dichotomy

I’m relatively new - what happened with Adam Hughes? Also, I see a ton of Jae Lee stuff on eBay - does anyone know what the story is with that?

Just to mix things up - Interesting to see, from conception to now execution, the careful development of the video game cartridge as collectible. It makes no sense to me that someone has bid $15,000 for an early game (Stadium Events) but it obviously this makes sense to them. The corporate management of this makes it seem likely that the ‘key piece’ value may sustain. And when you see the corporations shift gear, take heed.

Bryanhitchart.com

He does talk about Dark Knight an awful lot...

Hi! Thanks for taking the time to reply. I appreciate the feedback and understanding how other collectors work. Clarifying some points below 1. The rep is ghosting, or so it seems. He owed me a reply on a couple points. I’m always willing to enter into a conversation on price, and I can feel how much I like the piece because I have been thinking about it, so likely I will pay the ‘right’ price - but it has to start with a conversation! 2. My point including this experience is to comment on rep expectations. The entire commission was set up through the rep - and there was a clear price list. The artists wasn’t at the table at that point. GREAT artist - I prepared, waited, and paid to get the commission. I did my due diligence. I was rewarded with quality artwork. BUT, paying what I paid, and getting less, it is the rep’s responsibility (I wouldn’t even involve the artist) to maybe say “hey, I know you paid for 2 full figures, let me knock a hundred off.” It’s partly the money, but partly the awareness on the reps part that the transaction wasn’t fully completed. I certainly didn’t complain at the time - I could barely pour out enough compliments I was so thrilled - and this is the first time I am mentioning it in 2 years. It’s only the additional aspect of the high priced artwork that causes me to mention it here. It’s not that it’s too expensive for me, it’s too expensive for anyone. None of the pieces are moving, and I’ll bet with a tad more realistic pricing, they would move and further enhance the artists career and exposure. He is right at the peak of his ability with many years to go. 3. Correct, but again, it’s the rep’s job to maintain communication, to let the customer (who has already paid) know that they have not been forgotten.

I agree, definitely an irritating position. I would definitely wait, as suggested by others, to see what they come back. Hopefully it’s all good in the hood. I’ll now hijack/expand upon this because it’s a topic I’ve been dwelling upon. I’ll hold up Felix as an idea rep - responsive, proactive, efficient. And overall my experiences have been GREAT in this hobby. BUT... 1) This has been driving me crazy. Before Como I contacted a rep about a cover their artist had done that I really liked. They said they’d talk to the artist at Como and get back to me. I still haven’t heard back. I’ve sent a polite reminder once a week (after a long gap) but nothing. WTF?!? This is a mid to high 4 figure purchase too. Do I have to send a CAF link to establish my “legitimacy”? Additionally, IMHO, the rep asked way too much for the piece in question. I have a fair grasp of the market, and this was beyond the pale. 2) Another extremely talented artist had a rep who is overpricing the art and, frankly, being a bit sketch at cons. I commissioned a two figure con sketch and paid accordingly, and the result was a double bust. It is a PHENOMENAL piece and the artist really poured their effort into executing it and I love it, but it’s a double bust, not two full figures - and the rep should have explained or compensated for it. And currently, this artist had amazing pieces of work unsold for many months because it is overpriced. 3) This is minor, I purchase a piece and the rep was just slow about updating me as to why it was not shipping. And I only start asking after minimum 2 weeks. It turns out the artist was moving and obviously in flux about their possessions - no problem a perfectly acceptable explanation, but please tell me that instead of not replying or telling me something else. I work as an agent in an unrelated field and I understand the many nuances of representing someone to a customer, and communication is basically your job. I will say, after a couple snafus, the artist sent me, at no additional cost, a superior piece. End of the day, I’m patient and always polite, but don’t think I won’t remember if you tried to pull something on me. Have a great weekend everyone.

Bryan Hitch got his website up and I snagged this unused wraparound cover for his JLA #1. I’m pretty, pretty, pretty psyched about this. Still absorbing it and all the details. If I think of it as a 7 figure commission then it’s the steal of the century...

