Confessions of a Newbie Collector 1 1

[Skizz]

My introduction to original comic art was through the movie ‘Unbreakable’.  The character played by Samuel L Jackson in that movie owned a comic art gallery called ‘Limited Edition’. But this initial introduction to comic art did not lead me to becoming a collector.  Instead, it lead to me writing comics in the British small press scene – see www.untoldvoyages.com.  And although I’ve owned some pages of original art in the past, mainly from artists I’ve worked with, I did not become “collector” until recently. 

In the spring of 2016, Avatar Press did a Kickstater for the anthology comic Cinema Purgatorio by Alan Moore et al.  I decided to back it and got a hardcover of the book signed by Alan Moore.  And now that I had one hardcover book by Alan Moore, it was naturally imperative for me collect every Alan Moore book in existence.  It seemed like a mammoth undertaking at the time, one that would surely take a lifetime. 

A year later, I had every (almost every) Alan Moore book, and nothing more to look forward to in life.  And the only way I could fill that hole in my heart was with (1) drugs, (2) unconditional love or, (3) upgrading to original comic art.  Like any sane person, I chose the latter option.

 

This was the first page of original art from an Alan Moore book I acquired.  It’s from Issue 25 of Saga of the Swamp Thing, which features the first cameo appearance of John Constantine. Admittedly, this page itself does not feature John Constantine.  Nor Swamp Thing for that matter.  But it does feature the creative output of the trio of Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette and John Totleben.  But more importantly, it features a complete unit of storytelling.  In a single page, Alan Moore and the artists tell the whole backstory of these two minor characters, whilst foreshadowing what is to come in the ensuing pages.  That’s efficient storytelling at its finest. And the caption at the end of the page, is about as effective a page-turn transitional technique as I have seen. 

 

This is a page from Alan Moore’s (in my opinion, underappreciated) 90s Image work in WildCATs.  The art is by Jason Johnson and Terry Austin.  I would join the chorus of those who lament the loss of speech bubbles and captions on original art pages to digital technology.  But what’s interesting about this page is that it works perfectly as a series of silent panels. Without the dialogue and captions, it turns into aspect-to-aspect transitions that set the mood as the eye of the wandering camera focuses on different aspects of the place and time. 

 

Just to demonstrate (perhaps unsuccessfully) that my interest in comic art does not stop alphabetically at A for Alan Moore, here is a page that I own from the 90s Marvel comic ‘What If Wolverine Led Alpha Flight’, with art is by Bryan Hitch.  Bryan Hitch is one of those artists whose art I feel extremely schizophrenic about.  What I mean by that is that there are times I feel he is a modern day Michelangelo who widened the scope and canvass of comic art and heralded the modern cinematic style storytelling in comics. And there are other times I feel he’s just a photo tracer.  At the time of writing this, I feel the former.      

I’ve been reading up and lurking silently on the CGC boards for a few months now.  I thought a good way for me get more involved with the comic art hobby is reach out to my fellow collectors and write this journal to document my comic art collecting journey.  What’s ironic is that although I write and work with artists to create comics and exhibit at most of the comic cons in the UK, I don’t know many comic art collectors.

In 1946, humans announced their presence to the galaxy by transmitting radio waves of the sound of tolling bell into space.  So, this is me ringing the bell into web space to my fellow collectors.

… Rudra

 

My CAF gallery

Edited September 3, 2017 by Skizz

[Panelfan1]

Welcome to art club.

Interesting start.  Collecting art for the writer.   For me - the writer is important, but 2ndry to the art itself when it comes to the original art.

Collecting comics on the other hand - the writer is super important. Different medium, different focus.

Good luck and keep posting.

[vodou]

Yes welcome, it's obvious you've been lurking...you've already got the lingo down pat. That ST page...I almost took it from you but let it go as there's no ST (or anybody else notable on it). But you got it for the right reason: the dialogue. (No knock against B&JTT though, just happens to be a filler page.) I also like the idea of coming out of a country auction with some pos that you don't need and then making the SO go along with it all...no matter what he may think of the matter. Been there, done that...nearly every day the last ten (fifteen, twenty) years lol. But hey if you don't ever take any risks in life...

