The Holy Grail Original Art Private Collection
Joe Shuster Historic Beginnings of Superman Character Study Original Art (c.1937-1938)
It's only fitting to start our collection off with comics first superhero, Superman! This represents one of the earliest Superman original art pieces ever, a detailed figure study by Creator Joe Shuster. This piece was found in a hidden space behind a false wall in a newly purchased home. After much research we believe this incredible art relic is from the Beginnings of Superman, pre-Action #1 as a working study, the only such art known to exist from this period.
Originally sold by Metropolis / ComicConnect years ago, accompanied by a Metropolis/ComicConnect COA. Image on 10.75"x12" brown paper mounted on heavy black board. Signed by Shuster.
Click on the image to see our page dedicated to this very early art and the history of the first superhero character, Superman! ----->
Click the Image to read our blog on this Incredible Early Superman Art by Creator Joe Shuster!
H.G. Peter Wonder Woman Co-Creator Rare Wonder Woman #31 Published Early Golden Age Original Art
Illustrated by Wonder Woman's co-creator H.G. Peter (1880-1958). Very little H. G. Peter original art is known to exist, despite the fact that the artist and co-creator drew Wonder Woman for more than 15 years. This is an extremely rare full page by H.G. Peter originally slated for Wonder Woman #31 (1948), though unpublished at the time it was published later in a 'Then & Now' backup story in Wonder Woman #196 in 1971. A completed Wonder Woman original art page is beyond exceedingly rare, as there are only a handful of full pages that are known to exist. This page is the second earliest story to surface, as one page from Wonder Woman #28 is known to exist. And I should add this full page is exquisite featuring the three entire tiers of Wonder Woman saving the day and Captain Trevor on the lower two panels.
It appears likely that art is among the Golden Age original art that was saved from oblivion by DC interns during the 1960’s. Story goes, like many other unpublished stories, it lay in DC's storeroom for many years. Sometime in the 1960s, some DC interns were asked to cut up these old stories and put them in the trash. The dutiful comic-fan interns followed the letter if not the intent of the order. They cut each page between tiers and put it in a trash can, which they returned to later and cleaned out before the trash pick-up came around. That is all that rescued this and other examples of fantastic late Golden Age material. This page, along with a handful of others looked to be kept in tact or rescued prior to completely cutting apart and lost forever.
Ink over graphite on Bristol board with a large image area of 13" x 17.75". Cut into three tiers that are taped together on the back. Typical handling wear. Very Good condition. From the Ethan Roberts Estate Collection.
Joe Simon - Captain America / Sentinels of Liberty Ad Illustration Original Art (Marvel/Timely, c. 1939-40)
Here is a truly Historic piece of Captain America and Marvel history from the beginnings of Captain America c. 1939-40. Joe Simon has previously examined this piece and verified that it is his artwork and lettering, and said "It must have been done in 1939" in a direct email to Joe Mannarino (collector/dealer) in 2004, suggesting this was one of the very first ad renderings for Captain America. Simon stated that he did this same piece several times and different versions, one of which showed up in Captain America Comics #1, which hit newsstands in late 1940 and would also suggest he did these ads as early as mentioned above in 1939 into 1940 prior to Cap's first appearance in Captain America #1! This ad art is nearly identical to the ad that ran in All-Winners Comics #1, Captain America Comics #5, and USA Comics #1 all published in 1941.
Created in ink on Bristol board, personalized and signed by Joe Simon just below the 7.5" x 6" image area. After winning the item via Heritage Auctions, I decided to have it removed from the frame for a closer inspection. My Heritage rep who is an original art expert, went a step further, personally examined the piece and discovered it’s on thick artist board. He looked at the line work and the detail in the art to find it as mentioned above, nearly identical to the printed version, but with some slight variations. One big missing piece is the shield, but the straps are present. Prior to the co-creator Simon statement above we already thought this may be the preliminary ad piece or the art was more than likely an ad to be printed in another comic or magazine for USO propaganda purposes. The paper is consistent for the era as well as the blue editor pencil notation on the right corner. After his examination, my rep discovered a misplaced letter documenting the ownership of this piece as well as an original xerox copy of the art showing "4/18/43" post auction. The artist board is toned and soiled in spots, also consistent for the era. We believe the blue pencil "4/18/43" date in the right corner was from the date it was returned or filed / marked by the publisher, or was added later by an unknown hand.
This piece was not only was examined thoroughly by Heritage Auctions experts, but also has great provenance with the inscription from Joe Simon to "Vince", being Vince Oliva, one of the largest collectors in the medium who received this piece and letter from European collector Gerry Langley, who detailed the earlier ownership including the email correspondence with Joe & Nadia Mannarino of All-Star Auctions at the time verifying the piece with Co-Creator, Joe Simon himself. Vince later had Joe sign it and personalize it in 2004.
This early Captain America ad art is perhaps the earliest known period pieces intended to be published, "a working" piece of Captain America from the Golden Age. The only other known art of Cap this early are the Simon concept sketch from 1939 in the Library of Congress and Joe Mannarino's concept costume change from early 1941 after issue #1, both being concept pieces not intended to be published. Published or not, we would argue this is one of the most historically significant early Captain America pieces by his co-creator to exist in the comic art medium.
Jean Giraud (Moebius) Blueberry Fort Navajo #1 Blueberry 1st Appearance Historic Opening Scene Battle Earliest Blueberry Page Known To Exist 1/2 Tier Page 3A Original Art (Pilote 211, 1963)
This key page dates from the very first major creative endeavor that the artist Jean Giraud (1938-2012), later known to many readers as Moebius, took on as an artist in his own right, having recently emerged from an apprenticeship with the great Belgian creator Joseph "Jije" Gillain. Blueberry was foundational to Giraud's emergence as one of the most popular and esteemed artists of the Franco-Belgian bandes dessinees tradition and the collected stories are considered one of the great achievements in the world of international comics. This example comes from the very first story and opening scene featuring Blueberry (1st Appearance), known as Fort Navajo. It has Blueberry himself drawing a gun for the very 1st time and meeting Lt. Craig another key member in the story and series. It is an outstanding example from this key entry in the career of one of the most storied creators in the history of comics.
Furthermore, according to the below page at time of auction, which was a later Pilote issue, though Collected from the same 1st story, this is the earliest Blueberry page from his 1st appearance known to exist! There's a lot of firsts on this half tier page- 1st battle scene, 1st page meeting the other Star of the series Lt. Craig and of course both of their 1st appearances from this European landmark series!
The only other page from this landmark issue that's been offered at auction was via Heritage in 2021 from a few pages later where it sold for $37,500!
This Museum quality page is Ink on Bristol paper with an image area of 11.5" x 8", half tier. Traces of tape residues in the margins. Signed 'Gir'. In Very Good condition.
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.
Dan Jurgens, Butch Guice, & Tom Grummet Pencils Death of Superman & Funeral For A Friend Original Art (DC, 1992/1993)
Ahhh The Death of Superman saga. Quite possibly the largest event to take place in my childhood in the early ‘90’s as I remember my mom and I driving to literally 10 comic book stores in the SF area with no luck, and went across the bridge to Berkeley where she was able to pay a whopping $20 to get the poly bag version the night it came out. This whole storyline and pages to follow certainly bring back nostalgia!
This page represents our earliest Death of Superman page and a more important one’s 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 (shown top left).
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. For the first time, the group is questioning Doomsday’s power and have already categorized him as a “being”, almost non-human at this point. We should add, Bloodwynd aka Martian Manhunter does end up surviving the attack, and the onslaught continues, reports come in and Superman to the rescue!
Our "Grail" page from this saga comes from Chapter 5 with an all out battle page between Doomsday & Superman while Lois watches from above concerned for the first time. If that's not enough, we have a 1/2 splash page where we see all the heroes mourning their follow comrade and an illustration of Superman in heroic form for the first time following his death in the Funeral for a Friend arc by Jurgens! Take a look at the link below to view the pages, which tell a story of one of the most important story-lines in the recent era.
Jim Aparo “Knightfall Part 15” Issue Following The Broken Bat Batman #498 Bane Splash “Gotham Is Mine!” | Historic Azrael Debut as Batman | Enter Catwoman 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…
PG 12- 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.
PG 16- 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!” 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! Pencils and Inks were done by legendary Batman artist Jim Aparo! Ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". In Excellent condition.
PG 21- With our previous page from this story arc having Bruce make the decision for Jean Paul Valley aka Azrael to take over the Bat Mantle, here is the very first page in which he dons the Bat suit! Of course later in issue #500 Azbats new suit is revealed, where he later 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!
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Michaelangelo Concept Drawing by Co-Creator Kevin Eastman 1984 (Birth Year) Published In Eastman's Artobiography
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' art 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!
Check out our other Eastman TMNT piece, which happens to be the first published Casey Jones art before Raphael #1 from 1985!
Jim Steranko Pencils Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 Page 15 Original Art (Marvel, 1968)
A published Nick Fury Steranko, what more is there to say? This was the artist near the top of my list that eluded me when going after the right published piece without breaking the bank. Granted Albert offered me a couple of his Steranko pieces, which were amazing but were well into the six figures, which I couldn't justify at the time. This one seemed to have it all, Fury all over the page battling a dinosaur in different contorting positions, swimming and getting sucked into quicksand. Mind you a couple of pages later this dinosaur and King Kong go head to head in classic Steranko fashion!
Page Details- Marvel top-spy, Nick Fury, is on the scene as the story "So Shall Ye Reap... Death!" There are very few Steranko S.H.I.E.L.D. pages on the collector's market, and even fewer featuring Fury in action in nearly ever panel! Nick Fury is knocked out of the Heli-Carrier, faces a ferocious monster, then ends up on a volcanic island! All on this page from "So Shall Ye Reap... Death". It's intrigue and action starring secret agent Fury of which Steranko would become most well-known for during his stay at Marvel Comics. Steranko's run on this book changed the game for this character and helped usher in the beginnings of what would become the big bold Bronze Age of Marvel Comics.
From CBR (2012) - Greatest Comic of All Time | Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. #2:
“It's a sci-fi comic, with the evolution of all life of Earth recapped in four panels before a fifth brings us into the future with a terrifying doomsday scenario. And it's an old-school jungle action comic, as, I swear to God, King Kong and dinosaurs end up saving the day when the efforts of our heroes prove futile. Of course, it's an underground comic and it's an experimental comic throughout as well, with Steranko's vacuum-packed psychedelic spreads matching any of the West Coast's Zap Comix crew for sheer immensity of vision (occasionally presaging the great Rob Liefeld in their overwhelming lust for filling space with line), his layouts constantly moving from one previously unseen form to the next, chopping tiers of panels to ribbons before breaking free with full-page vistas of destruction. There isn't really a succinct way to adequately describe S.H.I.E.L.D. #2 -- rather than sum it up, one can only look at its pictures and catalog its vast array of different parts. In the end, as with every Steranko comic, those parts don't add up to a whole greater than their sum, but it's impossible not to be taken in by the sheer creative energy powering a cartoonist willing to try so much, and at such a dizzying pace. Whole careers in comics have showed less range than Steranko does in these 20 pages.”
This fantastic page was created in Ink over graphite on Bristol board with an image area of 10" X 15". Light overall toning, marginal production hole punches, with smudging. In Excellent condition.
Neal Adams Pencils & Inks Brave & The Bold #85 PG 21 Original Art Key PG & 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 Lee 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 & Art Thibert X-Men #7 Page 31 Wolverine Finale Page to Mutant Genesis Saga (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.
Jack Kirby Fantastic Four #3 Original Art 1961- Earliest Superhero Marvel Age Art Known to Exist!
***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 the Image ------>
Click the image above to read About The Fantastic Four Beginnings & Earliest Marvel Age Art!
The Incredible Hulk #3 (Kirby, Earliest Hulk Art to Exist!) -- #6 (Ditko, Final Issue Art) 1962
Here we have the earliest Hulk Art in existence with page 19 from Issue #3 (issue's 1 & 2 art does not exist) Pencils by Co-Creator Jack Kirby and the last art of the first series by Steve Ditko, as we see both takes of the Green Monster by each legend! Quite possibly the only collection to have a page from both issue #3, being the earliest Hulk Art, and issue #6, representing the last original art from the first run. Talk about truly historic set of 2 pages by Kirby/Ditko in Twice-Up scale featuring the Beginnings of Hulk!
