Sideshow Bob

During the recap, Bill quoted the total amount of art that was on offer by collectors, and also in total with dealers. He'll use that to compare to other CAF Live events and likely in advertising sales decks, but now we've established that the quoted number is effectively inflated by the $5m. So now Bill has to put a caveat on the offered amounts by carving out "joke offers". Anything that makes Bill have to do more work when not absolutely necessary isn't very cool in my book. -Bob

Unironically, it's just that. Two-dimensional drawings of three-dimensional bricks used to construct human shelter. No double entendres needed. Just drawings of actual bricks, but sometimes used as a measure of value in terms of how much work that artist put into the background construction, which is itself a false equivalency.

Hey Malvin. I was the winning bidder on the JL #5 page. All your comments are correct. In a perfect world, a cover should be worth more than an interior page from the same title and same artist. But alas, the cover had no Batman, and we're attempting to compare a somewhat famous moment in comics (albeit an interior page) versus what is essentially a great gag cover but with B-List characters... and this is why a price guide for OA was a losing battle. You are also spot-on, that there isn't any rational reason that I know of for the JLI #7 page to have done so well. Its definitely a great Maguire group shot, but past that, I have no idea why that is a $19k page. Really, no idea. So why go to the mat for the JL #5 page, which is two pages before the One Punch page? I have a hit-list of moments/images in comics that I have committed myself to trying my hardest to get if/when they pop up at auction. This sequence of pages (plus the cover) is on that list, so I tried hard to snag it and succeeded. Overpaid? Oh, very likely. But it is a perfectly constructed narrative page, with a huge Batman, great Maguire figures and facial expressions, outstanding humor, and a singular moment in comics that burns bright for me. It was always going to go high, and this market is a little screwy at the moment, so I just had to go a little more screwier than the next guy. Just found out what black hole the cover fell into...doh! Bob

It has taken more than a decade, of buying and selling and upgrading and curating. But at this point, my collecting style is essentially a barbell. On one side is a super-focused collection dripping with nostalgia (heavy DC with a little Marvel, covering 1986-1991), and the other is a combination of new and older art from artists/titles that I have grown to appreciate as I've grown as a collector. I have a veritable graveyard of bad decisions made along the way, some which I was able to escape without pain (and sometimes a profit), others where it still hurts when I think about how expensive the lesson learned was. Lessons and scars providing some much needed perspective, over the last two years, I went through another OA selling/upgrading phase, but with some serious guardrails on what I would let myself buy going forward. I went through a theoretical exercise of what my dream portfolio would look like, and found images from the Internet and CAF to drop into a huge powerpoint slideshow. It was a great exercise and I got to crack open a bunch of floppies and trades that hadn't seen the light of day in 30 years, but one that fully violates the commandment of "thou shall not covet thy neighbor's house or possessions". It isn't just the super high-end stuff, but arguably every piece is A+ for its category (I thank my lucky stars for never getting into mutant titles...) So now, I only look for pieces that are in that dream portfolio, hence the guardrails. Maybe they'll turn up from whatever black hole they are in, or the people that have them will be amenable to selling, but taking the noise out of the hunt has been incredibly fulfilling as a collector. -Bob

That's the kind of winning strategy we need to hear more about!

Black Axe pages are impossible to get your hands on. This deserved all the love it got!

Gosh, I hope not.

Hey Malvin. Yes, the consignment is mine. I'm always transparent, so I'll give my rationale on pricing. On the SDCC Dueling Dealers show, Burkey sold the Zeck recreation of Punisher Limited Series #2 for $18k, and said he should have priced it at $20k. This is superior in many ways to that image, so it is priced at a premium to that sale from two months ago. That same #2 cover sold in 2018 for $4,560, just to point out how much the market has in fact moved on these recreations. Zeck doesn't do cover recreations at all, except for this run of one-time recreations that he executed in 2000; this is arguably one of his most famous images. The original for this in Mandel's collection...there isn't going to be an opportunity for any collector to get this Punisher cover by Zeck, except in this instance. And it's one of the best Punisher images ever. This recreation as a display piece is gorgeous and presents amazingly well. Everything that I loved about the original cover is right there, but you get to see all of Mike's work instead of the Zimmelman airbrushed colors. I had the overlay with the logo made about a year ago (all archival). There aren't going to be any more of these put out into the world, so this is a rare chance for a Zeck or Punisher collector to secure one of the best covers on the best titles by the one of the best artists of the late 1980s. I've been selling and consigning quite a lot this last year, but I recently hit my cash raise target. If this piece don't sell at $25k, I'll be taking it back into my collection. No drama from me. -Bob

The Walking Dead is all about zombies. This had no zombies, just a not-great Rick pointing a gun in someone's mouth. Along with that, it's early Adlard art before he found his trademark style later in the series. Just because it's a splash doesn't make it worth more. Those recent sales of later panel pages all had zombies getting taken apart by Rick or Michonne. Those pages, if you chose to display them, would look good on a wall. This one? Not so much. Maybe what you're seeing in the price isn't weakness in the market, it's just a really weak page. At $780, it's worth buying to flip later for $1k? Not for me, but obviously someone saw value in it.

