Cover to Cover

[Guest Grails]

Does anyone own the complete original art to a book from cover to cover? Would love to hear some stories as to why and how you acquired all the pages. Also from anyone who is currently working on this task trying to complete an issue.

[mrpunch0]

I've got many of the fight pages from one of my favorite books - bought them all in one lump from another collector. Haven't found ANY since.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=2062

[Steve Morger]

I picked up the interiors to Ironjaw #2 by Pablo Marcos directly from Pablo years ago. In a separate deal, I picked with Neal Adams cover to Ironjaw #1. I found out that one of my friends had Neal's cover to #2 so we did a trade. Not a well known title, but the pieces of art by Pablo and Neal are all very strong. I also grew up when the Atlas/Seaboard titles came out so also have the sentimental attachment there as well. Best, Steve Morger.

[TLC55555]

I've got 37 of 90 pages of Batman: Red Rain. However, I probably won't be picking any more up for a while, as Kelley Jones owns most (if not all) of them . If anyone knows where any are, let me know. I would certainly reward any leads that end up in me owning a page.

 

Red Rain

[Brian Peck]

Most know that I am a HUGE Jean Grey collector and the big event in 1994 was the marriage of Jean Grey to Scott Summer in the pages of X-Men #30. So I had to get the art to that, but it wouldn't be an easy as Andy Kubert like his brother Adam and father Joe didn't sell his artwork.

A couple of years later Spiderwebart had the cover for sale and I was able to aquire it. The first step and usually the cover is the hardest piece to find. No interior page had showed up on the market up to that point.

In 2000, Spencer Beck was selling art for Matt Ryan, I inquire if Matt has pages from the wedding issue. He did and to my surprise he had 1/3 of the book (inkers share) so I bought them. Then Spencer informs he knows Andy and he can inquire if he has the rest of the book. Spencer says he does and would be willing to sell them, but it won't be cheap. The price was high but well worth it to me, but....... Andy had only 12 pages and along with Matt's 7 I was still 3 pages short. Neither Andy or Matt had sold any of the pages before, what had become of the three pages? Stolen for Marvel offices? Lost in the mail? I was stumped. Was soo close.

Fast forward 6 years.

I received an email from Spencer Beck he wanted me to call him. When I did he had a story to tell me:

They were cleaning out the basement of the Joe Kubert School of Art, I think they were renovating it. They found a rusted out old desk belonging to Andy Kubert. Andy said just to throw it out since it was useless but when they started to dismantle it to move it they found.......

a ton of original art by Andy including 50 plus covers..........

an envelope containing three pages from..............

X-Men #30

Andy mentioned this to Spencer who remembered someone one was trying to put the book back together. He then contacted me.

With Spencer's help I was able to do a deal with Andy for the three remaining pages.

A 12 years quest to get the complete book has ended. I was so thrilled.

 

 

I never like using the word grail, but completing this book was the top of my wantlist for those 12 years.

 

The whole book is in my CAF http://cafurl.com?i=2479

 

Of course there is another book that I just need three page to complete (have the cover), Uncanny X-Men #308 which is the issue where Jean proposes to Scott. Would be nice to have both X-Men #30 and Uncanny X-Men #308 they kind of bookend each other.

 

 

[Mister Trent]

I have the complete book of art (cover and interiors) to the 1946 EC Pre-Trend title, PICTURE STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY # 2.

 

 

Sometime this week, I'm expecting the complete book of art to the 1947 EC title, PICTURE STORIES FROM AMERICAN HISTORY # 1.

 

 

How did I put the books together?

 

I didn't - they were auctioned as complete books of art.

 

I was really only interested in the covers, as that's what I mainly collect nowadays.

[TLC55555]

Most know that I am a HUGE Jean Grey collector and the big event in 1994 was the marriage of Jean Grey to Scott Summer in the pages of X-Men #30. So I had to get the art to that, but it wouldn't be an easy as Andy Kubert like his brother Adam and father Joe didn't sell his artwork.

A couple of years later Spiderwebart had the cover for sale and I was able to aquire it. The first step and usually the cover is the hardest piece to find. No interior page had showed up on the market up to that point.

In 2000, Spencer Beck was selling art for Matt Ryan, I inquire if Matt has pages from the wedding issue. He did and to my surprise he had 1/3 of the book (inkers share) so I bought them. Then Spencer informs he knows Andy and he can inquire if he has the rest of the book. Spencer says he does and would be willing to sell them, but it won't be cheap. The price was high but well worth it to me, but....... Andy had only 12 pages and along with Matt's 7 I was still 3 pages short. Neither Andy or Matt had sold any of the pages before, what had become of the three pages? Stolen for Marvel offices? Lost in the mail? I was stumped. Was soo close.

Fast forward 6 years.

