Progression of Comic Art Buying Question(s) 2 2

[ShallowDan]

On 3/28/2024 at 9:36 AM, brownies8701 said:

 

In your opinion, is it better to buy pages (most likely more expensive) from more popular artists with maybe less action/less main characters or cheaper pages with better action/main characters?  I'm looking to keep all pages I have & not sell them as an investment fyi.

 

This comes down to whether a "B"/"C" piece from a bigger name is better than an "A" piece from a lesser known/less appreciated artist.  Personally, regardless of the particular price point, I'd say always go with the piece you like the most.  If you know you absolutely want something from a particular artist and you can only afford one thing due to the price point, I'd say save and stretch for the single best example you can get.

I will mention that the occasional bouts of buyer's remorse I've had were things that I picked up due to feeling the need to buy something/anything when I lost out on a piece I was chasing at auction, or when I bought something simply thinking it would be a placeholder until a better example came along.  Inevitably, the "something better" popped up much sooner than I would have expected, and the money spent on the consolation prize would've been put to better use if held on to for something I really wanted (mediocre pieces are generally much easier to buy than to sell).  As others have said, a few so-so $250 purchases quickly add up to a $1,000 purchase, a few misspent $1,000 purchases add up to a $5,000 purchase, etc.   

Edited March 30 by ShallowDan

[Will_K]

On 3/30/2024 at 7:32 AM, Rick2you2 said:

On 3/29/2024 at 11:23 AM, PhilipB2k17 said:

 One thing I've found is that even if you miss on a page that you really want, you mostly get over it after a while and something else will come along that you also like.  

Well, not in my case. There have been pages I have seen sit for years on dealer sites, and don’t buy them figuring they will sit for more years. But then, someone else gets them and I never find a duplicate of that artist and character again. Or, I never find one I liked as much. Now, I  mostly throw caution to the wind and worry about the money later (“deficit spending”). For those who cast a wide net, however, I can see that perspective.

To the extent of your publicly known focus, it's generally rare for very desirable art to show up.

In my early collecting days and even now, my buying choices have been all over.  Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.  The only thing that gives me any focus these days is that art has gotten so expensive.  I think that's the main driver for the mentions of budgeting, stretching, that a single $1000 is better than 4 $250's.  Back in the day, when just about every artist would do a convention sketch for $25, that was a pretty simple decision.

[Dr. Balls]

On 3/29/2024 at 2:16 PM, brownies8701 said:

Lastly, here is my CAF link for anyone that is interested:

https://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=164661

That is a really nice gallery of Bats pages - wonderful balance, composition, expression - and plenty of action. Love the Spectre #51 page. Nicely done!

[Dr. Balls]

On 3/30/2024 at 11:56 AM, ShallowDan said:

I will mention that the occasional bouts of buyer's remorse I've had were things that I picked up due to feeling the need to buy something/anything when I lost out on a piece I was chasing at auction, or when I bought something simply thinking it would be a placeholder until a better example came along. 

Boy, I'm sure glad other people experience this as well. You hit it right on the head there.

I call it "Coyote Ugly Buying".

[cstojano]

On 3/30/2024 at 6:44 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Boy, I'm sure glad other people experience this as well. You hit it right on the head there.

I call it "Coyote Ugly Buying".

Yup, same here per my comment above. When I open a package if my first inclination isn't to frame it I know its getting sold

[Nexus]

On 3/30/2024 at 10:56 AM, ShallowDan said:

I will mention that the occasional bouts of buyer's remorse I've had were things that I picked up due to feeling the need to buy something/anything...

I see this a lot at conventions, where collectors believe they MUST leave the show with a piece of art to consider it a successful/worthwhile experience. Otherwise, the show is a bust. For me, if I see something at a show I really like at a decent price, that's a bonus. I don't want to feel compelled to buy something just for the sake of buying. OTOH, I've made excellent contacts at shows with other collectors through the years and that networking has led to keeper pieces. No instant gratification but better long term results.

Similarly, I don't like to lock myself into "goals" or very specific want lists, because that hyper focus may cause me to miss seeing something special. Having blinders on that way might also cause me to overvalue something on my want list when it shows up. I'm speaking only for myself, of course, and understand goals and want lists work well for others. I tend to look at it, though, as drafting the best talent available, and not drafting for "need".

[ShallowDan]

On 3/31/2024 at 2:03 AM, Nexus said:

I see this a lot at conventions, where collectors believe they MUST leave the show with a piece of art to consider it a successful/worthwhile experience. Otherwise, the show is a bust. For me, if I see something at a show I really like at a decent price, that's a bonus. I don't want to feel compelled to buy something just for the sake of buying.

Good observation (especially given the fact that you've possibly seen this play out from both sides of the table, so to speak), and it's a mistake I've certainly made before.  Once was with an artist whose work I liked and could find countless examples of things I love online.  I was happy to meet him and we spent a couple of minutes talking about me being a fan of his work before I started leafing through a portfolio of stuff that was nice enough, but with nothing that really grabbed me (and that all seemed to be priced with a bit of a show premium built in).  It wasn't that I felt obligated to him to buy something, but more like I felt obligated to myself to buy something.  In the lead up to the show, I had mentally budgeted the money to be spent at his booth, and well, here I was at the booth, so...

Since then, I've tried to take the approach that the best part of a show is the experience, so to speak: meeting/chatting with artists and other fans/collectors of their work - the networking thing that you mentioned.  No shame in driving home empty handed but with a full wallet, and you can still end up with memories of a fun day even if you don't buy anything. 

[Rick2you2]

On 3/30/2024 at 2:08 PM, Will_K said:

To the extent of your publicly known focus, it's generally rare for very desirable art to show up.

