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HOLY GRAIL ART

    Original Art By Artist (A-Z)

    Arthur Adams

    Arthur Adams Historic Longshot #1 Cover Inspiration Illustration (First Rendering) Original Art (Marvel, 1983)


    A rare find from the beginning of Arthur Adams career! Just starting at Marvel, Adams was given the chance to work on Longshot by writer Ann Nocenti. The six-issue series took two years to finish, releasing in 1985, and instantly put Adams on the map, cementing his place as an up-and-coming artist. After much research on the topic, Art originally drew 5-6 initial renderings of Longshot in 1983 as early concept art for the series, this being one of them and perhaps the most important and influential to the series. Longshot's look was influenced by singer Limahl, and his unique appearance was perfect for the character. When putting the story and first issue together, which fortunately Art was not given a deadline by Louise Simonson, he went back to this very image of Longshot (same pose as cover) with Magog by his side and expanded on it and used as the cover inspiration to Longshot #1! A true piece of Marvel Copper Age history! Graphite over blue pencil on 11" x 14" Bristol board. Slight toning, with light handling wear. Signed at the bottom by Adams at the time of the drawing in 1983 and again in 2001. In Excellent condition.

    Neal Adams

    Neal Adams Pencils & Inks Brave & The Bold #85 PG 21 Original Art Best Batman Page From Landmark Issue! (DC, 1969)


    It was Neal Adams' revitalization of Batman, taking the character from the fun loving, cheesy 60’s TV series to the Dark, gritty character we know today. It’s said that many of the scenes Haney would write would take place during the day, but Adams would change it to night. Without Adams darker portrayal, we may have never seen Miller or Lee’s Dark Knight versions play out. For Adams, it was Batman that made the artist a favorite among fans and, very quickly, and eventually a living legend. The effect that Neal Adams had on the comic industry as it transitioned from the Silver Age to the Bronze Age was enormous. Every character he touched, were reinvigorated, and this is without a doubt the one of the most memorable issues the great artist ever crafted of the late silver age with the First appearance of the new Green Arrow costume! This being one of the most "Key" of all late Silver Age books. 


    This key page is the finale scene, the last action page to the issue and arguably the best Batman page in the book with him swinging in the air! When reading this story again, this was by far the best Batman image in the entire issue, page 2 takes a close second with Batman leaping onto a truck. From this era to put it in perspective, an Adam’s Batman swinging in the center of the page would be the equivalent of a Mcfarlane Spider-Man swinging and jumping out of the page! Something only Neal Adams could do at this time, with his realism and movement that would practically jump out of the page. Panel 3 of Batman swinging goes into both panel 2 and panel 4 giving a sense of increased movement of the character. Perhaps best described by PencilInk.Blogspot about Adams art and this issue below…

    Brave & The Bold #85-

    “The artwork throughout is breathtaking, displaying a fresh realism rarely seen in comics. Adams also employs multiple angles and varying panels to increase movement and tension around the characters. Interestingly, a single loosely sketched panel on page 22 suggests a frozen moment in time, as Senators tally the final votes. This story was later reprinted in Best of Brave and the Bold #1.”


    What makes this even more special is it’s 100% Neal Adams, providing his own inks to his pencils, an increasingly rare occurrence as demand for his skills increased. Batman pages from this early period in Adams' career are rarely pried out of private collections, so we were very lucky to have acquired this page. We’ve owned many Neal Adam’s original art pieces, but this one we’re pleased to have in our private collection. The art is in very good condition with some minimal liner notes along the top, a right top corner tear for printing purposes, whiteout corrections, and some scarce blue pencil markings. Overall page size is 10.5" x 16" with a 10" x 15" image area. A great page from one of the best issues in Neal's brief run on The Brave and The Bold in the late sixties. 

    -

    Jim Aparo

    Jim Aparo “Knightfall Part 15” Batman #498 Enter Catwoman (Opening Scene Half Splash) Summoned by Bane & The Infamous Kiss! The Issue Following "The Broken Bat" Original Art (DC, 1993)


    After DC’s enormous success of The Death of Superman in late 1992 and early 1993 with the follow up Funeral for a Friend, just months later a new story arc was written by Acclaimed writers Denny O’Neill and Doug Moench, this time it was for Batman and it was called “Knightfall”. The story arc featured a new genius villain named Bane and similarly to Death of Superman, it was a tremendous success. One could argue with the arrival of Bane as an all new villain, he’s remained greater and more popular than Doomsday, making this arc more memorable over the years. Either way, DC did something we haven’t seen from either of the “Big 2” publishers in creating back to back classic story arcs merely months apart that have become iconic 30 years later. This particular page came from Batman #498 written by Doug Moench. Now let’s get to the art…


    This Half Splash page is Catwoman’s first introduction into Knightfall when summoned by Bane by his goons not only set up Catwomans run with Jim Balent by establishing the look and the plot for Catwoman #1 and beyond, but it's existence in the Knightfall storyline as influence in Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight Rises helps to propel this page into the history books! As seen on the cover, not by choice, Catwoman reluctantly agrees to team up with Bane. 


    You can see a broken Bruce Wayne in a body cast in the last few panels, attended by Shondra Kinsolving, his Doctor who has an ongoing crush on him. The last 2 panels you can see Bruce not only suprised, but the final panel reveals her feelings for Bruce as she kisses him! Shondra will be Bruce's love interest during this arc and will go on to cure Bruce later in the story, where he becomes Batman once again. An incredibly important page to the Knightfall story arc introducing Catwoman for the first time and the romance begins for Bruce and Shondra. 


    Rick Burchett Inks over legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo pencils on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Signed by Aparo in lower area. The page has production hole-punches in the side margins, otherwise in Excellent condition. 

    Jim Aparo “Knightfall Part 15” Batman #498 Bane Splash “Gotham Is Mine!” & Azrael Is Chosen to Take Over The Bat Mantle! The Issue Following "The Broken Bat" Original Art (DC, 1993)


    The top panels feature a crippled Bruce Wayne and Tim Drake (aka the third Robin) as they make a fateful decision, with Gotham in despair, and the new Bat mantle is decided on this page to be passed to Jean-Paul Valley better known as Azrael. Tim Drake felt Nightwing would be the obvious choice, as did many of the readers at this time, but Batman denied the request saying he wants him to be his own man. His only wish with Jean-Paul Valley stepping in is by no means to confront… Bane! The bottom splash features our story arc villain Bane, as he gloats over a city in chaos with the classic words to follow “They still call out for their hero and savior…But he is Broken…And GOTHAM IS MINE!” This is the issue we start to really see Bane take over Gotham and bring chaos to the streets and this page really embodies it all. Just an all out tremendous page from this classic story arc, perhaps one of the top pages to follow the breaking of the Bat!


    It follows the issue in which Bane broke Batman's back, a story arc heavily influenced the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises. This page is a memorable one to the movie with Gotham burning, the streets recently taken over by the genius Mercenary and his crew following the disappearance of The Dark Knight. A key, turning point page from this storyline doesn’t get any better than this with the decision of the new Batman, while featuring a crippled Bruce Wayne from his recent breaking of the bat, Tim Drake aka Robin and Bane in a prolific pose over a burning Gotham City! Rick Burchett Inks over legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo pencils on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". In Excellent condition. 

    Jim Aparo “Knightfall Part 15” Batman #498 Historic Page Azrael's Debut as Batman and Don's The Suit For The First Time! The Issue Following "The Broken Bat" Original Art (DC, 1993)


    With our previous page from this story arc having Bruce make the decision for Jean Paul Valley to take over the Bat Mantle, here is the very first page in which he Don's the Bat suit! Of course later in issue #500 Azbats new suit is revealed, where he battles and defeats Bane! Here we have a historic page ending issue #498 with Commissioner Gordon waiting for Batman with the Bat signal over Gotham and JPV and Robin show up swinging as Robin says to “Stick to the shadows and use your horse grating voice Bruce uses.” I love Aparo’s Gotham cityscape with the Bat signal in the sky. The best line has to be the close up of the new Batman at the end panel letting Gordon and the reader know despite Bruce’s wishes, he’s going for Bane! “…Bane will have He’ll itself to pay.” 


    Setting up the showdown of what’s to come! A fitting page to match our page from above from the issue following the Breaking of the Bat! A major event that defined Batman for the 90's. A journey from failure of being broken to eventual triumph! Rick Burchett Inks over legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo pencils on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". In Excellent condition.

    Mitsuhiro Arita

    Mitsuhiro Arita Pokemon Artist Illustrates His Most Famous Creation Charizard Original Art (Ocala Comic Con 2014)


    Here's something a little different in our collection, after getting more into the TCG and Pokemon collecting world with my son, I soon discovered the rarity of their art. Since I'm into the art of comics I figured to go after the art of Pokemon, only to find out it's considered intellectual property of their brand and owned solely by the Pokemon/Nintendo group. So to acquire an Arita sketch of perhaps the most famous Pokemon art in the world, I couldn't pass up the opportunity and is considered extremely rare. Collector Todd Sommerfield, at Ocala Comic Con back in 2014, before the current craze and hyped values convinced Arita to do the Charizard full art sketch at the con. Shortly after he put the art up on his CAF account as "Not For Sale" until we were able to work out a deal for it nearly 10 years later. To put this in perspective, Heritage and any other major auction house has never had a Charizard full art sketch at auction, only a Pikachu that sold in 2022 for $16.8k!

      

    Ink on Sketch Paper with an image area of 5.5" x 7.5". In Excellent condition. Inscribed "To Todd", signed by Arita on left corner.

    Mark Bagley

    Mark Bagley Amazing Spider-Man #415 (Onslaught Arc) Splash Page 18 Depicting The Cover Scene From His Final Issue of His 5 Year Run! (Marvel, 1996)


    Mark Bagley is undoubtedly one of the top Spider-Man artists of our time, drawing the character for over 30+ years regularly on different titles. This page and issue marks the last issue from his illustrious first run, where he was the regular artist from issue 351 to 415! Here is the cover scene to "The Sentinels Take Manhattan!" part of the Onslaught Arc during the Clone Saga. On this page Spidey encounters a Sentinel on this 1996 Mark Bagley page with Al Milgrom inks. It is one of the rare encounters between Spider-Man and these robotic X-men adversaries. I love the composition of this page, with the Sentinel gazing at Spidey near the top of a building as we see his Ben Reilly unique suit with the giant spider on the back! We also get a glimpse of J Jonah Jameson in the smaller panels freaking out that NYC has been taken over by Sentinels and where we're learning the mutant calls himself "Onslaught!" Just a great splash page depicting the cover scene from Bagley's last issue on the title! 

      

    Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". In Excellent condition.

    Mark Bagley Spider-Man Unlimited #2 Story Page 11 Maximum Carnage Finale Issue with Peter Parker & Epic Battle Scene Venom vs Carnage Original Art (Marvel, 1993)


    An epic image of Venom and Carnage battling headline this page from the conclusion of the "Maximum Carnage" storyline. Peter has an important conversation with his father about "monsters", and the deadly symbiotes definitely fit the bill leading into the all out battle. 


    Mark Bagley, who has illustrated more Spider-Man stories than any other artist in the 60+ year history of the web-slinger, so we thought it was fitting to have more than one featured Spidey page by the revered artist. Bagley, the co-creator of Carnage, did a bang-up job illustrating this conflict. The panels leading up to the symbiote battle feature Peter Parker having a conversation with his "father" in which they discuss something Richard Parker had said about all men being devils. This was during a period when Peter's parents, who were long thought to be dead, returned to his life. It turned out that they were actually very lifelike robots created by Spidey's old foe the Chameleon, but that story is for another day.


    Mark Bagley breakdowns with Sam De La Rosa finishes Ink and Zipatone over graphite on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Text and balloon paste-ups, some residue staining, red key lines in Panel 2, and tape cover up in the top right margin, with light handling wear; otherwise, in Excellent condition. Signed by Bagley at the bottom.

    C.C. Beck

    C. C. Beck Whiz Comics #7 Historic 

    Earliest Captain Marvel Art Known To Exist Finale Page 11 Twice-Up Original Art (Fawcett, 1940)


    Here is something you don't see every day, which hails as noted on the subject as historically significant being by all accounts the earliest existing art for Captain Marvel from Whiz Comics #7. Believe it or not Captain Marvel aka Shazam outsold Superman in the early days, selling millions of copies monthly in the 1940's. C. C. Beck has always been considered the consummate artist for Captain Marvel. His clean style was perfect for a hero that was almost like a big soft teddy bear who was, nevertheless, an intimidating force against evil. After re-reading the story, and being the pride of the era, Captain Marvel sure did have his moments of not being Mr. Nice guy and at times was actually quite brutal. "Panel 1- "Too bad, but you had it coming to you." In this case the story villain Rodney Stark crashes to a fiery explosive death. 


    We must remember the times and uncertainties in the world as this was during World War II, a little over a year before Pearl Harbor and when the US entered the war. Enough about a history lesson, the interesting thing in this 11 page story, only 6 pages actually have Captain Marvel in costume, page 1 being one of them which is only a stat of the character, which leaves 5 pages of art, this being one of them. Furthermore, this is one of 2 pages that feature Shazam (Captain Marvel at this time), transforming back into reporter Billy Batson, while sharing the good news of Earth's rescue! Just an incredible art page featuring Captain Marvel (Shazam) and Billy Batson by their creator C.C. Beck from their birth year in 1940.


    This piece of glorious Golden Age history was Created in ink over graphite on illustration board in twice-up scale with an image area of 13" x 18". Billy Batson and shadow in Panel Four are composed entirely of a stat paste-up. This toned page has production marks and notes, whiteout, staining, and glue residue. "Whiz Comics" stat paste-up is loosely attached and multiple text/ad paste-ups in the final panel are missing. In otherwise Very Good condition.