I received an email from Spencer Beck he wanted me to call him. When I did he had a story to tell me:

They were cleaning out the basement of the Joe Kubert School of Art, I think they were renovating it. They found a rusted out old desk belonging to Andy Kubert. Andy said just to throw it out since it was useless but when they started to dismantle it to move it they found.......

a ton of original art by Andy including 50 plus covers..........

an envelope containing three pages from..............

X-Men #30

Andy mentioned this to Spencer who remembered someone one was trying to put the book back together. He then contacted me.

With Spencer's help I was able to do a deal with Andy for the three remaining pages.

A 12 years quest to get the complete book has ended. I was so thrilled.

 

I never like using the word grail, but completing this book was the top of my wantlist for those 12 years.

 

The whole book is in my CAF http://cafurl.com?i=2479

 

Of course there is another book that I just need three page to complete (have the cover), Uncanny X-Men #308 which is the issue where Jean proposes to Scott. Would be nice to have both X-Men #30 and Uncanny X-Men #308 they kind of bookend each other.

 

 

Great story!!!!! Congrats on getting it all together!

[AvengersFan]

Hey Brian,

That really is a great story, thanks for sharing.

Jay

[GotSuperPowers?]

Hey All,

 

I have the complete art, (cover, cover cel and interiors) for Madman Comics 3. I got it in a trade deal with Mike Allred himself about 6 years ago now.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryRoom.asp?GSub=36623

 

The cel (painted colour guide, done animation cel style) was got later on so that was an added bonus!

 

The biggest trade I've ever pulled off, and I can't imagine ever beating it!

 

Cheers

Simon

[Jesusjon]

Brian,

 

Amazing story re: X Men #30. The stars really needed to align for that all to happen. Even better, that's an incredible cover! CONGRATS!!

 

J

[tilleycs]

Brian - fantastic story, thanks for sharing, and good for you!! Great ending to a long search!

[mtlevy]

Picked up the complete book to Iron Man 243 from Bob Layton (Layton pencils / BWS inks)...have one of the nicest pages in my CAF

 

http://cafurl.com?i=9457

 

 

[wktam]

I have the complete art to Captain Marvel Vol3 #11 which came out in 2000. It features a story where the current Captain Marvel meets his father from an alternate universe. Great one-shot story with art by the classic Starlin/Milgrom team.

 

I bought the complete interiors from Mitch of Graphic Collectibles but the cover had already been purchased by another Starlin collector. This collector was nice enough to sell me the cover several years later.

 

Here's a link to the art on my CAF

 

CAF Link

[Par2ch]

I was lucky to find a few pages from Kingdom #2 by Mike Zeck. I am a HUUUGE Zeck fan and Superman OA fan and this was one of only a handful of times Mike drew Superman.

 

I would love to one day complete the book but neither Mike nor John Beatty know where the other pages are. One collector on CAF does have the complete Pre-lims to the issue.

[Ares]

I was lucky to find a few pages from Kingdom #2 by Mike Zeck. I am a HUUUGE Zeck fan and Superman OA fan and this was one of only a handful of times Mike drew Superman.

 

I would love to one day complete the book but neither Mike nor John Beatty know where the other pages are. One collector on CAF does have the complete Pre-lims to the issue.

 

Not to be an AZZ but I own The Kingdom Issue 2 Page 9

I dont plan on selling anytime soon but i'll keep you in mind if I do

[Ares]

I was lucky to find a few pages from Kingdom #2 by Mike Zeck. I am a HUUUGE Zeck fan and Superman OA fan and this was one of only a handful of times Mike drew Superman.

 

I would love to one day complete the book but neither Mike nor John Beatty know where the other pages are. One collector on CAF does have the complete Pre-lims to the issue.

 

The member who owns those pages Is a member here

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showprofile&User=3875

 

[mister_not_so_nice]

Does anyone own the complete original art to a book from cover to cover? Would love to hear some stories as to why and how you acquired all the pages. Also from anyone who is currently working on this task trying to complete an issue.

 

Let's see, I've got:

1) Two complete PREACHER issues with no hope in site of ever owning a cover.

2) about 7 pages shy of putting together a third complete PREACHER issue, again no cover

3) complete LUCIFER 73 , but the cover does nothing for me, so not even on the list

4) and almost complete LUCIFER 14 inclusing cover and I would love to get the rest of the pages for this issue (as well as issue 33 and any other LUCIFER pages by ORMSTON )

5) I've got about 30 3 page stories from QUEBEC EROTIQUE by James LeMay

 

The complete PREACHER books I purchased that way. The third almost complete has just been slow gathering over the years.

 

LUCIFER 73 I purchased directly from the artist, sight unseen becuase I love his art so much.

 

LUCIFER 14 I was lucky enough to get the cover from SPLASHPAGE. I couldn't believe it was still listed for as long as it was. To me it is one of the best covers of the run. And initially I wanted to get just the first 7 pages from the issue because it tells a sort of mini story within the issue, but when Eder had a bunch of other pages for sale, how could I pass it up?