James Jean REBUS opening reception - Martha Otero Gallery LA

Just got back from a weekend in LA which included attending the public opening night reception for James Jean's REBUS art show at the Martha Otero gallery. If you are a fan of his work already, you will be blown away when you see these pieces in person and up-close. From the large scale to the minute details, to the exquisite palette color range, to the depth of the pieces, just a magnificent showcase of his work.

The gallery was full and lots of excitement in the air. I got there shortly after it opened at 6p but within 30 minutes it was filled up where your photos of the art include shadows, heads, arms or random people in them. The standing room only crowd was very pleased with what they saw including a dozen or so large wall sized painted pieces as well as pieces from his sketchbook, and smaller painted pieces. His new scarf is much more impressive when viewed in person. I just learned that proceeds from the sale of it will go to the Red Cross towards assisting those affected by the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear fallout problems in Japan.

UPDATE See the Michelle Phan narrated YouTube video of how you or your girlfriend can fashionable wear it. I'm gonna guess they weren't selling well previously...until this video came out and or the change to donate funds. I heard only the black/white variation remains. The scarf looks pretty nice framed though, and it's different. 9 Different Scarf Ideas

James Jean arrived by 7:00p and hung out towards the garden patio, greeting guests and chatting with friends. After moving inside, crowds started forming around him and then a modest line to chat and or get photos and autographs.

He had a limited number of invitations printed and available on the table at the show. Beautiful heavy card stock with the REBUS logo in silver on black, and the backside had information on the event on white. He signed these for guests and was as always very gracious in meeting his young and old fans. A very small number of large digital prints of selected pieces were available for sale from the gallery as well, from what I could tell quickly sold-out.

If you attended the event, feel free to post links to your photos in the comment section if you want to share with others. Nice meeting some of you at the reception. Nice to finally put a face to the email address. :)

Here is a link to the gallery which has some nice images of the final REBUS installation.
Martha Otero Gallery

This installation will be there through April 30, 2011.

Awesome Byrne Uncanny X-Men, Perez Sinnot FF, Pollard Thor, Starlin Dreadstar and JRJR Ironman 80s art jam

Here's a sweet Byrne Uncanny X-Men, Perez/Sinnot Fantastic Four, Pollard Thor, Starlin Dreadstar, and Romita Jr Ironman jam piece. Current going for $11,000.00 ($13,145.00 with premiums). This one will go up more.

I'll update this after the auction ends in about 10 hours.

Miller Daredevil 172 page 15 original comic book art

Here's a sweet Miller Daredevil 172 page of original comic book art that featured Bullseye and Kingpin from that classic run. This was the last issue that Miller fully penciled.

This fits the definition of an interior page in every way. Smaller individual artwork from the "middle" of the story. There is no splash element to this page. If anything, this page is extra dark with the (moody but great) Klaus Janson inks from that period.

But what makes this page so great is the awesome layouts, fascination storytelling (layouts) by Frank Miller, wonderful inks by Klaus Janson, and the uniqueness of the long elongated panels. This won't be the last time you hear me say this (or write it in this case) but boy do I miss the way comic books were drawn from back in the day! Most everything nowadays is splashy and storytelling is usually the afterthought. Publishers and artists are now so intent on making the book "look" pretty that they miss out by only using larger images. And artists also will tend to be able to sell more of their pages at a higher price if they are splashier, which may or may not be a coincidence. Whatever happened to creating a mood on the page by using blacks or different film-esque camera angles for the panes. Telling the story like you are watching a movie. That might also be why I enjoyed watching Watchmen the movie. If you watch it again, compare it to the graphic novel and the panels in the GN are almost identical to the way the movie was shot (camera layout). Eerie but done the way it should have been done.

21 bids @ $7800.00

Super Rare Omega Speedmaster Missions Moon watch set and briefcase

Just came across this very awesome ensemble of Omega Speedmaster Missions Moon watches up for sale. I didn't know this collector's set was available but when you see it, you'll shake your head in disbelief at how unbelievable this collection of watches would be for your trophy room. haha.

There is a buy-it-now of only $145,000.00 which I think is down from the original post of $175,000.00. Considering another same set sold for upwards of $368,900.00 (!!!)

If you are into watches, this is a very bad-ass and rare collection of timepieces.

There are many other close-up images of this collection here.

From the auction:

First of all I want to thank GIZMODO.COM, THEAWESOMER.COM, HODINKEE.COM, and TIMETOCLOCK.COM for their efforts on helping me sell these watches. I didn't even know you guys had made a special blog until a couple of people let me know and for that I thank you. I also would like to thank everybody who's showed their appreciation for these watches. Now for those fraudulent bidders who keep bidding and disrupting this post please don't bother with any of your scams as I will only accept a bankwire so don't waste my time. This is the 5th time I've had to post the watches due to fraudulent bidders and thanks to you, all the links from my friends up above are broken.

DESCRIPTION

I have set a buy it now at $175,000.00 but I do consider every offer when a good one is made, so please don't be discourage on the price. As you may already know the set before this one which was #33/40 sold in a European auction for $368,900.00 http://www.antiquorum.com/eng/brandindex/pages/catalog_action=load&lotid=235&auctionid=158.html

This is a rare collection that will not lose it's value even in this economy if anything through the years it will go up in price.

The watches were made in 1997 and bought in 1998 when they were released. I am the original owner and have had them stored away all these years. They were released as a tribute to 40th anniversary of the Omega Speedmaster Professionals. A collection of 23 Speedmaster watches presented in a case fitted with a an Omega briefcase, that doubles up as a display case, fitted with genuine NASA Apollo-Space suit. Each watch in the collection is adorned with a different NASA mission patch on it's dial at the 9 o'clock position: Starting with the 1965 Gemini V to the 1973 Skylab SL-4. It also contains areplica of the original 1957 Speedmaster. This comes comeplete with all certificates and booklets.

You can find more info on these sites;

http://theawesomer.com/tag/watches/page/6/

http://timetotock.blogspot.com/2008/11/omega-speedmaster-missions-watch-set.html

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2008/11/23_nasa_missions_omega_watches_for_ijusti_125000-2/

http://www.antiquorum.com/eng/brandindex/pages/catalog_action=load&lotid=235&auctionid=158.html

http://www.hodinkee.com/blog/2008/11/7/from-the-earth-to-the-moon-23-limited-edition-speedmasters.html

23 watches total:

Gemini V, Gemini VI, Gemini VII, Gemini VIII, Gemini IX, Gemini X, Gemini XI, Gemini XII, Apollo 7, Apollo 8, Apollo 9 “Gumdrop & Spider”, Apollo 10 “Snoopy and Charlie Brown”, Apollo 11 “Columbia and Eagle”, Apollo 12 “Intrepid and Yankee Clipper”, Apollo 13 “Odyssey and Aquarius”, Apollo 14 “Kitty Hawk and Antares”, Apollo 15 “Endeavour and Falcon”, Apollo 16 “Casper and Orion”, Apollo 17 “America and Challenger”, Skylab 1, Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and the 1957 Speedmaster.

Zatanna color cover study by AH!

I'm a fan of Zatanna. Here's a beauty done-up by none-other than Adam "AH!" Hughes. Looks to be like a cover warm-up but looks very finished all in all. Nice use of color markers on drawing paper.

From the auction:

"Up for auction is a sketch study by Adam Hughes of Zatanna. Adam is the new cover artist for the DC Comics Zatanna comic book (starting with issue 11), and this was a piece he did as a warm up before starting work on a cover. The piece is rendered in warm Copic markers on drawing paper. Piece measures 11 inches wide and 13 inches tall, and the image fills most of the paper. "

28 bids @ $3,270.51

1981 Byrne Storm and Nightcrawler pencil sketch

Was watching this sweet John Byrne "Storm and Nightcrawler" pencil sketch from 1981 ending in the last few minutes earlier today and boy was there some serious bidding. Auction had been parked at around 300 bucks for the longest time, then up to around 700 mid day. Then in the waning last 10 minutes, it kept going up. Last minute probably went from $1500ish to $5,500.00 (53 bids in all).