    Jon Bogdanove

     Jon Bogdanove Punisher Annual #2 "Wolverine vs Punisher" Following The Iconic Punisher War Journal 1st Meeting Pin-Up DPS Pages 56 & 57 Original Art (Marvel, 1989)


    Here is something that’s special from this era featuring the two greatest anti-heroes of our time. After doing much research the first meeting between the two was none other than Jim Lee’s classic depiction from Punisher War Journal #6/7 from just a couple months earlier dated June/July 1989. This marks their second meeting in a comic book with an all out battle scene by Jon Bogdanove, a certainly different take from their first meeting. Though the annual went undated, GCD marks the on sale date in May 1989, shortly after the release of Punisher War Journal 6 & 7, which makes you wonder if this was created around the same time as Lee’s story, but with the tremendous success of their first meetup, this was used in the annual. 


    The large scale fight between two of the crankiest Marvel heroes done in ink over graphite on Bristol board with a matted image area of 21" x 15", used as a Double Page Spread for pages 56 & 57. There is heavy edge and handling wear to the mat, the art is toned. Signed and in otherwise Excellent condition.

    Jon Bogdanove: The Art of Marvel. 

    John Buscema

    John Buscema Amazing Spider-Man #78 Half Splash First Hobie (The Prowler) Brown Birth Page Original Art (Marvel, 1969)


    We’ll lead this description off by The Bleeding Cool News publication who covered this piece very well in which this page was the featured cover image for the article (click the link below to view the article)...


    Bleeding Cool- “Highlights from Best Spider-Man Collection Ever Assembled Hit Auction…”

    “From Amazing Spider-Man No. 78 come two remarkable pages, offered separately, from John Buscema and Jim Mooney. Page 10 of this issue, which debuted Hobie Brown's Prowler, Peter Parker wanders the streets of New York bemoaning the loss of Gwen Stacy to Flash Thompson, fends off a couple of hoods and even complains he didn't have time to study. This is vintage Stan Lee – less about the hero, more about the man beneath the mask wondering where it all went wrong.” From The Spider-Steve Collection.


    This historic 1/2 splash page by the legendary John Buscema, which is one of his earliest Amazing Spider-man art issues! This page not only has Peter battling a couple of street thugs in first half of the page, but that window washer in the last panel is actually Hobie (The Prowler) Brown's first interior appearance in a comic book! The opening page splash page might have the “Night of The Prowler” title but doesn’t feature the character until this very page, which is also technically the next splash from the opening title page 1. The next splash, Prowler in costume reveal page 16, recently sold from Mike Burkey's private collection for $100,000! Silver Age “Amazing Spider-Man” art pages such as this are exceedingly rare, especially a Silver Age Pre-100 key first appearance issue. 


    John Buscema layouts, with Jim Mooney finishes. Produced in ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". There are some production stains in and around Panel 2. The board has been affixed to a 11.75" x 16.5" black mat board. In Very Good condition. From the Spider-Steve Collection. 


    The Prowler is Hobie Brown, an anti-hero introduced here in Amazing Spider-Man #78 (1969). The character was created by Stan Lee and John Buscema following a suggestion from a 13-year old John Romita Jr. to his father John Sr.. John Romita Sr. notes that Lee came up with the “twist” of making the new character’s civilian identity a young window washer, apparently no older than Spider-Man himself, though he doesn’t mention whose idea it was to make the character African-American. Hobie Brown has appeared in various animations and video games. In the Ultimate Universe, career criminal Aaron Davis also took on the Prowler identity. Aaron Davis was portrayed by Donald Glover in the Marvel Cinematic Universe film Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and was voiced by Oscar winning actor Mahershala Ali (Cottonmouth from Luke Cage and the new Blade the Vampire Slayer in an upcoming MCU film) in the Oscar winning animated Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). 

    Click Here For An Article About This Page & Collection Provenance...

    Sal Buscema

    Sal Buscema The Spectacular Spider-Man #197 Semi-Splash Page 17 Spider-Man & The X-Men Original Art (Marvel, 1993)


    I've had a few Sal Buscema pages over the years including other Spidey pages, but I really wanted a dynamic one, or I should say spectacular, and here you have it! This is one of the best pages Spidey pages in the issue as he gets blasted by Professor Power as the web-head teams up with the X-Men against the villain. Cyclops directs Beast to help as Archangel and Iceman recover during the battle. Check out Sal's clean lines throughout the page with Spidey contorting into different poses as he spins and flips until Beast rescues him. Not only is Spidey in 4 of the 5 panels in ideal images, the non Spidey panel features The X-Men, most notably Beast in the bottom tier of panels. Sal's run on Spectacular Spider-Man was memorable, I felt his early portion of the run in the mid 70's though great was too house style and this era in the early 90's he really flourished with his own unique style for Web-Head.


    Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.5". Staple holes in the top left margin, text paste-ups with residue staining from missing paste-ups, punched holes in the side margins, with light handling wear. In Very Good condition.

    John Byrne

    John Byrne Marvel Comics Presents #18 Galactus Splash Page (1st She-Hulk Breaking The 4th Wall & Byrne's Marvel Return Issue!) Original Art (Marvel, 1988)


    One month before John Byrne began his memorable run on Sensational She-Hulk began, the legendary artist illustrated a preview story featuring this page that was published in the anthology Marvel Comics Presents #18 (released 12/1988) titled “Xmas Tease”. This 8 page story was a prologue to Sensational She-Hulk #1 by She-Hulk herself as “eight pages of hype for a new comic.”, but it will go down in history for something else. This 8 page story also marks the first time She-Hulk speaks to the reader or “Breaking the 4th Wall”, a practice that becomes commonplace throughout her series and today as witnessed in 2022’s Disney+ series. This also marks Byrne’s first story art after his return to Marvel after his two year stint at DC working on Superman. Upon Byrne’s return he found himself teaming up with inker Bob Wiacek, which I should add is arguably one of the best pairings of theh era. Now that we’ve discussed the importance of the issue, let’s now discuss the art itself..


    On this dynamic 2/3 splash page She-Hulk witnesses none other than Galactus descending to Earth in his oversized rocket ship. Note the detailed cityscape background, down to the kitty cat in the lower left window and even the window blinds, just love it! She-Hulk's 'Holy Moebius' reaction is a nod to the two-issue Silver Surfer mini-series the master French artist illustrated working with Stan Lee as writer. Interestingly enough, the two-issue Silver Surfer mini-series came out just a couple months earlier, cover date #1 12/88 and #2 1/89, while the Byrne She-Hulk story issue hit newsstands the last week of ‘88 for Christmas. Byrne presumably drew this story 1-2 months earlier, while the Moebius series was first getting released and receiving artistic praise. One can only think the newly launched miniseries by the French legend was immediately well received in the US with Byrne acknowledging the legend in his work at the same time. Little did Byrne know at that time, both artists work on their respective series, most notably Moebius Silver Surfer mini-series would go down in history as one of the greatest artistic comic achievements of that era. A truly remarkable half splash of both Galactus and She-Hulk by the master artist John Byrne considered his peak period while nodding Moebius’ work of the same era, and also marking his return to Marvel, setting the bar for breaking the 4th wall in this very issue!  


    "Marvel Comics Presents" Blog Art Review-

    “John Byrne handles art and pencils here with our first meta-fictional feature in MCP. She-Hulk bemoands holiday tedium only to recount a fantastical encounter with Doctor Doom, Magneto, and Galactus via phone to the Thing…It's Byrne-ian goofiness punctuated by a stirring Galactus rendition loving punctuated with Walters uttering "Holy Moebius." And, if you're still salty about the cover, Byrne does plug some nice work into this romp. The real narrative punchline here is the pointer towards She-Hulk's upcoming Byrne series that will dive deeper still into the meta-fictional line of comedic inquiry.” Apparently the reviewer wasn't a fan of the cover, but sure liked the story art, especially this page!


    Art is 10x15, personalized and signed by Bob Wiacek at bottom left. Light smudges, whiteout corrections and right top edge cut for production printing. Overall art is in very good condition. 

    Check Out "Earth's Mightiest Blog" Review on This Art & Story Importance!

    Dave Cockrum

    Dave Cockrum X-Men #161 Story Page 10 Professor X & Magneto 1st Meeting Opening Scene & Gaby Haller 1st Appearance Original Art (Marvel, 1982)


    From one of the all time great issues of The Uncanny X-Men #161 “Gold Rush”, Chris Claremont story and Dave Cockrum art. This flashback issue holds the first meeting between Charles Xavier and Magneto, then called “Magnus” for the first time as they both assist Holocaust survivors post WWII in Israel. This great page has it all, heavy emotions, a key first appearance that will have future repercussions, as well as a little Hydra operative secrecy at the end. 


    Now back to the first appearance, which is the young Gaby Haller in the first panel awake for the first time after a long catatonic state as Xavier enters her mind. In panel four, Daniel Shomron (also first appearance but much less significant) explains the previous page of Xavier entering her mind in detail and I must say it’s horrifying… "--During that session, Gaby expressed some remarkable verbal images. S.S. Guards as demons and ogres, the crematoriums as the gates of hell. But how do you account for the last one, her transformation into a golden statue?” Claremont and Cockrum delve right into the eyes of a Holocaust survivor and the horrific events she went through. 


    Xavier consoles her and later though he knows it’s wrong since it’s a patient, they have a relationship and a child together, who we’ll later know as Legion of the New Mutants. Again, this is the opening scene in which Xavier and Magneto are meeting for the first time! This issue shows us for the first time Magnus aka Magneto and Xavier were actually friends prior to their views and differences on mutants and mankind. So from a Marvel historical standpoint, this page and issue is an important one to the future of not only these characters but the X-Men and mutants overall. Dave Cockrum pencils and Bob Wiacek Inks, image area is 10x15, with text corrections, dialogue and corner cuts for printing purposes. Signed by Cockrum in the lower middle right and in excellent condition. 

    Robert Crumb

    Robert Crumb Cover Inspiration Illustration "I Know Nothing" For Mystic Funnies #2 Original Art (Fantagraphics, 1997)


    This incredibly detailed Robert Crumb illustration featuring "The Moron" stepping on heads titled “I know Nothing” dated 1997, was later the cover inspiration to Mystic Funnies #2 dated 1999 (both shown right), channeling an EC Golden Age cover. This drawing is nearly identical to the finished cover, even down to the word balloon content. It’s said that Crumb would look back from his sketchbooks and finished illustrations such as this for inspiration to flesh out new characters and stories for his upcoming material. In this case, he sourced this finished illustration from 1997 to create the 1999 Mystic Funnies #2 cover story - “Bad Karma” starring The hapless Moron (that's really his name) who can’t help but to do the wrong thing, even with the aid of his Fairy Godmother. The Moron, is a Snoid like character who continues to have bad Karma throughout the story till the end, only in Crumb fashion playing to his strengths.     


    Robert Crumb, king of the underground comix movement since the 1960’s, his original art now ranks among the most coveted in the history of the medium. Crumb is considered one of the most unique and talented voices to ever work in the industry. His works have shown in galleries and museums internationally and he has a reputation among the Fine Art community that many more "traditional" artists envy. Crumb covers for his classic comics have reached heights in the seven figure range, with even his more minor titles and interior spreads commonly approach and quite often exceed six figures. With this illustration later used as the benchmark for the cover to the acclaimed title Mystic Funnies #2, this certainly adds to the art's desirability. Any “Crumb” illustration is the centerpiece to any original art collection, let alone a piece with such meaning and importance.     

    Steve Ditko

    Steve Ditko Pencils & Inks The Incredible Hulk #6 (Final Issue of 1st Series) The Hulk, Rick Jones and The Metal Master in 3 Scenes! Original Art (Marvel, 1962)


    From the only Hulk issue where Ditko did both pencils and inks, and being the finale issue to the first series! This page of three tiers features three of the story's main characters, giving each their own scene. The top row features a trapped and frustrated Hulk ready to break through the wall, (great first panel detailed image), middle row a dejected and rejected Rick Jones with General Thunderbolt Ross, and the bottom row features the Metal Master on his World Domination Tour. Wonderful story flow and pacing from a master, Steve Ditko! Note the detail of the Hulk in the first panel, particularly as we discussed above around his eyes to give him a more menacing look. 


    Note the middle tier panel featuring Rick Jones and General Ross is an interesting one of the era, as Ross is more sensible to the young man suggesting him to stay in school! Ross seems to care for Jones as his own boy in this instance for the first time. 


    The page was created at twice-up scale in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 12.5" x 18.5". There are whiteout art and text corrections in a few panels. The board is lightly toned and in Excellent condition.

    Read our Article about the Beginnings of Hulk Featuring Kirby & Ditko Art!

    Kevin Eastman

    Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michaelangelo Concept Drawing by Co-Creator Kevin Eastman 1984 (Birth Year) Published In Eastman's Artobiography Book


    Here we have something truly special from the beginnings of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles from their birth year in 1984. This is an alternative weapons/outfit concept drawing by Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman. The drawing features Turtles favorite Michaelangelo, with possible costume changes for future issues. 


    This super early, published, one of a kind piece was drawn around the same time as issue #1! Just imagine how different the most popular turtle could have been with a cyborg hand, or helmet, or transforming nunchucks! What’s great is the standout lower image of Mike is as we know him, no huge modifications, as Eastman writes above the image- “Mike keeps standard outfit except for wraps.” The other possibilities though interesting and on full display here, were ultimately not used. As mentioned above, this piece was created by Kevin Eastman in 1984 when it all began, and was ultimately published in the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Artobiography' book in 2002. In the book Kevin wrote: "At some point during or slightly after finishing the first issue, we were already thinking about changing the guys outfits for future adventures (if we ever had the chance to do another) and these were some of my concepts". 


    Kevin held onto this piece in his personal collection for over 30+ years before selling it to one of the largest Turtles collector’s Daniel Merced, who in turn sold it to a collector in Europe, before we purchased for our private collection. When searching for the earliest Turtles art it’s almost impossible these days, collectors are holding their art close to the chest and many of the early pieces are in black hole collections, or still with Eastman and Laird themselves. We’re very fortunate to have acquired this very early Turtles concept drawing from their birth year in 1984.  


    There is slight wear around the edges, but overall in excellent condition. Pencil and ink on 8x11 sketch paper signed by Eastman in lower center dated 1984. Very rare one of a kind published piece from the beginnings of the Turtles! 

