Lucky Baru

The page has a current bid of $1255.00.

(I should state that I am not the seller/owner of the page.  I have always like Jim and Chance’s work on the character.)

@Bill C Thank you for the information on the page.

The page is now at $1039.00.  

The current Comic Link auction has a Shadowhawk Gallery 1 page in it.  The page was penciled by Jim Valentino and inked by Brad Foster.  So, it isn’t a Jim Valentino and Chance Wolf page.

Here is the page:

The page is from a book that was published in April 1994.  
 

The auction has 28 days left and the current bid is $700.00.  The page sold for just south of $400.00 in August, 2023.

Shadowhawk art is hard to gauge due it not coming up for auction that often, and the character didn’t hit the same way that the other Image founder’s books did in the early 1990’s.

Was the price in 2023 the outlier or is the current price?  Any thoughts or insights would be appreciated.

If you find yourself liking a specific artist’s style, and that art is now out of reach financially, you can look for artist that copied that style to scratch that itch occasionally.  For example, there are artist that worked for Rob Liefeld at different studios he owned.  Many copied his style.  You can find Marat Mychaels, or Richard Horie pieces that are priced significantly lower than what Liefeld’s pages FMV is currently.  Personally, I think Richard Horie is better at Liefeld than Liefeld is on certain books in the 1990’s.

if you wanted a Jim Lee WildCats page that Scott Williams inked - there is an option to source them at a cheaper price.  You could look for the issue that Jim Lee penciled the pages to 50%.  Ryan Benjamin is credited with finishing them.  Scott Williams inked them.  Those pages are at a fraction of a Jim Lee WildCats page.  I don’t remember the issue off the top of my head.

Also, if you like a certain artist, and you are feeling priced out of their work on a certain character, you can shift your focus to that artist’s work at a different time in their career, or to their work on another character.  If you want a Mike Zeck Punisher cover - more than likely that isn’t going to happen.  However, with his career spanning such a long period of time, and having worked on so many different titles - the odds are you could find something in a price range that you enjoy, and would be happy adding to your collection.  Sometimes a bit of research and luck, can turn up other options of an artist’s work that you find just as pleasing to the eye, and didn’t know they produced.

Good fortune to you finding what you seek!

6.5 to 7.0, the bottom corners (front and back) and the spin ticks drive the grade down.  Good reader copy!

9.2, who pressed the book?

5.0 This is due to the staples.  They appear to have rust on them.

On 3/22/2024 at 9:39 AM, jjonahjameson11 said:

What are you talking about?  The decrease in OA consignments for clinks featured auctions or the lack of discussion/lack of excitement on these boards leading up to/ during their featured auctions?

for me personally, I stopped selling with them back in 2016 because I was tired of losing money/leaving too much money on the table with them.  Additionally, after having a 30 minute phone call with Doug explaining the challenges/opportunities to improve their site went nowhere (evidenced to this day, 8 years later) I cannot comprehend why folks consign artwork with them, especially on pieces $10K+, which would generally do better on HA.

 

You compare Comic Link to HA.  Does Comic Link or any other auction house do that?  I’ve no idea.  I’m not an employee of any of them.

In the entire time, I’ve been purchasing items through Comic Link, HA, ComicConnect, Russ Cochran, etc., I’ve never attempted to place one at this level or that one, nor assumed that one was trying to ascend or descend to the other’s level (whatever that might be in your opinion).  I’ve noticed the amounts I get charged to purchase and sell.  I’ve noticed how quickly they ship, how well they pack items, and the type of customer service I receive.  Other than that, I don’t care.  I don’t run them, nor do I seek to do so.

On 3/22/2024 at 9:22 AM, KirbyCollector said:

If "shrewdness" means "losing market share," then I'd say Josh is killing it

Please provide your insider data showing their loss of market share, and the time period it occurred.

4.0

On 3/21/2024 at 5:32 PM, Xatari said:

I definitely know many in the hobby have adapted to the system in place.  That said, the fact that you have to place a legally binding bid to track an item is archaic when a basic item tracker can be implemented. We can go back and forth on workarounds, but that is truly what they are... workarounds to a lazy and inadequate platform creating a subpar experience for the end user.  This shows up in the disparity between CLink hammer prices and Heritage hammer prices.  

Also, these auction shareholders should want to get as many people watching and engaged as possible.  It's the reason emotional bidding happens at Heritage and can run up auctions well beyond what most would consider market value.  Heritage sends me text reminders on my phone when an auction I have tracked is about to come up.  Heck, even Comic Connect reps actually call me on the phone and remind me an auction is taking place later in the day.  For the prices of some of these pieces, those types of things are differentiators.  It signals to me these platforms have worked to earn my business if I decide to sell a piece.  

