Whatever happen to original art, back in the day

[NoMan]

Sorry if this is common knowledge or there is already a thread re: what happen to original art.

 

For example, where is the original art for the comer of Detective 31? Was it thrown in the trash back in the day, or was all original art tossed back in the GA days. Even SA days.

 

Where is original art to FF #1, for example

[suspense39]

yes, much of it was thrown away

[Bronty]

Sorry if this is common knowledge or there is already a thread re: what happen to original art.

 

For example, where is the original art for the comer of Detective 31? Was it thrown in the trash back in the day, or was all original art tossed back in the GA days. Even SA days.

 

Where is original art to FF #1, for example

 

can't claim much knowledge of it but someone on these boards was mentioning the interiors to FF1 were later repurposed for a reprint and so exist but had been hacked and slashed a bit.

[AnkurJ]

Considering that fine art had an established market even in the 30s, it's amazing that the originals were considered to be trash.

[Bronty]

C'mon, it was kids slop back then.... the equivalent of thinking the pages of your daughters Dora the Explorer or Peppa Pig book would be valuable. Or, better, yet, the designs for your kid's sneakers or crayons or something equally disposable.

[JadeGiant]

Considering that fine art had an established market even in the 30s, it's amazing that the originals were considered to be trash.

 

Hindsight makes everything clear. I would be interested to see if ANYONE was actively looking for the stuff back then.

[alxjhnsn]

Considering that fine art had an established market even in the 30s, it's amazing that the originals were considered to be trash.

 

Hindsight makes everything clear. I would be interested to see if ANYONE was actively looking for the stuff back then.

Jerry Robinson was taking things home from the very early days. I'm sure that there must have been others.

 

 

[alxjhnsn]

One story that makes my heart sad.

 

The owner of Quality Comics cut up Jack Cole's Plastic Man art because he was afraid that it would be used to reprint the books!

 

That hurts on so many levels. For example, if there was value in reprints then why cut of the originals? Why not make your own reprints.

 

Best,

 

Alex

[JadeGiant]

Considering that fine art had an established market even in the 30s, it's amazing that the originals were considered to be trash.

 

Hindsight makes everything clear. I would be interested to see if ANYONE was actively looking for the stuff back then.

Jerry Robinson was taking things home from the very early days. I'm sure that there must have been others.

 

 

Good point. I am also interested in who may have been pursuing the pages for the appreciation of the art or as the pieces that were done to produce the comics. I am not surprised to hear an artist wanting to retain the work they labored over but equally/more interested to see if anyone not in the field was chasing the art down way back – our earliest comic art collecting ancestors.

[Brian Peck]

One story that makes my heart sad.

 

The owner of Quality Comics cut up Jack Cole's Plastic Man art because he was afraid that it would be used to reprint the books!

 

That hurts on so many levels. For example, if there was value in reprints then why cut of the originals? Why not make your own reprints.

 

Best,

 

Alex

 

I own a Superman original strip from 1942 that was ripped in half probably for the same reason. I have never been able to find the other half but I did get a nice reproduction of the other half and have it framed with the original. I hearda story of a golden age publisher using original comic art to insulate his office. Here is the 1/2 Superman strip

 

 

[zhamlau]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

[Hekla]

I seem to remember reading one story of a publisher using pages as a door mat on rainy days

[Pete Marino]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

It was also given away at the end of tours. IIRC there's a story about a box that people could just pick pages out of as they ended the tour.

[drdroom]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

This is called stealing. A lot of the stolen Marvel art was sold to collectors at early conventions, late 60's-early 70's.

[Bronty]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

This is called stealing.

 

So is taking home an extra pen from work... but people do it without giving it a thought and the employer doesn't care either... different times.

[drdroom]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

This is called stealing.

 

So is taking home an extra pen from work... but people do it without giving it a thought and the employer doesn't care either... different times.

 

I would say a thought was very much given, certainly in the cases where the goods were immediately fenced for cold cash. As to the employer, some officials of the company cared, like Irene Vartanoff, while others very much appear to have been culpable.

[Bronty]

Yes, for sure, I glossed over that. comparing it to pens was stretch perhaps, so my post may have been hasty/sloppy, but you know what I'm saying. People only care when there's a value.

[drdroom]

It was a different time, for sure, but not completely different. Some of the younger artists (and I think maybe Wood?) were making noises about getting their work back, and a lot of pros were collecting --Robinson, Kane, Steranko, Williamson, that I know of. Barry Smith gave Roy Thomas the OA for Song of Red Sonya (IIRC), so that implies Barry was able to claim it and Thomas valued it. And we know there were collectors who bought many of the pages that walked out, so the non-pro collector market had come into existence by 1970 for certain.

[Hekla]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

This is called stealing.

 

So is taking home an extra pen from work... but people do it without giving it a thought and the employer doesn't care either... different times.

 

I would say a thought was very much given, certainly in the cases where the goods were immediately fenced for cold cash. As to the employer, some officials of the company cared, like Irene Vartanoff, while others very much appear to have been culpable.

 

Does anyone have a link to the article containing Irene's list? I thought I had it bookmarked.

[jaybuck43]

At marvel in the 60s and 70s, certain artists and employees would go and snag it from storage, even if it wasnt their art. No thought much about it. Now in hindsight, its probably made a few of them a nice bonus later in life.

 

This is called stealing.

 

So is taking home an extra pen from work... but people do it without giving it a thought and the employer doesn't care either... different times.

 

I would say a thought was very much given, certainly in the cases where the goods were immediately fenced for cold cash. As to the employer, some officials of the company cared, like Irene Vartanoff, while others very much appear to have been culpable.

 

Does anyone have a link to the article containing Irene's list? I thought I had it bookmarked.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=250066