    Steve Epting

    Steve Epting Pencils & Inks Captain America Vol. 5 #6 Splash Page Cap Parachuting Across Manhattan Skyline / 1st Winter Soldier Issue (Marvel, 2005)


    Stunning splash page, one of the best in the entire issue, which says a lot being the most sought after issue in the classic run. This is all hand drawn page by Epting, hard to believe at first glance since this would’ve been far easier to use photo stat(s) to create the beautiful Manhattan skyline imagery. I can admire this page for minutes at a time looking at the incredible detail done by Epting. I constantly pick up on more finite details in the cityscape, down to the skyscraper windows to the parachute itself. It’s by far one of the most beautiful detailed pages I’ve come across in modern years. 


    The page itself features America parachuting down unto the Manhattan skyline from 'Out of Time Part 6' the first arc of Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting's classic, and hugely influential tenure on the book. This is the issue that officially introduces Bucky Barnes as The Winter Soldier (3 pages later), one of modern comics most enduring characters, from comics to film to television. 


    Steve Epting pencils and inks; page 15; 2005; image size 10.5" x 16". Art is in excellent condition. In a private collection since 2006.

    Bill Everett

    Bill Everett Sub-Mariner #58 Subby Battles The Sea Creature Haab Page 9 From Acclaimed Run & Last Full Issue of Everett Art & Story (Marvel, 1972)


    Here was one of my bucket list pieces at the top of my list for quite a while now. Bill Everett is one of the top draftsmen of the Golden Age into the Silver Age to his passing in the early Bronze Age (as seen here with our subject art). Though his peak period is considered the Golden Age after creating Sub-Mariner, his Silver Age art is considered hit or miss for much of the 1960's. It wasn't until his final Sub-Mariner run from issue 50-61 in 1972, where he got his stride back, did story and art similar to his Golden Age work, and is now regarded as perhaps his best work in his illustrious career. From the acclaimed run from issues 50-61, he only did 8 of those issues with art and story before his untimely death making these pages extremely rare and desirable. 


    Issue #58 of the run is the final issue of Sub-Mariner that Everett is credited with penciling and inking (art and story). Issues 59-61 Everett is credited with plot, while he was only able to finish the first 4 pages of art in issue 61. Bill was becoming increasingly ill and slowing down at this point where Marvel had Sam Kweskin do layouts, which you can faintly see in blue pencil. While layouts may have been done by Keskin, you can see the art and incredible linework was pure Everett. I love the detail and added psychadelic underwater features throughout the page, including the detailed fish around Namor in panel two. Namor and the villain Haab are given more of a Golden Age look and feel, even the weapon seen here screams 1950's! And check out panel 4 where Namor is blown back by the blast with all the detailed brushwork. While the action is great on this page, I especially love the last panel of Namor's infamous profile, with a great use of light and shadow by the legend Everett.  


    Rendered in Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Top and bottom edge production tape. Slight tanning. In Excellent condition. From the Bill Everett Family Collection.

    Frank Frazetta

    Frank Frazetta- Conan, Pen & Ink Presentation Drawing Peak Period Original Art (c. 1979)


    Drawn by the master of fantasy illustration, this is a dynamic pen-and-ink finished drawing of Conan, warrior-king of Cimmeria, both axe and shield up ready for battle! The quality of line for which Frank Frazetta is justly revered is in clear evidence in this piece, as is his impeccable sense of layout and design. Purchased directly from Frazetta’s former manager Rob Pistella, comes with COA. Rob adds, “This is a finished, inked drawing from Frazetta’s peak period in the 1970’s…I don’t know if it was published but I wouldn’t be surprised if it was…It’s a presentation drawing, just beautiful and elegant and refined.”  


    The original work of Frank Frazetta is some of the most desirable for any discerning collector, and many pieces are valued at six or even seven figures. His illustrations are not only considered the best in the genre of fantasy art, but in the history of illustration as a whole. Frazetta oils are spectacular, commanding some of the highest prices in the medium, but there are something truly special about his pen and ink drawings, which we're showcasing here. Signed by the artist himself and dated 1979, this drawing is a highlight of any collection, an original Frazetta Conan! Nicely matted, the image area measures a substantial 7.25” tall on the 8” x 10.5” sheet, and the art shows minor handling and edge wear with some toning near the edges and a crease in the lower left corner. A highly coveted original Frank Frazetta drawing, this piece by the artist is in Very Good condition. Signed on the lower right, c. 1979 during Frazetta’s peak period. 

    Ron Frenz

    Ron Frenz and Al Milgrom The Mighty Thor #448 Spider-Man & Thor Splash Page 8 Original Art (Marvel, 1992)


    As I'm currently putting together my top Spider-Man artists, it dawned on me that Ron Frenz was most known for not only his run on Spider-Man in the mid 1980s, but his long tenure on Thor into the mid 1990's. So when this page came up, I thought here's my chance to get both characters Frenz is most known for and from his peak run on Thor, though more of a focus on spidey as he's literally jumping out at the reader! 


    This being one of the few known stories where both Spider-Man and Thor battle and then team-up against the villains. In this case, as seen at the top of the page, Titania and Absorbing Man battle one another, as Spider-Man sarcastically swings beside Thor in the bottom splash. 


    Ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.25". Light toning and handling wear, punched holes, production notes, and tape. In Very Good condition.

    Tom Grummett

    Tom Grummett Adventures of Superman #497 Half Splash PG 16  Doomsday is Coming! (Death of Superman Part 4 DC, December 1992) 


    What drew me most to this page was the content. Yes no Superman, no Doomsday per say (even though Doomsday’s name is showcased on the screen), but for the first time Doomsday’s destruction is being broadcasted across America. 


    I love the top half splash as you can see Lois is addressing everyone, but is looking at the screen and for the first time looks worried, presumably for the safety of Superman. Grummett does an amazing job showing Lois’ emotions on her face. We have Jimmy Olsen, Cat Grant and Turtle Boy who all make future appearances in the saga and have their own roles to play. But what’s best is the bottom panel where they go to a live news break, Lois shows interest to watch, and we learn that hundreds have been injured including the famed Justice League… “Doomsday is on a clear path from Ohio to New York”… What we’ll soon find out is Doomsday is headed straight for Metropolis! The Justice League attack mention is also a nice subsequent tie-in from our Jurgens Death of Superman page below


    This page is from "The Death of Superman, Part 4: Under Fire". Ink over graphite on bright white Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Light toning, marginal production notes and hole punches, stat text paste-up corrections, blue production marks, and soft corner wear. Signed in lower right by Grummett. In Very Good condition..

    Click Here to Check Out Our Death of Superman Original Art Collection...

    Jackson Guice

    Jackson “Butch” Guice Action Comics #684 PG 10 Half Splash Doomsday Vs. Superman Battle Page (The Death of Superman Part 5 DC, December 1992)


    Here it is, one of the true Grail's from the Death of Superman, an actual battle page of Doomsday versus Superman as the monster inches closer to Metropolis. This issue marks the first time Superman goes toe to toe with Doomsday on his own with no help from the JLA as they’re all now bruised and battered. It’s only the previous page to this one in which the one on one battle begins as Superman flys straight at Doomsday busting through the Lex Mart store and where our page begins. 


    The incredibly detailed top panel half splash is perhaps what Guice is most known for in this series more than any other contributing artist. When you look at the details in the rubble, the rocks, the mangled Lex Mart truck and tire, it’s all quite remarkable. In this scene, Doomsday has struck back at Superman’s first solo attack by throwing a Lex Mart service truck through the wall at him while he laughs. We catch a glimpse of the monster now with his Calatonian burial/containment suit now half off striking Superman who is falling back. What’s most revealing may be in the content on this page, which may be as important as the battle page itself. 


    Superman thinks to himself “Ow! This is…Insane!…I’d swear…the harder I fight…the more Doomsday likes it!…He’s been fighting most of the day, but he still seems as eager—and as strong—as ever!… And this is the most revealing part of Superman’s thoughts in this scene… “If he has energy reserves as extensive as mine, I may be in trouble!” For the first time in the Doomsday arc, we hear Superman concerned for his life. We’re always used to Superman beating the bad guy, whoever it may be, but for the first time as a reader, you start to think this may be something more than just your average villain and may in fact die. 


    The second panel tied in with our previous page as Superman noticed the copters above, which is led by The Daily Planet with Lois and Jimmy Olsen. On this panel we get a great shot of Doomsday, showing his containment suit is ripping apart on his face with his claws out as he strikes Superman. 


    The third and final panel is another revealing piece to the saga. Though we saw some concern from Lois on our previous page, here we see for the first time the look of fear. This is the first time both Jimmy and Lois are seeing Doomsday and Jimmy’s reaction says it all, “That’s Doomsday? Wow, he’s a big one!” Lois thinks to herself “Very big. Be careful Clark.” The page ends with a fitting recording by Lois summing up the battle scene from above: “THE MIDVALE LEX-MART STOOD IN RUINS AS SUPERMAN STRUGGLED WITH THE MYSTERIOUS CREATURE. " END OF PARAGRAPH...

    Click Here to Check Out Our Death of Superman Original Art Collection...

    Jackson “Butch” Guice Action Comics #686 Funeral For A Friend Following The Death of Superman (Part 6 DC, February 1993) 


    Here’s a page from the Funeral For A Friend arc, where Superman is dead and has been recently buried. The Funeral For A Friend series follows right after The Death of Superman saga, as a kid this series was just as desirable and important to me. These issues were hard to come by as readers alike bought them off the shelves like hot cakes and similarly to The Death of Superman issues, prices immediately went above sticker price and a lot of the times were sold out. So to get a page from this arc was essential, perhaps just as important as a Death of Superman page. 


    This page above is from Story 6 of the series, which focused on Supergirl, the cover similarly shows Supergirl crossing Superman’s tomb and the question is “Who’s Buried in Superman’s Tomb?” and the lower box adds “…And Why is Lex Luthor Paranoid?” On our page, the questions from the cover are addressed or perhaps I should say revealed. We find out the tomb was breached and not from the outside but from the inside. We also see Alex Luthor there looming in the background, looking paranoid, but why? Well that’s because at this point Lex is questioning whether Superman is really dead at all, as if it were a hoax. Perhaps Lex is skeptical since he too once faked his own death. But let’s remember Lex and Supergirl are actually an item at this time, and Lex is more helpful than the usual villain we all associate him as. They quickly rule out that this is a bigger operation than the underworlders, as there are underground tunnels and high tech gear to cut through the rubble. Supergirl says in panel 2 “But if they didn’t steal Superman’s body, who did? And why?” With a similar question to the cover, we then go to the lower 2 panels where we go to the Cadmus Project…


    Guardian and Superman’s search party travels through the underground tunnel to The Cadmus project where they find Westfield up to no good, as he’s locked in the vault with an advance science team. They’re able to probe the vault door open where Dubbilex says on the bottom panel “No. It is every bit as bad as I feared.” The group looks in shock as we see their reaction, but not their point of view, which if we did, we’d discover on the very next page (DPS) it’s Superman’s body being operated on. We soon find out the purpose of the Cadmus Project and their secret dealings was to attempt to clone Superman, though they ultimately are unsuccessful in doing so since they cannot take a genetic sample from his impenetrable skin. A truly magnificent key page to the Funeral For A Friend storyline, which features all of the main characters and is a turning point of the issue. A great page from a key story arc.

    Click Here to Check Out Our Death of Superman Original Art Collection...

    Don Heck

    Don Heck Tales of Suspense #42 Second Earliest Iron Man Original Art Story to Surface (Marvel, 1962)


    Iron Man's second earliest original art to surface and one of his earliest battle pages known to exist! Originally intended for Tales of Suspense #41, Iron Man's 3rd overall appearance by Co-Creator Don Heck in only his second story after his origin story / first appearance! 


    Don Heck rendered in ink over graphite on twice-up scale (Large Art) Bristol board with an image area of 12.75" x 18.5". Lightly toned with whiteout text corrections in several places. Art is In Excellent condition. Check out our "Beginnings of Iron Man" story by clicking the link...

    Click Here to Read About This Page & The Beginnings of Iron Man...

    Carmine Infantino

    Carmine Infantino Flash #139 Page 3 Twice Up From the story, Menace of the Reverse-Flash Origin & First Appearance! (Birth Page of The Reverse Flash Suit!) (DC, 1963)


    Both this page and the page below are near sequence pages as this is the first time the suit of the soon to be Reverse Flash is shown along with the other items headed to Professor Zoom in the 25th Century! Flash on page 4 is Barry Allen in a coffee shop watching the broadcast (shown on the lower panels) so the below page is the next page both the Professor and Flash appears again in uniform making these 2 pages sequence pages from a key issue!


    The original Reverse-Flash, is inarguably one of the most distinct villains of DC's Silver Age. Though many heroes fought bizarro counterparts with mirrored powers, Eobard Thawne's unique backstory made him a genuine threat to the Scarlet Speedster and the man behind the mask, Barry Allen. Thawne pushed Barry to his limits, forcing the Flash to kill him in the heat of battle. Today, thanks in no small part to the popularity of the Flash TV series, the Reverse-Flash is rightly remembered as one of the Flash's fiercest foes, making his first appearance a must-have for fans and collectors alike. Twice up, image size of 13x18, ink over graphite,  Carmine Infantino pencils and Joe Giella inks.

    Carmine Infantino Flash #139 Page 5 Twice Up From the story, Menace of the Reverse-Flash Origin & First Appearance! (Atomic Bomb Discovery) (DC, 1963)


    Both this page and the above page are near sequence pages as this page features Flash running in to check on what went wrong at the press conference with the Professor. Here we learn that something has gone incredibly wrong with the experiment, as the professor explains to Flash the atomic clock will turn into an atomic bomb in the time capsule! With this discovery, Flash must go to the 25th century, where he"ll soon meet the Reverse Flash for the first time. Great shots of Flash in 4 of 6 panels in these 2 sequence pages from a key issue!


