Top 10 of the 80's?

[cheekyj2112]

Being a bloke I need little provocation to start a faves list. Today I was musing about the (read: my) top 10 books of the 80's (which was my personal golden era). I came up with the following, in no particular order:

 

1. Watchmen

2. Dark Knight

3. V for Vendetta

4. Miracleman

5. Sandman

6. Killing Joke

7. Elektra Assassin

and because I have a big soft spot for the indies

8. Nexus

9. Mage

10. Cerebus

 

Honourable mentions would be DD Born Again, Batman Year One, American Flagg and Love & Rockets. I'm not sure whether the Byrne X-Men would scrape into that time frame.

 

Just wondering if others see any radical omissions. I imagine there must be a fair amount of concensus otherwise we wouldn't see the demand and prices for the originals of a lot of these titles.

And are the 20-something collectors bemused by the level of demand (outside of DK & Watchmen)? If I hadn't read Miracleman back then I'm not sure if I'D want to pay 4k for an original page.

 

Joseph (It was a boring lunch hour)

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=9492

[Solar]

Great list. I'm right with you on everything but the bottom 4 (and that's just personal preference).

 

And are the 20-something collectors bemused by the level of demand (outside of DK & Watchmen)? If I hadn't read Miracleman back then I'm not sure if I'D want to pay 4k for an original page.

 

I can't speak for everyone in my generation, but I'm 27 and I paid stoopid money for two JTT Miracleman pages. I have a large chunk of my net worth tied up in 4 Sandman pages as well

[cheekyj2112]

 

I can't speak for everyone in my generation, but I'm 27 and I paid stoopid money for two JTT Miracleman pages. I have a large chunk of my net worth tied up in 4 Sandman pages as well

 

Well, I have to say that looking at your gallery you have great taste

 

If you were waiting in the Bolland line at SD we probably crossed paths - I was the one wandering past and poking people to see if they were still alive.

 

Joseph

[Nexus]

This is right up my alley:)

 

1: DARK KNIGHT RETURNS

2. V FOR VENDETTA

3. WATCHMEN

4. KILLING JOKE

5. DAREDEVIL (including BORN AGAIN)

6. BATMAN: YEAR ONE

7. SWAMP THING

8. MIRACLEMAN

9. NEXUS

10. MAGE

 

Basically, stuff I have in my CAF gallery:)

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=9754

[Nexus]

Looking at this list again, it's obvious most of them are no-brainers. So I'd like to mention some sleepers (which is what I guess Joseph was asking about!):

 

ROCKETEER

JUDGE DREDD

GROO

AMERICAN FLAGG

RONIN

CAMELOT 3000

CONCRETE

MR. MONSTER

JON SABLE, FREELANCE

 

And, of course, there were the important "event" titles that remain highly sought after:

 

SECRET WARS

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

WOLVERINE Limited Series

 

I'm sure there's stuff I've left off, so someone else please continue!

[jjeanius]

does Sandman really count as '80s? Didn't that start in '89...and largely run through the '90s?

 

Other than being nitpicky, though...I like the list so far. I'd just add:

 

TMNT (1st 8 issues)

ASM (Black Costume/Hobgoblin saga...so, roughly 238-276)

McFarlane ASM

GI Joe (1st 27 issues)

 

ok, maybe those really don't rate top 10...but they were favorites of my childhood. And I can't think of ANY book that was more popular in the 8-12 range than GI Joe. That book was enormous at the time.

[Nexus]

I agree about SANDMAN which is why I left it off my list.

 

Also, Walt Simonson's run on THOR. I wasn't as big a fan of it myself, but I know a lot of readers from that era revere it. The OA is really scarce, too, because (as I understand it), Simonson has largely hung onto the art.

[Solar]

 

I can't speak for everyone in my generation, but I'm 27 and I paid stoopid money for two JTT Miracleman pages. I have a large chunk of my net worth tied up in 4 Sandman pages as well

 

Well, I have to say that looking at your gallery you have great taste

 

If you were waiting in the Bolland line at SD we probably crossed paths - I was the one wandering past and poking people to see if they were still alive.

 

Joseph

 

Yup, I was one of the poor ba$tards who waited 6 hours at Brian's table. Of course it was well worth it in the end - I landed both the Bolland and McKean pieces because I was in the line instead of wandering the show.

