HOLY GRAIL ART

Arthur Adams and Whilce Portacio Longshot #6 Longshot Revisits His Past (Origin Story) with Quark Page 15 Original Art (Marvel, 1985)

Longshot is incognito alongside his ram-horned companion Quark, as they race through the suburbs in search of Mojo and Spiral. Great composition and storytelling throughout, as we see both Longshot and Quark the page. What's equally great is the content as Longshot asks Qwark about his past, part of his origin story, learning he was a legend rebel leader against Mojo. 

This iconic limited series introduced Arthur Adams and his signature style to the comic book world, catapulting the artist's popularity into the stratosphere. Every Longshot issue is great, but later in the miniseries, especially as seen in this finale issue, #6, Adams really hit his stride with his cutting edge artistic style, as seen on this very page. Check out the extra detail Art put in the splashy left vertical panel behind Longshot with the trees into the following panel with the brick and brush, just incredible!

Rendered in ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.5". The top edge and three corners are clipped, the board is slightly toned, and there is smudging and handling wear. In Excellent condition.

Neal Adams Pencils & Inks Brave & The Bold #85 PG 21 Original Art One of The Best Batman Pages From The 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. 

Ross Andru The Amazing Spider-Man #180 Classic Splash Finale Green Goblin Arc Page 31 Original Art (Marvel, 1978)

From the historic last page of issue 180 the return of Green Goblin arc and the farewell to Len Wein's run on ASM! Reminiscent of the iconic Amazing Spider-Man #50 cover, this superb finale splash features a huge symbolic image of Spider-Man as Peter Parker walks thoughtfully away from the reader. This was published in Amazing Spider-Man #180 (1978) and is the work of the classic Bronze Age Spider-Man art team of Ross Andru (pencils) and Mike Esposito (inks). It really captures the duality of the heroic Spidey and the typically down-on-his-luck Peter.

It’s a nice little happy ending, and as a capstone to his 30-issue run as writer/editor, Len orchestrates things so that the final page of the issue is a splash of Peter Parker walking off into the night with the spectral image of Spider-Man reflected in the skies above him. This was Len’s swansong on AMAZING SPIDER-MAN–like Ross would shortly, he was switching over to DC, where he’d work as both a writer and an editor, helping to bring some much-needed flavor of Marvel to the DC assignments he handled.

Mike Esposito Ink over Ross Andru graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight toning, tape residue staining on the top, toning, discolored text paste-ups  with residue and oil staining; Good condition.

Jim Aparo “Knightfall Part 15” Batman #498 Key Bane Semi-Splash “Gotham Is Mine!” & Azrael Takes Over The Bat Mantle From 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 (Don's The Suit For The First Time) From 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.

Sergio Aragonés Groo the Wanderer #34 Cover Featuring Groo, Sage, Rufferto and Mulch Original Art (Marvel, 1987)

After acquiring the humourous end semi-splash page above, I was able to get a fun, playful cover from the 1st series, which rarely come up! Groo's clueless affection for the Sage takes center stage, with Rufferto and Mulch in a quirky standoff below. Meanwhile, Arba and Dakarba's displeased expressions in the corner box add a humorous contrast to the chaos. In this funny and silly issue Abra and Dakabra need Groo's help to find the other half of the Great Wizard's amulet.

Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 9.75" x 15". Stat logo paste-up with original art embellishments. Signed and dated by Aragonés in the image area. In Excellent condition.

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.

Alan Davis and Paul Neary Excalibur Special Edition #1 Page 7 X-Men Plus 1st Excalibur & 1st Ever Page of The Warwolves Original Art (Marvel, 1987)

From the first appearance of the group Excalibur, this is the very page where the story arc's villains, the Warwolves are introduced for the first time. This one-shot issue was a hit, and #1 of the regular series came about half a year later, starting off a series that would run for a decade where the Warwolves would be the first story arc villains. 

Excalibur's original creative team, writer Chris Claremont and artist/co-writer Alan Davis, incorporated elements of two Marvel hottest properties, the X-Men and Captain Britain. On this page we see great images Rachel Summers aka Pheonix chained up by the X-Men, then freed by Kitty Pride. Xavier then tells Kitty she's been a naughty girl where we see the X-Men transform into the Warwolves for the first time inching closer to Kitty. An absolute stunning page, a rare occasion from this era where Davis illustrates the X-Men team only to transform them into the monstrous Warwolves!