    The original Reverse-Flash, is inarguably one of the most distinct villains of DC's Silver Age. Though many heroes fought bizarro counterparts with mirrored powers, Eobard Thawne's unique backstory made him a genuine threat to the Scarlet Speedster and the man behind the mask, Barry Allen. Thawne pushed Barry to his limits, forcing the Flash to kill him in the heat of battle. Today, thanks in no small part to the popularity of the Flash TV series, the Reverse-Flash is rightly remembered as one of the Flash's fiercest foes, making his first appearance a must-have for fans and collectors alike. Twice up, image size of 13x18, ink over graphite,  Carmine Infantino pencils and Joe Giella inks.

    Kelley Jones

    Kelley Jones Red Rain II (Bloodstorm) Diamond Preview Cover (Advance Comics #71) Original Art (DC/Diamond, 1994)


    The second part in the vampire trilogy, this cover illustration begins where Batman: Red Rain ended. Batman has destroyed Dracula but at the price of his own humanity. Now the famed protector of Gotham is a vampire himself and must battle his own bloodlust as he attempts to be the savior of the innocent. Struggling with his newly acquired dark nature and desire to kill, Batman must choose between the preservation of his own soul and the survival of Gotham. 


    When on the hunt for the right Kelley Jones Batman piece, as much as I  appreciated his Batman (main title) run, and was certainly the darkest period I can remember, I really felt his most memorable and noteworthy works were his Batman Eleworlds graphic novel trilogy. It was from this trilogy, specifically Red Rain where he received both a Harvey Award and Eisner Award for his work. So when this cover came up from this critically acclaimed series, without hesitation I  


    There's so much we can say about this cover, but really, does it get any better than this for a Jones Batman cover? Batman is in an incredibly heroic pose ready to stab a vampire with a wooden stake, that happens to also have silver on the inside to ensure it does the trick. Then we focus on Joker in the background with little rain bubbles presumably representing blood, hence the "Bloodstorm". Catwoman aka Selina Kyle is seen fighting off vampires on the left, this is the first time we see her as a Were-Cat, birth page of sorts. All of the covers for these Batman Elseworld stories by Jones are not nearly as detailed and intricate in artistic design. All or most of the covers have Batman coming up from the ground, a detailed macabre Batman face, or Batman perched in the shadows, nothing so dynamic and detailed as this piece. 


    What makes this cover even more special is this is the only Batman Elseworlds cover art that has surfaced, as there are no other covers from this sought after trilogy that have reached public auction or even posted on Comic Art Fans. We know this cover was done early as we see the title as "Red Rain II" and not "Bloodstorm" indicating the name for the graphic novel was not fleshed out yet when this scene was created. This dynamic illustration by Jones was used as the cover of Advance Comics #71 & presumably for Diamond Previews / Capital City catalogue cover at that same time. 


    From the dream team of Kelley Jones pencils with John Beatty inks. The image area measures 10.25" x 15.5" and the art is in Excellent condition.

    Kelley Jones Batman: Dark Joker The Wild Graphic Novel Splash Page 77 Original Art (DC, 1994)


    Here's another Eleworld's original art page in the hand of Kelley Jones with Beatty inks from the one shot Batman: Dark Joker The Wild graphic novel, which landed between Red Rain & Bloodstorm. In this tale, the Batman is a mythical macabre creature who battles Joker for the fate of all mankind. On this splash page, The Batman is entering the realm of the Dark Joker where the final battle begins, with a similar splash image of The Batman as the cover! There are only a handful of splash pages in this graphic novel, this being one of them with a great image of the macabre Batman.  


    From the dream team of Kelley Jones pencils with John Beatty inks. The image area measures 10.25" x 15.5" and the art is in Excellent condition.

    Dan Jurgens

    Dan Jurgens Justice League America #69 Doomsday's 1st Epic Battle Scene with The JLA! (Death of Superman Part 2 DC, 1992)


    This page represents our earliest Death of Superman page and a more important one to the overall series. I remember this issue as a kid being my first introduction to Doomsday and just how destructible he was. Nothing against Man of Steel #18 as Doomsday’s first appearance but we don’t get to see any battle within that issue, instead he arrives on Earth and begins to cause havoc on a highway. We really get a better understanding of how powerful this Kryptonian being is once he encounters the heroes here in Justice League #69. Let’s start at the top, let the battle begin!…


    In previous pages just as this one, Superman is being interviewed by Cat Grant and questions are being asked by the audience, none more important than this one. “If there anything out there that really frightens you? I’d get scared facin’ all that stuff if I was you.” Superman responds saying it’s a good question, he’s afraid of failure, hurting innocent people, and of his own death. We may not see his answer on this page, but we do see what is the driving question to the saga and a prelude of what’s to come. The flow of Jurgens story and art is really top notch, with Superman taking questions while the onslaught of the League is currently taking place below. 


    The following lower panels take us back to Doomsday’s first battle scene overall, as the monster takes on the JLA, and they’re manhandled one by one with ease. Here’s a memorable scene in which Doomsday punches Bloodwynd (who’s really Martian Manhunter by the way) so hard he explodes the through the oil tanker and catches on fire. We get a strong visual of Doomsdays claws exposed from his containment suit, soon to be slowly ripping off as he gets closer to Metropolis. 


    The lower panel showcases nearly all of the team members less of course Superman and Guy Gardner as he was pummeled by Doomsday just a couple pages earlier. Maxima adds “Did you see that punch?”…”Where could a being so powerful have come from?” We get a great front facing visual of Doomsday in a dark eerie like shadow, as Fire blasts him, he’s unphased and Bloodwynd remains on fire. Booster Gold & Blue Beetle look in awe from above and Beetle says “Can Bloodwynd survive something line that?“ We should add this is the only page in the entire issue to feature 5 of the JLA team members present battling Doomsday, along with the cover, which also had 5 of the team members! Most of the battle pages featured 1-2 members with Doomsday present, so this page from a presentation standpoint is a real treat.


    For the first time as a reader, based on the visual art, and the dialogue, we’re presented a villain larger than life, almost indestructible. A truly remarkable early Doomsday battle page showcasing the depths of his destruction. 

    Click Here to Check Out Our Death of Superman Original Art Collection...

    Dan Jurgens Legacy of Superman #1 - Death of Superman #75 Retold for 1st Time (Funeral For A Friend Interlude Between Part 6/7 DC, March 1993) 


    The story and artwork is by the legendary Dan Jurgens, who was the writer and artist of the all-time classic Superman #75, one of the most famous comics of all-time, which featured the Death of Superman. This is an excellent example released 2 months after Superman #75 (Death of Superman issue) and is part of the “Funeral For A Friend” storyline, one of the most memorable Superman story arcs ever told. Based on the Funeral for a Friend TPB and Death of Superman Omnibous, this story lands between Chapters 6 and 7, with the Cadmus project stealing Superman’s body to clone him, though their attempts were unsuccessful, mentioned in more detail with our next page. 


    This one off issue had other heroes of Metropolis attempting to fill the shoes of Superman, and here we have The Linear Men who take Waverider to the Library of Time, witnessing the iconic scenes from Death of Superman taken straight out of the opening pages of the book. (Viewscreens of iconic Death of Superman imagery (stats) are mounted on an overlay. Nonetheless the page is truly historic, this is the first time the iconic images were published again after Superman #75 (only 2 months later), which the original art will more than likely never see the light of day. The center image is the opening splash page to Superman #75 shown below, which is such an iconic opening scene to the final chapter of the Death of Superman. 


    Furthermore, this storyline is part of the “Funeral For a Friend” story arc, and Jurgens art on the rest of the page is superb. To see Waverider utterly shocked that Superman has died after being with him just a couple days earlier hits home. The content on the page is meaningful to the overall storyline, Hunter sums it up just right saying “More has been written about this day, than nearly any other.” But perhaps the last lines of the page are even more profound from the Linear Men leader, “We will examine, clarify and document—- The last breathing moments of Kal El of Krypton.” 


    The outcome is fitting, The Linear Men know Waverider will attempt to go back in time to save Superman but they convince him he shouldn’t be saved. What makes Superman more special than the next person? Waverider understands the events were meant to happen and to leave time alone. Thus, the story and this special one off ends the way it’s supposed to, just as Superman #75 did, with the Death of Superman. 

    Image area 10”x15” on DC Bristol Board.

    Click Here to Check Out Our Death of Superman Original Art Collection...

    Bob Kane

    Bob Kane Co-Creator of The Batman Concept Illustration Original Art From Bob Kane's Personal Collection to Acclaimed Artist/Writer Chip Kidd


    Incredible original art sketch by Batman creator Bob Kane, showing his design process for the iconic comic character. Sheet includes sketch of Leonardo Da Vinci's bat-influenced flying machine design, labeled "Da Vinci's Orinthopter" in Kane's hand, along w/"Da Vinci Quote: 'Remember That Your Bird Should Have No Other Model Than The Bat!'" Below this are three different designs labeled "Bat Masks?" showing design progression of Batman's famous cowl. Right features great full body image of a prototypical "Bat-Man," which is rather close to the finished design, only w/different cowl/mask. Lower right signed "Robert Kane - 10/25/35". Sheet has moderate handling wear as mailed, w/creases and .5" T-shaped tear left of moon image. 1/8" age spot on Bat-Mask image. VG condition overall.    


    This extremely rare and unique art was sent by Kane to contribute for Chip Kidd's 1996 book "Batman Collected". Comes w/original mailing envelope hand-addressed by Kane post marked January 1996. Envelope shows obvious wear and just comes along. Lot also includes one of Bob Kane's personal envelopes that he has labeled "Negative For DC 'Batman Collected'," going on to list subjects of negative slides. These include an image of Kane w/large Batman drawing, image of Batman, Robin and Batwoman (mislabeled "Batgirl" by Kane) as well as notable Bat-villains. Art represents Kane's artwork, some dating back to 1971, w/dates and handwritten notations on some. Negatives are in excellent condition.    


    Comes w/handwritten note from Kidd, explaining the genesis of this lot. More specifically Chip contacted Kane via DC Comics to see if he wanted to contribute anything to the book and sent the Batman original concept art along with the art negatives. Ultimately, the art was not used in the book. Here is the note from Chip Kidd discussing the genesis of the lot:   “This is a wild one, been sitting a drawer for over 25 years. In 1995, when I was putting together ‘The Batman Collected’, I reached out to Bob Kane via DC Comics to see if he had anything to contribute. He sent this envelope. While I was thrilled to get it, I felt the drawing wasn’t usable for the project. Ditto the slides. So that was that. And now I’m finally letting it go. Let me know your thoughts. -Best, Chip”   


    Unique lot, including original Batman concept art from his creator - Bob Kane! We’ve never come across anything of the sort of the Batman concept art in the hand of Kane, which is certainly museum worthy! From the collection of Chip Kidd, renowned author, graphic designer and pop culture enthusiast extraordinaire. Approx. 14x15" sheet of art paper in pencil.

    Gil Kane

    Gil Kane Green Lantern #60 Story Page 11 1st Lamplighter (Green Lantern On All 4 Panels Battling Lamplighter!) Original Art (DC, 1968)


    Gil Kane. The best of the best. He's to Green Lantern what infantino is to Flash is probably the best way to put it. As the co-creator of the Silver Age Green Lantern, Gil Kane’s contribution to the character spanned decades of books and generations of fans. Perfectly capturing the sense of adventure and fun that DC strived for in the late '50s, Kane almost singlehandedly created the Silver Age comic art that lasted well into the '70s. Every panel that Kane drew exploded off the page with energy (like our page!) and creativity that is rare in modern comics.

    Designing classic villains like Sinestro, Hector Hammond, and the Lamplighter (as seen here), Kane was a vital part of the Green Lantern mythology and turned a character that no one had any faith in into a full-fledged comic book icon. His historic run on the Green Lantern title lasted from issue 1-61, went back from issue 68-75, before Neal Adams took over with the classic issue 76 adding Green Arrow to the title. 


    Hal Jordan, the quintessential Green Lantern, turns the tables on the villainous Lamplighter in his first appearance. Greene's nuanced inks provide the ideal finish to Kane's power-packed pencils. The precipitous radial composition follows Green Lantern's path through a retail showroom, using the store's ceiling-mounted interior signage to track the progress of the struggle from a variety of angles. Lee "Lamplighter" Carver has one of the more intriguing character-arcs in DC's long history, having become the operator of the Metahuman Museum of Oddities and lamenting his criminal past. Kane adds a lot of little details in his movements that make his art great. For instance, look how GL's legs look when they are flying. Great 4 panel page featuring Green Lantern battling the villain!


    Sid Greene Inks over Gil Kane pencils with fairly extensive white-paint retouching over graphite on Bristol board. Image area, 10" x 15". Light/moderate toning. Very Good condition.

    Dale Keown

    Dale Keown Incredible Hulk #367 Page 4 Hulk Battles The Leader! (Keown First Art on Hulk & First Battle Page!) Original Art 

    (Marvel, 1990)


    If you recall, Walt Simonson did the cover to issue 367, this being the first issue of Keown art on Incredible Hulk with only 3 earlier pages and his very first battle page! You can see his unique art style early on, undeniably Keown. With a shocking opening scene of a deteriorating gray goliath from the final chapter of the "Countdown" storyline part 4 by Peter David. Poison ravages his system with only an hour to live as the Leader looks to use him to take down Madman, his brother. 


    On this page Hulk is looking to hack the Leader's computer to locate Betty when the Leader and his cohorts return thinking Hulk is dead, only to be welcomed back with a Hulk "Thunder-Clap" getting blown back. The Leader returns fire with one of his "mind blasts", which Hulk is unphased by and we see in the large last panel Hulk slams Leader up against the wall ready and willing to snap his neck. A great early Keown example of Hulk battling the Leader with some great images of Hulk throughout the page. 


    Not to mention one of my favorite Peter David Hulk stories where Banner/Hulk nearly dies. It's a brilliant tale where Hulk can't penetrate his skin with the serum, so in the final seconds he turns back to Banner to save his life, then leaving the Madman to die. A cold move by the gray Hulk -- luckily he lives and we get to see Keown become the regular artist on the series a couple issues later. 


    Rendered in ink (Marie Severin) over graphite (Dale Keown) on Marvel Bristol. The art has an image area of 10" x 15", and it is in Excellent condition.

