Original Art vs. Comics — the Showdown 0

[exitmusicblue]

What do you like about one that the other doesn’t have?

What % of your funds do you spend on OA vs. comics?

etc.

I used to be a pure comics guy.   Then I began dabbling in OA.  Now I’ve come to realize, my biggest purchase in the past 6 months was an OA, and my spending has become something like 70-30 in favor of OA.  It’s hard for me to view comics the way I used to... even in the past year or two, I’d gravitated towards scarcer GA.  Today I was ecstatic getting a raw ASM 316 (first Venom cover) that was a Mark Jewelers variant.  But OA is almost always on my mind.

I think there’s no turning back...  

Edited October 27, 2017 by exitmusicblue

[vodou]

4 hours ago, exitmusicblue said:

What do you like about one that the other doesn’t have?

Creator/s hand, exclusivity, stores more compactly*, considerably less** subject to condition concerns/devaluation, one and done*** - not required to keep buying to "keep up" with an ongoing character, run, or storyline.

 

*Assuming standard pencils/inks on 11x17 or 14x21 bristol board, other media/support or framed...different matter.

**But not immune, extreme example being the recent M2/CLink thread

***Assuming self-control. Probably unrealistic assumption considering composition of reading audience!

4 hours ago, exitmusicblue said:

What % of your funds do you spend on OA vs. comics?

100% art. 0% vintage comics, only cover price or less trades...fer readin'.

[Panelfan1]

7 hours ago, exitmusicblue said:

What do you like about one that the other doesn’t have?

What % of your funds do you spend on OA vs. comics?

etc.

I used to be a pure comics guy.   Then I began dabbling in OA.  Now I’ve come to realize, my biggest purchase in the past 6 months was an OA, and my spending has become something like 70-30 in favor of OA.  It’s hard for me to view comics the way I used to... even in the past or two, I’d gravitated towards scarcer GA.  Today I was ecstatic getting a raw ASM 316 (first Venom cover) that was a Mark Jewelers variant.  But OA is almost always on my mind.

I think there’s no turning back...  

Can you show the spidey art? Not familiar with Mark Jewelers.  

 

To answer the main question - i buy only a few comics(new and old) - condition not a factor. Not a fan of slabs - as I like to look INSIDE comics. Its strictly for fun with no resale expectations.  

Art on the othet hand is a challenge and an addiction. 

[kbmcvay]

I sold all my comics and put the money into OA.

[SquareChaos]

I still buy and read comics (primarily digitally) - rarely, I will go back and buy a collectible copy of a new book that I really love, but I think that has only resulted in two slab purchases in the last year and a half. 

So... the vast majority of my "comic" budget goes towards OA. 

 

@vodou did a great job summarizing many of the reasons I gravitate toward this hobby, but I think it can be summed up for me by saying holding a piece of OA versus a comic... the experience just feels more personal. On the practical side, the space / clutter issue has also become a much larger concern as I've grown older. The accumulation... the aggregation of decades of collecting comics and comic associated items left me with such a burden of ownership that it had a physical presence. I've managed to get rid of nearly everything and it feels great.

[Skizz]

I mostly buy comics in deluxe hardcovers or omnibus formats only.

That said, I have wanted to buy a Giant Size X Men 1 and Hulk 181 for some time. But every time I set some money aside for that, a new piece of original art comes along and I feel compelled to spend the money on that. I figure that there will always be another copy comic down the read, but this is my only opportunity to buy that piece of original art.  Besides I already have the comic in the omnibus format if I want to read it. 

Also, the actual artist touched that piece of paper. His or her hands actually placed the pencils and inks on that piece of paper. 

Finally, the comic is tiny and having it displayed on a wall gives it a comic shop feel (of worse yet, a teenagers' bedroom feel).  The large sized black and white comic OA on the other hand is eminently displayable on a wall and allows me to maintain my hipster disposition ?

Edited October 26, 2017 by Skizz

[SquareChaos]

2 minutes ago, Skizz said:

I mostly buy comics in deluxe hardcovers or omnibus formats only.

That said, I have wanted to buy a Giant Size X Men 1 and Hulk 181 for some time. But every time I set some money aside for that, a new piece of original art comes along and I feel compelled to spend the money on that. I figure that there will always be another copy comic down the read, but this is my only opportunity to buy that piece of original art.  Besides I already have the comic in the omnibus format if I want to read it.

Also, the comic is tiny and having it displayed on a wall gives it a comic shop feel (of worse yet, a teenagers' bedroom feel).  The large sized black and white comic OA on the other hand is eminently displayable on a wall and allows me to maintain my hipster disposition?

 

 

 

 

Shoot, OK I guess I didn't bother to mention that I do still buy hardcover / deluxe formats. That is the only part of my comic collection that was not decimated over the last few years.

[vodou]

7 minutes ago, SquareChaos said:

... - rarely, I will go back and buy a collectible copy of a new book that I really love, but I think that has only resulted in two slab purchases in the last year and a half. 

So... the vast majority of my "comic" budget goes towards OA.

Anybody else here (on the CGC Boards no less!) never get anything slabbed or buy a slab?

That's me. I checked out of comics for a good long time when Marvel brought back Liefeld and Jim Lee to reboot Cap and FF (U.G.L.Y.) in 1996. And then came the graded slabs. And a few years later I came back to the hobby but only to art, not comics. And only very recently back to comics at all, and just trades.

