Nexus

For those who enjoyed our last post-auction reaction livestream with David Mandel, we're back with Part 2 tonight:

He's done my podcast a billion times so it's my turn to repay the favor to David Mandel on his show, The Stuff Dreams Are Made Of: It's billed as a comic art/movie prop crossover, but what it really is, is a peek into the mind and thought processes of a new collector. There are so many parallels and shared traits between the two hobbies that OA collectors should be able to relate. It's also the first ever unboxing on the show. Check out what I got as my first movie prop...and if I fall hard like I did for OA. (If you're familiar with what I collect art-wise, it will all make sense.) Thanks to Dave and Ryan!

I see this a lot at conventions, where collectors believe they MUST leave the show with a piece of art to consider it a successful/worthwhile experience. Otherwise, the show is a bust. For me, if I see something at a show I really like at a decent price, that's a bonus. I don't want to feel compelled to buy something just for the sake of buying. OTOH, I've made excellent contacts at shows with other collectors through the years and that networking has led to keeper pieces. No instant gratification but better long term results. Similarly, I don't like to lock myself into "goals" or very specific want lists, because that hyper focus may cause me to miss seeing something special. Having blinders on that way might also cause me to overvalue something on my want list when it shows up. I'm speaking only for myself, of course, and understand goals and want lists work well for others. I tend to look at it, though, as drafting the best talent available, and not drafting for "need".

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/1031005?tzf=1

A big number for JSF, yes, but also not entirely surprising IMO. These covers just don't show up that often. And ones where he's in his mask/gear even less. If I didn't already have my cover, I'd have chased this one to this level (with full awareness that I'd never see that money again...JSF might be a worse long term buy than NEXUS). There was a great ZOT! cover in this auction, as well. Also incredibly evocative of this very special era. I imagine a lot of collectors of this previously tightly-held material will be letting go of it more and more before too long. So while this number isn't surprising today, it would surprise me 10 years from now. Just feels like the page will be turning on '80s indie sooner rather than later.

Actually, it was a terrible trade for me, lol! Both in terms of the actual art I got in return and their eventual respective values. To be fair, the values aligned better at the time. I mostly did it, though, because I liked the other collector and he was pretty convincing that it was a grail-level piece for him. Back then, these sort of trades were common between collectors. Not so much anymore. I wouldn't make the same trade ever again, but I have no regrets. The piece was clearly important to that collector and again, to be fair, it's pretty obvious that it was more important to him than it was to me. I only hope he's selling it now because he wants to and not because he has to. To put into further context, I considered this page a placeholder, as hard as that might be to believe now. It's an excellent page, no doubt. But there were other pages out there that I ranked higher. The idea that I could possibly upgrade wasn't so ridiculous at the time. So the lesson I learned (beyond not to make dumb trades) is that placeholders can become keepers. Because there might be no other opportunities and/or the market for that art goes beyond what I want to spend. There are pieces in my collection that might have started off as placeholders but are now firmly keepers. I'd rather have this WEAPON X page than none at all and that applies to everything important to me now.

I'm agnostic as to whether or not OA will ever be regarded as ART by the cognoscenti. But I do believe people who collect art collect it for a myriad of motivations, with the art itself just one variable. And those motivations can also apply to OA. I've beaten the drum on what the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art could potentially mean for our favorite art form, to have it exposed to the world in that setting. But what might have been blind optimism before now feels very real. I've gotten to know the comic art curator at the Museum. He's a legit comics guy...and he has plans. Really hoping to get him on the podcast later this year. I think you all will be just as excited when you hear the Museum's vision for comic art.

Passed this test early on. There was a definite "grail-ish" piece being offered by a now-defunct auction house during one of their comic art sales. Not an auction, just a straight sale. Would have bought it in nearly any other circumstance...but there was a chance the art had been consigned by a well-known snake in the hobby. He had been known to use this auction house as an outlet for his sales, to preserve his phony amateur status. I didn't know for sure if the art was his consignment. But just the chance that it was put me off enough already. So I passed. No regrets.

