Rick2you2

So much for Ebony White.

Heritage just listed some art by Jack Davis—a Confederate Civil War General. I think a set of 4 of his generals sold for about $4,300.00 a while ago. This one will probably sell for the same as a bucket of warm spit.

They’re back.

Question: A while ago I was negotiating for a piece which never came to fruition. The basic background was a typical pencil and ink, which would later have color added. An overlay of a shadow was included with the final published cover, along with the logo. One of my concerns was that the absence of color would make the shadow less visible, detracting from the final piece, since the color made the shadow stand out more. The artist indicated he could reproduce it with more of a “burn” (around 10%) to increase its visibility. Would that have been considered an alteration to the art, or a legitimate adjustment?

My instinctual reaction is to dislike the refurbishment, but I think that for viewing purposes, it is an improvement. And, if the combination results in something that actually looks more like the final product, I don’t think it is so bad—so long as it is disclosed. I am not a conservator for future generations. I buy what I like and look at what I like. The overlay detracts from view-ability. I, personally, would not make these alterations, but I don’t think I would spurn the piece because of them. And, I may even pay less for it, because I know a lot of people would likely disagree with me.

From an investment perspective, I doubt either of them would be much good as compared to published OA, unless you hit the jackpot on selecting the artist. From a collecting perspective, I would split the difference and ask for an homage. Let the artist design the artwork, but give him objects or ideas to work into the picture. His stock in trade is artistry, he should be allowed to exercise it. Otherwise, you are just getting an illustrator.

It’s part of the aging out process. Are they still going up, finally stabilized or gone down?

“Well, it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...”

The part you are missing is the nostalgia factor in pricing. Unless you are going after serious classics, which have a different set of issues, a lot of things will “age out” as the owners, who read the stories, retire and sell off their collections, but the new generation didn’t read the books or love them. An example is the drop in Barry Windsor Smith Conan art. It’s the new stuff that will show a rise. Love Dark Knights Metal? That’s the future. As to the really high end stuff, I think the question is how much high end money is really coming in, and will it support the existing price structure? I confess that I have been fooled in the past by the public’s willingness to spend money on things, but this remains a niche hobby.

I think it’s a bit different. I bought something I didn’t like because it furthers my personal goal of improving the whole collection. And curiously, it gave me a bit more respect for the artist’s work, even while still disliking the drawing for the main character, because I really dissected the whole composition. I didn’t fear buying it, or not, although I would have preferred to spend less. Sometimes people buy things for non-obvious reasons. This is one of them.

In All Star Section Eight, issue 5, he raps with Etrigan.

I was looking for an analogous situation, and the closest I came up with was that (aside from private stories about sexual harassment, which was apparently not uncommon).

It’s a risk, but sometimes, you get something out of it which is better than art you like.

This is somewhat reminiscent of the stink surrounding the artwork of Ardian Syaf (not content, but impact) and the anti-Semitic hidden messages it contained. This happened in 2017 and apparently sunk his career. I rarely see his art for sale, but if anyone knows, has it affected the price of his work? If anyone has pages from his Phantom Stranger 42 for sale, feel free to let me know.

I didn't realize this went on.

Did someone pay that much, yet?

Where? Not in NJ/NY?

I like the work I have seen.

In fairness, art is a matter of taste, and even the best artists have bad days. So I don’t want to sound completely negative. But no, this run is not what I like (and I can be picky). By way of counter-example, I generally like John Byrne’s work, but not on Wonder Woman.

The jawline on PS is absurd. The pendent ought not be defining the amount of turtleneck shirt that is showing. The jacket over the turtleneck shirt is virtually non-existent, and he appears to have eliminated PS's testicles (probably atrophied anyway). And then, there is that mystical cape flipping up on the bottom. Was there a hugh updraft in that room? He did that with a number of his pages, which always annoyed me--having the cape bottom flip up for no good reason, and twisty high in some images, too (not so bad in this case). The layout is good, and so is the way the story name is included. The background is detailed and better than average, but indirectly detracts from the main character. Where it will come in particularly handy is via comparison with other splash page type images. You get to see what makes other ones look good (or bad) by comparison, and how styles differ. Much harder to do with panel pages because the images are so diverse. That helps me to define why I like something, and why not (a good exercise for any collector, IMO, who plans to buy more stuff). I have looked at his art for sale before, and this is about as good as it gets (at least for my purposes). So, I doubt I will part with it since it will continue to serve its purpose.

Done properly, it isn’t as nutty as it may seem. Most people bid based on perceived market value. So, if there is at least one other person who perceives a market value, they will limit their bid to that amount, or slightly more. Your multiplier will mean you only come in a little higher. Unless someone else perceives a really high potential market value, the bidding will never get close. And since I only collect, not sell, market value is a meaningless risk of loss. The idea should be used carefully. Do not use it on pieces which will attract a lot of attention on their own (Byrne X-Men, for example). And, don’t use it if there are indications of a lot of bidders. You may encounter someone with similar exuberance and get in trouble. Also, you can mix it up a bit, and use a lower multiplier or bid number early on to see what reaction it generates, and add to it later to flush out competition. And, there are times I have seen suspicious bidding patterns and bail (I am watching one now with suspicion). Or be prepared to drop out if you go in earlier with less than a 5 multiplier.

True, but no BJ’s.

Where and how would you get the stat? I can scan in an original page. Is there a better process than scanning and cutting in Photoshop?

Debating that point. Probably not. I am not a fan of fixing work, but that glue smear is ugly. If you like the artist, his stuff is not too expensive. I like it better than Dillin’s work, but to me, that is a very low bar.