Huge and iconic, this page is in ink on Marvel Bristol board with a Twice-Up image area of ​​12" x 17". In Excellent condition.

Dan DeCarlo Archie's Madhouse #1 Complete 1-Page Story "Last Laff" Original Art (Archie, 1959)

I thought it was only fitting to add an Archie piece to the collection and here's one from a memorable #1 issue, and a great gag featuring Jughead with Archie and Betty present as well. Based on the old advertisement which stated "they laughed when I sat down at the piano...", Jughead shows the other side of the jokes. 

Ink and screentone over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 12.25" x 17.5". Toning, stat logo paste-up, pinhole in the top right, marginal notes, small tears along the right side edge, spot staining, with creasing, smudging, and edge/handling wear. In Very Good condition.

Mike Dringenberg and Malcolm Jones III Sandman #7 "Listen" Key Page 2 Morpheus Original Art (DC, 1989)

Mike Dringenberg's style vividly captures the ethereal and somber mood of writer Neil Gaiman's story, bringing depth and emotion to the characters. This issue is a pivotal point in the Sandman saga, where Dringenberg melds the surreal with the Gothic, enhancing the dream-like quality of the narrative. Morpheus' profile is seen in the last panel. But what's most striking about this page is the pain and anguish felt throughout the world as Morpheus tells us at the top and bottom of the page, "Listen". A great tie-in page to the issue titled "Sound and Fury" with the final page to the issue brings peace and happiness as Morpheus regains his Ruby and once again tells us to "Listen". 

Ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". The large, top right panel is a printed paste-up, all text are stat paste-ups, one is coming loose, there are blue production marks, small spots of soiling, corner bends, and edge wear. In Very Good condition.

Will Eisner The Spirit #29 Ellen Dolan Wedding Cover Original Art (Kitchen Sink Press, 1987)

Ellen Dolan is giving the squink-eye to the Spirit on this original classic wedding cover created for a reprint issue containing the story from the 4-11-48 newspaper Spirit section. The master draftsman signed his work in the lower right of the image area, dated 1986. The art for these Spirit Kitchen Sink covers are thought to be as good or better than Eisner's original work on the title from 40's and 50's.

Rendered in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 9" x 14". The main image area is lightly sunstruck from a previous framing. Replacement logo and header affixed directly to the art page. In Very Good condition.

Stephen Fabian Extremely Rare Published Pinup Illustration From Rocket's Blast Comicollector #139 Star Wars Edition Original Art (October, 1977)

Here is a cover quality illustration, more than likely an unused alternate cover for either this magazine or another publication from the hand of Stephen Fabian, an underrated master of his time. The incredibly detailed image is somewhat similar to the early covers that we saw from the  initial Star Wars books depicting Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, Han Solo and Chewbacca w/Darth Vader and a Sandtrooper looming over them. X-Wing Fighters appears behind Vader. 

This was published in RBCC's Star Wars Edition in Oct. 1977, released as soon as the adaptation series had concluded (issues #1-6), making this extremely rare to find published Star Wars original art that was created from 1977 at the same time as the movie adaptation. In comparison, to find published Star Wars art that's cover quality featuring all of the major characters (less Obi-Wan and Yoda), is nearly impossible, only panel pages (if you're lucky) and a couple of covers from the movie adaptation that have come to market over the years making this an incredible find! We're linking an article from DrunkWooky that features this art and the importance of the issue overall from the beginning of the Star Wars era!

Rendered in ink and mixed media on 12" x 16" sheet of art paper. Fabian has signed his initials at lower left.  Sheet has some handling wear resulting in some edge creases and left margin has 1.75" streak of staining, but art remains clean and overall in excellent condition.

Ron Frenz and Kevin Dzuban Marvel Team-Up Annual #6 Page 21 First New Mutants and Cloak & Dagger Meeting Spidey + X-Men 1st meeting Flashback Original Art (Marvel, 1983)

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 1980s, but his long tenure on Thor into the mid 1990's, so you'll see with this piece and the piece below, we have an earlier example and a later one not just with Thor, but with Spidey!

