MarvelComicsArt

No it does not. If you had a lesser artist after Ditko, Spiderman may have dropped in sales. May have been canceled who knows? Romita version became the standard popularized version because his "take" on the character made the sales climb higher than at any point in the Ditko run. (not knocking Ditko here at all, i loved his run) But to say that if you put any artist on that spiderman title it would be a hit regardless? No it would not be . Bronty i am sorry but your argument holds no logical grounds at all. TO quote Mary Jane "Face it Tiger you just don't appreciate JOHN ROMITA art !"

exactly bronty's views make no logical sense " 8 minutes ago, Bronty said:And if he had worked on, I dunno, film storyboards or soap advertisements instead of marvel comics, you (we!) wouldn't even know his name let alone think he was magnificent."

Not at all, I respect everyone's opinions ... so nothing is ever taken personally . Its always all in good fun! However you Mr. Bronty claiming that Romita is not a stellar artist. Come on .... that's just crazy talk. He may not be your cup of tea but he is and will always will be remembered as an exceptional artist. Why is it that even after all of these years, his images of spiderman are still being used on every possible piece of merchandise available to the mass public. It's because it's visually stunning Art. His idealized version of Peter Parker and Spiderman's whole universe is breath taking! From Gwen to Mary Jane. (before Adam Hughes there was John Romita . No one could create a more idealized world than he). And thats what makes him such a great artist!

How in the world can you say that Romita is not a stellar artist. What ????? Thats nonsense , he is one of the originators of the "Marvel house" style. ( Kirby first than Buscema ) Romita is an incredible artist . You must not like well drawn , well laid out pages. Romita in his prime was magnificent!

If you have no nostalgia for Capullo Batman #1 than why even make the comparison? And yes "REALLY" I know it is within the top ROMITA spiderman covers of all time. 1) ASM 39 2)ASM 50 3)ASM 122 4)ASM 100 5)Spectacular Spiderman #2 painted Romita cover ( spiderman and green goblin) and as far as it being artistic ... its a beautiful cover .

The Romita market will always be strong simply because he had a defining run on the title. His version is what the Hollywood version reflects. And thats not going away anytime soon.

Blue Horse shoe... hmnnnnn.... you don't say by the way great buy on the ASM 299 kudos

Prime Muppet babies art!

First of all the ASM #100 is and always will be an A+ cover. Any serious well educated collector understands that factual statement. Your own statement that you would rather have the Capullo Batman #1 is solely based on your own sense of Nostalgia speaking, which is totally fine. And i am positive you feel this way solely based on your own age. To you the Capullo cover represents what the Frank Miller generation feels about the Dark Knight Returns covers ( especially #1 and #2 ). In assigning valuation to original art it has to be somewhat factual, if it's all opinion based than no one would ever get a straight answer. The ASM #100 . (1)A milestone issue (only second one at that point) , (2)Largest Spiderman full figure shot on any drawn Romita Amazing Spiderman cover, (3) All drawn in the prime of the artists career. 4) Artistically its a memorable, beautifully executed cover. (5) Its in the top 5 GREATEST Romita drawn Amazing Spiderman covers of all time. YES ...Of ALL TIME........ You cannot replace it with any other Romita Spiderman cover. 34 head shots plus a huge image of Spiderman . Its unique in that sense ,so therefore it's a one of a kind. Can't be replaced = A + material. You do not even need to be a Romita fan to appreciate it, nor a Spiderman fan. You just have to be a fan of comic books . And absorb it within the historical context of the illustrated comic book medium . Those are all facts and thus the price tag reflected it. You can't argue facts. Its what holds this hobby together. That and fanboy fairy dust (stolen form tinker bell). When you blurt out "It's not an A+ level cover "it's just your own individual opinion . It's like screaming fire when there's no actual fire. Which you are totally entitled to ( not the screaming fire part cause thats illegal) . I would never take away anyone's opinion ever. It's what makes the hobby fun. Over Opinionated shop talk. But just understand that it's solely your own opinion . Just like your own super high valuation of the Capullo Batman #1 cover art , it's all opinion. I can hypothetically say that i would rather have the cover to Muppet Babies #1 over The Capullo Batman #1 cover and that would be just my opinion. And guess what , some people may actually chime in and agree cause they truly love "muppet babies" ( i mean who doesn't, right ?). But thats just an opinion ( a like or a dislike nothing more ,nothing less) So in the end ,actual numbers, actual facts become guidelines for valuation. And that is critical in maintaining a structured order for valuation, of the original comic art market. (PS i am not knocking Muppet Babies #1 , thats a classic ... make sure to get it in a cgc slabbed 9.8 folks, it's making a comeback you heard it here first!)

