ComicLink December

[GreatEscape]

X-Men #281

 

[Pete Marino]

24,850 - WOW that is a number. Congrats to Allan who I believe owned this piece.

 

 

Can't remember but didn't this sell publicly in the recent past? At auction perhaps? If so, what was the price then?

 

Scott

 

No, it sold privately (Allen bought it from Bill Woo a few years ago).

 

To answer Bronty's question, this is the cover to Uncanny X-Men 281. This happened at the same time as the Jim Lee X-Men #1 launch, and so the Uncanny team lineup changed at the same time (one was the blue team, the other the gold team, IIRC).

 

Definitely a memorable cover (this book was kind of a big deal at the time), and arguably Portacio's best...but the book itself really had no lasting impact on the X-Men and, having re-read it recently, I have to say that the story was absolutely HORRIBLE.

 

I am too lazy to look it up, but did Byrne write this one? I remember when he took over UXM it was just unreadable as an adult. When I was about 13 it was amazing!

 

And this cover IMO is Portacio's best work.

 

I think the Uncanny 286 page went way too high. 1.3k for a panel page that Jim Lee did the layouts for? I am guessing he only did layouts, because it looked 85% portacio to me.

[jbud73]

Some other pieces and general impressions.

 

JIM 622 Variant - Art Adams JIM 622 Link

Sells for $1,800. This was almost certainly a 'Buy Back' as the piece had hammered for 4K or so on EBAY a few months ago.

 

Silver Surfer Judgement Day pg 44 - Buscema SS pg 44

Sells for 4,313. I really liked this piece but I'm sure people are thinking, at almost 4.5K we are creeping into the SA Buscema run. Great image though so I can see it at that price if someone does not want to pony up 7K for a SA image.

 

Conan 188 Cover - Buscema Conan 188

Sells for 3,105. Seems right. Its got great details, but at the end of the day is just a head shot, definitely less impact for the actual art without the overlay.

 

Is it me or did the Gene Colan Cap pages seem well bought?

 

GS MOKF 1 pg11 - Gulacy MOKF Splash

Sells for 1,590 - thought this was really well bought as Gulacy did his best stuff on MOKF in my opinion.

 

JIM 109 Title Splash JIM 109 pg1

Sells for $27,751 haven't seen discussion on this, what did the Kirby collectors think. Seems like a decent buy, I am ONLY a fan of Jack on Thor though so maybe that's just me.

 

Jim Lee Batman art. Reserve Met, just barely on the #618 so seems Jim Lee remains strong.

 

Batman 398 Cover - Mandrake Batman 398 Cover

Sells for $4,667 That is a strong number for a Mandrake for, but it was a great image.

 

New Teen Titans 1 pg.9 - George Perez New Teen Titans 1 panel

Sells for 4K. A piece near and dear to me. It sold for 5.5K at Heritage a year or so ago which I thought was a very strong price (I think I bid 3,750 or thereabouts) so this seems more in line. A great panel piece and congrats to the new owner (if it was not a buy back).

 

Uncanny X-Force 18 Cover - Ribic X-Force 18 Cover

Sells for 2,400 Considering what the ask is at the Rep level I think this was a nice buy. Good team shot. Its a little thing, but if Wolverine had his claws extended I may have bid. I loved the orange background though.

 

ASM 166 Cover - Romita ASM 166 Cover

Sells for $22K. I thought this sold recently in the mid-teens? I know when the reserve posted I thought it would not be met but it looks like there were more than one person bidding after reserve level. Kinda a head scratch for a not so appealing Spidey Butt Cover.

 

Thor 17 - Romita Jr. Thor 17 Cover

Sells for $2,550

Now my distaste for JRJR's latter period style is documented on the boards but I have to say for the dynamic image I liked this cover and 2.5K seems about right.

 

Batman: Long Halloween 11 - Time Sale Batman: Long Halloween 11

Sells for $3,655. Wow, the covers to this well loved series were dwarfed by the interiors and this was a strong price for one of the weaker Cover images.

 

Batman Earth 2 #17 - Van Sciver Batman Earth II #17 Cover

Sells for $1,600 A great price for the detail of this modern cover. A secondary title, but I thought this was an outright bargain for the level of artistry in the image.

 

Conan #12 pg. 14 - Barry Windsor-Smith Conan 21 pg 14

Sells for $4600 I'm curious what the BWS fans thought of this. I thought it a great panel, but with Dan Adkins, Craig Russel and Val Mayerik "Embellishments" I can attest to wondering how much BWS art there was on that piece.

 

Anyway that is my more than

[jbud73]

HEAVY LATE BIDDING Wonder if Scott made a Run at this great piece. $12,260

 

 

You mean me? Nope, I did not bid on any of the Clink auctions this time.

