question about the future of original comic art

[desertdogg]

i was thinking.hummm with more artist doing artwork on computers and advancements in the printing. industry.

 

will there come a time when comic companies do anyway with the hard copy.s of original art and just print the pages and covers from scans the artist sends them.

 

i think it just a matter of years before marvel and dc will go this route and original comic art will be no more.. but the real meat of my question to all you hard thinkers. is the market / hobby value of original art that already exists.

 

that pages / covers will become more scarce. with the hobby growing they will be more demand than supply . which will take the market prices to an all time high. as artist from the silver age pass on. and more collectors try to hoard or corner certain artists.

 

what do you guys think. ? is the future so bright i gotta wear shades.

 

larry

[heartened]

Hi,

 

Personally, barring major world or domestic events that may rock any collectable hobby, I see the original art prices/values continuing to escalate for the next 20 years or so. This is based on the fact that there was still a large readership for comic books through the 80s and early 90s, and there is another resurgance today. What happens after that is anyone's guess, and depends a lot on what happens over the next 10 years. If readership goes down and stays down due to the variety of other entertainment kids and teenagers engage in, and the comic companies don't adapt and keep their iconic images/characters in the forefront of mainstream consciousness, then I think everything will go down eventually. The only way for the hobby to succeed in the extreme long-term would be for it to make the leap from a small niche market to a bonafide mainstream collectible. That's a hard jump, but it isn't impossible. After all, there aren't too many truly American art forms, and I think people will come to realize that over time. With each day, there are more open-minded people willing to accept this type of art as worthy of big bucks and collectibility.

 

It's important to ask these questions, though, because a lot of people view the hobby at least partially as an investment. So, knowing when to jump ship may be important down the line. I think that time, if it comes at all, is a long way off. More likely would be a plateauing of values for a short term, and then a change in direction.

[Robert Plunkett-migration]

Whether the companies print off the originals or scans they are sent, the art will still be created and primarily by hand. It is far easier to do a from scratch page by hand than on a computer. Plus, selling the original art has become a significant part of artists' income. As long as there are comics, there will still be original art.

 

Art by comic artists will keep going up but prices for particular comic pages that have no special appeal except for the fact that they evoke nostalgia for the comic will go down as the nostalgia goes down; when the issue that was hot becomes old news, when the fans grow old, die, etc.

[Sharkey]

Good question, Larry. Here's a few thoughts.

 

I am in agreement with Hari. I think that the rarer and more desirable art will hold and increase its value. The thing is, as more people are attracted to the OA market, will OA follow the trend in comics where an artist gets "hot" and prices for that art increase, and will they cool off as the artist's hotness cools off? Since the modern art is not being destroyed the way that much of the Golden and Silver Age art was, I anticipate that it may not escalate in price the same way. There are exceptions but I dont' see a guy who is 25 now and might be drawing for another 20 or 30 years having an OA following that drives his art into the statosphere. Alex Ross and others may be that exception, but the average comic artist will not. It'll be like Kirby vs Heck. I see the modern guys being more like Sal Buscema (not knocking Sal -- I like his art, but I also think the supply of it outsrips demand). I also think that with newer art, splashes and covers will be the most sought after, and panel pages may really sit and gather dust. AFter all there are so many comics being produced and so many artists in the industry now, compared to the 30s - 60s and even 70s) that there is much more modern art out on the market. It'll be interesting to see if the "Hot" artists really hold their followings and become the Kirby/Ditko/Kane/Steranko/Adams of the modern era. How many of them will be true "art gods" in 20 years? Will Jim Lee X-Men pages be as hot in 20 years? How about McFarlane? Bruce Timm? Eric Powell? etc.

 

I don't collect a lot of modern art, so I am in the boat where most of the artists I collect are no longer producing new art, thereby creating a finite, limited market for me. Kirby and Ditko panel pages are still desirable partly because there's a finite supply, and partly because they are still affordable to those of us who can't drop $30k or more on a cover. So when all the other Ditko and Kirby collectors die before me, I guess I'll have a shot at some of those "vault" beauties.

 

I am concerned that speculators who get disenchanted with CGC and high -grade comics will increasingly jump to OA and drive up demand and prices, and in effect make it more difficult for true collectors to get art they desire. But that happens with any collectibles market that seems undervalued. It amazes me that more people aren't into OA in a big way, but the selfish collector side of me is ok with that.

 

Finally, my personal decisions to buy art are not based on its investment value, only nostalgia and desirability to me personally. So in all honesty, I am not looking at my OA as a retirement plan or investment. If it holds its value long term and someday I am able to sell it at a nice profit, that will be a bonus. But my own personal enjoyment is the catalyst for my art buying right now.

