Panelfan1 Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Show off your under-appreciated art We all have art we love, that doesn't seem to get much attention from others but we still love. Would love for others to share one piece of art from their collection that doesn't get a lot of attention, but you really like. Also tell us what about the art you like. It could be nostalgia, or it could be an artistic detail or something else all together. To get this started, here is a piece of art from my collection by Mike McKone. Mike is a British artist that now lives in the US. Below is a cover from Avengers Assemble by Mike. I got it primarily because it had Black Widow on it. But I also liked the line quality and depiction of Hawkeye. The background detail also looks great in person. Not a fan of the colored version. I first saw this piece at San Diego Comic Con. Liked it, but didn't buy it. The following year I saw Mike at another show and when I saw he still had it - I jumped at it. It was a piece I had in my mind all that time. As such - I knew buying it was the right decision for me. If you are curious you can see the color cover in my CAf page. http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1342166 Edited April 25, 2017 by Panelfan1 Mighty Hal 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SquareChaos Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Great idea for a thread, looking forward to see what others have to share. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skrilla1212 Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 That is a really cool McKone piece! Striking design. I'm fond of this page from Hepcats. I never read the series since I was too young but I remember seeing a feature on it in Wizard magazine and poring over the art in the article. The middle panel was one of the featured. I bought it on eBay for like $70 last year. Gave me hope you can still find something nostalgic, pertinent (Hepcats was often in the same sentence as Bone and Cerebus back in the day), and cool looking on the cheap. So under appreciated that practically no one wanted it! Greenlake 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 I'll play. And this was actually tough! I certainly have my fair share of niche interest and many of those I would feel would count. But I decided to go for something mainstream. After settling on Batman, I still thought I had 2 strong candidates, until I saw a 3rd one that makes the most sense. Jim Aparo Card art of the Death in the family storyline and this card is the one where Batman finds Robin Dead! That storyline while panned and not critically acclaimed, certainly hit all the nostalgic sweet spots for me. No art has ever surfaced (I vaguely recall someone said DC still has it?) so this is the next best thing. CAF Link to Jim Aparo Card Art with Batman Finding Robin Dead Thanks for looking Malvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESeffinga Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 It's interesting, and maybe worth a different thread elsewhere. But i find it fascinating that the Death in the Family storyline is panned, but it's one of the most memorable Batman stories there are. Granted it was done as a stunt. And yet, there were narrative repercussions that are still there today (I think). It's not only become canon, but the wellspring from which many Batman stories have been told since. It's interesting to think DC kept all that work. Shouldn't it have been returned to the creative team, per the usual arrangements? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ESeffinga Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) Oh yeah, and to play along... Shade the Changing Man. A mindscrew of a series that explored the human experience through the most bizarre of events and circumstances. The original Ditko stories are amusing. But the Peter Milligan penned series that started in 1990 was eventually rolled in as one of the cornerstones during the founding of the Vertigo imprint, along with Sandman, Hellblazer and Swamp Thing. Never really attaining the level or notoriety of those other series, it's settled into having a hardcore cult following of folks that appreciated it for the imagination it showed, and the occasionally gut wrenching pathos of it all. This piece is one of Duncan Fegredo's covers for the series. It is of Kathy, Shade's love and often the focus of much of what happens in the Milligan series. She is in SHade's coat here. The title is really as much hers as it is his. Fegredo's work on the covers for this series made me fall in love with his style. Angular, and colorful, with tons of personality injected into the figures. He emotes so well. After his work on Shade, and Enigma, I was unsurprised when Mike Mignola asked Duncan to be the first artist to do the main Hellboy book (other than himself), and Fegredo put on those shoes and went to work. The man has his own style and approach to linemaking. A genuine voice that is his own and not to be mistaken for anyone else's. But my first love will always be for these Shade covers. As with Glenn Fabry's Preacher covers, occasionally some of the Shade covers from Fegredo are a bit wonky. Chalk it up to painting to a deadline. But the ones where he is on... Fegredo does his thing so so beautifully. My wife and I have had 2 boston terriers for about 14 years now. We named them Milligan and Fegredo. http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=314570 Edited April 25, 2017 by ESeffinga Squeezy McSphincter 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panelfan1 Posted April 25, 2017 Author Share Posted April 25, 2017 6 hours ago, malvin said: I'll play. And this was actually tough! I certainly have my fair share of niche interest and many of those I would feel would count. But I decided to go for something mainstream. After settling on Batman, I still thought I had 2 strong candidates, until I saw a 3rd one that makes the most sense. Jim Aparo Card art of the Death in the family storyline and this card is the one where Batman finds Robin Dead! That storyline while panned and not critically acclaimed, certainly hit all the nostalgic sweet spots for me. No art has ever surfaced (I vaguely recall someone said DC still has it?) so this is the next best thing. CAF Link to Jim Aparo Card Art with Batman Finding Robin Dead Thanks for looking Malvin Funny - before posting this topic -I thought that batman or spider-man were 2 characters that would never be under-appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hekla Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) I think the World Around Us series from the late 50's is underappreciated. Many of the EC artists (as well as Jack Kirby) contributed after the creation of the