McFarlane at his best at Heritage Auctions!

[wurstisart]

OK....makes more sense now...sort of :-)

At least I am not alone scratching my head over that one.

But i guess that's what this hobby is all about.

If you really want a certain piece or cover, in this case with spidey, venom and carnage...you throw your best offer at it and hope for the best.

 

And for someone that was the $ 17 K....!

Good for them....

[Baron]

All about the Spidey-X-Men Marvel Tales #235 cover though!

[delekkerste]

Couldn't agree more Gene. For a 90's collector this piece is the ULTIMATE trophy piece. I think it would surpass the Hulk #340 cover as well as the ASM #316 cover in an open auction even though i'd much prefer to own those pieces.

 

Ken, I think you're absolutely right - this is THE trophy piece as far as 1990s art is concerned. To me, this is a rare, true A+ piece of comic artwork that has hit the public auction block. The DKR #3 splash and the FF #55 page were solid A pieces, but I don't grade on a curve and neither were A+'s in my book. The DD #188 cover, which perhaps opened the door for the subsequent 6-figure sales (both public and private) that followed, was probably an A- minus piece all things considered (under my strict criteria, the only A+ Miller DD cover is #181, the best of the rest are solid As).

 

I have always been somewhat indifferent about McFarlane, though I have to admit that my appreciation for his work has grown over the past couple years to the point where I would actually consider trying to get a nice example at some point (preferably one that costs less than $200K+ ). That said, covers like Spidey #1 and Hulk #340 are true A+ standouts that I agree would interest other people like myself who aren't even huge McFarlane admirers (as well as his most rabid fans, of course).

 

Like Scott, I think this has become a great spectator sport and I'm also looking forward to seeing the fireworks fly in July.

 

Gene

[evanc]

Not being a huge devotee of McFarlane I am trying to determine what makes one cover go for far more than the other. Sure the 328 is from the flagship title, but Spidey #1 was everywhere. You couldn't escape that image.

 

Yeah, it may not be the best image, but it is the most famous and most important. I think the cover will go for $200K+, and it's one of those pieces where you can't rule out a truly krazy price like the DKR #3 splash.

 

Who cares about that ...there's a Keown Hulk cover for sale

 

Haha! I admire your collection a lot and you were the first person I thought of when I saw that cover. Good luck, if you decide to go after it!

[evanc]

Does anyone else love HA because of the huge scans? I save a lot of them. I can't think for the life of me how they will come in handy one day, but they sure are purdy.

[alxjhnsn]

I love Heritage's archives and scans. What a wonderful resource. I know that those scans have supported a lot of books on comic artists and their work.

[blowout]

Preview

 

 

 

Some nice Lee and McFarlane so far, from the Shamus collection.

 

There's the Bagley Venom #1 cover which should sell for a wild number given what the ASM 363 just went for.

 

Interesting times.

 

'Nice' Lee and McFarlane is somewhat of an understatement. There is some truly incredible stuff listed so far, and they are only 15 pieces in! :o

[t3quila]

Wow, I always thought the Spidey 1 would only be sold in a private sale, it's great to see a scan of the original art.

 

This auction will only confirm that I will never own a McFarlane cover.

[Romain]

Ahahah I'm sure you will !!! maybe not one of these though .....

[Bronty]

Couldn't agree more Gene. For a 90's collector this piece is the ULTIMATE trophy piece. I think it would surpass the Hulk #340 cover as well as the ASM #316 cover in an open auction even though i'd much prefer to own those pieces.

 

Ken, I think you're absolutely right - this is THE trophy piece as far as 1990s art is concerned. To me, this is a rare, true A+ piece of comic artwork that has hit the public auction block. The DKR #3 splash and the FF #55 page were solid A pieces, but I don't grade on a curve and neither were A+'s in my book. The DD #188 cover, which perhaps opened the door for the subsequent 6-figure sales (both public and private) that followed, was probably an A- minus piece all things considered (under my strict criteria, the only A+ Miller DD cover is #181, the best of the rest are solid As).

 

I have always been somewhat indifferent about McFarlane, though I have to admit that my appreciation for his work has grown over the past couple years to the point where I would actually consider trying to get a nice example at some point (preferably one that costs less than $200K+ ). That said, covers like Spidey #1 and Hulk #340 are true A+ standouts that I agree would interest other people like myself who aren't even huge McFarlane admirers (as well as his most rabid fans, of course).

 

Like Scott, I think this has become a great spectator sport and I'm also looking forward to seeing the fireworks fly in July.

 

Gene

 

everyone's mileage will vary but I never cared for this cover (let alone this awful unreadable series) much. Don't get me wrong, would love to have it, blah blah blah, but..... its kind of a soulless cover to a soulless series. (I DARE you to actually read an issue - worst five minutes (three words a page) of your life). This piece may have a lot of things going for it valuation wise but there are so many better choices out there if one just likes comics and comic art IMO.

 

Not to hate on those who do like it, but that's my opinion and its not my cup of tea. Doesn't mean someone else can't appreciate it for other reasons. I'd personally take 313 or 316 of ASM or hulk 340 eleven times out of ten.

 

Its hard to argue with calling it an A+ piece because of the recognition the image and book have with people, but to me it represents the beginning of the massive downward slide of the industry in the early 90s

[pinupcartoonguy]

I don't remember the storylines from the Spiderman series either. This, however, was right when I was fading out of reading comics. When people buy McFarlane art, are they buying it for the story and the art, or just the art?

[Bronty]

I've never bought a mcfarlane although I've considered it at times; personally I would only buy pages from issues that I remember fondly, and those are generally from issues of ASM, key reason being he didn't blow up til the middle of that run so he (thankfully) didn't have the clout to write the book yet like he did with the adjectiveless title. For reasons similar to what you're describing I personally have no nostalgic pull for the adjectiveless title whatsoever. I thought they were poorly written at the time and I still do

[Bronty]

Does anyone else love HA because of the huge scans? I save a lot of them. I can't think for the life of me how they will come in handy one day, but they sure are purdy.

 

for sure, its really nice to be able to look at all of those wonderful things on one database

[delekkerste]

everyone's mileage will vary but I never cared for this cover (let alone this awful unreadable series) much. Don't get me wrong, would love to have it, blah blah blah, but..... its kind of a soulless cover to a soulless series. (I DARE you to actually read an issue - worst five minutes (three words a page) of your life). This piece may have a lot of things going for it valuation wise but there are so many better choices out there if one just likes comics and comic art IMO.

 

I don't disagree with you at all - I've said it on these Boards many times that I thought ASM #298-#328 was not only over-rated, but also simply downright terrible. It went against everything that Spidey was supposed to be (supermodel girlfriend, doing book signing tours, fighting alien symbiotes and celebrity stalker kidnappers - yeah, that's the essence of Peter Parker and Spider-Man NOT). The spin-off series was, as you said, even worse (from what I could tell from the little I could stand to read of it, that is).

 

That said, I would drop 6-figures for the Spidey #1 cover in a heartbeat anyway (though not likely nearly enough to win it) - I think it's that good/important/iconic and I'm not even a McSpidey fan.

[Bronty]

yeah it sounds like we view it the same way. Its got an undeniable place in the pantheon (even if I would put it a few mcfarlane covers below where you rank it) but dear lord its not exactly comic storytelling at its finest

 

The ASM series itself I haven't read in many years but I *thoroughly* enjoyed at the time (mind you I was 15 tops). I know what you are saying about the storyline being incongruous with the heart of the character though

[J.Sid]

(I DARE you to actually read an issue - worst five minutes (three words a page) of your life).

 

Maybe that's part of the reason even people who disliked the 2nd series still love that cover. We all saw it for months and months before we actually got to crack one open and read it. (assuming of course, you bought 11 of them, so that you didn't ruin your ten sealed investment copies)

[Bronty]

well said!

[alxjhnsn]

I'm an old fogie, I guess, but those 90's artists are too busy for me to enjoy.

 

I'm not saying that I can't enjoy specific McFarlane/Lee/Leifield/Silvestri covers or stories, but it does make my eyes hurt.

 

I really prefer a little "less" and these folks really seem to be set on "more."

 

I should point out that I missed most of the Image stuff due to a collecting hiatus and a slow re-entry so maybe I didn't learn to read it.

 

 

 

 

[Romain]

count me in with those who disliked Mc Spidey reboot series storytelling but the #1 cover is still IMO an awesome cover !!!

[evanc]

Guess I can use this thread to ask this--is the subscription for the auction catalogs worth it? I didn't see an option to subscribe to the comic art catalog.