Ryan Stegman Barracuda vs Punisher Cover Hammer Price Question 1 1

[Lucky Baru]

In the yesterday's Heritage Auction, did the dance of the gavel deem the Ryan Stegman's Barracuda vs. Punisher #3 cover to a humbler fate than anticipated? The buyer received not only Stegman's graphite ballet on one page but also the rhythmic ink strokes of JP Mayer on another.

The mini-series was cancelled.  The cover was a herald of solicitations before Marvel dropped the ax on it. Does a cover, curated by Stegman's skilled hand, not command a sum loftier than the modest $380.00+- it received at the auction’s end? 

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/covers/ryan-stegman-and-j-p-mayer-punisher-vs-barracuda-3-unpublished-cover-original-art-marvel-2020-total-2-original/a/322347-49233.s?ic4=GalleryView-ShortDescription-071515

[Twanj]

Unpublished and who is barracuda?

Horrilbe timing for an auction too.

[gumbydarnit]

Lots of wonderful drawing by RS going on here, if there were any interest in the Barracuda maybe it would fetch the price point you were thinking, but the punisher is just a tiny silhouette so his fans aren’t gonna drive it up. It depends on the Barracuda army to drive this bad boy up and they have spoken.. in a very small way ; )

That said, it does seem like a good price, had I seen it I would have been a bit tempted at $380.

[gumbydarnit]

On pieces like this where it seems like a good price and good art, but I have no interest in the subject, I almost always let it go, even tho Im tempted. I’d rather pass on the bargain and save that money for a piece that fits more my collecting focus.
 

Ryan is a good artist, but he’s not one of my favorites. If one of my guys produced a similar piece, at that price, it would be a different story. I would have taken it down.

Edited November 23, 2023 by gumbydarnit

[Michael Browning]

On 11/23/2023 at 2:58 PM, gumbydarnit said:

On pieces like this where it seems like a good price and good art, but I have no interest in the subject, I almost always let it go, even tho Im tempted. I’d rather pass on the bargain and save that money for a piece that fits more my collecting focus.
 

Ryan is a good artist, but he’s not one of my favorites. If one of my guys produced a similar piece, at that price, it would be a different story. I would have taken it down.

I will usually buy any cover at this price, but, it's not a good cover designwise, and then tiny Punisher in the background and, the third strike is that it's a modern cover that's bad and has a tiny Punisher.

[Lucky Baru]

Gratitude extends to all for the insightful responses and the wealth of information shared—undeniably intriguing.

Yet, my interest is piqued, wondering if a reply may surface regarding the sale price from @Nexus Felix of Felix Comic Art. The same cover found its  way to the hands of collector in times past via his website.

https://www.felixcomicart.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=26572
 

Edited November 25, 2023 by Lucky Baru

[FoggyNelson]

I like the piece👍‼️

[Sean I]

I'd say the consigner expected to "command a sum loftier" given they listed it at $2,000 on eBay in September.  Felix wipes the prices to "Sold" so we can't see the original purchase price on ComicArtTracker.  Felix got Ryan the most he could, which is his job, I'd imagine it was almost certainly than the pre-BP amount of $320.  I love Ennis Punisher, but I'm not a big fan of the Barracuda storyline.  

[RBerman]

I like it. Nicely rendered trees, cool lens flare for the sunlight, well detailed foreground swamp and figure. A commission of this quality would run substantially more than $380, regardless of the figure depicted.

[comix4fun]

If it was commissioned by client it would have cost more and if they had wanted a Barracuda piece, cover quality, with such a detailed scene it would have been much more expensive. 

However, unpublished pieces, especially featuring the secondary character (to Punisher) almost entirely, and put in a set time auction setting and subject to timing, bidding pool size, and vagaries of hard line ending time....is going run the risk of suffering the fate it ultimately did. 

[Lucky Baru]

Reflecting on my initial words, it occurs to me that I omitted a crucial detail—I hold a genuine fondness for the cover. Regrettably, under the presumption of a loftier fate at auction, I refrained from casting my bid. A missed opportunity at such a modest price.

In the realm of Barracuda's obscurity, my curiosity led me through the pages of Punisher Max, witnessing the clash between him and Frank in the pursuit of Frank's daughter. Though unaccustomed to the modern comic domain, the narrative proved a compelling read. Amidst the overtly violent tapestry, it unraveled the unwavering resolve of Frank Castle, revealing the lingering embers of humanity within.

Colored cover

[Khazano]

At the end of the day it's unpublished and features a very obscure villain. Punisher is minimally shown. No different than a commission of just Barracuda really and we all know how commissions do on the resale market.  Stegman is a big name yes but not big enough that any character he draws can command over 1k.  This was always a sub-500 piece IMO.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[John E.]

For what it’s worth, Barracuda is to the Punisher in 21st century what Jigsaw was to Frank Castle in the 70s & 80s. 
 

I mean, there’s also Ma Gnucci, but she just didn’t grow the legs to be a runaway hit with fans, nor does she have the reach for wider audiences, which is a real stumper, man.

[malvin]

On 11/24/2023 at 7:42 PM, John E. said:

For what it’s worth, Barracuda is to the Punisher in 21st century what Jigsaw was to Frank Castle in the 70s & 80s. 
 

I mean, there’s also Ma Gnucci, but she just didn’t grow the legs to be a runaway hit with fans, nor does she have the reach for wider audiences, which is a real stumper, man.

Man, this is gold! Too bad no one else gets it or cares enough to comment

Malvin

[PhilipB2k17]

[Lucky Baru]

On 11/24/2023 at 9:42 PM, John E. said:

For what it’s worth, Barracuda is to the Punisher in 21st century what Jigsaw was to Frank Castle in the 70s & 80s. 
 

I mean, there’s also Ma Gnucci, but she just didn’t grow the legs to be a runaway hit with fans, nor does she have the reach for wider audiences, which is a real stumper, man.

Brutal

[alxjhnsn]

Is it really unpublished? The finished image was published in advertising material, was it not?