A+ level material is never going to drop in price only increase. Its not a matter of if it will increase. Its by how much and how quickly. Take for example the recent Romita asm #100 cover . This particular cover is never going to go down in value. In fact it will only increase. And at a rate greater than anyone can imagine. The sky is the limit on this cover. Why you ask? Well, its so unique because it has 34 head shots plus the largest full figure of Spider-man on any Romita ASM cover. All done in Romita's prime! ( and it does not hurt that its a milestone 100 issue, only second marvel title to reach 100 issues at the time ) Take for instance the Silver Surfer #4 cover. Its one of a kind . One of the most iconic Marvel covers EVER. No matter what the price tag you can't replace it so someone will always pay a premium for it. Same with the ASM #100, Same with ASM #50, Same with ASM #122 , etc....... if you can't replace it . Than it's A+ level material and you will never lose on it. Remember if it's A+ MATERIAL it will always be treated as such. Now the trick is to understand what category your purchase falls under . Once you understand that you can price accordingly . Original Comic book art is still in its infancy stages. There is tons of art that is undervalued. Give it another 5 years and wait how the market booms. How long have you heard about the bubble bursting ? The reality is that its purely wishful thinking. While it is true that some art will always appreciates at a faster rate than other art, for one reason or another . The truth of the matter is that quality will always fetch a high price. Buy what you love , buy what you can afford. And understand that this is art, so not everyone will agree with you. Educate yourself first . And than trust in yourself that you have a good enough eye for quality. Than just buy, buy, buy! or in 5 years you may cry! cry! cry! Educate your self first and foremost! Also those super high end examples i mentioned like the Romita ASM #100 cover are just that,.... examples. There are many examples of wonderful underrated original art for reasonable prices ( $500-$1200 a page). This art will mature nicely over time . Look what happened with the Don Heck market in the last 5 years . Artists like Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and Steve Rude are super under valued. You can purchase quality original art on any budget. You just have to ask yourself what quality means to you?

ART dealer I thank you for publishing that wonderful Kirby Master works under Privateer Press ! Just a fantastic look into the artistry of Jack Kirby! To my recollection the photo is 1982-83 of the comic shop. Ed ran the comic shop and Simon ran the gallery. Oddly enough there was no Star Wars art at the Gallery . And you would think because Lucas was involved there would be a hint of it. But to my understanding he was funding the gallery silently and getting original art on the side for his own private collection. If memory serves correctly there was a Mcquarrie Star Wars show of some kind but thats it ( and that was late 70's ). No other Star Wars related art. I remember Frazetta Paintings and Comic Art. Lots of Kirby Covers ,I remember seeing a great Thor cover there. Buscema Savage Sword of Conan art inked by Alcala. Neal Adams Avengers pages. Anything and everything in piles all on board and shrink/saran wrapped! These were the days before Original art mylar sleeves and cel phones... yes both are actual true facts! non existed folks! There was art that was available to the public and than there was the art that was exclusively for the purposes of cherry picking into Lucas's private collection. And don't get me started on prices. For a collector if you had a few bucks in your pocket it was something special! P.S. And yes Scott Dunbier must have been 16, 17 years old and worked at Action Comics at the time ( there were 2 stores he worked at the first one )... wow that brings back memories!

I still own that Kirby Master works book located in the shop window... the good ol' days!