Wow, this is a surprise. Originally from the Rick Loshiavo collection. He was to WEAPON X what Dave Mandel is to DKR. The best WEAPON X collection ever assembled. Pages, splashes, covers...he had it all. All the great W-X pieces that have emerged over the past several years were originally from his collection. This was one of the first he ever let go, around 2006. I traded it a few years later to the current owner, who's now had it longer than either Rick or me. Won't be trying to get it back, so best of luck to bidders.

The Felix Comic Art Podcast is back with a rare new episode! Featuring special guest, The Prince Of All-Media, DAVID CHOE! Yes, David is famously a big comics fan. But even more relevant to us, he's a big comic ART fan. And a big comic art collector. Check out a Choe chat like you've never heard before in our latest episode!: https://www.felixcomicart.com/podcastdetail.asp?pId=65 And then check out our companion ORIGINAL ART SHOW AND TELL video with Dave on our YouTube channel where he shares some favorite pieces from his collection: As you'll see, the man has great taste! Thanks to Dave for one of the most fun shows we've ever done. And thanks to you all for checking it out...enjoy! Felix www.felixcomicart.com

Felix Comic Art Podcast fans! Our LIVE edition streams tonight (Thursday, January 18th) at 10PM PST/1AM EST! It's a late-night chat with our most recent podcast guest, legendary collector DAVID MANDEL! In the podcast, we talk with Dave about winning his dream STAR WARS movie prop: The screen-used X-Wing Fighter from A NEW HOPE. Which set a record for a STAR WARS prop. To help pay for it, he consigned a stack of comic art to Heritage Auctions. The sale just happened...how'd he do? Tune in tonight and find out!: The Felix Comic Art Podcast LIVE (Episode 7): David Mandel Win or lose, Dave is here to share! Audience questions and participation welcome! Join us in the chat...see you soon! Felix www.felixcomicart.com P.S. In true Mandel fashion, we start late! We know that means many of you won't be able to catch this live, but check out the replay...the video will stay up! Enjoy!

What does a STAR WARS X-Wing model selling for $3.1M have do with comic art? Listen to the latest episode of The Felix Comic Art Podcast and find out!: https://www.felixcomicart.com/podcastdetail.asp?pId=64 We welcome back David Mandel, the winner of that record-setting X-Wing auction. Who also happens to own one of the most impressive collections of original comic art ever assembled. Thanks to that X-Wing, a treasure trove of comic art will soon be hitting the market. Get the scoop on the pieces that you’ll be seeing at Heritage’s January auction…and beyond! Plus all the unfiltered hobby talk you’ve come to expect from the show. Happy holidays, everyone! Felix www.felixcomicart.com

Your take on this does come off like a case of sour grapes for the consignor. But what I believe the OP was trying to say is that the dealer may have taken the cover on "consignment" and then immediately "sold" it...to himself. At perhaps below market value. And is now flipping it himself 18 months later. At a much higher value. Read his post again. Or maybe that's not what happened. Whatever the case may be, consignors should have the right to know who bought their art. IMO.

On my two panels, I see no indication of pencils. Likewise, I own this page: Panels 1, 2, 3 on tier 2 along with the big panel of Batman swimming in tier 3, are all re-inked by Miller for publication (original Janson inks underneath). I don't see any pencils here, either. Finally, I had Miller recreate the famous splash many years later that was originally inked by Janson: Also, no pencils. For all of these, it really does look like he went straight to inks. Very possibly with an aid of some kind. A lightbox has been suggested, which seems plausible, although I've never used one so can't say for sure one way or another. Frank has never confirmed to me his method in any case. It's been a long time since I saw the page in question but my hunch is that it's the same situation: Redrawn straight to inks, no pencils.