Great image of Spidey crawling on a Church wall in panel 1 but I especially love panel 3 with Frenz channeling the original X-Men team and Spidey reminiscing of their first meeting. The bottom panels are exquisite with the New mutants and Cloak and Dagger throughout. From the issue that partnered Spidey with the New Mutants and Cloak & Dagger for the first time. This also marks a very early New Mutants and Cloak & Dagger story, with the team's first appearance less than 6 months prior to this issue.

Ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15" and aside from overall paper aging and clipped margin corners, its condition is Very Good. 

Dave Gibbons Wonder Woman 1982 Annual Front & Back Endpapers Painted Illustrations Original Art (Egmont UK, 1982)

Truth be told I wanted a Gibbons representative example, and Watchmen was never my thing, perhaps because it came later from my collecting comics as a kid. Though I still love his art, I do collect Wonder Woman and I absolutely loved how Gibbons painted this beautiful double-page spread showcasing Diana Prince transforming into Wonder Woman. The piece  was used for the inside front and back endpapers for the hardcover annual. 

Created in opaque watercolor and airbrush on illustration board with an image area of 17.5" x 12.5". Signed by Gibbons in the lower right margin. In Excellent condition.

Michael Golden Punisher War Journal #40 Golden's Only Painted Published Punisher Cover Large Art Original Art (Marvel, 1992)

If you were a Punisher fan like me in the 90's then you were more than likely a fan of Micahel Golden's Punisher cover run and here's a memorable one....

It's a road trip... Punisher style! The Punisher adds a new meaning to the term "road kill" in this eighteen-wheel extravaganza painted by Michael Golden. After further research this is believed to be Golden's only painted Punisher cover from his run and it's super-sized! Not to mention it checks all the boxes you want in a Punisher Golden cover; Punisher blasting, protecting the girl, and even an ode to Optimus Prime (Transformers) with the shot up big rig in the background. Also note the possible Watchmen reference with the smiley face on the driver door! 

A true Marvel Masterpiece! With this one, we now have 4 Punisher painted cover/portfolio plates including the Zeck / Zimelman Portfolio One plate 2, which later became a cover, the Jusko Painted cover to Punisher War Journal 31 (also massive in size), the Stroman wraparound cover to Punisher Classic #1 from 1989 and now this one to complete the set!

Mixed media on board, the twice-up large art art has an image area of 19" x 27". In Excellent condition.

Klaus Janson Pencils and Inks Punisher #1 1st Ongoing Series Punisher vs Drug Dealer Half Splash Battle Page 15 (Marvel, 1987)

On this Klaus Janson page from the key issue Punisher #1 (1987), the Punisher lets loose on some dirtbag drug dealers who have been moving crack from South America to rock houses all over New York City. The large, central panel featuring the Punisher choking and electrocuting one of the drug dealers is especially impactful and illustrates in a single panel the way the Punisher operates in a darker world than most of the other Marvel heroes. Janson, the long-time finisher best known for his historic work with Frank Miller on Daredevil and Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, took on the roles of both penciller and inker here and the high quality results demonstrate that Janson is just as good with a pencil as he is with an ink brush.

Given the Punisher's high level of popularity in the 1990's and beyond, it's interesting to consider that it took 13 years following his 1974 introduction in Amazing Spider-Man #129 before the Punisher received his first on-going title following the success of the Punisher Limited Series in 1986. This Klaus Janson page comes from the very first issue of that on-going series! Both Janson and the Punisher received wide exposure from their respective roles in Frank Miller's historic run on Daredevil, so it was a logical pairing to have Janson be assigned to the character's first story arc.

Rendered in ink over graphite, the art has an image are of approximately 10" x 15", light smudges, whiteout corrections, overall in excellent condition.

Kelley Jones Red Rain II (Bloodstorm) Diamond Preview Cover (Advance Comics #71) Joker & Catwoman 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.

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. 

Joe Jusko The Punisher War Journal #31 "The Kamchatkan Konspiracy" Memorable Ski Cover Original Art (Marvel, 1990)

Mixed media painting original art by renowned comic artist Joe Jusko, whose realistic painted fantasy, pin-up, and cover illustrations have graced countless comic book publications. Here we present you cover painting for "Punisher War Journal" Vol. 1 #31, published by Marvel in June 1991. Wonderfully detailed painting shows snowy scene with The Punisher flying through the air on skis, blasting attacker w/revolver as men fire upon him from pursuing snowmobile and other armed skiers give chase.   It almost seems a play on a James Bond spy film scene and is even more remarkable in person. 

