• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

Can Someone Please Help Educate Me on These Interior Page Differences?
2 2

16 posts in this topic

I am thinking of getting into buying original comic art and was searching on eBay for interior pages and I liked a few from this one seller. 

Here is 1 of their eBay listings:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-SUPERMAN-14-pg-18-WOUNDED-BATMAN-IN-BATCAVE-WITH-ALFRED/373001544515?hash=item56d89fe343:g:DUwAAOSwMsJblZkw

I then searched online to see if there were pages for sale for some of the missing pages the eBay seller did not have/was not selling.  I found this site and the same interior page was for sale on this site?

https://www.comicartshop.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Order=Date&Piece=1241679&GSub=168430&GCat=94774

What is the difference between the 2 pages for sale? Which one is the original art interior page and is one a reproduction(?)

Can someone please educate me?  Thank you in advance as I am still learning.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

In general

22 minutes ago, brownies8701 said:

I am thinking of getting into buying original comic art and was searching on eBay for interior pages and I liked a few from this one seller. 

Here is 1 of their eBay listings:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-SUPERMAN-14-pg-18-WOUNDED-BATMAN-IN-BATCAVE-WITH-ALFRED/373001544515?hash=item56d89fe343:g:DUwAAOSwMsJblZkw

I then searched online to see if there were pages for sale for some of the missing pages the eBay seller did not have/was not selling.  I found this site and the same interior page was for sale on this site?

https://www.comicartshop.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Order=Date&Piece=1241679&GSub=168430&GCat=94774

What is the difference between the 2 pages for sale? Which one is the original art interior page and is one a reproduction(?)

Can someone please educate me?  Thank you in advance as I am still learning.

In general, in the past, a page would be penciled, then sent to an inker to be inked, meaning one original art page per published page.

Today, sometimes an artist would draw the page in pencil, then send the scan to the inker, who would print out the pencils and then ink it, so there are 2 original art pages per published page.

In general, pencillers are more desired than inkers and pencil pages are ore desirable than inked pages.

Malvin

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hopefully in the future the inker will type  a notification in non repo blue on the bottom of the page. “hand drawn inks by John Doe over blue line printout out of John Smith’s pencils.” Until this starts to happen there will a lot of be people buying what they think is 100% original art when in reality it’s 50% original 50% printout.

In my opinion it’s on the inkers to straighten this mess out. Telling the buyer isn’t the same because during the next transaction of the page that info isn’t going to be revealed 100% of the time. Inkers need to make sure it’s physically indicated on the art.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I can't add much more than what these two have already offered, and they are spot on.   In the olden days we used to FedEx our pencilled pages to inkers who would then FedEx the final page to the publisher who would scan it and send it to the printer, and then return the art split usually ⅔ and ⅓ to the penciler and inker.

Nowadays, the art never leaves the artist's studio-- but what you have here is still rare in that it's hand done.   Most comic art today is all digital, in this case it was penciled on a sheet of Bristol, scanned, then emailed to the inker who printed it out in blue onto another piece of Bristol and then scanned in again and the file sent to the publisher's FTP.   Does it create two pieces of art?  Yes.   But I give the edge to the inked page since that is what you see printed in the book.   But you are buying a piece of art handled by only one of the members of the creative team.

My wife Veronica and I currently work together for Dark Horse and Archie Comics, our process is a little different because while we each have our own studio spaces they are in the same house-- but we send pages back and forth during the process.   We still do splash pages and covers by hand 90% of the time because those are the pages that tend to have value, while "ordinary" pages are done digitally.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Now you are aware of the existence of both pieces.  This knowledge will be lost to time.

But right now, you can decide which you prefer, how you want to value them and what you're willing to pay.  Some like seeing the "pure pencils".  Some like knowing that THIS was the linework that was used for publication. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Will_K said:

But right now, you can decide which you prefer, how you want to value them and what you're willing to pay.  Some like seeing the "pure pencils".  Some like knowing that THIS was the linework that was used for publication. 

This is the part I don't know quite yet...LOL

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, brownies8701 said:

I am thinking of getting into buying original comic art and was searching on eBay for interior pages and I liked a few from this one seller. 

Here is 1 of their eBay listings:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/BATMAN-SUPERMAN-14-pg-18-WOUNDED-BATMAN-IN-BATCAVE-WITH-ALFRED/373001544515?hash=item56d89fe343:g:DUwAAOSwMsJblZkw

I then searched online to see if there were pages for sale for some of the missing pages the eBay seller did not have/was not selling.  I found this site and the same interior page was for sale on this site?

https://www.comicartshop.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Order=Date&Piece=1241679&GSub=168430&GCat=94774

What is the difference between the 2 pages for sale? Which one is the original art interior page and is one a reproduction(?)