One of my FAVORITE commissions. I asked Jae Lee for Superman exemplifying his founding qualities, and despite taking a bit of time, it was well worth the wait. Thanks for looking! *NOT SAFE FOR CHILDREN*

Aargh, tell me about it. 30 years on and all the glue on the early pages is starting to lose cohesion. Even putting them back in to the portfolio is troublesome. Definitely the pages I own that will need archival assistance the soonest.

Klein’s lettering too - this series really let him stretch.

Love the theme!

Glad you like it!

Forgot my IG pages...Love these custom mats.

Framing became a growing passion that went hand-in-hand with my OA collection. When I started the intention was for everything to go up on the walls - after all, I would never have THAT many pieces... Fast forward a couple years and the walls are basically full. Even though I have an understanding wife, I try to keep the family floor free of OCA, with the exception of one Quitely pencil piece. There is a long hallway on the kids' floor where the 'lighter' pieces are, a few favorite pieces outside our bedroom, and the rest is crammed into my den. I mentioned in another thread that I have a framing workshop close to my house - they teach you how to frame and then you can frame yourself for the cost of the materials plus a small shop fee. You basically save $40-50 per piece. This also alleviates the concern of leaving OA with the framer, though I trust my shop plenty. All the materials are archival, and the glass is all UV protected, though I switched to art glass (UV protection + anti-glare) recently. My den gets very little light, and I've added UV filtering film to all my windows. There's still a risk, but I love my framed pieces and really experience the art differently over the course of the day. My framing ship also has a machine guided mat cutter (wizard/whizzer) which is great for custom cuts. I hope you enjoy! P.S. Sorry for the glare/reflection on some of the pics - they're almost impossible to photograph. P.P.S. The Skottie Young piece is the ONLY non OA that I have up, that's how much I like the piece. The Michael Cho and Bill's Superman are the 2 largest.

Those perspective lines are perfect! Bravo!

I treat acrylic as pretty resistant, and then grade down as the acrylic is diluted, which includes some gouache which can have varying degrees of acrylic infused/mixed.

Chipping in with my 2 cents - Though a relatively new collector, I'm lucky enough to have a Framing Workshop right across the street from me, so I've done a lot of framing - maybe about 50 pieces. 1. As other have mentioned, there is absolutely nothing wrong with framing OA next to a published piece if you enjoy that. If you're a collector just getting started, you will likely want more frames in the future, and you'll be glad for the wall space you saved. Large frames also get exponentially more expensive, and increasingly difficult to work with. Personally, I feel the art works best alone. 2. Regarding framing, it really is that last flourish that can accentuate and present a piece of art in the best possible way. I use mats and frames to accentuate color and reduce yellowing, if necessary. My black and white pieces are generally now ending up with a black mat (a rag or black core, so there is no white lip), a black frame (usually matte metal for cost effectiveness), and art glass (UV protection and glare reduction). Pieces with color or even blue lines can give you a lot more room to work. I'll include some examples below. 3. Metal Frames - These are a favorite of mine now. Quick to put together and, easy to take apart. Others on this thread mentioned taking artwork out of frames and replacing it with something else, and metal frames are excellent for this. You can do it at home in about ten minutes. 4. Floating - Not something I do a lot of personally. For me it's more moving parts and more chances for something to slip or fail. Also, depending on where you live, it may not be the best option because of humidity. I also prefer how an archival mat is pressing the edges of the piece down. 5. Custom Mats - If you befriend your framer there a world of customization options that can add subtle flair. Custom cuts, painted lips, and reverse lips are just some of the option. I'll include some examples below. 6. If the glass is resting directly on the art, then consider using plexiglass instead. You can get archival, UV + non-glare plexiglass quite cheap. I mentioned Art Glass above - definitely nice, but it is pricey, and on some bigger pieces I have just used UV glass (but I always regret it in the long run). 7. Mat - How you frame a piece can also make a big difference. I have a Sandman page that I treasure, not least for all the corrections and notes in the margins, but I've framed it with a double lip that is intended to hide everything but the artwork and push forward the Japanese theme of the page. Then it becomes my secret as to what is hidden below the mat. With watercolor pieces I often want to show the edges, so then I'll leave some breathing room around everything before the mat starts. 8. NO SUNLIGHT! If it's anything of value, no matter the kind of glass, keep it out of the sun, PARTICULARLY watercolors. I'll cut it off there - as you can see, framing can be quite the rabbit-hole, but well worth it when it's something you see every day. One last example - my Authority #1 cover recreation is huge, and full of detail - I've framed it with a large black mat, with art glass, and hung at eye level in a high traffic area - I pause to look at it all the time, and it is the best way I can think to enjoy a spectacular piece of art. Happy Collecting! P.S. Sorry for the poor quality of some of the photographs. A lot of the nuance of color and frame finish is lost. Some of the specialty finished metal frames, like the dragonfly green on the Hulk, are really great in person. Also, sorry for the ghetto editing. P.P.S. When you get something framed, save your copy of the order and attach it behind the picture when you hang it up. Then, in the future, if you want to replicate the framing for some reason, you have all the details. For example, when I got my second IG page, I wanted to replicate the framing, and we got all the components right, but the reveal on the black mat was 1/4" in the original, and we guesstimated 1/8" when we cut for the second. If I had had the original receipt, we would have got it right. Watchmen - The image is in great shape, but has pretty severe frame burn, so I had to go in tight. This is an example of the all-black w/ Art glass. Infinity Gauntlet - A couple of problems here - both pages are different sizes, so the mat helps disguise that and allows me to frame them the same finished size. The Thanos page has marks on the margins, but the image is clean, so it presents MUCH cleaner in the frame with a mat like this. Hulk - The purple mat and green frame call in the color nicely, and the mat helps me place the image evenly in the frame, and hide all the empty white space above. Snoopy - I wanted this to radiate happiness and sunshine. Vader's Little Princess - This came floating in a simple black frame on white with plexiglass. I didn't like the frame or the plexiglass, so I upgraded. Photo doesn't do it justice. Plus, when I was reframing, I discovered some secret doodling and notes behind. Norse Joker/Batman - This was an unusual one for me, but decided to try something different to give it the weight it deserves. The mat is a green, fabric based board, and the lip was painted to match the blood tones in the image. Similarly the Kirby Odin - I wanted it to have gravity, and I loved the engraving effect around the frame that had a very Asgardian feel to it. A black core gold mat finishes the piece. Damian and Jon - This is my favorite example of a custom mat. The little cut for Damian's staff just makes everything perfect. I think the proportions and the colors work well too.

I LOVE this piece - so full of subtle details.

So hard to choose just one. At cons, when I have time to speak to the artists and feel them out, I usually ask for my kids to be included. 1. My daughter with the Hulk by Tim Sale was my very first commission, and the first work of art I bought in person - as you can see, I got a phenomenal piece. 2. My son with Batman by Neal Adams. Met Neal and his wife at FanExpo Boston - I started describing what I wanted and he said - "Say no more" - the concept was his. Killed it. 3. One foreign commission - I saw Kael Ngu's work and found it very striking. Got on his list and sent some character options for him to choose from, and got back this epic Penguin.

P.S. Mike is, so far, on the docket for FanExpo Boston this year in August.

ES posted that Tim Sale piece on their Instagram - so striking! Glad it found a good home.

Adding my Jungle Adventure pages. Wiacek inks. Great thread!

Hi Everyone. I got a bee in my bonnet for some Jungle Adventure pages and managed to dig up 3 (I had one prior), and in the process met some very nice collectors, including one in the town next to me. Thanks to everyone who contributed!

Rest easy, I didn't bid after seeing your post. I found your post after the fact when I wanted to post about the whole experience.

Did you guys see all the stuff from the estate of 'Rob Lubber' up on the HA site for this Feb auction?