 

Scott

 

Scott yes I thought you may have been one of the few people driving this one at the end. As I said earlier I was gone 8K, it looks like there were two people who were prepped to go 5 figures. It is a really great piece, but then again you already have one of the truly magnificent Wrightson works of art.

[heartened]

I bid on a few things, but only snagged the Mignola Alpha Flight cover. I was a big Alpha Flight fan back then, and it was right smack in the middle of my nostalgia zone. Wanted a few other things, but the site is not really very conducive to quick bidding. It's a shame. One piece in particular I was trying to bid higher by a couple grand, and I ended up running out of time.

 

[HokieGAK]

Some other pieces and general impressions.

 

Batman: Long Halloween 11 - Time Sale Batman: Long Halloween 11

Sells for $3,655. Wow, the covers to this well loved series were dwarfed by the interiors and this was a strong price for one of the weaker Cover images.

 

Anyway that is my more than

 

I have to agree on this completely. This was the only item in the auction that I was interested in, and I placed a bid even higher than I had paid for my Long Halloween issue 3 cover (which I think is a better piece). I didn't even come CLOSE. Oh well... less debt until the next piece comes up!

 

[disruptive_one]

That X-Men 281 is really nice.

[Brian Peck]

24,850 - WOW that is a number. Congrats to Allan who I believe owned this piece.

 

 

Can't remember but didn't this sell publicly in the recent past? At auction perhaps? If so, what was the price then?

 

Scott

 

No, it sold privately (Allen bought it from Bill Woo a few years ago).

 

To answer Bronty's question, this is the cover to Uncanny X-Men 281. This happened at the same time as the Jim Lee X-Men #1 launch, and so the Uncanny team lineup changed at the same time (one was the blue team, the other the gold team, IIRC).

 

Definitely a memorable cover (this book was kind of a big deal at the time), and arguably Portacio's best...but the book itself really had no lasting impact on the X-Men and, having re-read it recently, I have to say that the story was absolutely HORRIBLE.

 

I am too lazy to look it up, but did Byrne write this one? I remember when he took over UXM it was just unreadable as an adult. When I was about 13 it was amazing!

 

And this cover IMO is Portacio's best work.

 

I think the Uncanny 286 page went way too high. 1.3k for a panel page that Jim Lee did the layouts for? I am guessing he only did layouts, because it looked 85% portacio to me.

 

If you want to lay the blame for poor story during that run its on Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio who plotted UXM from 281-288. They got Byrne and Scott Lobdell to -script many of the issue. I heard Byrne was not a fan of what he was given, he wasn't invested in the stories at all

[disruptive_one]

I liked that Romita Jr Daredevil splash. I came up short though. $3300 was more than I wanted to spend.

[jbud73]

24,850 - WOW that is a number. Congrats to Allan who I believe owned this piece.

 

 

Can't remember but didn't this sell publicly in the recent past? At auction perhaps? If so, what was the price then?

 

Scott

 

No, it sold privately (Allen bought it from Bill Woo a few years ago).

 

To answer Bronty's question, this is the cover to Uncanny X-Men 281. This happened at the same time as the Jim Lee X-Men #1 launch, and so the Uncanny team lineup changed at the same time (one was the blue team, the other the gold team, IIRC).

 

Definitely a memorable cover (this book was kind of a big deal at the time), and arguably Portacio's best...but the book itself really had no lasting impact on the X-Men and, having re-read it recently, I have to say that the story was absolutely HORRIBLE.

 

I am too lazy to look it up, but did Byrne write this one? I remember when he took over UXM it was just unreadable as an adult. When I was about 13 it was amazing!

 

And this cover IMO is Portacio's best work.

 

I think the Uncanny 286 page went way too high. 1.3k for a panel page that Jim Lee did the layouts for? I am guessing he only did layouts, because it looked 85% portacio to me.

 

If you want to lay the blame for poor story during that run its on Jim Lee and Whilce Portacio who plotted UXM from 281-288. They got Byrne and Scott Lobdell to -script many of the issue. I heard Byrne was not a fan of what he was given, he wasn't invested in the stories at all

 

Yes, this was the beginning of all those sub plots (Remember the Upstarts ) that hung around and confused even those who read ALL of the X-Books. If you only read UXM well you were definitely frustrated beyond all belief.

 

Claremont had of course refined the sub plots that became main plots or drove other stories that would then culminate with a bang technique to new levels. However, he was writing the book for a 100 issues so he had the time and willingness to do this. When others tried this technique without the issue span of commitment, well lets just say it was chaotic in the worst possible way.