Please click on the image to see our page dedicated to this very early Hulk art and history of the Green Monster, "Beginnings of Hulk"! ----->
Click The Above Image To Read About The History of Hulk & The Early Subject Art Above by Kirby/Ditko
Jack Kirby Journey Into Mystery 84 (1962) Historic Page “Thor Meets Jane” 1st Jane Foster / 2nd Thor
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.
Read More about this Sublime Original Art Page and The Beginnings of Thor by clicking the image ----->
Read More about this early Original Art Page and The Beginnings of Thor by clicking the image Above
Fantastic Four Annual #1 Historic Birth Page Spider-Man Meets The Human Torch By Kirby/Ditko
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 the image link...
Click The Above Image To Read About This Historic Art Page & The Beginnings of Spider-Man!
Don Heck Tales of Suspense #42 2nd Earliest Iron Man Original Art Story To Surface! (1962)
Iron Mans 2nd 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 image... ------------------>
Click The Above Image To Read about this page and "The Beginnings of Iron Man"...
Amazing Spider-Man #75 Iconic Battle Scene & Prime Era John Romita Original Art (1969)
Spider-Man battles the Maggia enforcer known as Man Mountain Marko in the well remembered classic story titled "Death Without Warning!" in four large panels on this original artwork page from Amazing Spider-Man #75 (1969). It's the work of the legendary John Romita, and Jim Mooney, who many consider the best inker of Spider-Man of this era, as Mooney's inks are so incredibly detailed. Romita's work on Spider-Man from the late Silver Age is among the most revered by original art collectors. This is an excellent example of his prime era work featuring a Great Spider-Man battle scene, including three full-body images of the world's most popular superhero in motion. In the Amazing final panel we hear an unseen character exclaiming that he's getting younger. This was Marko's elderly mob boss, Silvermane, after he has taken a potion that de-ages him. In a memorable scene in this story featuring this page, Silvermane de-ages past infancy and ceases to exist! Absolutely great content from a classic story and some of the best action art panels in the book! This page and issue #75's art is featured in John Romita's Amazing Spider-Man Artist's Edition.
John Romita, along with Spider-Man co-creator Steve Ditko, is considered one of the two most important artists to ever work on Spider-Man, the #1 Marvel character now for over five decades. Romita famously took over the Amazing Spider-Man title with 1966's issue #39, providing Spider-Man and Peter Parker with a fresh, more optimistic look that vaulted the character to a new level of popularity, assuring that Spidey would become arguably the biggest character in the history of the industry. Amazing Spider-Man is by far the most collected title in the hobby and Romita is a big part of the reason for that. Romita, who is now 92, is retired from comic books.
This art has an image area of approximately 10" x 15", an approximate 1" tear is located in the upper right corner. Minor staining is present in panels 2, 3, and 4. Opaque white is utilized in all four panels to make minor to moderate corrections. An approximate 3.5" piece of tape has been affixed to the board and slightly enters the art area in panel 4. This tape is less than 0.5".
To compliment this piece, we have another key Spider-Man issue below, just a few issues later featuring The Prowler's first panel page appearance, and this time art by John Buscema and Jim Mooney...
John Buscema Amazing Spider-Man #78 Half Splash First Prowler Panel Page Original Art (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 image 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 the next splash from the opening title page 1. Silver Age “Amazing Spider-Man” art pages such as this are exceedingly rare, especially a Silver Age pre-100 key first appearance issue. Interesting note, to date, from all auction results, comic art fans etc this is the one and only Prowler first appearance original Art page that has ever surfaced! The page was created by Jim Mooney from John Buscema's layouts. 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 the image to view the Article About The Spider-Steve Collection Featuring This Piece!
Barry Windsor-Smith Pre-Conan #1 Historic First Conan Concept Drawing Original Art 1969/70
Barry Windsor Smith - Conan #1, First Conceptual Drawing (Marvel, 1969/1970)...
