Really Sotheby Girls?

Just found an interesting article about working at Sotheby's, and lessons learned. Sotheby Girls huh?

Artinfo.com article "Cool Girls Got off at Contemporary.."

N+1 Magazine excerpt

Jim Lee Scott Williams Batman 617 panel page from Hush

I remember when these pages were first available in 2002/03 and they were selling like hotcakes. Turns out these pages are still worth their weight in gold, and given the large number of bidders on this recent Hush panel page auction that just closed, things could be heating up in 2012.

20 bidders brought this auction to $3050.00. The original art of Batman 617 page 20 featuring Jim Lee pencils and Scott Williams inks is a nice example of the art from Hush. This is all-in-all a pretty nice panel page. Has some excellent large images of Batman especially the 2 large views of the Dark Knight at the top of the page.

Hopefully with the large number of bidders and high realized original art prices for recent auctions (see above and see previous post today re: Neal Adams Brave and Bold page), we will see more great pages come out of hiding and go up on eBay before comic book convention season starts.

NOTE This page sold on Heritage in Nov 2011 for $4780.00

Neal Adams Brave and Bold 86 page from 1969

Welcome 2012.

I've been distracted with life since my last post. But I have been browsing original art on eBay again since late last year and noticing original art price trends seem to be going upwards slightly. Am I reading this properly? If so, forget the banks. I'm investing in original comic book art. Case in point...

The post I'd like to share today is a sweet early Neal Adams Brave and Bold 86 page 4 that sold today. Iconic Neal Adams Batman in the top pane and gotta love the irregular shaped panels. This page is just so clean in layout makes me wish I bid a tad more. All Neal Adams artwork.

According to the auction description, this page was purchased from Heritage for $3107.00 in Nov 2011. Couple hundred bucks profit in a few months. :)

UPDATE 3/12/2012: Just saw this same page for sale on an art dealer site for $6500.00 this morning.

UPDATE 8/4/2012:  Artwork is still available for sale for $6500.  Great looking page though.

Adrianne Palicki is the new Wonder Woman

Adrianne Palicki is the new Wonder Woman. Good choice. I'll be watching the show.

They released some photos of her in the updated costume couple days ago. The new series is suppose to be less campy and portray her as a more "complex woman." We'll see how that goes but does seem in contrast with those shiny blue pants she got on. No red boots?

Does this mean artist will use Adrianne's face and body for their sketches and drawings of Wonder Woman moving forward? I hope so.

UPDATE 3/30/2010:
Ok, I guess we spoke and they listened. Here are some new images and video footage of the updated Wonder Woman costume shot while filming in LA.

Is it too late for them to change it back to the tight shiny hot pants? I keeed, I keeeed. :)

Frank Miller's The Dark Knight Returns original art sketch

Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight Returns" original artwork doesn't come on the market very often, if ever. I think the last public transaction for a page from that book was more than $35,000.00. So when this sketch hit eBay, it was difficult to figure out true value. While on one hand it is clearly era accurate and from Frank Miller, this sketch wasn't published and wasn't as detailed as his inked pieces. But it sure is a BIG 11by17 large piece of art, and features Batman and Robin from the mini series.

Regardless, this selling for a tad North of $10k seems like a good price for whoever was lucky enough to win the auction.

From the auction:

Important ... there is a bend ( maybe an inch or less) in the lower left hand corner (non live art area) ... and there is also a stain on the upper left hand border ( also non live art area) of what appears to be possibly rubber cement or another yellowish type substance... there is a bit of pencil smudging in places and on the back of the paper! see pics above please.. i do not want to mislead anyone of the condition... And only serious bidders please! thank you