That's how I completely 'missed' slabs.

[Skizz]

4 minutes ago, SquareChaos said:

Shoot, OK I guess I didn't bother to mention that I do still buy hardcover / deluxe formats. That is the only part of my comic collection that was not decimated over the last few years.

I feel like a lot of people who in the past may have collected runs of something now have pretty much replaced that with hardcovers / deluxe / omnibus. I know I certainly have ...

[SquareChaos]

Just now, vodou said:

Anybody else here (on the CGC Boards no less!) never get anything slabbed or buy a slab?

That's me. I checked out of comics for a good long time when Marvel brought back Liefeld and Jim Lee to reboot Cap and FF (U.G.L.Y.) in 1996. And then came the graded slabs. And a few years later I came back to the hobby but only to art, not comics. And only very recently back to comics at all, and just trades.

That's how I completely 'missed' slabs.

I stopped everything to do with comics during college, and for a while after - so I missed the start of third party encapsulation. I got on board relatively quickly when I came back... it was actually the largest change I was easily able to adapt to, some of the others just leave me shaking my head. Anyway, I got on board mainly for one reason... storage feels simpler with a slab versus a high grade floppy. I keep them in stackable plastic cases.

[malvin]

33 minutes ago, vodou said:

Anybody else here (on the CGC Boards no less!) never get anything slabbed or buy a slab?

That's me. I checked out of comics for a good long time when Marvel brought back Liefeld and Jim Lee to reboot Cap and FF (U.G.L.Y.) in 1996. And then came the graded slabs. And a few years later I came back to the hobby but only to art, not comics. And only very recently back to comics at all, and just trades.

That's how I completely 'missed' slabs.

me too

 

Malvin

[Pete Marino]

I've gotten some stuff slabbed, just to sell it.  never for my collection.

My collection is Digital, TPB and Hardcovers.  even though they are on paper, some of my favorite books to flip through are the essential edition books, not quite OA, but I can appreciate the art a lot more when it's just B&W.  Since I've started collecting OA my eyes tend to glaze over colored comic art now.  It's really weird.

[vodou]

56 minutes ago, malvin said:

me too

 

Malvin

Wow. I did not think there would be two of us!

[SquareChaos]

20 minutes ago, vodou said:

Wow. I did not think there would be two of us!

You guys should totally form a club with a secret handshake and everything!

[MGS]

17 minutes ago, vodou said:

Wow. I did not think there would be two of us!

Well, at least three because I'm in the same boat.  Obviously, everyone is different and I realize these points have all been made before, but to me at least half the enjoyment of finally getting my hands on a comic that I dreamed of owning as a kid (Hulk 181, GS X-Men 1, Avengers 4, etc) is actually being able to hold it in my hands and read it.  The other half is pretending I don't remember how much cheaper they would have been back in the 80's if only I had any money back then.  Now, exposing the books to my grubby hands has probably knocked .5 off their potential grades, but I'm willing to take the risk.  That being said, since I started collecting art a few years ago I don't think I've actually bought any vintage books.  I still read and collect modern books, but with the way my available storage space is dwindling, I may have to go to digital sooner rather than later.

Mike

[PhilipB2k17]

I still buy comics at my LCS. It started mostly as a means to scout out modern OA to buy. But I got hooked on a few of the series. Vast majority are non Marvel or DC. 

You can’t replace the feel of reading a physical comic. I much prefer it to digital. 

I don’t buy vintage anymore, with one caveat. I always buy a copy of the original comic where my OA was published.  

If it’s a cheap book, I buy a few copies so I can put the published page and comic in a frame with the art if I choose to do so at some point  

 

[Knightsofold]

Stopped collecting comics in college.

Once I had a stable career I wanted to buy some comics again and was attracted to golden age books because they were so old, historical, each copy unique, and hard to find.  But, this was before CGC so the high price of golden age + the restoration, preservation, and counterfeit issues really turned me away because I didn't want to get ripped off.  I bought some art instead.

Maybe ten years later I wanted to put some $ into collectibles again and original art was VERY expensive, and tough to find the pieces I would've liked.  CGC was now around, so I was able to get into golden age collecting with less fear and risks.  The hunt was very fun. 

Now about 5 years later, I don't buy much of either because the prices have gotten so high. 

[aokartman]

OK, Secret handshake time!  I am another collector who has abandoned comic books as a regular collecting category.  I have a half dozen boxes under the bed and haven't even read most of them.  I had my local comic store pull a copy of Love and Rockets for me, so I know the feeling, but that was a long time ago!  Dark Knight!

For the OP, I try to spend way less than I sell on original art, so there is no percentage of less than zero.  I'm winding down, but enjoying every minute of it!

Now, I will reveal that I, like Philip, will hunt down the comic book for an original art piece I may have picked up.  It keeps me connected.  And, I confess to picking up my first slabbed books from a recent Heritage auction.  These books will start showing up in droves, just need to stay alive long enough!  I will stir them into my flea market inventory, and Christmas presents for friends and family.

Subject to editing,

David S. Albright

[Twanj]

4 hours ago, vodou said:

Wow. I did not think there would be two of us!

me five. altho I stopped buying comics in the early 90s. I've read a few trades & all digital lately.

[Sooners151]

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.  

Edited October 27, 2017 by Sooners151