Makes me think the Wolverine and Sasquatch sketch from late last year may have been a bargain, although this was no slouch in any way. I've got the image and some notes if you look at my post from that time by clicking here.

Personally I would have stopped at a little under $4k. Then again, this is a full figured sketch of 2 characters, Uncanny X-Men no less, and from one of the greats on that book, drawn back in the period when his work was King, great details. Art was on 10 3/4" x 14" sketchbook paper. So maybe you value it as $2500 per character and throw in $500 to have them both on the same page, have Storm in her birthday suit, have a great pose with great detailed expressions, have period accurate drawings from Byrne, have the art in great (clean) condition, and have some art that has not been shopped previously (fresh art). Hmmm, maybe this one was a bargain after all.

Must be getting close to comic con season. Feels like this year will have a turn-around in original art valuation and people will be buying up everything and anything again.

The Eight Rules for collecting...

Happy Thanksgiving, Friends! I can't believe it's already the end of 2010 and here comes 2011.

Came across this interesting article from cnbc.com that talks about the "Eight rules to remember about memorabilia". While original comic book art might not exactly fit into the category of memorabilia, many of these "rules" may apply to those of us that collect original comic book art, especially if you are treating the original art as an investment. Regardless lessons can be learned if you are in it strictly for the love of the art, too!

1. Don't fall in love with your investments.
This is especially true if you are treating your artwork like an investment. However, it's probably exactly the opposite if you are a collector. But I always remind those new to collecting art to love what you want to buy and buy it because you love it, not because it will go up in value.

2. Go with the tried and the true.
There probably is truth to this if you are investing as the more people that the art may appeal to, then it may be easier to sell/trade it later on. However, that doesn't mean you should completely skip stuff not mainstream. Again, acquire pieces that appeal to you individually, that has meaning to you. Then again, if it's not mainstream, good chance it will be easier to acquire and maybe at a price point that fits your budget. It could also increase in value later on.

3. The law of supply and demand is in effect.
While all original art is one of a kind, "supply and demand" still does come into play esp if an artist is more prolific in getting out quality pieces. Take for instance Jim Lee. Does he ever stop drawing or sketching for his fans?? There is a lot of his art out there but does his demand ever really slow down? Perhaps it may fluctuate some over the course of a year but his stuff is still very sought after.

4. To get top dollar, it has to be pristine or museum quality.
Perhaps in theory, but again all original art is one of a kind. Buy it if it appeals to you. Will that older Neal Adams, John Byrne, Dave Cockrum or Jim Lee Uncanny X-Men cover art that has yellowed over time be worth less than a pristine white cover from a current issue of X-Men?

5. The market is fragmented.
There is truth to this in that big auction houses are not the only game in town. eBay, comic book conventions, smaller auction houses, other collectors, art dealers, even some comic book shops have come into the game and make art more widely available.

6. No matter whom you deal with, make sure they are reputable.
This is so important and I can't emphasize this item more. There are many dealers that are flaky, unreliable, and often try to get the best out of any deal. Trust me, I have met quite a few and have had unsuccessful transactions which have not been fun to sort out. Find fellow collectors that you can trust, meet them in person at conventions, talk to dealers at shows and on the phone, etc. While email, websites and the internet make things easier, don't think you are exempt from getting scammed just because you have their email address. Making a few friends in the hobby will go a long way, in comparing experiences, sharing stories, and getting tips on best ways to make sure you don't get cheated. Great to have a knowledgeable friend who can help you value a piece of art you want to get. :)

7. Prices fluctuate.
Yes they do. This then leads us to the question, what exactly is current market value? Is this solely based on sales numbers within the past 3-6 months for equivalent pieces? Related to trends for similar artists/art from the past years? What the seller wants to sell it for? All of the above and or none of the above? :)

8. There's no accepting for taste.
Great point. What I may collect does not mean everyone loves it. Stick to things you enjoy if you are collecting. If you are in it for investing, go with mainstream and things that you think would appeal to most others if you want to later move that piece. The more obscure may be more difficult to move.


I'd love to hear your feedback and opinions on what you think are your rules for collecting original comic book art.

Here's a link to the CNBC article.