In my early collecting days and even now, my buying choices have been all over.  Sometimes for the better, sometimes not.  The only thing that gives me any focus these days is that art has gotten so expensive.  I think that's the main driver for the mentions of budgeting, stretching, that a single $1000 is better than 4 $250's.  Back in the day, when just about every artist would do a convention sketch for $25, that was a pretty simple decision.

In my case, there was never a lot it, and what there was of major artists, I already have representative samples of almost all of them. For example, I really don’t need an Aparo cover; I have 3 panel pages, and a fanzine cover. But, why I can’t find images of PS from Impulse? Captain Adam (missed one, once)? When they have slipped through, it’s usually because I already spent my spare cash on something else, or really don’t care for the image. And then I live to regret it for years. 

And by the way, I do buy outside my area on occasion. I commissioned Keith Williams for a Martian Manhunter piece I am waiting for, and I am just barely resisting the urge to buy some Jordi Bernet art. He is really terrific.

Edited March 31 by Rick2you2

[RBerman]

On 3/31/2024 at 12:09 PM, Rick2you2 said:

In my case, there was never a lot it, and what there was of major artists, I already have representative samples of almost all of them. For example, I really don’t need an Aparo cover; I have 3 panel pages, and a fanzine cover. But, why I can’t find images of PS from Impulse? Captain Adam (missed one, once)? When they have slipped through, it’s usually because I already spent my spare cash on something else, or really don’t care for the image. And then I live to regret it for years. 

And by the way, I do buy outside my area on occasion. I commissioned Keith Williams for a Martian Manhunter piece I am waiting for, and I am just barely resisting the urge to buy some Jordi Bernet art. He is really terrific.

That is the third time Jordi Bernet has come up for me in 24 hours! I will have to check him out.

[Lucky Baru]

If you find yourself liking a specific artist’s style, and that art is now out of reach financially, you can look for artist that copied that style to scratch that itch occasionally.  For example, there are artist that worked for Rob Liefeld at different studios he owned.  Many copied his style.  You can find Marat Mychaels, or Richard Horie pieces that are priced significantly lower than what Liefeld’s pages FMV is currently.  Personally, I think Richard Horie is better at Liefeld than Liefeld is on certain books in the 1990’s.

if you wanted a Jim Lee WildCats page that Scott Williams inked - there is an option to source them at a cheaper price.  You could look for the issue that Jim Lee penciled the pages to 50%.  Ryan Benjamin is credited with finishing them.  Scott Williams inked them.  Those pages are at a fraction of a Jim Lee WildCats page.  I don’t remember the issue off the top of my head.

Also, if you like a certain artist, and you are feeling priced out of their work on a certain character, you can shift your focus to that artist’s work at a different time in their career, or to their work on another character.  If you want a Mike Zeck Punisher cover - more than likely that isn’t going to happen.  However, with his career spanning such a long period of time, and having worked on so many different titles - the odds are you could find something in a price range that you enjoy, and would be happy adding to your collection.  Sometimes a bit of research and luck, can turn up other options of an artist’s work that you find just as pleasing to the eye, and didn’t know they produced.

Good fortune to you finding what you seek!

Edited April 4 by Lucky Baru

[brownies8701]

On 3/30/2024 at 1:56 PM, ShallowDan said:

I will mention that the occasional bouts of buyer's remorse I've had were things that I picked up due to feeling the need to buy something/anything when I lost out on a piece I was chasing at auction, or when I bought something simply thinking it would be a placeholder until a better example came along.  Inevitably, the "something better" popped up much sooner than I would have expected, and the money spent on the consolation prize would've been put to better use if held on to for something I really wanted (mediocre pieces are generally much easier to buy than to sell).     

This is exactly what I do and have been doing.  The money I have is burning a hole in my pocket & I totally get that itch to buy something.  I just have to recognize this and be stronger

[Rick2you2]

On 4/4/2024 at 7:08 AM, RBerman said:

That is the third time Jordi Bernet has come up for me in 24 hours! I will have to check him out.

He has a number of different styles. His Torpedo, which I love, has a “film noir” feel to it. He has a beloved character, Clara, the prostitute, done in a light, humorous style. He has a more serious style in Cicca, an earlier series, and some Jonah Hex pieces, as well as other art, usually in a dark style. None of them are particularly expensive from what I have seen. He also does commissions. I just wish I understood the  language.

[G.A.tor]

I focus on one character...about 15 years ago I randomly bought a piece, just to have an example...I wasn't really interested in collecting oa...over the next 10 years I picked up an example here and there, just to have...no rhyme or reason, just occasionally would buy a piece... then a hurricane financially forced me to sell my comic collection in 2018/19...but as a 50 year "comic collector", it was part of my nature to want to collect...but no way I was going to try to re piece back a comic collection...so covid hit in 2020 and I started seriously focused on buying OA (new venture)...I bought everything I could...any piece offered to me with my favorite character, I bought it... didn't really consider cost, or content...I just figured "its one of kind, don't pass"...then, after a couple of years, last year I looked at many of the pieces I had purchased and it dawned on me, "why" ...the content wasn't great on some...the art wasnt great on some....the price certainlly wasn't great on some....so I changed directions  and now Im "focused" on pieces that I find to be more substantial or even "epic" in some nature... collecting is a progression...you will find your path as we all seem to

[Dr. Balls]

On 3/31/2024 at 12:03 AM, Nexus said:

I don't like to lock myself into "goals" or very specific want lists, because that hyper focus may cause me to miss seeing something special.

Very true. Being open outside of goals or focus actually allows me to be very discerning about something special that doesn't fit into my collecting "theme", but those pieces are some of my more cherished items because I generally gave them a lot more scrutiny.

I have a lot more pieces that fit into my focus that just aren't as superior - I like them for what they are, but looking back - I'd probably have passed on them if I didn't have a focus that justified having them.