Production Pages & Production Art: Show the love!!! Show your pieces!!

[Sharkey]

The recent ebay auctions of a number of production covers that featured stat images has been a hot and polarizing topic -- I don't think peopled paid these types of things much mind, until they started selling for hundreds of dollars, then in the case of some Avengers covers, broke a grand, and have kept going up. A lot of collectors seemed shocked by this.

 

Now, it's important to acknowledge that these things are not "Original Art". So why collect them? Why pay a dime for them much less hundreds or, in the case of the DD 43 cover, thousands of dollars?

 

Well, to me they signify a unique piece of the comic book production process, and in some instances they reproduce an iconic image at a fraction of the cost of what the OA would cost. In addition, in the case of these particular covers, although the images are stat, these are the actual covers used to produce the comics. I thought they were pretty cool. I know there are some people who have no interest in this stuff because there's no original artwork involved. But clearly there are people who love them. I've always liked the production pages to the Marvel in-house ads. So making a jump to buying a few production covers isn't a long leap.

 

Anyway, all the discussions here and on the comicart-l made me start thinking things like:

 

1. How many people own and collect production covers or pages that are partly or mostly stat or pasted up mechanicals?

 

2. How many people collect in-house ads, some of which may contain a little original art but are primarily stats and mechanicals?

 

3. How many people collect mechanical proofs, color proofs, or even hand-colored color guides?

 

4. And most importantly, am I the only "photocopy buying person_having_a_hard_time_understanding_my_point" as affectionately deemed by our old bipolar buddy, KK?

 

Thus, I'm dedicating this thread to all the 'tards out there.

 

Show some love for production pages!!! I'll go first:

 

Marvel's Greatest Comics 47 Cover: The Sentry Sinister. This cover is a stat image from FF 64, although someone redrew the Sentry Sinister's back and added some additional lines. There are also extensions to the stat that were drawn by hand so the image would fill the entire cover space. The title and logo box are mechanicals pasted onto the cover.

 

 

 

Marvels' Greatest Comics 42 Cover: The Peerless Power of the Silver Surfer!! This cover is also a stat image, from the classic FF 55 issue. There's some whiteout on this stat and a few things touched up by hand, as well as extensions. Mechanicals are pasted on.

 

 

 

Marvel Adventure 1 Cover. This cover is a nice stat of a Gene Colan piece. I remember buying this comic as a kid because Iiked those early Daredevils from around issue 12-45.

 

[Sharkey]

Here's one: this time an in-house ad.

 

 

Tales to Astonish teaser: Hulk This ad for TTA 60 (was published in TTA 59) announced the hulk portion of the hulk/giant-man split book. A cool bit of history: the image used for the Hulk is from the cover of Hulk #1, but the center part where the Bruce Banner image was has been whited out and the rest of Hulk redrawn. I don't know why, but I love stuff like this.

 

[westform]

Ok, I don't know if this will qualify for showin' the love..... but, here goes.

 

I think these items are collectible and fun to look at. I have had a few items that are basically production pieces consisting of non-original art. But, for some reason, I've always moved them on to someone else. Ok, I move a lot of stuff, but just haven't kept any of these. I do still have a few prelims that are obviously drawn pieces but that doesn't really apply to this topic.

 

I did bid on a few of these covers as the images are very memorable and they are the actual production process pieces but the prices just seemed very high to me. They still do. I understand your point about comparing the price to the actual cover like the FF55 or DD43 which would be huge $ pieces. And, if I do that I can understand the rationale, but I actually just consider the dollars vs. what else I can buy in the market whatever it may be. ( I pretty much do that with every piece I buy or sell). Now I know cover images rule, but personally I would rather own a vintage starlin half splash than the production art to DD43. Obviously, others may and will disagree. And, I will give it more thought as well; I may even change my mind if one of my 'grail' (I mean cosmic cubey covers) shows up.

 

So, I do think they are very cool, and I'm even a little suprised the owner of DD43 didn't buy the production cover to have a 'set', but I just can't bring myself to fork over the big bucks yet.

 

Congrats on having some one of a kind, cool pieces of Marvel History!..... Ok, there's some love.....

[aardvark88]

Sold my Hulk 181 production art to a boardie:

 

[Sharkey]

now THAT is cool!!!!

 

 

 

Sold my Hulk 181 production art to a boardie: