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Some info. on collecting Nagels for those that may not be as familiar with his process or prices. For many works there could be more than one "original" to collect. Here are the different types of originals that you'll typically find: 1) Prelims - Nagel would typically draw these at a smaller size on tissue/vellum paper. For these, he could break the images down into his minimalistic line style. Nagel's wife preserved many of these because she liked them. These typically will sell in the $1-3k range. 2) Finished Paintings on Illustration Board - Typically for his published Playboy illustrations, he'd draw these on illustration board and paint them in Gouache (sometimes with colored pencil highlights). Playboy illustrations will typically have the Playboy stamp on the back. The size of these can vary widely from 5" x 7" to poster sized. These will typically run from $10k-75k, although some of the more famous images could top $100k. 3) B&W Illustrations on Illustration Board - For some Playboy illustrations, Nagel would draw them in India Ink on illustration board - these are typically smaller (comic art sized or smaller) and aren't as recognized images. You can typically find one of these for $5-10k range. 4) Color "Comp" Paintings on Illustration Board - For many of the silkscreen prints, there are full size color "comp" paintings that were created so that the printer would understand how to separate the colors. These aren't color guides, but fully finished paintings that represent how the final silkscreen should look. These typically go for as much as finished paintings or a little more, depending on how famous the image is. These are typically larger than Nagel's typical finished paintings (poster sized). 5) B&W Art for Silkscreens - For the silkscreen prints, a separate B&W version was drawn on illustration board for the black plate so, technically these are the images that were printed. I would think these are the ones that may appeal to comic art collectors the most although you don't see these very often. There haven't been enough of these sold on the market to establish prices for them very well, but most people value the color comps to be worth more. Likely most of these would run in the $7,500-$25k range. 6) Canvas Paintings - The canvas painting have been the ones going for the most money - nice canvases typically have been running $100-$200k. The nicest ones (like Rio) could go for more. There are about 90 canvases that were painted for gallery shows between 1982-1984. Most of the canvases were typically larger "reproductions" of images that Nagel had previously drawn (typically for Playboy). So, for a famous image like Rio, I'd expect there to be a prelim, original painting on illustration board and a canvas painting that was drawn later. The market today values the canvases to be worth the most (because of their size), but I could see a trend down the road in which the value of the original illustration board versions catch up in price because people realize that they were the original "printed" versions. In my opinion, the original Rio canvas would go for $500k-$1M. A lot of people have been searching for it for a long time.

I used to own a 15 cent variant of More Fun #59. Was always suspected that it was a Canadian variant. From what I remember, the pages/ads were all the same on the inside as the regular edition. Sold it through Heritage back in 2002. Wish I had kept it. Oh well. But, from what I remember Batman #2, Detective #43, and this book were the only 15 cent variant. There was also a variant on New Book of Comics #1 - one with no cover price and one with one. Those are the earliest price variants I know of.

How could people forget some of the great Mike Zeck covers from the Marvel Tales run?

Well, it looks like Diamond considered the idea of "Free Comic Book May" and it was quickly changed. Now looks like it'll get moved to the summer, but things continue to evolve day by day. https://www.bleedingcool.com/2020/03/18/official-free-comic-book-day-now-postponed-to-the-summer/

And, of course, let's not forget the 2014 Halloween ComicFest version. Sorry, some friends of mine that I was hanging out with decided to put their names on the cover of this one since it was a giveaway.

Here are my additions to the Foreign Variant collection of Secret Wars #1's. - Finland, 1984 - Spain, 1985 - I got Zeck and Beatty to sign this (inside) back in January 1986. At the time, it was the first Spanish copy they had ever signed. - France, July 1985 (new cover) There's a whole world of Secret Wars #1 collecting out there for you!

