Best of 2017: BUDGET EDITION - Discussion Thread 0

[alxjhnsn]

I have to ask though it might not change my submittal.

My two Simonson "head shots" fit under the $300 limit IF you adjust what we paid by deducting what we got.

Odin by Walt Simonson and Maleficent by Walt Simonson

We got them at the Simonson dinner at SDCC 2017. Here's the breakdown of why I think they cost $250 each.

 

Part of the dinner with IDW. Cost is an estimate as follows:

Total cost:                                                                        $500

Dinner at FdC:                                                                 $100

BRB AE (signed/numbered):                                         $125 (list)

Ragnarok Vol 2 HC (remarqued, signed, stamped): $  25 (cover)

This makes the drawing $250 though since Walt doesn't do commissions, it's really hard to value.

 

Thoughts?

Edited December 24, 2017 by alxjhnsn

[mister_not_so_nice]

Your math wizardry worked on me. I concur.  

[J.Sid]

31 minutes ago, mister_not_so_nice said:

Your math wizardry worked on me. I concur.  

+1

Post 'em!

[alxjhnsn]

I can only enter once and my entry has votes so I'll leave it (and I really, really like it). That said, here are my runner ups.

Maleficent by Walt Simonson (this is my wife's not mine, her character choice and it's a great choice)

 

Odin by Walt Simonson (wanted a character that is more visual than Thor and Odin has great hats!)

I think Maleficent might get a lot of votes, but I can't take my Pirate Ship down and she doesn't have an account here.

[mister_not_so_nice]

8 minutes ago, alxjhnsn said:

I can only enter once and my entry has votes so I'll leave it (and I really, really like it). That said, here are my runner ups.
 

You can post two pieces. I only see one posted from you 

 

You can post one more (I suggest the Maleficent  , but then my taste in popular art isn't all that refined)

[alxjhnsn]

Mike, who says you aren't nice. You are correct, I can post two pieces! and I will! 

Maleficent is the one that I'll use.

Thanks for the reminder. This should get you back on the "good kid" list!

Merry Christmas!

[BCarter27]

Just a reminder to everyone... Go back and edit your entries if you have more than one image per reply. Otherwise, we won't know which piece to vote for!

[Twanj]

2 minutes ago, BCarter27 said:

Just a reminder to everyone... Go back and edit your entries if you have more than one image per reply. Otherwise, we won't know which piece to vote for!

I posted the published colored page along with the pencils or inks. Is that ok, or should I remove the colored page?

[BCarter27]

1 minute ago, Twanj said:

I posted the published colored page along with the pencils or inks. Is that ok, or should I remove the colored page?

I think that's fine since we are still voting for one piece. But if everyone else would prefer to only see the B&W art, please weigh in.

[mister_not_so_nice]

2 minutes ago, Twanj said:

I posted the published colored page along with the pencils or inks. Is that ok, or should I remove the colored page?

I think everyone understands that the colored version is just for reference.

 

BTW, where does everyone get those nice color versions?  Digital comics?

[BCarter27]

A few notes about my thinking on the price point...

I've played at these levels for the last several years and for a long time $200/month was my budget. I consider this "two burgers-two milkshakes-two movie tickets x 4 weeks a month"  money. In other words, for date money you could snag one piece a month. Or save for a couple of months to get something bigger.

I considered $200 as the limit, but after an informal poll (I asked my wife), I decided that was a bit TOO restrictive. $300 also takes into account the general rise of prices I've seen in the hobby just over that last 2-3 years. (The report from the bottom is that things are quite healthy!)

With $400-500 to spend, personally, I can locate some truly amazing stuff. So that's a whole 'nother level best left to CAF where those pieces will get their due.

$300 forces you to wear out some shoe leather at conventions, network a bit, and develop your "eye". What I'd love to see moving forward are new low-budget collectors as well as "old hands" who find that one budget jewel during the year that they school us all with...

[Rick2you2]

3 minutes ago, BCarter27 said:

$300 forces you to wear out some shoe leather at conventions, network a bit, and develop your "eye". What I'd love to see moving forward are new low-budget collectors as well as "old hands" who find that one budget jewel during the year that they school us all with...

For me, it's the thrill of the hunt (and I will go over that $300 amount pretty regularly, so long as it's not too high). There just isn't much Phantom Stranger artwork out there, although, I am fortunate about my choice of subjects because it's not in high demand. That means I can get very, very good work at a price which is less than a more popular figure can command.

Let me add that I think that OA today, is, on balance, better than it was before the 1970's, with rare exceptions. Even if the illustrator were highly capable before then, the limits of "old school" story-telling away from the classic 6 panel was not broached nearly as well (or often), while the stories themselves have lended themselves to better quality illustration. 