 

Thanks for checking out my gallery! Glad you like it - all of it could be yours for the low, low price of a Sandman #1 splash

 

No seriously, that's one of the best pieces on all of CAF - congrats!

[thirdgreenham]

Looking at this list again, it's obvious most of them are no-brainers. So I'd like to mention some sleepers (which is what I guess Joseph was asking about!):

 

ROCKETEER

JUDGE DREDD

GROO

AMERICAN FLAGG

RONIN

CAMELOT 3000

CONCRETE

MR. MONSTER

JON SABLE, FREELANCE

 

And, of course, there were the important "event" titles that remain highly sought after:

 

SECRET WARS

CRISIS ON INFINITE EARTHS

WOLVERINE Limited Series

 

I'm sure there's stuff I've left off, so someone else please continue!

 

I couldn't agree more with Judge Dredd and Concrete. Thanks for mentioning them, I really miss my old Dredd books and the fantastic Bolland covers!

Andy

[cheekyj2112]

does Sandman really count as '80s? Didn't that start in '89...and largely run through the '90s?

 

Other than being nitpicky, though...I like the list so far. I'd just add:

 

TMNT (1st 8 issues)

ASM (Black Costume/Hobgoblin saga...so, roughly 238-276)

McFarlane ASM

GI Joe (1st 27 issues)

 

ok, maybe those really don't rate top 10...but they were favorites of my childhood. And I can't think of ANY book that was more popular in the 8-12 range than GI Joe. That book was enormous at the time.

 

I think Sandman was1988 and I certainly associate it with that era.

While I enjoyed MacFarlane's run on Amazing, his new Spidey title is the start (in my mind) of the 90's excesses that drove me out of comics - gimmick covers, Liefeld etc

J

[cheekyj2112]

 

 

Yup, I was one of the poor ba$tards who waited 6 hours at Brian's table. Of course it was well worth it in the end - I landed both the Bolland and McKean pieces because I was in the line instead of wandering the show.

 

Thanks for checking out my gallery! Glad you like it - all of it could be yours for the low, low price of a Sandman #1 splash

 

No seriously, that's one of the best pieces on all of CAF - congrats!

 

Thanks for the compliment. And you just reminded me that I scored a McKean at SD too which I forgot to have scanned. And a Bolland Joker. What are the odds?

 

Joseph

[jjeanius]

McFarlane's ASM run and his Spider-Man title are night and day for me. I loved the ASM run, and despised "Spider-Man". His writing (if you can call it that) was horrendous.

[cbac]

1. Miracleman

2. Zenith

3. V for Vendetta

4. Dark Knight Returns

4. Sandman

5. Captain Britain (Moore)

6. Daredevil (Born Again)

7. Judge Dredd

8. Chopper (Supersurf, not the subsequent stories)

9. Strontium Dog

10. Dare (Morrison)

 

Oh Joseph, I think you've made a rather large omission but I added it high in my list.

 

Not to be awkward but I liked Watchmen but never counted it as Moores main masterpiece. But I think that was due to my extreme expectations due to the hype and feeling there were elements taken from his more obscure Captain Britain run and rehashed (not many but one notable one always stuck with me).

 

I left out the Bryne Alpha Flight run, 12 especially, X-Men, Secret Wars, Saviour, Dragons Dream Dan Dare reprint (change in the top panels made it mesh in a new way as a GN) and Batman runs. An honourable mention to Power Pack, maybe not now, but in the early eighties it was one of my favourites and had a lasting impression.

 

I'm sure I've missed something, and that top 5 order is questionable.

[batman_fan]

#1 All Avengers done by Buscema and Palmer

#2 John Byrne's Superman

#3 Justice League

#4 New Mutants (Gammill sp?)

#5 Dark Knight

#6 Some Miller Daredevil (I have one specific splash in mind that I would pay serious money for)

 

There are others, but these are the ones that I liked best.

