Sooners151

Just completed a significant (and for me high anxiety) trade in my infantile OA collecting career. This was my favorite piece in the trade. I will be posting the rest of the pieces to my CAF gallery, but wanted to share this one here . One comment I have to make is that the other party was a joy to work with, and it speaks volumes to the OA collecting community. http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1440493&GSub=182593 McFarlane Spider-Man #9 page 3

Thanks a lot!!

So I've always understood blue line art, but I've seen some pieces with red lines being used in the backgrounds and usually a message that says remove red lines. Here is a random Warlock piece that I have that has them. I'm also about to get a cover with some red line work on it. What were those used for?

Well this one is up for sale right now by Dell'Otto, but since it's published (Wizard #230)....it has a published cover asking price. It's gorgeous though (not the best scan)

Picked up this illustration he did with colored pencils. Even when it's just a quicker sketch and not a full blown painting, he does great work!

I would like to hear your, or anyone's thoughts on the ASM McFarlane piece. Do you think the stat effected the price or was it around FMV?

I use to buy slabbed comics, now the only comics I get are ones I have the OA too for the most part. That or universal classics I've missed, but I almost always go digital for that. How the hell did I miss Locke and Key the first time around?? Anyway, I will still occasionally get a slab comic on ebay if I can get a good snipe in. However, in addition to OA, I've started adding a XM or Sideshow statue or two into my collection. It displays real nice next to the same character OA.

I have a piece that is 29" x 60" framed in museum glass. Have no issues and stable on the wall with two anchor points.

I ordered some exclusive variants and ended up disputing charges with my CC company after multiple unanswered emails and voicemail messages. What's funny is I ended up getting those books off another much more reliable site. I love some of the variants they get, but I refuse to order from them directly anymore.

Ha! Saw the notification of this post in the topic while I was writing mine. I agree!

Most OA is also published, and has mass exposure to varying degrees. How many people knew what the Basquiat looks like before you saw articles covering it's 110 mil auction price. While I'm sure you can buy prints of that work, how many prints are sold vs. an average issue of a comic book?

One more and my last one for a while. Venom Vol 2 #40. First Mania cover. Thanks for looking!

Edit - just saw someone already posted about the Crain so I hid mine. And there are already three on ebay for 4-5x the price..... I'll still ask the question from my hidden post though. Have you seen stores release graded only copies before, and what do you think of the practice?

Finally back from the framers! Venomverse 1 -5. They didn't cut down the signature card like I asked so it left a little more negative space than I would have liked, but still looks great. If you want to see it in more detail you can go here - http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1406143 Thanks!

I can relate being pretty new in this hobby. You mentioned shout outs on CAF, one thing I did is hit up those people on CAF that already had a large collection of pieces from an artist I was interested in. Look and see who's out there that has a bunch of Clay's work and DM them. Collectors love talking about their collections, and they may share some tips and insight that get your closer to acquiring the pieces you are after or the contacts you need. I've actually made a couple good virtual acquaintances that way! This next tip is a monetary investment, but you may need get on a commission list, or buy a slightly lower end piece (only if you love it) just to get on the artist/reps radar and show you are a serious collector of that person's work. A commission especially, as the artist has to communicate with you throughout the process and you can talk about buying future art.

Yeah, that's why it was hard to classify as it's a store exclusive variant to a main distribution release. Granted I like the virgin covers better.

I'm picking this up. It's a store exclusive, but six stores and limited to 600 sets worldwide. Also it's a store variant on a main release Marvel variant, so really hard to classify. Venomverse 1-5 Virgin connecting covers https://comicsheatingup.net/2017/08/07/venomverse-crain-connecting-set-available-as-limited-virgin-variants/

Why? Is it just for virtual karma points and back patting, or are they trying to drive demand for resell later? Just seems like a lot of effort....

I went ahead and did it. Love looking at the site, so don't mind supporting it. Thanks!

Well the small image annoyed me so I went ahead and uploaded to CAF. http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1406143&GSub=182397

I went back and forth on if I should upload this yet as I wont be able to pick the piece until the end of the month, though I will probably wait till I have it in hand before I post to CAF. But since I just paid it off, what the heck! Most I've ever paid for a collectible, but love the character, artist, and pretty sure this is the largest collection of Venoms in any single piece!! Venomverse #1 - #5 Clayton Crain connecting covers edit - wonder why the pic posted so small. The file is 3.1 mb. I guess it's because it's so wide.

Thanks! I jumped over the CAF and couldn't find the damn follow gallery option. ;-) May need to upgrade soon.

Saw this on CAF and figured you guys would appreciate it if you haven't checked it out. It's not my art (so wish it was!!). I know most are familiar with the published work, but what I thought was interesting is the change Marvel made to the original painting, replacing Zombie Spider Man on the far right. Spiderverse original banner and connecting covers. Since the image is so large, here is the link instead of copying the picture. http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1400857

Thanks!! I've have my run collecting this and that, and while I've made a few bucks at times when I do decide to sell something, for the most part I break even or might lose a little bit. What really attracted me to the OA hobby was not only could I satiate my collecting needs, but also have appreciable works that I can display nicely around the house. A lot of people that visit don't even realize (as I didn't) that you can acquire the original work, so always a nice conversation starter.

I have been collecting OA for about 5/6 months now and this site and the discussions have been invaluable. So, thank you all very much. I’ve learned a ton and continue to do so. Given the high learning curve per dollar spent in the OA market, it’s both exciting and daunting. Since I’m a new collector, I wanted to give my tips/experience for others just looking to get into the OA realm from someone who is still in stage 1. A lot of it is repetition and I don’t take original credit for any of it, but repetition is probably not a bad thing. 1. There is a LOT of art out there. While the hobby is unique in that almost everything you can collect is 1/1, think how many pages are in each book, and how many books get published every week. In addition, there are sketches, commissions, etc. With the market growing, most artists realize the revenue potential with releasing their pages for sale. You can/have to be very picky as a buyer. When I first started, I got caught up in the uniqueness aspect of OA, and that I may never see a particular page again, so I did a few impulse buys for some work that I liked but didn’t love. I could have used those funds toward more “love it” pieces. Now, unless it’s a neat, inexpensive sketch or novelty, I must really love the work before I make a purchase. 2. I know this is said often, but have a budget. This hobby will consume any dollar you throw at it and then some. I hate budgets….but you have to have a budget that covers what you will invest total for a given time frame, and what you might pay for any one piece. Also, when you start following the boards, Comiclink, HA, etc, and you start seeing 2, 5, 10, 20k prices being thrown around all the time and it can be desensitizing to your original budget. My first piece was a $600 cover, and I thought that was a ton to spend on a comic book drawing, but I see that it doesn’t register as a blip on what gets bought on a regular basis. While that made me more comfortable going after higher price pieces, it did have an unexpected ballooning effect on my spend. 3. This one I haven’t seen a lot, but it’s the waiting game. This hobby isn’t designed for instant gratification (unless money is no object). From finally finding a piece that speaks to you, or waiting for one to be released, or waiting until an artist finishes a commission, waiting for the new auction to start and finish, to shipping, and everything else, the wait times have been maddening for me. Granted, it makes the final acquisition that much better, but just something to expect going in. I’m experiencing my first timed payment purchase and still have 30 out of 60 more days to go. It’s been brutal. Ha 4. Ebay. I’m sure this is where 90% of all new collectors buy their first or second piece. After being in the hobby for a few months (still total newbie), I didn’t realize how much of a @#$p shoot as far as pricing and quality Ebay is. I bought my first large purchase (for me) off ebay, and while I LOVE the work, I realized I probably could have gotten it $4-5 hundred cheaper with a little more experience. I still shop ebay, but with the knowledge that most experience collectors gravitate toward the traditional OA auctions or dealers, it has made me more cautious buying from Ebay. 5. Here was a nice bonus that I didn’t expect. See if you can build a relationship with an artist you like. I wasn’t planning on specializing in any one person, and still not, but I bought a piece from an artist off their website due to their mastery of a certain character. I LOVE his work, but expected the transaction to be like any other business deal. However, after a few email exchanges, we built a report. I’ve purchased a few more works, we have exchanged pleasant emails, and I’ve followed on Instagram, twitter, etc. While nothing earth shattering, I got a few unexpected bonuses, or a heads up on upcoming desirable work. The best part, it has made each piece I’ve purchased from him more personal to me. So, if there is a particular artist you like, be friendly, try to communicate, and get to know them. Some are receptive, and it just makes the overall experience something special. 6. Don’t know if this qualifies as a commercial, but engage in CAF, particularly with people that share the same tastes as you. Comment on their work or send them a DM. Be polite and friendly. I have yet to have anyone be an A-hole on the site (I’m sure there are some), but have actually made a few facebook friends off CAF, even people on the other side of the world. 7. And finally, the most often repeated advice given to newbies and veterans alike, and kind of a repeat of point 1. Love the work you purchase, and love it for your reasons. If it’s nostalgia, style, character, artist, whatever, do not buy it because other people say it’s what you should collect. Do your research of course to make sure you are not overpaying. But buy it because you want it. If not, you will always have pieces in your portfolio you barely look at, or flip through quickly to move onto a piece you like better. Maybe when I look back on this post in a year, I will laugh at this list, but this is my experience right now. The one aspect I didn’t touch is investment. There is no way I can talk to that being in the hobby only 6 months, and to me, not what I’m looking to get out of it. Thanks again to the community here!