Thanks to all those that did tune in for the Prop Store Toy/Comic Art auction. We did our best to get the word out with a bunch of banner ads on CAF as well as posts on these boards, but as an auction house that isn't as well known for comic art, it can sometimes be harder to get on people's radars. I'm glad that people here are taking note. If people have further suggestions on what we can do to improve the next Comic Art auction, please feel free to drop me a PM. We'd like to continue to provide some additional avenues to people in the hobby for purchasing comic art as well as collectibles. And, if people look at the online catalog from the March 4th auction and see items they're interested in that went Unsold (yes, use the link above), feel free to ping me and I can tell you if they're available. We have sold a few lots post-auction, but wanted to make sure people here had a contact in case they wanted to reach out. And, for those that don't follow our auctions regularly, we just announced our next Marvel Television Live Auction which will focus on Marvel's The Punisher and Marvel's The Defenders. Not original art per se, but many of the prop are "art" that was created for these shows. Check out a preview of that auction here: https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/257/.

Update: The Comic Art session in on track to start around 1PM PT.

Bidding for the Star Wars toys section has started. Based on the expected pace (60 lots/hour), Comic Art (Session 2) should start somewhere between 2-3PM PT. But, you can always bid online in advance as well if you don't want to miss out. https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/live-sale/id/249/ Feel free to ping me if you still need to register.

The following pages from two of my favorite Punisher books (the Punisher Limited Series and Marvel Preview #2) go up for sale tomorrow Prop Store's Toy/Comic Art auction https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/249/

This lovely piece is coming up in tomorrow's March 4th Prop Store Toy/Comic Art Auction: https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/249/lot/58906/?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F249%3Fpage%3D4%26view%3Dgrid%26sale%3Dundefined%26cat%3D2692%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dbids%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno

Just a reminder that Prop Store's Toy & Comic Art auction is coming up this Wednesday March 4th. The comic art offerings will take place in the middle of the auction to make it easier for comic art collectors to tune in for that portion. Please register today so that you bid on Wednesday. Go to: https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/249/ to see the catalog and register. I thought people on these boards might be interested to see what the top 15 most viewed items are in the auction at this point in time: 15. Lot # 473: Eight G.I. Joe Storyboards (with Explicit Covers) by Mike Vosburg - There are a number of rare early pieces of G.I. Joe and Transformers art in this auction, but additionally, we are offering some rare lots of Mike Vosburg's personal storyboard photocopies of his work on the 1980's animated G.I. Joe series. This particular lot sports some new photocopied covers that Vosburg created to amuse himself. 14. Lot # 445: Batman Returns: The Official Comic Adaptation #1 p.31 by Steve Erwin & Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez - Here's a perfect page for collectors who loved the Keaton Batman films, but also comic art. Pages from the 1989 Batman have never been sold, but you can get this great page featuring Batman, the Penguin, the Batmobile and the Ice Princess! 13. Lot # 483: Iron Man #114 p.1 Splash by Keith Giffen & Bruce Patterson - Classic Iron Man splashes and covers have been harder to come by in recent years. Here you have one featuring Iron Man, Yellow Jacket, Wonderman, Vision, Beast and the Unicorn! Almost feels like an Avengers splash! 12. Lot # 456: Astonishing Tales #28 p.16 (Deathlok Story) by Rich Buckler - Original series Deathlok pages are almost non-existent. But, this one is special. Not only does it feature Deathlok in fight scenes throughout, but it's the very first sideways page drawn in a Marvel Comic! It makes for a really interesting layout. 11. Lot # 511: Spider-Man Versus Wolverine #1 p.19 by Mark Bright & Al Williamson - A classic 1980's X-Men page featuring great images of Wolverine (smoking which he wouldn't be allowed to do today) & Storm with her Mohawk. Masterful inks by Williamson! 10. Lot # 531: Watchmen Rorschach Magazine Illustration by Dave Gibbons - With Watchmen pages featuring Rorschach reaching $30-40k+, this 1989 detailed portrait of Rorschach is a great piece to buy. Beautiful and vintage! 9. Lot # 475: Godzilla #12 p.11 by Herb Trimpe & Fred Kida - A fresh to market page with large images of Trimpe's rendition of Godzilla fighting Beta-Beast. Doesn't get much better for Godzilla fans. 8. Lot # 443: Avengers #27 p.19 by Don Heck & Frank Giacoia - Early Marvel art is always popular. This one features Quicksilver and Hawkeye - two characters bound for more action in the MCU. 7. Lot # 538: Ultimate X #1 p.13 Splash by Arthur Adams - Who doesn't love Arthur Adams intricate drawings? Here you have a fantastic Wolverine + you get to see Adam's art in it tightly finished pencil format. 6. Lot # 533: Wolverine Horizon Vinyl Model Kit Box Art by Ron Frenz & John Romita Sr. - This one appeals to toy collectors, Wolverine fans, and fans of the artists. Just a classic image of Wolverine with finishes by the artist who created Wolverine's original design. 5. Lot # 448: Cerebus #188 Cover by Dave Sim & Gerhard - This is the first cover that Gerhard has released from his personal collection to sell publicly. It features Cerebus and Cirin in outer space. Not only Gerhard backgrounds, but also colors! 4. Lot # 523: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 p.7 by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird - With this never before offered page, you have all four Turtles + Fugitoid. These early Eastman & Laird Turtles pages are both scarce and also show the Turtles in their raw form before they became a billion dollar success. 3. Lot # 530: Vampirella #16 20-Page Complete Story by Jose Gonzalez - Complete stories are getting harder to come by and if you're a fan of sexy female art, this is a nice example! 2. Lot # 477: Framed "Half Moon" Marilyn Monroe Pin-Up by Dave Stevens - No surprise that this beautiful Dave Stevens pin-up is showing up high on the list. Stevens' renditions of Marilyn weren't too common and this is a great one! 1. Lot # 482: The Rampaging Hulk (Marvel Treasury Edition) #26 p.5 by Ken Landgraf & George Perez - Many people may not know of this 1981 X-Men x-over story as it appeared in a Treasury, but this was the first solo story Wolverine did after joining the X-Men. Wolverine & Hercules! And, superb inking by George Perez!

