PokerKid

For back to back years William Stout and Lee Kohse were the artists who grabbed my attention at the San Diego Comic Con. I also picked up a couple of those Neal Adams portraits that he was selling below his usual rates.

I have not had the original colored by another artist, but have had them color a copy. In one case, the artist liked to color on a computer, so it was the only option. (Actually, he had found the sketches and colored them on his own without my knowledge as he was practicing his coloring skills). Another was an amateur who was offering a bargain price. Those turned out great. If I had the right art with the right colorist, I would now be willing to trust them with the original if I wanted a specific display piece.

Picked up nice retro Captain America to pair up with my Kingpin 1 cover. Just a couple of Keron Grant pieces I really enjoy.

Bob Kane - Batman and Me - book with "Bob Kane" drawing I couldn't stay away from this book despite knowing that there is zero chance of knowing for sure who drew the Joker artwork signed by Bob Kane, but it is as close as I will get to a confirmed Kane original and it is a neat book. My question has to do with the numbering. My book is #37 of 500. I have also seen books numbered out of 1,000. I could not find the original information on this publication. Are there 500, 1,000, or 1,500 of these things with "Bob Kane" original art included? Did the first 500 sell well, so they upped it to 1,000. Or is the 1,000 a wholly different run?

Dan purchased a high-end modern, paid immediately, and communicated quickly when received. Thank you.

SUNDAY After a fun and inexpensive day in Hall H, we just dropped into the convention on Sunday to allow the friend we were with to check out some Bill Sienkiewicz art. I have been a fan of his since the early '80s, but luckily nothing caught my eye. My friend bought a nicely priced sketch and got to meet with Bill. Then as we passed the Alex Ross table yet again, I decided to flip through the one book I hadn't flipped through before. So many great pieces, but when I saw the Tec 27 homage, I knew I was in trouble. My wife loved it as well. When he gave me the price, I figured I was safe. It was one of the few pages not marked with a price, but I was hopeful it was a $4k page. It wasn't, so I decided it was out of range. It being Sunday, and me looking like an easy mark, it was only a matter of minutes before we had it worked out and I was the proud owner of an Alex Ross original painting, something I never expected to add to my collection. It really is a great piece for me with my love of the Golden Age and Ross' work. I am one very broke, very happy man after this year's con. I am also hopeful this will get me to come back to these boards more often to interact with people here. I have been gone too long and I missed those connections.

FRIDAY We spent most of the day waiting in line for Hall H. (Much cheaper than going into the Exhibition Hall.) However, we did go back to Anthony's to pick up two pages featuring dogs that I knew my wife would like. They are drawn by "The Tribe," so it could be Tony DeZuniga, Ernie Chan, or one of many other artists who might have been part of that group. The first is from Marvel Classics Robinson Crusoe and the other from Marvel Classics White Fang.

THURSDAY The next day, my wife left me alone. (I think she learned her lesson.) I was flipping through the huge number of random pages Anthony's Comic Art has at their booth and they pull out Greg Land's Gambit #3 when I mention my affinity for playing card covers. I had seen it for sale previously, but when we start talking prices, they come down enough to get me to buy my first cover. Had I made a budget, it would now be obliterated. For me, this is a great piece. Love the detail and the images.

Finally got a 5-day pass to SDCC again. For the past few years, we have been able to go only one day and that was only because an artist friend would get me in with a guest pass for the day. While my comic collection is gone, I still add the occasional art piece, but I clearly didn't plan for what I did in San Diego. I spent much more than I had ever thought I would in a weekend and came back with some pieces I am truly happy with. (It also shows the danger of going to a con and not having a plan.) PREVIEW NIGHT We are inside for about 2 minutes before I come across David W Miller, an artist whose work I always like and feel is undervalued. I flipped through his books and picked up a piece for me and a piece for my dad, who is a Blackhawk fan (not the Chicago kind). Five minutes later, I see Sara Richard and tell my wife that I think she will like Sara's great work with all the wonderful colors. Sara pulls out her original art book and we like just about everything we see, but when we come across the full story for a just-published comic, my wife falls in love with it. So I end up buying the eight-page wedding story. Very pretty work. 10 minutes in and my expected expenses for the trip were gone.

