RUBINSTEIN Commission !!! 2 days before the end of my ultimatum

[AtlasFan]

I've only been collecting commissions for about a year and I discovered that it involves A LOT of waiting...

[alxjhnsn]

Re: involves A LOT of waiting

It sure can, but there are exceptions. I've had unbelievably fast response from some folks. Here are a few examples:

• Thom Zahler of Love and Capes completed before I really got the request out.
  
• Fred Hembeck blazed through my S&S commission.
  
• Herb Trimpe was quick and professional
  
• Al Plastino at age 88 was faster than lightning.
• 
  

Of course, your mileage may vary, but there are some really fast people out there.

[jeremyslawsky]

Once again, were is Romain. Why post and then not come thru with any other info or updates?

[jeremyslawsky]

Once again, were is Romain. Why post and then not come thru with any other info or updates?

 

His first post said he would reply on Feb 4 (it's underlined). I'm not sure what time zone he is in, but for me (EST) it is early morning Feb 4, and your post was made one minute into Feb 4. He has time.

 

I understood it as that is when he would know if his art arrived.He didn't mention responding.

[Romain]

Guys I'm there ...at last !!!

I'll give you all the updates regarding the thread !!!

I've had news of Joe ( finally ) and honestly I'm not happy with it for the least ....!!!

I'm sorry I've had you wait but I honestly couldn't get back to the computer before now as I was away from home and far from the net for my work ...

 

I'll take the time to post every details so you can all be judge but basically I've been waiting for at least 3 full years ....I paid $1200 ( that's $400 above what he asked me for it and I suppose I'm a crazy guy ) volunteerly expecting to get a special attention !

Please note Joe inquired ME to do the commission as you may have noticed I don't do such things for my collection ....

 

Since then I've been getting excuses and promises and I've been called a rude person by Mr Spencer Beck whose help I hoped to receive before getting to this thread .......

Mr Beck wasn't involved in my transaction with Joe but looking at the Hamilton thread I thought I would try him as he now do rep for Joe R.

 

I won't be as much reactive on the board because of my work but be sure I'll be there anyway !!!!

 

Sorry Joe but it's definitly too late I will not wait anymore I don't expect anything from you but my money back so do the commission if you like and SELL it away ...........

 

 

[comix4fun]

I'm confused, you overpaid on a commission by 50% expecting to get special attention. Did Joe offer to do it faster for more money? Did you just send another 50% and hope?

 

Then you contacted Spencer Beck expecting him to fix it even though he didn't set it up?

 

I think we are missing a ton of facts because this doesn't make sense right now.

 

If you want to bring this matter to these boards and get an honest reaction you are going to have to tell us what the commission was, what the terms were, when it was promised exactly, what Joe told you, and all the details that will fill in the missing gaps.

 

I have commissions that are 4-5 years overdue myself, and I have commissioned (literally) over a hundred pieces of art over the years so I understand the process pretty well. There's no way I can tell what's going on without a lot more detail.

[Romain]

Wow I went through the mails and I need to adjust some facts .....

The numbers are wrong ... actually I paid $1200 but I never paid 50% more ..

The story is we agreed first for a redo of the AA#7 cover art for which he would have charged $500 but I wanted a mix of two covers instead of a plain copy ( I've always preferred the originals.. ) so I asked to get the Dreadstar cast instead of the Avengers and Thanos and for that he was asking $650 ...That's when I offered him $50 bonus ( that's far from the numbers I mentionned in my last post, sorry but as time goes the memory gets lost ) for extra care ...

THEN I thought to offer him $1200 for a blend of the two covers AA#7 and Dreadstar #1 so that would make a straight recreation of two covers joined together ( his rates should have been $1K ) !!!

I indeed tried Mr Beck who wasn't involved in the situation not to fix it but to help me ...here is a copy of my mail :

Hello Mr Beck

I read about you and it appeared you solved the problems with Earl Hamilton' commissions and I see you rep Joe Rubinstein who has been owing me a commission for three years already !!!!!

The last two mails I sent him remain unanswered and last time he swore it would be ready for the beginning ofthis month...I'm really tired to wait, please note that I volunteered to pay extra money to Mr Rubinstein three years back so the commission I have been waiting for that much time cost me $1200 instead of the $800 I was supposed to pay !!!!! all paid a long time ago ...

I've threatened several times to expose him on the board and the CAF and the whole market, to get a lawyer but I have a last glimpse of hope maybe you can help me as you helped other ??

 

What irritates me the most is to see all the exposure Joe has for his commissions on CAF or at yours while he just dispise a true and old fan like me just because I live far from him and therefore can't come up and punch him in the face like he desserves ...

