If ASM #43 is a $100,000 cover, what would happen?

[tth2]

Don't Steven Spielberg and George Lucas own some fantastic OA even though they're not die-hard collectors?

[*paull*]

I don't think that people outside of the comic book industry would consider these messy black and white pages to be much in the way of fine art. Would they prefer to have work by Warhol or some "unknown" named Steve Ditko?

[delekkerste]

Don't Steven Spielberg and George Lucas own some fantastic OA even though they're not die-hard collectors?

 

Sure, but that's exactly my point - either one of them by themself could buy up just about every piece of comic book OA in existence and not bat an eyelash, but have they? There are plenty of other celebs who have been known to collect as well - the money and an established interest have been around for a long time - and yet the market is what the market is.

 

As far as SS and GL in particular, I think one or both of these guys was a big EC and Famous Monsters fan growing up (SS owns the Mad #1 cover I believe), so that would explain a lot. Anyone who hasn't been passionate about the material for a long time isn't likely to make the leap to collecting OA just because they played a character in an acting role - I don't see Sam Raimi or Tobey Maguire trying to clean out Mike Burkey or Halle Berry trying to pick up all the Byrne X-Men pages featuring Storm or Christian Bale throwing cash at Neal Adams Batman OA or Jennifer Garner trying to buy up all the pages to DD #168 or Hugh Jackman trying to buy the Hulk #181 complete story, right...

[delekkerste]

I don't think that people outside of the comic book industry would consider these messy black and white pages to be much in the way of fine art. Would they prefer to have work by Warhol or some "unknown" named Steve Ditko?

 

The vast majority of people, no matter how much money they have, are likely to blanche when they hear the price tag for comic book OA. Sure, like Chris said, Tobey Maguire could easily afford $1 million for the AF #15 cover if it ever surfaced. However, he and his friends (and his financial advisor), if they are like most people, would likely think: "the original art costs WHAT??? Is it made out of solid gold??? Did Picasso add a few lines to the page at least???"

 

The money to buy just about anything at any price has been out there for some time. The empirical data shows, though, that a near-totality of the best pieces out there are bought and owned by longtime, die-hard collectors, not by Hollywood directors, Google billionaires, Howard Stern, J.K. Rowling, Russian oligarchs, Alex Rodriguez, T. Boone Pickens, or whatever the "Great OA Hope" is for the month. Why? Because no matter how rich you are, unless you've "drunk the Kool-Aid", the prices are going seem ridiculous to you. So, there's really little reason to worry about Forbes magazine highlighting our hobby triggering a wave of outsider speculation or getting sniped by Oprah Winfrey on the next hot eBay OA auction - you probably have a better chance of being eaten by a shark or struck by lightning.

[dem1138]

Gene,

 

For the sake of everyone here, please curtail all of this logic, reason, and rationale.

 

--David

[*paull*]

Not only aren't these big rollers buying original art, they aren't even buying comic books! (Except for N. Cage, that is)

[comix4fun]

Tobey could pay a mil for the AF #15 cover out of his tip money after all the cash he has made just from the 3 Spidey films.....

 

It simply doesn't fit the empirical fact pattern.

 

Gene

 

Which is why it works as a joke.....which is what it was.

(Note to self: be sure to use the graemlin more often)

 

Chris

[comix4fun]

I don't think that people outside of the comic book industry would consider these messy black and white pages to be much in the way of fine art. Would they prefer to have work by Warhol or some "unknown" named Steve Ditko?

 

Sure, like Chris said, Tobey Maguire could easily afford $1 million for the AF #15 cover if it ever surfaced. However, he and his friends (and his financial advisor), if they are like most people, would likely think: "the original art costs WHAT??? Is it made out of solid gold??? Did Picasso add a few lines to the page at least???"

 

And everyone knows these guys don't blow their cash on stupid stuff.

And at least a few of his entourage would realize that is more expensive per ounce than Heroin or Coke and that would kill the deal right there.

[*paull*]

Right.... they'd rather have a walk-in refrigerator, LCD panels on the ceiling of their car, or solid gold cell phones.