Frank Miller original artwork ...drawn on dc cover stock paper (measuring 12 x17 inches) in 1990 as a special 75th birthday gift to former DC comics editor Julius "julie" Schwartz.... this is a fully penciled and inked illustration of Batman and Robin from Millers Dark Knight 4 issue comic series. It also has a signed inscription from miller on it to Julius. I had asked Julius to sign the artwork in the border area (non live area of the art work) ... and after much debate he agreed to sign the artwork ... my argument was a simple one... this type of museum quality piece has a great deal of historical significance to it and thus it would make perfect sense that Julius should sign it. After all it was the mans 75th birthday ( that's significant enough in it's own right.. a milestone indeed), but to be honored in such a way because he was so beloved by the artistic community , both comics and sci-fi! Julius was a no nonsense kind of a guy... he was the first one to tell you " to always be on time with the work " ... yet he was also the first guy to tell a dirty joke! He was a character all right... he will never be replaced! I miss the days of having dinner and hearing the best stories about the hay day of DC ... about Carmine Infantino...about the greats... the ins and outs of the business. Even after Julius retired from DC he was always welcomed back in the offices... in fact everyone was always excited to see him... this goes way back to the 666 address or the devil building as everyone called it ( dc has moved twice since ) .. and frankly without people like Julie ... the heart and soul of the industry no longer feels the same. Comics aren't comics these days... Thats why pieces of this magnitude are so vital to the legacy of comics ! Frankly i know i didn't even have to mention all this... most will look at this artwork... and the true connoisseurs of this medium will immediately recognize just how amazing this piece is. For one it was a period in Miller's life when he was about to do Sin City... his style ...his technique would soon blossom into what we old timers see as the Steranko-Eisener- Wood style. Yet Miller made it his own..that's what true masters of the medium often do, they transform, they morph... they emerge as front runners of evolution. This art is still inspired by Millers 1980's look yet it is a hint of what's to come on Sin City. Julie was still editor when Miller was doing Ronin--- his ode to Moebius and slew of other artists ... than he decided to simplify his look... once again... and so Dark Knight was born... This artwork is simply gorgeous . This is a holy grail piece in any collection... if it was published it would command way over $150,000 easily! But this is a different type of treasure. It was a gift made to a friend... and the work shows... it is a labor of love... it is a master piece ( just look at the detail in the work, wow.. that my friends takes skill, effort and lots of time). Like i said i didn't have to say any of this... but the old sales man in me just can't help himself. Just imagine trying to find something of this quality ...guess what ...an average dark knight page sells for $40,000.... try finding a splash or a cover ... over $100, 000 easily each one...maybe more ( what am i saying a cover would fetch more like $200,000)! and you can't even find them, no one wants to part with them! now try to get a sketch... good luck since miller hardly ever even does a doodle these days and if he does... it's just that a doodle... And lets play devil's advocate and say that somehow you convince Miller to draw you a piece... ( lets say you are a millionaire and it's for a good cause... and for the sake of argument he agrees... trouble is... miller no longer draws in this manner. This is a bygone era stylistically ... so unless you have a time machine you can no longer ask miller to draw in the same iconic style as his days of the Dark Knight! Simply put the odds of getting something classical like this are well... 1 in a million. Imagine being able to say to someone "oh yeah i own a dark knight miller piece circa 1990" than watch the jawdrop... now picture having this piece in your home... i mean it humor me .... close your eyes than pick out a wall in your home and picture this artwork hanging up in a beautiful lustrous thick jet black ( pure ebony) frame, with professional archival matting ( trust me don't cheap out .. a good framing job is worth it..around $500 to $600, after all this is an investment in art , in history, and for the real collector... the love of comics). What more can i say... i mean i can go on and on and never shut up... but it's late and i am tired and i have other auctions to put up... segway into... please check out my other auctions.. i have a drew struzan ...sent from drew to me personally ...we actually traded artwork! And from the master Jose Luis Garcia Lopez a beautiful illustration done for me... the images were used for DC Products.. lunch boxes.. etc... and there is a JC leyendecker painting and an Andrew Loomis painting! What can i say my life's collection... well its time to pass it to others... no no don't get me wrong this old war horse is not dropping dead anytime soon... i am just looking to acquire bigger and better things ( of course beauty is all in the eye of the beholder) Good day my dear readers! god bless..happy bidding! Cheers

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.