With rich, vibrant colors and a smokey background, these characters come alive, thanks to Joe Jusko's awesome talent. This is truly a Marvel masterpiece, and we're honored to have in our collection. With this one, we now have 4 Punisher painted cover/portfolio plates including the Zeck / Zimelman Portfolio One plate 2, which later became a cover, the only Michael Golden Painted Punisher cover to Punisher War Journal 40 (also massive in size), the Stroman wraparound cover to Punisher Classic #1 from 1989 and now this one to complete the set!

Jusko has signed art at lower right and added "90" date. Back of board has had surface removed, but this does not affect art. Originally from the Jason Taulbee Collection. This massive piece has an image area of 18" x 25", and the art is in Excellent condition.

Gil Kane and Frank Giacoia The Amazing Spider-Man #101 Morbius 1st Appearance (Historic First Page In Costume as Vampire) Original Art (Marvel, 1971)

Not only is this page from Gil Kane's historic run on Amazing Spider-Man from 1971, this is also Morbius' First ever Page as the Living Vampire, as we see him transforming into his costume for the very first time on the iconic bottom panel. That last panel has also been used for numerous card art and next to the cover is the most recognizable image of Morbius from his first issue. We should also add Morbius is not on the opening splash page, making this his first true page as the Living Vampire!

Morbius' is seen throughout the page fleeing from the ship crew, as they've realized he's at fault for a dead crew member. What's even better on this page are Morbius' thoughts as he's realizing his strength, heightened senses and movements for the first time. He also flashes back from the night before, as a reader we're getting a better sense of his overwhelming guilt and confusion of what he's become... 

"Ah, but when it gets Dark...When it's night...A Night like last night...No! I must not think of that. The memories would drive me mad. It was just a dream. It had to be a bad dream. But-- It was not." - Morbius 3rd and 4th panel.

Then we see him get away, the crew make the fateful mistake of leaving him on board and staying the night on the ship. "Yes...One Last Sleep..." with the full moon upon us, the Living Vampire appears in costume for the first time!

Fun fact, from the first appearance side of things for Spidey's villains, and in this case more on the anti-hero side, there's really not too much that has surfaced. We know ASM #3, first Doc Ock exists, but until it surfaces we'll leave it out. But for now, what has surfacedI is ASM #6 (1st Lizard), ASM #9 (1st Electro), sorry no Green Goblin, or Kraven has surfaced.... So we skip all the way to ASM #41 (1st Rhino), then ASM #50 (1st Kingpin), then ASM #78 (1st Prowler, which we have the first birth Page of the character Hobie Brown from that issue), and then we jump to here, ASM #101 (our subject art), then always in comparison from this era would be ASM #129 (1st Punisher, which also exists). So really as far as key Spidey villain or anti-hero 1st appearances there's only 4 notable characters prior to this one that are known to exist, making it truly special.

Created in ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". The page has editorial notes and light smudges, overall In Excellent condition.

Dale Keown Incredible Hulk #367 Page 4 Hulk Battles The Leader (Keown First Hulk Artwork & 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 Pencils & Inks X-Men Unlimited #9 Title Splash Page 1 Wolverine Claws Out Original Art (Marvel, 2005)

Here's an incredible well rendered page by the legendary Sam Kieth drawing one of his most recognizable characters associated with his work, Wolverine. The wonderfully surreal work of Sam Kieth has made a huge impact on comics. In addition to his work on his own creation The Maxx and his key role in kicking off Neil Gaiman's highly significant series The Sandman, Kieth made quite an impression on Marvel readers in the early 1990s with his work on Wolverine in the anthology Marvel Comics Presents as seen above. He returned to the character a couple of times in the early 21st century, first on the Wolverine/Hulk mini-series in 2002 and then on the story featuring this title page, X-Men Unlimited #9 (2005). The page features multiple vignettes with Wolverine including a 'claws-out' image taking on a dinosaur, plus samurai, wild horses and an outstanding final image of Logan on a motorcycle.

The art has an image area of approximately 10" x 15", signed by Kieth in the lower right. Art is in excellent condition.

Jack Kirby Fantastic Four #3 Page 3 Historic Earliest Fantastic Four / The Thing Panel Page & Marvel Age Original Art Known to Exist! (Marvel, 1961)

From The Earliest Marvel Age Super Hero art to surface and 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!

Jack Kirby Journey Into Mystery #84 Battle Page 10 Historic 1st Thor Meets Jane Panel (1st Jane Foster & 2nd Thor Issue) Rare Large Top Panel 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! 

After further research, it was brought to our attention the top large panel is the largest interior panel from both issues #83 (Thor's 1st appearance) and #84 outside of the chapter title splash pages from both issues (two from issue 83). The large top panel is the equivalent of a near 1/2 splash if it was on standard size 11x17 bristol board. All we can think is Kirby wanted to make this battle page highly impactful and without question he was successful in his execution. Believe it or not, it's not until issue #97 over a year later where there's an equally large interior panel outside of the opening title splash from the Thor title. Making this page not only exceedingly rare, but even more special from Thor's earliest mythos art from The King himself!

The final panel and perhaps the most important, 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.

Adam Kubert Pencils & Inks Weapon X #4 Miniseries Memorable End Double Page Spread 21-22 Original Art (Marvel, 1995)

In a riveting scene setting up the finale of the Age of Apocalypse saga, though this is the 4 part miniseries end, this stunning vertical DPS shows Wolverine, with the help of Gateway, ready to take the fight straight to Apocalypse no matter the cost. Beautiful work from Kubert, handling pencils and inks on this piece, from one of the more memorable X-Men storylines of it's era. Not to mention this is the end of the shocking scene where we learn Logan's lost hand still has the ability to have his bone claws come out! 

An electrifying double-page spread unfolds the high-stakes encounter skillfully rendered to page by Adam Kubert. Usually we saw Dan Green inks through much of the limited series, but all Adam over Adam is a thing of beauty! 

Crafted in ink over graphite on conjoined Bristol boards with a combined image area of 15.75" x 20.5". On the back of each page is written, in Kubert's hand, 'Adam Kubert pencils and inks'. Art is in excellent condition. 

Joe Kubert Sgt Rock #136 Classic "Make Me A Hero" Earliest Known Kubert War Cover Known To Exist Original Art (DC, 1963)

The legendary Joe Kubert spent decades illustrating the gritty adventures of Sgt. Rock and Easy Co., stories that took place in a seemingly endless World War II and published in the pages of DC's Our Army At War (which later changed its name to Sgt. Rock). This 'Twice-up' (large art) cover was published on Our Army At War #136 (1963). It features a full-figured image of Rock firing a machine gun at some enemy soldiers as he attempts to avoid falling through the ice on a frozen body of water. This was the third of four consecutive covers Kubert designed in which the design was divided into three columns, with only the middle column featuring the artwork (with a bit of spill over into the other columns). The two outside columns featured a solid color. Because there are only four covers in the long run that used this unique design, this one is well known to DC war collectors.

Now onto our research, since I thought to look to see if there are any other three column Kubert covers around, and there was nothing. So naturally I looked for earlier war covers by Kubert on all the auction sites, CAF, Google searches and also nothing. I then contacted Charlie Weiss who handles much of the Joe Kubert estate and he concurred he hasn't seen anything earlier as well. We should add DC twice-up covers much like Marvel covers pre-1965 are extremely rare already, this one being from 1963. To put it in perspective, Heritage's earliest Kubert war cover offered was from 1966, three years after this one! Maybe there's earlier Kubert war covers hiding in someone's attic, but for now this looks to be the earliest known example to exist!

The art has an image area of approximately 12.5" x 18.5". The title and Comic Code logo are stats. The center background stat is an art stat aka art over the stat, so the soldiers seen there are original art. Some minor glue staining in center image and paste-ups.The cover is signed by Joe Kubert and is in very good condition, especially considering it's age. 

