Sideshow Bob

Four years ago, I stretched and was able to pick up about 1/3 of the art for Detective #526 (18 of the 56 pages) and 1/2 the art from Batman #366; 'Tec #526 is my favorite comic book issue and I'd say Don Newton's top work. As the pages started showing up sequentially on Ebay, I called Felix and asked his advice, and he told me I'd regret it if I didn't try my damnedest. Perfect advice at the time, and I pushed my boundaries on OA spending to their limit. I was compelled to sell a substantial amount of OA to keep my financial house in order, but it took a year to work off that spending binge.

Some cross-over events here and there, but there isn't a ton of overlap. All the OA from two recent Detective issues by Kyle Holz were pulled down by one collector. Earlier stuff like Brave & Bold pages (#199) just don't pop up very often.

https://yanickpaquetteblog.wordpress.com/paquette-con-2017/ Fill out the form and he'll get back to you. Same way he did it for pre-order convention pickups, but now without conventions! Bob

I've been getting Batman + Spectre commissions for a couple years. 13 examples and counting... https://www.comicartfans.com/galleryroom.asp?gsub=181214

Category placement question: I am putting this cartoon from Pia Guerra (of YTLM fame) into the "Published/Unpublished Strip Art" category for Best Of 2020, but debating if it should be in "Other" or "Commission". It is a line-by-line commissioned ink recreation (from EmeraldCon this year) of one of her digitally-created editorial cartoons (published on IG and Twitter), which were then assembled into a printed collection from Image Comics called Me the People. Any guidance? Is it a strip if its an multi-panel editorial cartoon? If it's a recreation of a published digital-only piece, is it

I will echo this sentiment. That fabulous couple does not stop being awesome. From sickbed calls for auction advice, to "oh you so overpaid but you be you" doses of reality, in a regular year, I'd be dragging you out to the third beer garden of the night as a thank you. Bob

PUBLISHED Tales from the Dark Multiverse: Dark Knights: Metal #1, pg 31 Penciller: Karl Mostert; Inker: Norman Rapmund

Brett Booth pencils, Norm Rapmund inks. I had asked for Batman protecting a member of his rogue's gallery from Spectre who is meting out his villain-specific holy vengeance. Brett opted for Penguin, and set him facing down an onslaught of mytsic umbrella missiles! I love it. The expression on Penguin's face, the action pose on Batman, all of it. And then taken to the next level with Norm's inking prowess (no stranger to Brett's pencils), it's a cover-quality commission. -Bob

The great thing is, even if not in the active process of buying or selling, the OA relationships and experiences don't have to go away. The artists that have become friends, the collectors that are mentors, the banter here on the boards, guiding my kids through Artists Alley at NYCC like a curator...all are still a part of my life. But yeah, the unplanned and unexpected never seem to take a year off!

Here are a couple broad brush strokes for 2021: 1) Would like to find the color guides pair of my favorite covers or interior pages in my collection. By chance, I've been able to do that with a few pieces and I've overjoyed at the result. 2) I wish I could say I was hunting for some pages, but really I'm just waiting for some to rise up from wherever they might be hiding. Like the back half of Batman #366 and the splash to Detective #526... where o where are they? 3) A key cover from my peak nostalgia period of DC circa 1986-1991 would be great. Fingers crossed. Email sent.

I absolutely adored that cover. I have a Roosevelt Island tram on my Christmas tree! And I put the biggest online bid I've ever put on that cover last night. Wow. But even though I could liquidate a number of other pieces and get to six figures of OA-generated cash very quickly, I just couldn't push myself to type in six figures for it. And I don't know there are any examples of OA where I would be compelled to put in a six figure bid, which comes back to the criteria that knocks me out of the OP's original question.

The pool of buyers is clearly enough to support a $108,000 (+15% buyer premium) on the ASM162 cover at CC last night. Bob

I've only done this once, and it was on ComicConnect. Two similar pieces where I only wanted one of them, but I thought someone might want to buy both as they were prime examples. Both kicked off within a minute of each other, and I proceeded to string out both to excruciating levels of last second upticks of minimum bid increments... The idea was to give the other bidder relief on one, so when I stopped the routine on Piece 1, it would to allow them the opportunity to then give up/gets distracted on Piece 2. Each piece went for about 30-40 minutes as we cat-and-moused each other, and I cried

I'm from a hockey family, and I still play and my daughter plays. So even though its a once-off villain, that cover image hits a lot of marks for me. Will frame it up and it will sit on my office wall. Bob

Crazy, but I was sleeping in and a fellow CAF member tipped me off about an early Y page. Swooped in and picked it up. Stuck around and after some searching found an Aparo Batman cover from the early 80's (#331) with Sportsmaster firing off exploding hockey pucks (and a Newton Robin back-story). Didn't know the Batman/hockey/Newton triangle could be achieved! Realized it would be on a dealer site at 60% higher in a month and I'd beat myself up every time I saw it, so pulled the trigger.