Panel Pages or no Panel Pages...

[Brian Peck]

Like many have posted I like panel pages for the stories they tell. I have many more panel pages than splashes or covers. Though I rarely collect any panel pages done after the mid 90s when they started doing all the lettering digitally (there are exception). Comic Books for me are not just the pretty picture but the story and dialog. Many of my favorite comics are for the story not just the images.

So far this year 3/4 of my acquisitions have been panel pages.

[USArmyParatrooper]

Being a brand new, aspiring OA collector I'm breaking from conventional wisdom and solely looking at covers, splashes and commissions. Reason being I want to hang them on my wall and have them present themselves as if they were made to be hung there.

 

That's not to say I will never buy a panel page, though.

[adamstrange]

I have some stories, some individual panel pages, some splashes and some covers. Sometimes a splash/cover has a big "impact" while on other occasions the panel pages have the art/story that really draw you in. Some covers are too rare and expensive and I happily settle for a nice panel page.

[LastRaven]

Being a brand new, aspiring OA collector I'm breaking from conventional wisdom and solely looking at covers, splashes and commissions. Reason being I want to hang them on my wall and have them present themselves as if they were made to be hung there.

 

That's not to say I will never buy a panel page, though.

 

That's a good point. Generally speaking if you want something more as a display piece, then you probably should go for large features with "poster like" qualities. I definitely think that's a great reason to buy covers / splashes over panels. Sometimes, they're just hard to see.

 

I've really only hung up my splashes / covers myself since the panel pages I have don't display terribly well.

[mister_not_so_nice]

If you display the right panel page, especially one with a bunch of tiny print, it can be as captivating as a splash or cover

 

I think the bottom line is there is no "best" type. There are pros and cons to any example. Some panels display better than some covers, and some splashes display better than some panels pages and so on.

[Rodey]

Basically, if the panel page has is pizzazz...got for it.

 

Thank you Mr Not So Nice. hehehe

[chromium]

Though I rarely collect any panel pages done after the mid 90s when they started doing all the lettering digitally (there are exception). Comic Books for me are not just the pretty picture but the story and dialog. Many of my favorite comics are for the story not just the images.

So far this year 3/4 of my acquisitions have been panel pages.

 

I agree with this 100%; I love panel pages as for me this the "true" comic art form. Panel pages are unique to comic books, while splash pages and covers tend to crossover to all kinds of art. Nothing better than sequential panels that convey a slowly evolving story. The fact that a good panel page almost guides your eyes automatically.

I love a nice cover or splash as much as the next guy, but I've always been a bigger fan of the story and the history (margin notes, white-out, re-drawn parts) than the art itself.

[Pete Marino]

I love margin notes... I feel like it's just a cool "director's cut" look into the development of the page / story.

 

Plus to non-OA collectors I think it helps make it click how the process works when you can see the artist making notes for the Inker and the Colorist all on 1 page.

 

This is another thing that just doesn't exist on modern art.

[Rodey]

Ok. So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you have an awesome panel page from Neal Adams and an awesome splash page from Neal Adams. Both priced within your budget.

 

Which one do you choose?

[Speedy-D]

Ok. So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you have an awesome panel page from Neal Adams and an awesome splash page from Neal Adams. Both priced within your budget.

 

Which one do you choose?

I try really hard not to fall into the trap of "splash is automatically better," and buy the one I like to look at more. If we're talking Neal Adams BA GL or Batman, that might well be the panel page. He was pretty badass at the whole storytelling thing back in the day.

 

Of course, some of his splashes and covers are so powerful, you're just blinded to anything else and have to own it.

[Claudio]

Ok. So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you have an awesome panel page from Neal Adams and an awesome splash page from Neal Adams. Both priced within your budget.

 

Which one do you choose?

 

Comparable storyline, characters, etc? The splash. That is why splashes are generally higher. Most people would go with the splash. If they are priced the same, it is either mispriced or the content is substantially different.

[Pete Marino]

I think a more relevant question would be.

 

4 solid panel pages or 1 splash.

 

Since that's generally the rule of thumb....

[Rodey]

I think a more relevant question would be.

 

4 solid panel pages or 1 splash.

 

Since that's generally the rule of thumb....

 

Ok that makes more sense. I'm a newb to the OA field.

 

So any artist you collect, you have presented to you 4 solid panel pages or 1 splash. Same storyline. What do you do?

[alxjhnsn]

It depends on the pages in question - at least for me.

 

Though I will say that I'd rather have 1 page of well told story than 4 pages. I simply don't have the space for long runs of pages.

[Speedy-D]

Ok. So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you have an awesome panel page from Neal Adams and an awesome splash page from Neal Adams. Both priced within your budget.

 

Which one do you choose?

 

Comparable storyline, characters, etc? The splash. That is why splashes are generally higher. Most people would go with the splash. If they are priced the same, it is either mispriced or the content is substantially different.

Not priced the same, just both within your budget.

[AvengersFan]

Here again you have to ask yourself are you collecting to amass a huge collection or the very best pages you can get. Kirby large art from the 60's display well on the wall as they tell a fairly simple story in large easy to navigate panels. Newer pages with no dialog and small panels just don't present up on the wall as well....of course as Alex pointed out the Black Canary shots of that type will always stand out and everything we say is a generalization. Covers and splash pages just generally look better on the wall in frames from my point of view.

But you need to purchase what looks better from YOUR point of view. Don't ever buy what you think others will think is cool, thats the whole wrong appraoch to any hobby. If you are thinking about comic art as an investment the easy days are long gone of everything rising in price. Only the best examples by the better artists have significant room for growth, again just my opinion. Buy it because you love it, panel or splash, not because you think it may generate hits on CAF or appreciate in value, or because anyone else thinks its cool.

 

[Rodey]

Right, I'm not including investment value or CAF popularity. (although those are pluses)

 

Gun to your head, which one do you take and you can only take one type of thing. If people want to post pics and make us choose, that's cool too. Just having fun with the idea at this point.

[Pirate]

Ok. So let's say, hypothetically speaking, you have an awesome panel page from Neal Adams and an awesome splash page from Neal Adams. Both priced within your budget.

 

Which one do you choose?

 

no brainer for me, splash

[pinupcartoonguy]

One argument I hear frequently is that splashes/covers look better framed on the wall--you'd be surprise how many collectors have almost nothing framed up. I like splashes as much as the next guy, but I mostly collect for nostalgia, and for that, nothing beats a panel page from a key sequence of a story.

 

Thought I have some pages that are worth a fair chunk o' change, this is that page I'd probably give up last:

 

ASM 226

[Terry Doyle]

One argument I hear frequently is that splashes/covers look better framed on the wall--you'd be surprise how many collectors have almost nothing framed up.

 

 

I don't know how it is for the rest of you guys, but I'm limited to displaying comic art in my study, for no other reason than my wife doesn't want comic art plastered around the rest of the house.

 

Generally, I favor covers - but have collected (and continue to collect) a whole range of artworks.

 

I like the fact that covers are self-contained (standalone) pieces of art and, as with the above example, are designed to intrigue . . . make you want to buy the comic-book and read the story behind the captivating cover image.

 

With a lot of modern-day covers, I'm seeing a lot of pin-up type macho-postering character images - which I find pretty boring.