Harvey Kurtzman Time Magazine "Cop and Radical" Published Illustration Original Art (Time/Life, 1972) 

Kurtzman not only created MAD in 1950, but his work is noted for its satire and parody of popular culture, social critique, and attention to detail. He was also a huge demonstrator of pushing the envelope using his cartoon skills to put messages across in the political circuit. This piece was Kurtzman's only Time Life artwork, in which the radical who was loosely based off a known activist at the time. Despite a "Kill The Pigs" button on her chest, she gets chummy with the cop, though they share distinctive differences, they put them aside during a time to promote peace and love. A beautiful piece showcasing Kurtzman's political satire at that time.

Grey wash and ink illustration on Bristol, with an approximate image area of 3.25" x 5.25", in Excellent condition. Matted to an overall size of 8.75" x 11.25". Comes with a copy of the printed article illustration page. Formerly part of the Kitchen Sink Collection.

Erik Larsen and Mike Machlan The Amazing Spider-Man #331 Cover Scene Splash Page 19 Punisher & Spider-Man Team-Up Original Art (Marvel, 1990)

Here was one at the top of my list for a while now, an Erik Larsen ASM Spidey page and teaming up with the Punisher was a huge bonus! On this page we have Spidey swinging & The Punisher (Frank Castle) stands atop a pile of destroyed robot parts as he joins our favorite webhead in pursuit of the world's largest stash of drugs at a U.S. Military Academy. A great splash & cover scene image of the duo just before one of the robots gets a shot in on the Punisher on this action-packed page by Image co-founder Erik Larsen. A rare offering, as pre-1991 Larsen originals are hard to find since a house fire destroyed all of the art still in his possession. 

Ink and screentone over graphite and blue pencil on Marvel Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15.75". Signed by Larsen at the bottom right. Slight toning, pinholes in the margins, yellowing of the shading film, discolored page number paste-up and small spot stain at the bottom, with light smudging and handling wear; otherwise, in Excellent condition. 

Jim Lee & Art Thibert X-Men #7 Page 31 Wolverine Weapon X Story (Death of Dr. Cornelius) & Climactic End Page to Mutant Genesis Story Arc 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.

The 1991 relaunch of the X-Men title with a new #1 was an event of epic proportion with the first issue selling an estimated eight million copies, an all-time record for the industry and one that is likely to never be broken. This is an outstanding example of Lee's work on what was simply the most popular comic book run of all time, with each issue selling over one million copies. Lee left the title after #11 to start Image Comics and his Wildstorm Studio. 

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 and Scott Williams Superman #214 Superman vs General Zod Classic Cover From The Acclaimed "For Tomorrow" Story Arc Original Art (DC, 2004)

After Jim Lee's incredibly successful Hush story Arc in 2003, he was brought in to do the art for the acclaimed Superman "For Tomorrow" storyline in 2004, showcasing some of his best art from this era. Here is a modern masterpiece featuring the Man of Steel in his most heroic form vs one of his greatest foes, General Zod in this breath-taking cover image. This has got to be one of the best Superman covers from the acclaimed run, with a powerful design by Jim Lee and crisp, clear inking by Scott Williams. 

The striking cover image was created in ink over graphite on bright white DC Bristol board with an image area of 10.5" x 15.5". Signed by both artists in the lower portion of the image area. In Excellent condition.

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.” 

Jim Lee and Scott Williams 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 Hush Battle scene in Batman #619, similar to our page from the issue above. 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 and Scott Williams 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 and Scott Williams Batman Hush '20th Anniversary' Half Splash Page 4 "Hush Surfaces From The Gotham River" (DC, 2022)

Hush 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 a nicely detailed rocky Gotham cityscape 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 and Scott Williams Batman Hush '20th Anniversary' End 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, concluding Volume 1 by Jim Lee and Scott Williams in our personal collection. With that said, and newly added to our collection are the 4 page complete story of Hush Volume 2, 'The Promise'...

Jim Lee and Scott Williams Batman Hush 2 Prelude "The Promise" Page 1  (DC, 2024)

Let's pickup right where we left off with the Hush Vol. 1 finale pages above, with the "Hush Prelude" 4 page complete story as seen here with page 1. On this one let's start with ComicBook.com's article focused on this 4 Page Story praisiong  only the art, but the cryptic messaging throughout...