Barry Windsor Smith has risen in the ranks of the medium's elite artists, and Conan the Barbarian was his vehicle to stardom. This is a very early conceptual piece. We have electronic confirmation by both co-creators (Barry Smith Studio and Roy Thomas) this is Conan’s concept drawing, which essentially launched the Bronze Age of comics in 1970. In 2005 Alex Bialy, Windsor Smith’s studio assistant confirmed the piece being a test drawing circa 1970 for Conan #1. Just recently (2021), Roy Thomas, co-creator of Conan and former Editor in Chief of Marvel verified the story of the piece being 1 of 2 known Conan concept pieces from 1969/1970. The other known piece is believed to be a prelim for this piece, or perhaps was done right after this piece based on the notes of the backside of this drawing. The other drawing was not as robust or refined, or a finished image as this one, it was a loose pencil sketch. Though the pose is strikingly similar and the serpent headpiece was also present on the other drawing, this was the only time we saw the serpent crown drawn on Conan per Roy Thomas.
What makes this piece even more interesting is the backside, which has the serpent crown concept pitch and notes to Roy Thomas. Windsor Smith comments “I’ll find reference for a particular snake when we start”. “When we start” is undoubtedly reference to starting Conan #1 and the many notes on the backside of the image are continual plays to Thomas of advancing the character with this very image. Making this piece either the very first Conan concept drawing, or certainly the first intended Conan published drawing, which was most likely submitted for editorial review during the developmental stages of the character. Roy Thomas believed this drawing in his own words was done by Windsor Smith in late 1969 or early January 1970.
The drawing of Conan itself is quite dynamic and is a finished figure. A pulse-pounding portrait of Conan, the Cimmerian -- the brawling barbarian has his sword drawn, and stands ready to crush his enemies, see them driven before him, and hear the lamentation of their women. Signed Barry Smith below the figure, also annotated in pencil are the words "Inks by Rich Buckler". Roy Thomas believes he had a hand in having Rich Buckler ink the piece and makes mention of it. The background texture was left un-inked and part of it was erased to give more contrast to the figure, to separate it visually from the patterned background.
The image area of this work measures approximately 8.5" x 11", and there are a few touches of white-out; otherwise the art is in Excellent condition. professionally matted and framed. Truly a historical piece by the legend Barry Windsor Smith, and this very image marks the start of the Bronze Age of comics!
Mike Mignola Hellboy: First 20 Years Frontispiece & Art Print / A Year of Monsters Cover (c. 2013)
Not 1 but 2 iconic Hellboy original art pieces by his creator Mike Mignola!
First piece to the left- 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.
Second piece to the right- 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.
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.
Transformers #1 Historic 1st Autobots/Decepticons (Bumblebee/Megatron) Frank Springer Original Art
Some events in history are so incredible, that they’ve gone down in legend—epic tales of epic heroes and villains. Transformers #1 is one of those epic storylines and iconic in it’s origin and place in history.
Transformers; Today's household name and storied franchise, nearly 40 years later after its inception, before the first cartoon, and toyline, came the comic book. Though it’s widely suggested both the cartoon and comic went into production right around the same time, the comic came first, including the Autobots and Decepticons origin and the names Optimus, Bumblebee, Megatron, Starscream and others actually came from the editors of the comic series at Marvel. We won’t give you a long drawn out history lesson on the robots in disguise here, but we will now get into our subject piece the original art from the historic Transformers #1.
What we’ve established already above and what makes any original art page form Transformers #1 truly special, is that it predates anything Transformers related! The art is seemingly incredibly rare as there have only been 3 pages seen from internet scans (includes this page), the other 2 coming from Comicartfans private collections. To put this in context, Heritage has only offered a Transformers #2 page, which sold in 2022 for over $10k. For that matter, Comiclink and Comicconnect have never offered a Transformers #1 original art page along with Heritage making this exceedingly rare to come to market. I would argue every art page from this issue would have its own importance, but let’s talk about the significance of our story page 19. First off, you’ll see all five Autobots as “robots in disguise” for the very first time on Earth, this also marks their first mission on Earth.