One nice painting and a couple of sketches were my main additions this SDCC. I have a Jack and King that Jaime Carrillo painted in years' past, but this year he added the Queen, which was an easy choice to add to the set. I have been waiting a long (long, long, long) time for a Tommy Castillo commissioned painting. The painting should be coming soon, but these are the pencils he drew that he is basing the painting on. I couldn't leave this one sitting behind. My wife and I are suckers for Alex Ross, so we picked up a preliminary sketch he did for the comic book cover he painted for "Super 8." Lastly, it was great to finally ask Stan Sakai for a quick sketch.

Alex Ross' character studies for Superman Red Son. A couple of bargain priced (for him) pieces from the SDCC. Artists seem to draw on anything. In this case, his drawings appear to be on used fax papers. His name, phone number and fax number are on the back of both sheets.

very nice copy of a great book, todd! Thanks Billy! I'll second Billy's praise for that high flying Raboy cover and follow it as bestest I can with the next issue's hypnotic Rubimor... Only Quality Blackhawk crossover. Not an easy issue to track down. Hoping to stumble on an affordable copy soon. Yours is beautiful.

Fixed - thanks.

Had a good day at the Long Beach Comic Con today. Neal Adams was in a light and pleasant mood - normally he has his nose to the grindstone cranking out pieces. Had a good conversation with Stuart Sayger about a potential commission. Saw Rahsan Ekedal and got to tell him how much I enjoy two pages he sold me and the book Echos that I read as a result. Picked up three pages from Drew Johnson - all at my wife's request. This one grabbed my eye as we were walking by and I really wanted an excuse to buy it. My wife decided that since we like traveling, Big Ben's tower in the background can represent our recent trip. The comic should be coming out in the next few weeks. This is the first published cover I have purchased. We also picked up these two pages just because we really liked the imagery - and the unbelievably low price of $5 each. Clone Corps #1 p. 24 Clone Corps #1 p. 25

It's not framed, but it is colorized and was the first of this style poster I have added to my high school classroom using original art I have picked up. I think it is pretty cool - and so do the kids.

Even just getting the CGC # from him should be impossible, but might be worth a try.

Nice call on your part rewarded with another brilliant piece by Matt.

OK, I just wrapped up Hunger Games and am now about a quarter of the way into Ender's Game. Two thoughts: 1) I am really enjoying both books and 2) Teen lit shouldn't be looked down upon.

Great piece. I had to think long and hard before I talked myself out of pulling the trigger on this one due to finances. It is just beautiful - and wonderful to see it stay on the boards.

That's a great page -- I would have been all over that one if I'd seen it for sale. It gives a real sense of the era, and packs a lot into a single page. I knew I wasn't leaving the table without it, but I was working my way up to telling my wife I was going to get it. Then she told me she really liked it. The woman has great taste. The seller, whose name I failed to note, has all the other pages from the story, but he would not part with the splash page. This was easily the best of the other pages, so I ended up leaving the others behind. I was surprised he broke up the story, but was glad I was the one who got to break it up.

I have a small collection of original art and my wife always supports me. We have also commissioned art together, but at today's California Comic Con in Yorba Linda my wife spotted this page by Jill Elgin from Speed Comics #37 (1945). As a lifelong Blackhawk fan, I love these "Madame Butterfly" type characters in the WWII books, but did not expect her to start her original art collection with anything like this.

A digital colorist I have been getting to know was trying to raise a bit of money for an upcoming convention. He does great work so I asked him to color a couple of pieces, including Matt's great re-imagining of Batman #251. I paid for one version, but got a variation along with it. Hope you like it Matthew.

yeah baby, that it outstanding!

Absolutely stunning work. Whoever is up next is one lucky SOB.