 

Looking forward to hearing back from you,

 

All the best,

Romain Verlier

 

And follows the answer :

I have spoken to Joe Rubinstein about your issue and could resolve your issue pretty easily. However, since I was not involved in the original transaction and you cannot be bothered to apologize for the rude comments you made in your previous email ... I am not going to pursue this issue any longer.

You are a rude person and I do not wish to be involved with you any longer.

Your problems are not mine ... Please do not contact me again about this matter.

Good luck and learn how to be polite when asking someone for a FAVOR.

Spencer R. Beck

The Artist's Choice

http://www.theartistschoice.com

 

 

 

 

[Mephisto]

I think the punching in the face was a bit over the top and I think had you left that type of comment out of your email to Spencer he probably would have been willing to help you since he now reps Joe.

[Dr_Strange]

while understanding your frustration, threatening to assault an artist is at the very least bad form . . . . not really the way to go about things ?

[Romain]

However, since I was not involved in the original transaction and you cannot be bothered to apologize for the rude comments you made in your previous email ... I am not going to pursue this issue any longer.

Spencer R. Beck

 

 

 

 

Need to say it was the second time ever I sent a message to this man, first one was 3 years ago when I was trying to reach Jim Starlin so I don't have a clue what rude comments he be referring to or maybe was it a mail I sent to Joe ?

 

How did I end up there ?

7 years ago I discovered internet, at that time I was a better comic collector than a comic art collector ...

I then quickly fell in the comic art market ...

I tried to reach Jim Starlin for my AA#7 commission and I ended up with Joe's email who invited me to reach Spencer Beck and even gave me supposedly Jim's personnal email...

I never could reach Jim despite several attempts ...

 

Later on I managed to track the grail cover of the AA#7 but it was a dead end ...unfortunatly it moved since and I lost track of it once again ....

 

Years later on I bought a OHOTMU piece and Joe reached me through ebay trying to sell me some commission work as he did all the inking of the OHOTMU pages ..

I then reminded him of the commission I wanted from Jim Starlin I definitly couldn't reach and he offered to do it and he sounded like it would be really fast !!!

 

I can give Joe 6 month credit as I didn't pay at once and did several multiple payments still he always talked of getting to it as soon as the first payment would fall ( July 08 )

 

We talked over the commission from March 08 to June 08 and it is true I always said to Joe he could take all the time he needed but 3 years ??!!

 

You know folks I could have waited even more time but some facts have gotten to me and while I was among the old fashionned fans so naive and kind I learned Joe was actively seeking more commission works to good CAF friends of mine, that other collector were waiting and waiting, THAT is NOT FAIR !

 

Even worse I see the AA#7 straight recreation coming up at Kirk Dilbeck's CAF ( Patron-of-art ) !!??!!! Guess who did it ??

 

It's only on Oct 09 that I reached Joe again inquiring about my awaited and coveted commission and SINCE that date all I have gotten are promises of next month delivery and excuses ( poor excuses should I add )

 

Later on I see A sweet watercolor recreation of SS#1 ( Buscema's ) on Joe's CAF and I leave a comment saying I'll buy it as soon as I get the commission ready and he instantly replied it's YOURS as soon as finish your commission work !!!

 

Later later on ( pretty recently actually ) he keeps on apologizing as I changed my sweet and friendly tone to a threat mode he offers to give me extra work ...I say ok for the SS watercolor but it was GONE and sold already ....!!!!

 

I didn't want to think the man be evil or anything like that, I was an eager fan and a most friendly one ( he inked my favorite book for God sake ! ) but honestly I think he despises me big time and that speaks for itself !!!

 

Now if you want to give your 2 cents don't hesitate but know that I do the thread to express my desire for revenge and justice !!!!

 

At the time I went for the commission I wasn't the collector I am today, I didn't have all the contacts I have today and I say Mr Rubinstein pulled the wrong horse !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

 

[Romain]

I never threatened to assault any artist but I gladly assumed the artists desserved a glove !!! Come on guys !!!! I can read posts a lot more rude than that on the board .......!:!!!!:::

[bryan91]

I have to agree. You saying that you want to punch him in the face was not necessary and I don't see how you think that would help your cause in getting Spencer to help you out.

 

I would think if you had left that part out he would of gladly helped you.

[Dr_Strange]

Romain, your email wasnt a post on a robust message board, it was a private email to an artists rep, where you intimated you wanted to punch him.

While again ,seeing how you can become frustrated, your email certainly didnt help you.

[Romain]

Maybe so...Still I believe his answer is twice as rude as my image ...nevertheless I totally lost the thrill toward this commission I'm just saying and I believe it heals my frutration !!!!