Bottom line: this is the golden age of great comic illustration, and there is an awful of it. That's helping to keep prices down--and $200 vs. $300 isn't a big difference.

One final comment. I have no clue why Dillon art has moved up that much while Schaffenberger art has not.  I don't care for either one of them much, but I think Schaffenberger's work was cleaner (and just as scenically nutty if you look at some of it closely). 

 

[mister_not_so_nice]

First, I'd like to thank @BCarter27 for starting the other thread  

 

I think anyone looking to get into OA would be scared off after a couple of days on these boards.  Heck, even I feel like I'm the only one here that isn't making in excess of 7-figures annually.

Every piece discussed is $XK, auction predictions are all $XXK, "This piece was a bargain at only $6750." and so on. 

There is PLENTY of great art out there that can be had for <$300 and that thread is going to show it off. (sadly the commissions I got from Gary Martin were $350 )

I look forward to seeing what all of you playas got this year for $300 or less.

[BCarter27]

The Wife and I just went through our 2017 acquisitions and realized we had to disqualify a bunch of great stuff that wasn't itemized. I think I shot myself in the foot!

22 minutes ago, Rick2you2 said:

I have no clue why Dillon art has moved up that much while Schaffenberger art has not.  I don't care for either one of them much, but I think Schaffenberger's work was cleaner (and just as scenically nutty if you look at some of it closely). 

I think Dillin gets a bump since he was on the JLA title -- which usually means his pages have multiple headline characters.  And then Schaffenberger has to perpetually compete with Swan for the Super-buyer's money. (With the Dave Hunt estate having come to ebay and Heritage, it's been interesting watching those 80s pages find their pricing.)

[mister_not_so_nice]

My first entry is an unpublished commission from an Italian artist. 

I've found a couple of artists on PATREON that have a support level that includes original art after X number of months (time payments ) .  Marco Guaglione is one of them 

Edited December 25, 2017 by mister_not_so_nice

[Rick2you2]

49 minutes ago, BCarter27 said:

I think Dillin gets a bump since he was on the JLA title -- which usually means his pages have multiple headline characters.  And then Schaffenberger has to perpetually compete with Swan for the Super-buyer's money. (With the Dave Hunt estate having come to ebay and Heritage, it's been interesting watching those 80s pages find their pricing.)

When I went to a comic art show last year, someone standing next to me said he was responsible for the big run-up because he kept bidding on it in competition with someone else. He felt guilty about it, too. I think of this occasionally as a stark reminder of how thin this collector market is.   

Interesting cross-market. To me, Swan is like a cup of hot tea one sips in front of a fireplace, while maybe wearing a shawl. Schaffenberger is more like a can of Coke.

[vodou]

17 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

When I went to a comic art show last year, someone standing next to me said he was responsible for the big run-up because he kept bidding on it in competition with someone else. He felt guilty about it, too. I think of this occasionally as a stark reminder of how thin this collector market is.   

Interesting cross-market. To me, Swan is like a cup of hot tea one sips in front of a fireplace, while maybe wearing a shawl. Schaffenberger is more like a can of Coke.

Personally, have not use or interest in Swan Superman (under $1k, LA silver is a different matter). Schaffenberger I'll buy all day. LA SA whatever. But I've stopped. I may be the "someone else", if that referred to Schaff, definitely not if Swan

[comicwiz]

Hey guys, don't want to break any rules, but I'm uncertain on something. In this post, I have a 6-page unpublished story which abides to the budget, except one of the page 1 alternates (the first in the post) was purchased separately. I could remove that from the entry, but my intention was to post the story together. Do I have to still only pick one page from the 6-page story?

[SquareChaos]

1 hour ago, comicwiz said:

Hey guys, don't want to break any rules, but I'm uncertain on something. In this post, I have a 6-page unpublished story which abides to the budget, except one of the page 1 alternates (the first in the post) was purchased separately. I could remove that from the entry, but my intention was to post the story together. Do I have to still only pick one page from the 6-page story?

From the rules post:

Quote

• Post ONE PIECE per reply. This is your entry.
• You cannot have paid more than $300 for the art. This price must include Buyer's Premium. Shipping, handling, and insurance are not factored in. Convention entry fees are not relevant. No, we cannot verify your purchase price. We are on the honor system here. And let's leave off items that you acquired within a larger group purchase unless they were specifically itemized. Again, honor system!

You may be in violation of the first bullet point ('one piece', etc), but the second seems very clear - as long as the total value of what you've posted is less than or equal to $300 that shouldn't be a concern.

I personally have no problem with multiple pages under the specified ceiling cost, but it may not be what @BCarter27 intended.

Edited December 26, 2017 by SquareChaos

[alxjhnsn]

Ditto - I'd treat the 6 pages as one item IF the total is less than $300.