Benedict Judas Hel

On 5/1/2024 at 5:33 AM, Mighty Hal said:

Congratulations on your growing collection. I've been watching it grow with (until now) silent admiration.

Tsk. Another engineer turned C-list comic book villain. Art imitating life.

Thank you, Mighty H.!  It is surprising that my modest collection is deserving of any notice given being surrounded by individuals whose art collection dwarfs my meager pages with their illustrious pieces being drawn by such comic book luminaries as John Byrne, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Art Adams, Todd McFarlane and Mike Zeck (to name just a few).

And yes, I also blame my choice to major in chemical engineering when starting college as the catalyst to my career in supervillainy…

I got my second ever Heritage win today, the C-list homme mauvais, Cyclone from 1987 The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Book of the Dead Deluxe Edition Issue #16 Page 55 by Al Milgrom (pencils) and Joe Rubinstein (inks):

As it appears in the comic:

I got in my latest commission today from a recent Kickstarter project I backed (that also ended up being included in the book that was printed).  It is a 12” x 12” ink wash piece by Doug Gray featuring my 3 favorite Godzilla antagonists, Gigan, Mechagodzilla and King Ghidorah:

I just put stickers all over my portfolios.  I get them from various places (Kickstarters I back, internet orders from toy shops, sports teams, etc.) and I really don’t have any use for them so I just stick them on my portfolios.  I make my portfolios unique and I get a use out of the stickers…kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

Due to a surprising Ebay auction, I received my most recent Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe ‘89 Update art piece from Issue #5 Page 40, Persuasion by Ron Lim (pencils) and Joe Rubinstein (inks):

As it appears in print:

On 4/10/2024 at 7:06 AM, Noob19 said:

Honest question here, is $3-3.5k the range I should expect to page for a basic Rom panel page by Sal? 

On 4/14/2024 at 5:16 PM, thethedew said:

In my opinion, no.  You should be able to acquire a decent example for around half that.  Again, in my opinion.

I have to concur with thethedew.  I acquired my Sal Buscema ROM page featuring both ROM and Dire Wraiths at half your estimate.  I acquired mine through CAF (Comic Art Fans) from a fellow collector so it is definitely possible for you.  A little patience is required and just stating your desired budget constraints.  Good luck!

Here is the latest addition to Fighting Fantasy illustration homages.  This time it’s a 9” x 12” Rhino-Man by Derek Laufman:

Here is the original illustration by Russ Nicholson that appeared in 1983’s Citadel of Chaos:

As a lover of obscure villains and large art, I am glad to add 1987 Web of Spider-Man Annual #3 Page 36 “The Men-Fish” by Michael Nasser (pencils) and Carl Gafford (inks):

The published page:

On 2/7/2024 at 1:03 AM, mtlevy1 said:

...I know the artist but interested in seeing if folks can identify who drew this one before I post to my CAF

Bob Kane!  Definitely a Bob Kane!

Here’s an 11” x 17” cover homage commission by Dan Parent that was quite a while in the making:

And here is the original inspiration:

I voted on all categories last night and some were very hard to narrow to 5 choices as there were many excellent pieces in a couple of categories.

On 1/5/2024 at 11:11 AM, Dr. Balls said:

Does anyone care or obsess about having this type of provenance for their OA?

I buy a comic for each of the published art pages I have in my collection.  I do this for framing purposes as I like to include the page (if it’s an interior page) and the cover of the book it appears in in.

On 1/5/2024 at 8:45 AM, KirbyCollector said:

…aren't we all complicit in their behavior?

I placed my 5 entries fully expecting to receive under 10 votes total.  But here’s to punching upwards!

On 12/17/2023 at 12:17 AM, batman_fan said:

What are your 2024 OA Collecting Goals?

I have only a few goals this year and every year:

1) Add more Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition villains original art (also from The Book of the Dead and Update ‘89)

2) Add more villain-centric Marvel large art pages

3) Maybe some Cracked Magazine original art

4) I’d love to acquire an original Fighting Fantasy illustration

5) And finally, to hope beyond hope for an original Garbage Pail Kid illustration

On 12/2/2023 at 10:42 AM, Dr. Balls said:

What Keeps You from Buying a Piece 5X Your Normal Budget - Aside from Money?

Yeah, it’s just the money.  That’s pretty much enough for me…

Here is my second and final Comic Art Live purchase, IDW’s 2021 G.I. Joe Yearbook #3 Reprint Cover by Roi Mercado:

The published version:

Thanks to Jiggy and Roi for giving me the opportunity to add this awesome piece to my collection!

I got in my latest Fighting Fantasy game book homage commission.  This one is an 11” x 14” Armored Guard from 1985’s Space Assassin by Ron Randall:

Here is the original illustration by Geoffrey Senior: