Really? HA? Really? WTH are you thinking? 0

[MyNameIsLegion]

So, if you are looking to see what diamonds in the rough might lurk in next weeks Wednesday HA Original art auction: Look no further. 

I mean it. Look no further. Don't waste your time.  My condolences to the other consignors when no one shows up to bid on the like 8 things even worth looking at. 

Why is that? because next Wed you will have no less than 71 CGC Signature Series Slabbed Sketch Covers to suffer through before you get to the real original art. They are spread out all over the auction. they represent 25% of the lots in the auction.  That's demonstrably worse that the Jim Davis Garfield auction lots. At least those were consecutive so you could plan a nap, a quick lunch, listen to at least one album side of Blonde on Blonde. 

Just who the hell is the genius that curated the contents of this auction? 

Edited January 25 by MyNameIsLegion

[Will_K]

On 1/25/2024 at 12:02 AM, MyNameIsLegion said:

Why is that? because next Wed you will have no less than 71 CGC Signature Series Slabbed Sketch Covers to suffer through before you get to the real original art.

I didn't even know Dave Mandel collected sketch covers. 

[ShallowDan]

As someone who took a while to warm up to the idea of slabbed comics, and still doesn't get sketch covers, the idea/appeal of graded/slabbed sketch covers is really lost on me.

[comix4fun]

On 1/24/2024 at 11:02 PM, MyNameIsLegion said:

So, if you are looking to see what diamonds in the rough might lurk in next weeks Wednesday HA Original art auction: Look no further. 

I mean it. Look no further. Don't waste your time.  My condolences to the other consignors when no one shows up to bid on the like 8 things even worth looking at. 

Why is that? because next Wed you will have no less than 71 CGC Signature Series Slabbed Sketch Covers to suffer through before you get to the real original art. They are spread out all over the auction. they represent 25% of the lots in the auction.  That's demonstrably worse that the Jim Davis Garfield auction lots. At least those were consecutive so you could plan a nap, a quick lunch, listen to at least one album side of Blonde on Blonde. 

Just who the hell is the genius that curated the contents of this auction? 

I feel like you're holding back....

[RBerman]

Some of them are nice commissions. But I would rather just have the commission without the attached comic book, let alone the slab. Pain in the neck to store.

[Michael Browning]

I hate the blank cover sketches/drawings. I figure, though, that the consignor wanted them all in the same auction and someone at HA said “nah, we ain’t putting these into a Signature Auction, so stick ‘em all in a January Wednesday auction.”

[Will_K]

I think of sketch covers as a way for non-OA collectors to get art.  You just put sketch covers in the same boxes as your regular comics, no need to buy Itoyas.  Slabbing sketch covers is a different level.  Pre-CGC, if you went by Overstreet grading standards, writing or drawing on a comic would lower its grade/value.  CGC flipped that on its head.  The whole idea of slabbing, Signature Series, graded sketch covers, etc is a marketing coup.

[Dr. Balls]

On 1/25/2024 at 10:42 AM, Will_K said:

I think of sketch covers as a way for non-OA collectors to get art.  You just put sketch covers in the same boxes as your regular comics, no need to buy Itoyas.  Slabbing sketch covers is a different level.  Pre-CGC, if you went by Overstreet grading standards, writing or drawing on a comic would lower its grade/value.  CGC flipped that on its head.  The whole idea of slabbing, Signature Series, graded sketch covers, etc is a marketing coup.

I don't collect sketch covers anymore, but I think they are and always were a novel idea. I think they are a fun medium to put commissions on, and it becomes a way to "standardize" an OA collection if you are into the whole "same size" thing of collecting art.

It feels as if it isn't as popular as it was 10 years ago. I was collecting them back then and got jerked around (thankfully with no loss) during the Thony Silas debacle (ended up getting mine) and the Ebas debacle (ended up getting my money back), which are two big examples of likely many problems the Sketch Cover Community had to deal with. After those experiences, I moved into traditional OA.

I also had an uneasy feeling about the use of Copic markers on sketch covers because they are not lightfast and have the possibility of fading over time.

[The Voord]

On 1/25/2024 at 4:53 PM, Michael Browning said:

I hate the blank cover sketches/drawings. I figure, though, that the consignor wanted them all in the same auction and someone at HA said “nah, we ain’t putting these into a Signature Auction, so stick ‘em all in a January Wednesday auction.”

Rumour has it one HA employer said, "Nah, just mark 'em down for shredding."

[The Voord]

On 1/25/2024 at 8:04 PM, Dr. Balls said:

I also had an uneasy feeling about the use of Copic markers on sketch covers because they are not lightfast and have the possibility of fading over time.

Sketch cover today . . . gone tomorrow!*

*  Bit like the 'Grail today, gone tomorrow' phenomenon, where posters (on various sites) proclaimed to have found their holy grail (usually all too easily and a bit kind of 'meh' in content) . . . only to shortly afterwards say, "circumstances force me to re-sell my grail . . . "  

 

Edited January 28 by The Voord

[ThothAmon]

[The Voord]

On 1/26/2024 at 11:08 PM, ThothAmon said:

The Holy Grail! of sketch cover guys!    

[Rick2you2]

On 1/26/2024 at 6:08 PM, ThothAmon said:

You could probably sell it on eBay as a Jack Kirby original.

[davidtere]

My only sketch cover. 

[tth2]

On 1/25/2024 at 1:02 PM, MyNameIsLegion said:

So, if you are looking to see what diamonds in the rough might lurk in next weeks Wednesday HA Original art auction: Look no further. 

I mean it. Look no further. Don't waste your time.  My condolences to the other consignors when no one shows up to bid on the like 8 things even worth looking at. 

Why is that? because next Wed you will have no less than 71 CGC Signature Series Slabbed Sketch Covers to suffer through before you get to the real original art. They are spread out all over the auction. they represent 25% of the lots in the auction.  That's demonstrably worse that the Jim Davis Garfield auction lots. At least those were consecutive so you could plan a nap, a quick lunch, listen to at least one album side of Blonde on Blonde. 

Just who the hell is the genius that curated the contents of this auction? 

I really don't know what the big deal is.  To me, these are no different than the commissions, sketches, recreations and other unpublished work that I also always skip over.  

[Silver Surfer]

Just have a handful of these:

 

 

[Silver Surfer]

[Silver Surfer]

[AlexG_art]

I was all in on CGC sketch covers for about a good 10-month stretch back in '21. Had some gems during that run Jim Lee, David Finch and Mike Zeck. Probably the best piece was the Neal Adams sketch I bought on eBay. Sketch covers were all later sold to help out on my OA addiction so to speak. No regrets here.   

Edited January 29 by AlexG_art

[MyNameIsLegion]

On 1/27/2024 at 11:32 PM, tth2 said:

I really don't know what the big deal is.  To me, these are no different than the commissions, sketches, recreations and other unpublished work that I also always skip over.  

I disagree for the fact that they are first: Graded CGC Signature Series slabbed comics. HA and other auctions have dedicated auctions for such artifacts. It’s not  a raw comic or a backing board with a doodle where the main object is the doodle. Do they put published original cover art next to the slabs? No. Get that outta here or see your consignments suffer.