IIRC, the first page in the sequence is mostly published. With the exception of the two panels below (which I own). Miller re-inked these two panels for publication. OTOH, the second page is entirely re-inked by Miller. So there are two complete pages, one published, one unpublished (the one being auctioned). I had my shot at that published second page from the original owner (who had been gifted that page from Miller circa 1986/87) around 15 years ago. A (still painful) story for a future podcast.

We're back! Thank you all for your patience during our break. But I believe with my latest guest, Ken Viola, that the wait was worth it. What drives this podcast more than anything are the collector stories. Having been a collector since the 1950s, it's safe to say that Ken has witnessed and experienced more than most in this hobby. Not many can say they were friends with Steve Ditko, or got to hang Frank Frazetta's Egyptian Queen painting in their parents' home, or can lay claim to being the OG Alan Moore art collector. Or produce a documentary featuring Will Eisner, Frank Miller, Moebius, Neal Adams, Bernie Wrightson, and other comics legends. And that's just scratching the surface. We're going to bring Ken back down the road for part two...for now, enjoy your intro to Ken Viola!: The Felix Comic Art Podcast (Episode 53): Ken Viola Felix www.felixcomicart.com

"What did you pay for it?" instantly tells me all I need to know about who I'm dealing with. I like to answer "One dollar" and let them try to figure out what to do with that information.

The real meanings of happiness in May: The real meanings of happiness in June:

Yes. You can.

Clowes/EIGHTBALL is squarely in my wheelhouse. And I had zero interest in that cover. But EIGHTBALL covers rarely pop up so for anyone looking for one, this has pretty much been it for a while. There are some collectors who pegged it even higher, based on where other Clowes art has sold. I could definitely see that for more desirable covers (I understand there are much higher offers for some of the "best"); this one finished about where it should, IMO.

Good for you. I feel the same. Has nothing to do with what we've been talking about. Yeah, OK, but again...then it's ALL tulips and NFTs. Anyway, in the scenario you describe, and I've considered the possibility, too...an OA collection with zero $ value is still going to rank amongst the least of my worries.

Heh. That's nice of you to say now, but before it was all "tulips, NFTs, and speculating". With a two year expiration date on the art. You don't like that I've pointed out that the fan/collector base is wide and deep and includes some of the top collectors of our hobby. Who are unlikely to let this crash, as you predict. Not anytime soon, anyway. Happy to let this play out over the next two years. SILVER SURFER: BLACK was four years ago. Beat similar naysayers' outlook already. And actually, even mine.

You equate this art to "tulips and NFTs". The point I'm making is that based on the collectors who are buying it, if this is tulips and NFTs, then it's ALL tulips and NFTs. You don't have to like it or understand it. Just add it to your already long list. Also, if you find any of this crass and it bothers you, you should either stop reading this thread or put me on ignore. Because that was nothing for me.

Finally, I'm going to share clean, unwatermarked scans of all pages from our DOCTOR STRANGE: FALL SUNRISE #1 drop here. Love it, hate it, or indifferent to it...here's what all the fuss has been about:

Some more, again for anyone who is still curious. I was maybe the first guy to buy art from Tradd after discovering his work in his first comic series, THE STRANGE TALENT OF LUTHER STRODE. This was in 2012. I was instantly a fan. A couple years later, I became an art rep. And a couple of years after that, he joined. At that point, he was still pretty unknown to collecting community at large. So that summer, we shot this video at SDCC 2016 as a way to introduce his art to a larger audience: This one's only 5 minutes long; you'll get to see a lot of collectors in it as they view Tradd's art in person for the first time. Note, this is an older style. It's crazy...but nowhere near as bonkers as he would get with SILVER SURFER: BLACK and even further still with DOCTOR STRANGE: FALL SUNRISE. In November 2020, we did this talk for Bill's Comic Art LIVE event. This was closest to SILVER SURFER: BLACK, for anyone who likes that work especially. But again, I think Tradd comes off well, which only helps people become fans of his work: