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Original Art VS. Comic Collecting...Sacrilege?

Started by TLC55555,

68 posts in this topic

Sharkey

Sharkey

Posted
Posted
A few years ago at the Chicago Con (yes, prior to its purchase by Wizard), I was talking with a few dealers/collectors. One collector mentioned that he had pretty much given up on collecting comics and was focusing on original art. .......

 

Are there others that feel this way?

 

Absolutely. I had always had an appreciation of original art and finally began picking some up a couple of years ago, focusing on Kirby and Ditko. I have a small (due to costs) but wonderful group of original pages.

 

Here are some sites:

 

Conrad Eschenberg's Comics and Art

 

Albert Moy

 

Artists Choice Original Art

 

Mike Burkey (RomitaMan) Original Art

 

TRH Gallery original art

 

These are just a few. Comic Link, Heritage Auctions, and many others sell original art.

 

One thing I've found is that the art dealers charge some crazy prices and some are more responsive to emails and questions than others (ie, some NEVER respond to emails). Many of the art sites suck and are poorly managed and not updated. I've always wondered why dealers who have hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of art put absolutely no time or thought into the design and functionality of their sites.... sign-rantpost.gif

 

But back to topic, buy what you enjoy. There is an "original art price guide" but it's woefully out of date and very general. Because original art pages are one of a kind, artists get hot and prices can go crazy and there is very limited supply if the artist is no longer active or has limited work. Auctions can get ridiculous price-wise if a couple of determined collectors get into a bidding war. So be careful.

 

The pieces look great framed and hanging on the wall (something that rarely happens with comic books!). thumbsup2.gif

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Ze-man

Ze-man

Posted
Posted

TLC, no need to think of it as sacrilage, Original Art , and Comics go hand in hand.

 

I have always thought it would be fun to chase my favorite splash pages, or just Art from my fav comics. To look upon the original art, as I flipped through a reader copy of that specific issue would be an all time high.

I do not own any currently,(except for my N.Adams sketchs) but I can see how once you buy that first piece, you cant let it go, and want more.. more.. more

Of those who own alot of Original stuff, when you compare the art to what actually gets printed.. is it different in anyway?..or is what you buy.. recreated exactly in the book?

I think it would be a blast to compare the Original Art, to the actual printed comic, and see how much art was lost due to cropping, or cut off during printing.

And I agree those artists notes are a peek inside the creative process that we rarely get to see.

 

 

Anyhow TLC, good luck, and post what you buy for us to gaze at. cloud9.gif

 

Ze-

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rob_react

rob_react

Posted
Posted

 

Ignoring eBay (where one can buy anything so it answers most "where does one buy" questions) - from the artist or his representative directly, from another collector, from auction houses like Heritage, from comic dealers that sell both art and comics or from dealers that specialize in original art.

Well, besides those places. grin.gif

 

I take it most of this takes place online?

 

Conventions and online for me. Conventions are a great place to buy art directly from the artist. Plus you get to talk to them smile.gif

 

The two links heartened posted are the best in terms of places to start along with this one (that he mentions but doesn't point to specifically):

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/ForSaleSearch.asp

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Norrin_Radd

Norrin_Radd

Posted
Posted
There is an "original art price guide" but it's woefully out of date and very general.

 

Nice to have an original art thread. 893applaud-thumb.gif

 

I have the 1st and 2nd edition of Weist's comic art guide. Does anyone know if a 3rd edition is going to come out?

confused-smiley-013.gif

 

It seems about time and the market has changed so much since the last guide was published. Prices have gone crazy in the last 4 years!

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TLC55555

TLC55555

Posted
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TLC, no need to think of it as sacrilage, Original Art , and Comics go hand in hand.

 

I have always thought it would be fun to chase my favorite splash pages, or just Art from my fav comics. To look upon the original art, as I flipped through a reader copy of that specific issue would be an all time high.

I do not own any currently,(except for my N.Adams sketchs) but I can see how once you buy that first piece, you cant let it go, and want more.. more.. more

Of those who own alot of Original stuff, when you compare the art to what actually gets printed.. is it different in anyway?..or is what you buy.. recreated exactly in the book?

I think it would be a blast to compare the Original Art, to the actual printed comic, and see how much art was lost due to cropping, or cut off during printing.

And I agree those artists notes are a peek inside the creative process that we rarely get to see.

 

 

Anyhow TLC, good luck, and post what you buy for us to gaze at. cloud9.gif

 

Ze-

 

"Sacrilage" was kind of a joke grin.gif

 

I also understand the "Buy what you like and you can't go far wrong" philosophy. However, I'm not looking for investment/flip advice or validation on what I am buying.

 

However, I am curious how board members think the increasing popularity of comic art collecting will affect the comic book market in general. I'm seeing more and more long time collectors switching to art only. We have also identified fewer young folks getting into comic collecting. Will the high prices of high grade comics drive even more folks to comic art? How will increased art sales affect grading companies like CGC? There doesn't seem to be much point in grading/slabbing one-of-a-kind items.This isn't intended to be a "crash" thread. I just thought it would be an interesting topic of conversation.

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Mephisto

Mephisto

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Posted

I sold off a good portion of my Golden Age Detective's to pay for this art. Ever since I saw that Batman 11 get the chop treatment I just didn't feel the same about buying the Golden Age books. I bought a few more and tried to get back into it, but my heart wasn't really into it anymore.

 

ss171.jpg

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Reno McCoy

Reno McCoy

Posted
Posted
Someone needs to start posting their original art here. You know, to get more people interested.

 

Here you go...

 

575893-BatmanAdventuresAnnual1_Timm_prelim.jpg

 

I love Bruce Timm art so this is one of my most cherished pieces.

 

cloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gifcloud9.gif

Awesome! I'm so collecting original art now.
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FlComicFan

FlComicFan

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Posted

I've switched over almost completely in the past year or so to collecting original art. For me its just more challenging and fun than what collecting comics had become for me in the last few years. Growing up a Marvel Zombie in the 70's, its a lot of fun to find a page you fondly remember from your childhood even if it is drawn by a Marvel "House" artist that isnt widely collected. I guess it compares to finding than gem book on your checklist in high grade in some dealers old $1 box the way I used to be able to collect and finish of runs pre internet/ebay/CGC. Plus one can argue scarcity fo a given comic but when its a piece of art its a onesy and if you pass you may never see it again or sometimes even other art from that given title/artist for a long time if ever. On the negative side, there seem to be fewer full time or national art dealers and pricing generally is very very aggresive compared to what one can find on Ebay. I myself dont collect sketches or commision type art but that is also a great way to acquire your favorite characters by your favorite artists for a whole lot cheaper but............... if the art is also to be a hedge or investment those type of art seem to be less liquid and not what I'd sink a lot of money into. Finally, since there is no price guide for art and no pricing data base that I am aware of a well versed collector who pays attention to past sales can really make out while with GPA and so much sales data for almost any given comic book its much tougher with comics. Probably tougher than ever before?

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chrisco37

chrisco37

Posted
Posted
Someone needs to start posting their original art here. You know, to get more people interested.

 

Here's link to a thread with my collection:

 

Chrisco's Art Thread

 

I started about 2 years ago. As others have said, it's more challenging than collecting books, and also alot more frustrating. But, the satisfaction is far greater when you get a great page. thumbsup2.gif

 

Mephisto - That Surfer page is awesome!!!!! hail.gifhail.gifhail.gif

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