[comiconxion]

Well, if you classify the top 10 by the prices that interior pages fetch on the market from certain runs/books, I'd list the following as the top 10 for original art pages:

 

- Bolland Killing Joke ($7500-$20k/page)

- Miller Dark Knight ($3500-$20k/page)

- Byrne X-Men #129-143 ($2500-$12k/page)

- Gibbons Watchmen ($1750-$6k/page)

- Stevens Rocketeer ($1250-$5500/page)

- McFarlane Amazing Spider-man #298-325 ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miller Wolverine Limited Series ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miller Daredevil #163-191 ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miracleman ($1k-$4k/page)

- Zeck Punisher Limited Series ($1k-$3500/page)

 

The prices I listed are my guess at average prices for panel pages (certain key pages and splashes could go for more). There is definitely some room for debate on the price ranges and the ones that should come at the bottom of the list, but I wanted to try and use some criteria for assigning a place on the list. It would also be typical to see $1k+ paid for:

- Miller Ronin pages

- Sienkiewicz Elektra Assassin pages

- Other ASM pages from the 80's

- Perez Avengers & Teen Titans pages

- Moore Swamp Thing pages

- Sandman pages

- Daredevil Born Again pages

- Batman Arkham Asylum pages

 

Although you hardly ever see any for sale, I'd hazard to guess that the demand for the following is also high enough that the following would also go for $1k+

- Early Eastman & Laird TMNT pages

- Simonson Thor pages

- G.I. Joe #1 & 2 pages

 

Anyway, that's my take at the top 10 from the 80's (from an original art perspective)...

[comix4fun]

Well, if you classify the top 10 by the prices that interior pages fetch on the market from certain runs/books, I'd list the following as the top 10 for original art pages:

 

- Bolland Killing Joke ($7500-$20k/page)

- Miller Dark Knight ($3500-$20k/page)

- Byrne X-Men #129-143 ($2500-$12k/page)

- Gibbons Watchmen ($1750-$6k/page)

- Stevens Rocketeer ($1250-$5500/page)

- McFarlane Amazing Spider-man #298-325 ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miller Wolverine Limited Series ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miller Daredevil #163-191 ($1k-$5k/page)

- Miracleman ($1k-$4k/page)

- Zeck Punisher Limited Series ($1k-$3500/page)

 

The prices I listed are my guess at average prices for panel pages (certain key pages and splashes could go for more). There is definitely some room for debate on the price ranges and the ones that should come at the bottom of the list, but I wanted to try and use some criteria for assigning a place on the list.

Anyway, that's my take at the top 10 from the 80's (from an original art perspective)...

 

Agreed, there is some room for debate, but those are good averages.

The most amazing thing to me is what the truly special pieces, splashes, key pages and covers seem demand. It has made it extremely difficult to acquire most pieces for anything short of a record price.

 

On the top end for the most top shelf pieces:

 

We have all seen primo Byrne X-men pages/splashes sell for $50-90k and a couple covers cross $100k. He's not really my cup of tea (esp. at these price levels) but they sell for what they sell for....

 

There are a couple of great Miller DK splashes that have had offers upwards of $50k from their current owners with a flat "No" as an answer.

 

Everyone saw those Rohrshach Watchmen pages sell for upwards of $8k last summer.

 

I have been offered triple the top end of the range for my Stevens Rocketeer splash.

 

A friend of mine who is silly for the McSpidey pages has recorded panel page sales upwards of $15k and covers crossing $65k, with even average to downright boring covers selling for $20k+ (Again not something I am interested in, but there seem to be enough people moving in this area to keep it rising)

 

As for Miller Daredevil. It seems I can't touch a top end DD, Bullseye, Elektra page (with some combo of 2 of the three) for under $7500-10k. I still don't have an example.

 

The Zeck punisher mini-series painted covers are crazy as well...A couple of them moved in the last 2 years at hefty prices. But most people know about that already.

 

We are seeing more and more people get a solid single example or perhaps an example of each character by these artists and moving on to the next item on the list. The prices are near prohibitive for anyone just starting out...without a trust fund that is.

 

Chris

[Mister Trent]

1. The Complete WEIRD SCIENCE (all Russ Cochran's EC Library reprint series)

2. The Complete WEIRD FANTASY.

3. The Complete TWO-FISTED TALES.

4. The Complete FRONTLINE COMBAT.

5. The Complete WEIRD SCIENCE-FANTASY/INCREDIBLE SCIENCE-FICTION.

6. The Complete HAUNT OF FEAR.

7. The Complete TALES FROM THE CRYPT.

8 The Complete VAULT OF HORROR.

9. The Complete SHOCK SUSPENSTORIES.

10. The Complete CRIME SUSPENSTORIES.

 

These comic-books sparked my interest in collecting Original Art, and I took the plunge in 1982 . . .