[desertdogg]

thanks for the reply guys. i agree there is more modern art than gold / silver / bronze age art. but i think it just a matter of time and i mean real soon. that investers / auction house. with sit up and see what heritage is doing.

 

and will want to get back into the game. as well as maybe some young hot shot broker. may steer his investers. into the art market as a new investment option,s.

 

also what,s gets me is how golden age art. take a back seat to silver age art.value wise when there is so little of it.

 

but i totally agree with the hot shot artist thing. having staying power. with current values. i would love to see if jim lee x-men / batman art becomes the next frank miller. dark knight / daredevil art down the road. i don,t know if some of you remember when kieth giffen was red hot on the legion of super heroes. his art was superhigh. when he was on the book. . i don,t see a folks breaking down the wall for his stuff now.

 

but it is a point about what happens something when a book and an artist gets red hot.

 

larry ;]

[*paull*]

Jim Lee's work is way overpriced now and I can't see how that material could escalate considering how much of it is available in the market. People won't have the same affinity for that work as they would for Miller's Dark Knight or Daredevil. That work has great stories attached to it.

[desertdogg]

i agree. i think this new dc crisis book will be very hot art and comic wise. but i think a lot of collectors will go for the art on the new series. thinking it will rival the 1st series by perez. and cash in down the road. which i don,t think it will even get close to the 1st series. perez did his best stuff on that series..

 

 

larry ;]

[comicartfan]

So, knowing when to jump ship may be important down the line

 

Not me ! - I'm throwing into the casket with me.....nothing gets left behind.

[comicartfan]

Good question, Larry. Here's a few thoughts.

 

I am in agreement with Hari. I think that the rarer and more desirable art will hold and increase its value. The thing is, as more people are attracted to the OA market, will OA follow the trend in comics where an artist gets "hot" and prices for that art increase, and will they cool off as the artist's hotness cools off? Since the modern art is not being destroyed the way that much of the Golden and Silver Age art was, I anticipate that it may not escalate in price the same way. There are exceptions but I dont' see a guy who is 25 now and might be drawing for another 20 or 30 years having an OA following that drives his art into the statosphere. Alex Ross and others may be that exception, but the average comic artist will not. It'll be like Kirby vs Heck. I see the modern guys being more like Sal Buscema (not knocking Sal -- I like his art, but I also think the supply of it outsrips demand). I also think that with newer art, splashes and covers will be the most sought after, and panel pages may really sit and gather dust. AFter all there are so many comics being produced and so many artists in the industry now, compared to the 30s - 60s and even 70s) that there is much more modern art out on the market. It'll be interesting to see if the "Hot" artists really hold their followings and become the Kirby/Ditko/Kane/Steranko/Adams of the modern era. How many of them will be true "art gods" in 20 years? Will Jim Lee X-Men pages be as hot in 20 years? How about McFarlane? Bruce Timm? Eric Powell? etc.

 

I don't collect a lot of modern art, so I am in the boat where most of the artists I collect are no longer producing new art, thereby creating a finite, limited market for me. Kirby and Ditko panel pages are still desirable partly because there's a finite supply, and partly because they are still affordable to those of us who can't drop $30k or more on a cover. So when all the other Ditko and Kirby collectors die before me, I guess I'll have a shot at some of those "vault" beauties.

 

I am concerned that speculators who get disenchanted with CGC and high -grade comics will increasingly jump to OA and drive up demand and prices, and in effect make it more difficult for true collectors to get art they desire. But that happens with any collectibles market that seems undervalued. It amazes me that more people aren't into OA in a big way, but the selfish collector side of me is ok with that.

 

Finally, my personal decisions to buy art are not based on its investment value, only nostalgia and desirability to me personally. So in all honesty, I am not looking at my OA as a retirement plan or investment. If it holds its value long term and someday I am able to sell it at a nice profit, that will be a bonus. But my own personal enjoyment is the catalyst for my art buying right now.

 

Very well said Steve.

 

I think that the surge in the comic art market just in the two years I've been involved is in one respect a postive one. I think that while there is certiantly enough competion out there for certain pieces, I also think that the more collectors that are in on it (even in a part time basis) is only a benefit. It gives the original art market, comics in fact , a much needed boost in terms of maintstream credibilty.

 

Alot of us like to reinforce that even though the intent isn't to make a profit or fund our retirements, none of us really want to take a bath on it either. I really get alot of enjoyment in my art, looking at it hanging in my office. I also have some satisfaction in knowing that if i really needed to, I could liqudate my collection. I may not make a huge profit, but I think that making smart choices in terms of buying pieces that are signficant, that are BOTH historical and appealing to a large crowd. - A very wise collector told me this early on

[FlComicFan]

Giffen's Legion art is still quite valuable Several middle of the road pages sold on ebay a few months back in the $1500-2000 range