As a recap, the first few pages of this book outline the origin and struggle of the Autobots and Deceptions on Cybertron, when they crash on Earth avoiding a meteor explosion. While laying dormant for millions of years in a mountain on Earth, it’s only after a volcano explosion they awaken. Optimus sends out the 5 autobots on a recon mission to see what’s on the planet and to learn more about the earthlings. Now back to out subject art, page 19…
You’ll see the Autobots, more specifically Bumblebee in only his second page as Bumblebee, the infamous VW Bug, confused why the earthlings are at a drive-in theatre to watch what he calls a “ritual”. The most fascinating take at this point is the Autobots think the earthlings are the vehicles / machines they see in relation to them, but will soon find out the people in the vehicles are the earthlings. So this page is the autobots first visual encounter with the earthlings and draws more questions. This scene being the autobots first time out on Earth, has the Decepticons watching the autobots moves from above, where Laserbeak reports back to Magatron with concern they’re gaining attempting to gain allies with the earthlings. On the last panel, in historic fashion, this page is the climactic point before the first transformers battle on Earth. More importantly, it marks the first time Megatron declares war on Earth and instructs his Decepticons, to destroy the Autobots!
There may be no battle or action on the page, but the content is truly epic! Not only do we have fan favorite Bumblebee in his opening scene, but a First Appearance page featuring additional Autobots Cliffjumper, Brawn, Prowl, and Hound, and their first view of “earthlings”, but also the Decepticons including Megatron and Starscream proclaiming war on the Autobots for the first time on Earth! Transformers #1 1984 page 19 Frank Springer Pencils Kim DeMulder Inks. 16 1/2" x 11" on Bristol Board. one word balloon in the last panel is missing.
Todd Mcfarlane Pencils & Inks Amazing Spider-Man #323 1/2 Splash Message to MJ Key Page! (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!
Frank Miller Pencils & Inks Elektra Lives Again Graphic Novel Original Art (1990) Half Splash Key Battle Scene! (Marvel/Epic, 1990)
This is a stunning piece by Miller from his Elektra graphic novel. This page is from the classic sequence depicting Elektra fighting a horde of ninjas in a cemetery. The movement and energy on display is staggering, truly the work of a genius at the top of his game. This very page was actually used as promotional material as seen on the cover of “Entertainment This Month #15”, and quite possibly other publications of the era. This scene is so memorable, as the page before this one, closely similar, was used as the promotional poster for the book.
Miller's artwork in this book is considered by many as the best of his career, which is saying something. This prime era Miller art was done in between his acclaimed Dark Knight saga and a year before his Sin City work.
Pen and ink on vellum. Art is in excellent condition, there is a light horizontal stain about halfway up the page, this is the result of the previous page having been torn in half by Miller and taped back together with carpet tape which bled through into several of the pages underneath. Large Art, image size 12" x 16".
Barry Windsor-Smith Marvel Comics Presents #76 2/3 End Splash Page Logan's Claws Pop Wolverine/Weapon X Story Original Art (Marvel, 1991)
Logan's claws pop unconsciously while sedated on this 2/3 Splash page. When Dr. Cornelius, Professor Thornton, and Carol Hines observe the viewscreen, they see the reason why! This iconic scene marks only the second scene in which Logan's claws pop from his origin story, the first time was at the end of issue #74 into #75. A truly historic page with every panel featuring a reaction to each claw popping out until we see the screen on the splash panel.
The shocking final page of "Weapon X: Chapter Four" from the storyline that defined Wolverine's mysterious origins and how he came to be one of the deadliest mutants. Barry Windsor-Smith's art is beloved by fans and peers alike, with his work always in high demand, especially the rarely offered pages featuring Weapon-X.
Created in ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Signed by BWS in the bottom margin and on the back. Slight toning, marginal notes, tape on the back top edge, text paste-up in Panel 4, with light handling wear; otherwise, in Excellent condition.
Jim Lee Action Comics #1 Variant Cover Original Art Historic New 52 Launch! (DC, 2011)
When you think of Jim Lee’s incredible body of work now spanning over 35+ years, there’s quite a it to look at, but one could argue his New 52 art was some of his greatest art to date. While some would say The New 52 overall failed lasting only 5 years, others like myself would say it was a huge risk and overall a success. I believe in years and decades to come we’ll look back at The New 52 as one of the most revolutionary eras 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.
