Rick2you2

I was thinking more about combinations of artists in different runs, in which there is a rough market out there, but no one happens to be a fan of Devil Dinosaur on that auction. In the follow up reports on auctions there then appear to be some good deals, according to the writers. But, you obviously know better, and I have definitely seen some prices which wouldn’t stick even with glue on them.

Not everyone has the wide-ringing knowledge of a dealer, or particularly wants everything even if a virtual bargain, or is willing to invest for the long term. And, not everyone is involved in all potential auctions.I have passed on things which don’t match my collecting goals, like the adult gag cartoons that Anthony’s sells, but someone must be. I would also not buy a Byrne X-men page even while acknowledging its excellence. But you put up a Phantom Stranger page, and I will give it a lot of scrutiny.

To be candid, that is the way I have always set my bids. But, the other side is also true. There has to be some “meat on the bone” left for a dealer to buy, so unless it is a piece where the marketing is developing, and a dealer would know more than a collector abut prospective growth, you should always do better if everyone else who is bidding is a dealer.

He was an insider who also wrote stories. He seemed to have a more formal status than that at DC, mentoring artists among other things, but I don’t actually know anything. Whatever it was, it gave him access to not-readily-available DC information. In my case, he just blurted it out after I told him what I had learned in prior decades. Kind of like an unexpected tip. About those 4 stories, I am fairly certain that none of them are true. If there was a “master plan” in place all those years, which may not be the case, they are red herrings intended to make the reader think something different than the truth. If you look at issue 42, which was added to the Second Series years after it ended, you will notice that Deadman found evidence of 3 of the 4 stories in the Phantom Stranger’s brain. That would make no sense unless they are planted stories.

Clearly, Jayne Mansfield’s chest wasn’t buried with the rest of her.

I’ll keep the correct answer a secret for now; someday I’ll write a tell-all. But I will give one hint. The key question is not who the Phantom Stranger is but what he is. There may not be a who.

He also confirmed something which was unexpected: who the Phantom Stranger was supposed to be. No, not Judas.

1 arm, 1 leg. Dealer pays shipping on the art.

A Keith Giffen story. I had met Keith a number of times, and on one occasion he told me he wouldn't do a Phantom Stranger commission because he really disliked the character. Too cold and distant he said (some truth to that, no thanks to many writers). In any event, I learned that an artist I knew he had mentored had given birth. So, between shows (of a few months), I decided to pick her up a baby present and bring it to the next show. She wasn't there, which probably shouldn't have surprised me, but Keith was there. I told him I had a baby present for X, and he offered to bring it over to her later. He was also sitting around with empty time on his hands, and he decided to scribble some sketches. He was also aware of my interest in the Phantom Stranger, he knew me by then. All of a sudden, he started scribbling a sketch. You guessed it: the Phantom Stranger. And here it is. By the way, he signed it twice, at my request, because his penmanship was so bad it was illegible. He scowled, but did it anyway.

I had seen that, and was planning to post it.

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.

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.

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

Details, details….

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

Tomorrow’s Hummels today.

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.

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.

.