    Sam Kieth

    Sam Kieth Marvel Comics Presents #121 Page 5 Wolverine & Venom Seek Nightmare Original Art (Marvel, 1993)


    I have to say one of the hardest voids to fill is a Marvel Comics Presents Sam Kieth cover and or interior for that matter, they just don't come up and when they do they tend to have a huge price tag attached. Rightfully so, as Sam's Wolverine is so distinct and so nostalgic from this era. Sam's larger than life and musculature physique compliments Venom so well on this page.  


    Sam Keith and Turner combine to create this extraordinary page, featuring Wolverine and Venom teaming up to navigate the realm of Nightmare, featuring a vision of Wolverine's former lover Mariko. Kieth's distinctive, unique style shines through with his unmistakable take on the characters, a beautiful page from one of the most collected artists of the era. 


    What I found most interesting in Kieth’s second to last issue from his incredible MCP run is he only did 10 issues of interior art on the Wolverine stories, which were only 8 pages each. Interesting fact, if it were from a normal size comic book with 22 pages it would make up less than 4 issues of Kieth art, which is another reason why there’s so little of it on the market. Pen and ink. Art is in excellent condition. Sam Kieth breakdowns/Dwayne Turner finishes; page 5; 1993; image size 10" x 15" 

    Jack Kirby

    Fantastic Four Annual #1 Historic First Meeting of Spider-Man & The Human Torch (Illustrated Pre-ASM #1) Kirby Pencils, Ditko Inks Original Art (Marvel, 1962)


    One of the most significant pieces in our collection and what we've learned in recent years due to various articles and historians research, this small 6 page story hails as one of the earliest Spider-Man original art pieces in existence!   


    Marvel's founding fathers Kirby, Ditko & Lee collaborate on this significant first meeting of the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch and Spider-Man, truly historic original art! Not only do the 2 teenagers meet for the first time on this very page, but they square off and battle in both Spider-Man and Torch fashion, fireballs and climbing on walls! Also note panels 3 and 4 where Kirby uses a one off never seen before or later concept for Spider-Man's defense of a slithering web, almost symbiote like. Twice-Up (Large Art 12” x 18.5” signed by Jack Kirby on the lower right.   


    Check out our article "The Beginnings of Spider-Man" documenting this early Spider-Man art believed to have been drawn shortly after Amazing Fantasy #15 and before Amazing Spider-Man #1 in 1962, making it the earliest Spider-Man original art story next to Amazing Fantasy #15 interior art in the Library of Congress!

    Click Here to Learn More About this Significant Page & The Beginnings of Spider-Man...

    Jack Kirby Fantastic Four #3 Page 3 Earliest Superhero Marvel Age Original Art Known to Exist (Marvel, 1961)


    From The Earliest Marvel Age Super Hero Art to Surface & earliest panel page known to exist from The Fantastic Four, featuring Marvel’s most enduring character... The Thing!


    This Historic page hails from the earliest issue of original art of The Fantastic Four known to exist. With that said, this too means this is the earliest Marvel Age Super Hero Art known to exist in this very issue! Based on Marvel historians and countless research, this page is believed to be the first panel page original art for the Fantastic Four known to exist, and overall second page next to the title splash page 1. Jack Kirby pencils/Sol Brodsky inks; page 3; Produced in 1961, Published in 1962; Large art (twice up) image area 12.5" x 18".     


    Read More About the "Beginnings of The Fantastic Four" & The Marvel Age as we know it! Featuring an in depth look a the earliest original art of Fantastic Four & The Marvel Age!

    Click Here to Learn More About This Page & The Beginnings of the Fantastic Four...

    Jack Kirby The Incredible Hulk #3 -- (Earliest Hulk Art Known to Exist) Hulk -- Ringmaster -- Rick Jones Page 19 Original Art (Marvel, 1962)


    Here is what represents the earliest art of The Incredible Hulk, as mentioned above it’s widely known the art from issues #1 and #2 do not exist. Art from the first series of 6 issues is exceedingly rare, especially issue #3 being the earliest art of the character, therefore being the most desirable amongst collectors. What makes it even more desirable is it’s been kept out of the public eye, never crossing the auction block, nor has it been featured in online galleries or articles until now. 


    This particular page features the Hulk in the first panel in a perfect full length ideal image, almost Frankenstein like, which also happens to be the title page scene with Rick Jones pointing while controlling the monster. Outside of the amazing first panel of Hulk and Jones is what truly makes this page special with the great storytelling and overall page flow by Kirby. After Jones visits his aunt for food, he stumbles upon a seemingly innocent circus, only later to find out he’d be hypnotized by the antagonist of the story, The Ringmaster, as seen on the bottom tier panels! Those great bottom panels showcasing our story villain the Ringmaster and his circus of crime, set up the climactic scene to follow where Hulk goes to rescue Jones, only to be caught himself and made part of the circus act. Overall this great page features the main three characters of the story, not only Hulk and Rick Jones, but also the first appearance of the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime! 

    Click Here to Lean More About This Page & The Beginnings of Hulk...

    Jack Kirby The Incredible Hulk #3 -- (Earliest Hulk Art Known to Exist) & One of The Best Hulk Pages In The Book Page 20 Original Art (Marvel, 1962)

     

    This 'Twice-up' (large art) Jack Kirby page with inks by his most frequent collaborator of the era, Dick Ayers, comes from just the third comic book to feature the Hulk, Incredible Hulk #3. The artwork from #1 and #2 has never surfaced, so this is a page from the earliest known Hulk original art. You may have noticed this is the following page (consecutive) and is ultra rare in today’s market to not only have 1 page form Hulk’s earliest original art but consecutive pages is unheard of! Not to mention it's one of the best Hulk action pages in the book...


    This appeared in the story "The Ringmaster", which features the first appearance of the Ringmaster and his Circus of Crime, supervillains who pose as circus performers. The Ringmaster uses his hypnosis on the crowds that come to see their shows, allowing the other criminals to rob the attendees of their money and jewelry. Rick Jones, the teenage boy responsible for the creation of Hulk due to his carelessly driving his car onto a gamma-bomb test site, has taken a break from helping Bruce Banner with his new monster-changing problem. Rick is attending the circus to get some relaxation time in when the Ringmaster attempts to hypnotize the entire audience. Rick apparently has some telepathic abilities as he's able to resist the Ringmaster's hypnosis and send out a mental distress message to the Hulk asking for help. The monster quickly leaps to the location of the circus tent and makes an entrance. The Ringmaster instructs the Human Cannonball to stop the green goliath. The Cannonball carries a hammer that resembles Thor's enchanted Mjolnir but apparently lacks its powers. One of his cronies aims the Cannonball toward the Hulk, but it appears he bounces right off of him and the force rips through the roof of the tent sending the Cannonball flying. However, on the following page, a firehose turns out to have the ability to down the Hulk for some reason. The Ringmaster captures the Hulk and turns him into a circus clown. 


    Needless to say, original artwork from the Hulk's original early Silver Age run is rare on the open market. As all long-time Marvel collectors know, the Hulk initially appeared in just six issues of his own title, Incredible Hulk #1 thru #6, published in 1962 and 1963 during the early days of what came to be known as the Marvel Silver Age. Learn more about the Hulk's history and original art through the link below...

    Click Here to Learn More About these Consecutive Pages & The Beginnings of Hulk...

    Jack Kirby Journey Into Mystery #84 Battle Page 10 Historic Thor Meets Jane (1st Jane Foster & 2nd Thor Issue) Original Art (Marvel, 1962)

     

    Pages of this rarity, cultural importance, and graphic perfection almost defy description. Suffice it to say, only Jack "King" Kirby and his inker supreme, Dick Ayers, could create a page of such intensity and majesty -- and as a result, one would be hard pressed to find a better early battle page of Thor by King Kirby. Arguably this is the best of Thor’s first three battle page scenes, only earlier pages are of the stone men in the tail end of issue #83 and the plane attack a few pages earlier in issue #84, but this is the first time the Mighty Thor takes on an army! 


    The final panel is actually Thor's first face to face encounter and first dialogue (as Thor and not Dr. Don Blake) with Jane Foster saying out loud, "They've captured Jane" and she replies "Don't listen to them, defeat them all!" The page is inked by Dick Ayers, one of Kirby's primary inking partners during the early years of the Marvel Silver Age. Twice-up large art, the art has an image area of approximately 12.5" X 18.5" and has some tape staining.

    Click Here to Learn More About this Page & The Beginnings of Thor...

    Barry Kitson

    Barry Kitson, Karl Kesel and More Adventures of Superman #518 "Dead Again" Epic Double Page Splash 2-3 Original Art (DC, 1994)


    An incredibly detailed Double Page Splash during the infamous Traingle Era and memorable "Dead Again" story arc where Superman is searching for answers from the unexplainable body in his tomb shortly after his return from "The Reign of The Supermen" a year earlier. Superman (sporting his mid 90s mullet style hairdo) heads to Apokolips to confront Darkseid in this story, where he's first confronted by a nice selection of villains including Granny Goodness, Bloody Mary, Bernadeth, and many more including Darseid's own Parademons! 


    Kitson, Kesel and team give George Perez (who was known for splashes with details full of characters) a run for his money with this detailed DPS, truly one of the best we've encountered! I especially love the credits featuring "Jack Kirby - The Source" since he created this 4th world cosmic DC Universe where Superman is entering on this page.


    Barry Kitson Pencils, with a collaborated effort of Ray McCarthy, Steve Montano and Karl Kesel all credited with inks on this dynamic DPS. Ink over graphite on two conjoined Bristol boards with a combined image area of 20"x 15". Taped together on the backside, text paste-up corrections in left page, stat paste-up correction in right side. Marginal notes, and production marks. In Excellent condition. 

    Adam Kubert

    Adam Kubert Origin II Book 3 Cover "Logan The Savage" (Claws Out) Original Art (Marvel, 2014)


    This has been a tough void to fill. I've had a few opportunities as of recent to acquire an Adam Kubert Wolverine page and or cover, but it either didn't speak to me enough as I was the underbidder on a couple of occasions, or I felt it wasn't quite the right example for me. Then the CAF Live sale was announced from Adam's personal collection and this cover was featured as the headline piece. I naturally speculated on price leading up, but being a cover from a known series and arguably the best cover of the 5, I thought I didn't stand a chance. To my surprise, within my price range and quick on the trigger, I won the cover! Adam rarely sells his art, so to get a fully detailed front and center claws out Logan example I was more than thrilled! 


    The 5 covers to the limited series were all done in pencil in line with the original Origin series back in 2000. Adam felt his painterly style pencils would go best for the colorist. Needless to say the detail of Logan caged and chained in the wagon with bone claws out is breathtaking. What you'll also notice is the great detail and intricate design of the wagon itself. This is not only considered the best of the 5 covers from the series, but the only full image of claws out Logan! An extremely rare original art opportunity that did not  go to waste. The memorable cover and limited series was the follow up to Origin (2000) and continued Logan's early stories set in the early 1900s where he met who will later become Sabretooth. 


    Adam Kubert full graphite with an image area of 10" x 15" on 11" x 17" Bristol board. Signed by Adam Kubert in black pen on lower right center. In Excellent condition.

    Andy Kubert

    Andy Kubert Pencils & Inks Wolverine: Rahne of Terra (Wolverine Annual #3) Graphic Novel Page 43 "I Am The Beast" Twice Up Original Art (Marvel, 1991)


    Here's an extremely rare original art page from the memorable one shot, also recognized as Wolverine Annual #3, "Wolverine: Ragne of Terra" in the hand of 1990s X-Men revered artist Andy Kubert & story be acclaimed writer Peter David! What makes this even more special is this is pencil and inks by Andy in large art format. This was released in August of 1991, the same time Andy was guest penciling X-Men 279-280, which is considered the peak period for the artist. Though published in 1991, this issue takes place just prior to the New Mutants' adventure in Madripoor in New Mutants #93, while Wolverine appears between X-Men #268 and that issue. 


    Check out panel 1 with the monster ready to attack Logan and panel 2 where Wolverine is claws out slashing the monster. Panel 3 we get a great close up of Logan as he's "soaking up to elbows in gore..." 


    You'd think the knights in the castle would be shooting arrows at the monster calling it a "Beast", but as Logan points out in the final panel, he is "The Beast." An incredibly detailed and gory page, what we'd expect from Andy Kubert in the early 1990s . These pages simply never surface, there is only one other scan I can find, albeit on CAF & not one page has been auctioned to Heritage, Comiclink or ComicConnect. 


    Andy Kubert’s pencils and inks on Marvel Bristol board Twice-Up (Large Art) roughly 14" x 20". Signed by Andy Kubert in black pen on lower right. Light handling wear and in Excellent condition.

    Andy Kubert X-Men #47 “Big Trouble In Little Italy” (X-Babies, X-Men, Villains & Dazzler!) Splash Page 18 Original Art (Marvel, 1995)


    Here’s a great 2/3 splash from Andy Kubert’s run on X-Men featuring all the X-Babies on the top left, X-Men members Jean Grey, Bishop, Gambit and Ice Man on the top right, plus villains Gog & Magog confronted by the Mojoworld Queen— Dazzler in the lower middle splash panel!


    The bottom 2 panels show Dazzler once again in the shadows not happy with Gog and Magog when she learned they were planning to eat the X-Babies so she blinds them with a flash of light. On the bottom right, Ice Man and Jean Grey recognize right away who has arrived even being in the shadows. Everything works out in the end as Dazzler sends Gog and Magog back to the Mojoworld. The X-Babies also return to Mojoworld to live with Dazzler and Longshot. 


    Jesse Delperdang Inks over Andy Kubert’s pencils on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10.25" x 15". Light handling wear and in Excellent condition.

    Joe Kubert

    Joe Kubert Pencils & Inks Rare Twice-Up Our Army At War #61 Page 5 (Pre-Sgt. Rock) Original Art (DC, 1957)


    An early twice-up page by the great Joe Kubert is about iconic as it gets when it comes to War comics. In my search for the right Kurbert War page over the years ideally in twice-up form, it’s been a rare and difficult task and for some reason this page really drew me in. A page featuring an aerial dogfight and "skiing"? What’s not to love? We all know Kubert could draw anything, but his aviation art really stands out for me, and this being a great example of Kubert's early work on the title. And yes that’s staining on the bottom tier, but I can live with it as the art is still clearly visible. Side note- At first I thought the staining was part of the art in some way, perhaps smoke or a war gas affect, or the sun itself JK! 