The store was called Supersnipe and George Lucas had his hands on incredible art while he was there. Lucas obtained the cover of Amazing Spider-Man #1 because of Ed Summer . Yes put your tongues back into your mouths folks, Lucas owns it. Thats just the tip of the ice berg . Those of us who knew Ed , will know exactly what i am talking about. So we may just be lucky enough to see that ASM # 1 cover hanging up in the Lucas museum. sometime in the near future. Every imaginable treasure once passed through the Supersnipe store . And i do mean everything. From Frazetta to Ditko art.... EVERYTHING. The place was tiny but it was truly legendary . RIP ED .

Don Perlin did a lot of "add on" background work for these types of reprints. Looks like his handy work.

auction ended

auction ended

Love both pieces ! Congratulations. Steve Rude is so undervalued ! And Tony's work is fabulous !!!!!

Hi Felix, Love the podcasts! Can you reveal any more info about the newest episode ?

When do you think the next episode will be posted? thanks

I think perhaps it will be a mixture of both. I think as most collectors age they will not have the same "hunger" for treasure hunting. And unless you have invested /saved wisely during your peek years of earning potential who says you will have disposable income to throw away on nostalgia . On the other hand there will always be passionate art collectors at the ripe/robust age of between 50-60 . When you get the bug and you can afford it ,than trust me buddy you aren't going anywhere. You just become much more "selective". And your treasures are just bigger trophies. If you are between 50-60 years of age and have the economic power to make large purchases in this hobby than why on earth would you ever stop doing so. Its addictive and a pi*sing contest! Unless you no longer have the means to do so financially. Than that's a whole other story. Or unless you can't due to your old age... than that just flat out sucks. Your treasure hunting days are only officially over if (a) You need the money for other purchases --- such as your kids college fund, new house, retirement .... buying a high end brothel in Paris , than licensing it out in New York and Miami...don't judge) or (b)You already have all your trophies and nothing else gives you the same"high". --- as crazy as it sounds this is actually possible, but in most cases very rare. (c)You suddenly look in the mirror and start crying that there is an old man staring back at you and that life just isn't as sweet as it once was . So who cares about anything at this point. (Depression) i know i could have just said that.......and avoided this tedious monologue... but... (d)a tragedy in the family ... ( an actual selfless depression when you see all material objects as totally worthless and joyless ) (e) if your wife finds out about the brothel and than files for divorce . Takes half of everything... than you need all your leftover money for the shiniest most expensive red car possible to attract hot babes! (Cause sure as hell your original comic art collection won't attract the ladies or whatever is left over of it after the divorce.) (f)if one day you wake up and suddenly realize that you have a serious hoarding problem and need help..... nahhhhh this one is just an early april fools joke.... that would never happen........... wink Collectors will stop collecting if there is no money for it... or if they simply don't appreciate the hunt. Most of the material will always be there for sale. Quadruple the price but still there . But as one generation ages they soon realize that they no longer have anything in common with the next generations taste in art or collecting trends. All of a sudden conventions and get togethers may not be as fun when you don't have your peers to talk smack/gossip/ shop with. I hear older collectors complain about this all of the time. It happens to every collecting generation when it just doesn't feel "worth it" When the magic is gone! When it's just not the same. Back in my day i had to walk for 20 miles barefoot in the snow just to get to Jack Kirby's House . Where i proceeded to offer him a marvelous shiny nickel for purchase of his art . But sadly his art went missing. So he pointed me into the direction of Stan Lees house/mansion instead . Because luckily for me Stan had "borrowed" some art that day from Marvel's office . And with that shiny Nickel i proceeded to purchase a full issue and a cover of X-MEN 2, DAREDEVIL 4, Captain B*llSh*t #11 and 12. yeah the good ol days A whole shiny nickel , had to work six full weeks in the coal mines for it. Even killed a man that was twice my size for that nickel. Ahhhhh those were the days.......(insert happy day's theme song here) monday , tuesday happy days, wednesday, thursday happy days, ............ But i..... am truly special so none of this applies to me... my mom tells me that all of the time... as she brings me freshly baked cookies down to my massive loft sized apartment in the basement... .......of my moms house. So Special --- for our bilingual collectors ... yo, soy especial