Can someone please educate me?  Thank you in advance as I am still learning.

You could buy them both if there’s a bit of completist in your collecting nature. Welcome to original comic art collecting.

🍇 * 🦍 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, grapeape said:

You could buy them both if there’s a bit of completist in your collecting nature. Welcome to original comic art collecting.

🍇 * 🦍 

I would recommend that you do buy them both. Personally, I think the pair are worth more together, so you see both parts behind the art (particularly if you get them framed).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, AndyFish said:

I can't add much more than what these two have already offered, and they are spot on.   In the olden days we used to FedEx our pencilled pages to inkers who would then FedEx the final page to the publisher who would scan it and send it to the printer, and then return the art split usually ⅔ and ⅓ to the penciler and inker.

Nowadays, the art never leaves the artist's studio-- but what you have here is still rare in that it's hand done.   Most comic art today is all digital, in this case it was penciled on a sheet of Bristol, scanned, then emailed to the inker who printed it out in blue onto another piece of Bristol and then scanned in again and the file sent to the publisher's FTP.   Does it create two pieces of art?  Yes.   But I give the edge to the inked page since that is what you see printed in the book.   But you are buying a piece of art handled by only one of the members of the creative team.

My wife Veronica and I currently work together for Dark Horse and Archie Comics, our process is a little different because while we each have our own studio spaces they are in the same house-- but we send pages back and forth during the process.   We still do splash pages and covers by hand 90% of the time because those are the pages that tend to have value, while "ordinary" pages are done digitally.

While you are undoubtedly correct from a financial perspective, I really like a well sequenced panel page, particularly if it has clever panel designs which move the story along (not that I can get word balloons anymore). 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, brownies8701 said:

This is the part I don't know quite yet...LOL

Putting values on the separate pieces of art is still evolving and it's also a matter of personal taste.  If you look further in this section, you'll see other threads related to digital pencils and physical inks.  And even maybe even digital pencils and digital inks (although it'll be hard to put a value on those).

However, you did 2 great things.  You were able to locate the original pencils and you asked a question.  Because, let's say you bought the inks and only later did you find out about the pencils... 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

While you are undoubtedly correct from a financial perspective, I really like a well sequenced panel page, particularly if it has clever panel designs which move the story along (not that I can get word balloons anymore). 

I'm totally with you-- I've got a pretty large collection of originals-- and all of them are sequential pages, good sequential art is a beauty to behold and I'd take it any day over a big over rendered splash page--but from the other side of it the time I save working digitally is about four hours off an eight hour page, meanwhile the vast majority of collectors who reach out to ask for a certain page of a book almost always want the same page-- big action reveal or something else relevant to the story.   It just isn't cost effective to do all the pages traditionally.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

52 minutes ago, AndyFish said:

I'm totally with you-- I've got a pretty large collection of originals-- and all of them are sequential pages, good sequential art is a beauty to behold and I'd take it any day over a big over rendered splash page--but from the other side of it the time I save working digitally is about four hours off an eight hour page, meanwhile the vast majority of collectors who reach out to ask for a certain page of a book almost always want the same page-- big action reveal or something else relevant to the story.   It just isn't cost effective to do all the pages traditionally.   

Every once in a while, I run into Tom Mandrake at conventions (I have a number of his pieces). He has said that he can draw the old fashioned way as quickly as current artists draw on a computer. But, I have also heard younger artists swear the opposite. I muck around with Adobe Illustrator, and honestly, I can see how duplication of images and correction of lines is a lot easier on the computer. I, however, am lousy as an artist. 

And admittedly, some things, like a traditional six panel, are tough to make interesting. I remember meeting John Higgins at one show (colorist, Killing Joke, among other art) and was so taken by his ability to make a six panel with talking heads on it--interesting--I commissioned him on the spot. Naturally, he did a great job.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Rick2you2 said:

so taken by his ability to make a six panel with talking heads on it--interesting

You should check out Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work

https://cloudfour.com/thinks/22-panels-that-always-work-wally-woods-legendary-productivity-hack/

It's pretty much the gospel for that kind of thing.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Will_K said:

You should check out Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work

https://cloudfour.com/thinks/22-panels-that-always-work-wally-woods-legendary-productivity-hack/

It's pretty much the gospel for that kind of thing.

But that’s just the content in the panels. How about the panels themselves, such as the border design? How about pop outs? Or shadows and images which extend beyond the panels, including sound effects? Too much can distract, but just the right amount can add zing w/o interfering with the story. 

Edited by Rick2you2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
2 2