Published Art vs. Commissions

[comix4fun]

Jim -

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here. I think that these are amongst the reasons that I prefer the published (or at least art that appeared somewhere). There's a record of it having existed, and having been done.

 

It's funny you should mention Layton. The guy is one of the few that really does not look like he has lost too much, despite the passage of time. But as much as I love his Iron Man, I'd rather pay for an original panel page from his run than get a commission that anyone else could get. There was a nice cover recreation by him on eBay a few weeks back. I thought about it, but ultimately did not bid at $250, which was the winning bid.

 

I'm still torn, but my window of opportunity is closing.

 

Thanks so much for your comments.

 

- A

 

A Layton panel page from the height of the run with any Iron Man on it will probably run you at least $500 now, and a really nice action page is already up over a thousand. I offered twice that for a splash 18 months ago and was blown out of the water.

 

So it's not really a 1 to 1 proposition choice...panel page or commission.

 

Hopefully that helps you make your decision a little easier.

 

Chris

[bluechip]

Jim -

 

I think you hit the nail on the head here. I think that these are amongst the reasons that I prefer the published (or at least art that appeared somewhere). There's a record of it having existed, and having been done.

 

It's funny you should mention Layton. The guy is one of the few that really does not look like he has lost too much, despite the passage of time. But as much as I love his Iron Man, I'd rather pay for an original panel page from his run than get a commission that anyone else could get. There was a nice cover recreation by him on eBay a few weeks back. I thought about it, but ultimately did not bid at $250, which was the winning bid.

 

I'm still torn, but my window of opportunity is closing.

 

Thanks so much for your comments.

 

- A

 

A Layton panel page from the height of the run with any Iron Man on it will probably run you at least $500 now, and a really nice action page is already up over a thousand. I offered twice that for a splash 18 months ago and was blown out of the water.

 

So it's not really a 1 to 1 proposition choice...panel page or commission.

 

Hopefully that helps you make your decision a little easier.

 

Chris

 

Depends on the qua,lity and uniqueness of the piece. If the artist churns out commissions and they all look kinda similar, it's different than if they do very few and you have something that is very appealing and uncommon. Published art should be judged based on its aesthetic value and not just on being published. Though with pubolished art there is always the possibility that one or more people (including you) were greatly affected by the art when it was originally published and enjoyed. Hard to beat nostalgia.

[Artemaria]

You're right, it's a nostalgia driven market.

 

Pages from that confluence of great story and great artists and great characters in a book invariably cost far more than either of their parts alone.

 

For example, Moore & Totleben on Miracleman. Those pages are expensive. Moore on Supreme (if the pages even have words) or Totleben on horror comics -- not too expensive.

 

I'm bummed out to hear about the Layton page. I passed on a nice one a couple of months ago, and from what you tell me, I'll not see its like again for what I was willing to pay.

 

Live and learn.

[MedicAR]

Depends on the qua,lity and uniqueness of the piece. If the artist churns out commissions and they all look kinda similar, it's different than if they do very few and you have something that is very appealing and uncommon. Published art should be judged based on its aesthetic value and not just on being published. Though with pubolished art there is always the possibility that one or more people (including you) were greatly affected by the art when it was originally published and enjoyed. Hard to beat nostalgia.

 

But it may be that the buyer doesn't want "unique." I've got a Golden Age Captain America from Joe Simon. Cap's holding his shield and saluting, very classic, but not particularly unusual. But Joe did it for me and it looks like something right out of the GA books.

 

 

Come think of it, it (that style of image, not the artwork itself) may have been used in an ad for the Sentinels of Liberty or something similar. Damn it. Now I have to go look for it.....

 

Any-hoo....Another treasured piece is my Hulk 181 cover re-creation. Not original in the least, but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

 

As far as artists churning out similar material, look the Fallen Son sketches on eBay. The artwork isn't bad by any stretch, just a bit uninspired from a variety of artists.

 

Now that aesthetic question....you've got something there. At this stage of collecting, I don't care if it's published or not. If it looks good and it's an artist or character I want, I'll do all I can to snap it up! My next conquest is a Mazzuchelli Batman piece. They keep bringing serious moolah on eBay.

[Artemaria]

Hey everyone, thanks for the thoughts. Your insights not only helped me consider this decision, but also helped me focus and think about why and what I am collecting and anytime you get to think about something personal like that, it is not a bad thing.

 

It ended up that I did not get the commission -- this time. Two main reasons. My wife was not thrilled with it, and someone else offered the other guy more money and I was not willing to go up. So, I missed out on that, but ended up picking up something else rather nice off of eBay

 

Thanks again for all of your help! You guys on this board are great!