Finished product. Thanks for everyone's help! I would like to say that no comics were harmed in creating this display, but alas, issues of Shadow Annual #2 and Batman #427 have now gone to the LCS in the sky. Their sacrifice will not be forgotten.

Michael, I was the seller of the Batman 357 page. I thought it did fine at just under $6k. It was the first issue for Jason Todd, but not the “birth page”. Plus they ret-conned his origin (and hair color) in #408, so it’s status as a birth page has got a little hair on it since the Flying Todd’s never existed in continuity. Nonetheless, it’s an important page to the Jason Todd fan. I didn’t think it was a soft result, but right in line for an early appearance. However, it certainly didn’t outperform, which would have been much appreciated! For what it’s worth, people seemed to enjoy seeing Jason Todd leaving the DC universe way more than being brought into it. The Golden SW most definitely underperformed. Kicking myself for not bidding too, as I expected it well over $10k. Bob

Quick update... Looks like the Ad 3 was widely published, but some of the Baxter page examples were Dragonlance #1 and Shadow Annual #2. And the Ad #4 only appeared in Batman #427, as indicated on the cover with the "You Will Decide" footnote. Issues have been ordered, and the process has started! Thanks for all the help, particularly Will and Derek! Bob

I am going to frame my Aparo house ad art from the advertisements that led up to the sticky end for Jason Todd in Batman’s Death in the Family. I could use some help identifying the back issues that have the actual ads so I can frame the published art with the OA. Ideally, I’d like to use the Baxter paper that became popular right about then because of the crispness over newsprint, maybe “New Titans”?. Unfortunately, the digital copies skip the ads and I don’t have a store that has back issues of this depth, so am asking for help to determine which issues would have the published ads. Can anyone flip through some DC back issues from right before or after August 1988 they might have handy? Ad #3 is the “Someone will die because the joker wants revenge but you can prevent it.“ advertising Batman 426/427. I have a copy of the ad, but need a better cut… Ad #4 is the 1-900 ad, which predated Batman 427. Thanks! I’ll be happy to show the finished piece. Bob

Maybe the covers were untouched because they had title stats that might be reused later. Just speculation...

Congrats on the Son of Demon sale! $4k was a strong price!

The best part about this is the title on the for-sale listing, which says "first version 1990"... caveat emptor, indeed.

Asking $5k on this professionally framed set (UV, museum plexiglass). That price is retail (which sell out in minutes), with the professional framing thrown in. Shipping is on you, or pickup in NYC. Please only PM me, no replies here. And thanks to Frank for permission to hijack his WTB thread with this one-and-only post... Bob

Easily broken up into three separate and sold that way, but went to the trouble of professionally framing them and they look great together.

I might have just what you're looking for, as my oldest just went off the deep into emo bands, and wants to swap out My Chemical Romance tour posters for our framed Timm head sketches (Batman, Joker, Harley, framed together). I might keep it for myself, but it might work for you... I'll take a picture when I get home tonight. Bob

Can't believe it took three pages of this thread for someone to mention Sean Murphy...

Thanks! They could be yours!

These are my lots in ComicLink's auction ending tomorrow. Two incredible Batman keys: 1) Detective Comics #19, wrap-around cover by Jason Fabok. LINK HERE 900th appearance of Batman in Detective Comics (adding forward 19 issues from the end of Detective pre-New 52; DC later reinstated numbering). This pencil-only wrap-around is on two boards, 22x17 total. Jason did the inks digitally, making this the only original art for this anniversary issue's cover. With all the "Man-Bats" filling the sky on the bat-serum infected "900 block" (also incorporated into the cover image...cute editorial move there!) and the huge image of Batman in battle-mode, this is a legit frame-able original cover of a key issue. Fabok originals are not cheap, let alone on a title, character and event of this magnitude with art edge-to-edge on two boards!!!...this is currently a bargain. 2) Batman #368, 1/2 splash with Rogue's Gallery, by Don Newton/Afredo Alcala with the first naming of the new Robin LINK HERE Marking Jason Todd's first official night out as Robin, Batman conveys what donning the Robin costume means as they head out for their first patrol night in the Batmobile. More importantly, it's Batman's actual acknowledgement that there is a new Robin! This is THE MOMENT! Hits me with all the feels! Features beautiful depictions by Don Newton of most of the Gotham Rogue's Gallery (Joker, Penguin, Crazy Quilt, Killer Moth, Two-Face, Scarecrow and Penguin). Newton purists will appreciate the non-overpowering Alcala inks, making this one of the easiest ways to appreciate Newton's command of character. A key page from a key issue with all the trappings you would hope for. Pains me to let this go; this will be someone's new grail. Happy Hunting! - Bob

Great pieces Phil. DPS with zombies...not many of those floating around.

Inks over bluelines No collector wants to buy Pick up your pencil

Exactly. This isn't the first appearance page of Death. This is almost the last page of the book after an entire issue of "take your brother to work day" for Death and Dream. The first appearance page is page 3. Hell, this isn't the first appearance page of the Washington Sq. Arch or of Franklin, or even the soccer ball. Its beautiful, don't get me wrong, but it's not Death's birth page.