[Mighty Hal]

10 hours ago, Skizz said:

A year later, I had every (almost every) Alan Moore book, and nothing more to look forward to in life.  And the only way I could fill that hole in my heart was with (1) drugs, (2) unconditional love or, (3) upgrading to original comic art.  Like any sane person, I chose the latter option.

 

A great start to your collection. I think you'll have a lot of fun with that very interesting approach to OA.

Option (1) might have been more damaging to your body but (3) is gonna kill your wallet. Fair warning.

[drdroom]

Welcome Rudra. Your comment about Brian Hitch reflects my own thinking, so I'm starting another thread about him to settle the question once & for all.

[Skizz]

Hi guys, thank you for the warm welcome. 

 

On 30 July 2017 at 5:34 PM, Panelfan1 said:

Welcome to art club.

Interesting start.  Collecting art for the writer.   For me - the writer is important, but 2ndry to the art itself when it comes to the original art.

Collecting comics on the other hand - the writer is super important. Different medium, different focus.

Good luck and keep posting.

I imagine I am in the minority here.  

The interesting thing for me about comic art as opposed to say illustration or fine art is that a page of comic art works as a unit of storytelling.  A page can be a story beat that lasts just a sec (like a splash of somebody getting punched) or it can span a lifetime (a series of panels taking us through the course of someone's life panel by panel).  Other types of art don't have that.  And if they do, then as far as I am concerned, that painting is just a silent one panel unpublished comic art. 

P.S. Panelfan1, I also heart panel pages.  I heart panel pages very much. 

On 30 July 2017 at 8:37 PM, vodou said:

That ST page...I almost took it from you but let it go as there's no ST (or anybody else notable on it). But you got it for the right reason: the dialogue. (No knock against B&JTT though, just happens to be a filler page.)

I should consider myself lucky.  It was getting that Swamp Thing and Skizz page in the early part of my collecting that made me think that regardless of what everyone says about comic art being inordinately high, it is still possible for me to get the things that I want. 

It does help that often times the things I want, others don't seem to care as much about.  Hopefully that will continue to be the case. 

On 31 July 2017 at 2:02 AM, Hal Turner said:

Option (1) might have been more damaging to your body but (3) is gonna kill your wallet. Fair warning.

I'm realising that.  Just in the last four month, I've already spent waaaaaay more than I should on luxuries like art (relatively speaking of course).

Edited August 2, 2017 by Skizz

[Skizz]

The page below is the very first page of comic art I ever bought (or even saw in person).  It was one of three pages I bought five years ago, before changing my focus to writing comics instead of collecting.

I had no idea what it was from and the dealer didn't even know who drew it.  I bought it simply out of nostalgia because it looked like the X-Men comics from when I was a kid. 

The page is from Issue 19 of Marvel UK's Death Head II.  But the series was cancelled after issue 16, so this is an unpublished page. 

Liam sharpe was the main artist on the series; so I contacted him to ask if it's his work. He said it wasn't him and suggested I ask Henry Flint. It wasn't Henry Flint either. It was then suggested to me that it might me Salvador Larocca.  So I contacted Salvador Larocca, who thought it was probably him but he'd need to see the page in person to confirm.  Hopefully I can ask him at a convention some days 

That said, part of me likes not knowing. Especially because this page is unique my admittedly small collection in that it is the only page I have bought without having read and loved the books.  

[Meeley Man]

.

Edited December 22, 2017 by Meeley Man

[Skizz]

On 3 August 2017 at 2:36 AM, Meeley Man said:

The page certainly does look like Salvador Larocca's work from around that time period. Closer to his work on Ghost Rider, than what he later did on the X-Men.

I should have said, I bought as it had the 90s Marvel house style (or at least what I remembered it as being)

[Skizz]

 

The page above is from Alan Moore's Judgment Day for Awesome Comics, illustrated by Ian Churchill.

I love this page. And I also hate this page.