    This early Our Army at War page, the sun takes center stage in "Battle Sun", as the suns role in war battles is the focus of this backup story. The War genre was very successful for DC in the 50s going into the 60s and Joe Kubert was the guiding visionary behind the line. Despite Kubert’s prolific output on “Our Army at War”, his early original art on the title remains quite scarce. 


    Joe Kubert is one of the most important comic book artists in the history of the medium. He began his career as a teenager in the Golden Age working on Hawkman in Flash Comics and worked steadily in the industry until his passing in 2012. He's best known for his extraordinary body of work on DC's war titles in the 1950s-1980s, including the creation of Sgt. Rock, who first appeared in 1959's Our Army at War #83 and ran all of the way until 1988. Kubert's also beloved among superhero fans for his 1961 revival of Hawkman in Brave and the Bold. In 1976, Kubert established the Joe Kubert School, a three-year technical school that teaches the principles of sequential art and the particular craft of the comics industry as well as commercial illustration. The Kubert School was and still is the only accredited school devoted entirely to cartooning where many of today's most important comic artists once attended.


    Created in twice-up scale in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 13" x 19.25" (including the stat paste-up header). Mild toning, edge and corner wear, marginal notes, and heavy staining in the bottom tier. In Good condition.

    Jim Lee

    Jim Lee and Scott Williams The Uncanny X-Men #275 "Zaladane's Citadel" Magneto Splash Page 23 (From Jim Lee's Personal Collection) Original Art (Marvel, 1991)


    This has to be my modern grail. Like many other collectors in todays world, I grew up with Jim Lee’s version of X-Men, I still have this book and many others in a long box since the early 90’s off the shelf. I’ve been searching for the right Jim Lee X-Men page for quite some time now. I’ve had my chances, but most recently with the enormous rise in values, I’ve been on the sidelines or outbid to an ungodly number. When I saw Jim chose a few X-Men pages to be auctioned off from his personal collection I thought once again there was no chance, especially meaningful pages he’d been holding onto for 30+ years. Besides a Wolverine claws out or full team page by Lee, like many of my other modern story arcs in my collection I want the villain, so the obvious choice was a Magneto page. Side note: prior to the auction the month prior I almost came to a deal on Jim Lee X-Men page featuring Magneto, but the seller was reluctant and I couldn’t blame him. But instead, with patience and sheer luck, I was able to pick up this amazing 2/3 splash from the landmark giant sized anniversary issue #275 featuring none other than Master of Magnetism, Magneto! 


    Page Breakdown-

    Jim Lee provides a powerful 2/3 splash panel establishing the opening scene in Zaladane’s Citadel of villains, who is queen and high priestess of the Sun People, inhabitants of the Savage Land. Magneto has been placed on a glowing platform, and Zaladane stands on a similar device where she attempts to steal Magneto's powers with the help of Brainchild of the Savage Land Mutates. On the bottom panel, Brainchild explains to Semyanov (SHIELD Colonel) that the machine transfers every spark of magnetism inside Magneto into Zaladane. Magneto tries to resist, but can't stop the process.


    This incredibly detailed page features futuristic tech facilitating the energy transfer from the Master of Magnetism to the empowered sorceress, as well as a mind-controlled Shanna the She-Devil and Nereel, powerlessly observing in the background. Though powerless, with Lee’s pencils and Williams strong inks you’re immediately drawn to the large Magneto image. It’s a gripping page featuring a rogue of villains with Zaladane at the helm. Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.25". Punched holes in the side margins. In Excellent condition.

    Jim Lee X-Men #7 Page 31 Wolverine Mythos Story & Climactic Finale Page to Mutant Genesis Saga Death of Dr. Cornelius Original Art (Marvel, 1992)


    Here is what I consider another Grail level page with the work of Jim Lee's X-Men Mutant Genesis saga, the shocking finale page as Dr. Abraham Cornelius from the Weapon X project attempts to kill Wolverine, but before he can Maverick saves the day and kills him first. Wolverine returns the favor, giving him the coveted C-Synthesizer before he disappears, the end. Jim packed in a lot of story on this 12 panel grid in the rain ending a memorable arc.


    My overall goal with Jim Lee art of this era was to acquire a solid page from the Uncanny run, as well as his X-Men run. What better to have then a Wolverine mythos story page that ends the acclaimed Mutant Genesis arc. Please take note of Panel 2 with Wolvie claws out before we see "BLAM" with Maverick shooting the Weapon X doctor responsible for Wolvie's adamantium.


    Jim Lee story and art (breakdowns) with Art Thibert finishes (inks). The art has an image area of 10" x 15" and it is in Excellent condition and signed by Jim on the bottom left.

    Jim Lee Punisher War Journal #18 Page 3 Classic "Kahuna" Hawaii Issue (Punisher & Microchip) Original Art (Marvel, 1990)


    The Punisher and Microchip are in Hawaii to save a little girl from drug dealers. I remember this issue as a kid and loved it, being the "Kahuna" Hawaii issue. I especially love the first panel with the Hawaii mountains in the background while Microchip sets up the scene. This page has it all, a Hawaii setting with Punisher and Microchip guns blazing taking fire from the bad guys! And though you can't see it in this angle of taking fire, The Punisher has his classic skull suit under his Hawaii shirt as shown on the cover! 


    An early Jim Lee page that put him on the map as an all-star artist, soon to get the X-Men title! With Al Milgrom inks and Don Hudson background inks over graphite on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.25". Slight toning, text paste-ups and residue staining from missing paste-ups, staple holes in the top left, whiteout corrections, and light handling wear. In Very Good condition.

    Jim Lee Iconic Action Comics #1 Cover From The New 52 Launch (From Jim Lee's Personal Collection) Original Art (DC, 2011)


    When you think of Jim Lee’s incredible body of work now spanning over 35+ years, there’s quite a bit to look at, but one could argue his New 52 art was some of his greatest art. While some would say The New 52 overall failed lasting 5 years, others like myself would say it was a huge gamble and overall a success. I believe in years and decades to come we’ll look back at The New 52 as the most revolutionary era for DC since the beginning of Superman and Batman incarnation in 1938/39, similarly to Crisis on Earth in the 80’s and quite possibly as large as The Death of Superman saga in the early '90's. 


    We’re talking the first time since 1938 from Action Comics #1 to issue #904, to have a complete reset to an all new Action Comics #1, with an all new Superman look created by none other than Jim Lee! The art was cutting edge, with an all new Superman suit, and a younger look, Jim Lee took all his artistic queues and influences from years earlier and applied it to this art. You can see in the details of the art how important it was to Lee for this launch to be successful. We can’t put into words the importance of this title to the comic book community, and the all new Action Comics #1 Variant Cover by Jim Lee. There were a few different versions of Action Comics #1 for the New 52 by various artists, but this was the Jim Lee version, the most talked about and most sought after, and the only version to showcase Superman in his all new suit and overall look designed by Lee! Lee puts Superman in his classic stoic pose of strength and confidence, and plays homage to the Golden Age era with Max Fleischer’s Mechanical Robots from the 1941 cartoon in the background. 

    Many of Jim Lee’s covers become available for purchase shortly after they’re created, while other covers stay with him in his own personal collection, as was the case with this cover. After holding onto the Action #1 cover for over a decade, Jim decided to part with it and I was able to acquire the piece through private sale.


    From the great Alex Sinclair (colorist) shed light on this cover on a blog back in 2011: “By now most of you have seen the progression of this cover. Jim went through a few sketches before ending on this composition. Somewhere along the line Robots were suggested and how much we all liked the Fleischer cartoons. Jim threw in his version of them in the background and I did my best to pay an homage to them by simplifying the rendering and going really heavy on atmosphere. Pretty happy with the results--hope you are too.”

    Jim Lee Pencils, Scott Williams Inks on 11x17 DC Bristol Board. 

    Jim Lee Batman “Hush” 20th Anniversary Epilogue Complete 5 Page Story (#619A)

    Batman Hush is quite possibly the greatest story arc that’s come out of comics in the last 20 years. Launching in 2003 with Batman #608, for the first time Jim Lee teamed up with acclaimed writer Jeph Loeb, at the time most known for his Batman Long Halloween work with artist Tim Sale. The art collaboration between Jim Lee and Scott Williams along with the storytelling of Loeb was an instant success. Batman Hush ran for a 12 issue series from Batman 608-619 and a Wizard interlude recognized as 616A with record sales across the board and where the storyline has been reprinted numerous times as well as a hit animated movie and he most recent Batman movie in 2022 inspired by the Hush series.


    For the first time in nearly 20 years since since Batman 619 released September 2003, 5 new pages have been released from the same creative team of Jeph Loeb writing with Jim Lee and Scott Williams art. The hype on these new story pages hit every major comic publication worldwide with articles coming out from everywhere from Bleeding Cool to Screen Rant and IGN to name a few. Similar to the interlude released in the Wizard #0, also referred as 616A, these new story pages immediately follow the end of issue 619, titled as “Prologue The Aftermath”. As IGN reported prior to the release of the book, the 5 added pages are part of the original story…

    “DC's upcoming Batman: Hush 20th Anniversary Edition hardcover will feature the 12-part series written by Jeph Loeb and illustrated by Jim Lee, as well as tons of bonus material. And as revealed by IGN, that includes five new pages that have been added to the original story.” 


    When the cover to the Hush 20th Anniversary was announced and the art was released, it was a frenzy from comic art collectors to pick up the cover. The bidding started north of $50k and 2 bidders quickly took it past $70k, ending at an incredible $90k! Our understanding is the bidding may have very well gone higher, but Jim was happy with $90k and ended it there. I told Albert Moy, Jim’s rep to please let me know when the Hush pages are released. Lucky for me when Albert was at The Baltimore Comic Con when Jim just passed over the 5 pages to him. When he described the pages over the phone my first thought as always, was to pick up an actual Hush (Tommy Elliott as the villain) page, seeing there are so few of them out in the flesh and command a premium. Once I saw page 4 the half splash of Hush getting out of the river I was immediately sold, but then I saw page 5, a cover quality splash of a rogue gallery of sorts featuring not only Hush but a classic pose of both Harley and Joker pointing a gun to Hush’s head. Albert and I work out a deal for both, but then looking at pages 1-3, which all feature Batman, I’m thinking the opening splash of Batman in the rain jumping in the river is such a classic moment. Once I decided to get 3 of the 5 pages, I decided to work out a deal to get all 5 pages to the story. Here they are in detail...


    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Splash Page 1 "Into The River" (DC, 2022)

    We kick off the story directly following the events of Batman #619 Bruce goes back to the bridge every night to search for Tommy Elliott aka Hush… As mentioned above this is an incredible opening page of Batman diving into the river with the rain pounding at night reminiscent to the finale scene in Batman #619. I especially love the subtle homage on the bridge on the lower left to Infantino and Miller, though later for print Miller was replaced with the great Tim Sale after his passing in June 2022.

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Page 2 "The Search for Hush" (DC, 2022)

    Batman searches the river to come across a lead hull vessel and references in #619 where Clark checked the river with his x-ray vision with no trace of Hush. But the lead hull would block Clark’s scan of the river and Batman goes inside to check it out where he finds dead bodies. He also references this river to be a known mob drop spot for the dead. Then we see a dead Lex Corp employee, apparently stabbed in the eye. Someone once told me the real Jim Lee Batman collectors come out when you can see the lugs on the boots...Well check out panel 1, there you go! Also, check out panel 2 and 3, which is almost Dark Knight Milleresque in look and feel. Great detail and flow throughout this page…

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Page 3 "Hush Where Are You?" (DC, 2022)

    This has to be one of my top pages in the story. The art is second to none, again great storytelling and flow through the art. After Batman blows through the door he finds the room where Hush was hiding and repaired his gunshot wounds, as we see a first aid kit and bandages, and most important Batman finds his coat. “Hush where are you?” Interestingly, he does not refer to him as Tommy his old friend, still in disbelief that he is in fact Hush. Touching page as you can really feel the emotion of Batman in the last panel. 

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Splash Page 4 "Hush Surfaces From The Gotham River!" (DC, 2022)

    Bush is revealed in this half splash exit in the river after being shot, hiding in a sunken ship where he repaired himself. The top half splash not only has Hush getting out of the river for the first time, but showcases an extremely detailed rocky Gotham cityscape, something I’m always a sucker for by Lee and Williams. The bottom half splash has a great frontal view of Hush, dripping in water, bandaged up with a menacing look only to be greeted by…

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Batman Hush 20th Anniversary Splash Page 5 "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Shot in the Head" (DC, 2022)


    Here’s the finale splash page, which I might add is a cover quality splash page, a rogue gallery of sorts featuring none other than Hush himself (exiting the river), greeted by both Harley and Joker in classic Jim Lee poses. Once again an industrial Gotham backdrop off the river tops off the detail in the page. Joker holds a gun to Hush’s head, cracks a joke, which is not very funny saying “What’s the old saying? Revenge is a dish best served…Shot in the head! Haha HeHeee” What we do know is Hush ends up surviving as he’s seen in various stories proceeding the aftermath of Batman #619. But what’s most interesting is the bottom portion, which we don’t see on the art that says “To Be Continued…!” Will there be a sequel? It’s hard to say if and when that would happen and if it did, would it follow from this point or modern day Batman? Will it be Hush 25th Anniversary? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…


    Either way, Hush is an incredible classic modern storyline that continues to spark interest amongst young and old Batman fans. But I would argue what made Hush so successful 20 years ago and still today, is perhaps less the story itself but the art behind it, with Lee and Williams incredible artwork. It’s rare to see artists get better with age, but it’s safe to say these two artists are like a fine wine in relation to their artistic talents. What we’re witnessing is something quite rare for an artistic team of Lee and Williams who have been consistently putting out acclaimed artwork for 30+ years. In comparison, Miller arguably was in his prime in the 80’s and early 90’s, Mcfarlane in the late 80’s and early 90’s and the list goes on. Many would think X-Men Lee was his prime era in the early 90’s only to create Hush a decade later in the early 2000’s. Then another 10 years later Lee spearheads The New 52 Justice League and other titles in that era, to now still put out quality covers and in this case, which is extremely rare for Lee to do interior pages. Needless to say we’re extremely pleased to have these 5 new pages that have been added to the original story of Batman Hush by Jim Lee and Scott Williams in our personal collection. 