 

By the way, Ben, I guess I have to ask the obvious question, why is Wizard bad for comics?

[RaccoonRaccoon]

What did you pick up off ebay? I have lost the last few auctions i have been bidding on!

[Artemaria]

R -

 

I use the same name on eBay as here (Artemaria), so if I'm not the winning bidder, then I didn't outbid you. Check your PM for more.

 

While I watch a truckload of stuff, I'm also not often the winning bidder on eBay.

 

- A

[MedicAR]

By the way, Ben, I guess I have to ask the obvious question, why is Wizard bad for comics?

 

I use that sig on every board I'm a member of (all four) and you're the first and only person to ever ask!

 

Wizard is bad because:

 

1. It's nothing but a hype machine catering to mindless fanboys.

 

2. They pander to the speculators that crashed the hobby in the 90's. I'm still mad about the Captain America #25 deal where the Wizard Universe store knew in advance about the death of Cap and stocked up on it so they could sell it at $25-100 on eBay the Wednesday it hit. There are a lot of unhappy speculators right now, which is sort of ok with me, but how many people saw the stroy on CNN, got curious about comics again and got burned? Those people will never return.

 

3. They call that a price guide?

 

4. Wizard seems oblivious to the fact that there is more to collecting than the last 30 minutes. I've never seen a Golden Age spotlight, a Silver Age spotlight or anything even close. The best they do is the "Treasure Hunt" where they pick an obscure book and make it hot for all of a month before it fades back to obscurity.

 

5. No depth to their "reporting." It's just slick press releases from the publishers.

 

6. No depth to their "interviews." Just gushing praise and mindless banter.

 

7. Have any of their "Hot Picks" stood the test of time? I've seen on one board where they dig up the old issues of Wizard, pull out the "Hot Picks" and "Top 10 Books" just to laugh hysterically at them. Very few of the books they list are true quality and have any real staying power.

 

8. No news. I don't know that the name "Ewert" has ever been in their magazine. Of course, that was an industry wide clamp down. About the only place you could find anything of significance has been right here.

 

9. There's nothing of any real significance in it. When was the last time you found a dealer, article, or an item in it that really helped you out with your collection? For that kind of thing, you need CBG or Alter Ego.

 

10. Most new fans regard Wizard as the be-all end-all magazine for comic collectors. There is so much more to this hobby than Wizard. Look at these boards! Look at the magazines I listed in #9! We have a generation of collectors now that no nothing other than the hype machine and think that's pretty much all the hobby has to offer.

[Artemaria]

Ben -

 

I guess everyone else thought the reasons were obvious. .

 

Well, that certainly is an exhaustive list you present there, and I can't say I disagree with anything you say. I don't actually remember ever reading any in depth analysis of anything in there, and their coverage is fairly heavy on the Marvel and DC. Their comics price guide is out of touch the second its printed, and their estimated prices for back issues can, at best, be called wildly erratic.

 

The one reason that I do really like Wizard, which is also one of the reasons my wife hated Wizard (I haven't gotten one in years), is that they make funny jokes about comic drawings that appeal to an adolescent sense of humor that, unfortunately, still makes me laugh. Granted, this hasn't compelled me to buy the thing in years, but I remember fairly regularly reading one of their quips and just laughing out loud. Which is not a bad thing.

 

Are the other boards on which you are a member also forums for OA collectors? If so, could you tell me what they are (either here or via PM). As you can tell, I'm a sucker for OA boards.

 

Best regards.

 

- A

[MedicAR]

Ben -

 

I guess everyone else thought the reasons were obvious. .

 

I just assumed no one else paid attention!

 

The one reason that I do really like Wizard, which is also one of the reasons my wife hated Wizard (I haven't gotten one in years), is that they make funny jokes about comic drawings that appeal to an adolescent sense of humor that, unfortunately, still makes me laugh. Granted, this hasn't compelled me to buy the thing in years, but I remember fairly regularly reading one of their quips and just laughing out loud. Which is not a bad thing.

 

I danced around that singular topic. Their jokes can be pretty darned funny.

 

Are the other boards on which you are a member also forums for OA collectors? If so, could you tell me what they are (either here or via PM). As you can tell, I'm a sucker for OA boards.

 

This is by far the most extensive OA board I participate in. The others dabble at best. I'm on ValiantFans.com and lyriacomicexchange.com. The other two are marginal boards at best with nothing in the OA department.

 

I hope I'm not violating some policy by listing their sites here.

[MONSTER]

I love both. I mainly have commissions but I've been starting to get more published pieces as of late. Why limit yourself to one over the other?

 

I have a few commissions lined up for San Diego and I'm also picking up a published cover at the show.

 

Now I just need more money to pay for everything.