This nice Thor vs. Hercules page by John Buscema is up for auction ending on March 4th. https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/lot-details/index/catalog/249/lot/58953/?url=%2Fm%2Fview-auctions%2Fcatalog%2Fid%2F249%2F%3Fpage%3D1%26view%3Dgrid%26key%3Dthor%26sale%3Dundefined%26catm%3Dany%26order%3Dorder_num%26xclosed%3Dno%26featured%3Dno

For the record, I wanted to correct this as I've talked to Mike Zeck numerous times about this. 1) The Punisher Limited Series was always intended to be 5 issues; 2) Because there hadn't been a 5 issue Limited Series until that time, the people in production had re-used the "Four Issue Limited Series" logo on the first issue; 3) Mike pointed out the error after the 1st issue which is why it was corrected with issue #2; 4) But, after issue #2, they went back to making the same mistake and Mike didn't feel like correcting it again so he let it lie until they figured it out with issue #5; 5) Vosburg was brought in because Carl Potts was worried that Mike was too slow and wouldn't finish on time. But, when Zeck was removed from the book, Steven Grant also walked which is why the creative team on the last issue is different. To Vosburg's credit, he told me they only gave him a week to draw the issue and he had no idea at the time how impactful that Limited Series was going to be. So, for those that were disappointed in the last issue, keep that in mind - Vosburg did his best!

For those that don't normally check out Prop Store auctions... I wanted to draw Joe collectors attention to the G.I. Joe art offerings in the upcoming March 4th Toys, Comic Art & Collectibles auction. Items include: - Mike Vosburg's personal storyboard copies from his work on the 1980's Joe cartoons & a large Joe pin-up featuring Snake Eyes, Scarlett & Duke by Vosburg - Original part pages from G.I. Joe ARAR #6, 22, 35 & 59 by Trimpe, Vosburg, Whigham & Wagner - Lifeline pin-up from Order of Battle #1 by Herb Trimpe - G.I. Joe TCG Cobra Commander Card art painting by Mike S. Miller & David Michael Beck Check out the auction here https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/249/

