ComicLink Auction consignments: Kirby FF art and Bagley and Byrne color guides

[Sharkey]

Hi art fans, I have consigned the following pieces to the current ComicLink auction that ends June 11. Some high-quality Kirby art as well as a couple of very nice color guides. Thanks for looking - bid early and often

 

Jack Kirby: Fantastic Four 40 (1965) page 20

Link to FF 40 auction page

ComicLink Comments:

This piece contains a number of highlights which serve to place it among the top echelon of Silver Age Kirby Marvel art. The entire Fantastic Four team appears, defeating Doctor Doom in the finale of a classic Silver Age adventure. This page is an especially strong showing for Ben Grimm, the Thing, as the Marvel powerhouse tears Doom's armor to shreds in a fit of rage. In the final panel, the Thing declares that he is leaving the Fantastic Four, a motif that would be reused many times in future stories. The tenuous nature of the team had been a plot point since the very beginning of this run and Grimm's relationship to his status as a "hero" was always the most fragile of the four members. The Thing has long ranked with collectors as perhaps the most popular member of the team. One only has to read this page in order to understand why.

 

Early Jack Kirby Fantastic Four vs. Dr. Doom battle pages are in high demand yet are frighteningly few and far between. Examples dating from 1965 and earlier are extremely rare, and though we have offered a few pages from this issue, this finale page is fittingly the last one owned by this particular consignor. This piece is a gem, featuring all four team members with Doom, and significant character content as the Thing is finally, at the conclusion of this two issue story arch, triumphant over the FF's arch-nemesis.

 

Doctor Doom was the very first major new villain of the Marvel Age. The FF had faced off against the power of Sub-Mariner, but he is a Golden Age hero re-branded as a nemesis for the new team. It wasn't until issue number five that they encountered a truly new brand of enemy for the new era in comics. Doctor Doom was as villainous as he was brilliant and as strategic as he was maniacal. A former classmate of Reed Richards, he could match wits with the FF team-leader in scientific skill and his connection to the team's past gave him great insight in his battles with them. Physically and psychologically twisted by a lab accident in college, Doom's villainy was unquestionable, but there was always something sympathetic about his plight. This dichotomy made him different from pretty much all comic book villains that came before. It also meant that he served as a template for many that came after, both in and out of comics (Darth Vader is the most well known example). It should come as little surprise that Stan Lee has been quoted as saying that Doom is his favorite villain. He said that "[Doom] could come to the United States and he could do almost anything, and we could not arrest him because he has diplomatic immunity. Also, he wants to rule the world and if you think about it, wanting to rule the world is not a crime."

 

 

Marie Javins over Mark Bagley photocopies: Venom: Lethal Protector #1 full issue color guides

Link to Venom 1 color guides auction

ComicLink Comments:

The offered lot is the complete set of colorist Marie Javins's hand-colored color guides executed over black and white reproductions of Mark Bagley's line art for the premiere issue of the 1993 Venom - Lethal Protector series. This is a impressive example of the importance of the colorist to the look and feel of a comic book and an artifact from the production of this popular Modern first issue. Since the early 1990s, Mark Bagley has been one of the most prominent artists on Spider-Man, both in the Amazing Spider-Man series and in the Ultimate Spider-Man run. Interest in his work continues to grow and this offering gives an interesting look into the diverse talents and processes that were employed to create classic comics. Venom has a long and devoted fan following. He has already appeared in one Spider-Man feature film and considering what an important fixture he has been in Spidey's continuity since the late 1980s, we certainly expect that he will grace us with another silver screen appearance soon.

 

 

Gregory Wright over John Byrne photocopies: Amazing Spider-Man 1 complete issue (30 pages) color guides

Link to ASM 1 color guides auction

ComicLink Comments:

The offered lot is the complete set of colorist Gregory Wright's hand-colored color guides executed over black and white reproductions of John Byrne's line art for the premiere issue of the 1999 Amazing Spider-Man series. This is a impressive example of the importance of the colorist to the look and feel of a comic book and an artifact from the production of this popular Modern first issue. Note that there are two colored copies of page 10, bringing the total piece count in this lot up to 31. Wright not only worked as a colorist for Marvel but also as a writer and editor throughout the 1990s. John Byrne is one of the most respected and collected artists in the history of comics and anything relating to his output is sought-after.

[chrisco37]

You're the FF 40 artwork! Nice!

[Sharkey]

Yes, that is me.

 

Thanks!

[Unca Ben]

Yes, great stuff!

[Sharkey]

CLink auction ends Thursday eve!