• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Watchmen Original Art -- more or less desirable now?

Started by dem1138,

276 posts in this topic

J.Sid

J.Sid

Posted
Posted

My point was that that page had SIX good fully drawn panels with Rorsch on it. There are "Rorschach pages" out there which have one drawing of him and 8 panels of other stuff.

 

I'm looking at that glass as 80% full, not as 20% empty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
heartened

heartened

Posted
Posted

Absolutely! Can't argue with that. The 80% full is what get's it over 15K! Those other pages (50% full) usually end in the 10K range, while the rare 100% full page gets you over 20K :)

 

We're beating a dead horse here. I think we all agree it's a great page.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
stinkininkin

stinkininkin

Posted
Posted
Yeah, I hear that. Maybe I'm the only one with the problem with stats. But this particular page has stats of Rorschach, which is a problem for me. Obviously, the fact that I already have a great Rorschach page plays into this, and I can't predict what I would have done in the absence of my own (sans stat) page. That being said, I also think that people's standards change as the rarity of the art increases, such that the "I'll take what I can get" mentality comes out a little more often. True enough, if you really want a pure Rorschach page, this example may in fact be the only one for years. I think the last one on eBAY was the one I picked up, and that was around 4 years ago.

Hari, I can tell you that the stats affected ME! I would have been a player for this page had it not had the stat work. We all have reasons for why we will or won't go after pages, and this one crossed my own personal line. Nice page regardless.

 

Scott Williams

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nexus

Nexus

Posted
Posted

Speaking for myself, if I have the choice between an A page with a couple of stats, or a B/C page without stats, I'm going for the A page every time. Obviously, it depends on the contents of the stats...but in general, I wouldn't let the stat(s) be the dealbreaker for me. Especially for something like WM, where stats are used so liberally. I mean...most title logos/cover text are not hand-lettered, but stats. And yet, that doesn't deter anyone from wanting them.

 

Or, to put it another way, I'd take this one Rorschach page (with stats) at $18K+ over seven planets-type pages (no stats) at $2600 each.

 

Of course, I do realize that for some, it's A page w/o stats or nothing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
heartened

heartened

Posted
Posted
Speaking for myself, if I have the choice between an A page with a couple of stats, or a B/C page without stats, I'm going for the A page every time. Obviously, it depends on the contents of the stats...but in general, I wouldn't let the stat(s) be the dealbreaker for me. Especially for something like WM, where stats are used so liberally. I mean...most title logos/cover text are not hand-lettered, but stats. And yet, that doesn't deter anyone from wanting them.

 

Or, to put it another way, I'd take this one Rorschach page (with stats) at $18K+ over seven planets-type pages (no stats) at $2600 each.

 

Of course, I do realize that for some, it's A page w/o stats or nothing.

 

Yes, that last line summed it up nicely! I'd rather wait for the A page without stats, and pay the piper for it, than get a page I wasn't as excited about. We all compromise at times, though, and I certainly have.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
J.Sid

J.Sid

Posted
Posted

We all compromise at times, though, and I certainly have.

 

Of course you have. Every page every one of us has in our collections is a compromise. You buy a Watchmen page and it's: Why didn't you buy a KJ page. You buy a KJ page and it's: Why didn't you buy the KJ cover. etc, etc, etc... until we get to the Sistine Chapel.

 

"Man, that guy who bought the Book V title page really wussed out last week. He could have had the Sistine Chapel but instead he compromised and got a page with only five Rorschach drawings on it."

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nexus

Nexus

Posted
Posted

Hear, hear:)

 

I have no problem Hari and Scott's choice. For anything I'm after...the less competition, the better! :grin: So a win-win for all concerned.

 

Here's my page with stats:

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Page=1&Order=Date&Piece=509194&GSub=29068&GCat=0&UCat=0

 

This was on Ebay last month with a small, blurry pic. In person, the page looks great. The stats were reconfigured to cover up old text with the new narration. There's actually a little art here and there to patch spots and extend the art past where the panels originally ended.

 

We might be getting spoiled by all the choices, but I'm hoping this flood on Ebay continues!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nexus

Nexus

Posted
Posted

Verrry nice page. All things considered, this should have the second highest FMV of all the pages that have shown up on Ebay in the last couple of months. During the mania last year, this would have easily been a $15K+ page. Now, $12K-15K is probably a more realistic range. Obviously, anything can happen, but I don't see it going for $10K or less...if it does, I'll be very happy!

Link to comment
Share on other sites
heartened

heartened

Posted
Posted
you all really think that page is on par value-wise with say the miller dd or the byrne x-men page that just sold on heritage? i know they are tough but still.......

 

Those two went to 18K. I think 10-15K. And yes, I think it's a great page that's worthy of that price range. First issue of the series, multiple characters, great dialogue. Easily 10K, and up to 15K. I'd be surprised at higher, but it wouldn't be the first time :)

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Nexus

Nexus

Posted
Posted
you all really think that page is on par value-wise with say the miller dd or the byrne x-men page that just sold on heritage? i know they are tough but still.......

 

I think it's worth at least as much as the Miller and Byrne pages (and I'm a huge Miller fan) BUT I didn't think those were worth what they went for.

 

That's just my take and I'm obviously biased. In the long run, though, I think WM has a better chance to justify its value. The Miller/Byrne material's value is primarily nostalgic. Over time, that will fade. Yes, WM's value is also tied into nostalgia, but unlike Miller/Byrne, there are new fans of WM everyday. It transcends nostalgia. Anyone who has become a comics fan since the mid-80's has probably read WM. It's become required reading for this hobby. As great as the Miller DD and Byrne X-MEN runs were, they don't don't register on TPB best-seller lists the way WM has to this day. The bulk of the Miller/Byrne fanbase is rooted during their original runs whereas the WM fanbase is a lot wider/deeper.

 

As always, only time will tell. 90% of my collection is nostalgia-based, so what the hell do I know.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
J.Sid

J.Sid

Posted
Posted

Over time, that will fade. Yes, WM's value is also tied into nostalgia, but unlike Miller/Byrne, there are new fans of WM everyday. It transcends nostalgia. Anyone who has become a comics fan since the mid-80's has probably read WM. It's become required reading for this hobby. As great as the Miller DD and Byrne X-MEN runs were, they don't don't register on TPB best-seller lists the way WM has to this day. The bulk of the Miller/Byrne fanbase is rooted during their original runs whereas the WM fanbase is a lot wider/deeper.

 

 

I agree with what you say about the WM fanbase growing, but can new readers really have true nostalgia for the story?

 

Al Milgrom's Egghead story in Avengers 229 brings a smile to my face in a way that Cho/Bendis' beautiful, witty modern Avengers stories just can't. The reason? I was 8 when I read it.

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Eric Seffinga

Eric Seffinga

Posted
Posted

But how many more stories did you like when you were 8, that just suck goat nuts as an adult?

For me anyway, nostalgia is an ever evolving thing. I have "nostalgia" for books I read in the 90s just because I'm a different adult now than I was then, and they make me think of a different time.

 

Of course back to the topic at hand, you are assuming that someone that reads Watchmen now is the same age you are now. What's to say a 14yo isn't reading a copy of Watchmen somewhere right now because he liked the film or because it's a "must read" in the hobby? Unless he's a hardcore Marvel super-nerd of a 14yo digging back into the historical archives, he's probably not reading Avengers #229. Which makes Felix's point perfectly.

 

-e.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Go to topic listing