    Jim Lee Justice League Run New 52 (DC, 2011)

    While Action Comics #1 for the New 52 DC reboot was the flagship title for the last 70+ years, Lee reintroduced the Justice League making it an all new origin story and kicked off the New 52 relaunch with this book. The Justice League New 52 origin lasted 12 issues with Jim Lee as penciler broken up into 2 story arcs, the first being Darkseid (1-6) and Graves (7-12). These 12 issues with Lee at the helm have become extremely desirable for collectors and is regarded as some of his greatest work to date. The Justice League movie in 2017 was largely based off Geoff John’s story and Jim Lee’s art. Below we’re showcasing our New 52 Jim Lee Justice League Original Art collection comprised of semi splashes, full splashes and Double Page Spreads. Many of the below art works have been showcased in IDW’s Jim Lee DC Legends Artifact Edition book…


    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Justice League #1 pg 9 Splash - “Welcome to Gotham City Green Lantern!” (DC, 2011)

    Batman and Green Lantern are pursuing one of Darkseid’s Parademons across the rooftops of Gotham, while the police pursue and fire upon both of them from helicopters. The Gotham police continue firing on Batman, Green Lantern, and the Parademon, but their fire is blocked by Green Lantern's shield constructs. Batman and Green Lantern’s first conversation in the New 52 is on full display here being a great early splash page from the dawn of the New 52 era. 

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Justice League #2 pg 18 Half Splash First Team Round Up (DC, 2012)

    Fresh off the infamous Batman vs Superman battle earlier in the issue, this is the first time the Justice League members meet up to strategize. What’s the object? The Mother Box! We get great shots of Superman, Batman, Flash and Green Lantern. Jim Lee showcases the printing press warehouse round up with incredible detail. Check out the details on the conveyor belts and lighting throughout on this standout 1/2 splash page with the full team at the time before Wonder Woman comes on the scene.

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Justice League #3 JLA Battle Parademons "For Darkseid!" (DC, 2012)

    Great top panel featuring Flash, Green Lantern, Batman and Superman battling Darkseid's Parademons. The Parademons continue to take people and in panel 3 one of the first times in the saga we hear the villains name, proudly stating "For Darkseid!" by his loyal servants. Great detailed battle scene of the heroes throughout the page, especially as noted above with the 1st panel. Note, you may not see it since there is no story text on these pages, but the first dialogue of Wonder Woman with the Justice League in battle is on the last panel as she states "Creatures of Evil!"

    Jim Lee Pencils & Scott Williams Inks Justice League #6 pg 6 Splash Cover Scene & Steppenwolf New 52 Birth Page -- “Hail Darkseid!” (DC, 2012)

    Superman Cover scene splash on DC cover Bristol board. Was this full splash intended to be the cover to the finale issue to arc 1? Another incredibly detailed page featuring Darkseid’s General Steppenwolf and Dasaad draining the energy and life from Superman. This page happens to be Steppenwolf’s 1st appearance and birth page for the New 52 version, the version we know from the Justice League movie. This scene resembles closely similar to the opening scene of Zack Sunder’s Justice League movie with Superman’s energy being drained with similar electricity drawing from him in despair. A truly stunning splash page just before the mother boxes are released and Superman is free’d from the grips of Dasaad, and goes on to battle Darkseid in the first finale story arc. 

    Jim Lee Pencils & Weems Inks Justice League #12 DPS pgs 4-5 - “Rescue from Within” Finale Issue to Arc 2 (DC, 2012)

    In the Valley of Souls is another stunning Double Page Spread featuring all 7 of the Justice League members reunited with their loved ones in the spirit world. The opening 1/2 splash has a great Wonder Woman and Steve Trevor image telling her she’s too late. Batman seeing his parents again for the first time as they tell him “You don’t need to avenge us son, we’re happy.” Superman’s parents saying “We’re as proud as parents can be Clark”, and Flash’s mom says “You don’t need to close my case Barry, you can move on.” We also see Aquaman’s father, Green Lantern’s father, and Cyborg’s father in this 2 page scene. It actually turns out the spirits are not of their loved ones, but demonic parasites called Pretas, which feed off the living's pain. From the art perspective it’s a great DPS showcasing all of the heroes with their loved ones. Something I don’t think has ever been depicted by all the JLA heroes on a page, let alone a 2 page spread by Jim Lee!

    Rob Liefeld

    Rob Liefeld First New Mutants Artwork -- New Mutants Annual #5 Half Splash Page 26 Original Art (Marvel, 1989)


    From the Historic first published Rob Liefeld New Mutants story! This Half Splash page from the story “Atlantis Attacks" crossover event, Rictor, Boom Boom, and Cannonball are joined by Namorita in battling a creature destroying Atlantis. Check out the intricate underwater detailed art created by Liefeld early on in his storied career. 


    A prominent writer and artist in the 1990s, Liefeld is known for co-creating the character Cable with writer Louise Simonson and the character Deadpool with writer Fabian Nicieza. In the early 1990s, Liefeld gained popularity due to his work on Marvel Comics' The New Mutants and later X-Force. 


    Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.25". Slight toning, production trimmed top edge, tape on the top and bottom edges, taped page number paste-up at the bottom, with light smudging/handling wear. Signed by Liefeld at the top left and in Very Good condition.

    Ron Lim

    Ron Lim Silver Surfer #34 Page 21 Thanos Resurrection Issue and First Dialogue Original Art (Marvel, 1990)


    Silver Surfer believes this was all a dream, and talks to himself about what dreams mean and his existence. He hears a voice suggesting that his dream was a premonition. The nightmare has just begun…  In this key page by Ron Lim with Surfer in every panel, and great dialogue by Starlin, he questions whether this was all a dream or something more? He begins to reflect on his life and existence as a human underneath the silver shell. “So The question still remains… What was that dream all about?” Surfer says. The last panel a voice says “Perhaps it was a Premonition.” Surfer responds “Who?” And looks to see who it is. The last panel of this page is the first dialogue of Thanos in physical form to Surfer, and this premonition would start his quest for the infinity stones and wiping out half the population of the universe.  


    When looking for a Lim / Starlin Surfer page, there are so few pages from this key issue #34, so much so I’ve literally counted the number on my hand in CAF galleries and auction results. Lim’s page layout and surfer images are great, especially of him in the middle on his board. Not to mention Starlin’s dialogue and Surfer’s reflection of himself, and the bottom panel importance of Thanos’ first dialogue in physical form. A Truly historic grail page reintroducing Thanos and the start of the Infinity Gauntlet Starlin/Lim story arc! 

    Learn more about the Origin of The Gems & The Infinity Gauntlet Here...

    Ron Lim Thanos Quest #1 Battle Page 28 Thanos vs The Champion To Acquire The Power Gem (Thanos on all 5 Panels!) (Marvel, 1990)


    Thanos Quest #1 Page 28 - Thanos battles the Champion with the intention of obtaining the Elder of the Universe's 'Soul Gem' known as the Power Gem on this 'Twice-up' (large art) illustrated by the team of Ron Lim (pencils) and John Beatty (inks). Beautiful 5 panel battle page with both Thanos & Champion visible on all 5 panels!

    On this page from Thanos Quest #1, Thanos confronts the Champion, one of the ancient Elders of the Universe. The Champion was introduced in Marvel Two-in-One Annual #7 (1982). Following the Grandmaster's failed plan to kill Galactus, the Champion came into possession of the Power Gem. The Power Gem provides its owner with merely all of the power and energy that ever has or will exist! What's great is how Thanos finds the elders weakness, exploits it, in this case as shown on our page, he frustrates the Champion with a force field, where he ends up getting so enraged he blows up his own planet and eventually hands over the power gem to Thanos. Thanos knew he was no match for the Champion in an all out brawl, so he found another way to obtain the soul gem.


    I think the best part of this page for me was the bottom left panel in which Thanos thinks- "In many ways I assume this is what it would be like battling the Terran behemoth, the Hulk... A conflict I've sought to avoid over the years." Interesting Thanos would make a comment saying he's avoided the Hulk. Well, what a great tie in since our first Infinity Gauntlet #4 page is in fact his first encounter and battle with the Hulk!

    Note: The text blurbs on this page are paste-ups. However, the word balloons and text in the upper panel are inked directly on the board.

    Learn more about the Origin of The Gems & The Infinity Gauntlet Here...

    Ron Lim Thanos Quest #2 Page 11 The Origin of The Infinity Gems Revealed For The First Time Original Art (Marvel, 1990)


    Ron Lim (pencils) and John Beatty (inks) collaborated on this incredibly important 'Twice-up' page from 1990s's Thanos Quest #2. Thanos has gone on a quest to obtain six Infinity Gems that together will give him the power to impress his beloved personification of Death by murdering 50% of all living beings in the universe. On this page, Thanos has used his technology to locate the Runner, an Elder who possesses the Space Gem and demands that he turn it over to the Mad Titan. The Runner demands to know why Thanos seeks the Infinity Gems, and Thanos reveals the origin of the gems for the first time...


    Prior to this page, we saw but knew little about the origin of the gems and for the first time on this very page we learn about their origin. The gems were once part of an omniscient being who existed before all time and space. This being "was all that was and all that was, was it."  says Thanos. As Ron Lim notates on the right side, to fade "God" into space, which is why there is only a pencil outline of the sentient being (see bottom panel darkened to show from original lighter scan). This being, however, was lonely, and ended its own existence. Its limitless power was reincarnated in the six Infinity Gems. This being we later find out is Nemesis, but here is referred to as God. The published page has a painted space background over the middle and lower panel by Tom Vincent. 


    When acquiring this page, the content and context of the page outweighed the art or lack thereof. From the art perspective, I should add you still get a great Thanos image, a great Runner image with the space gem, and the two of them floating in space on the larger middle panel. Not to mention the pencil outline of the sentient being referred to as "God", later recognized as Nemesis! Overall, An incredibly important page to the Infinity Gauntlet saga, as we learn for the first time of the gems origin! 


    This large art has an image area of approximately 11.75" x 17.75", light smudges and artist notes along the border. 

    Learn more about the Origin of The Gems & The Infinity Gauntlet Here...

    Ron Lim Thanos Quest #2 Page 23 Thanos Matches Wits with The Grandmaster For The Final Gem, The Mind Gem! Original Art 

    (Marvel, 1990)


    Ron Lim (pencils) and John Beatty (inks) collaborated on this incredibly important 'Twice-up' page from 1990s's Thanos Quest #2. I felt it was a must to have a Thanos / Grandmaster page, undoubtedly his most challenging and worthy opponent. This of course is the last of the elders in obtaining the 6th and final gem. On this page he visits the Elder of the Universe known as the Grandmaster, who is in possession of the last of the six gems. The Grandmaster isn't willing to just give it up, so he creates a complex series of challenges that Thanos must overcome in order to possess the prized gem. 


    The final gem, the mind gem giving one control over anyone’s thoughts, is in the hands of The Grandmaster. The Grandmaster unlike the others is fully aware of what the gem is, why Thanos wants it, and is fully prepared for him when he arrives. The Grandmaster is obsessed with games and puts forth a challenge to Thanos, beat him in a game of his choosing and he gets the gem, lose and he dies. Thanos agrees to this.

    They compete in the game going back in forth in their battle until Thanos appears to get the drop on the Grandmaster. The Grandmaster however cheats and coats Thanos in a lethal fungal coating that utterly destroys him. Unfortunately for the Grandmaster Thanos was also cheating, it wasn't him competing at all but a robot. Thanos destroys the device that creates the gamespace and destroys the Grandmasters mind with it.

    And with that Thanos has obtained all 6 gems and with them. Thanos has achieved his long sought after goal of godhood. 


    This large art has an image area of approximately 11.75" x 17.75", light smudges and artist notes along the border. 


    Which then leads to the biggest, arguably most important saga of our time, The Infinity Gauntlet six issue series...

    Learn more about the Origin of The Gems & The Infinity Gauntlet Here...

    Farmer Thanos - Final Scene/Pages to The Infinity Gauntlet Series (Marvel, 1991)

    Infinity Gauntlet #6 Page 37 (Iconic Scarecrow Splash Featured In Endgame Opening Scene)

    In the first of these four pages we see the iconic scarecrow armor image, signifying Thanos’ retiring from his old Mad Titan life to being a simple farmer, which was always his end goal once he completed his task at hand. But in this case, different from the movie, he fails the task at hand to wipe out half of existence. The scarecrow image may also have other deeper meanings.  


    From Jesse Schnedeen Blog Discussing Avengers 4 Thanos’ Scarecrow Image- The Thanos-crow Symbolism 

    “The shot of Thanos' armor forming a bizarre scarecrow may well be the most striking image in the Avengers Endgame trailer. On the surface, this "Thanos-crow" symbolizes the fact that the Mad Titan has left his old life behind. He no longer wants to be the feared tyrant who traveled from world to world and murdered billions. He craves whatever sort of peace and contentment he can find after having sacrificed his own children for his cause. That said, it's interesting to think about what this Thanos-crow might symbolize on a deeper level. Scarecrows are tools used to ward off birds and prevent crops from being devoured. Basically, Thanos is cultivating life on his farm and doing what he can to protect it from predators. That's the exact opposite of what he was attempting to do in Infinity War. Is the Thanos-crow a sign that Thanos has a newfound respect for the preciousness and fragility of life? Is the scourge of the MCU evolving into a defender instead? 


    Thanos the Hero- Few would attempt to describe the Thanos of the comics as a hero, but he has experienced some pretty dramatic moral shifts over the decades. Going back to Infinity Gauntlet, that story marked a major shift for the character as he stepped away from villainy and became a more benevolent force in the universe (for a while, anyway). Thanos even allied himself with Adam Warlock and the Infinity Watch, helping them safeguard the Infinity Stones and ensure that no one else could assemble the Infinity Gauntlet and wield unchecked power.”  