[heartened]

Don't think anyone mentioned the Steranko Xmen page. 20K??? I love Steranko, and do not wish to be too negative for buyer or seller, but don't the inks matter? Yes you might expect such an ink-centric comment from me, but those Tartaglione inks are just brutal. I guess there is such a dearth of vintage Steranko art that anything of his get's attention. But just, wow.

 

Scott

 

Hi Scott,

 

I'll be honest. Inks don't matter here as much as Steranko and X-Men. There aren't many SHIELD fans these days, and the Captain America art is even rarer. I used to own this page, and to be honest they are real nice in person. I have another nicer page from the run that I have framed on my wall, and folks who visit always gravitate to it. Steranko's genius still comes through loud and clear on all his pages.

[suspense39]

Don't think anyone mentioned the Steranko Xmen page. 20K??? I love Steranko, and do not wish to be too negative for buyer or seller, but don't the inks matter? Yes you might expect such an ink-centric comment from me, but those Tartaglione inks are just brutal. I guess there is such a dearth of vintage Steranko art that anything of his get's attention. But just, wow.

 

Scott

 

I'm with you on this

[comix4fun]

Please share it with us, Chris. Some of need to live vicariously through you...

 

 

I had vowed to not spend any more this year. Bigger fish to fry and all that, and it's nothing most people will care about, but it's something I really love. It's also a line that was lifted straight from the comic and is used memorably in the film.

 

From The Crow #2

 

I love this page - I think you got a good deal too. I was expecting 2k plus on this.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Very happy to grab it.

 

Congrats Chris, this was one of the three pieces that constituted my comiclink auction journey, or that I was interested in. I think it is an outstanding piece and extremely well bought.

 

Here is my short, "A collectors journey" with mindset and how an auction plays out sometimes. ..... A little hot after the Thor 205 auction, ya I know the piece has been passed around but getting out bid by $100 on a last minute simultaneously snipe sucks.

 

So I'm sitting there thinking ok, there are two other pieces I'm really interested in, the Crow piece and the Wrightson HOM splash. At the time the Wrightson is sitting at 6,100 BUT the Crow piece comes up first. So here a collector has to make decisions. I'm comfortable paying 2.5K or less for that Crow Panel - I love the panel, check the Crow O'Barr box and call it a day. PROBLEM. I am not able to justify buying the O'Barr piece at 2.5 AND bidding the Wrightson up to say 8K - 8.5K what I thought I am willing to pay for the HOM Splash.

 

Now there are two ways you can go here. The Gene method is probably to bid the Wrightson to 8.5K or up as high as you have to below that to be the top bidder to see how serious the action is. The problem with that is you may inspire action and end up paying more than you need to, but at least you know, if you bid it to 8.5K and you are still an under bidder. Of course you may end up the high bidder and get beat with late bids (which is what would have happened here).

 

The other way is to make a tough decision, which piece to you want more. I decided to make a run at the Wrightson, however in this case the Gene method may have been the way to go as I got blown out of the water and did not bid higher on the O'Barr. Hard to say how high Chris was willing to go, but had I pushed to 2.5Kish maybe I'm a winner, maybe not. If you have a limit to your means then valuation is important and a tricky thing to get right. The timing of the pieces is also a luck of the draw thing, if the Wrightson goes first, I'm in a better position obviously as I seriously under estimated the strength of that piece.

 

In the end it was a fun auction, even though I got shut out, going through situations like this is always a good learning experience. At the end of the day its always nice to appreciate the art and see it end up with a good home. Now had a dealer won the O'Barr ..... then I would have been

 

 

Thanks I appreciate it. I was a little surprised I was able to get it for so little.

 

If you had stayed in one of us would have cost the other a bunch of money.

 

I'll have to remember that and give you a ring in case I ever decide to move it one day. (thumbs u

[mrpunch0]

Please share it with us, Chris. Some of need to live vicariously through you...

 

 

I had vowed to not spend any more this year. Bigger fish to fry and all that, and it's nothing most people will care about, but it's something I really love. It's also a line that was lifted straight from the comic and is used memorably in the film.

 

From The Crow #2

 

 

Remember how I was saying I was outbid at the last second?

[Danimal]

That last panel is great and worth it! Nice pickup!

[jbud73]

Please share it with us, Chris. Some of need to live vicariously through you...

 

 

I had vowed to not spend any more this year. Bigger fish to fry and all that, and it's nothing most people will care about, but it's something I really love. It's also a line that was lifted straight from the comic and is used memorably in the film.

 

From The Crow #2

 

I love this page - I think you got a good deal too. I was expecting 2k plus on this.

 

I was thinking the same thing. Very happy to grab it.

 

Here is my short, "A collectors journey" with mindset and how an auction plays out sometimes. ..... A little hot after the Thor 205 auction, ya I know the piece has been passed around but getting out bid by $100 on a last minute simultaneously snipe sucks.