I wouldn't be able to pinpoint the annual figure of missed opportunity as I don't have insider knowledge to Comic Link's internal conversations, but I am part of a relatively large group of collectors (20+).  I won't speak for my fellow group members, but the consensus in our conversations tends to be Comic Link is the place to buy and Heritage is the place to sell.  Our group is primarily consistent collectors with few pieces selling and lots of buying, but there are times when pieces need to be sold to fund other acquisitions.  I know the general amount of money spent by the typical collector in our crew, so when it does come time to sell, I can say with confidence that it would be a substantial miss for Comic Link given our small sample size alone.

It provokes a smile to observe the threads that spring forth here, each a chorus of disapproval aimed at Comic Link’s website, as perceived by the posters.  Granted, their disdain for the site is evident. Yet, the irony lies in the fact that these very individuals, despite their grievances, remain active users, persistently engaging in auctions and transactions.
 

Perhaps there’s a touch of shrewdness to Josh and his company after all?

On 3/21/2024 at 6:48 AM, KirbyCollector said:

The inside track comes from years of posts here, conversations at cons and shows-- and CL itself, whose personnel I have spoken with in person. They know their site is old, they know what Heritage does, and they know how much it would cost to upgrade it all. They know collectors are gravitating to Heritage but they chose not to make improvements on their own product because, to paraphrase Doug, "We don't want to, CL works fine as it is."

OIC, you took a SWAG at it.  Cool beans.  

On 3/20/2024 at 6:26 PM, jjonahjameson11 said:

How many miles per gallon does your horse and buggy get?  🤣

We don’t have a horse and buggy on our farm.  However, my ‘70 Bronco, (which I’ve owned for about 20+ years) gets about 10, and my ‘84 Blazer gets about 8.  The 2005 Ranger that is being restored, so my son can use it as his first vehicle in about 5 years, I don’t have a clue.  The frame-off restoration we are doing on it won’t be completed until later this year.  

On 3/20/2024 at 11:25 PM, Xatari said:

Very simple to automate from their end.  It's awesome that you figured out your rhythm here, but they lose a lot of bidders who don't do this.  It's money on the table for both their consignors and their own profit.  I was telling a friend, any new owner could instantly gain a 10-20% increase to their bottom line by simple "Watchlist" and "Reminder" options.  Because they won't invest in their own business, I don't feel comfortable trusting them with mine if I sell a piece down the road.  

You post like you have an inside track on people not consigning with Comic Link.  What is the annual figure of lost sales, lost lots, and lost consigners that you have access to the data on?  Also, how is the “watch list” feature any different from placing tracking bids on items at Comic Link or HA.com?  I do it at both.  I can access both at any time during the auction in my account on both sites. Generally, the items I put a tracking bid on are the only items I’m interested in adding to my collection, so I don’t believe I’m missing out on anything at either site.  Apparently, your mileage is different.

People do a lot of complaining about Comic Link’s website and have for years.  It must affect them more than it affects Comic Link, and their regular clients as it isn’t updated.
 

Personally,  I’m glad they don’t change it.  I know how to use it, and the lack of “surprises” is refreshing.  Trying to figure out any “latest and greatest” features would be a turnoff for me.  At the start of an auction, I put in tracking bids on what I’m interested in.  I schedule the end of the auction in my phone.  I get a reminder 24 hours ahead of the auction close date on my phone.  It is a simple and effective way for me to participate as a bidder there.

9.2

9.6, very nice!

5.0

4.5, good luck

On 1/25/2024 at 5:42 AM, ShallowDan said:

As someone who took a while to warm up to the idea of slabbed comics, and still doesn't get sketch covers, the idea/appeal of graded/slabbed sketch covers is really lost on me.

CGC graded sketch covers by the hand of Frank Miller are a quiet corner of many auction platforms and eBay listings. Some of these pieces may bear the marks of hasty creation, as if Miller’s attention waned elsewhere.  Nevertheless, for those whose coffers do not overflow, Miller’s acclaimed published works and coveted commissions often remain elusive dreams. The CGC sketch covers offer a lifeline to those who tread in the shallows of the OA pool, granting them access to Miller’s artistry without wreaking havoc on their budget.
 

I find solace in the decision I made years back to include Frank Miller pieces and a commission in my collection.  I couldn’t afford to do it in today’s market.

For those yearning to scratch that Sin City itch, preliminaries are also within reach - very similar pricing tiers as the sketch covers. 
 

This query might seem rather specialized, but does anyone happen to have any leads on the whereabouts of the original pages from the Do You Pooh book?  While the covers occasionally surface for sale, I’ve yet to encounter any of the actual pages from within the book.