Heritage Auction Galleries' upcoming Comic Book and Original Comic Art Signature Auction, to be held November 15 & 16 in Dallas, Texas, is jam-packed with rare material, with a special emphasis on art this time around.
"There are some really outstanding pieces here," said Ed Jaster, Vice-President for Heritage. "Many of which have never before been offered to the collecting world. These are pieces that have been admired for years, and will now be offered publicly — exquisite trophies to be won by the highest bidder.
"Following our successful Summer offering of some classic covers from past editions of the Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide, we're pleased to offer several additional pieces from that revered book's history. This time, bidders will have the opportunity to compete for such marvels as Bill Ward's Torchy and Women in Comics cover, L.B. Cole's eerie Demon and Damsel cover, Alex Ross's recreation of the classic cover to Adventure Comics #247 (the issue that introduced the Legion of Superheroes), and legendary Golden Age artist Alex Schomburg's wonderful World War II-themed cover, featuring Captain America, the Human Torch, and the Sub-Mariner. These are exceptional works of art by some of the field's undisputed masters, and is an opportunity not to be missed.
"When talking about ultra-rare and super-desirable, there are few books whose originals are more hotly contested than Brian Bolland's pages from the landmark one-shot, The Killing Joke. Written by Alan Moore, this was a turning point in the Batman mythos, as the Joker shot Barbara 'Batgirl' Gordon, rendering her paraplegic. Bolland is one of the most exacting artists ever to take pen to paper, and his originals are in great demand, especially as his work is virtually 100% digital today, meaning that original pen-and-ink pieces just don't exist. Originals from The Killing Joke are some of the most in-demand pages of any produced during the last few decades, and we're proud to offer the stunning final page from this landmark epic, which features both Batman and the Joker prominently.
"If you're a fan of classic comic strips, perhaps nothing in this auction will tempt you as much as a lovely early Peanuts Sunday page, dated 4-10-55, featuring Charlie Brown and the boys on the baseball diamond. Schulz's baseball strips were some of his most beloved, and this one is a real classic, as Charlie Brown stands on the pitcher's mound, desperately trying to keep the game going in spite of the torrential rain. In our last Comic Signature auction, Heritage set a new world's record for the sale of an original Sunday Peanuts page - $77,675 for a kite-flying strip dated 3-1-59 - and the strip offered in this auction could very well be in the running to beat that impressive record. Aside from this exquisite Sunday, we're also offering eight additional Peanuts originals, so there'll be plenty for the dedicated Schulz fan to choose from.
"At Heritage, we're all fans of great underground comix art, so it's no surprise that we have some wonderful pieces from that arena in this auction. The two most outstanding pieces in this regard are, no doubt, Robert Crumb's original cover for the historic Mr. Natural #1, and Bobby London's cover for the infamous Air Pirates Funnies #1. Both of these are iconic books, bearing cover art that has become part of our public consciousness, and will make an important addition to any serious collection of comic — or commix — art.
"With all the excitement about the wonderful art in this auction, I wouldn't want anyone to think that we had forgotten about comics. From the Golden Age, such as one of the highest-graded copies of Flash Comics #1, CGC-graded FN+ 6.5 with cream to off-white pages, to a first printing of God Nose #1, acclaimed as the very first underground comic book from the halcyon days of 1964, four-color fans will find something to excite them.
"Of course, this brief outline barely scratches the surface of this exciting auction. For more information, I'd encourage people to visit our Web site at www.HA.com, where they'll see full-color, enlargeable images of each and every auction lot, complete with our thorough and informative catalog descriptions, and even have the opportunity to place their bids online. This is an auction no one is going to want to miss, so I'd encourage people to bid early and often!"
This is a guest article. The thoughts and opinions in this piece are those of their author and are not necessarily the thoughts of the Certified Collectibles Group.