Love it because it is a crucial portion of the story where * spoilers *.  I was amazed that it was still available to buy directly from the artists website after all these years. From a visual perspective, it has everything I love about 90s art (energy, detailed rendering) but thankfully without the excesses of that decade.

But I also hate this page. Because it is exactly the kind of page that is ruined by the lack of speech bubbles and caption. Without the captions, it's just feels like some random images in a page and there is no story there. But then again there are also no spoilers here for anyone who hasn't read 90s Alan Moore penned series. 

 

 

Edited August 12, 2017 by Skizz

[bisquitodoom]

Count me among those who buy quite a bit for the writer as well.  And even the same writer as you.  The art needs to be there for the perfect piece as well, but I've bought many pages because a specific piece of dialogue or narration had such an impact on me.  This page, for example, is decent art-wise.  But the text sends shivers down my spine every time I read it.  Helps that it was the first book by Alan Moore that I ever read, but I value the impact of the story just as much as I do the art itself.  

[Skizz]

11 hours ago, bisquitodoom said:

Count me among those who buy quite a bit for the writer as well.  And even the same writer as you.  The art needs to be there for the perfect piece as well, but I've bought many pages because a specific piece of dialogue or narration had such an impact on me.  This page, for example, is decent art-wise.  But the text sends shivers down my spine every time I read it.  Helps that it was the first book by Alan Moore that I ever read, but I value the impact of the story just as much as I do the art itself.  

That's a great page.

Love to see your CAF gallery, if you got one.

[bisquitodoom]

Of course.  Here's my CAF.  

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=39985

 

[Skizz]

7 hours ago, bisquitodoom said:

Of course.  Here's my CAF.  

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=39985

 

That's one hell a collection.

Totleben  Miracleman, Watchmen, Swamp Thing Anatomy Lesson!

Thanks for sharing. 

[desertdogg20061]

Rudra.  nice start to the collection you have a good eye for art. welcome to the hobby now collection original comic art is like getting jumped into a gang. once your in you cant leave.  thanks for sharing.

[thehumantorch]

Welcome Rudra.  I hope you keep on posting here, you have a lot to contribute.

I never considered collecting OA for the writer but clearly I should have, it makes perfect sense.  

[Skizz]

This art below is another one of my pages that I've had since before I began collecting. I doubt anyone here will recognise the artist unless they're familiar with the British small press scene. 

The art is by an artist named Rob Cureton from his self published book Scene City.   
The image is of a celebrity literally being manufactured.

I might be biased because Rob is a friend and peer, but I genuinely think that he is one of the best cartoonist of his generation. I'd like to get more art from him him but unfortunately these days he is more focused on his animation career.  If you get time, do check out his diary comic on www.orfulcomics.co.uk 

Edited August 25, 2017 by Skizz

[Skizz]

I posted here some weeks ago about my surreal experience of walking into a used book store in a village in France whilst on my holiday (vacation for the North Americans) and finding all this Moebius art.  Despite have not enough cash, I bought one small piece that was supposed to have been published.  

I had no idea at the time if this was legit or fake. But the members on this board were kind enough to help me verify.  I have now been able to get a copy of the magazine my piece was published in (see below) and certainly looks legit.

I can't believe that I actually own something drawn by Moebius (and published at that). Now if I can just get a Jack Kirby my life will be complete. 

Edited August 28, 2017 by Skizz

[Matches_Malone]

21 hours ago, Skizz said:

I posted here some weeks ago about my surreal experience of walking into a used book store in a village in France whilst on my holiday (vacation for the North Americans) and finding all this Moebius art.  Despite have not enough cash, I bought one small piece that was supposed to have been published.  

I had no idea at the time if this was legit or fake. But the members on this board were kind enough to help me verify.  I have now been able to get a copy of the magazine my piece was published in (see below) and certainly looks legit.

I can't believe that I actually own something drawn by Moebius (and published at that). Now if I can just get a Jack Kirby my life will be complete. 

Great find. You have a great story to go along with your Moebius illustration.

[bisquitodoom]

Really cool that you were able to find the published book!