Al Plastino's Statement & Plea Re the Supes #170 Kennedy Splash

[pemart1966]

Here's an interesting theory put forth by Ray Cuthbert over on the Comicart list board:

 

Let me offer another possibility to the confusion over the artwork for the story "Superman39;s Mission For President Kennedy" which eventually saw print in SUPERMAN #170.

 

 

The story was prepared “in close cooperation†with President Kennedy, and originally scheduled for publication in Superman #169, in 1964. However, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and DC decided not to run the story.

 

 

The “Metropolis Mailbag†letters page from Superman #168 was omitted, and replaced by an "In Memoriam" page "written" by editor Mort Weisinger. That page featured a reprint of a New York Times article from August 30, 1963 on the Superman-Kennedy meeting, with a panel from the never-to-be-seen story, written by Bill Finger and E. Nelson Bridwell and drawn by Curt Swan. The "In Memorium" said (in part), "The finished story, which showed Superman cooperating closely with President Kennedy was scheduled to appear in our next issue. Because of the President's untimely end, however, we have cancelled its appearance. Instead we plan to present the original artwork to his gallant widow Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy."

 

 

 

President Johnson's administration later contacted DC and informed them that the new President wanted the story published, "as a tribute to my great predecessor." The Kennedy family also gave their permission.

 

The story finally saw print in Superman #170, cover dated July 1964 redrawn by Al Pastino because the originals had already been given to Mrs. Kennedy.

 

 

 

It seems likely to me that someone told Mr. Plastino that the artwork for the story had been given to Mrs. Kennedy, who in turn would have given it to the library, but it was Swan's art that had been given, not Plastino's.

 

 

 

Plastino's artwork was sold in the Sotheby's Auction, and later has shown up again on the market at Heritage.

 

 

This is all conjecture on my part, but it may actually be what has happened.

[Speedy-D]

Here's an interesting theory put forth by Ray Cuthbert over on the Comicart list board:

 

Let me offer another possibility to the confusion over the artwork for the story "Superman39;s Mission For President Kennedy" which eventually saw print in SUPERMAN #170.

 

 

The story was prepared “in close cooperation†with President Kennedy, and originally scheduled for publication in Superman #169, in 1964. However, Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas, on November 22, 1963, and DC decided not to run the story.

 

 

The “Metropolis Mailbag†letters page from Superman #168 was omitted, and replaced by an "In Memoriam" page "written" by editor Mort Weisinger. That page featured a reprint of a New York Times article from August 30, 1963 on the Superman-Kennedy meeting, with a panel from the never-to-be-seen story, written by Bill Finger and E. Nelson Bridwell and drawn by Curt Swan. The "In Memorium" said (in part), "The finished story, which showed Superman cooperating closely with President Kennedy was scheduled to appear in our next issue. Because of the President's untimely end, however, we have cancelled its appearance. Instead we plan to present the original artwork to his gallant widow Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy."

 

 

 

President Johnson's administration later contacted DC and informed them that the new President wanted the story published, "as a tribute to my great predecessor." The Kennedy family also gave their permission.

 

The story finally saw print in Superman #170, cover dated July 1964 redrawn by Al Pastino because the originals had already been given to Mrs. Kennedy.

 

 

 

It seems likely to me that someone told Mr. Plastino that the artwork for the story had been given to Mrs. Kennedy, who in turn would have given it to the library, but it was Swan's art that had been given, not Plastino's.

 

 

 

Plastino's artwork was sold in the Sotheby's Auction, and later has shown up again on the market at Heritage.

 

 

This is all conjecture on my part, but it may actually be what has happened.

[comix4fun]

Shazam!!!

There were two Kennedy stories all along.

 

One was donated as the story mentions and the other published and later sold at Sotheby's.

 

That would explain pretty much everything.

[pinupcartoonguy]

If I'm reading that right.... "Possession is 9/10 of the law."

 

No, that's not quite right. You have to be a good faith purchaser for value. You have to buy the piece thinking there's no cloud on the title, and you have to pay something close to market value. Anything less creates the presumption that you knew something was wrong with the piece.

[comix4fun]

If I'm reading that right.... "Possession is 9/10 of the law."

 

No, that's not quite right. You have to be a good faith purchaser for value. You have to buy the piece thinking there's no cloud on the title, and you have to pay something close to market value. Anything less creates the presumption that you knew something was wrong with the piece.

 

 

Right, like at a public auction, to fulfill all the elements of Bonafide Purchaser for Value.

 

Sounds like it's a moot point now given that the art that was supposed to be donated was by Swan and the published art completed later was a redraw by Plastino that was later sold and offered at auction now.

 

 

[Zaddick]

Thanks LB, but if it was sold in Sotheby’s back in '93 did he not know about it then or did nobody tell him for 20 years till he saw it in the next Heritage auction? And would you be smiling with your work in a photo that you want returned and is stolen?

 

Trust me I think it's sad that artists like Jack Kirby had to fight to get his works back and even then only got a handfull of the art returned and all the others that got squat back.

[Shadow_cpg]

It was printed in the published comic on the last page that the artwork had been donated to the Kennedy Library...Al never had the art.

DC seems to be the culprit in this one...and whomever sold it at Southby's

[sborock]

UPDATE:

 

Not only did our consignor purchase the JFK story at auction from Sotheby’s in 1993, he still has the invoice as well, but in fairness to everyone though, we have withdrawn the art from our November 22 auction while Mr. Plastino’s claim is being investigated.

 

I will try and keep you all updated on what we find out.

Peace,

-Steve

[Dave Aikins]

It is very nice of Heritage and the seller to give Mr. Plastino the respect of trying to see what happened to cause him this disappointment. Especially since the seller is of no fault in this, and was probably hoping for a hassle-free sale of the art. So many things could've happened in the years up to the Sotherby's auction. It's going to be a hard case to crack, and hopefully Mr. Plastino will understand that he may never know where he might have been misled.

[Aman619]

Shazam!!!

There were two Kennedy stories all along.

 

One was donated as the story mentions and the other published and later sold at Sotheby's.

 

That would explain pretty much everything.

 

 

yes... except, DC and Marvel photostatted their original art back then. So why would Plastino have to have redrawn the whole story? And if they weren't yet filing away stats (could be as Marvel didnt have them for their reprints a few years later) wouldnt they have just asked to get the art back rather than decommission new artwork?

 

of course, DC might have found out right then that the art never arrived and knew they needed to have it redrawn... case closed.

[alxjhnsn]

UPDATE:

 

Not only did our consignor purchase the JFK story at auction from Sotheby’s in 1993, he still has the invoice as well, but in fairness to everyone though, we have withdrawn the art from our November 22 auction while Mr. Plastino’s claim is being investigated.

 

I will try and keep you all updated on what we find out.

Peace,

-Steve

 

That's taking the high road Steve. Thanks for letting us know.

[comix4fun]

Shazam!!!

There were two Kennedy stories all along.

 

One was donated as the story mentions and the other published and later sold at Sotheby's.

 

That would explain pretty much everything.

 

 

yes... except, DC and Marvel photostatted their original art back then. So why would Plastino have to have redrawn the whole story? And if they weren't yet filing away stats (could be as Marvel didnt have them for their reprints a few years later) wouldnt they have just asked to get the art back rather than decommission new artwork?

 

of course, DC might have found out right then that the art never arrived and knew they needed to have it redrawn... case closed.

 

 

Hard to say, really.

 

I wasn't thinking of statting because of how many issues were missing when Marvel did their Essentials run. It seemed scatter shot.

 

I wonder what really happened. It's an interesting tale regardless.

[Aman619]

Yeah, that was my thought too, even back to Marvel Tales #1 they were forced to redraw many pages. Maybe that was when they realized statting everything was better done right away in NY and not at Sparta, so they would always have a copy handy.

[Mmehdy]

Ha.com is a class act ......going for the benefit of the doubt is taking the very high road.......

[jonjesper]

Just read the story on BC, but have to wonder...

Shouldn't the burden of proof be on Al to establish that he did indeed donate this art? A letter of some sort? Otherwise to me, it seems like a lot of time has passed to consider this now an issue. Of course my small interaction with the man was having him ask some ridiculous amount to sign a book for someone because someone was attempting to sell a book signed by him for $10k or something absurd.

Something doesn't feel right at all about this. And taking a picture with it and it has an estimated price tag from an auction house would have put me at odds right away had I felt this was a piece donated to a museum years ago...

Just my thoughts...

[Catwoman_Fan]

Of course my small interaction with the man was having him ask some ridiculous amount to sign a book for someone

 

Out of curiosity, what was he charging? I think Neal Adams and Steranko were $5 last time I saw them. Adams signature was free with purchase, Steranko's was not. But that was not at a big NY show.

[Ironmandrd]

Without a purchase, Neal Adams charges $20 per signature.

[Jimmy Linguini]

I sent someone to get a Action Comics 252 signed.

 

Al charged $50.

[comix4fun]

I sent someone to get a Action Comics 252 signed.

 

Al charged $50.

 

 

You're guy got off easy. In the immediate aftermath of Al seeing that book on Ebay with that silly $10k price tag his asking price added a zero to what you paid.

[Doc McCoy]

Al has now filed with a Manhattan Court to find out who has the pages.

 

Dying comic artist wants to uncover owner of JFK art