’t, at least in private). The problem, as I see it, is an unwillingness by buyers to expand their horizons to other artists in favor of the flavor of the month. And by the way, the appreciation rate on commissions is pretty lousy compared to published stuff. So, if you want real value, go look at older, less popular artists for published work. You’ll even get pencils and inks on the same page.

I was thinking more along the line of a dubious office expense, which is never seen again on the books.

I wonder how many people have businesses with their offices showing off comic art?🤨

Comic book grading I understand, although I don’t pay attention to the fine points. Likewise, I do understand basic card collecting, but not to the degree, or pricing, some new cards has reached. Target had to stop selling them recently.

Jim Calafiore has taken to doing "warm-up" illustrations consisting of bookmarks of characters at someone's request. They are $100 each, and $10 for shipping (he will also have ready-made ones at the Garden State Comic Fest (in 2 weeks). This is one he did for me of the Phantom Stranger: If you are interested, he can be found on Facebook. Very easy to deal with. He also did a really terrific Gumby and Pokey (which I may get if it is still available at the show, and I never even liked Gumby and Pokey).

I confess not to understand why people would spend so much on a duplicate copy of a face picture on cardboard, multiplied if “perfect”. At least we get originals, and sometimes like the imperfections when they were part of their production process.

Were you able to find out when it was actually published? How did it compare? Nice price.

With the pandemic ending, and people being able to spend money on going out or on vacations, some of those prices may get harpooned. Although honestly, for what I buy, prices haven’t really changed much.