Collecting graded comics,( SLABS ) will always be around, just for that reason alone cover art will always be valuable! Amazing Spiderman Covers #1-100 (Ditko and Romita run) will always be the golden standard ... ALWAYS ... of course you have to include ASM 121, ASM 122 and a few others after that, but you get the point. So basically certain covers will always be worth large sums of money in the future no matter what, and ASM 1 to 100 is in that category (+121, 122, etc) These are the equivalent of Apple stock. And it's not because of hype it's because of quality and the era in which they were created in. Marvel at its peek of Silver Age brilliance /crossing over into the beginning years of the Bronze Age of wonder! The A+ covers are trophy's and will only increase in value. ( sadly they will increase at such a quick rate that most collectors will be priced out ) It's the C level covers that you have to worry about in the future. Because realistically the B level cover material will always be more accessible financially and therefore in high demand as well. We have all been there right? When you can't obtain the best example for whatever reason you get the second best, etc..... Its the inflated price of C level cover art that may eventually hit its ceiling. And even than it may not happen for another 5-10 years. You see dealers with tons of inventory that is D level cover material at every comic con around the country and it's massively inflated to create profit. Thats the art you have to seriously consider as an albatross around your neck in the future if its solely an investment buy. If its just for the love of it than don't worry about anyone else's advice or opinion , just enjoy the art for it's visual stimulation.

Both John Romita SR and his son John Romita JR are the nicest individuals i have ever met at any convention . Salt of the earth people. I have so much respect for the both of them. TALENTED AND VERY HUMBLE! Great sketch and a fantastic story! congrats

auction ended

auction ended

Thats a very interesting point you make. The prices definitely reflect the fact that Mike has cornered the market on Romita Spiderman art, no doubt about it. But Spiderman was never some unknown upstart character created by the image boys back in the summer of 1992. Spiderman was Marvel Comic Inc's flagship character. And yet other dealers ( in 1992) looked at the Romita Spiderman run as nothing more than fluff and filler material. It boggles my mind that even today some would argue that because Romita did not Create Spiderman it lessens it somehow. That theory does not apply to Mcfarlane's Spiderman. Nor should it to Romita's Spiderman. And yes there are different elements involved with Mcfarlane. His Ditkoesque (on steroids), take on the character had massive appeal . And was highly influential at the time throughout the industry. He also worked on the title for a short period of time, thus creating scarcity of content. etc...etc But the fact remains that both artists did not create the character and yet somehow they revolutionized Spiderman and the entire world around him. Not taking anything away from Ditko but Romita had such a massive impact on the character . His signature style to this day is still the most popular version of the character merchandise wise. Even Hollywood loves Romitas Spiderman as the character has always been modeled after Romitas art style. That says a lot about Romita's appeal and his artistic standard of excellence. That after all these years his version is the most stylistically recognizable. Romita redefined what a Spiderman Comic was. It became a soap opera romance title with beautifully choreographed action sequences . A perfect storm of both deep seeded drama and action. Romitas run took place during the now legendary creative high point of Marvel comics. When Stan lee was still weaving his wonderful" Mark Twanish " yarns. Before he handed over the reins to Roy Thomas and left for La La land. In a nut shell Romita redefined visually the world of Peter Parker and Spiderman. And yet most savvy dealers at that time not just Albert Moy were not that impressed with Romitas work. I blame it partially due to the length of his run. At the time some would rationalize that too many pages equaled not enough demand. Also some dealers just didn't love the romance soap opera aspect of Romitas run. It wasn't hard nosed or edgy enough for them. To that i say to each their own. But time has proven them all wrong. And of course Mikes borderline ingenious hoarding... has helped as well! And yes if Albert had hoarded away the batman pages the prices would probably be double by now. Now wait what am i saying it's Albert so triple the price. For sure! PS But Albert learns quickly and he was wise enough to grab this beauty below in 2002 for $63,250.00 ( which was crazy money at the time) Thus proving that even the biggest critic can have a sudden change of heart. This piece below must be worth easily 700k... if not more! John Romita, Sr. - Original Cover Art for Spectacular Spider-Man #2 (Marvel, 1968)