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Buy the art not the nostalgia?
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Started by jaybuck43,

32 posts in this topic

jaybuck43

jaybuck43

Posted
Posted

Was perusing my email and saw that a prominent auction house is selling a prominent piece of art, so I clicked on it and wow.  It's just ugly. Super plain, a white background and what looks like a black blob on the page.  And they want almost 200 grand for this?  It reminds me of the comic book adage, buy the book, not the grade.  If it wasn't for the importance of the book that this cover is attached to, it would be worthless (in my opinion).  Anyone else have thoughts on this?  Or should we just buy bad art because it's "valuable"?

 

O and before Gene pops in and mocks me, yes Gene I am aware of Ryman's painting having sold for over 20 million lol.  

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grapeape

grapeape

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Posted

If you’re talking about ASM 299 you certainly are paying a lot for nostalgia. Although art is subjective and you are entitled to your opinion, there’s no way I can agree its

ugly

bad art

seriously that’s absurd on so many levels. 
 

If you’re talking about a different piece of art then oops..... doh!

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Rick2you2

Rick2you2

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, grapeape said:

If you’re talking about ASM 299 you certainly are paying a lot for nostalgia. Although art is subjective and you are entitled to your opinion, there’s no way I can agree its

ugly

bad art

seriously that’s absurd on so many levels. 
 

If you’re talking about a different piece of art then oops..... doh!

I just looked at it. No, it is not “bad” art. But I’m not thrilled with the clutter, or the odd rays shooting into troops which are apparently having limited effect, or why Spider-man is hitting someone on the back of a helmet (designed, in part, to cushion a head from concussions), or why soldiers are standing around like schmucks getting hit, ...  but it does have nice balance. 

Edited by Rick2you2
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jaykza

jaykza

Posted
Posted (edited)
1 hour ago, jaybuck43 said:

Was perusing my email and saw that a prominent auction house is selling a prominent piece of art, so I clicked on it and wow.  It's just ugly. Super plain, a white background and what looks like a black blob on the page.  And they want almost 200 grand for this?  It reminds me of the comic book adage, buy the book, not the grade.  If it wasn't for the importance of the book that this cover is attached to, it would be worthless (in my opinion).  Anyone else have thoughts on this?  Or should we just buy bad art because it's "valuable"?

 

O and before Gene pops in and mocks me, yes Gene I am aware of Ryman's painting having sold for over 20 million lol.  

Assuming you're talking about the Miller DKR anniversary cover from comicconnect @ 175k. Head scratcher for me. 

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/902240?tzf=1

Edited by jaykza
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ShallowDan

ShallowDan

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Posted
1 hour ago, jaykza said:

Assuming you're talking about the Miller DKR anniversary cover from comicconnect @ 175k. Head scratcher for me. 

https://www.comicconnect.com/item/902240?tzf=1

Thanks for the link!  Like grapeape, I would've assumed that he was talking about the ASM cover. 

Personally if I were buying a DKR piece, I'd want something from the original published series and don't think I'd be willing to pony up this much for the cover from a re-release.  

As far as the art itself goes, although the color on the cover as-published is minimal, I think it makes a huge difference in this case.  

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The Voord

The Voord

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Posted (edited)

If it's the MacFarlane ASM cover, I can see why collectors growing up on his Spidey books would have been hooked on his work from an impressionable age, though It's not for me -  as a lot of the imagery lacks clarity.  For example, someone posted a selection of DPS pages for a ranking exercise.  In all honesty, only a few images made sense . . . and the rest I struggled to make heads or tails of as they looked a bit of a convoluted mess.  I'm not knocking it, it's just not my thing.  (shrug)

Edited by The Voord
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NinjaSealed

NinjaSealed

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Posted

Ehh.......it’s not ugly........it is actually excellent work by a master. That being said I will say the premium attached to covers in this hobby is often times silly......especially for the cover of a reprint....as well as a “simple” image.......but it is what it is.....and probably not THAT overpriced in today’s market.

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Rick2you2

Rick2you2

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Posted
1 hour ago, The Voord said:

That's a terrific illustration, though I'd prefer to be the proud owner of the $175K  :)

To me, it looks like a commission someone spent anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars to get. Being off-center isn't worth the extra $173-174k. And, the inking kills a lot of the pencil work.

 

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ESeffinga

ESeffinga

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I think that Batman piece is as solid a comic illustration as I’ve ever seen from Miller. It’s not overly fussy, it is super easy to “read” what is happening there. It totally fits Batman’s aesthetic. It looks “cool”, and it slams the character home in an ominous way. It has an icon like approach to it. Almost like Miller’s take on a Bruce Timm animated Batman shot. Nothing here is out of place.
 

More than I can say for that Spidey 299 cover. 

No I wouldn’t spend anywhere near the asking price, but I’d take it over any of those McFarlane double page splashes if I were offered my choice this or any of those for my personal collection, and I really mean that. any day of the week. More lines doesn’t mean more better. 

Buy whatever makes you happy. Don’t worry about the other folks. My .02€
 

 

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Bronty

Bronty

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Posted
3 hours ago, pinupcartooncollector said:

I like the piece, but it doesn't scream Miller Dark Knight to me 

interesting take ; I agree actually.   But then I read the original books and not the 10th ann. HC.

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Rick2you2

Rick2you2

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Posted (edited)

The original art does not do the cover justice. That is a wonderful cover. Balance (with the title block), moodiness, no distractions from the central theme. Sometimes, I think we forget that cover art is a sales tool, and should be seen with all the trade dress applied to be fully appreciated. Right now, the high offer is $62K, not meeting a reserve at $175K. Don't know what its price should be, but I agree with ESeffinga. Excellent.ESeffinga

 

bat312.1b.jpg

 

 

Edited by Rick2you2
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Matches_Malone

Matches_Malone

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Posted

Nice Miller piece, but $175K it’s a bit too much.

Especially when you compare it  to the final result of the following pieces. Not exactly an apples to apples comparisson, but more like lemons to limes.

Frank Miller Batman: The Dark Knight Returns #1 Unused Splash Page 1 - $50,400

Frank Miller The Complete Frank Miller Batman #1 Hardback Cover - $43,200

Frank Miller Batman: The Dark Knight Returns (10th Anniversary Edition) - $41,825

As someone mentioned before, I would rather wait for a very nice interior page at this price point.

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