Dark Knight Returns #2 on Heritage

[jbud73]

The #1 cover won't come up for sale.

Believe me when I tell you this.

 

MI

 

Is there an image of the OA to #1 out there? If its on CAF just say that and I will find it.

[artdealer]

I would be surprised if there were an image of the original on the internet.

 

MI

[Nexus]

Mitch, is there a separate painted/color piece for the #2 cover?

 

Along those lines...is there a separate pen/ink piece to #1?

[Bronty]

Batman looks like he's struggling to fit inside the cover ("Must scrunch down and make myself smaller...grrr!").

 

I agree, if there was a lot more white space I may find this page more interesting.

 

I couldnt disagree more. The whole point of this cover was to make batman look big and pizzed off. So he squeezed batman into the box to make him look bigger, make him look like he is busting out. The unusually small lines he is using are for the same effect. Ie if the wrinkles on batmans costume below his bicep are that small they imply his bicep and the rest of him by extension, is freaking huge.

 

I think its a wonderful and at the time extraordinarily novel cover.

[Speedy-D]

Batman looks like he's struggling to fit inside the cover ("Must scrunch down and make myself smaller...grrr!").

 

I agree, if there was a lot more white space I may find this page more interesting.

 

I couldnt disagree more. The whole point of this cover was to make batman look big and pizzed off. So he squeezed batman into the box to make him look bigger, make him look like he is busting out. The unusually small lines he is using are for the same effect. Ie if the wrinkles on batmans costume below his bicep are that small they imply his bicep and the rest of him by extension, is freaking huge.

 

I think its a wonderful and at the time extraordinarily novel cover.

Yeah, it's always been the worst of the DKR covers.

[Bronty]

If by worst you mean best....

[Lago32]

Wow, I'm pretty surprised there is so much debate on the artistic merit of this DKR cover.

 

This is "the" DKR cover in my eyes. Not to mention it's the only bloody one out of the four that is actually rendered and looks like it took Miller more than 10 minutes to pull together...

 

 

[Shemp]

Mitch, is there a separate painted/color piece for the #2 cover?

 

Along those lines...is there a separate pen/ink piece to #1?

 

The DKR #1 cover is a collaboration between FM and Lynn Varley. Frank pencilled the Batman, Lynn painted the cover.

 

MI

[glenbru]

Please don't tell me its under your pillow, Mitch.

[Speedy-D]

If by worst you mean best....

[Bronty]

Wow, I'm pretty surprised there is so much debate on the artistic merit of this DKR cover.

 

 

I'm shocked as well. I'm noticing that whenever there is a major piece for sale, people seem to feel the need to cut it down. In addition to all the azz shot stuff, there was calling the asm 328 cover a "groin punch" etc.

 

I really don't know why people need to cut down these major pieces other than perhaps some misplaced jealousy? I really can't imagine what comic collector who grew up in the 80s wouldn't love to own any dark knight page, let alone what to me is along with the cover to #1 (just as good but very different) *the* piece to have. I also really liked the frontispiece to the S/N hardcover.

[batman_fan]

Wow, I'm pretty surprised there is so much debate on the artistic merit of this DKR cover.

 

 

I'm shocked as well. I'm noticing that whenever there is a major piece for sale, people seem to feel the need to cut it down. In addition to all the azz shot stuff, there was calling the asm 328 cover a "groin punch" etc.

 

I really don't know why people need to cut down these major pieces other than perhaps some misplaced jealousy? I really can't imagine what comic collector who grew up in the 80s wouldn't love to own any dark knight page, let alone what to me is along with the cover to #1 (just as good but very different) *the* piece to have. I also really liked the frontispiece to the S/N hardcover.

 

I don't think jealousy has anything to do with the dislike for the cover (at least not for me). I just don't care for the image at all. I absolutely love the DKR splash that Heritage just sold with Bruce hugging Robin. To me that is one of the best pages from any of the four issues. Several people made negative comments about it, does that mean they are jealous? I don't think so. Just different strokes for different folks. (thumbs u

[Silver Surfer]

Zero jealousy on my part more one of curiosity as you would think that usually great art = great demand and strong prices. The ASM #328 sale makes no sense to me but why wouldn't we discuss the artistic merit of this cover, are people buying for the love of the art or for perceived value down the road? Importance aside let's be honest the art work will never get a "classic" notation.

[Bronty]

Wow, I'm pretty surprised there is so much debate on the artistic merit of this DKR cover.

 

 

I'm shocked as well. I'm noticing that whenever there is a major piece for sale, people seem to feel the need to cut it down. In addition to all the azz shot stuff, there was calling the asm 328 cover a "groin punch" etc.

 

I really don't know why people need to cut down these major pieces other than perhaps some misplaced jealousy? I really can't imagine what comic collector who grew up in the 80s wouldn't love to own any dark knight page, let alone what to me is along with the cover to #1 (just as good but very different) *the* piece to have. I also really liked the frontispiece to the S/N hardcover.

 

I don't think jealousy has anything to do with the dislike for the cover (at least not for me). I just don't care for the image at all. I absolutely love the DKR splash that Heritage just sold with Bruce hugging Robin. To me that is one of the best pages from any of the four issues. Several people made negative comments about it, does that mean they are jealous? I don't think so. Just different strokes for different folks. (thumbs u

 

Fair enough and honest opinions like that which aren't cutting down another piece I totally get.

 

I can understand not liking the image perhaps with today's eyes. With 1986 eyes its a pretty revolutionary image though. ... and here we are having an andy warhol debate again! ( ie Do you value the intrinsic artistry or the greater context of the work).

[Bronty]

Zero jealousy on my part more one of curiosity as you would think that usually great art = great demand and strong prices. The ASM #328 sale makes no sense to me but why wouldn't we discuss the artistic merit of this cover, are people buying for the love of the art or for perceived value down the road? Importance aside let's be honest the art work will never get a "classic" notation.

 

sure, the 328 was a shocker for almost everybody. I'll never get that price either.

 

But I think this is a piece that would surprise precisely no one if it sold for several hundred thousand. Its from one of the defining works of the decade, by one of the defining artists of the decade, from a series that has already had an interior page sell for huge money, from an artist that has sold for big money several times etc etc.

 

As such, I see no need to cut it down as "constipated batman" but maybe I'm being the fun police and taking it too seriously. Its all good, but to me this is a TRULY A+ level piece *regardless* of whether or not one likes the image.

[buttock]

Zero jealousy on my part more one of curiosity as you would think that usually great art = great demand and strong prices. The ASM #328 sale makes no sense to me but why wouldn't we discuss the artistic merit of this cover, are people buying for the love of the art or for perceived value down the road? Importance aside let's be honest the art work will never get a "classic" notation.

 

sure, the 328 was a shocker for almost everybody. I'll never get that price either.

 

But I think this is a piece that would surprise precisely no one if it sold for several hundred thousand. Its from one of the defining works of the decade, by one of the defining artists of the decade, from a series that has already had an interior page sell for huge money, from an artist that has sold for big money several times etc etc.

 

As such, I see no need to cut it down as "constipated batman" but maybe I'm being the fun police and taking it too seriously. Its all good, but to me this is a TRULY A+ level piece *regardless* of whether or not one likes the image.

 

You're looking at it from the perspective of a comic collector. If you showed this to an average joe, they'd likely say, "he looks constipated." It's really a grotesque image the way it's executed.

[Bronty]

who cares what average joe thinks? I have no doubt that it was absolutely meant to be a grotesque image. He's beaten but not broken. The book is called "dark knight triumphant" after all.

 

I don't mean to sound like a fanboy. I just don't understand holding the artist's obvious intent against him.

 

Ehhh, I better get back to work.

[Silver Surfer]

C'mon the beef-a-roni diarreha Batman comment made you laugh. I still don't get all the hype as even the DK#3 cover at $448K boggles my mind. I can think of dozens of other issues that have as much if not more "importance" for their era that would fetch only a fraction of $448K. The highest prices on Heritage for a Kirby page is only $155k, same for Ditko, Byrne $65K, most Adams pages are under $20K. I guess my point is that for the most part the art work from this DK series pales in comparison to the above noted giants of this industry and I don't think that Miller was so cutting edge that he is head and shoulders of anything we have seen hit the market over the last 10 years.

[jjonahjameson1]

Zero jealousy on my part more one of curiosity as you would think that usually great art = great demand and strong prices. The ASM #328 sale makes no sense to me but why wouldn't we discuss the artistic merit of this cover, are people buying for the love of the art or for perceived value down the road? Importance aside let's be honest the art work will never get a "classic" notation.

 

sure, the 328 was a shocker for almost everybody. I'll never get that price either.

 

But I think this is a piece that would surprise precisely no one if it sold for several hundred thousand. Its from one of the defining works of the decade, by one of the defining artists of the decade, from a series that has already had an interior page sell for huge money, from an artist that has sold for big money several times etc etc.

 

As such, I see no need to cut it down as "constipated batman" but maybe I'm being the fun police and taking it too seriously. Its all good, but to me this is a TRULY A+ level piece *regardless* of whether or not one likes the image.

 

Well, he does look constipated, and my comment wasn't meant to cut it down. He simply looks constipated to me. I didn't comment on the Ditko ASM or the Romita Sr 'butt shots' and this current comment wasn't related to those.

[ImageFan-migration]

It is always amazing to see the original artwork for a historic issue such as DKR2. Even though most of us will never have an opportunity to see the actual art in person, even a glimpse in the form of an online scan resurrects wonderful memories.

 

We can be grateful that this cover did not pass through the hands of Mr. Itkowitz, otherwise we would only hear about its mythological existence.