What I wanted when I said that to Spencer was to get Joe to actually answer to my mails since it was 2 months after his ultimate promise of delivery and he went dark despite my messages ...

And honestly do you thnik I would have been happy to get Joe to do the work I paid for 2 years ago and a half ago just because someone interfered ? Oh no !! twice no !!!

 

[jeremyslawsky]

So aside from the punch in the face comment and all the other confusing comments of your posts (over paying).

 

I do agree with the fact that Joe solicited people when he should be getting his current commission list caught up. I've commented on a piece of art on Caf that he was involved in and not to long after I've received a message from Joe. I know for a fact he's done that to many other people. That's how I got involved in my Rubenstein commission which took close to 8 months I believe. However once I received it I was pleased.

[Romain]

I'm victim of a fraud that's pretty clear to me !!!

 

You know Jeremy when I agreed to purchase the commission I used all the respect a fan could give hoping to get the best out of the artist and not to get a bored and quick work and some freebies to get rid of the rude frenchie...I waited and Beck's reply was the last stroke and since then my boiling blood has transmuted to lava needing to erupt !

I collect vintage comic art so I won't bother a commission work as beautiful as it could be, I just don't care !!

Sure I miss my money as I owe many friends who are waiting on me ...and I know for a fact I will never see that money again .........it's OK I've been ripped off already and I didn't die over it !!!

What I can't swallow is the deception for the old school fan that I am !!!

That's why it's too late, that's my frustration and not a collector's frustration !!!

 

Finally Rubinstein is advertising on CAF, comiclink, he's got reps ..I mean he's very active and I believe everybody should know what can happen to them when dealing with him !!!!

that's my

 

I will reach Bill Cox that's for sure !!

I won't go to any lawyer unless we be many to build a case for I don't afford such services so maybe next time in LA I'll test my dragon kick ??!

[Terry Doyle]

I won't go to any lawyer unless we be many to build a case for I don't afford such services so maybe next time in LA I'll test my dragon kick ??!

 

So . . . if the punch to the head doesn't knock him out . . . the dragon kick is sure to finish him off, eh?

[comix4fun]

Maybe so...Still I believe his answer is twice as rude as my image :

 

 

 

I think you might find yourself alone in that belief.

 

You've been wronged and an artist has not kept his promise to you. I understand that. It's happened to me over a dozen times. It's happening right now with 3 different artists (all over 3 years overdue). That can make anyone mad.

 

HOWEVER, now you are dragging people into your transaction with Joe that had NOTHING to do with the deal. You are casting aspersions at Spencer because you are mad at Joe. The only reason to post something like this here is to gain public sympathy and have that put pressure on Joe. That's a real and powerful thing. You aren't going to get that sympathy when you attack innocent people.

 

By the way, did you ask Spencer for his permission before posting his personal email to you on a message board? That's kind of rude in and of itself.

 

Maybe it's the international language gap but coming at an artist's representative, that you don't know and never met, the way you did talking about punching his client in the face regarding a deal he has nothing to do with you should probably be pleased all he did was call you rude.

 

For someone who's NOT threatening an artist physically you are certainly throwing the words "punch" and "dragon kick" rather easily.

[Romain]

That was a little note of humor in case you believe I'm a GI Joe !!!!

It's strange how you focus on the meaningless and don't be concerned by the major content of the thread ..... Or is my english so poor that no one undertsands ??

Believe me if I go to LA one day in my life I'll have other things to do than bothering Mr "promises and excuses" Rubinstein

[Romain]

Maybe so...Still I believe his answer is twice as rude as my image :

 

 

 

 

HOWEVER, now you are dragging people into your transaction with Joe that had NOTHING to do with the deal. You are casting aspersions at Spencer because you are mad at Joe. The only reason to post something like this here is to gain public sympathy and have that put pressure on Joe. That's a real and powerful thing. You aren't going to get that sympathy when you attack innocent people.

I have to disagree ( sorry ! )

I specifically said Mr Beck wasn't involved and I don't say nothing wrong about him but I got this mail and I believe Joe is the cause of my new relationship which started quite bad and that adds up with the commission issue !

 

By the way, did you ask Spencer for his permission before posting his personal email to you on a message board? That's kind of rude in and of itself.

I won't email this person anymore ...that exactly what he asks me so what ?

 

Maybe it's the international language gap all he did was call you rude.

maybe so ? I personnally took it VERY badly and he lectured me which I didn't like either !!!

 

For someone who's NOT threatening an artist physically you are certainly throwing the words "punch" and "dragon kick" rather easily.