comics code and fall of EC. The art isn't as lush or detailed as the EC books and the series is more history lesson than story, but it's still nice artwork for the time period. Complete books were selling on HA a few years ago for under a thousand dollars. Below is a George Evans page from the Invasion of Normandy storyline. Edited April 25, 2017 by Hekla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matches_Malone Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 Unfortunately I do not have any my scans on me, but I always thought Drew Hayes from Poison Elves was underappreciated. Sadly he passed away ten years ago at the young age of 37 Kohei 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michaeld Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 (edited) I'm with skrilla1212 on this one. I have a few pages from Martin Wagner's Hepcats. This was a short lived indie series that took on substantive issues with dramatic depth, intelligent humor, and freakishly detailed art. The anthropomorphic characters were relatable and deeply crafted. The tone of the book was always consistent and on point. I'm always happy to find an available page. Edited April 25, 2017 by Michaeld added artist's name Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malvin Posted April 25, 2017 Share Posted April 25, 2017 2 hours ago, Panelfan1 said: Funny - before posting this topic -I thought that batman or spider-man were 2 characters that would never be under-appreciated. Heh, as I said, it's easy to name niche interest and say they are under appreciated. But when you find key (well, this is subjective) art from Batman, Spiderm-Man, Superman, etc that is under-appreciated, then those are truly under appreciated! Malvin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Hal Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 One fine day I'll get a scanner and show off my collection. As you can see from the pic below, I'm lousy with a camera. There are maybe seventeen fans of Keith Giffen's Trencher, but I'm one of them. The series died before a half-dozen issues were published but I miss it. As far as I'm concerned, it's underappreciated art. The good thing about underappreciated art is that it usually sells for cheap. The bad thing about underappreciated art is, it usually sells for cheap and considering the hassles involved in selling & shipping artwork, the artist has no motivation to put his stuff up for sale. Maybe this is why there's so little Trencher art out there. When this page popped up on a dealer's site, I was delighted to buy it even if the dealer couldn't tell me how it had been used, or if it had ever seen publication. To this day, I don't know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Peck Posted May 12, 2017 Share Posted May 12, 2017 I think Mark Heike's art is very under appreciated. He has worked for AC Comics for some 30 years penciling and inking Femforce. He has done of great covers for the series. Here are a couple of examples: Nightveil Cauldron of Horror and Femforce #56 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unca Ben Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 Don Heck is one of my favorite Marvel silver age artists, although he doesn't get the respect he deserves. Co-created characters like Hawkeye, the Black Widow, the Mandarin, the Titanium Man, Happy Hogan, etc. A Bullpen workhorse, I especially like it when he inks his own work. He drew gorgeous females (better than Kirby, IMHO). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gal Schwartz Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I think one of my most recent CAF posts might have been be a little under-appreciated; If Trencher has 17 fans, this guy probably has around 7:http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1391733 Still, a first appearance of a key (?) '90s supporting character... Thanks for looking (this time around ), Gal P.S: I'm really enjoying many posts on this thread... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeBailey Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I wouldn't try to say that Dave Cockrum is under rated but Soul Searchers artwork is dirt cheap. John B. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty Hal Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Gal Schwartz said: I think one of my most recent CAF posts might have been be a little under-appreciated; If Trencher has 17 fans, this guy probably has around 7:http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1391733 Still, a first appearance of a key (?) '90s supporting character... Thanks for looking (this time around ), Gal P.S: I'm really enjoying many posts on this thread... I've been away from mainstream comics for so long, I didn't know there was a Lex Luthor II. Always special to get a first appearance. Which brings up (off-topic), if a character appears on a comic cover and in an interior page of that same comic, am I correct in assuming that the interior page is considered the first appearance? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KirbyJack Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 I think this era of Thor was piles of fun; a retro-fueled Frenz inked by Sinnott. But even I under-appreciated it- I got so far as to actually list this for sale. When I checked comparable sales I learned that these were going cheap. It's a keeper now! FoggyNelson 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gal Schwartz Posted May 13, 2017 Share Posted May 13, 2017 1 hour ago, Hal Turner said: I've been away from mainstream comics for so long, I didn't know there was a Lex Luthor II. Always special to get a first appearance. Which brings up (off-topic), if a character appears on a comic cover and in an interior page of that same comic, am I correct in assuming that the interior page is considered the first appearance? Hi Hal, I'd assume both cover and interior page of the same issue would be considered as first appearance, with the cover probably getting more premium. Thankfully, in this case (as well as with the other first appearance pages still in my possession) there was no cover appearance, so it makes the page a clear cut, sole first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panelfan1 Posted May 14, 2017 Author Share Posted May 14, 2017 19 hours ago, KirbyJack said: I think this era of Thor was piles of fun; a retro-fueled Frenz inked by Sinnott. But even I under-appreciated it- I got so far as to actually list this for sale. When I checked comparable sales I learned that these were going cheap. It's a keeper now! I am one of those that loves thor and since Frenz was the artist on spidey when I started - I gotta say -this is a very nice page. KirbyJack 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