 

So I'm sitting there thinking ok, there are two other pieces I'm really interested in, the Crow piece and the Wrightson HOM splash. At the time the Wrightson is sitting at 6,100 BUT the Crow piece comes up first. So here a collector has to make decisions. I'm comfortable paying 2.5K or less for that Crow Panel - I love the panel, check the Crow O'Barr box and call it a day. PROBLEM. I am not able to justify buying the O'Barr piece at 2.5 AND bidding the Wrightson up to say 8K - 8.5K what I thought I am willing to pay for the HOM Splash.

 

Now there are two ways you can go here. The Gene method is probably to bid the Wrightson to 8.5K or up as high as you have to below that to be the top bidder to see how serious the action is. The problem with that is you may inspire action and end up paying more than you need to, but at least you know, if you bid it to 8.5K and you are still an under bidder. Of course you may end up the high bidder and get beat with late bids (which is what would have happened here).

 

The other way is to make a tough decision, which piece to you want more. I decided to make a run at the Wrightson, however in this case the Gene method may have been the way to go as I got blown out of the water and did not bid higher on the O'Barr. Hard to say how high Chris was willing to go, but had I pushed to 2.5Kish maybe I'm a winner, maybe not. If you have a limit to your means then valuation is important and a tricky thing to get right. The timing of the pieces is also a luck of the draw thing, if the Wrightson goes first, I'm in a better position obviously as I seriously under estimated the strength of that piece.

 

In the end it was a fun auction, even though I got shut out, going through situations like this is always a good learning experience. At the end of the day its always nice to appreciate the art and see it end up with a good home. Now had a dealer won the O'Barr ..... then I would have been

 

 

Thanks I appreciate it. I was a little surprised I was able to get it for so little.

 

If you had stayed in one of us would have cost the other a bunch of money.

 

I'll have to remember that and give you a ring in case I ever decide to move it one day. (thumbs u

 

 

Chris no worries, I'm actually glad to see the piece in your collection as I know you are a fan. But hey if you want to sell me the Stevens Bettie Page panel for sympathy reasons

 

There are a lot of Copper Age pieces from the B&W Independent

'Golden Age' coming on to the market recently and I am glad to see everyone of them. Also makes discipline hard, but I think you were swayed to lift the self imposed hiatus for all the right reasons here. Congrats (thumbs u

 

 

[jjonahjameson1]

I liked that Romita Jr Daredevil splash. I came up short though. $3300 was more than I wanted to spend.

 

Yes, that seemed a bit pricey to me, and there's really very few pages available to compare it with, but Scott Eder did sell a multiple panel page on ebay recently for well in excess of $2K. Then there's the double page splash that sold in the November Heritage auctions for $5K and change, with a great big image of DD. I think that's the only page with DD in the entire series, and it seems like an even bigger bargain that I initially thought.

[delekkerste]

Great splash…I wanted it too but knew I didn't stand a chance.

 

I was really hoping to win the Dr Strange 14 splash, but knew my limit was about $4K. I watched it go right by to $4700 or so, great page and congrats to the new owner!

 

I picked up the Colan Dr. Strange #14 splash and the Davis X-Men #213 page. Was the Davis price high? Maybe, but considering that I got the Colan splash for much less than my maximum bid, I was happy to pick up both pages for less than I was willing to pay for the Dr. Strange splash alone.

[Bird]

Great splash…I wanted it too but knew I didn't stand a chance.

 

I was really hoping to win the Dr Strange 14 splash, but knew my limit was about $4K. I watched it go right by to $4700 or so, great page and congrats to the new owner!

 

I picked up the Colan Dr. Strange #14 splash and the Davis X-Men #213 page. Was the Davis price high? Maybe, but considering that I got the Colan splash for much less than my maximum bid, I was happy to pick up both pages for less than I was willing to pay for the Dr. Strange splash alone.

 

Oh geez, I must be moving up in the world if I am contending with Gene now for art!

 

Great page, thanks for letting us know you got it. I have been buying pages from that issue and ToD 44 whenever I can, and this is one of the best of them all.

[Khazano]

This piece of artwork eludes me yet again. Years ago I am pretty sure that it was offered over eBay and I should have hit the buy it now back then. I bid more than three times what I believe it went for back then and still lost. If a boardie picked this up and ever wants to talk... please let me know. I am pretty sure that I was the underbidder.

 

 

I was the seller back in 2005. I remeber that auction well. It sold for 750 which was almost 5x what I paid for it at the time.

 

Kills me to this day... because you had it (at what I now realize) was a great price. I should have clicked the BIN. One day, hopefully it appears at market again.

 

Got anything else?

 

 

I do own all the originals to issue 33... But they're not for sale.