Sam Kieth and Dwayne Turner 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. Pencil and ink on oversized twice-up board 13x19, image size 10x15. Art is in excellent condition.
Kelley Jones Red Rain II (Bloodstorm) Diamond Preview Cover (Advance Comics #71) Original Art (Diamond/DC 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.
Frank Frazetta- Robert E. Howard Lone Star Fictioneer #4 Back Cover, (Spring 1976) Conan Pen & Ink Peak Period Original Art (c. 1970's)
The legendary Frank Frazetta illustrated this image of one of his signature characters, Robert E. Howard's Conan, with the world famous barbarian holding a shield in one hand and a battle axe in the other. This work is circa 1970's and was published as the Back Cover to Robert E. Howard's Lone Star Fictioneer #4, Spring 1976. Two years ago, Conan celebrated the 90th Anniversary of his first appearance in a 1932 issue of the Weird Tales pulp magazine. Along the way, he's been illustrated by a significant number of top artists, with the legendary master of fantasy art, Frank Frazetta leading the way. It was Frazetta's masterful Conan cover paintings created for the Lancer line of paperback books starting in 1966 that exposed a new generation of fans to Howard's long-lost pulp stories. Not only did Frazetta establish the design of Conan for the new era, but he created a new way of depicting the overall fantasy genre that inspired so many other great artists along the way. Frazetta's cover paintings captured the attention of Marvel's Roy Thomas, who became a big fan of Howard's stories and brought Conan to Marvel Comics as a licensed property starting in 1970. Conan has gone on to appear in over 1,000 comic books published over the past 50+ years, as well as in some high profile movies and video games.
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, this drawing is a highlight of any collection, an original Frazetta Conan! Previously held in the collection of Frazetta's manager for years, Rob Pistella! A highly coveted original Frank Frazetta drawing, this piece by the artist is in Very Good condition. Signed on the lower right, c. 1970's during Frazetta’s peak period. The art has an image area of approximately 8" x 8" in a 20.5" x 18.5" frame.
Ron Lim Thanos Quest #1 & #2 All Six Scenes Thanos Acquiring Each Gem From The Elders (Soul, Power, Time, Space, Reality & Mind Gems) To Complete The Infinity Gauntlet (Marvel, 1990)
Ron Lim (pencils) and John Beatty (inks) collaborated on these incredibly important 'Twice-up' pages from 1990s's Thanos Quest #1 & #2 (miniseries). 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. I should add before we get into the actual pages (scenes), this was a daunting task to acquire the right pages in our mind, to not only have each Elder on the page, but with Thanos too, with either great action and (or) great content.
Thanos Quest 1 we start with a page with Thanos and the In-Betweener to acquire the Soul Gem. Next, we have Thanos vs The Champion to acquire the Power Gem. Lastly, from issue 1, we have Thanos attempting to acquire the Time Gem from The Gardener in a more peaceful manner, but I think we all know how this one ends, sadly for the elder.
Thanos Quest 2 we have the Runner for the Space Gem in which Thanos discusses the origin of The Infinity Gems for the first time! Next we have Thanos and The Collector for the Reality Gem with a tremendous bottom panel of Thanos holding the newly acquired gem! Lastly, we have Thanos matching wits with Grandmaster for the final gem, perhaps the most challenging, the Mind Gem. And with that Thanos has obtained all 6 gems and with them. Thanos has achieved his long sought after goal of godhood.
Which then leads to the biggest, arguably most important saga of our time, The Infinity Gauntlet six issue series...
Perez/Lim Infinity Gauntlet #4/#6 Perez Last PG & Iconic "Farmer Thanos" Final 4 Pages to Series End
Grail Page Alert! For many of us proud owners of Infinity Gauntlet original art pages this speaks to the nostalgia of our childhood, perhaps our first moment of a saga or story arc that remains classic to this day. It simply doesn’t get much better than this.
The top left image is George Perez' finale page to Infinity Gauntlet saga, a 6-part event series that has gone down in comic book history as one of the greatest Marvel stories ever told. It served, of course, as the basis for two of the biggest movies ever, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Infinity Gauntlet was a sequel of sorts to the "Thanos Saga" of the 1970s, written and illustrated by the master of cosmic sagas, Jim Starlin. This time Starlin served as the writer with the incredible George Perez drawing the first three issues and part of issue four, as seen here this being his final art page to the saga. Perez, having drawn DC's Crisis on Infinite Earths five years earlier, was the go-to “Rockstar” artist for huge events featuring dozens of characters. This momentous key page, which not only marks the first attack on Thanos (first battle page in the saga), as mentioned above served as Perez’s last page.
The other images are the Iconic Farmer Thanos Pages in sequence, which are also the last 4 pages of the entire 6 issue Saga! These historic moments were featured in both Infinity War at the very end with Thanos snapping and panning to him on the farm sitting down smiling after he just wiped out half of existence with the melancholy music in the background. The other notable half splash is the first page of 4 featuring the Thanos scarecrow image seen in Avengers Endgame, signifying he's retired his armor and living a simple life after he completed his task. Though in the comic series, Thanos fails the task and slips away from Warlock to this remote planet living the simple life as a farmer, no longer the God-like Villain. The Thanos seen here in these pages is vulnerable, questioning his life's work and ultimately how he feels he ended up okay at the end. 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!
Check out our Infinity Gauntlet page showcasing these pages and others related to the epic series, click the image to view.
Click image above to read more about our Infinity Gauntlet Page, showcasing these & other pages...
John Romita Sr. Amazing Spider-Man #59 Page 13 1st Mary Jane Cover & Feature Issue (Marvel, 1968)
From the very first cover appearance of Mary Jane and her first featured issue from Amazing Spiderman. Issue #59 is widely considered MJ’s breakthrough issue in look and style and this is one of the best pages in the entire book to feature her in all 5 panels by her co-creator John Romita Sr! And there’s only 1 other page in this MJ feature that has her on all panels, which is page 19, a 4 panel page. This issue ranks in CBR’s top 10 Best Spider-Man Comics Drawn By John Romita Sr., coming in at #9. Also take note, this is 1 of only 2 pages in this landmark issue to have Peter “Spider-Man” Parker, MJ, Gwen Stacy, Norman Osbourn along with Captain Stacy all featured on one page! — Face it, tigers, it's an art jackpot!
I confess that, when I re-read the old Lee/Romita Spidey stories, I generally skip over the Spidey fight scenes and focus on the drama in Peter's life that made his character so sympathetic and relatable to generations. In this case to see the ongoing love triangle between Peter, Gwen & MJ was more entertaining than Spidey battling the Brainwasher a few pages later.
Page Breakdown- Mary Jane plays photographer during her debut at the Gloom Room A-Go-Go, acting as an unknowing accomplice of the Brainwasher, who we later find out is really Kingpin! All of MJ’s friends come out to support her including Peter “Spider-Man” Parker, Gwen Stacy, and Harry Osborn. Plus, the city councilman and Captain Stacy are in attendance and are zinged by MJ’s camera, feeling ill instantly. The trademark Romita style is on full display, with beautiful shots of Mary Jane and Gwen Stacy, coming through in the legendary artist's layouts for Don Heck, with finishes by Mike Esposito. Or as Marvel at the time put it; art by John Romita, enchantment by Don Heck and embellishment by Mickey Dimeo aka Mike Esposito.
Ink over graphite and blue pencil on Bristol board with an image area of 10" x 15". Slight toning, trimmed right side edge, punched holes in the top and bottom margins, tape abrasion on the bottom left corner into Panel 4, marginal notes, whiteout corrections, taped paste-up at the bottom right, with spot staining and handling wear. In Very Good condition.
Robert Crumb Cover Inspiration Illustration For Mystic Funnies #2 Original Art (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.
nk over graphite on textured watercolor page-stock, measuring 4.75" x 6.75". Excellent condition, acknowledging light smudging on reverse. Signed R. Crumb ‘97 in lower right corner.