    This opening “Farmer Thanos” half splash infamous “Scarecrow” page is not only an iconic image from Avengers Endgame opening scene in which Thor beheads Thanos, but also has much deeper meanings behind the image, which makes this original art page by Ron Lim extra special. 

    Learn more about the Origin of The Gems & The Infinity Gauntlet Here...

    Infinity Gauntlet #6 Page 38 ("Farewell Titan")

    The second of the four “Farmer Thanos” pages is one of our favorites featuring great dialogue between Thanos and Warlock, while Gamora and Pip the Troll look on. We see great up close images of both Thanos and Warlock, but by far the best image and another famous one is Thanos at the top of the steps with his arms folded talking with Warlock about the importance of the gauntlet and where Warlock seeks advice from the former Mad Titan who says with conviction to either “endure or surrender the power”, from his experience with the gauntlet. Thanos goes on to mention his three failures with the gauntlet being enough for him and in the last panel he wisely says “A quiet life will allow me to digest and incorporate the lessons the past has forced upon me.” Warlock wishes the titan best of luck and farewell. Now onto the third page…

    Infinity Gauntlet #6 Page 39 (Thanos Reflection of Power)

    Another magnificent page with Pip The Troll and Gamora questioning Warlock why they’re leaving the Mad Titan on this remote planet without being punished. Warlock explains essentially this is how the universe is to be “...Without Thanos, the picture is incomplete.” In the last panel, Thanos looks out to the sky seeing his visitors leave and reflects on his past follies... 


    “Power. Such an ephemeral commodity, hard to gain, easy to lose. And I once thought I understood it. What vanity.” These are remarkable reflective words coming from the former Mad Titan, as he questions his life work, accomplishments and most notably his recent failures. 

    Infinity Gauntlet #6 Page 40 (The Iconic Splash Page Ending)

    The fourth and final Farmer Thanos page, is also the final page of the six issue saga and it’s one of the most recognizable images in the entire series. This is where Thanos, the former Mad Titan from the previous panel page reflecting on both his life’s accomplishments and failures expands on his thoughts and comparison to the new supreme being Adam Warlock. Thanos has some choice thoughts on Warlock and thinks to himself, “Adam Warlock, a being who wished nothing more than to spend the rest of his days within the peaceful environment of the soul gem…He now possesses the infinite power and all the responsibility that goes along with it.” In comparison, Thanos looks at his entire life goal in pursuit of power, but is now scraping soil as a farmer, with a dialogue box reading “Irony worthy of the drama.”  In the final panel Thanos expands further on his thoughts thinking that even though his life was always in pursuit of power, through all this he does not envy Adam Warlock. “Somehow I feel that in the long run, Thanos of Titan came out ahead in this particular deal. THE END.”   


    5 Times Avengers “Infinity War” Brought Infinity Gauntlet Panels to Life- by Chris Tilly- This final image splash was featured as the main title image for the article as well as the end image, perhaps along with the “Snap” being one of the most prolific pages to the epic series. When bringing up this splash panel Tilly says… “The Fate of Thanos- At the end of the book, Thanos is defeated, and Adam Warlock sends him to an unnamed planet that’s filled with lush greenery. He scrapes out a living from the soil. The final panel featuring the big bad sitting on the steps of his house, surveying the scene, and thinking: “In the long run, Thanos of Titan came out ahead in this particular deal.” At the end of the film, Thanos appears on a lush green planet — which may or may not be inside the Soul Stone — and sits on the porch of a farmhouse. Having just wiped out half of humanity, the film’s final moment finds him surveying the scene. And smiling.” 


    This final panel is featured in many articles, not only for the epic six issue saga but also for the Infinity War movie as mentioned above. It is truly iconic in every sense. In the comics, his exile came from failing his mission. In the movie, he succeeds, but his exile is practically identical to the page, living a simple life as a farmer wishing to be left alone while he looks out to the sunrise.  


    Art Details-

    Truly historic set of all 4 iconic "Farmer Thanos" pages, oversized 13x19, not to mention signed by all 3 artists/writers; Ron Lim, Jim Starlin and Joe Rubinstein 

    Click Here to Read More About these Pages & The Infinity Gauntlet....

    David Mazzucchelli

    Daredevil #222 David Mazzucchelli Page 18 Daredevil & Black Widow (Cover Scene) Original Art (Marvel, 1985)


    Here's an interesting one, and one that rarely comes up, A "Mazz" Daredevil page and being the cover scene to a great issue!  So this one came to auction at Hake's in late 2022, I remember now's my chance as I missed out earlier in the year at auction for a Mazz DD page. With Clink & Heritage Signature that same week, I think Clink was the same night, the Hake's auction slipped by and I missed the page. Fast forward 6 months later and boom, Glen over at Panel Page listed this consignment on a Sunday morning and I didn't hesitate, taking no chances and securing the art that same day.

     

    Original art for issue #222 page 18 featuring the crazed villain in the top panels, with Daredevil and Black Widow on the lower panels. The large lower panel recreates the cover image of the issue with Daredevil swinging upside down from a tree and saving the Black Widow from a swampy pit of slime. I love the pounding rain, and the detail of the trees in the swamp as our hero's struggle. Not to mention the top panels villain channels an almost Bernie Wrightson horror scene feel. 


    Storyline "Fear In a Handfull of Dust" by Denny O'Neil. Pencil art by David Mazzucchelli and inked by Kim DeMulder. Issue/page numbers on top margin in pen. Lt. aging to ink in a few areas. Three corners trimmed for printing. Spot at top and bottom where tape was removed. On "11 x "17 Bristol Board, Overall clean and Excellent. Signed by both Mazzucchelli and DeMulder on the bottom in ink and pencil.

    Todd Mcfarlane

    Todd Mcfarlane Pencils & Inks Amazing Spider-Man #323 Half Splash Spidey Message to MJ (Marvel, 1989)


    An Incredible Super-stylized 1/2 Splash Spidey art by Todd McFarlane, with a lean-looking Spider-Man, and a cute "big hair" Mary Jane, in this key page from 1989. This tall vertical splash was a one page scene, the only page in the issue featuring MJ and Aunt May! This show-stopper page features Spidey giving an interview where he sends an encrypted message to MJ via a news conference. Once MJ figures out the message, she tells Nathan and Aunt May that Peter reached out earlier and “He’s okay”, and May sasses MJ. It was work like this that made McFarlane a comics industry superstar! 


    When I think of Mcfarlane Spidey Art that revolutionized the look of the character, one generally thinks of the intricate webbing and contorting positions, but most notably it’s the elongated eyes, which take up most of his face. When looking for the right page, as much as I’d love a fully webbed contorting McSpidey page, the storytelling and overall flow of this page did it for me, featuring all three of the most beloved characters and the remarkable Spidey bust splash featuring those signature McSpidey eyes! Mcfarlane wisely did a vertical Spidey 1/2 splash to really showcase Spider-Man on the first half of the page. In contrast, if he would’ve done a traditional horizontal splash it would’ve been a wide view lens and Spider-Man would not have been the feature, instead the audience would be. 


    The other half of the page layout really focuses on MJ in that middle panel, which Mcfarlane was also famous for. MJ Mcfarlane pages are extremely desirable in the marketplace and recent auction results have seen skyrocketing prices realized. Though many feel Romita drew the best and most memorable MJ, one could argue Mcfarlane’s MJ is a close second, changing her look for the first time form a slimmer 60’s gal to a more 80’s stylized bustier version. This issue was the tail end of Mcfarlane’s historic Amazing Spider-Man run, #324 and #327 interior was penciled by Larsen, #326 pencils by Doran, leaving only #325 and #328 for McSpidey art in which very few of these pages featured MJ, even less with both Spider-Man and MJ on them. Just a truly remarkable McSpidey show piece to have in our collection.   


    The artwork is in ink over blue pencil on DC Comics Bristol board, with an image area of 10" x 15", and is in Excellent condition, with only a hint of handling wear in the outer borders. Signed by McFarlane and dated '89, with the most desirable McFarlane ink on Mcfarlane Pencil!

    Dave McKean

    Dave McKean A1 #1 Story Page 1 Original Art (Atomeka Press, 1989). 

    Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean produced the story "Heartsprings & Watchstops", which featured Mister X (originally created by Dean Motter). Here is an incredible title page splash to the short story done by McKean. Produced in oil on Bristol board with an oversized image area of 16" x 25". The text is created with stats affixed to a clear acetate overlay. A Highbrow piece in our collection, in Excellent condition.
    Property From the Collection of Darren Shan

    Mike Mignola

    Mike Mignola A Year of Monsters Sketchbook Cover Original Art (Emerald City, 2013)


    Here is one of Mignola’s most memorable and desirable sketchbook covers ever, which says a lot! The Year of Monsters in 2012 was a major event for Dark Horse and Mignola, which brought him back to doing a series of covers featuring characters created by Mignola pitted against a famous monster. These series of variant cover comics are now some of the most desirable of the era and command premium prices in the marketplace. To commemorate the year of monsters in January 2013, Mignola created this memorable cover and sketchbook showcasing all 12 variant covers in their original in colored art form. The sketchbook if you can find it, will run north of $500+, perhaps more depending on condition, making it one of Mignola’s most desirable Hellboy books in the marketplace. 


    From Hellboy Wiki- 

    “After Hellboy: The Fury concluded, it was announced that Mike Mignola would return as artist to the ongoing Hellboy stories in Hellboy in Hell. However, this workload would mean he would no longer be able to do as many covers as he had in the past. Aside from the covers for Hellboy in Hell or other Hellboy comics, Mike Mignola would no longer be doing any covers for singles. As a farewell to covers, the "Year of Monsters" cover variants were created, with one cover released for every month of the year 2012. These variants feature characters created by Mignola pitted against a famous monster of some sort. The covers have no relation to the story contained within the issue. The following year, 2013, Mignola's convention sketchbook, A Year of Monsters, highlighted his uncolored art from the series of variant covers.”


    The cover art is spectacular, starting with the title, which is all drawn art, a rarity for a Mignola cover piece. A full figure Hellboy is front and center surrounded by some of Mignola’s most recognizable monsters, with Frankenstein, a Vampire and Death, and of course his trademark of bats surrounding! An incredible Mignola work of art showcasing his “Year of Monsters” in one memorable cover image. Rendered in pen and ink on 9x12 board in excellent condition, signed and dated by Mignola in the lower right center. Note- The scan was done with the mylar in place and shows a plastic line along the "M" and down the page, will attempt to get a better scan soon!

    Mike Mignola Iconic Hellboy: The First 20 Years Original Art Pin-up, Frontispiece, Afterword, Back Cover & Limited Edition Print! (c. 2013)


    I don’t think we have something in our collection that has been published as many times or as an artists featured art during a specific period as this one. This era marked a significant period for Mignola as the artist returned to drawing duties for the first time for Hellboy since 2006 when in 2012 he came back to do the acclaimed “Hellboy in Hell” 10 issue mini-series as well as his “Year of Monsters” covers (as mentioned with our previous art). 


    This art became the central Mignola Hellboy piece for that following year in 2013, seeing publication in multiple formats as follows; Hellboy The First 20 Years frontispiece (in color) and Afterword (in non-color original art form), Hellboy 20 Years limited edition print to 1000, Hellboy in Hell Three Gold Whips Back Cover, Hellboy 20 Years Promotional Sampler Comic Back Cover, and possibly as noted on the art itself intended for the Library Edition #6 Title page or Afterword (have not verified). 


    Thus, this memorable Hellboy image became one of the most iconic central pieces of art from Mignola of this era and we’re proud to house it in our collection. Rendered in pen and ink on 8 1/2 x 11 paper in excellent condition, signed by Mignola in the lower left with notations.

    Mike Mignola Hellboy In Hell #4 Page 13 Key Page Masked Guide Reveal & Origin of Sir Edward Grey (Dark Horse, 2013)


    From CBR- Mike Mignola uses "Hellboy in Hell" #4 to bring the first story arc of the new series to a close, but as Hellboy finds out who his mysterious guide is, the path back to the world of the living looks fainter by the second.


    Speaking of "reveal" for the end of the first story arc, well here you have it, the mask guide for Hellboy is none other than the Witchfinder, Sir Edward Grey. This page features Sir Edward Grey's origin to the depths of hell, from the banks of Acheron (one of the four rivers in hell) with Grey as a shriveled up monster in the top image as only Mignola can do with his stark chiaroscuro style inks he's most known for. The lower panels show the monsters reconstructing Grey and stitching him back up, but it seems they don't know how to put a human back together. "Fortunately in those days there were creatures that lived in those rocks, I never learned what they were called, and they're gone now...But they gathered up my parts and stitched me together as best they could." And of course the last panel shows the masked guide reveal to be Sir Edward Grey himself. Here is a more detailed origin of Sir Edward Grey below...


    From MultivercityComics “Hell Notes: Sir Edward Grey” by Mark Tweedale-

    “There were creatures that lived in among the rocks on Acheron's banks at that time, and they gathered up the pieces of Sir Edward and sewed him back together again. The creatures cared for him and brought him to the Castle of the Warlock Angus Weir. In life, the Warlock had sold his soul, and in 1813 When a horde of demons came to collect, they snatched the castle from Scotland and brought it to the banks of Acheron. But Weir had been clever. He had drawn marks on the castle that barred any demon from entering. Weir did not survive the journey to Hell, but his castle became the home and haven of Sir Edward. What happened to Sir Edward during his time in the Abyss is unknown, but when he appeared on Earth again he was unrecognisable as his former self. The cloaked and masked Sir Edward has appeared several times throughout the Hellboy series, usually in very strange company for a man that once thought all magic was an evil.” 


    A great origin page by Mignola featuring Hellboy and the masked guide, Sir Edward Grey, who saved him from the depths of hell! Pen & Ink on 11x17 Dark Horse strathmore board, signed Mignola in lower right, art is in excellent condition.

    Click Here for Continued Art by Artist (Page 2)....

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