For those looking for an original vintage Ben Edlund piece of Tick art, I wanted to make sure this group knew that we'll have two in Prop Store's current Toy/Comic Art auction taking place on March 4th. You can go here to see the full catalog: https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/249/

And for those who prefer to watch videos to get your auction previews... take a look here:

Prop Store is excited to announce our latest comic art auction. This time, comic art is presented alongside a selection of vintage toys. This auction will take place live on March 4, 2020 and will based out of Prop Store's Los Angeles office (all orders will be shipped out of the US). Follow this link to register and see the online catalog https://usm.propstoreauction.com/m/view-auctions/info/id/249/. There are ~100 lots of comic art in the auction and the comic art section takes place in the middle of the auction (lots 441-538) to make it easier for those interested in just the comic art to focus their bidding. You can bid in advance online or via absentee bid or bid online or over the phone on the day of the live auction. Some highlights include: - 5 Cerebus lots from Gerhard's personal collection including a Cirin/Cerebus cover and some really nice splashes that have never been offered before - Other classic 1980's independent art including a nice Eastman & Laird TMNT #5 page with Fugitoid and all four Turtles plus hard to find Tick art by Ben Edlund - One of the earliest 1940's Marvel/Timely Comics pages still in existence from All Select #2 featuring Marvel's first super hero the Sub-Mariner! - Some action oriented Bill Sienkiewicz Moon Knight pages including a rare splash page (soon to star in his own Disney + series)! - Some classic Punisher art including Mike Zeck and Mike Vosburg pages from the Punisher Limited Series and from the Punisher first origin telling in Marvel Preview #2 - Some toy related art including early G.I. Joe, Transformers, Shogun Warriors, Godzilla art and more by Herb Trimpe, Mike Vosburg, and others - A gorgeous Dave Steven's Marilyn Monroe "Half Moon" pin-up and complete Vampirella #16 20 page story by Jose Gonzalez for all the pin-up girl fans out there - The Iron Man #114 Page 1 Splash by Keith Giffen and two amazing Adi Granov Iron Man pieces produced for the 1st Iron Man movie - Joe Quesada 1st Marvel art and early Marvel Comics Presents art by Jae Lee - 1980's X-Men x-over pages from Power Man & Iron Fist, Dazzler, and Spider-man vs. Wolverine + other X-Men related art including the Wolverine Horizon Model Kit art by Ron Frenz & John Romita Sr. - Art by Comic Masters - a 1989 Dave Gibbons Rosharch Watchmen piece, Bernie Wrightson's Creature from the Black Lagoon painting, John Romita Sr. Spider-man and Barbie art, and a Joe Kubert Sgt. Rock splash page We may not be the biggest auction house for comic art, but hopefully you'll find something you'll like and will enjoy the auction experience through our online platform. And, we try to make it easier - we offer interest free time payment plans up to 3 months and accept credit cards (up to $25,000USD) without additional surcharges. And, if you like vintage toys and always wanted a Rocket Firing Boba Fett... well, then this is the auction for you! Thanks in advance for taking a look and participating in the auction!

I'll be there for my second year in a row. Chicago has some great food (in addition to a fun show).

Now, you just need to start collecting the foreign variants of this book! Where's the Halloween Fest version? This book takes me back to the early days of collecting!

Yes, the #35 is one of the few that are still complete along with #6, 7, 28 & 29 (and possibly #3 & 56).

When you see these covers all together, it made me realize how Carl Potts was borrowing from Mike Zeck's design from Punisher LS #2 on the cover to Punisher WJ #2 (along with a little Superman pose).

Yep, back in the 90's when Comic Images did a line of card sets based on artists, I found a lot of pages I owned got used for the Mike Zeck set. And also found some art I have in the G.I. Joe card set from around that same time.

He still has six fingers on both versions! One of the classic cover mistakes of all time.

I used to own that FF #10 page.. Forgot how much great Doom imagery there was in it, but it always bothered me that they Doom and Reed had switched bodies and they weren't themselves. Wouldn't mind having it back!