From ComicBook.com-

"Justice League Unlimited #1 is a must-read for DC fans, and its Hush 2 preview is the icing on an already delicious cake. This four-page preview reintroduces readers to the character and makes a change to Hush – a new costume. On top of that, he looks to be preparing a list of targets, going through the members of the Batman family in his hideout. This whole thing is extremely cryptic, perfectly replicating the feel of the original story, but looking closer can reveal some hints as to what Hush’s opening salvos of revenge are going to be." 

The new story begins with a bang showing Batman and his closest allies as chess characters on a board. A striking image of Hush is revealed on panel 2 as he begins to move the chess cardboard cutouts as we begin to learn of his new targets. Throughout the preview, Hush quotes Aristotle, speaking about what tyrants do and looking at different game pieces, each one representing a member of the Batman family. On thifirst page, he first picks up Batman’s piece, then moves on. He picks up Huntress and Red Hood, knocks over Alfred, and then moves Catwoman. The background detail is off the charts, as well as the watered down inks (ink wash) for the chess players, setting up an incredible scene in the following pages...

Jim Lee and Scott Williams Batman Hush 2 Prelude "The Promise" Incredible DPS Title Pages 3-4 Featuring Batman's Heroes and Villains (DC, 2024)

Which leads us to quite possibly one of, if not the most detailed DPS illustration I've witnessed from the all-star art team of Jim Lee and Scott Williams. Not to mention, this may be the most character driven Batman related published piece with over 20+ characters, especially Hush related that Jim has ever done. The only other Batman Hush related piece that comes to mind is the Batman 619 Gatefold covers, one for the heroes and the other cover for the villains, thus it wasn't one image, but two separate covers. We should also add the hero cover sold for a Jim Lee auction record of $500k+ in 2022!

In this case, previewing the Hush "The Promise", every hero and villain related to the upcoming story is featured here on this DPS! Also including a new villain named "Silence" (Upper right), and if you can't find the Clown Prince himself, it's only due to Hush stabbing his picture on the lower right. Look closely, the rogue gallery, including the heroes are all there with the exception of one villain from Hush Vol 1,  Ra's Al Ghul, but this time Talia is present. On this DPS we also get a clearer understanding that Hush is controlling the pawns on the board who are all all attached to a string, which gives us the feeling that he's pulling the strings in this case. Though Jim could've easily had used stat images from the previous pages or work, believe it or not,  this is all hand drawn art by both Jim and Scott. 

The other interesting thing is Hush's new costume, revealed here for the first time. Hush's look is more sleek, more refined then before, with the old withered trench coat and bandages around him more tight and calculated as the mask. He also has an "H" around the belt, a fitted latex/rubber suit with an over the strap ammunition holder, ready for battle. There you have it, the pages that ended Batman Hush Volume 1, to the pages that start the much anticipated Volume 2 of Batman Hush, 'The Promise'.

This incredible DPS is on two boards (22x34) taped together from the back, signed by the art team of Jim Lee and Scott Williams in the lower margin and is in excellent condition. 

Ron Lim Silver Surfer #34 Page 21 Thanos Resurrection Issue (Thanos First Dialogue & First Silver Surfer Encounter Page) 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! 

Ron Lim Thanos Quest #1 Battle Page 28 Thanos vs The Champion To Acquire The Power Gem (Thanos/Champion 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.

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 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 Infinity Gems origin! 

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

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 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 finale scene to the six issue series...

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. 

Joe Madureira and John Dell The Uncanny X-Men #336 Double Page Spread 5-6 Apocalypse Original Art (Marvel, 1996)

Here's a tough one to find , a Joe Mad X-Men page from his run in the mid- 90's! Apocalypse joins the Watcher in observing the chaos erupting in New York City during the coming of Onslaught! An epic double-pager from Phase 2 of the "Onslaught" event storyline, which led into "Heroes Reborn". 

Ink over graphite on two conjoined Marvel Bristol boards with a combined image area of 20.25" x 15.75". Held together by tape on the back tape on the top edge, marginal notes, whiteout touch-ups, with light handling wear. Signed by Madureira in the bottom image area and in Excellent condition.

Todd McFarlane and Fred Fredericks The Incredible Hulk #332 Intelligent Gray Hulk (Bruce Banner) vs Green Hulk (Rick Jones) Plus The Leader Battle Page 20 Original Art (Marvel, 1987)

Todd McFarlane was in the early days of his now legendary tenure at Marvel when he illustrated this action-packed page from Incredible Hulk #332 (1987) featuring the Bruce Banner Intelligent Gray Hulk in only his 2nd appearance battling the Rick Jones Green Hulk. Also appearing here is the Hulk's #1 enemy, the Leader (Samuel Sterns), shown in his non-Gamma irradiated form. The artwork is packed with extensive detail and features a great final panel with the two Hulks engaged in fisticuffs.

McFarlane had taken over as the penciler on Incredible Hulk just two issues previously, #330 and writer Peter David had just begun his incredible 12-year run in #331. Rick Jones of course made his debut way back in Incredible Hulk #1 (1962) as the teenager who caused the incident that led to Bruce Banner being exposed to gamma radiation and becoming the Hulk. 25 years later, Jones was turned into a new version of the Hulk that is shown in this scene. McFarlane is inked here by Fred Fredericks, a veteran artist at the time known for work on the comic strips Mandrake the Magician and The Phantom.

McFarlane would continue to evolve his style during his year and a half on Incredible Hulk. This led to the young artist taking over Amazing Spider-Man, where he would make comic book history as one of the most innovative and beloved talents of his generation.

Early McFarlane art created in ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight toning, trimmed top edge, text paste-ups, tape and abrasions on the top and bottom edges, ink fading, with light staining and handling wear. Signed by Fredericks in the bottom margin and in Very Good condition.

Todd McFarlane Spider-Man #7 Key Semi-Splash Cover Scene Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and Hobgoblin Rare Twice-Up Page 11 Original Art (Marvel, 1991)

From one of my all time favorite McSpidey issues, Spider-Man #7, the classic Spider-Man and Ghost Rider team up issue as they battle a demon-possessed Hobgoblin (Jason Macendale) in a desperate attempt to prevent the madman from transforming a young boy, Adam Wright, into a demon as well. Check out this crazy detailed rendering by Mcfarlane with an ideal splash image of Spider-Man fully contorted, possessed Ghost Rider and a haunting Hob Goblin on the top panel., which also happens to be the cover scene (identical Spidey contorting pose, see comparison pic in our gallery collage at the top of the page).

This story page, from the first year of Todd McFarlane's celebrated run as writer and artist on his own Spidey title, is rendered in ink over graphite on Marvel Comics Bristol board with a rare McSpidey twice-up image area of 11.75" x 17.75". The artwork displays some smudging and corner/edge wear and includes a printed color proof. Signed by McFarlane in metallic bronze ink at the top right, and in Excellent condition.

Dave McKean "The Last Sandman Story" Splash Page 13 From Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers Original Art (DC/Vertigo, 1997)

This is Dave McKean's depiction of Dream of the Endless from page 13 of "The Last Sandman Story", a work written by Neil Gaiman and published in 1997. Following the completion of the original 75-issue series The Sandman in 1996, DC/Vertigo published Dust Covers: The Collected Sandman Covers 1989-1997 which collected all of Dave McKean's incredible collage covers from the historic series written by Neil Gaiman including the core series #1-75 and the various specials and collected editions. However, Dust Covers not only collects all of McKean's Sandman covers from The Sandman, but the book also begins with "The Last Sandman Story," a new story written by Gaiman and drawn by McKean that is promoted on the book's cover. "The Last Sandman Story" is a prose story with illustrations by McKean. It's about Gaiman's relationship with The Sandman series and the character of Dream. Gaiman and McKean had agreed that this story should be "Something that had the kind of look that was of a piece with the covers." So, for the first time in the history of The Sandman, the artwork maintains the style of the cover art. They had also agreed the story should have "More prose than comics - one or two illustrations to a page."

"The Last Sandman Story" has been reprinted on a few occasions including Absolute Sandman Vol.5, The Sandman Deluxe Edition Book Five, and the 2022 Black Label Edition of The Sandman Book Four.

While in 1997, Gaiman may have intended this story to truly be the last Sandman story, in the 25+ years since it was published, Gaiman and other creators (with his blessing) have produced several additional stories featuring Dream and his unique family.

This original artwork is executed in black and blue ink on bristol board. The art has an image area of approximately 8" x 9". It is signed by Dave McKean. Note: Yellow tape stain in the bottom right corner.

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